Gaming weighs heavy on my writing brain today because I have a D&D (Dungeons and Dragons, though chances are if you’re reading this, you’re already familiar with the term) game this afternoon. I have a great gaming group (two really, maybe three or four…players overlap so it’s hard to say) and we don’t play as often as I’d like.

Recently at a Michigan convention, Epic Confusion, Author D&D happened. Fantasy & science fiction authors Jay Lake, Saladin Ahmed, Myke Cole, John Scalzi, Joe Abercrombie, Jim C. Hines, Peter V. Brett, Patrick Rothfuss, Scott Lynch, Elizabeth Bear and Brent Weeks played a game of D&D together.

This. Is. Awesome. Read about the game in their own words. Don’t worry, I’ll wait. I’ll trust you’ll come back.

http://aidanmoher.com/blog/2012/01/articles/guest-post-geeks-come-home-10-sff-authors-play-dd-together-by-brent-weeks/
http://mykecole.com/blog/2012/01/author-dd-game
http://www.joeabercrombie.com/2012/01/24/confusion/

This is an event I’d love to see at more cons. So many of the regional genre conventions already have a gaming component, usually these two things are at odds for programming time, and don’t have much crossover. But how awesome would it be to cross the gaming and literary streams? Everything I’ve read about Epic Confusion’s event tells me it was a huge success (if success is measured by fun–and it should be, damn it). Granted, it would be hard to top that con’s star-studded panel of authors, but this needs to happen damn it! Who wouldn’t want to game with their favourite authors? It probably wouldn’t destroy the world. Almost certainly WOULD result in a giant barbecued marshmallow man.

So given the opportunity, here’s the authors I’d love to game with:
Dresden Files-Jim Butcher (was there any doubt?)
D&D-Don Bassingthwaite. Don writes some of the most believable and dynamic non-human cultures I’ve read, tie-in fiction or not. Also, he is a fun dude.
Call of Cthulhu-Brett Savory and Sandra Kasturi (I’m pretty sure I would actually go crazy, not my character)
Marvel Superheroes-Carrie Vaughn (have you read After the Golden Age?) or George R.R. Martin. Wild Cards, ’nuff said.
Vampire the Masquerade-Michael Rowe (because he would make it scary as FUCK)
Amber- A. Lee Martinez (honestly this would be the best game to play with ANY author. It’s all about storytelling over rules. And, it’s very nature allows it to be ANY game.) Every one of his books is different and I know the author of Divine Misfortune would never be hurting for new directions to take the game.
Top Secret-Duane Swierczynski. This guy’s books are like reading Die Hard. He knows thrillers. He knows noir. Also, he writes comics too. So super spy hijinks are a given.

The above hardly put a dent in the games I’ve played over the years (*), and maybe they aren’t your cup of tea, but imagine Boot Hill with Cherie Priest, Legend of the Five Rings, Cyberpunk with William Gibson, Mage: the Ascension with Neil Gaiman, Star Wars with an actual writer!

* Holy Crap, how do I find the time to write? (Actually if COMICS are responsible for me reading Gaming is responsible for me writing, more on that later (after my post on over using parentheses (I promise)).)

So what games are YOU playing?