Allow me to introduce myself – Grognard Gourmand, at your service! Why are you called “Grognard Gourmand”, you ask? Well, pull up a chair and a deep, dark brew, Gentle Reader, and I’ll tell you…
I am, indeed, a “grognard” – that’s ancient gamer-ese for “ancient
gamer”. ;-) I started playing RPGs in 1979, when a family friend gave me the
Red Box Dungeons and Dragons set as a
gift. Thereafter I played RPGs and wargames constantly - it might be said
obsessively - through my sophomore year of college (1990), when other circumstances
compelled me to step away from the gaming table. In 2008, in search of some of
the fun and friendships I remembered from my misspent youth, I decided to
return to the gaming world. I was fortunate enough to find a group of fellow “chronologically
advanced” gamers who graciously helped me back into the hobby. By 2009 I was actually
DMing again, and happily settling down into a contented twice-a-month
indulgence of my long-denied geekish personality. I probably would have
continued that way forever, except for a totally unexpected turn of events.
A girl joined our group. A gamer girl. A very intelligent,
savvy, and (as I discovered when she changed into a slinky grey dress for a fundraiser
after her first game with us) sexy girl.
In an even more unexpected turn, she and I hit it off! We started
dating, and eventually we got married in August 2010. She’s turned my life
upside down and inside out, and I’ve loved every minute of it (and her!) And she
and I still game with the same group where we met.
How very romantic,
you must be thinking, but what does that
have to do with this blog? Everything, Gentle Reader, everything. Here’s where
the “Gourmand” part comes in…
Amongst my Dear Wife’s many stellar talents is that she is a
wonderful cook and baker. Once the gaming group changed venue to our home in
2011, we (OK, she) decided that we
geeks had been eating take-out pizza for far too long. Ali took it upon herself
to cook dinner for us on game nights – and fantastic food it has been, I must
say. Combine this with the fact that several of our members have discerning
palates for fine liquor, and regularly bring samples to share around the table,
and our games have become a bi-weekly event. Dear Wife, and my gaming friends,
have managed to turn this Grognard into a Gourmand.
And now, we’d like to share this with you, Gentle Reader.
Here at Grognards and Gourmands, we will share with you our recipes, our cocktail
mixtures and recommendations for fine beer and spirits (all of which have been
tested and tasted at our table). I will also
post some of my more successful gaming rules and tricks (play-tested around our
table), along with some homebrew ideas I’ve been kicking around in my head -
all drawing from my vast store of eldritch gaming lore.
So, be patient, Gentle Reader – the first batch of gourmet
game snacks is baking in the oven and will be ready to serve this weekend,
accompanied by some monstrous escorts (I believe that’s called foreshadowing).
Welcome aboard!
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