Neverwinter Nights Are Bloody Long
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We painstakingly crafted a deep, complex and most importantly, fun world (blowing my own trumpet!) and I can honestly say I've never had more fun with a game, nor have I been more invested in it. One of the benefits of being a DM was that a lot of the time we would set up a situation for the players and just let it unfold organically, so while we were having a blast playing there with our friends we also spent a ridiculous number of hours just socialising and getting to know each other better. At the time I was going through a bit of a low point in my life. I was flunking university by then, I fought all the time with my girlfriend and my flatmate, and I barely had enough money to buy a sandwich. Things were really getting to me, so being able to express myself through writing lore and quests and occasionally venting with people who knew me, but at the same time didn't know me enough to judge my whining, made my horribly shitty situation a lot more manageable. Between thinking up new and inventive ways to drive our players bonkers my fellow DMs always managed to find a way to cheer me up. A couple of them were quite a bit older than me and had already gone through a lot of the crap I was still swimming in and their advice and support were invaluable.
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Like most things it all came to an end. There were arguments that didn't end amicably, real life drama seeped into the game and I started to focus more on saving my university career. I ended up taking a break, periodically checking in to see how everyone was doing, promising that I'd be back to DM soon, but it never happened. Real life got in the way. Neverwinter Nights 2 was on the horizon and people had started to play the original less and less and then one day I realised that I hadn't even checked our forums in about six months. I caught up with some of the "old crew" just before the server was shut down, it was nice to catch up but we'd all moved on and it didn't seem like we had as much in common as we once had. Years later I still hear from a few of them every now and then, we exchange a few pleasantries and not much else, they're still great people, but most of our fond memories are tied up in a game hardly anyone plays anymore.
Writing about it now I can't help but feel slightly melancholy. At the time it was the perfect game and I played it with just the right people. I've attempted to recreate the "awesomeness", for lack of a better, more descriptive and less lazy word. I tried to set up a D&D group with some friends, but getting any group of people to sit down together and play a game that isn't on console or a PC once a week is nearly impossible, it seems. I had hoped to get some of that spark back by playing MMOs, but while they can be enjoyable they restrict players so much and they are incredibly mechanical, the communities tend to leave a lot to be desired as well. But to lay the blame on my crappy D&D group (which only ever managed one session) or MMO communities would be disingenuous, because I know that much of it is because I look back at my time playing on persistent worlds on Neverwinter Nights, with truly great people, through rose-tinted glasses. But damn it if those glasses aren't bloody comfortable.
