A Life Built on Stories: From Worlds on the Page to Virtual Tabletops Around the Globe
It’s been a few months since I last updated the blog. Partly, that’s because life has been full—rich, complicated, tiring, and incredibly fulfilling. Since January 13th, I’ve poured my energy not just into my writing but also into a path that has grown into something deeply meaningful: being a professional gamemaster.
Yes, it started as a side hustle. Something to help with the bills, a way to put my decades of storytelling experience to use. But it’s become more than that. Today, I’m running almost 8 different games for 30 players from all walks of life and corners of the globe.
Bladerunner 2037, D&D 2024, Song of Ice and Fire, a Battletech play-by-post campaign set during the Clan Invasion of 3039, Beyond the Wall, and even a Star Wars Saga RPG set in the Knights of the Old Republic era. One of my most recent games is for a solo player who’s a digital nomad in the United Arab Emirates. The universes vary, but what binds them together is a shared love of story—a desire to dive into new worlds and forge new identities, if only for a few hours each week usually in my morning hours, after I sdrop the kids off at school and take my wife to her motorcycle parking spot, or directly to her office.
Some players drift away as life pulls them in different directions, a few have had work changes, some have been called to active duty or a military deployment. but many stay. I’ve had core players who’ve walked with me for years now. They’ve been more than supportive—through Star Trek Adventures, Twilight:2000, and Bladerunner. They’ve become a part of the rhythm of my life. In a way, they’re helping me write the next chapters of my personal life story, even when it’s not in a book.
Meanwhile, the writing continues. Slowly, steadily, faithfully. Merchant of Fortune is still unfolding, still finding its shape. I haven’t abandoned the dream—I’m just living it in multiple dimensions now. At the game table. On the page. And in the quiet, behind-the-scenes moments when I sketch new systems and brainstorm alien cultures.
This life I’ve built—part author, part GM—isn’t what I would have imagined for myself years ago. But it’s mine. And it’s built on stories. Stories that connect, that entertain, that heal. Stories that remind me, no matter what’s happening in the world, there’s always another chapter waiting to be written.
Thank you to everyone who has supported me—players, readers, friends. You help make this dream real.
Let’s keep exploring.
