D&D and RPG gaming spawned Dispel…
Otherworld miniatures painted by A.Imrie
Greetings music fanatics and gamers, During the recording of our 2nd album “Inferno”, Inspired by Dante Alighieri (The Supreme Poet 1265–1321). I had a moment to reflect on how we got here. Assuming you’ve seen one of our Music Videos and how important medieval fantasy & gothic imagery is to our music. The whole basis for this band was forged during late night Sessions of Dungeons and Dragons (1st. Ed.) The kind where you game til you drop, refuel with the breakfast of champions; stale pizza and get right back into gaming. Our favorite adventure then was an original setting, called ‘Castle Timeless.’
At that time we didn’t know how a role playing game would influence our later lives and teach us important life skills. Such as communication, camaraderie, leadership, listening and problem solving, these skills seemed so innocent back then. First and foremost, nothing will give your imagination a ‘work out’ quite like a treacherous dungeon crawl, or exploring the inner workings of a medieval city with a proper tavern.
After years of gaming and playing Music, I had yet to connect the two; didn’t know you could. It wasn’t until I decided to DM (Game master) my own campaign setting, it was called “Del Comet Diaboli”. It had a dark & diabolic theme and was roughly based on two gaming supplements, the ‘Demons’ boxed set and a module called ‘The City of Dis’, both of which were direct interpretations of Dante’s Masterpiece, ‘The Divine Comedy’, better know as ‘Inferno.’ See where I’m going with this?
While developing that campaign I filled a business sized three ring binder with the outline for the campaign, the ideas, stories, adventures, maps, encounters, treasures, and accumulated every gaming resource I could find about the infernal plane of Hell. The Campaign was a blast, I can still remember many heroic gaming moments.
Soon life and it’s necessities had there way and directed our energies elsewhere. Over the years, who knew the skills learned while gaming would prove priceless. It became evident, when I decided to take a risk and pursue music as a profession. It took extreme amounts of effort and dedication, even now; but it was that campaign outline and the muscles of my imagination gained from playing AD&D. It planted the seed and gave me the infrastructure needed to create my business plan. All from a damn game…
So here we are in the recording studio trying to contribute to the creative spirit of heroic fantasy, forbidden adventures, and to honor the creative giants of the ancients. Seems this music journey has come full circle, not knowing where it would lead; yet here we are about to embark in the footsteps of Dante, what an honor. “Looking back on the path, as we pass the infernal gates; I can see the seeds that were sown long ago; have sprouted…..Roll initiative!
How has gaming or your favorite passion helped your growth? Please leave a comment below; to share something about the above you can relate to…
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