When I was ten years old, my cousin gave me a 3rd edition D&D Player's Handbook as a Christmas present. I still remember pouring over the pages of it in the top bunk, reading by flashlight. It was another two years before I got a chance to actually play a game of D&D for real. I've been gaming on and off ever since then, for over 11 years now. I've mainly played D&D (3rd, 3.5 and 4th editions), but I've played other games including the Marvel Universe RPG, All Flesh Must Be Eaten, The Dresden Files, the Star Wars RPG. But D&D is perhaps my favorite, and certainly the one I have played most. Most of my time spent playing D&D has been behind a DM screen (metaphorically, as I disdained using a screen for a long while).
Being a DM is (for me at least) very rewarding. It's also a very difficult and often under appreciated job. As a DM, you are called upon to fill many different rolls, including writer, director, producer, baby sitter, judge, negotiator, artist, cartographer, strategist and secretary. Being a DM isn't something everyone can do, and doing it well requires a lot of practice.
I still remember my first time DMing, it was back before high school, and it was me and a bunch of friends. I only had a couple books, none of which were the Dungeon Master's Guide or the Monster Manual. As one can expect, the game was... well, terrible. But it's been my experience that everyone starts off terrible, and either improves or retires after that first time.
I'm not a perfect DM, and I still have a lot to learn. But, I've been told I am a pretty good DM, and I've got a bunch of experience (including DMing at a convention). Probably one of the more freqeunt recurring themes of this blog is going to be discussing the nature of DMing, advice, difficulties and whatnot. I just felt I should give a bit of background about my gaming career.
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