It's been a minute
------------------

While I've still been active with elpher development, my phlog has
slipped off the radar a bit.  And that's okay!  Slow internet and all
that.

Besides elpher, much of my hobby programming projects have taken a bit
of a back seat over the last few months.  Some of this is because of
work, which has been a bit more intense as we move back to the office;
but it's also due to the fickle winds that drive how I spend my free
time.

In place of programming, I've spent a chunk of time organising and
running TTRPG campaigns for my 7yo twins and, occasionally, their
cousins.  This has been an absolute blast!  I've had exactly zero
prior practical experience with this, or even with gaming in general.
This is despite spending a chunk of my adolescent childhood drooling
over rule books (can't remember the system, but not D&D) I found in
the library, since nobody I knew had any interest in playing.  (Not
helped by the pretty strong "D&D is satan worship" meme which was
still floating around at the time.)  But at some point about 6 months
ago it occurred to me that my daughters might be old enough to enjoy
such things, if I could find the right system.  A bit of googling led
me to Hero Kids, an indie RPG that seemed to fit the bill, and that
had rules that were suitable both for first-time young players and
clueless parent GMs.  It's been awesome!!  Fast-forward a couple of
months, and I've spent countless hours designing maps for forest ninja
hideouts and finding ways to integrate dragon pets and chocolate coins
into tacky adventure stories.

Life is grand. :)
.