While there are neverending new DMs out there, The New DM on this site is me, Cavan McGinsie. I'm a nerd at heart who never let myself explore or enjoy my nerdy side until my mid-20s and now I am speed-running through all of the cultural touchstones I never let myself experience as a kid.

MY CHARACTER SHEET

I grew up in a rural town outside Indianapolis and was a multi-sport kid, which meant I had very little time for anything outside of school and sports. After college, where I studied Creative Writing and Journalism, I stumbled into covering Gen Con for a blog. Surprisingly, I knew zilch about gaming or the realms of fantasy and sci-fi. My closest brush with it was playing Skyrim and watching/reading The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones (I know it’s called ASOIAF, I read the books, I promise).

At my first Gen Con, I sat down at a table for character creation. My investigation roll for finding that Character Sheet has been a critical fail. I reckon I made a rogue, inspired by my love for stealth-based video games and Batman. I might have chosen an Elf because I’m an unabashed Legolas stan. Regardless, that character creation session and the vibrant convention atmosphere with minis, dice, and all the camaraderie more than piqued my interest.

Working as a journalist in Indy, covering Gen Con became an annual tradition, and my interest grew, the problem was I had no gaming buddies. Then came The Adventure Zone podcast. I’d been a long-time fan of The McElroys and so I gave it a chance. Hearing the Balance arc fired me up to buy the D&D Starter Set, dice, a foldable hex board—everything I needed to start a game. I invited friends over, but the cliché happened: no one showed up. I didn't cry (I'm a grown-up, sort of), but it sucked.

Luckily, I met my friend Aric, who you'll see contributing to this blog. He invited me to join his table, and I rolled up my first real character, Mordred Light—an Aasimar Oath of Vengeance Paladin. Playing Mordred was a blast, and I went all out with his backstory (probably too much). I also played Karl, a Way of the Ascendant Dragon Monk Kobold, at Aric's table. However, life gets chaotic, and we haven’t been able to meet as often as we want. So, I turned to Reddit in January 2023, and now, in May of the same year, I'm on session six of The Calmorn Chronicles with four players, soon to be five. I'm still learning, as you'll see in these blog posts, but let me tell you—I'm utterly addicted. I'm knee-deep in this adventure, proof that it's never too late to dive into something new.