The Dragonfather

The year was 2000. I was eight years old and my third grade teacher had us watch The Hobbit on VHS during a slow day at school. I thought it was the strangest thing I'd ever see, but I couldn't look away. Something about wooly-footed earth dwellers, fanged goblins, and mighty gold-hoarding dragons ignited a spark of curiosity within me. Shortly afterward I read the book, and became obsessed with fantasy. It was like dinosaurs, but cooler. Because it wasn't dependent on the fossil record. I could imagine anything.

I began writing my first fantasy story that year on a computer which should be in a museum. It was beige colored and the keyboard was so loud, it's a wonder the neighbors didn't call our home phone (which was also beige). Some of the monsters I invented for this fantasy world have made it all the way to the present day. But I'll admit, not much else did.

At the age of nine, I began making my own card games. They were heavily inspired by games like Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! But it featured monsters and heroes from my own high fantays setting. I began calling this world Tarn. I had no idea that this word meant "lake" essentially, but I liked the sound, so Tarn it was and Tarn it shall continue to be. Ironically, the world, from the vantage point of the divine, the world does indeed resemble a lake.

When I was thirteen, I started playing guitar. I'd developed a deep love for metal music, and by the fifteen I had assembled a band. Over the next several years, while we were playing shows and mingling with metalheads, I met a lot of people who weren't necessarily geeks. But I missed making card games, so I set out to design something that I could play with these new friends who had absoutely no experience with tabletop gaming.

Thus, Dragonvault was born.

I started bringing the game to barbecues, birthday parties, and any type of gathering I could. The first version was home printed and hand-cut. Since it was small, I could always keep a deck in my backpack, waiting for the opportune moment. I played rounds upon rounds of Dragonvault with people of all ages, and all levels of experience with tabletop gaming, from "I've never played a card game" to Magic players that have blue decks (you proabably know the type).

So now I am pleased to share with you the fruit of my labor. And a labor it has been. Creating and self publishing a card game during the meltdown of civilization has been a grueling (and increidbly rewarding) task. Like Biblo Baggins, I grew fond of the adventure. And the comments of people who have grown to love this game fuels me to keep going. 

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

—𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕯𝖗𝖆𝖌𝖔𝖓𝖋𝖆𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗