Name: Bryan Palmer
Age: 39 (yes, I believe that I have so far earned the
title "grandpa")
Sex: Male
Ethnicity: Caucasian (sorry it's the statistician/evaluator
in me!)
Occupation: Program Evaluation Coordinator (fancy name for
"statistics" guy)
Current Location: Tempe, Arizona State University
Years Role Playing: 9
Gaming Experience: Battletech, AD&D (primarily Birthright and
Greyhawk), Star Fleet Battles, Top Secret, Twilight 2000, Star Wars,
(many others with limited experience)
I've always wanted to DM in AD&D put was somewhat concerned about the
vast difference in the level of experience between myself and my fellow
gaming companions (at times I believe they participated in D&D while
still in embryonic states!). Using the Birthright campaign and all of
its political nuances put the players on unfamiliar ground (having never
ruled entire countries) and allowed me to incorporate what I felt were
true challenges (better known as nasty politics). We operate the game
on two levels 1) e-mail for domain turns and 2) monthly gaming sessions
for true adventures. We have to work this way since all of us "older
guys" (my PCs are actually in their late 20s - early 30s) have full time
jobs and families. The main "regent character" doesn't even live in the
area anymore. He moved to Austin, Texas and commutes to Phoenix
once-a-month (he tells me it's just to play this game but I'm not quite
buying that line). Even being so far away, he still provides me with a
wealth of information through fax and e-mail. There are four PCs in my
campaign and each has commented to me that the Birthright game has
renewed their waning interest in AD&D.

PS: From a statistics/evaluation standpoint, it's awfully
interesting to see how well the international community is represented
on this listserver, and I have to say Como que vai! To Bearcat (I used
to live in Brazil and would sure love to see that beautiful place again)