Just for the record–I was asked to post this article, I am not one for ringing my own bell.
This weekend was my birthday. I won’t say which one, but let’s just say that I was in 4th grade when I started playing the Moldvay version of D&D. When I was young, my mother started a tradition of making a cake decorated with my current hobby for each birthday. Around age 12 she made me a Red Dragon cake, based on the drawing in the 1e Monster Manual. Through the years there was a newspaper cake, when I became editor of the school newspaper, a car cake when I turned 16, and a guitar cake when I went though my hair-metal stage.
After high school the cakes stopped. I suppose making a keg shaped cake is not the kind of thing that mothers aspire to. This year, my wife conspired with my mother and as a surprise this birthday, I was presented with the following cake.
[1]
Believe me, it tasted just as good as the stew….
12 Comments To "A Gnome Birthday"
#1 Comment By John Arcadian On March 22, 2009 @ 3:16 pm
A very happy birthday phil! I would like you to shrinkwrap a piece of that cake and send it to me. I doubt this will happen, but it looks delicious. We need to get one made for Gencon!
#2 Comment By Scott Martin On March 22, 2009 @ 5:42 pm
Another happy birthday. According to the PHB (of whatever edition), how many more birthdays until you hit Adolescent or Young Adult as a gnome?
#3 Comment By Patrick Benson On March 22, 2009 @ 8:25 pm
Happy birthday Phil! Does Gnome Stew, like fine scotch, get better with age?
#4 Comment By Kurt “Telas” Schneider On March 22, 2009 @ 11:56 pm
Congrats on surviving another year, and on having a cool wife and a cool mom.
#5 Comment By spenser On March 23, 2009 @ 5:27 am
Happy Birthday! Any chance you brought some of that cake home with you?
#6 Comment By Martin Ralya On March 23, 2009 @ 6:11 am
Happy birthday, Phil! Your cake is the rockingest.
And I LOVE that you had a hair metal phase. 😉
#7 Comment By Walt Ciechanowski On March 23, 2009 @ 6:59 am
Ah, the good old days, when gnomes could mate with trolls to create gnolls (and who could forget the thoul?).
Happy Birthday, Phil! The cake looks mighty tasty!
#8 Comment By Matthew J. Neagley On March 23, 2009 @ 7:56 am
Happy Birthday Phil. That cake is fantastic! If you didn’t already, have an extra piece for us. 😉
#9 Comment By BryanB On March 23, 2009 @ 9:58 am
Happy Birthday! You started gaming at a younger age than I did. I started with the ’81 red and blue boxed sets when I was in the 7th grade, before quickly moving into AD&D (that’s first edition for you Padawans). 🙂
#10 Comment By drow On March 23, 2009 @ 10:05 am
happy birthday!
#11 Comment By frostryder On March 23, 2009 @ 1:11 pm
Happy birthday, Phil! 🙂
#12 Comment By MattyinAK On March 24, 2009 @ 12:38 pm
Happy Birthday! I recently turned 40 and realized that one of the coolest things about it was the fact that I was still gaming and had been now for 29 years.
Thanks for sharing it with us.