Hi {name}!

In this update:

• The Benefits of Encumbrance
• Miniatures Sale: Final Days
• New Adventure by M.T. Black

While I was tucking my daughter into bed, she had been pondering her own and her sisters’ neurospiciness and other disabilities. She asked, “Dad, if you knew all the challenges that we would bring, would you still have adopted us?” (She's 11 but has always been curious, empathetic, and insightful beyond her years.)

I said, “OK, here’s the honest answer. No, I probably wouldn’t have, because back then, I would’ve been worried that I wouldn’t be able to handle everything and take care of all of you like you need. But if I could go back in time and either encourage or discourage my past self about adopting all of you, I would tell myself to do it. We weren’t ready, but we learned and adapted and have never once regretted any of you, and we love you all dearly. Someone once told me, ‘It takes special gifts to parent someone with disabilities,’ but I told them, ‘No, you develop what you need based on your child’s needs. You learn to adjust and love them however they need to be loved, disabled or not.’”

She said, “Dad, I can’t smile any bigger!” 🥰

It’s so easy to feel like a burden, and I don’t know about you, but at our table, we don’t track encumbrance. Yes, all kinds of people, regardless of ability, bring challenges into our lives. And choosing to love them comes at a cost. Because that’s what love is — the commitment to give of yourself for someone else’s good. 

But nobody is a burden. Everyone in your life is an opportunity to love, regardless of how easy or difficult that may be or how you have to do it. (Note: In toxic/abusive situations, that may mean walking away forever for the good of everyone involved.) But that’s also how we grow. That's how we develop compassion and empathy. That's how we learn the nuances and varieties of love.

Everyone needs to be loved in a different way, so the greater the diversity of people we know, the more ways we learn to love.

And no matter what your experiences or needs are, you are not a burden. You are deserving of love, and anyone who loves you benefits from loving you, because that’s how love works.

As costly as our relationships may be, the more we love and accept others’ love, the more we level up. Because in the real world, we may not learn to teleport, but every opportunity to exercise or experience kindness and compassion gives us XP to be heroes to each other.

Love is not deserved. It’s given and received freely, or it's not truly love. (Although it grows more when shared mutually.)

My kids are amazing, the most compassionate you’ll ever meet. They’re my heroes (and my favorite D&D players!), and every day I’m learning to be more like them and to love like they do.

Thanks for sharing with me in the magic of lifting each other up at the same time.

If you want to get any or all of the STLs or miniatures from our Limitless Champions collection, the sale ends this week!

M.T. Black, an amazing human, a good friend, and one of the most respected 5e designers in the industry, just launched "Old Town Saga," a captivating 5e adventure in the world of Iskandar. Embark on a journey through labyrinthine alleys, engage with intriguing characters, and battle the monstrous denizens that haunt this district. As the clever investigator, your mission is to recover a stolen relic and thwart a sinister plot. With a focus on investigation, exploration, and roleplaying, this 4- to 8-hour adventure is perfect for 1st- through 4th-level characters. Support the Kickstarter campaign, a guaranteed treat for those around your table!

Thanks for your support!

Dale