Fun Fact: January 22nd, the date this comic was posted in 2016, is officially Thief’s birthday.
Funner Fact: Today is also January 22nd.
Funnest Fact: HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIEF!
Less Fun Fact: Technically the above “funnest fact” is not a fact at all, but the expression of well wishes in the form of an interjection.
All that said, I hope you will join me in wishing Thief all the best on her birthday. Because, just as interjections are an important part of speech (that I totally didn’t have to google. Ahem.) celebrating your party mates is an important part of gaming.
We touched on the subject somewhat way back in “Forever DM.” But this goes beyond thanking your buddy for running or you bros for a game well-played. What I’m talking about is the human side of play. Even if some gamers are distant—an occasional PBP companion, or a friend of a friend in a large West Marches party—the kind of gaming I love best occurs when the other people at the table are your friends. I’m talking about people you want to go for victory waffles with after the session. And if they’re real people, I think it’s a good idea to recognize that friendship away from the gaming table.
Here’s what I’m on about. Just as Thief was once upon a time lonely for her birthday, the IRL folks you game with have struggles and joys beyond the adventure. They have stress on the job, new babies at home, publications of first books, and dysfunctional family / realty / finances / pets to worry about. Stop and check in every once in a while. Care about the other people at the table. Because there’s a world of difference between that lonely tiefling of yesteryear and the birthday girl of today.
So how about it, Handbook-World? Are you friends with your partymates? Have you ever been the shoulder to cry on or the surprise behind the surprise party? Tell us all about your own celebrations, consolations, and friendships-through-gaming down in the comments! And if you feel up to it, reach out and ask your RPG buddies how they’re doing. Life is hard, and friendship counts for a lot.
JOIN THE HANDBOOK OF HEROES DISCORD! Do you want a place to game with your fellow Heroes? How about a magical land where you can post your dankest nerd memes, behold the finest in gamer dog and geek cats, or speculate baselessly on Handbook of Heroes plot developments? Then have I got a Discord Invite for you!
Happy birthday, Thief. I hope you have a good one.
Don’t botch your attack roll to blow out the candle. 😉
How dare you jinx the birthday girl- wait, she’s already hexed, maybe that would actually double-negative? Nevermind I said nothing ~w~;
Instructions unclear. Birthday cake sneak attacked + crit for 111 piercing damage.
…pierced with what?
Happiness. ^_^
Teeth. It was a bite attack.
Happy Birthday Thief! Only roughly four more years until the dates align perfectly again, I think! But it could be a yearly tradition still.
What’s that gift she got, a dagger? A stabby hairpin? Both?
I just zoomed in to look at it. Seems to be a dagger-themed dice box. Or a dagger-themed jewel box. Or both at the same time.
Indeed! https://tabletopstor3d.com/products/dice-holding-dagger
Just earlier this month I threw myself a little party for 1 year on HRT (My “Transiversary”), the folks invited being mostly members of the Animon group that I run for, all of whom I met specifically for that game. c: I also met my girlfriend through that group! So yeah, I’m pretty lucky to have them as my friends. c:
Oh hey, my 1-year transiversary was earlier this month too! I didn’t throw a party but I *will* get to move out to live with my girlfriend next week. ^ ^
(As in, started HRT! I’ve known about the trans thing since late 2020.)
Yoo congrats! I’m so happy for you, both for your 1-year and getting to live with your girlfriend!! ^^
Two years back in Nov.
Also, there seem to be a statistically higher than average number of trans people in my audience. I wonder why that could be? 😛
Happy Birthday Thief!
Another fun fact: Yesterday was the birthday of probably my closest friend in the gaming group. I met all of these people through him. My life has been enriched by this guy beyond measure.
I suggest getting him a “thank you for being my flanking partner” greeting card.
Happy Birthday Thief! I used to have the guys in the group that lived in the barracks over for a birthday dinner, with cake! Miss those days.
I actually met my husband playing. He was of two guys in the group on base that I moved out of the barracks with. Reverse Three’s Company situation. Went from being friends to best friends to BFWB to 42 years later and still together.
Ever get in touch with the old barracks buddies? I bet they’d love to hear from ya.
Long, long out of touch with them. I’m not a big letter writer and this is before the internet was a thing :). Think the late 70’s and 80’s.
If “Happy Birthday, Thief” isn’t a fact, does that mean Thief is having a sad birthday? 🙁
I can feel my brain cramping.
Happy birthday Thief!
I have always ended being pretty good friends with all the people that I end up playing with even if our friendship is mostly confined to the tabletop experience. Though I’ve done a birthday one-shot once or twice as a GM before, including one really fun first day of Hrt one-shot for one of my friends
Well now I’ve got to know what a “first day of Hrt one-shot” looks like.
It was an interesting one where the whole party was working at the magic shop while the owner was on vacation in exchange for a potion of sex-shifting
They had a lot of fun playing mythbuster with various cursed and weird magic items. Plus stealing a magic blanket and a very very cursed arrow(which they didn’t ever find out was cursed) at one point
What a coincidence. Today is my birthday too. Happy birthday to thief and all others sharing our birthday.
Happy birthdays for all my homies!
This comic makes me happy.
I considered her previous attempt saddest point in comic (up untill Patches heroic sacrifice)
Happy birthday Thief! I got you….. hmmm, I could swear I had it on me a moment ago…..
As I’ve mentioned before, I play almost exclusively with long-term friends, and the exceptions are generally friends of those friends. I know their families, been to weddings, watched them go from “no kids” to “too busy to game” to “got rid of the kids”. Most of use don’t make much fuss over birthdays, but we’ve sometimes made an outing out of some of those big numbers (a round of 40ths a few years back)