Why solo? To remember the good times...

By nature, I'm not a very nostalgic person, but I'm not immune to wistful remembrances, either. Anyone who has lived long enough is bound to have experiences that leave a lasting impression, and I've had plenty of them. Of course, for a gaming zealot such as myself, many of those memories involve people at play.

Some of my fondest recollections come from the Spellfire CCG, TSR's hastily released bandwagon product from the 1990s. Today, Spellfire is quite dead and not even a Wish spell can change that, but I've kept all of my cards and I probably always will.

Despite its design flaws, Spellfire provided great times for me and my friends. It was the only CCG around at the time that played better with more than two players, a blessing for our large group. Furthermore, the recycled TSR art and classic D&D characters were, for us, fun to see, reminding us of campaigns gone-by. Spellfire made us laugh for all the right reasons, and it became the centerpiece of so many of our gatherings.

That group of friends is scattered all across North America, now. There's no chance of recapturing the magic of razing each other's realms while listening to Veruca Salt and eating amazing dinners prepared by Ed's mother. But whenever I shuffle through my Spellfire collection, some of those moments hit me like a Magic Missile to the face, and I laugh all over again.

For whatever reason, I return to Spellfire every spring. Almost instinctively, from April to June, I review the cards and try to create a solitaire version that recaptures the essence of the original rules. Last year, I tried something different and devised a solo variant of Spellfire based on the traditional Patience style of solitaire [revised rules available HERE as a PDF]. It was the first time in all of these years that I was actually satisfied with solo Spellfire. Summer activities forced my Spellfire collection back into the game closet soon after I posted the rules on this blog, and I never completed the world-specific decks that I wanted to create, but it's springtime again, so the cards are out once more!

And so are the memories. Please forgive my Spellfire indulgences over the next few posts, but I really can't help it. Solo play sometimes is the best way to remember what can never be again - to honor past friendships at the gaming table and to resurrect memories that should never be out of the light of our hearts for too long.