A Dream Deferred

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore -
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over -
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

- Langston Hughes, 1951

I’ve realized that the dreamlands project needs to be placed on the backburner for a few weeks. My apologies to any of you who were enjoying this trip beyond the walls of Sleep. I came to this conclusion not because there’s no worth to the project, but rather because there is a lot of ground here to cover. Each idea I come up with for the dreamlands leads to three more that beg consideration.

The project has also taken me into territory very much unlike that which I normally tread in D&D. While this has been a rewarding and challenging development, it has the side-effect of causing my mind to change gears, which is something I can’t afford to let happen at this moment. I still need to finish the Stonehell draft and thinking about the unorthodox concepts of the dreamlands setting has made it difficult for me to begin the final chapters of the megadungeon. It’s back to dungeon-crawl mode until I get the book finished, after which time I can revel in dreams again.

I’m grateful to have had a little time to begin fleshing out the dreamlands concept. It made me realize that there is much more undiscovered territory for me to explore with the game even after all these years. I’m looking forward to returning there once I’ve fulfilled outstanding obligations. I’ve also learned a lot more about dreaming and the whys and hows of our nightly explorations. Dreams have always held some fascination for me, but I’ve never taken the time to learn more about the process. I’m pleased that this project has given me an excuse to do so.

This is not farewell to the dreamlands, merely deferring them to a later time. Let us hope I return to them again before the inevitable detonation.