I've been here for a few days now, so I thought I'd introduce myself.
I got started in gaming in about 1979 or so, with Steve Jackson's Ogre. That was a great game! I got into roleplaying with his Melee and Wizard (from The Fantasy Trip, my first RPG).
Then I got Top Secret, and later the Moldvay Basic and Cook Expert sets.
My first group was heavily into AD&D, so that's what I played for years. That was the base game of the group, but we'd play everything (even OD&D, once). I learned a lot from that group; unfortunately, one of the things I learned was how to be a rules lawyer. (I'm in the process of getting over it now -- you could say I'm a recovering rules lawyer.)
I've been playing 3.0/3.5 for several years now, but it just isn't fun anymore. So I'm hanging it up and going back to the old school gaming I should never have left.
Adventure, not arguments, Imagination, not indignation, Fun, not fumbling for a rulebook, Rulings, not rules, Making it up, not making do with what they give you, Getting on with the Game, not getting bogged down it BS
Grew up in Evansville, Indiana, which unbeknownst to me at the time was something of a hotbed of rpging back in the 70s & 80s. Made a new friend in 3rd grade whose older brother played D&D, heard from him (the friend, not the brother) about how cool it was (imagine!) so I asked for and got a D&D Basic Set (Frank Mentzer-edit) from my grandma (!) as a present for Easter (!!) in 1984. Played with that, a Cook/Marsh Expert rulebook (my friend had the exact opposite - a Moldvay Basic rulebook and Mentzer Expert Set), and a Companion Set when it was released that summer for about 6 months, "graduated" to AD&D that fall. Attended my first con (ConTact, which was actually a SF con, but had some gaming also) in fall of '86, with my dad; played in a game of TSR's "Top Secret" with Frank Mentzer's then-wife (who was also head of the RPGA at the time, IIRC) as GM. Attended Glathricon (Evansville's other local con) that next spring with my arm in a cast, played in my first AD&D tournament (Dwarven Quest for the Rod of Seven Parts, Part II), and got my cast signed by con GOH Gary Gygax.
Around that time came across a weird blue-covered D&D Basic rulebook at a local toy-store, bought it, and became fascinated by the early history of the game (TSR also re-released the first Best of (The) Dragon volume around this time, which was an even bigger eye-opener). Also around this time joined the RPGA, got a copy of the TSR Mail Order Hobby Shop catalog with my orientation kit, and became fascinated by the fact that they had copies of the original D&D supplements from the 70s for sale (but, alas, not the actual rules). Saved up my money and ordered these (they were all very late printings with paper instead of cardstock covers) and used them, the Holmes book, and BoTDv1 to 'reverse-engineer' my own set of the original rules, 'cause I figured I'd never be able to get a real copy.
Went to Glathricon '88 and was lucky enough to play AD&D with Gary Gygax (a playtest of his "Necropolis" module, which was at the time supposed to have been released as part of the generic/AD&D-compatible "Fantasy Master" line, before that compnay (New Infinities) folded and the module was later re-worked for the Dangerous Journeys: Mythus system). I've told this story often enough at other sites that there's no need to repeat it here, except to say that I got EGG to autograph my paper-covered copy of Supplement I.
Somehow, later that summer I convinced my mom to drive me up to Milwaukee so I could go to GenCon (we had relatives there that she used to visit, plus it was right before the school-year started so she liked to use the free-time to plan all her classes). By some miracle of fate (in retrospect it might have been all the "pros" deliberately taking it easy on a kid (age 13) who was clearly excited for something that wasn't in collectible condition anyway) I managed to snag a battered copy of the OD&D white box (5th printing) at the GenCon Auction for a cool $8. There's a really cute picture taken by my mom of me standing outside MECCA holding up this set with a huge grin on my face. Kept making that trip every year through 1997, and managed to meet and/or play with most of the "rpg industry luminaries" at one point or another.
After that, there's not much more story to tell. OD&D remained my favorite version of the game, but we still played AD&D because that's what everyone else knew and I was the only one with an OD&D set (which is still true pretty much to this day). Shortly after 2E AD&D was released we all wrote off TSR and D&D and played other games (WFRP, RuneQuest, Mythus, non-fantasy games) through the 90s. When I graduated college and moved out to CA full-time in 1997 (I'd been in school here since '93 but spent breaks/summers in IN with the old crew) I stopped gaming altogether (and thus managed to completely miss out on 3E D&D -- though I do remember paging through the PH when it was first released and thinking "this doesn't look much like the game I used to play"). Stumbled across ENWorld c. 2002 (when a bunch of, umm, "3E fans" started showing up at the Traveller fan-sites upon the announcement of d20 Traveller and I wanted to find out what the hell they were talking about) and through the Gygax threads there found dragonsfoot later that year and for whatever reason found myself talking about not only rpgs, but specifically 1E AD&D again. Went through a phase of a couple years of being very hardcore doctrinaire 1E AD&D fan that seems very odd in retrospect (easily influenced by others?) but gradually found myself drifing back to my OD&D-love. By the time Jerry Mapes opened the first Knights & Knaves Alehouse (January 2005?) after the collapse of the Grognard's Tavern and the demise of various Gene Weigel's Dungeons I was definitely fully back in OD&D mode, and have been there ever since. Am currently playing in a 1E AD&D campaign (with a bunch of guys I met mostly at dragonsfoot back in 2004) but I feel about it more-or-less the same way as all those people who complain that they're stuck playing 3E when they really want to be playing 1E or 2E or C&C or RC D&D (only in my case, of course, it's OD&D) -- the game is too fiddly and complex and slow, and having all those rules for something that' supposed to be fun and simple seems silly.
Non-gaming intro? Why should you care? White, male, single, straight, no pets, graduated college with a valuable degree in English literature, have lived in Hollywood for the last 10 years, currently working in an office doing (more or less) paralegal work related to music licensing. Other interests/hobbies include movies (old and/or arty 'auteur' stuff) and music (classical and indie/alternative mostly, but with a healthy sprinkling of other stuff - it is my job, after all). Except for rpgs I have pretty much zero interest (or patience) for any sort of 'geek culture' - I don't know jack about computers (I've got an iMac that suits me fine), the last video-game console I owned was an Atari2600, it's been at least 10 years since I last bought or read a comic book, I can't understand what an adult would want with plastic action-figures, I didn't even bother to see the 2nd and 3rd "Lord of the Rings" movies because I thought the first one sucked, etc. This creates frequent awkward moments at the gaming table.
I'm from Connecticut. Been playing D&D since 1984. Started with the basic "red box" set. Then moved to AD&D. By the time 2nd ED came out, I didn't have much opportunity to play, but still bought lots of books because I hoped that I would be able to play. Plus, I just liked reading some of the stuff. I still think 2nd ED had some of the best supplements. Started playing 3rd ED in 2002.
Well met fellow travelers! I'm 29, and have been playing D&D for around 16 years or so. I started with the "Black Box" set & the Rules Cyclopedia in 1991, moved on to AD&D 2nd edition shortly thereafter, and stuck with that version for most of my gaming career. I briefly flirted with 3rd edition (not my cup of tea), and then late last year, I broke out my Rules Cyclopedia and am currently developing a campaign for my fiancee and a couple of our friends. I feel unfortunate that I have never had the opportunity to play OD&D, but over the past year of "going back to my roots" so to speak, I've gleaned a lot of the game info via online sources. I am happy to be part of the community, and am already implementing certain aspects of OD&D into my Rules Cyclopedia campaign. Thanks everyone, & I look forward to sharing ideas & chatter with y'all!
Hi.My name is Terry...been playing since 84ish with a mentzer basic then moving to AD&D then AD&D2nd.Bought up the 3.5 core books but have never used them*shrug*.Actually i dont play anymore...not out of choice but because i dont know anyone who plays and i currently live in a smallish town in texas.MY wife has interest but i have never DMed and i dont know about a one player game. Anyways, hello.
hi everybody, my name's steve. i live in coastal north carolina. i've been playing rpg's since the early 90's, but have recently discovered odd. i usually dm (though i haven't gamed in a while now...) but i am looking forward to running a new game some time after the christmas season.
I started playing in 1979. I had heard about this cool game at school, mentioned it at the dinner table, and watched in astonished glee as my dad (with a surprised expression) went to his briefcase and produced a copy of the Holmes basic rules. Apparently some guys at work (he was an officer in the Army) had introduced him to the game. After dinner I rolled up a handful of PCs ("fire any missile at +1 -- what does that mean?" as visions of Pershing missles went through my head) and entered the dungeon of the mad wizard, Kraylor (my dad's first -- and only -- dungeon). Despite having a PC die from the bite of a giant spider, I was hooked. D&D never really caught on with my father, so I took over the basic set (which was the version with the chits and B1).
After that, I started playing D&D with friends (even at school -- we had our books confiscated by teachers serveral times), was introduced to lead figures, et cetera. Some guys had the first couple AD&D books (although I don't think the DMG was out, at the time), so our games were kind of a jumble of Holmes and AD&D. The joyful confusion increased with the arrival of the Moldvay Basic Set (the "red book"). Gradually, however, my D&D game developed into (mostly) by-the-book AD&D. During this period I also started playing Tactics II, Blitzkrieg, and similar games. Eventually, my role-playing hobby expanded to other games, too: Call of Cthulhu, Rolemaster, C&S, etc.
When 2E hit, I checked it out, but didn't like it, much. Most people didn't seem to share my distate for it, though, because I had problems finding anyone willing to play 1E. I played a lot of Rolemaster during this time, and when I started up a new D&D campaign, I proposed Basic D&D, which met with general acceptance (the Mentzer sets were available). That BECM campaign turned out to be one of the best and longest-running campaigns I'd ever run. And I ran it until 3E arrived...
Then I tried switching it to 3E. At first, I liked 3E. It reminded me of Rolemaster, but a little simpler and more streamlined. It "fixed" things I perceived as flaws in BECM (and AD&D). Eventually, though, my long-running campaign fell apart and puttered to its end. I experimented with 3E some more, but it never really worked for me for very long, so I did a post-mortem on my oh-so-successful BECM campaign to figure out what worked so well, there. That's when I really started thinking about system and rules design, and what worked best in my games. One thing 3E had emphasized was "rules mastery" and "behind the curtain" understanding; I took that and applied it to BECM. I realized that the very things I had been considering flaws or gaps were often strengths!
I started experimenting with various "rules light" systems, and ended up starting some campaigns with Castles & Crusades, haunting Dragonsfoot and KnK, and generally rediscovering a love of old-school D&D. Having never *really* played Holmes or OD&D, I thought I'd give them a try, too, and judge them from my new perspective. What I found is that OD&D suits me exceptionally well, and that brings me here.
I played tons of games as I grew up and che- err houseruled all of them. I don't think there is any game of any kind that I have ever played that has not been houseruled.
I started playing OD&D in 1975 and have been playing ever since. I have played none of the classic versions but have played both 1e and 2e in the AD&D realm. I didn't care for 2e and went back to 1e. I played OD&D all along with AD&D on the side. At this time I am exclusively playing OD&D.
It is always interesting to see others talk about their families and how they viewed D&D. Being an adult when I started, my families view was never revelant. I never talked about it to my parents, since they never read any of the science fiction or fantasy books I had all through my childhood. They never restricted my reading or anything, I never had a curfew. Never had a conversation with my parents about when to be home or anything. They just trusted me to be sensible I suppose. I bought my own car when I was 16 and worked during the school year and during the summers.
The group I currently play with is small but has both men and women in it and a few kids, boys and girls. About 10 players total right now.
Joined: Aug 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 599 Karma: 17
Re: Introductions « Reply #23 on Aug 7, 2007, 11:15pm »
Hi, my real name is Dwight, and I live in Olympia, Washingtonwith my wife and daughter. I was introduced to D&D during a session of a TAG program (Talented and Gifted) that involved animation and multi media stuff. I saw this guy making this armature, and sculpting a dragon onto it. Very cool I thought! I asked him what he was doing and he showed me this funny hardback book with lots of pictures of monsters. Wow! This is just like all the stuff I saw in the movies, and read in the comic books! Needless to say, I was hooked . The guy with the Mosnter Manual was Robert Macguuire. Years later at community college I would take Algebra from his dad, and Philosophy from his mom! Well the world is a very small place sometimes!
That Christmas I got the Holmes edition and some dice in my stocking. I guess my mom figured it kept me out of trouble, and besides she liked science fiction and fantasy novels too! it was really miniatures that cemented my love for D&D. I remember the first trip to the big hobby store in Eugene, Oregon. High Elf with bow by Ral partha was my first miniature.
Over the last 28 years, I gamed a lot of different games, purchased several thousand miniatures, and played lots of miniature wargames too. When I moved to Olympia to attend college at Evergreen State College I met John McEwan. For those of you who don't know him, John is the owner, sculptor, and creator of Starguard: The game that would not die! Starguard is as old as D&D, and John still sells figures for the game to this very day. John turned me on to historical wargaming and I regularly play with some very interesting old schoolers, and John at his home.
I have a nice collection of older and newer figures that I have painted up over the years. To me the spectacle of the miniatures has been the heart of good gaming experiences. I have several cigar boxes filled with what I call dungeon decor. I find that most players who play like this for the first time have a great time too.
Re: Introductions « Reply #24 on Aug 10, 2007, 11:18pm »
Quote:
I'm 46 years old and live in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. I started gaming in the summer/fall of 1979 with AD&D1, but have always been fascinated by the original game; my wife bought me an OCR set for my birthday and I got all the supplements on PDF and printed them out, but so far have not convinced anyone to give the original game a try.
Allen
Hi Allen and welcome!
Welcome to all!
« Last Edit: Aug 10, 2007, 11:19pm by crimhthanthegreat »
Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 696 Location: Wichita, Kansas, USA Karma: 27
Re: Introductions « Reply #25 on Aug 11, 2007, 12:46am »
Has anyone pinged diaglo @ ENWorld to join yet? It seems sort of odd not to have him on the board, since he's (in my mind) the posterboy for OD&D in a 3.x world.
Finarvyn Administrator Dungeon Master member is offline
Joined: Jun 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 4,674 Location: Near Chicago Karma: 178
Re: Introductions « Reply #26 on Aug 11, 2007, 7:15am »
Quote:
Has anyone pinged diaglo @ ENWorld to join yet? It seems sort of odd not to have him on the board, since he's (in my mind) the posterboy for OD&D in a 3.x world.
Sent one today.
EDIT: Hmmm. It bounced back and for some reason I can't send a PM on ENWorld, so I sent him a PM on Dragonsfoot. Hope he checks there!
Marv / Finarvyn DCC playtester (2011) C&C playtester (2003) I'm partly responsible for the S&W WhiteBox Builder of the TrollBridge Master of Mutants; MA since 1976 OD&D Player since 1975
"Don't ask me what you need to hit. Just roll the die and I will let you know!" - Dave Arneson
Joined: Aug 2007 Posts: 1 Location: Connecticut Karma: 0
Re: Introductions « Reply #27 on Aug 11, 2007, 9:57pm »
My name is Tom, I read, but until very recently, rarely post at Dragonsfoot under the name "vstring".
I started playing D&D in 1982 when my brother bought the Moldvay box set and used me as a guinea pig to try his hand at DMing (I was only allowed to explore the Keep on the Borderlands and I managed to bring some villainous ruffians to justice - it was like crack). The day after my first game, I recruited a few guys from the neighborhood to roll up characters and play, as my brother refused to take me through the Caves of Chaos without a sufficient party to accompany me (he suckered me into finding him a group to DM for). For me and my friends, '82 became the Summer of Love ...as in, love to kill Goblins, Orcs and Kobolds.
I dropped the game in '86 to pursue girls (looking back, I was better at clearing out dungeons with my friends and should have stuck with that). I didn't pick up the game again until 2003 after playing Atari's Temple of Elemental Evil and pondering what was missing from the experience - the computer couldn't replicate the fun of cooperating in game with my friends nor did it allow me the freedom to do whatever I wanted/needed to do to overcome a monster or puzzle. I recruited some friends and co-workers who also had D&D in their past to try the pen and paper version again; we ruled out playing 3.5 after reading, but not recognizing the game as presented in the new Player's Handbook; eventually, we settled with Moldvay (I did try 3.5 a couple of times since and, for me at least, the experience passed for D&D, I just didn't like it).
I'm here, because I've begun to ponder the possibility of switching to the original box set rules or Holmes basic after reading Philotomy Jurament's enthusiastic posts at Dragonsfoot and Meepo's Holmes Companion. Very effective evangelism.
Joined: Aug 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 7 Location: Brisbane Karma: 1
Re: Introductions « Reply #28 on Aug 19, 2007, 2:12am »
Hello.
I've been playing D&D since 1983. My interest in OD&D comes from a PDF I found on the internet a few years ago. This pdf was of the original D&D rules. I was intrigued.
I bought the 3rd edition rules in 2000. But, hey, I like the old school stuff better.
My oldest D&D book is the Supplement I - Blackmoor. I only have a PDF printout of the original rules.
Since finding this website, I'm reading those old rules. I especially like Book 3 - The Underworld and Wilderness Adventures. I'm thinking of starting a dungeon that is at least a dozen levels deep plus offshoot levels and levels under construction. But I'll start by designing 3 levels at a time.
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