Just, y'know, games and stuff.
Memories....
Posted 7th July 2008 at 02:03 AM by Wik
The other day, I was digging through some old boxes that haven't been unpacked since the move in, two years ago. I found an old DM binder, dating back to years and years earlier - I'm guessing about ten years ago, at least.
In it are adventure notes for a second edition game, and it brought back memories. Things like "Goblins (6) AC - 7, THAC0 20, hp 4 each" written down... all I needed to run the combat. Basic maps, a listing of NPC names (god knows who they were... I have no recollection of this adventure), and scrawled notes that are equally cryptic (For example - "Glamdring - Sword? Golems hate").
Just by guessing, I'm dating these at 1998, meaning I was around fifteen or sixteen when I last used this binder. And, flipping through it, there are other signs of my own personal "golden age".
Homework shuffled amongst character notes and adventure outlines, most of the time incomplete. Photocopied pages from various books, as well as stuff printed off from online sources. Whole articles taken from DRAGON magazine (back when they used to publish old back issue material on their website for free!), and edited at school by myself to fit as many words as possible on a single page - two columns, 8 pt. font, and all.
And character sheets. Lots and lots of character sheets.
Now, I never really thought of myself as one of those guys who would create characters just for the "fun" of doing it. I actually had a friend in high school who would spend HOURS making characters, filling entire encyclopedias with the damned things. But me? Never.
This binder has proven me wrong. There are so many created, unplayed, first level PCs in this binder. I have halfling druids with weird kits. Human paladins that use katanas. Half-elven Ranger/Thieves. The only PC that seems to have been played is one I dimly remember - Arion Thistledown, a half-elven Druid/Enchanter that played in my aforementioned friend's short-lived campaign.
Somewhere, in the past ten years, I've changed. I dropped the habit of creating characters "Just for fun". Now, the only time I do it is when I'm: a) making an NPC; b) trying to learn the game system (a "trial run"), or c) Getting ready to play (rare!).
But, I know we've all been there. Making characters, knowing full well they'll never be played. Filling binders, just like mine, up with the silly things - saying "maybe I'll play him next week" but knowing full well it's never going to happen. Really, just making the character because you liked that kit in the newest splatbook, and you just HAD to give it a try.
I wonder, though, if the "Kids of today" will have that in 4e. I know it existed in third edition (my brother being famous for building characters for laughs), but in fourth? Can it truly happen? I'm sure it will, but it almost seems... different... creating a character nowadays. Perhaps I'm just being an alarmist.
In it are adventure notes for a second edition game, and it brought back memories. Things like "Goblins (6) AC - 7, THAC0 20, hp 4 each" written down... all I needed to run the combat. Basic maps, a listing of NPC names (god knows who they were... I have no recollection of this adventure), and scrawled notes that are equally cryptic (For example - "Glamdring - Sword? Golems hate").
Just by guessing, I'm dating these at 1998, meaning I was around fifteen or sixteen when I last used this binder. And, flipping through it, there are other signs of my own personal "golden age".
Homework shuffled amongst character notes and adventure outlines, most of the time incomplete. Photocopied pages from various books, as well as stuff printed off from online sources. Whole articles taken from DRAGON magazine (back when they used to publish old back issue material on their website for free!), and edited at school by myself to fit as many words as possible on a single page - two columns, 8 pt. font, and all.
And character sheets. Lots and lots of character sheets.
Now, I never really thought of myself as one of those guys who would create characters just for the "fun" of doing it. I actually had a friend in high school who would spend HOURS making characters, filling entire encyclopedias with the damned things. But me? Never.
This binder has proven me wrong. There are so many created, unplayed, first level PCs in this binder. I have halfling druids with weird kits. Human paladins that use katanas. Half-elven Ranger/Thieves. The only PC that seems to have been played is one I dimly remember - Arion Thistledown, a half-elven Druid/Enchanter that played in my aforementioned friend's short-lived campaign.
Somewhere, in the past ten years, I've changed. I dropped the habit of creating characters "Just for fun". Now, the only time I do it is when I'm: a) making an NPC; b) trying to learn the game system (a "trial run"), or c) Getting ready to play (rare!).
But, I know we've all been there. Making characters, knowing full well they'll never be played. Filling binders, just like mine, up with the silly things - saying "maybe I'll play him next week" but knowing full well it's never going to happen. Really, just making the character because you liked that kit in the newest splatbook, and you just HAD to give it a try.
I wonder, though, if the "Kids of today" will have that in 4e. I know it existed in third edition (my brother being famous for building characters for laughs), but in fourth? Can it truly happen? I'm sure it will, but it almost seems... different... creating a character nowadays. Perhaps I'm just being an alarmist.
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I've created several characters to feel out 4E: Mostly old characters I may or may not play again. I also converted the entire party in my 3.5 Ravenloft game, though I didn't post it. I've read on this board once or twice of others doing the same or starting a character only to think of a kewl new one and starting another. So I don't think 4E is going to change that. You just have to have the right mindset and desire to do so; it comes and goes with time.
And a PHB on a train trip does wonders...
Posted 7th July 2008 at 02:51 PM by stonegod
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