D&D PLAYERS - PLEASE HELP

I am a journalist for BBC News Online (news.bbc.co.uk) in London and I am writing an article about the 30th anniversary of D&D.
I'd love to hear from people who play D&D, especially people who have been playing for some years. I'm a former player with great memories of the game.
If you want to contribute to the article please email me darren.waters@bbc.co.uk

I'd want to know the following:
Your actual name, age and location ie New York, LA etc
What is the appeal of playing D&D?
What is your current or favourite character name, race, character class and level.
What are your best D&D memories.
Why do you think the game has survived?
Tell me about meeting up with your friends.

Be as fulsome as you want! I can;t guarantee to use every reply but I'm very keen to hear from real players.
I hope you can help.

Thank you so much - from a man who still feels the pain from the death of his Lawful Neutral 12th level MU killed by a member of his own party - 16 years later!

Please post this request on to other community sites you know.

I'll bump this for the morning crowd.

Someone should make sure and point Darren in Morrus direction, as well. After all, he runs our little haven and is a Brit, besides.

djwaters1 said:

I am a journalist for BBC News Online (news.bbc.co.uk) in London and I am writing an article about the 30th anniversary of D&D.
I'd love to hear from people who play D&D, especially people who have been playing for some years. I'm a former player with great memories of the game.
If you want to contribute to the article please email me darren.waters@bbc.co.uk

I'd want to know the following:
Your actual name, age and location ie New York, LA etc

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Hong Ooi, 32, Sydney, Austria

What is the appeal of playing D&D?

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1. The chance to shoot the crap for six hours while pretending to be someone else. Like being a scam artist but without the social repercussions.

2. Killing monsters and taking their stuff. It's cathartic, man. Like Counterstrike but you don't need hand-eye coordination.

What is your current or favourite character name, race, character class and level.

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Talath the archer, LG human fighter with twinked-out abilities with the bow, played from 12th to 21st level. I tend to play straight-arrow, knight-in-shining-armour types, and I like games where the DM provides an appropriate context so that straight-arrow, knight-in-shining-armour types can kill monsters and take their stuff with a clear conscience.

What are your best D&D memories.

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Kicking butt and taking names in a variety of situations. A lot of these memories tend to involve critical hits for ridiculous amounts of damage.

Why do you think the game has survived?

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There'll always be a market for salacious violence.

hong, I believe he wants you to e-mail the information to him, via the link above, not post here.

1) Ian, London UK, 36
2) It is an escape from reality, provides the freedom to use one's imagination there is also a feeling of sucess when you complete an adventure,quest, thing.
3) Fav character was Maddenus a 16th level human Duelist from Dragon magazine wayyyyy back.
4) best memory in a single round taking 124 damage, being stunned for total of 16 rounds, bleeding damage for total of 25 per round and actually surving the expeirance fro 2 rounds before expiring due to blood loss. Or taking on a Pit fiend with a dagger and driving it off single handedly. (ok so it was a holy dagger but)
5) it has survived because it encourages you to use your imagination. and that has no age or time limit.
6) meeting up revolves around lots of swearing eating pringles and passing wind its usually a biweekly event though we all have lives outrside of the game that does affect it.

WizarDru said:

Someone should make sure and point Darren in Morrus direction, as well. After all, he runs our little haven and is a Brit, besides.

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For the record, I've sent an email doing exactly that.

johnsemlak said:

For the record, I've sent an email doing exactly that.

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Thanks.

Darren responded to me immediately after I sent him my e-mail, so he knows to contact Morrus.

Could we get more personal info about you, djwaters1? Previous articles, for instance?

djwaters1 said:

I'd want to know the following:
Your actual name, age and location ie New York, LA etc
What is the appeal of playing D&D?
What is your current or favourite character name, race, character class and level.
What are your best D&D memories.
Why do you think the game has survived?
Tell me about meeting up with your friends.

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diaglo, ancient, Stoned Mtn Jawja Etats-Unis

escapism. get to play pretend even when you are old and gray. and you do it in a social setting. so you ain't alone. initially, i came from a wargaming background. so it added more flavor to the strategy and mechanics of that gaming system.

Lothar Ironhand 10th lvl Lawful Dwarf. played him for 11 years. he converted from OD&D to 1edADnD and was slain in the Original Ravenloft module. actually he spiked Strahd, but died when leaving. Two red dragons....

the game has survived for the same reason Monopoly has. it is fun. it is a family or friendly social game. it is cheap.