How Old Were You When You Played Your First TTRPG?

[CleverNickName]

Think back to the very first time you played a table-top roleplaying game. Were you a teenager when you stumbled upon the hobby? or were you introduced to it a much younger age because you had super-cool older siblings? or were you a late bloomer who discovered the hobby in college? even later? Vote for your age group, and then tell us all the details in the comments.

EDIT: Woops, typo in the survey options. That top option should read "Under the age of 9."

 

[CleverNickName]

I was 12 when I first played. One of my buddies brought his brother's Dungeons & Dragons boxed set to school, and we stayed after class to play it. That classic "red box rules" version of D&D remains my favorite RPG to this day.

 

[AnotherGuy]

My bestie came over to my house when I was around 11 and introduced me to Basic. He let me draw up a character (Wizard obviously) and we played a make-shift game. Soon after we got another two friends involved, but my memories of those days are like the fingerprints on an abandoned handrail (Bob Mortimer).
Those were good days with all the time in the world to tinker, plan, design hand-written character sheets and to help cement friendships by spending time together around this wonderful hobby.

 

[werecorpse]

12.
My School had a copy of the D&D box set, the one with the blue rules book and B1 as the starter module. We had a free double period at school and a friend of mine introduced a couple of us to the game. I played the pre gen Krago of the Mountains.

 

[Nikosandros]

I was 12 years old and I started with the Menter Red Box that has just been translated in Italian.

 

[Breaking Star Games]

22 - unfortunately. I feel like I missed out on what quickly became my favorite hobby and passion. I grew up without anyone to introduce me to it. I would roleplay out stories with legos or even non-RPG video games on my own even later than kids usually stop playing like that. Then working with friends to write stories and comics. Its very obvious in hindsight that I would enjoy TTRPGs and collaborative storytelling.

 

[John Dallman]

I was 18 when I first encountered TTRPGs, at an SF convention in summer 1979. The game was well underway, and there were many other things to do at the convention, so I did not try to play at the time. That came in the fall, in my first week at college, when I found the "Chess and Wargames society" and met several people who are still friends, 44 years later.

 

[Moonmover]

At a comic convention. I was 20 or 21, I think.

 

[Corinnguard]

The first time I remember playing in a TTRPG was back in my freshman year of college when I joined RWAG (the Rochester Wargamers Association Guild). The club officially meet once a week every Tuesday night, though there were unofficial RPG sessions on the weekend as well. I mostly played 2e D&D before trying out some other RPGs (Chronicles of Amber, Mekton, Robotech and Ghostbusters).

 

[Micah Sweet]

I was 10. Started with the Metzer Set.