When Did You Start Playing D+D?

[Mircoles]

Interesting poll to say the least.
The Gygax entries are especially interesting.

 

[Gentlegamer]

Going back over Gary's posts in this thread makes me wish there was a way to archive every thread he had any significant participation in for posterity.

 

[timbannock]

I first played D&D when I was 5 ('84). I used the red box set, and I was the fighter. My friend and I did not play for very long, but I was hooked. I didn't play again till 2nd edition in high school.

Very similar experience. It was either 84 or 85 for me as well, and I was about 6 years old (around 87) when I really started to pay attention to it. Ignored the rules until I got into second edition sometime in the early 90s.

 

[Remathilis]

1993, above basic, friends dining room table.

Moved on to Rules Cyclopedia, 2nd ed, 3rd, 3.5, 4th, and back down to 3.5.

 

[darjr]

1980 for me. Huge year for these parts.

So, what is significant about 80, 88, 92, and 2000 to cause the peaks. I have my theories, but what else?

OK, some of the 'peaks' are only minor.

 

[meomwt]

I started with role-playing games in the 1980's - while a teenager - playing T&T (mainly for the solitaire dungeons).

There was a brief hiatus for exams and stuff, and I didn't play much while in University. About two years after I left, when I was role-playing more regularly, I accidentally ended up playing in a medium level FR game, joining an established group. Seeing the game in play like that inspired me to start and I haven't looked back.

 

[Lanefan]

1980 for me. Huge year for these parts.

So, what is significant about 80, 88, 92, and 2000 to cause the peaks. I have my theories, but what else?

OK, some of the 'peaks' are only minor.

1980 just happens to win here out of the batch of years from about 1978 to about 1983 when so many of us got in for the first time.

If memory serves, 1992 was about when 2e came out; the marketing campaign drew some new players in.

2000 was when 3e came out and revitalized the whole hobby; lots of people got in then (I expected a bigger peak here, to be honest).

If the poll was up to the minute I'd expect another peak in either 2008 or 2009 to reflect new players drawn in by 4e.

I can't explain 1988.

Lanefan

p.s. My memory being what it isn't, I could be wrong, and 1988 is the peak caused by 2e; in which case I can't explain 1992. Either way, one of those makes no sense.

 

[Mr. Wilson]

1992 when I was in 6th grade.

I sheepishly admit my gaming procession went HeroQuest > Rifts > AD&D.

 

[vagabundo]

I have no idea, I didnt pay much attention to years or months when I was a kid. In fact I was around 15 - I think - when I learned the months of the year. I was just a little weird, very happy go lucky, think Forest Gump...

I think it might have been 85 with the rules cyclopedia, but that is just a backwards guess.

 

[Enverxis]

I actually was first introduced to D&D with the Dark Sun Shattered Lands MS-DOS game in 1995 or 1996.

1999 was my first tabletop game. AD&D 2nd Edition, Dark Sun Campaign

My best mate's older brothers used to play so asked me if I wanted to try it out with him, and he DMed a solo campaign for me up until I got to 7th level as a Fighter, with Sadira tagging along as an NPC.

I remember quite an epic battle with 2 Half-Giants and some raiders that ambushed a caravan we were protecting, at the end of the fight it was just my character with 3 hit points and a Half-Giant with about the same, everyone else was unconscious or dead and my attack roll went to 20 but then tipped over and landed on a 2
The Half-Giant proceeded to roll exactly what it needed to hit my -7 AC and rolled 3 damage!