What is your earliest and most impressionable childhood memory of reading the original D&D or other games

[MNblockhead]

Also the Moldvay basic art for me too. I think the Kobold stood out most. They were the centerpiece creature to the first "module" I wrote myself.

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As a bit of an amateur herpetologist since I was a kid, I was always annoyed by showing kobolds, lizard-men, and other reptilian or amphibian peoples with loin cloths and nipples.

 

[Cadence]

As a bit of an amateur herpetologist since I was a kid, I was always annoyed by showing kobolds, lizard-men, and other reptilian or amphibian peoples with loin cloths and nipples.

In basic anyway, the Kobold's were never said to be reptilian (which throws me off still in some other editions):

One of the other pictures I always liked gets to the herpetology though...

 

[Voadam]

In basic anyway, the Kobold's were never said to be reptilian (which throws me off still in some other editions):
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There is the scaly skin and the art for them is both dog like in the face and reptilian with the skin and the crest ridges.

One of the other pictures I always liked gets to the herpetology though...
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So much neat art.

B/X had a lot of neat animal monsters.

 

[Cadence]

There is the scaly skin and the art for them is both dog like in the face and reptilian with the skin and the crest ridges.

Pangolians and paranthropus aethiopicus?

I think I've been recently describing them as "lizardy dog-folk". In a world with Thouls, Chimera, and Owlbears, anything is possible!

 

[Voadam]

Pangolians and paranthropus aethiopicus?

Good calls!

Those work as justifications for that interpretation, but not my first thought of references when looking at the kobold art and description. My understanding is that the sagittal crest of mammals is usually just an anchor for attaching powerful jaw muscles and so I would think aethiopicus would look more like an ape's round head than a spiked mini-mohawk which I would generally associate with a reptile or dinosaur or such.

Generally room for a lot of individual variations on what works for us and what don't.

I think I've been recently describing them as "lizardy dog-folk". In a world with Thouls, Chimera, and Owlbears, anything is possible!

Thouls. Hybrid ghoul troll hobgoblins who are not explicitly undead and the result of an 0D&D encounter chart typo expanded into its own thing. One of the B/X monsters that did not really work for me.

 

[J.Quondam]

As a bit of an amateur herpetologist since I was a kid, I was always annoyed by showing kobolds, lizard-men, and other reptilian or amphibian peoples with loin cloths and nipples.

I believe the proper term in this case is "cloaca cloth".

 

[Mannahnin]

Reading the classic Red Box, going through introductory adventure repeatedly, both utterly captivated by it and seeking an ending where Aleena didn't get fridged. I would've been nine years old at the time.

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This for me too.

Plus playing the sample adventure run by my dad, and my first PC, Raven, a crossbow-wielding Elf, first Sleeping the Kobolds in the courtyard, then dying to a poisoned needle on a box in a closet.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Being a kid and running headfirst into early D&D's lethality was a heck of a thing.

This for me too.

Plus playing the sample adventure run by my dad, and my first PC, Raven, a crossbow-wielding Elf, first Sleeping the Kobolds in the courtyard, then dying to a poisoned needle on a box in a closet.

 

[jdrakeh]

Reading through Holmes Basic and playing a few short games as part of a Gifted Education program team-building exercise.

 

[Malmuria]

The Black Box was my introduction. It was a really great teaching edition, and included little paper minis and a fold out map of a dungeon.

That linked post describes the "dragon cards" which worked to teach wee DMs like myself the game:

The dragon cards is what sets this box apart as an introductory set. Each card explains an aspect of the game and then the rules. Each card covers everything from 'what is an rpg'. 'what is a DM' to 'what is a reaction roll', 'what is armor class' and 'what is a saving throw'.

Then you turn the card over to the other side where there is an unfolding play sequence (the "escape from Zanzer's dungeon") from card to card that shows you how it is actually used in the game. It starts out as a solo sequence with the map, then as you get the hang of it tells you to get some friends together and play the escape as a group.