Did you know about D&D's reputation before buying?

[Garmorn]

I bought it back in 1978, before it had a reputation.

It had a reputation in 78, but it was completly different. It was a reputation of being a game for people who could not hack true war games or being what we now called a beer and pretezel game. Not something to be taken seriously or played a lot.

Most of the gamers then were calling even AH 3rd Riech a over simple game, and enjoyed such games SPI's 5 large map game of the 3rd world war. (Can't remember the name) or stuff like War in Europe. (At least at Fort Riley where I was in the Army in 76)

 

[Phowett]

lol, no. When I first saw D&D I didn't know anything about it, never heard of it before or RPGs. I just bought it because it had a cool dragon on the cover of the box. After reading the manual, I was like "wow, this sounds fun". It took me a while to find some players, though.

 

[Griswold]

LOL, I got into the game about 1984. I had no clue about the game's rep and neither did my parents, I was 13 at the time.


It's funny though. I was walking through my local christian store the other day and what did i see, chick tracts explaining the evils of DnD, still amazes me to this day how ignorant some folks can be. I probably turned out better from playing RPGs cause they gave me something to do as a teenager other then get into trouble.

 

[Darkness]

So France is the only European country that got problem with RPG reputation?

It isn't big or important, but its present.

Perhaps Spain got a bad reputation too, they got a movie with RPG player as killer (we got something similar in France with grave robber in a TV serie).

On the other hand, there is something like two or three comics based on the RPG universe (with one being a top seller: Lanfeust).

LARP announcement in local news.

And on the TV channel on video games, it ircks the journalist to call a game like FF7 a RPG because you don't really play a role (yes a lot of them are RPG gamer).

So the thing is accepted, but sometimes you get curious reaction.

I don't know if France is the only European country with such a problem - but I think it's certainly less a problem in Europe than it is in the US...
(And French comics rock. edit: Of course, unless they're translated into German or English, I can't read them very well... )

 

[Anime Kidd]

Yeah, I meant the whole 'evil' reputation. Sorry bout not being specific!

Edit: But Im surprised that so many got into it that didnt know what D&D was an such.

 

[rackabello]

my first encounter with D & D seems the perfect topic for my first post to these forums....it would have been in the late 70s / early 80s, in second or third grade and i don't think i had any sense of the game's reputation for good or ill. i think it was during the height of D & D's early popularity, though; my first clear encounter with RPGs was in a children's fluff magazine called Dynamite [Melissa Gilbert on the cover, no less!] [tangent: the gamers eavesdropped on in the article were playing a Xanth campaign. were there ever published rules for adventuring in this world? never seen any myself]. i was fascinated by the article and pestered my pops till he bought me the Basic set, followed by the 1e MM, PHB, and DMG....

by the time i heard of the game's quote evil unquote reputation i was wholly absorbed in it, and the slanted news stories and shoddy pamphlets irritated me to no end.

 

[CRG]

Started in 1980, no real reputation yet as being evil.

I started with the basic / expert book and it did have a reputation of being 'more for kids' (gasp). I was a kid and didn't care. I was all stuck on halfling sheriffs, randomly generated magical treasure (including swords that lit up) and the whole shebang.

Frankly, I don't know how many different adventures we ran in the ruins and cave complex at the back of the basic book.

To close


"Bree-yark!"

 

[Zot_Wyzo]

Um, I started playing D&D in the 70's. It didn't have that "Demonic" reputation yet when I started, so I voted no in your poll.

 

[Ranger REG]

I believe I got into D&D around 1984. I went to a comic book store with my cousin who was an avid comic collector and I find myself purchasing the red box that was Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set.

I was young and all I care about is playing the game, so I don't know anything about what goes on inside TSR and how they conducted their business.

 

[Creamsteak]

I knew it had a reputation with the 700 club. I knew it had a reputation with my friends grandma. I knew DnD had a reputation with my father.

All of these reputations were bad.

I knew Dnd had a reputation with my friends. I knew Dnd had a reputation with the people that make the video games I enjoy. I knew Dnd had a reputation with the local college.

All of these reputations were good.

So I said yes, but what do you mean?