D&D General Fifty Years

[AnotherGuy]

Happy Bday!

Memories of yesteryear D&D (which was my first RPG) are fond memories as they were during the period of my life without real responsibilities and every weekend was free. Ally my D&D mates were within walking or cycling distance.

And it was in my suburban library that I discovered Steve Jackson, Ian Livingston and Joe Dever while I was hunting for The Three Investigator books which I preferred to the Hardy Boys, Famous 5 and Secret 7.

Titan (Fighting Fantasy Book) was marvellous and the first RPG setting-book I read, while The Principalities of Glantri was the first setting book I bought.

 

[Gorck]

I played Baldur’s Gate 1& 2 and Icewind Dale 1& 2 while in college in the 90’s, but I didn’t start playing D&D itself until 2000, when I was a whopping 26.

One of my biggest regrets in life is not having played D&D when I was younger and had more free time and plenty of friends around the neighborhood. I try to play it now, but I’m older and have more obligations and responsibilities. And my friends and family members have all scattered about, and they have their own families and their own obligations and responsibilities.

I’ve begun playing with my daughter (12), but my wife has zero interest in joining us. At first, my daughter and I would each play 2 characters to make a 4 person party, but that’s breaking two cardinal rules (players should only play one character and DMs shouldn’t play a character).

Recently we got a couple of her school friends to join us, and I’m planning on running them through Unwelcome Spirits followed by Call of the Netherdeep. But we’ve only been able to play one session so far due to the holidays and the ever-annoying school nights.

 

[ichabod]

Was that the old Dark Sun Wild Talents?

Nah, this would have been 1981, well before Dark Sun. This was the psionics from the AD&D 1E PHB:

Characters with one or more unmodified intelligence, wisdom or charisma ability
scores of 16 or higher might have psionic ability. Whether or not this ability is
possessed is then determined by a dice roll using percentile dice. Any score of 00
(100%) indicates the ability exists. For each 1 point of intelligence above 16 add
2½ to the dice roll, for each 1 point of wisdom above 16 add 1½ to the dice roll,
and for each 1 point of charisma above 16 add ½ to the dice roll (drop all
fractions).

 

[Clint_L]

Happy Birthday!

I've written of my first game previously. Grade 8, and I was hanging out with my friend Willem, and we went to visit his older brother who was a student at Malaspina college in Nanaimo, BC. Willem had mentioned D&D to me previously but I had no idea what it was, and his brother offered to run a short game for us. I made my first character, a ranger, because LotR, and got SUPER lucky on my rolls, including having 18/94 strength - I had no idea what that meant, but Willem was very excited for me so I knew it had to be good. For our first game Willem's character, much higher level, and some NPCs were tasked with killing a small dragon, and my character came along and even got the killing blow.

I was instantly hooked. That day changed my life, and I am forever grateful. I got a PHB for Xmas, along with some dice and miniatures, and been at it ever since.

 

[pogre]

Happy belated birthday!

I first played over the Thanksgiving holiday with my cousins in 1974. They were a little older, but I think my fighter was slain by a vampire! I do remember our characters were on file cards and my cousin, the DM, rolled all the dice. I was certainly hooked though!

Received my three books that Christmas. I remember saving up money for AH's Outdoor Survival.

 

[Eis]

I also remember my fiend’s older brother playing in their basement with an older friend. They went full chaotic on innocents and stole their stuff

I would like to know more about this fiend that you knew and his family

 

[Warpiglet-7]

I would like to know more about this fiend that you knew and his family

Let’s see. Horns…wings…he smelled sulfurous…

 

[Eis]

Let’s see. Horns…wings…he smelled sulfurous…

I am somehow disappointed but should have expected this answer

 

[Warpiglet-7]

I am somehow disappointed but should have expected this answer

Was also eating Doritos

They would not let us younger kids
Play…we went to play Atari. That tells
You how long ago it was…

 

[Stormonu]

Was also eating Doritos

They would not let us younger kids
Play…we went to play Atari. That tells
You how long ago it was…

Atari's Adventure - the first D&D video game...