How old were you when you started playing D&D?

[cholke]

1978 Blue Box. I was eight years old. I now have my six year old son playing the Dungeon boardgame which he can't get enough of. A couple of more years...

 

[ThirdWizard]

That is one fine looking curve. *rowl*

 

[hunter1828]

I was eight years old, just a few months away from my 9th birthday. It was 1978 and my Dad gave the old Blue Box Basic D&D set. Took me about a year to get the rules nailed down and round up some friends to play, but that was the beginning. So I'm going on 30 years as a gamer now.

 

[DiamondB]

I was 11, 1980. My great uncle got me the basic red box for my birthday. I'll be getting my kids hooked young too, my 5 year old son and 3 year old daughter are fascinated by my dice and minis and my son sat and watched us play for about 10 minutes last week, so it's already starting.

 

[Mallus]

16. Started playing 1e + Unearthed Arcana.

 

[Drowbane]

Nine.

I would've started younger had my brothers allowed me to.

 

[Drowbane]

I keep seeing this "man we're old" and you know what? Maybe so (k, well I'm only 29... but been playing roughly 20yrs!). In an odd way I sorta look forward to still playing D&D in the "ENWorld.org Old-Folks Home" in 70+ years. To hell with shuffle board!

The question for the future: how many 9-14 year olds are playing the new boxed set or the minis game, and how many will "graduate" to the full game...

I got my niece started on Minis early in her 12th year... and before she hit 13 she had lost her first 3.5 (gestalt! no less!) character. She seems to always be in trouble, so she hasn't been allowed to play all that much.

On hiatus: She has a gestalt going through the second module of AoW.

 

[Drowbane]

oops

 

[Zander]

I had just turned 13.

I started with Basic D&D which I borrowed from a friend who was also one of the gamers in my group. Eventually, at my behest, my mother bought me the 1E PHB, DMG and MM. She was concerned that I might give up the game after a short while and the purchase would go to waste. Her worries were unfounded: I've been into D&D consistently since before then. I expect I'll be a gamer the rest of my life (well, as long as I'm compos mentus).

 

[Flynn]

Although I started with Traveller at age 16, I got my copy of the AD&D 1st Edition PHB that same year for Christmas, and finally found a group to game with the year after that. It was the fall of 1986, and because I read voraciously, I soon knew more about the game than our GM... big mistake when you are still in High School, but it didn't sour me to roleplaying at all.

Now, it's been 21-ish years, and I'm still into gaming.

And all thanks to my Dad, who wanted to play but was always concerned about the age difference and people's impressions. Roleplaying was probably the second greatest gift he ever gave me.

Rest In Peace, Dad,
Flynn