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Message: <blockquote data-quote="spades1013" data-source="post: 4306019" data-attributes="member: 42053">It was something of a long and rambling road, that led me to D&D (much like this post, I'm afraid).In the mid '70s, the games of Army men that my friends and I played became more complicated with arguments.  We started making up rules for movement and whether or not something was hit or destroyed.  Basically turning it into a proto-wargame.  Of course, we had no Idea such things already existed.  We were around 6 or seven at the time.At the same time, I always liked knights and so forth.  I happened upon the D&D comic ads of the late '70s and, inspired by them, made "dungeons" to play with action figures in.  Mostly Clash of the Titans and some Star Wars aliens for monsters.  But still had no knowledge of the game itself.Flash forward to '83.  While visiting my great aunt's house while my cousin from out of state was also visiting, he asked me if I "did D&D".  I can't say I learned much from him except the basic premise that reminded me a lot of the Army men days.  We were young, he was a lousy DM and we only had a few hours.  But he did give me UK1 because, in his words "it sucks and there's no good treasure in it".Soon thereafter I got the Moldvay boxed set and proceeded to teach myself how the game was REALLY played.  A few friends and I eventually and with much trial and error figured things out.  And by 7th grade had branched out into Star Frontiers Ad&D and Gamma World.  Even going so far as to design an entire starship combat game (since none of us could afford Knight Hawks).  I still have the hand written rules and It's really not bad.  Even had a race of cybernetic zombies flying around in cube-shaped ships (in '84, long before TNG).  If only they taught copyright law in the 7th grade. So, if someone has the interest and the willpower, I think it's entirely reasonable to learn just from reading the books.  Even easier if the future group learns the rules togetherI should also point out that while learning D&D in 6th grade, my friends and I attended a small grade school in rural Kentucky at the time of the "Satanic Panic".  However, because the teachers saw students who had no interest in reading or math pull their grades up sometimes two or more letter grades, we became the first "official" student formed club in the schools history, that still exists to this very day.  And the son of one of my first players is the current club president (I run 3.5 for my friend and his sons and my friend runs BECMI/RC for all of us).  25 years of gaming and my first gaming group is still together (after a fashion).</blockquote>

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