Things you didn't know about D&D...

[Mark]

Another interesting thing that Dave said was that there is a naval submarine training school located near Lake Geneva and during the early days, D&D became really popular among students and graduates of the naval training school. Dave always told people who asked him about the 'satanic' or 'cultish' aspects of D&D that at one time, every nuclear submarine in the US fleet had at least one D&D group. If D&D folks had wanted to take over the world, they could have. He said it always seemed to shut people up.

I'll bet he was talking about Great Lakes Naval Training Station. I used to live near enough to there when I was an early teen (mid-seventies), that some of my friends and I used to play on Sunday's (actually on base) with a club of gamers there (mostly wargamers, but some early RPGers). Just as now, it was lots of fun way back then, too!

 

[jgbrowning]

we'll i must say i was rather surprised the last time i played. My cleric had just reached eighth level when my DM said to me.

"We'll Joe your character's reached 8th level. I think it's time you really learn to cast spells."

so now i have the real power!


joe b.

 

[Mark]

we'll i must say i was rather surprised the last time i played. My cleric had just reached eighth level when my DM said to me.

"We'll Joe your character's reached 8th level. I think it's time you really learn to cast spells."

so now i have the real power!


joe b.

Here's a surprise for you. If you were playing OD&D, as an 8th level cleric you'd be at the top of your class (w/100K [E]XP, or so), called a "Patriarch" (IIRC), and building a stronghold (possibly to retire your character in)...

 

[MEG Hal]

Here's a surprise for you. If you were playing OD&D, as an 8th level cleric you'd be at the top of your class (w/100K [E]XP, or so), called a "Patriarch" (IIRC), and building a stronghold (possibly to retire your character in)...

*Flashback*--remembers the days when each level had a name

*big sigh*

Thanks Mark for the warm fuzzy (and I do not mean P-Kitty )

 

[Dagger75]

Well for the cartoon series.

The guy who played Ralph Malp from Happy Days, did the vioce of Eric the Cavalier.

Also Willie Ames of Charles in Charge and 8 is Enough was Hank.

One of the first printing of the old Dieties and Demigods had the Chtulu pantheon.

 

[Sanackranib]

d&d=military

Too add to the dice discussion. Dave Arneson told this story at DragonCon. It seems that they got the dice from a educational supplier in California. They had always removed the dice that they did not use (d12, d8?). When the game became popular, they did not want to take the time to remove some of the dice just to repackage them, so Gary rewrote some of the rules to use them. That is why early editions had so little use of some dice types.

Another interesting thing that Dave said was that there is a naval submarine training school located near Lake Geneva and during the early days, D&D became really popular among students and graduates of the naval training school. Dave always told people who asked him about the 'satanic' or 'cultish' aspects of D&D that at one time, every nuclear submarine in the US fleet had at least one D&D group. If D&D folks had wanted to take over the world, they could have. He said it always seemed to shut people up.

He was full of useless early D&D trivia.

Mike

makes sence, everyone I know in the armed forces is or was a gamer.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

How about:

There were no thieves in the original D&D (just fighting men, magic users, and clerics).

First level clerics couldn't cast spells.

Elves could be a fighting man OR a magic user during an adventure, but not both (though they could switch between adventures).

All the weapons did the same damage: 1d6. Hit dice were all d6's (monsters and characters).

Spell levels went to 6th for magic users and 5th for clerics.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

One of the first printing of the old Dieties and Demigods had the Chtulu pantheon.

I think this might be fairly well-known. Early printings included both the Cthulhu mythos, and a section on Melnibonean mythos, from Michael Moorcock's Elric series. I have a copy I bought back then.

 

[Voneth]

Well for the cartoon series.

Also Willie Ames of Charles in Charge and 8 is Enough was Hank.

Who now has the successful "Bibleman!" franchise. Even though one would think that is the type of videos that Jack Chick would show his kids, there are plenty of in-jokes that plenty of gamers would get. The last video had nods to "Blair Witch Project" and "The Green Mile."

My personal thought on his success with this series? The first videos had such lousy production values they were cheese with Scritpture. Now you can tell the videos make money, but they are "cheesey" on purpose.

 

[Richards]

Originally posted by Piratecat:

Hey, if I remember correctly one of our British members (Upper Krust?) actually wrote the first shadow demon that was published in the Fiend Folio. Whoever it was also wrote two others, which were - err - less memorable. Anyone remember who that was?

According to my Fiend Folio, the shadow demon was created by Neville White, who is also credited with having created the stunjelly and the qullan.

Johnathan