Was Santa Claus the reason you started playing D&D?

[Orius]

Nope, I was first introduced to the game in summer camp. Had a nasty 1e killer DM running the game too, so that influenced me to run my games hard.

I agree. We have been in TRU and have a shot at Target. WalMart is the tough nut to crack. Old stereotypes on the evilness of D&D still persist.

Another reason to hate WalMart I guess, but I've got plenty of reason to do so already.

Those stores are good for stocking stuff like starter sets or boxes for beginning players, but probably much more difficult for selling the various books. Still, getting starter sets out there is a good idea.

Is this something along the lines of a survey, you know seeing how many people received one of the old Basic sets for Christmas as a kid, and seeing if there's marketing potential?

Yes we have considered it and will continue to do so. We have been trying to do a younger skewing board game like Dungeon or a D&D Clue style adventure game for a while. Surprising enough for a company as large as WotC, with direct lines to Hasbro, doing a low cost quality board game (that is profitable) is kind of a challenge because the initial quantities are low without interest from the big box stores. We'll keep working at it though as I feel like this is a great way to acquire the next generation.

What ever happened with Dungeon anyway? That was a fun and relatively easy game that could serve as an intro D&D. Or maybe something like the old Hero Quest boardgame. Anyway, it's good to see that WotC is looking into the idea, since getting kids into the game helps to build a future customer base.

 

[ProfessorCirno]

The Spoony Experiment - Dragon Strike Board Game Review

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[Raven Crowking]

I bought Holmes Basic for my younger brother for Christmas in 1979. Of course, he needed someone to play the game with.....

Our interest that led me to buying the game for him stemmed both from enjoyment of fantasy novels, and a spot that appeared (I believe) on Real People. It might have been a news program, though, we lived in Wisconsin. It certainly raised the "What is this?!?!" factor.

There were two people who spread D&D virally through Hartland, Wisconsin from 1979 to 1984, myself and a friend of mine named Frank. I later learned from Frank that he picked up the game after seeing me working on a dungeon in the school library with the Holmes Basic blue book.

So, one TV spot led to many gamers in that one area, at least.


RC

 

[vagabundo]

I only have vague memories of how I got started, but it wasn't a B-day or Christmas presszie.

I got a loan of the RC from a friends younger brother - and never gave it back opps!!

Haveing never played my initial attempts at learning the game from the RC were... arkward. Still I perserved, after the RC getting 2e and then 3e and now 4e.

 

[darjr]

Was at toys r us in my local area, and no D&D. I'm going to check out the other one... cause I'm Santa's helper anyway...

It occours to me that there isn't a star wars rpg starter set. Why not? Seems like it would have been a hit, there was a TON of star wars at Toys R Us... even mini figures that almost fooled me into thinking they were the skirmish game.

 

[Nikosandros]

I did in fact get my red box D&D for Christmas, but I had asked for it... my older stepbrother lived in the US and he had talked to me about D&D.

 

[dnddays]

I got my first books (Blackmoor and Greyhawk) as a prize for selling Christmas cards door to door, you know the kind where depending on how much you sell you can choose from all kinds of prizes in the catalog, with a bike usually being the best for the most points. I got "stuck" with D&D cause that's all I could get with my points. Imagine my surprise when they came in and it wasn't a board game like I'd expected but just books, and said books didn't even tell you how to play. Luckily, I had a cousin who played who later filled me in.

All these years later and I'm still playing. And that was in '81!

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

Not me. I learned of D&D from a friend in 7th grade in 1979; Perry Hoffmeister. He was talking about this thing were you went into dungeons, bought gear, and fought monsters. It took a while through the conversation for me to figure out he was talking about a game, not some bizzarro "Westworld"-ish amusement park. Then it took a while for me to understand there wasn't a game board. Then I moved over the summer and we never got to play.

That fall, I saw the red box in a bookstore window, and bought it. Eventually got the AD&D books, and got some of those at Christmas, but initially, it was something I bought all on my own - largely because I missed my friends from 7th grade and wanted to play this game that I knew they had been planning on teaching me to play...

 

[Agamon]

I learned the game from an older friend in school. The next birthday, I got my first book, the 1e Monster Manual...I did get some 1e modules for Christmas once, now that I think of it. The Gauntlet (to go with The Sentinel I already had) and Land Beyond the Magic Mirror.

 

[Grazzt]

Nope. Not Santa. My dad. Bought me the D&D red box set in 1982 for my b-day.