D&D General Was your first experience with D&D as a player or as a DM?

[Ath-kethin]

My first D&D experience was with a some friends in high school, run by a guy one grade ahead who'd been running games for a long time.

My first TTRPG experience, though, was about a year earlier playing Earthdawn. A friend who'd never played or run anything similar bought the rulebook and we all wanted to give it a try. I think one or two people in that MIGHT have played D&D or something similar beforehand, but neither I nor the guy running the game had.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Same. Considering how wild and gonzo and far from the rules the game was, I likewise wonder just how experienced the DM was. He was a kid just a year or two older than I was, and I was pretty young, which meant he couldn't have been that experienced in the scheme of things. Still, it was more than enough to get me hooked for a lifetime.

I voted "As Player with an Experienced DM" - except that. . .

A. They weren't a very experienced DM and doubt that they run more than a handful of sessions before I got involved
B. After that one game I moved on to DMing

Sorry to be that person who chafes against the narrow options of the poll.

 

[DnD Warlord]

I got roped into DMing my first time in any TTRPG

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I voted as a DM... but it's complicated.

Back in the summer of 95 I played a handful of Larps (fantasy and vampire), then right as school started around my birthday I got into a rifts game at my new friends house... but it didn't go well. 1 of those new friends had played and run D&D before, and 3 of those friends (brothers) had a dad who had played WAY back when in the late 70's. We wanted to try that instead... but no one wanted to run.

A few months before Christmas (I think after black Friday but maybe on black Friday) I was in a book store and saw a starter box and bought it (I was supposed to be gift shopping)... and I got the friend who had played and run before to draw up 3 PCs and then run through the starter set with me DMing... it went as badly as it could. So he gave me (to borrow not keep) his PHB DMG and 2 binders of MM... and at Christmas break my 6 person rifts game became my first campaign of D&D...

I had played rifts and 2 different Larps before though.

 

[Hussar]

I gotta admit, I'd absolutley love to see this poll expanded out to a broader audience and then split off by age groups. Would be really interesting.

 

[delericho]

First time was as a player, with an experience DM. It wasn't long before I was DMing myself, though - indeed, before I even got the Red Box.

 

[Oofta]

A friend's older brother came home from college and ran a game for me and my friends, I have no idea if he had DMed before or not. After that first game we rotated DMs in a sort of shared world.

My dungeons were, of course completely logical and realistic with things like a mega dungeon where each level spelled a different word in the rooms and corridors. Something along the lines of DOOM, DEATH, DESPAIR and last, but not least DESTRUCTION.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

That is Metal.

My dungeons were, of course completely logical and realistic with things like a mega dungeon where each level spelled a different word in the rooms and corridors. Something along the lines of DOOM, DEATH, DESPAIR and last, but not least DESTRUCTION.

 

[Irlo]

I started as a player with a novice DM. I bought the books as soon as I could, realized that the DM was doing it all wrong, and I dove into DMing with very little experience as a player. I'd be a better DM with more experience playing, I think, but I was stuck behind the screen for decades (with a handful of breaks).

 

[Voadam]

My first game I was a player. The game involved some of my friends and the older brothers of one of my friends. I have no idea whether it was the DM's first experience DMing or not, but I assume not. It was mid level 1e AD&D and I got handed a thief (5th level?) to play, I vaguely remember I had a magic dagger. There was something going on with an NPC high level evil cleric not attacking us and counting down from 100 thanks to a PC with a ring of human influence. Afterwards I mentioned how much fun I had to my parents and they got me the Moldvay Basic Set shortly thereafter. I was eight. "For 3 or More Adults, Ages 10 and Up"