Were you RPGing before you even knew it?

[Kask]

We used to play "Army" and such, usually at night. We'd put on heavy jackets, our fathers safety goggles and grab our pellet guns and hunt each other.

 

[Tinker Gnome]

Maybe I should have specified where you made up stats even though you did not have to.

 

[coyote6]

However, I think the difference between cops & robbers etc. and RPGs (or even LARPs) is the non-existence of stats. No one ever claimed "You missed me cause my dodge is 17!" They just said "You missed." "No I didn't" "Yes you did" "No I didn't" "Bang! Doesn't matter now you're dead" "I can't be dead cause I already shot you" "No, you missed" "Ad nauseum".

Well, I remember someone (I think it was my cousin, or maybe me) once declaring that "my shoes make me bulletproof" -- so we at least had the whole "gear makes you better" thing down.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

Well, I remember someone (I think it was my cousin, or maybe me) once declaring that "my shoes make me bulletproof" -- so we at least had the whole "gear makes you better" thing down.

We had one rule, if you wanted a tommy gun you had to find a stick that bore some resemblance to one. (Pellet guns? Ha! We used sticks and liked it!)

 

[Drowbane]

Back in 88' (I was 9 - 10) I designed a d6 system to use when playing Chess. It was crude, but added quite a bit of chaos to the game, which I felt (at the time) made it more realistic. I had been exposed to D&D by my older brothers rather young (86'), but not allowed to play until after I taught them my version of Chess (summer of 89').

 

[coyote6]

We had one rule, if you wanted a tommy gun you had to find a stick that bore some resemblance to one. (Pellet guns? Ha! We used sticks and liked it!)

I think we had a toy tommy gun, actually. So we'd fight over that.

We also got my grandma to help us make rubber-band guns -- that took a lot of the "you missed!" arguments out it, at least when it was too hot to wear long sleeved jackets. And when our parents weren't confiscating them on "put your eye out" grounds.

 

[Moon_Goddess]

I had heard of DND, I knew some real real vagueness out what it was about, "It's like a video game but you can make your own world and stories."

So with by brothers and my sister, I did my best to create it, on paper, or on a chalkboard. using Legend of Zelda and other video games as the basis. everyone got a health meter that I erased till you were dead.

Odd thing is, I tried my hand at making random systems for success and failure, from the good (Homemade spinner) to the really stupid (tape recording of lots of numbers all out of order, fast forward.... stop, play, "nineteen" sorry) I had dice, I had monopoly never thought of using them for success/failure.

 

[Hawke]

I was less about action figures than I was constructing entire bases. My brother and I would combine different toy sets, such as; girder-and-panel sets, hot-wheels tracks, toy cars and planes, and legos (for making buildings, aircraft, spacecraft, and anything else we could think up) - and turn our entire room into a sprawling military base. So I guess I was more into world building than character creation as a kid. Even then, I guess I was practicing to be a DM.

Legos were my first, too. I was more into building minor characters but a full cast and situation... figuring out why the pirate captain wanted to get into the spanish fort or who the pirate was I was trying to break out from the other pirate's brig.

Fun times!