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What were early gaming clubs like?
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<blockquote data-quote="Thunderfoot" data-source="post: 5687566" data-attributes="member: 34175"><p>[MENTION=53]Glyfair[/MENTION] - dead on about the college influence and even the ripples from that.</p><p>D&D started in Lake Geneva, WI - the major clubs were around the Chicago area of which the University of Illinois at Chicago (The Medical folks) was a part.</p><p></p><p>They caught the bug and moved it to U of I in Champaign/Urbana when the Illinois wargamers had their annual convention of University students. This in turn passed it n to the folks at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale - In a few short months D&D was played in every part of Illinois and it was due to the colleges. </p><p></p><p>The big thing is that the college kids taught their younger siblings and their friends which started the big "kids" movement (that's how I became a gamer). First to the High Schools and then to the grade schools within a few years. I was 8 when I first played back in 1978/79. So I got to witness it first hand.</p><p></p><p>Gaming clubs sprung up like weeds, every school and library had one until the BADD old days of gaming hit (being in the buckle of the bible belt pretty much sucked.) But as to the impact it had on Southern Illinois, Dave Trampier (the artist who did most of the 1st ed art) lives in Carbondale (even though he refuses to talk about it). And True Adventures (who run the True Dungeon event at GenCon) and Dwarven Forge are both HQ'd in Carbondale. So even with all the crap in the 80s it held firm and a lot of that had to do with the college gaming club that has met ever since 1976...</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Thunderfoot, post: 5687566, member: 34175"] [MENTION=53]Glyfair[/MENTION] - dead on about the college influence and even the ripples from that. D&D started in Lake Geneva, WI - the major clubs were around the Chicago area of which the University of Illinois at Chicago (The Medical folks) was a part. They caught the bug and moved it to U of I in Champaign/Urbana when the Illinois wargamers had their annual convention of University students. This in turn passed it n to the folks at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale - In a few short months D&D was played in every part of Illinois and it was due to the colleges. The big thing is that the college kids taught their younger siblings and their friends which started the big "kids" movement (that's how I became a gamer). First to the High Schools and then to the grade schools within a few years. I was 8 when I first played back in 1978/79. So I got to witness it first hand. Gaming clubs sprung up like weeds, every school and library had one until the BADD old days of gaming hit (being in the buckle of the bible belt pretty much sucked.) But as to the impact it had on Southern Illinois, Dave Trampier (the artist who did most of the 1st ed art) lives in Carbondale (even though he refuses to talk about it). And True Adventures (who run the True Dungeon event at GenCon) and Dwarven Forge are both HQ'd in Carbondale. So even with all the crap in the 80s it held firm and a lot of that had to do with the college gaming club that has met ever since 1976... [/QUOTE]
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