When Did You Start Playing D+D?

[SteelDraco]

My first exposure to D&D was the gold box game Secret of the Silver Blades. I think i bought it in... probably 1990? Some time around there. It was one of the first games I had for my computer, I know that. I played it, and loved it. Bought all the rest of the games in the series that were out (Pools of Radiance and Curse of the Azure Bonds, then later Pools of Darkness). When I was done with the games, I looked around for other stuff, and found the D&D Rules Cyclopedia, which had just been released. The rest, of course, is history. ;-)

 

[Shemeska]

In 2000, about when the 3e Monster Manual came out.

I'm a n00b. *grin*

 

[DestroyYouAlot]

1992

That's "for real" D&D. I got into Endless Quest books after I read all the Choose Your Own Adventure books out at the time. I knew that they were connected to "Dungeons and Dragons", which (as I understood it) was something involving spells, and divinations, and horrible, nameless creatures that moved in the dark (all of which sounded awesome), and (as I was led to believe) included a crystal ball, a skull, and a dagger, all in a giant $200 boxed set that you could only mail order direct from the manufacturer. (Ahh, the eighties, when the hover board was eternally "coming out next year.")

Anyway, I went to scout camp in the summer of '91, and got introduced to something that greatly resembled Dungeons & Dragons, only it didn't, except for the name, and there were orcs. There were no books, task resolution was handled with playing cards, and dwarves (such as myself) could wield highly destructive magic. (Which, they then, of course, couldn't, and which I did, with great relish.) As I recall, we battled tribes of orcs (which were at war which other tribes of orcs (which we had enslaved (and lived in huge castles (which were contained inside a bag of holding that we carried around)))) with magic dynamite, and big swords. And "magic missile", as far as I could tell, was essentially a Stinger that trailed fairy dust. It was AWESOME.

Flash forward a year later, and I finally managed to get copies of the 2e PHB and DMG, and (a short while later) the Forgotten Realms grey box set. I can't even tell you how many times I herded groups of green adventurers through the two mini-dungeons that came in the FR box; I never got tired of it.

Fifteen years later (yikes!), I still haven't.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Sorry, Gary. I was a latecomer to the hobby. Not until the nations Bicentennial did I start.

Speaking of the Bicentennial...

A local division of Gray Advertising approached Tactical Studies Rules the year before, askjed if we could design a Revolutionary War boardgame os family sort for Ford Motors, the idea was that a game would be given away to each test driver.

So I went to work, designed a really simple game that kids of eight could play with pawns for armies and fleets, American ones blue, British red, French white; and a more "complex" one for the "advanced" version for about 10 year olds--strategic thinking of minor sort required in addition to some dice dice rolling not a part of the "family" game where two pawns beat one, etc. The mapboard was two-sided to make the different versions of the game obvious and more visually interesting. Both time tracks were the same, showing historical events for the year.

We went to a design studio for the mock-up board and box art, special typeface for the name, Valley Forge.

Then the bicentennial fizzled, Ford dropped the idea, as as we had foolishly negelcted to require a purchase order for the prototypical design, Gray Advertising stoffed TSR.

Live and learn

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Chainmail (1971)

Hooray!

I am not alone

Good show, diaglo,

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Henry]

Asking Gary when he discovered D&D is like asking George Washington when he Immigrated to the United States of America.

Then the bicentennial fizzled, Ford dropped the idea, as as we had foolishly negelcted to require a purchase order for the prototypical design, Gray Advertising stoffed TSR.

Ah, RPG Companies getting screwed out of time and money by distributors. THERE's a time-honored tradition for you.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Asking Gary when he discovered D&D is like asking George Washington when he Immigrated to the United States of America.

Ah, RPG Companies getting screwed out of time and money by distributors. THERE's a time-honored tradition for you.

Oh Yes!

Just ask the guys that formerly ran Game Designers' Workshop about that, only what happened to them was worse. Printing tens of thousands of a game because a distributor said they wanted them, then not taking any. No purchase order there either... :\

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Lord Zardoz]

My girlfriend introduced me to it in 2004, shortly after we met. I might have played sooner but my mother always told us that D&D was evil.

Funnily enough I was also introduced to Rolemaster at around the same time from a (now former) roommate.

Introduced by your girlfriend? Damn, that has to be rare!

Anyway, I got into the game sometime around 1993-1994. I am one of those who managed to bootstrap themselves into the hobby. I started by reading the Dragonlance novels. After getting hooked by them, I got curious about the game that inspired the world. I bought myself a 2nd edition Players hand book, and read the thing cover to cover a few times. My first games were rolling up characters and having them kill one another. My next book was the 2nd Edition Monsterous Manual, and after that, finally a DMG.

I also discovered that the goofy bastard who chooses to buy the books gets to be the DM, so my career as a player was essentially short lived.

END COMMUNICATION

 

[Thomas Percy]

My year 1992 is popular here
But I'm surprised and fascinated, most of us is so experienced gamers.

 

[Lanefan]

Asking Gary when he discovered D&D is like asking George Washington when he Immigrated to the United States of America.

Although, as Gary invented the game, anyone who says they discovered it sooner is merely red-flagging that they own a time machine; if so, I want one too!

Lanefan