When Did You Start Playing D+D?

[Templetroll]

I first got to play due to finding a fanzine published by some college students with an article about D&D early in 79. The guy described the game and at the end, put his phone number if anyone was interested in trying the game! Man, were things different back then! I was the only one who called and got into a game. It was using the PrinceCon variation of the original D&D books. The group were students at Temple university, and that is where my name comes from, The Temple Trolls.

Rolling up my first character, I was told I had to roll up a dwarf because that was what was penciled in the marching order! I didn't understand that but I liked dwarves so it was okay. I named it the only serious dwarf name I knew, Gimli, and he ended up with a 19 strength and a 3 charisma! First adventure I went along with characters of 2nd and even 3rd level and they looted some tombs. The paladins were seeking undead, and we found one, which happily was destroyed quickly. Part of the loot was a footmans mace which no one was interested in, so, being mildly bold I asked if I could have it. There was a quick discussion between the DM and a couple players and they handed it over to me. Ended up being a +2 mace! He used it for the next several years, got up to F6/T6 on a slow growth exp style. Haven't played it for a while but Gimli Dragonbane (killed a baby dragon with a surprise attack in one shot. ) still lives in Avranches.

 

[Melkor]

Summer of 1985, though I had flipped through several D&D books several years prior to that at a friends house (who'se older brother played), and dreamed of playing long before I got to do so.

 

[Vague Jayhawk]

1983 represent.

5th grade recess is when I started. I got the books prior to that, but had no one to play with till then.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

I Say!

Where are the three fellows that have their starting date of play as 1974 or earlier? I want to pester them about pre-publication mss. of the D&D game...


GAry

 

[Gargoyle]

I Say!

Where are the three fellows that have their starting date of play as 1974 or earlier? I want to pester them about pre-publication mss. of the D&D game...


GAry

LOL

 

[Vague Jayhawk]

I did not start playing till sometime in '83.

All of you guys are making me feel like a nOOb.

 

[JoeGKushner]

84 or about then.

 

[WayneLigon]

'77 I think, or perhaps '78. It was during the school year and I forget what side of Xmas break it was on. I came into the local hobby store seeking Chitin, the new SJGames microgame (I'd seen an ad for it in Analog - SJGames has always had the best ads in the industry; they almost always made me want to play that game) and saw a couple people I knew in the back room doing.. something with dice. I asked them what it was, and that was the start of things

 

[Ulrick]

I started playing in 1989 after by 10th birthday. My older brother wouldn't let me play before then because, well, those AD&D books were for ages 10 and up.

I played a dwarf fighter named Havoc. I lived in either Safeton or Narwell on the Wild Coast. I heard rumors of monsters raiding villages from the forest to the north. Looking for the chance to earn some gold, I went to the village of Dukna. On the way there I was attacked by 2 kobolds---IT WAS SO MUCH FUN BECAUSE I HAD NO IDEA WHAT THEY WERE! I didn't know that they were some of the weakest monsters in the game.

When I made it to Dukna, the town lord hired me as a mercenary to clear out monsters raiding his town. I went out into the forest and ambushed a group of four orcs by hiding in the bushes and sniped at them using my crossbow. I got wounded and went back to town to rest (I think I had only 7hp total). A couple days later I ventured forth again. While I slept the town was raided again! The town lord was furious!

So I went out once more. I saw four more orcs...and an ogre up the trail. So I ambushed them. I killed the orcs and lept on the ogre, chopping away at him with my axe. The ogre hit me with his fist and I was knocked down to 3hp. But I chopped off the ogre's head.

That was the end of the first session. And I was hooked...BAD. I wanted my brother to run something the next time he came home from college.

If I remember right, my brother made most of the die rolls and didn't often mention numbers and focused on the story, rather than on stats and such. For example, I didn't know that dwarves had bonuses to hit orcs and Ogres had trouble hitting them. My brother just rolled the dice behind his DM screen (the 1st Edition one, with the lizardmen, the fire-breathing dragon, the guy in chainmal protecting the woman behind him) and described the action.

 

[Musrum]

Started playing AD&D in 1983 for High School Sport.

Since GM Nimzowitsch broke his leg playing chess they considered it a sport. And that was just the thin edge of the wedge...