When was YOUR Golden Age of Gaming?
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Mr. Wilson
Explorer
My college years I think, from 1999-2003. Lots of gaming, very little responsibility, played 4 games a week and had the best singular campaign I've ever had that lasted for 3 years.
blargney the second
blargney the minute's son
Right now. I just spent a week up in a cabin that consisted of a steady rotation of eating, skiing, and boatloads of gaming. Vivent les dice!
frankthedm
First Post
Golden era = Current era.
Pick of the litter for rulesets and plenty of minis to use. Gaming group is meeting fairly regularly and problem players have been dealt with.
Pick of the litter for rulesets and plenty of minis to use. Gaming group is meeting fairly regularly and problem players have been dealt with.
For me, at least, it seems to go in cycles.
Mid 80s ... while in college I was a part of three regular 1E AD&D campaigns and one Champions 2/3E (?) campaign that pretty much ramped up on Friday evenings after dinner and ran through Saturday night with the occasional rest break and snack runs.
Mid/Late 90s ... part of three regular AD&D 2.5E campaigns that ran on a rotating basis every weekend. Usually one afternoon game and one evening game on Saturday plus the occasional Friday evening game.
Current ... Will be starting up a 2.5E core rules Wilderlands of High Fantasy campaign come January now that my work schedule is finally starting to see dayllight once more. The current roster of players have been restless to play for the past two years, but working nightts has not really given me the time I need to prepare. Should be shifting over to days which will make things a lot better ...
Mid 80s ... while in college I was a part of three regular 1E AD&D campaigns and one Champions 2/3E (?) campaign that pretty much ramped up on Friday evenings after dinner and ran through Saturday night with the occasional rest break and snack runs.
Mid/Late 90s ... part of three regular AD&D 2.5E campaigns that ran on a rotating basis every weekend. Usually one afternoon game and one evening game on Saturday plus the occasional Friday evening game.
Current ... Will be starting up a 2.5E core rules Wilderlands of High Fantasy campaign come January now that my work schedule is finally starting to see dayllight once more. The current roster of players have been restless to play for the past two years, but working nightts has not really given me the time I need to prepare. Should be shifting over to days which will make things a lot better ...
Phaezen
Adventurer
Several that I can think of, they tend to run in bursts.
Uni was a good time for gaming, we had several sessions that started on Friday after class and ended sunday afternoon. I also think it was most probably the most fun we had roleplaying, no worrying too much about rules and whatnot, just getting together to tell a story, kill things and take thier stuff.
Next year is looking very promising, 3 campaigns (1 ongoing, 2 on the horizon) which should be interesting. Really looking forward to the Cthulu inspired campaign as it will be with a group of people I have played with several times at cons and been wanting to run a campaign with. The other highlight should be the reunion week with my gaming group from University. Really looking forward to that.
Phaezen
Uni was a good time for gaming, we had several sessions that started on Friday after class and ended sunday afternoon. I also think it was most probably the most fun we had roleplaying, no worrying too much about rules and whatnot, just getting together to tell a story, kill things and take thier stuff.
Next year is looking very promising, 3 campaigns (1 ongoing, 2 on the horizon) which should be interesting. Really looking forward to the Cthulu inspired campaign as it will be with a group of people I have played with several times at cons and been wanting to run a campaign with. The other highlight should be the reunion week with my gaming group from University. Really looking forward to that.
Phaezen
While I can still remember my first adventure- AD&D in 1977 in the library of East Middle School in Aurora, CO (my Fighter was the last man standing vs a Purple worm...but I digress)- my true Golden Age was 1990-1994 in Austin, Tx, in a game group hosted by Alan Hench. (Hey, Alan!)
Even though I had played many systems by that point, and even though I have buddies I've been playing with in D/FW on & off with since 1985, THAT group was my crucible.
My skills as a roleplayer and GM really took off there. I ran my best campaign EVER there, and shortly after moving back to D/FW, ran my second best adventure ever.
That was due to 2 factors:
1) The players themselves. Up until recently, I've never gamed in a bigger group, and I got to see a wide variety of playstyles as a result. My current group is bigger, but the group is more homogeneous...not that there's anything wrong with that (
).
2) Most importantly, with them, I tried more game systems in that group- including a few playtests- than ever before. My personal collection went from a couple of dozen systems to over 100.
The reason was a rule I suggested. We had had a couple of weeks where GMs just couldn't show up at the last minute, leaving us to eat our sandwiches and watch ST:NG and talk about gaming instead of gaming. I suggested that each week, we would have someone designated as the backup GM, so each week, we had 2 gaming possibilities. In addition, everyone in the group was responsible for running a campaign, so everyone could serve as a primary or backup GM.
In all honesty, some weren't up to the task, and were never primaries...but they knew it so didn't exactly cry about it.
Combined, the number of systems and the wide variety of gamers in the group pushed my game to improve on both sides of the shield.
Even though I had played many systems by that point, and even though I have buddies I've been playing with in D/FW on & off with since 1985, THAT group was my crucible.
My skills as a roleplayer and GM really took off there. I ran my best campaign EVER there, and shortly after moving back to D/FW, ran my second best adventure ever.
That was due to 2 factors:
1) The players themselves. Up until recently, I've never gamed in a bigger group, and I got to see a wide variety of playstyles as a result. My current group is bigger, but the group is more homogeneous...not that there's anything wrong with that (
).2) Most importantly, with them, I tried more game systems in that group- including a few playtests- than ever before. My personal collection went from a couple of dozen systems to over 100.
The reason was a rule I suggested. We had had a couple of weeks where GMs just couldn't show up at the last minute, leaving us to eat our sandwiches and watch ST:NG and talk about gaming instead of gaming. I suggested that each week, we would have someone designated as the backup GM, so each week, we had 2 gaming possibilities. In addition, everyone in the group was responsible for running a campaign, so everyone could serve as a primary or backup GM.
In all honesty, some weren't up to the task, and were never primaries...but they knew it so didn't exactly cry about it.
Combined, the number of systems and the wide variety of gamers in the group pushed my game to improve on both sides of the shield.
CharlesRyan
Adventurer
I'm currently running the best campaign I've ever run--I have a great group, I'm running a setting and story I mulled over for years, and I feel like, in general, I'm getting it all right. So I'm hesitant not to call this my golden age.
But in terms of amount and variety (and sheer nostalgia value), my golden age was probably the late 80s. I was in college, with a large circle of college gaming buddies and a lot of time on my hands. Paranoia, Call of Cthulhu, Hero, Twilight 2000, Time Lords, homebrew Star Wars (before there was a published game), lots and lots of small press and other homebrew. Gaming 2 or 3 times a week, often including all-day Saturday sessions.
I don't imagine I'll hit that level again until the kids are out of the house and I'm looking at retiring. But those days will come--and then look out, there's another Golden Age on the way!
But in terms of amount and variety (and sheer nostalgia value), my golden age was probably the late 80s. I was in college, with a large circle of college gaming buddies and a lot of time on my hands. Paranoia, Call of Cthulhu, Hero, Twilight 2000, Time Lords, homebrew Star Wars (before there was a published game), lots and lots of small press and other homebrew. Gaming 2 or 3 times a week, often including all-day Saturday sessions.
I don't imagine I'll hit that level again until the kids are out of the house and I'm looking at retiring. But those days will come--and then look out, there's another Golden Age on the way!
Ydars
Explorer
I agree that it is golden ages; in the mid 80s I could game or dream of gaming all the time and had little responsibility. There also seemed to be gamers everywhere back then. For sheer unadulterated joy, this time probablys tops anything. The atmosphere of some of those old games was something I have never been able to recapture; probably because the people I gamed with back then were real friends and I had known them all for years. They were also a very unusual group and we loved the RP aspects of roleplaying. We were also so young and so were open to new things.
Yet looking back, I was not a skillful DM or player back then and neither was anyone else so our campaigns always tended to peter out. The atmosphere was incredible............sometimes. But we were never able sustain it nor was it reliable. So in terms of excellent games, now is certainly the golden age as I can create great games with a very good atmosphere (though never as good as before) yet now the campaigns are coherent and rarely peter out.
Yet looking back, I was not a skillful DM or player back then and neither was anyone else so our campaigns always tended to peter out. The atmosphere was incredible............sometimes. But we were never able sustain it nor was it reliable. So in terms of excellent games, now is certainly the golden age as I can create great games with a very good atmosphere (though never as good as before) yet now the campaigns are coherent and rarely peter out.
Dice4Hire
First Post
My good years started in University (High school was 99% playing with my brother) with a pretty good group of 5-7 players. A few weirdos, a couple of oddballs, but fun to be with. We usually played Friday night from 7 till the sun came up. Good times.
But now is far better. I am in a small group of three people, and we play very seriously and very regularly face to face. I also run 4-5 games online and play in a few more. I game a lot in a lot of different situations. I have to say now, with 4E here, I am playing a bit more, on both sides of the fence, so it is good. Plus now I have the money to pretty much buy what I like for gaming, and that adds a lot. Before scrimping and saving was annoying.
But now is far better. I am in a small group of three people, and we play very seriously and very regularly face to face. I also run 4-5 games online and play in a few more. I game a lot in a lot of different situations. I have to say now, with 4E here, I am playing a bit more, on both sides of the fence, so it is good. Plus now I have the money to pretty much buy what I like for gaming, and that adds a lot. Before scrimping and saving was annoying.
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