maxinstuff
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Posts: 1,939
Preferred Game Systems: DCC RPG, Shadowrun 5e, Savage Worlds, GURPS 4e, HERO 6e, Mongoose Traveller
Favorite Species of Monkey: Proboscis
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Post by maxinstuff on Jul 30, 2013 3:51:55 GMT -8
I would be interested to hear how people heard about and got started in RPG's. I am so new school it is embarrassing. Basically I am a convert from video game RPG's. I first encountered D&D in high-school when a video game called Baldur's Gate came out - which was set in the Forgotten Realms. The instruction booklet referred to D&D 2nd edition and explained many of the rules (this was back when video games still came with instructions ) A few internet searches later I came across UNFORGOTTEN REALMS on newgrounds.com. From the moment I wanted to play tabletop games. Unforgotten Realms was just so fucking hilarious that I had to play tabletop games even if it was just for the lulz. BEHOLD - ANCIENT FLASH ANIMATIONS FROM THE DEPTHS OF NEWGROUNDS:
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Post by greatwyrm on Jul 30, 2013 4:59:15 GMT -8
It's not a story I often tell, but I was a junior high loan shark.
I would, in fact, make loans to other kids at ridiculous rates of interest. For high-risk ones, I'd insist on some kind of collateral. One kid said he needed $5 and all he could put up was a copy of this magazine called "Dragon". I was already a fan of fantasy stuff and well-disposed to geekdom in general. I didn't really know what the deal was, but it had a fiction story and some cool artwork, so we had a deal. I read it cover-to-cover and decided I had to know how this worked. After that, it was the Red Box and a jump straight to D&D2e.
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Post by bloodsparrow on Jul 30, 2013 5:31:25 GMT -8
I was probably introduced to the idea of tabletop gaming through that one scene at the beginning of E.T. (no ranting about the movie here please, we have a thread for that).
Then there was the D&D cartoon of old. At some point during that time, I saw a flyer pinned up at the activity center at the park my parents often took me to advertising a D&D group that met there on... Thursdays I think? I asked my Mom if we could go and she didn't seem hot on the idea. (Also, by then I was well into community theater and sometimes there were rehearsals on Thursdays.)
There was also a hobby store near where I lived called "Purposeful Pastimes" we would go in to look at model kits and little mouse dolls. They had D&D stuff, I was intrigued by the dice sets.
Later in Jr. High, for an elective Theater class I took, we had to give a speech on a hobby. One guy gave his speech about painting led minis for D&D. They looked pretty cool, I was impressed at the time.
Finally, I was about 18 and I met this gall, Bree, who quickly became (and still is) my best friend. One day we were hanging out at the mall and we wandered into a "Game Keeper". This chain was mostly known for high end chess sets and jigsaw puzzles, but they also sold board games. If the manager of a particular Game Keeper was particularly inclined (and this one was), they would also stock TSR stuff and dice. Turns out Bree had played D&D before and this store was having a "Summer Fantasy Festival" where demo games of D&D were being run in the store.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
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Post by jazzisblues on Jul 30, 2013 5:40:20 GMT -8
One day back when I was a kid we were all sitting around banging rocks together because that's all we had for entertainment back then when someone said, "Hey what would you do if a wolly mammoth charged into camp right now?" The other one thought about that for a second and said, "I'd hit it with a rock." Which of course immediately lead to an argument about how many rocks it would actually take to bring down a mammoth and how hard it was to hit a mammoth and if a mammoth was running there was certainly a sabertooth tiger chasing it so ...
Actually the first game I was ever involved in was a chainmail game which went very badly and none of us really had a clue. Then I saw the original red box set at the book store and asked my mom to get it for me. She did and within a couple of days I ran my first adventure (badly) for my best friend. My mom was theater people from way back and I was already doing plays and such so the play acting part of the whole thing seemed natural to me. Played all through junior high and high school and just never really stopped, and here we are 35 years later still doing it.
JiB
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Post by Kainguru on Jul 30, 2013 5:46:26 GMT -8
I was reading LotR and trying to save up for the SPI War of the Ring game - first year of high school, pocket money was shit. I'd heard about these 'war gamers' who played in the library, they were several years older but I knew two of them through a younger brother. The younger brother, Ben, was waiting to be picked up after school, like me, very late, like me. We got talking and he told me about this game he was going to play of D&D - I was fascinated by the being a single hero concept vs a mover of armies. I joined the group, first character was a cleric . . . the DM was a dick. Pretty soon Ben had watched his older brother playing with his group often enough that he got the idea on how to DM. We rebelled, broke away and started gaming properly. This included dipping our toes into early traveller and later I played Star Frontiers with another friend. Gaming groups were like amorphous collective entities - forming and collapsing continually, with the vagaries of high school social politics, but always there nonetheless as individuals moved from group to group. By the end of high school I'd bought, though not necessarily played, AD&D 1e, Traveller, Mega Traveller, Mercenaries Spys and Private Eyes, Chivalry & Sorcery red cover, RuneQuest 2nd printing, Star Frontiers, Space Opera 1st printing and Top Secret (there were probably more). My longest campaign as a DM lasted for about 4 years, starting straight after I finished senior high school (6th form). It was mainly created in the fly with plenty of J D serving as lubricant: a map created by shifting the compass of my school atlas of Australia by 90 degrees. By on the fly I don't mean without prep - its just the players had fucked up big early on so I had to wing the consequences til it all came together of its own accord (often with behind the scenes retconning, the unimportant beggar encountered years before would or could be bought back as actually being someone important to help drive the story forward). Plus I had unprotected sex so I think I might also have caught it (RPG's) that way. Aaron
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2013 6:11:24 GMT -8
Compared to most I'm a relative newcomer to tabletop gaming, I only started around 7 years ago during my postgraduate studies and came to it through the roundabout route of Wargaming -> Airsoft -> LARP -> Freeform forum RPGs -> Tabletop RPGs. I suspect the only reason I didn't take it up sooner was not knowing anybody who did it when I was younger.
Coming to the hobby much later on also means that D&D wasn't the gateway game that it seems to have been for most so I have little attachment to the game or the tropes that go with it. It probably explains why I get so frustrated when I see good GMs and players revert to stereotype gamers when playing it, I just don't have the teenager dungeon crawling nostalgia that they do.
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Post by guitarspider on Jul 30, 2013 10:13:45 GMT -8
I am so new school it is embarrassing. Basically I am a convert from video game RPG's. I first encountered D&D in high-school when a video game called Baldur's Gate came out - which was set in the Forgotten Realms. The instruction booklet referred to D&D 2nd edition and explained many of the rules (this was back when video games still came with instructions ) That's basically my story as well. First year of university, just when our group of friends had scattered into every possible direction, we played a round of BG multiplayer. Not sure who suggested it (might have been me), but basically one of us said "Why don't we try this D&D thing on skype". One free download of Swords&Wizardry later and we were on our way. S&W because none of us felt like shelling out loads of money for 3.5 books when we could just try this roleplaying thing for free. That was 5 and a half years ago, just about. We started drifting towards indie systems after maybe two or three months, but BG basically made us want to play roleplaying games.
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argoyle
Apprentice Douchebag
Posts: 53
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Post by argoyle on Jul 30, 2013 10:14:49 GMT -8
I'm not sure what my very first exposure to fantasy worlds was, but I remember loving He-man, the D&D Cartoon and the Robin Hood disney movie. Anything fantasy captured my imagination and once I hit the fifth grade I started The Sword of Shannara which my father had laying around, and after that spent every scrap of money I could get my hands on, on more fantasy novels.
The step towards picking up my first rpg was a bit more difficult. My father was willing, and even encouraged, reading whatever I wanted, but due to an overwhelming Jehovah's Witness presence in our family, was less willing to encourage getting into D&D. I remember having to smuggle in my first book, the 2nd edition Players Handbook, and having to hide it (and a growing collection) from my family for most of my teen years.
Eventually my father found out, and insisted that I hide it from my grandparents, but otherwise tolerated my new hobby.
However once I had my first taste, I don't think anyone could have stopped me. My love of fantasy/D&D has been a constant presence in my life.
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sbloyd
Supporter
WHAT! A human in a Precursor service vehicle?!
Posts: 2,762
Preferred Game Systems: Storyteller; Dresden; Mage
Favorite Species of Monkey: Goddamnit, Curious George is a CHIMP not a monkey! Stop teaching my daughter improper classification!
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Post by sbloyd on Jul 30, 2013 11:38:51 GMT -8
I'm from the "E.T." crowd. I consumed fantasy, science fiction, and such as fast as I could get ahold of it at that age, and when I picked up the novelization of E.T. and read the scene about D&D, I immediately asked for it. That Christmas I got a mishmash of D&D Basic and Expert stuff and AD&D hardbacks. Mainly DMed for the kids across the street, until Pat Robertson told their parents that D&D was Satan's work.
I spent every cent I could get on RPG stuff. D&D, FASERIP Marvel, Top Secret, Palladium stuff from TMNT and Robotech to RIFTS, World of Darkness, Cyberpunk, Paranoia, etc etc.
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Post by inflatus on Jul 30, 2013 15:36:34 GMT -8
I lived in Giessen Germany (Army brat). 1987 was pretty boring there for me as a high school student. I hated that there was nothing to do. I started reading fantasy novels. Mostly Conan, Piers Anthony and the like. I saw a D&D Dungeon Master's Guide and picked that up. I bought it not because it was a game but for the fluffy inside. After that I started reading Dragon Magazine. There was no one I knew that played roleplaying games. I saw an ad for GURPS and sent away to Austin TX for my catalog. I've been playing mostly GURPS ever since (except for a big break a few years ago).
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Post by uselesstriviaman on Jul 30, 2013 15:41:47 GMT -8
I can actually vividly remember when I first saw the Red Box. It was in the 7th grade lunchroom (1982), and a guy named Chris Howard had a small crowd gathered around him as he showed off his new game. The awesome cover art drew me in, and we started playing. We were utterly clueless about how the rules actually worked. We (and when I say "we" I really mean "Chris") made it up on the fly, but dear gawd did we have fun.
I convinced my mom to buy me the red box for me; I don't remember if it was for a birthday or Christmas, but from the day I acquired my very own copy I was utterly hooked. My elder sister and I ran each other through Adventure Module B2: Keep on the Borderlands at least half a dozen times. I devoured every adventure module I could get my grubby lil' hands on, and then I saw the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons hardback books.
I didn't even join an actual gaming group until my senior year, but just being able to escape into those books helped me survive some pretty shitty years of high school.
I was a card-carrying member of the RPGA for a couple of years in high school, though I never actually participated in any organized play.
I didn't play in any system but D&D until I was in the Army - a friend introduced us to Palladium and Rolemaster.
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Post by rickno7 on Jul 30, 2013 15:53:12 GMT -8
I grew up on movies I probably should not have been allowed to watch at such a young age. By grade school, I knew Conan, The Beastmaster, Clash of the Titans, Legend, and several others by heart. This lead to reading about Greek Mythology, which lead to Arthurian legend. The same summer between 2nd and 3rd grade I was introduced to video game RPG's and D&D.
My friend got a subscription to Nintendo Power, but was more of a video game jock. He liked the sports games. So he gave me his copy of Dragon Warrior that came free with the subscription. I must have gotten Dragon Warrior first because I had no clue what Chain Mail meant, I thought I was sending letters.
Some time that summer, my family was cruising the yard sales and I picked up the players handbook of the 1983 Basic set D&D. Using what I knew about the game Dragon Warrior, and what I had in the player's handbook, I began running games for a couple of my cousins in 3rd Grade. I remember we had a "make a board game" project and so I made a D&D board game that only used 6 sided dice. The poly dice were rare around here and I didn't want to bring them to school. The religious hysteria in my area meant I literally knew no one else with D&D materials until middle school.
I inherited my vast collection of D&D stuff from my cousin's friend that moved to Florida. He said his friend would not be back for this D&D stuff, so I could take it. I got another basic player handbook, a basic D&D GM guide, a AD&D 2nd Player's handbook(the 80's version, and 20+ Dragonlance Novels. This was around 5th grade I think.
In high school I met people that played Rifts. I saved my lunch money and bought used Rifts books off them. We never had a real FLGS in my area(again, due to religious reasons) so everyone's books were all gotten through a sort of black market of used trades and shady lunch money deals.
In 11th, D&D 3rd was released, and also in 11th all my buddies got hired at the new local movie theater. It was RPG renaissance as far as we were concerned. I would not bring this part up, aside from the fact that this was when my group of friends finally got a D4.
That's right, 2nd grade through high school, never owned a D4.
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HyveMynd
Supporter
Dirty hippie, PbtA, Fate, & Cortex Prime <3er
Posts: 2,273
Preferred Game Systems: PbtA, Cortex Plus, Fate, Ubiquity
Currently Playing: Monsterhearts 2
Currently Running: The Sprawl
Favorite Species of Monkey: None
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Post by HyveMynd on Jul 30, 2013 16:42:07 GMT -8
How did I end up with RPGs? Well, we both got wasted at senior prom, stumbled up to the hotel room, where I'd forgotten the condoms. Yadda yadda yadda, about a month later she and her shotgun-wielding dad show up at my parent's place claiming she's pregnant and that I need "to do the honorable thing". You just don't argue with a 12-gauge, so here I am.
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maxinstuff
Supporter
Posts: 1,939
Preferred Game Systems: DCC RPG, Shadowrun 5e, Savage Worlds, GURPS 4e, HERO 6e, Mongoose Traveller
Favorite Species of Monkey: Proboscis
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Post by maxinstuff on Jul 30, 2013 16:51:23 GMT -8
How did I end up with RPGs? Well, we both got wasted at senior prom, stumbled up to the hotel room, where I'd forgotten the condoms. Yadda yadda yadda, about a month later she and her shotgun-wielding dad show up at my parent's place claiming she's pregnant and that I need "to do the honorable thing". You just don't argue with a 12-gauge, so here I am. OMG I BET TEH PAGEZ was STUCKS TOGETHA !!!!
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merryprankster
Journeyman Douchebag
Posts: 243
Favorite Species of Monkey: Howler
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Post by merryprankster on Jul 30, 2013 20:04:47 GMT -8
I was into comics as a kid and saw the DC Universe RPG in my comic shop when I was in fourth grade. I ended up getting it a couple weeks later, though to this day I have never actually played it (though I think I still have it somewhere). I suppose the first RPG I actually played was a couple years later with two of my fellow nerdlings. It was either TMNT or Robotech (both by Palladium), though I can't remember which we actually played first. (and by play I mean make characters and occasionally use them to kill stuff).
After a 2 years or so of playing various games (TMNT: Road Hogs, Robotech: Invid Invasion, Rifts (once I think), D&D 2nd ed) the group kinda dissolved and I haven't picked up an RPG again until about 6 months ago.
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