tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post7710773710231904885..comments2024-03-18T20:22:06.331-04:00Comments on GROGNARDIA: Open Friday: Did You Have a Gaming Mentor?James Maliszewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-43636191545052821002011-12-21T21:44:37.968-05:002011-12-21T21:44:37.968-05:00No mentor here. A bunch of us 11 year olds played ...No mentor here. A bunch of us 11 year olds played Holmes at a birthday party and butchered the rules.<br /><br />It still clicked and I have been gaming ever since.5stonegameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10694550968360550229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-65014949965955786442011-12-20T22:25:58.666-05:002011-12-20T22:25:58.666-05:00First came across D&D at Tower Hill School in ...First came across D&D at Tower Hill School in Wilmington, DE circa 1978. I was in 3rd or 4th grade at the time and there was a group of much older kids playing with books and dice and metal figures at a table during recess. I didn't know what was going on but it seemed really cool and magical and like a secret society or something. Got the basic set for Christmas, including B2, then moved quickly on to AD&D with the original PHB, DMG, MM. Also my older brother (all of 11 or 12 yrs old at the time) would create choose your own adventure style games for me on our TRS-80. Lord I'm gonna cry now...Norwegian Bluehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07589654915075623652noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-32282560561009552732011-12-20T09:19:05.868-05:002011-12-20T09:19:05.868-05:00I never had a mentor for RPG's. I had heard ab...I never had a mentor for RPG's. I had heard about RPG's from other people back when I was in grades 4 & 5, but never had the chance to play. I also saw the ads for D&D in comic books (they were like illustrations/comics themselves. I must admit they were crappy looking and never made me want to play them). <br /><br />I had always been a big fan of Choose Your Own Adventure books, Fighting Fantasy and the line of Find Your Fate books based off of the Bond film A View To A Kill. <br /><br />At that point, I had seen ads in Starlog for the Victory Games RPG James Bond 007. So, from there I got that book, read it and that was my first RPG, and had only the book to go by for understanding how to play RPG's. I only knew one other kid at the time who was interested in anything like this. So afterwards, we both ended up getting the Mentzer set, and I haven't looked back since.Chris#6https://www.blogger.com/profile/08305925037284931371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-83764556685515117472011-12-19T13:48:51.054-05:002011-12-19T13:48:51.054-05:00Unfortunately no, but I sometimes wonder what my R...Unfortunately no, but I sometimes wonder what my RPG experiences WOULD have been like if I'd had someone to oversee and assist me in playing a D&D campaign bitd(circa 1985). Sadly, I didn't get the chance to even play the Mentzer Set when I first was introduced to it(and RPGs in general). A friend brought the set to our middle school with him, invited me to come hang out during lunch and try something 'cool'.... I showed up, perused the strange books(neither I nor my family were influenced by intimations of 'devil worship', aimed at RPGs[AD&D mostly, it seemed] then surfacing in the media of the time) he'd brought, examined the funky dice, rolled my PC's stats, and then announced to him that I'd be playing an Elf(since I had carefully read the section on Classes, I knew I had the Ability Scores to do so), whereupon I was flatly told I COULDN'T choose this class, because I DIDN'T Qualify! :-/ I politely disagreed, but he insisted, against all evidence(even though I tactfully pointed out the pertinent passages in the Player's Book to him! :-/), that my choice was invalid, and then tried to persuade me to select a Fighter instead. Whereupon I decided I had enough of this nonsense and quietly left. <br /><br />Shortly thereafter, I was inspired by Ultima III(for a ruleset[classes/magic mostly, though I tried too tease out exact combat details...]), The Twilight Realm by Christopher Carpenter, and NES Faxanadu(together providing setting inspiration) to create my own D6 based homebrew campaign, so it was all to the good, imho. But without Mentzer's 'Red Box' and an obstinate and um, puzzled(?), friend I never would've got involved in RPGs. <br /><br />Oddly enough, about 3 months later, my friend began playing in MY games(his potential D&D game fizzled out...), and we've never had any serious miscommunication, angry words or any negative issues at all! The reasons behind the disallowal of my first potential PC in D&D remain a mystery to me: my friend has long since forgot the rationale behind our disagreement. :-D When I relate this story to someone, they usually shake their heads/scowl, and murmur about 'crappy GMs' and such, but he WASN'T the GM, he was just the guy whose parents bought the set! ;-) <br /><br />I've had plenty of players come and go in my ongoing campaign(s), and at least some have started running games of their own, so I hope I was effective in passing on the knowledge and art of the hobby... Of course, I'd also like to believe that my own experience hopefully goes to show genuine interest in and desire to play can minimize the damage of a potentially off-putting situation(of a minor sort, of course) and lead to a rewarding pastime.<br /><br />Great post on a subject I'm intrigued by as well!velaranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15689908090884198784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-26400798815520083262011-12-19T13:21:35.147-05:002011-12-19T13:21:35.147-05:00I answered the poll "Yes." I observed so...I answered the poll "Yes." I observed some OD&D gaming at various NY cons. I bought Dungeon and Snapshot, while my little brother bought Holmes. We both read through Holmes and played a little, but I didn't really get into playing until college. Joined a game there and learned how to play from the other guys.Baron Greystonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16636292202674906870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-58384290964000513532011-12-19T12:26:12.520-05:002011-12-19T12:26:12.520-05:00Back in the 78 we had a once-a-week class in D&...Back in the 78 we had a once-a-week class in D&D. It was three hours long and the class contained a sprinkling of kids from 3rd-5th grade. So my mentor was the teacher of the class.<br /><br />How cool is that? Public education has really gone down hill in the last few decades.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12508594597349248576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-2118801851280413392011-12-18T17:09:02.483-05:002011-12-18T17:09:02.483-05:00My brother got me Baldur's Gate for the PC ......My brother got me Baldur's Gate for the PC ... What? It, y'know, presented the D&Disms very nicely, even if it was a computer game.Nickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09358099916267465455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-84973073246259111452011-12-18T17:07:13.339-05:002011-12-18T17:07:13.339-05:00Our local hobby shop ran a learning campaign for a...Our local hobby shop ran a learning campaign for a few weeks. My brothers and I liked it a lot. (In retrospect, the older guys in the group were pretty nice to us; but we were Very Serious kids who took the game Very Seriously.)Bansheehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12594214770417497135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-75975871782332324492011-12-18T14:28:35.933-05:002011-12-18T14:28:35.933-05:00the year was 1978 (or late 1977).the year was 1978 (or late 1977).Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09581075774319858322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-43223012813696372622011-12-18T14:27:34.171-05:002011-12-18T14:27:34.171-05:00I got the Holmes Box assuming it would be sort of ...I got the Holmes Box assuming it would be sort of like an Avalon Hill war-game. Brought it home, figured out as much as I could, and jumped in with my younger brother and some friends in the neighborhood. The friends got on board, and we basically taught ourselves to play. I DMed a lot early on, but the classic era of my gaming was actually as a player under one of those friends who had internalized the rules better than the rest of us. I should also say that one friend got the Monster Manual (I was incredibly envious), and then the PH, and finally after a long wait, the DMG. We layered AD&D onto the Holmes stuff.Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09581075774319858322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-19651792243095292212011-12-18T14:23:13.452-05:002011-12-18T14:23:13.452-05:00I guess I had a mentor-- but maybe in the way that...I guess I had a mentor-- but maybe in the way that some kids have a father who's generally absent, and not up to much even when he is physically there.<br /><br />Meaning the first time I played was with an "experienced" DM at my 10th birthday party. The next few weeks, I read the books and saw there was so much he either didn't get or didn't bother to tell us. <br /><br />(Take that Eric Buch!)Brian (brian_cooper at hotmail d o t com)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02805168206752602148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-48046018272637091512011-12-18T10:49:26.411-05:002011-12-18T10:49:26.411-05:001978 - a school-mate of mine introduced me to the ...1978 - a school-mate of mine introduced me to the game - then on the day I was to begin playing with him and his group, he angrily quit the game forever when his character was killed by a booby-trapped treasure chest lock. So I joined up with a few other guys and played steadily until I met my girlfriend (now my wife of 24 years). I haven't play since then (1984). Just grew out of it, I guess, but my son now plays with friends at work and is an avid videogamer (and amateur developer).Dimaension Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11515317626690822365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-87718134553333195342011-12-18T06:19:51.899-05:002011-12-18T06:19:51.899-05:00My father taught me to play Ad&dMy father taught me to play Ad&dOddJohn717https://www.blogger.com/profile/00246298662981516237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-20408744738716485882011-12-18T04:10:42.575-05:002011-12-18T04:10:42.575-05:00Easter 1983. Steve Bruce, A school friend and Tolk...Easter 1983. Steve Bruce, A school friend and Tolkien fan, came to stay with us while his family was in the throes of moving several hundred miles away. Ostensibly he was staying to continue schoolwork without the distraction and upheaval of the move, but he brought with him the Moldvay Basic box, and inducted myself, my brother, and another friend into the game.<br /><br />His dungeons were very much of the "Room 1: 2 gnomes; Room 2: 8 skeletons; Room 3: 5 bandits with a pet wolf" type. Fun but very random. He only stayed with us for a few weeks, but when he left my brother and I bought the Basic set and we took turns at DMing, and began to develop our own styles. Then we discovered <i>White Dwarf</i>.<br /><br />So my mentors included Moldvay, Gygax, and all the early TSR module writers and <i>White Dwarf</i> contributors. But Steve from school was the first, so cheers to you, Brucie, wherever you are.ClawCarverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07236809815213343281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-90296210162590165792011-12-17T21:41:08.646-05:002011-12-17T21:41:08.646-05:00Bill Hoyt - Empire of the Petal ThroneBill Hoyt - Empire of the Petal ThroneCharbshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06934635252264156103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-53954203624423723632011-12-17T19:48:34.048-05:002011-12-17T19:48:34.048-05:00No mentors. I saw Red Box in a Waldenbooks and dec...No mentors. I saw Red Box in a Waldenbooks and decided it looked like a cool game.<br /><br />I had previously plowed through all the John Carter, Conan, Tarzan and Pelucidar novels (nope, no Tolkien) they had, which is interesting, since going from pulps to D&D always seemed a proper progression to me somehow.Chuckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05334071256551332865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-75351600580609362862011-12-17T17:48:07.272-05:002011-12-17T17:48:07.272-05:00No - AIR I got the general idea age 11 from 'F...No - AIR I got the general idea age 11 from 'Fighting Fantasy: The Introductory RPG'. I was running a free friegspiel for my classmates before I met anyone else who'd played RPGs.Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01173759805310975320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-28714530413234509402011-12-17T14:37:28.750-05:002011-12-17T14:37:28.750-05:00Was introduced to Blue Book D&D through an ...Was introduced to Blue Book D&D through an 'advanced ed' class in Grade 6. Teacher ran 1 session, I borrowed the book, and the next week was DMing for everyone.Jason Langloishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02507550527211520786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-44646223367679194102011-12-17T13:01:12.977-05:002011-12-17T13:01:12.977-05:00Yes... Scott Bizar of FGU, at the Waterloo Hobbies...Yes... Scott Bizar of FGU, at the Waterloo Hobbies store in Stony Brook, NY.TheBrainFromPlanetAroushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04656561052157326830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-29738953897427910962011-12-17T12:15:23.934-05:002011-12-17T12:15:23.934-05:00I learned to play c. 1979-80 from my father. He&#...I learned to play c. 1979-80 from my father. He'd already taught me to play a few of his AH board games (Panzer Leader, Third Reich, etc.) when he was introduced to the game by a friend and neighbor of ours. A few sessions and my brother and I were off playing on our own.<br /><br />Just as an aside, I just saw a copy of "Dungeons and Dragons, 4th Ed. for Dummies" in the game section of Barnes & Noble, for what it's worth.HgManhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02841404043556836460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-89190422263979912022011-12-17T11:10:52.700-05:002011-12-17T11:10:52.700-05:00Johnny McEvil said: "The look on my players&#...Johnny McEvil said: "The look on my players' faces, none of whom had played any roleplaying game except 4e, when they killed their first Orc, with a single hit, was priceless..."<br /><br />Great story, thanks for sharing! :-)Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-61491595426810858632011-12-17T10:40:41.148-05:002011-12-17T10:40:41.148-05:00A friend at school had the D&D magenta set and...A friend at school had the D&D magenta set and ran a game for me. So I took the box home and ran my own game the next day, learning as I went along (and I am still learning even today!)<br /><br />Ahhh excellent memories<br /><br />http://thunderstonecampaign.wordpress.comDamianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07090532490724004280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-12394875656484731702011-12-17T10:37:13.607-05:002011-12-17T10:37:13.607-05:00Self-taught.
One summer, a friend of mine receive...Self-taught.<br /><br />One summer, a friend of mine received the Holmes set (with B2) as a gift. He couldn't figure it out, so he asked me to take a crack at it. I DMed for him for a while, but his enthusiasm waned, so he let me keep the game and I assembled a group of friends from my grade school, whom I still play with today.<br /><br />It took a few years of trial and error to figure out how to play AD&D "correctly" (i.e., as written); the process of improving it through house rules continues.Brian MacKenziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12752842049666489041noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-58662644815461937462011-12-17T05:46:02.818-05:002011-12-17T05:46:02.818-05:00I just got curious one day and bought the "Da...I just got curious one day and bought the "Das Schwarze Auge" basic rules. Learning the rules all by myself was rather frustrating at first (especially character creation is "slightly" more complicated than in D&D), but at least it allows me to udnerstand stuff like D&D 3.5 or Pathfinder without much problems - though the simplicity of older editions have quite a lot of charm ^^Doreshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06287649794589606798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-63631773770899128982011-12-17T03:54:37.454-05:002011-12-17T03:54:37.454-05:00A high school teacher. He use to play with some pr...A high school teacher. He use to play with some pretty well known people and even use to contribute to A&E . He taught us how to be " good" players and not fall into the "montyhall" way of playing.I.F.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04345074915911014741noreply@blogger.com