Tuesday, February 18, 2014

FurstKhan

Them there mobile phone addicts at the coffee shop.
The D&D 40th Anniversary Blog Hop Challenge

Day 18: First gaming convention you ever attended.

My first gaming convention was NTRPGCon on 2011.  My experience inspired a few posts:

NTRPGCon - 2011
Stapled
Get Thee To A Convention
Gaming on a Harley - The DCC RPG Experience
Why I Am Broke
Not Amused Door is Not Amused
Dungeonspiration: Urutsk
That'll Do, Pig. That'll Do.

- Ark

Monday, February 17, 2014

For Every Dollar You Send Me, God Will Give You Two Dollars . . .

Random people at the coffee shop.
The D&D 40th Anniversary Blog Hop Challenge

Day 17: First time you heard that D&D was somehow "evil."

My grandmother threw a fit as soon as she saw the cover of the DMG. She was one of those old ladies who would sign her retirement checks over to Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, Oral Roberts, Robert Tilton, Kenneth Copeland, and a host of other proponents of Prosperity Theology. She had learned - on the PTL Club, I think it was, that the Beatles brainwashed children, Ouija boards held demons inside of them, that the Smurfs promoted homosexuality and necrophilia, and that Dungeons and Dragons was the preferred vehicle to proliferate Satanic worship.

She demanded that I turn over all of my D&D books to her so that she could burn them in a bonfire.  Images of Opernplatz danced in my head.  I refused.  My mother backed me up.  The lady did burn my mother's Ouija board though - in secret.

Yay Texas!

- Ark

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Edition War

Entrance to a local coffee house.

The D&D 40th Anniversary Blog Hop Challenge

Day 16: Did you remember your first Edition War?  Did you win?

I think the first edition war I ever had was within myself.  When I first got into D&D, I didn't really understand the distinction between the Basic and Advanced sets.  I bought what I could afford - the Basic - and played that.  But those Advanced books always taunted me on the shelves.  Since they were big and thick and more expensive - they surely were better.  Right?  So I began harassing my mother for money until I could get the first three AD&D books.  I don't think I ever played with the Basic after that - except in the guise of the OSR.  Now I look back on Basic as a better all-around game.

So I won -and lost - my first Edition War. :)

- Ark

Saturday, February 15, 2014

My Lawn - You Are On It

The D&D 40th Anniversary Blog Hop Challenge rolls on . . .

Day 15: What was the first edition of D&D you didn't enjoy?  Why?

All RPGs seem to get on my nerves eventually, so the first edition I eventually didn't enjoy was Basic.  But all versions I've played I liked initially.  Well, except 3.5.

Why?  Well, it was very . . . jarring.  I sat down expecting to play some D&D, and instead, I got this game that used some of the D&D words that I was accustomed too - but everything else was so foreign - and too so damn long - that I didn't have a good time at all.  Yeah, yeah, get off my lawn and all of that. :)

I think that Pathfinder improved upon 3.5, but still, it didn't gel with me.

- Ark

Friday, February 14, 2014

AOL Hell

The D&D 40th Anniversary Blog Hop Challenge rolls on . . .

Day 14: Did you meet your significant other while playing D&D?  Does he or she still play?

Well, sort of.  It wasn't D&D - it was a watered-down version with no DM that you could play in chat rooms on AOL.  But it was definitely roll-play - electronic room dice and everything. :)

And no, she doesn't play anything these days.

- Ark


Thursday, February 13, 2014

By Mattel

The D&D 40th Anniversary Blog Hop Challenge rolls on . . .

Day 13: First miniature(s) you used for D&D.

Actuall, the first miniatures I used for D&D were the minis that came with the Mattel Electronics Dungeons & Dragons Computer Labyrinth Game.  That is sort of cheating - but then again, it's sort of awesome too. :)

On the art front, I got in a big batch of Japanese art supplies - blue lead, pens, etc - and this is the result of me dorking around with them for three minutes.  Wheeeeeee!

- Ark

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Gemini @ Saturn

The D&D 40th Anniversary Blog Hop Challenge rolls on . .

Day 12: First store where you bought your gaming supplies.  Does it still exist?

I found my first fix of D&D at a Waldenbooks in a mall in Clear Lake, Texas.  There was this spinny rack thing with all sorts of books and modules.  I remember it well, and made many, many trips back.

But no, I don't think Waldenbooks exist anymore.

As an aside - at the time, I lived in an apartment behind Mission Control - you know 'Houston, we have a problem.'  Yeah, that place - at the corner of Saturn Lane and Gemini Street.  Some guys from NASA come to our school when Voyager 1 was at Saturn and showed us raw video of the pictures beaming back.  Then, some NASA scientists organized a summer school class to teach us programming.  In 1981.  I wrote a character generator - of course. :)

- Ark