Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Day 19: First Gamer That Annoyed the Hell Out of You

Two of my current players sitting at IHOP.  The topic of this post is merely coincidental.
The D&D 40th Anniversary Blog Hop Challenge

Day 19: First gamer that annoyed the hell out of you.

Early in my gaming career, the family moved from a real city (Houston) to a not-real-city, Stephenville, TX.  Back then, the town had something like 10,000 people, a Rexall Drug Store, a movie theater with one screen, and absolutely no where to buy D&D supplies.  There were a couple of kids there that liked D&D, but Satanic Panic was pretty heavy there, so it was hard to get a game going.  I just read my old D&D stuff over and over again.

Then, about six months after moving, my mother decides to take a trip 80 miles or so to the nearest mall for a shopping spree.  I high-tailed it to the nearest bookstore - and lo and behold - they had D&D stuff.  I saw this little manila book called Swords and Spells, and had to snatch it up.  That's when HE came in the store.

He was this kid - about as old as I was, who LOVED D&D.  Loved it to tears.  He loved his 87th level Thief/Bard/Magic-user/Ninja/Cyborg/Chiropodist too, and told me all about Magnifidorf the Magnificent's adventures.

For like thirty minutes.

I tried to chew my leg off and limp stealthily away, but no, he was too strong in the force, and held me in place as he accounted for every piece of copper his character had ever found, and recited poems in iambic pentameter lauding his talking, singing, magic vorpal sword of freezing annihilation named Brutus.

Eventually I escaped, reeling from the onslaught.

For decades, I abstained from talking to anyone about the adventures of my characters, or the contents of the campaigns I ran, unless someone specifically asked - and then - I tried to be a brief as possible.  Magnifidorf the Magnificent's player/operator really put the fear in me - the fear of being perceived as a boring, obsessed, geek/dweeb with a thin grasp of reality and even thinner grasp of the patience of others.

Of course, now I blog about that kind of shit. :)

Oh, and if Magnifidorf the Magnificent's player/operator is out there - I'm sorry.  Follow your bliss.  Talk all you want.  I'll make popcorn.

- Ark

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