Here is my contribution to this month’s RPG Carnival. I thought I’d write a bit about my experiences with D&D and what the game has given me. I think that one excerpt from my past best sums it up, and so here it is for all to read.
All throughout my childhood I had read about Dungeons and Dragons, mostly in the giant volumes of Foxtrot that I spent many happy hours paging through at my friend Dave’s house. Anyway, Dave and I were hanging out one fine summer afternoon between 7th and 8th grade. We were at a loss as to what we should be doing for the remainder of the evening. One of us, probably me, had been recently reading a series of strips in which Jason and Marcus were playing out a couple of D&D adventures. Naturally, I suggested that we try it ourselves.
I sent my sainted mother to the nearest gaming store to pick up the D&D 3rd Edition boxed set. Dave and I immediately set to, tearing through the first three adventures that night. We each got to pick two characters and then alternated being the DM or the player. Our party consisted of Jozan the cleric, Regdar the fighter, Tordek the fighter, and whoever the human rogue was. No wizard, since neither of us thought the wizards could survive very long (and we were probably right). A week or two later we met again to finish the series, ending with a climactic fight against a young red dragon in the dwarven mines.
In many ways, that first boxed set launched me into a completely new world. Roleplaying games have provided me with endless hours of entertainment (and ways to spend my money) ever since. D&D in particular has had the greatest effect, since I have been playing for nine years now. My first experiences with Dungeon Mastering taught me how much fun it could be to tell stories, and how to tell a good one. Now I’m working on a publishable campaign setting and expanding into other game systems, but D&D was and will remain my first gaming love.
Tags: 3E, Blog, D&D, rpg carnival, RPGs
My first experience with D&D was pretty similar to yours. My first incarnation was 3e too. As soon and me and my friend bought the starter set we fell in love with the game. I believe I was Jozan and he was Regdar. We’d never experienced anything like this before, aside from wargaming. It definitely changed my life.
I had a brief flirtation with Magic: The Gathering prior to D&D, so I had some idea of Wizards products. Never having had the patience for minis, however, the little cardstock punchouts were a blessing in the boxed set. I’ve been wanting to try out the 4E boxed set just to see if it still has the magic.
Isn’t amazing how a passing reference in a comic inspired you to hunt down a game? And several years later you are not only still playing the game but also writing about it.
That is a true testament to the power of D&D to change lives.
It’s pretty neat. D&D gave me a chance to tell my own stories in a way I didn’t know existed, and it was truly an eye-opening opportunity. I feel that D&D never stops having something to give us.