Day 28: Single most important lesson you learned from D&D?

Most important lesson --

Be who you are, do what you love.  Don't let the bastards grind you down.

All these years later, I'm still the kid that wasn't popular in high school.  I'm still the gaming nerd.

Thing is, the world has changed.

The biggest blockbuster movies are nerdy.

Video games emulate the games of my past/present.

Technology rules.

The world belongs to us nerds.

If you just tough it out, you can make it.

Day 27: If you had to do it all over again, would you do anything different?

If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't have had such a looooong absence from the hobby.

It's hard to put my finger on the exact timeline, but I had a 5 - 7 year hiatus in the middle of my gaming career when I didn't play ANYTHING.

It was Microlite20, the One Page Dungeon Contest, OSRIC, Labyrinth Lord, Swords & Wizardry and the OSR that brought me back.

Some notable names that deserve my thanks (in no particular order)  Jeff Rients, Michael Curtis, Zak, Chgowiz, James Mal, Norman Harmon, Tenkar,  Aaron Steele, and Christian.

Thank you!

Day 26: Do you still game with the group that introduced you to the hobby?

Yes, for the most part, I do.

My first DM was AK.  I don't ever see him, but we recently reconnected on Facebook.

A couple of my former players are still my friends.  We play Warhammer 40k together from time to time.

NC and I are currently playing in a Forgotten Realms campaign together.

When I run my next campaign, I hope that even more of my "old friends" will participate.

Day 25: Longest running campaign

I suppose, my Queston Campaign world is my longest running campaign.

It started in 1983 with two players, JD and NC. 

JD played Sharky Dangerthorn, an heroic ranger.

NC played Skanderbag the Unexpected, a more introverted but still heroic elven wizard.

Both adventured for several years until we all graduated from high school.

Later, while I was in college, I gathered these same friends around the table and for about three years, The Questians adventuring company traveled the lands of Queston.

At one point I even used Queston as the basis for a Fantasy Hero campaign and a FATE campaign.  Both didn't last long.

Most recently, my Castle of the Mad Archmage campaign of more than three years took place on the island of Whair in Queston.

If you want to read more about Queston, here's a link.

Day 24: First movie you associate with D&D

That's a tough one.

On one hand, I've got to say the Rankin-Bass version of The Hobbit.

The Hobbit was the cartoon that started it all for me.  I saw it and I thought -- Wow!  That's cool!  Then I read the book and then...  well, you know how it might go.

Later, in junior high and high school, I saw the original Conan movie and The Sword and the Sorcerer.  

Both of them had a big impact on me as a DM.  Both were cheesy in their own way, but I really loved them at the time.

Day 23: First song you associate with D&D

In the late summer of 1980, I learned to play D&D.  I didn't have any materials of my own, at first, so I would check out modules from the Mesa Public Library.  They had them hanging on a rack in plastic "hook bags" (!) in the Young Adult area.  

I would pore over the modules like some archaeologist, trying to figure out the game.  

All this time, I had music playing on a tiny grey cassette radio, I had received the prior Christmas.

In the Air Tonight was getting a lot of airplay at the time.  Thanks Phil!  

Day 22: First D&D-based novel

My first D&D-based novel was "Dragons of Autumn Twilight" by Weis and Hickman.  I enjoyed it and it was a successful vehicle for enticing me to purchase the Dragonlance modules.

As a sidebar, it has taken me a long time to get over the "Dragonlance effect."  I'm now in recovery and I'm a happy sandbox DM now...

A friend ran into Weis and Hickman at a con and got them to autograph a copy for me.  I still have it --

1986 - wow, that was a long time ago...

Years later, I was interested in Spelljammer and I read the Douglas Niles (?) books.

Then, I was really intrigued by Dark Sun.  I think there was a set of books (the Prism Pentad?) that did a great job of exploring the setting.  I enjoyed them.  

Of course, I read the first set of Drizzt books.  I enjoyed them too.  I don't think I've ever played a "Drizzt" character.  Maybe...

Lastly, I read a series by Simon Hawke.  Must have been 1993 or 94.  I had the chance to go to a workshop on writing.  Simon Hawke was one of the speakers.  He was kind enough to sign my book.

As a "Christmas Bonus," my employer at the time, John Conley (owner of Salsa Brava in Flagstaff, AZ -- FANTASTIC FOOD!) found out about the workshop and bought me a ticket.  It was the most thoughtful thing an employer has ever done for me.  Thanks John!

Important Tip: if you ever have the chance to meet someone like Simon Hawke, take the time to talk with them on a personal level.  At one point during the event, there was a "bio break."  Simon stepped outside to smoke in the snow.  I went with him (I don't smoke.)  We chatted for about 5 minutes.  It was the best part of the day.

Day 21: First time I sold some D&D books

Must have been during the first few years of eBay.  I wasn't playing D&D at the time.  I had a lot of modules and I could use the cash (for bills.)

I sold a bunch on eBay.  :(

Once my sales count got up into the teens, I started having sellers remorse and I stopped selling.

I've since bought most of them back, from eBay and Bookmans, and more.  :)

I'm still looking for this one at the right price...

Day 20: First non-D&D game I ever played

TOP SECRET!

My current DM at the time, AK, was wanting to take a break.  During a sleep-over, he ran a scenario where we did some sneaky, TOP SECRET! stuff.

I remember a submarine, some files, and that I had a Walther PPK.

Day 19: First gamer that annoyed you

Oh where to start?

There were guys in my HS gaming club that were simply insufferable.

There was this one guy who was GMing Call of Cthulhu for me and a friend.  Big guy.  Walked around barefoot at the game store.  Right in the middle of the game, he pops his foot up on the table and starts filing away at the callouses on his feet.  Ugh!

Some of my friends (and myself) have been annoying to each other over time...  :)

Here's the capper.

I was running a Champions game at CopperCon years ago.  I had pregens, but I'm an easy going guy, so I was willing to entertain characters that the players brought to the game.

This guy walks up to me and tells me that he's got a character he'd like to play, would I take a look.

Sure, I said.

He hands me a character sheet, I don't remember the characters name, but its a female.  I know that people are different and some possess the emotional maturity to roleplay the opposite gender, but when a dude hands you a character sheet with a scantily clad female superhero drawn on it...

That's strike one.

There were also sheets with female body forms you could draw on...

So, I start looking at the sheet and I see that the character has a giant multipower and some other things that are just starting to look really abusive and overpowered.  This character probably isn't a good fit for the scenario I have planned.

That's strike two.

Then I look at the top of the sheet, where it is describing the multipower.  It was customary to "justify" the type of powers, like "Magic Ring" or "Fire Powers" or "Telekinetics" or something.  Some way to tie the powers together, however loosely.

This guy (seriously) right on the sheet has his justification written --

"Breast powers"

Strike three, you ARE OUTA HERE!

Day 18: First gaming convention

Hmm, I guess that would be HexaCon 3, June 1993.  Wow... that was 21 years ago...  Last century even...  :)

Not being the kind of person who can simply *attend* a gaming convention for the first time, I signed up to GM a game of Fantasy Hero.  

Not being the sort of person who can merely run his first convention game using a battle mat, minis and a scenario.  I had to create a 3D maze from scratch for the game.

:)  More pics of the 3D board in use here.

There was a Friday night and a Saturday afternoon session.  Both were filled with players.  Many people stopped by to look at my 3D board.

All in all, it was a tremendous success.

Day 17: First time I heard that D&D was evil

I guess I was in High School?  There were a lot of misconceptions about D&D going around.  People just didn't understand.

I never had worried parents.  Remember, my Dad was my DM at one point.  He knew it was just a game.

A stigma of D&D did exist in high school, but it wasn't really based on it's "evilness," it was based on it's "uncoolness."

All in all, I heard that D&D was "evil" but no one I ever encountered truly believed that.  "Other people" somewhere else thought that and they were simply misinformed.

Day 16: First edition war; did I win?

I guess my first edition war was vs. D&D 4e.

I won't rehash any of that here.  :)

Did I win?  I'll let WOPR tell you for me.

I'll play one of the older versions thank you very much.

Day 15: First edition of D&D I didn't enjoy

Well, I guess that was 3.0.

The book itself was beautiful.  Extremely high production values.

I guess the part I didn't like was how "fiddly" it was.  So many choices to make.  Buy this feat (?) now so that you can unlock these other ones later.

You needed software to keep track of it all.

Nah.  It wasn't for me.

I enjoy the organic nature of character development over time.  I didn't want to conceive of my character, in its final form, in advance.  Too much work and it takes the fun out of it.

I don't dislike "character concepts" or even backstories (I do like those less now than I used to,) but there's something about growing as you go.

That's more real in my mind.

Day 14: Did I meet my significant other playing D&D?

No.

-=-=-=-=-

She did play in a campaign I ran.  An elven wizard named Myrrinne Moonbow.  Good times.

Now, on to the random monster!

Months and months ago (maybe years?) I heard about a random monster generator system written by Paul Montgomery Crabaugh.  (Found in Dragon #10)

In honor of Valentine's Day and Mr. Crabaugh, I present a randomly created monster!

I am not much of an artist, but this will do...

Name: Voltic
Intelligence: Semi-intelligent
Alignment: Law
Type: Reptile; snake-like
Speed: 12
AC: 4
HD: 2+2
#AT: 1 or 2
D/AT: 1d4 or 1d4/1d6 or by weapon/1d6
Size: M
Special: Breathes lightning (1d6 damage), long fangs, 9-segmented body, 2 arms, green in color

The voltic (singular and plural) are a tribal species of snake-men who live in swamps that have been corrupted by magic.  They are highly superstitious and have a very religious caste-based society.  They are known to help outsiders, but only if they are treated with respect.  Hostility is returned in kind.

For every tribe of voltic, there will be a leader of 5 HD, a vizier (magic user) of 3rd level and a tribunal of three shamans (clerics) of 2nd, 3rd and 4th level.

Voltic fight with their claws, making a single attack for 1d4 points of damage.  They are also capable of wielding melee weapons and/or missile weapons.  During any melee round, during missile fire, roll a d6.  If the die roll is HIGHER than the round number, the voltic will breathe electricity at their enemies.   They use this weapon early and often, but eventually their "shock glands" just get tired.  :)

Lightning breath: 1d6 damage (save for half); range 120'

Day 13: First Miniatures you used for D&D

That would be the Grenadier Adventurers Box set --

I remember buying this at Tri-City Mall.  Boy, I was happy!  To me, a box of minis was a really big deal.  AK, my DM, had a lot of minis (and many were even painted!)

I got started painting these right away -- with Testor's Model Paints!  Ugh!

They didn't turn out well at all.  :(

Eventually I decided to soak them in paint stripper to get the nasty oil-based acrylics off of them.  Most of the minis globbed together in an awful mess.  I tossed them out!

I did manage to save these three (it took A LOT of scrubbing)

I'm working to repaint them now.  :)

I just couldn't bear to be without my #5001 box, so I did buy a couple off of eBay --

I hope to finish painting a complete box for myself and another for my grandson, Matt.

Someday!  :)

Day 12: First Store where you bought your Gaming Supplies

I live in the Mesa, AZ area.  In the early 80's there were two stores where I bought my gaming stuff.

• Toys R Us at Tri-City Mall
• Toys by Roy at Fiesta Mall

Neither one exists today.  In fact, Tri-City Mall is mostly gone/repurposed.

I bought my Grenadier Adventurers minis at Toys R Us.  I also bought my Monster Manual and Fiend Folio there.  Some dice as well.

I used to buy all my modules at Toys by Roy.  They actually had all the modules hole punched at the top and on display around the ceiling of the room in the back of the store.  There was an index card taped to each module so you could say, "I'd like B4 please."

When good ol Roy went out of business, I bought one or two hole-punched modules on clearance.  I also got the Holmes Blue Book for $0.25!

When I got older, I bought a lot of gaming stuff at Game Depot.  It was near ASU at the time.  They are still around and have relocated.  I was there just a couple of weeks ago.

I also bought a lot of stuff at Desert Hobbies (gone), Waterloo Games (gone) and Roaming Panzer Games (gone.)

I used to buy my Dragon Magazines at Waldenbooks (gone.)

Day 11: First Splatbook you begged your DM to approve

Well, I guess I'm boring.  I've never done this.  :)

I think "splatbooks" were big in 3.0 and 3.5 and I only played 3.0 for about 4 months.  I guess I kinda missed this boat.  (Thanks to the Dungeon Bastard I DO HAVE the "Horrifically Overpowered Feats" book...)

When I played Champions, I did enjoy incorporating Powers from Champions 2 and Champions 3 into the game.  I remember I wanted to play a Gadgeteer with a gadget pool.  That was kind of abusive.

I also knew how to make an Elemental Power Pool go a long, long way during character creation.

Day 10: First gaming magazine I ever bought

It was this issue of The Dragon #52 --

I still have it.  :)

The cover binding is taped up from getting worn out.

I carried this issue in my backpack for months.  I pored over the book for weeks.  I didn't read it all, but I did re-read parts I liked.  I had to be careful when I'd take it out in class for fear that my teacher would see the cover and it would be confiscated!

Some remembrances (thumbing through the issue...)

• There's an article about Clerics.  Until just this past year, I'd never played a cleric.  Maybe I need to give it a read...
• Great article by J. Eric Holmes about Basic D&D.  Should give that a re-read.
• Oh and Tom Moldvay too!
• WOW!  Here's the "coupon" where Gamescience says they are giving dice away!  I sent my parents out into the wild (see Post 8) with this coupon.
• Boris article.
• Giants in the Earth: Circe.  Fun!
• "The Cavern of the Sub Train" - A Gamma World Adventure.  I think I actually ran this once for my buddies.  
• Bounty Hunter NPC
• Ral Partha Storm Giant.  A classic.
• Dungeon Tiles by Task Force Games.  I actually own this supplement (still have it!)
• Book Reviews: 
• Dream Park by Larry Niven (read it)
• Dragonslayer (saw the movie)
• Cleric Mirth

Day 9: First campaign setting I played in.

The first module I played in was "The Keep on the Borderlands," so I believe that's Greyhawk.   :)  One of my first DMs, AK, was a huge Greyhawk fan too.

I remember him going on about Furyondy and the Nyr Dyv and Iuz...  He had the maps from the Darlene set up in his room.

I don't specifically remember *where* he set his adventures and I don't remember *ever* being in an urban location, but I'm certain we were playing in Greyhawk.

Day 8: First set of polyhedral dice.

I don't know that I ever bought myself a "set" of polyhedrals until recently.  I purchased a set of Gamescience dice.  Here's a pic.

I didn't do a very good job with the "coloring in..."

One of my most prized dice is this one --

Back around the summer of 1982, Gamescience came out with an ad for these dice -- 

Mine has lasted more than 32 years...

I told my parents that I wanted one and they willingly went out looking for it.  I seem to recall an ad (somewhere) that offered a free d20 with a coupon.  

My parents ran all over town.  I'm sure they had other errands to run as well, but they did visit multiple hobby shops.  

They came home with my prized d20 (which I still use often) and a handful of minis --

That was a happy day!

Day 7: First D&D Item I ever bought. Do I still have it?

The first D&D item I ever bought was the 1st Ed. DMG.  This one!

Now, I'm loosely interpreting "bought" to mean first item I ever had.  I didn't buy it, it was a gift from my parents.

Here's a fun fact -- they ordered it from the Sears Catalog!  :)

Yes.  I still have it.  It is in really good, gently used condition.  It is one of my prized possessions.

Someday, I might actually read it from cover to cover.  :)

D&D Original Edition Premium Box Set!

I must have pre-ordered this about a year ago from Amazon.  :)

It finally arrived today!

The box is very nice.  The laser etching is well done.  Great dice.  I'm excited to read the booklets!

Here are some pics!

The wood is light, but sturdy.

You can use the ribbon to lift the books out of the box.

The interior of the lid has this framed/recessed art piece.  Very cool.

It took awhile to get here, but I'm glad I bought it.

Day 6: First Character Death

I hate to admit it, but I don't know that I've ever had a D&D character die.

Campaigns have died, stalled, ended abruptly -- leaving characters in limbo -- but I don't think they've ever died.

I did have a Champions character die once.  It was PERFECT for the story and he died heroically, so I didn't mind a bit.

If player choices led to the death of the character -- good or bad -- and the player knows they had some autonomy, then character death is something most players can deal with.

-=-=-=-=-

At the risk of angering a dear friend, I will tell the story of the death of a noble cavalier-paladin.

Sir Neville Trollbane (played by my friend GZ), a cavalier-paladin (this was right after Unearthed Arcana came out) was a TANK.  Nothing could stop this guy.  He had awesome stats, field plate armor, magical weapons, loads of HPs, etc.  Amazing character!  

My monk, Robyn and Neville were adventuring companions.  I was forever in his shadow.  When I was dealing 1d6 damage with my staff, Neville was dealing out 2d4+6 with his magical bastard sword.  My AC was something like 6.  His was -2.

You get the idea.

Anyway, we were sent on a quest to retrieve a magical item for another paladin.  I had promised to retrieve this magical sword...

Oh wait!  ROBYN DIED!  I handled it fine.  :)  A noble paladin of my order raised me from the dead.  I got enough experience from the event to make 2nd level!!  :)

...because he had raised me from the dead.  There was this magical room in the bowels of "Bellicose Keep" (JD's megadungeon) that would allow you to take any one item of any kind, BUT ONLY ONCE!  It was called the "Chamber of Want" or something like that.

The paladin couldn't go in after this sword because he had used up his one and only entrance into the chamber to retrieve some "realm saving" magic item a decade or so earlier.  

First you had to find it, then you had to fight your way through a maze and there were puzzles too...

Anyhow, Robyn and Neville found their way into the chamber.  JD, the DM, asked what we were looking for.  I said I was looking for this "holy sword..."

"You find it," JD stated.
"Robyn takes it for the paladin," I replied.

JD then asks GZ what he's looking for....

Now I don't remember WHAT Neville was supposed to find and bring back.  Turns out Neville didn't remember either.

GZ asks what's in the room.  JD starts describing things.  Armor, weapons, shields, wands, rods, staves, potions, gems...

Neville seizes upon the idea of magical armor!  "Is their magical field plate armor?"  "Yes."

"I take that!"

With that solved, we leave the "Chamber."

-=-=-=-=-

Once outside, JD asks GZ, hey weren't you supposed to get something for the paladin?

OH YEAH!  Neville goes back in!

Now remember, you can only go in once and you can only take one thing. 

Neville looks around for the item for the paladin BUT HE SPIES A MAGIC SWORD INSTEAD AND HE TAKES IT!

Now JD has to decide what the penalty will  be for violating the rules of the chamber.  He decides (or perhaps he had decided in advance) that the penalty was HALF of your HPs.

Not damage.  Permanently lost.  HALF.

To Robyn, this would have been crippling.  I didn't even think about going back in.  To Neville, the cavalier-paladin with a ton of HPs and an AC to die for, decides, "Eh. No biggie."

HE STILL DOESN'T HAVE THE PALADIN'S ITEM!

Here's where the communication between DM and Player broke down -- it was all about MATH!

You see, JD the DM was thinking:  Half + Half = All
GZ the Player was thinking:  I've lost half, if I lose half again, I'll be at one-quarter.

Those are VERY different things...

Needless to say, when Neville went back in (for the third time) to get the paladin's item, he dropped dead upon exiting the chamber.

:(  That was an (ahem) exciting incident!

Day 5: First Character to go from 1st level to the highest level possible

Well, as I've said in a previous post, I'm mostly a DM.  I don't have a lot of high level PCs.

Some of my players have gotten their characters up into the early teens.  That's about where I prefer  them to retire.  :)

I think Robyn Hoodwynk made it to 7th or 8th level.  I enjoyed playing him.

My current character, Gorsen, Cleric of Lathander, is (at the time of this writing) 7th level.  (I'll be sure to edit this post if he dies tonight!)

Day 4: First Dragon your Character Slew (or some other powerful monster)

Wow!  This IS a hard one.

I don't remember ever slaying a dragon.  Is that sad?

I think, years ago, I was playing D&D via the US Mail.  My friend JD and I would write up detailed "stories" for each other, loosely based upon what each other's character would do.

He played Sharky Dangerthorn, a ranger and I played Robyn Hoodwynk, a monk.

I think there was an evil white dragon (Eversleet?) that Robyn fought and defeated.  I'm just not sure.

Most of my D&D play has been as DM all these years, so, I don't have a lot of "big kills" in my memory banks.

:)

Day 3: First Dungeon you explored as a player or ran as a DM

The first dungeon I explored was "The Caves of Chaos" in B2, "The Keep on the Borderlands."

It is, of course, a classic.

I still have extremely fond memories of exploring the "Shrine of Evil Chaos" portion.  My DM, Brian, really managed to evoke the atmosphere of the place.

It holds such a fond place in my memory, I later "converted" it to Savage Worlds.

-=-=-=-

The first dungeon I ever really "ran" as a DM was of my own creation.  It was "The Evil Temple of Fraz'urb llu."  You can find it here.

Day 2: First person YOU introduced to D&D

Though it probably seems strange, the first person I introduced to D&D was probably my Dad.

You see, there were all these cool adventures to play (you could check modules out from the public library) and I needed a DM!

Dad could do it!  :)

He was a good sport about it.  He never really understood what he was doing.  I always had to help him "move through" the adventure.

In reality, I was probably a co-DM and player.  :)

The adventure he "ran" for me was "The Isle of Dread."

We skipped over the hexcrawl stuff and mostly dungeon crawled.  Funny how I always seemed to know where the good treasure bits were located...

-=-=-=-

Later in life, I introduced my girlfriend (eventually wife) to the game.  She played a wizard in a 3+ year campaign.  Myrrinne Moonbow.  She has also played Fudge, FATE and Savage Worlds with me.

I also introduced two of her sons (my stepsons).  I still play Warhammer 40k with one on a regular basis.

I've also introduced my grandkids.  3 of 4 have played at one time or another...

Day 1: Person who introduced me to D&D

Way, way back in the summer of 1981, my family had just returned to Arizona from California.  We had spent that summer in Concord, CA, holed up in a small hotel room, because my Dad was working in San Francisco.

My Dad was a union electrician, IBEW 134, and there weren't a lot of jobs to be had in the Phoenix area.  He did big industrial jobs (power plants, mines, etc.) so we frequently moved wherever the work could be found.

We had purchased a house in Mesa, AZ and had just moved in around Christmas of 1980.  Dad was working to build the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station and thought it would be stable.  After all, they had 12 reactors planned.

Nope.  He was laid off in the spring, so he headed to San Fran.  We waited for school to be out and then we followed him.

The summer in SF was good.  As good as it can be when you are stuck in a hotel room.  We did enjoy exploring the city on the weekends.  Alcatraz, Ripley's Believe-It-Or-Not, The Presidio, Sausalito, etc.  Oh and this cool place called "Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza!"  Lots of video games.  Asteroids was my favorite!

Anyway, it was good to be home.  I had missed my friends and my books and stuff.  Dad came back with us.  Rumor had it that Palo Verde would be starting up again, so he wanted to get his name on the books at the union hall.

Before the summer had gotten away completely, I wanted to go see my friend Brian.  Maybe hang out and swim at his house -- or maybe a sleepover!  :)

I made arrangements with him.  His parents called my parents and we got it all confirmed for a Saturday night.

---

When Saturday afternoon arrived, I packed up my tatty mustard-yellow duffle bag and Mom dropped me off.  They'd pick me up after breakfast on Sunday.

I headed over to Brian's, expecting we'd hang out, swim and do whatever.  Just like we always did.  He and I shared a passion for Star Trek TOS (I was Kirk, he was Spock) and computers.

I had no idea what surprise was in store for me!

---

That evening, Brian revealed an amazing treasure to me -- The Holmes Blue Book!

He explained that it was a game you played using "characters" while making a map on graph paper!  Amazing!

We didn't "roll up" characters, we jumped right in by choosing classes, giving them names and picking out equipment.  

I had a fighter named "Berserker" (I was a big fan of the Doomfarers of Coramonde by Brian Daley,) a hobbit named "Bilbo," a wizard named "Gandalf" and an elf named "Legolas."  Not terribly creative.

We explored the "Caves of Chaos!"  I think we started with the goblins!  I remember them yelling "Bree Yark!"  How we survived that encounter, I'll never know.

Eventually we moved on to the "Shrine of Evil Chaos!"  My favorite part of B2 to this day.  :)  Brian did a great job with the descriptions and evoking the mood of the place.  

It was FANTASTIC!  I was absolutely HOOKED!  I couldn't stop thinking about the game and I had to get my own books!

Eventually I did get a 1st Ed. DMG (still have it!) and a Monster Manual.

The rest, as they say, is history!

Thank you D&D and thank you Brian!