Your RPG story

How did you get into role-playing?

I was friends with a fellow named Nick Parry when, after Christmas break in grade 9 (Jan. 1982), he showed me what Santa had brought him: the boxed 1981 edition of Basic Dungeons & Dragons.

My only other exposure to the game occurred two years earlier when another friend (Arthur Drewitt) and I attended some sort of "gifted" conference at a hotel somewhere in or near Toronto. In one of the rooms a number of nerdy-looking guys were sitting at a table playing D&D. I knew nothing about the game except that it had something to do with the game's title, dwarfs, and elves.

As we walked to Nick's parents' house (Welsford Gardens, about 75 feet from Troy's front door) after school, I peppered him with questions about the game, having no idea what it was really about. All he knew at that time was how to make a character.

In his parents' kitchen, I rolled a character: Vern. He was a thief, but with an enormous equipment list (I tried to predict what sort of dangers he might encounter, my imagination really went wild).

I bought the Basic rulebook soon afterwards. I sat on my livingroom couch and, book in hand, was able to figure out how RPGs are played. I excitedly went next door to SH. He was in the basement playing Atari. "Hey, Steve!" I called as I ran down the basement stairs, "I have this great game!"

"It can't be as good as this," he replied.

He was playing the Atari 2600 game Adventure--which was a decent game at the time.

Soon after, I drew a small dungeon map and stocked it with monsters. I didn't understand the Hit Dice concept yet, so each monster's hit points were equal to its HD, and for treasure I simply marked the letter T in different rooms. There was no key; everything was on the map. I think my first players were Nick and another schoolmate, either Paul Rose or Mark Pletsch.

Probably within a few days, I drew a dungeon large enough to cover an 8.5"X11" sheet of graph paper, and even invented a monster: The mummy (not in the Basic rules), which wasn't much of a challenge. I believe SH went into this dungeon solo, controlling a party of PCs. At the first sight of an animated skeleton, he (or his PCs) fled in terror. The power of the game!

I don't remember how I got Roddy got into the game; we didn't see much of each other during the first half of grade 9.

Classmate Paul Morris, an RPG veteran, recounted an adventure in which a dragon's head got caught in a doorway. I thought this was absurd. My concept of RPGs was still immature.

I got a set of polyhedral dice from a hobby store at Parkway Mall (they were also selling OD&D booklets like Eldritch Wizardry) and obtained the Expert rulebook. In late Feb., accompanied by Nick, I got the AD&D Player's Handbook ($14) and the Dungeon Master's Guide ($17) at the Battered Dwarf in downtown Toronto (when I picked up the DMG for examination, the store employee said I'd have to buy it if I damaged it). B2: In Search of the Unknown was purchased at the Don Mills Centre on a snowy night; the bus ride home was jam-packed; I think Roddy, Paul Rose, and some other friends were there, too.

Another early memory: taking the subway to the gaming store on the lower level of the Eaton Centre. It had more than one name: e.g., Good Stuff Games, Games A Lot. I remember vividly the smell of the food court; there must have been a bakery in the area. Then there was Mr. Gameway's Ark, the multilevel game store on the east side of Yonge a few blocks south of Bloor, where I got my dicebag.

The next year I went to high school where someone started a D&D club (SH and Roddy each went to different high schools). I attended the initial club meeting, held in the back room of the library. Some others present were: Keith Mallet, Robert Kubis, and about 12-20 others. Other club members included Doug, George Makins (who had a monk with no name or alignment), Don T., Nick (had a PC who swam through lava--my fault), Paul Morris (cut his hand punching the window after Robert Kubis, the DM, permanently changed his PC into a weapon), Kurt Seelenmeyer (sp?). In later years, Craig and Troy joined. While DMing, my 10-speed bicycle was literally stolen in front of my face (the window across from me looked directly towards the fence to which my bike was locked). Craig and I and one or two others also played Car Wars and Top Secret at the high school club, where Craig coined the memorable paradoxical phrase, "top secret mode!".

From the early days until Craig, Troy, and Jonathan joined us, SH, Roddy, and I played regularly on Sundays as a trio. We each rotated as DM after refereeing 4 sessions. Our initial setting was Third Age Middle Earth, which we shared. The Shire was developed into what would become Craddoc in SH's setting. I started creating a fantasy world (it was not intended to be an RPG setting at first). Around this time, SH developed Habbanya (sp?) as a tiny island (compared to my continent). "Your world is huge!", he protested when he saw the map (a special privilege). Later, I adjusted the map scale slightly; this is the same setting I still have. Unfortunately, it had a lot of Tolkienesque elements--which I have toned down or eliminated. We also played Top Secret.

By the time I met Jonathan (in 1985, I believe, through SH, who knew him via York U.), I was already a 3-4-year RPG veteran. Jonathan introduced SH and I to Call of Cthulhu.

Another highlight: playing in the "actual" Forgotten Realms as DM'd by Ed Greenwood himself. This was in the undercroft of Brookbanks Public Library (Mr. Greenwood no longer works there); this was probably 1988-89. Also present were: Craig, Jonathan, SH, Troy, and Roddy.

In the summer between grade 9 and 10 I met Don Tanouye and George Makins. I blame Don for my entry into this realm of gaming.

First character was a ranger named Elceleb. He is currently still in my inventory at 13th level. I used him in the VP D&D club as well - that's the last time he saw a game. He is officially retired as his atrributes/items are utterly ridiculous. He was essentially a Thor Paladin when he last played. The next character was a cleric without a name who is in my inventory at 9th level. He also worshiped Thor.

There were attempts to try other games - Traveler and Paranoia come to mind.

Pretty much as Lalanne described it... a knock on my door, invite to come over and him trying to explain the game he really didn't know very much about. He admitted one of his friends knew more ... but the hook of medeival game with monsters was great. Lalanne and I had a couple years previous kinda invented our own medieval war game by drawing castles on a piece of paper and then having the two opposing armies attack one another (I won't go in to the embarrassinly simple detials of hwo it worked)... but the 'bug' was already in me. And any system that has the tag line: "Products for your imagination" was a great hook for me.
And yes, I do recall controlling 3 characters in my first dungeon experience with Lalanne DMing, and getting about a third (or half at best)way through, then encountering a skeleton. Well, my imagination was already in full bloom, and the thought of an animated skeleton coming down the hall to attack my characters was quite exciting and scary ...of course the 1st level characters fled!!!
From then on in, it was high school campaign in the week, and Lalanne and I (and later Roddy) during the weekend ... 11 am - 10 pm is memory serves...

I was indoctrinated by one John Malone, who I met in grade 9 (10 for him) about 1978, he was an avid gammer and enabler buying every damn new wargame that game out it seemed. We were already playing various war games like third reich. With all the war games, steve jackson stuff, paranoia , traveller I can't be sure of the actual dates.

What I do know is he came over with third reich and a box set for D&D one Saturday no later than 1978/79. A quick read a few rolls and my first Character and only dwarf Gloin was created. It had to be basic because all the major weapons did exactly the same damage yet cost and weighed differently.


The weird thing about this event was the solo dungeon I tell everyone about that I assume came with it yet no else seems to have experienced. The DM gave you a series of choices left, right, forward , up or down depending where you were and then described where you eneded up . It was quite possible to go in circles, be killed instanty by traps or fight a few low level things like a kolbolds. There was also small treasures and money to be found in various rooms. Should you survive the solo book you were awarded 2000xp ie 2nd level and told to move one to a real adventure with others.

The funny thing was with one of the many expendable characters we ran thourgh that day one of them I stopped trying to map and just rambled off left, left , right, up ........ without any though and ended up finding no treasure, fighting nothing and getting out with nothing happening.

While not quite tangible that afternoon is one of those magical moments as a kid, the kind of wonder its impossible for a jaded adult to achieve.

It was not too long before the full books were acquired and 3 other suckers recruited to play, Rui, Paj, and Brian Nakamura I believe. The group splinted quickly with 3 not liking games as much John and I and John not likey D&D that much prefering war games.

By grade 11 or 12 (before the VP group started ) I had already found other players Don T and George Makins (neighbours) , Ian Tinker, with Paul Morris, Doug , Rickie Macho Stud and Tony Walton(Herbie ver 1, 2, 3)coming on some time later. Those were the year of the 4 Ds

These were my Dynasty years. a series of Characters all in the same family mostly having psionics . I had used 3 wishes early in my career,
I wish for Psionics powers.
I wish these psionic powers to be heriditary
I wish the granting of these heriditary be retro active

Leaving all blood family members except my father Jharmy having PSI

Resulting in the Hasture dynasty of
Jharamy. Lewis Hastur, Carlina, Dom, and several others.

When the VP group started I went immediately, Keith Mallet volunteered to DM and a group was formed. Keith was annoying, arbitrary, showed favoritism and was odiferous.

It had something to do with a room with a dome force field eminating from a gem, allowing only 1 way out of a room, even though several exits were visible. It was one of those frustration dungeons that Don T always made and put us through where you were expected , (no demanded) to go through the dungeon only one way, an easy solution to room 1 was always in room 2, the one you could not get too just to piss you off. Seeing a similar trend I demanded that Keith roll 60 saves vs. magical fire against his magic gem, on the table where we could all see the, He refused, I killed the entire party and walked out. VP gaming lasedt oh about 1 hour.

We still played at home for a good while but evetually it died off until I rejoined Jonathan's world after begining to see Jennifer. I've been making your lives hell ever since.

nice.

After reading these I feel I should add more detail... Carter has reminded me of Don T's DMing...

The dungeon was a failure unless someone had to be resurrected. Twice. Alternately draining 6 or more levels from the party was also acceptable.

As testimony to Carter's commentary on Don demanding you go through a dungeon one way... I remember one instance with a bridge that kept swing around as you crossed it making you exit on the same side you entered. My solution was to leave something obvious (a light coin I think) on the side I came from (either on or off the bridge, both were tried). He would not let me cross until I tied a rope to the bridge as the marker and held the other end. No other marker but a rope that you held would work. Craziness.

When not in VP I typically played with Don T, George Makins, Carter and Paul Morris - usually in Don's or my basement as I recall. I remember Carter DMing a sexually deviant dungeon at one point as well.

The gaming faded as substance abuse issues escalated (not Carter's or mine). I put my books and dice away for what I thought was forever while I was in University. You all know of my gaming resumption.

kubera wrote:

[...]

The weird thing about this event was the solo dungeon I tell everyone about that I assume came with it yet no else seems to have experienced. The DM gave you a series of choices left, right, forward , up or down depending where you were and then described where you eneded up . It was quite possible to go in circles, be killed instanty by traps or fight a few low level things like a kolbolds. There was also small treasures and money to be found in various rooms. Should you survive the solo book you were awarded 2000xp ie 2nd level and told to move one to a real adventure with others. [...]

Seems similar to the random dungeon system in the 1e DMG.

kubera wrote:

[...]

By grade 11 or 12 (before the VP group started ) I had already found other players Don T and George Makins (neighbours) , Ian Tinker, with Paul Morris, Doug , Rickie Macho Stud and Tony Walton(Herbie ver 1, 2, 3)coming on some time later. Those were the year of the 4 Ds [...]

How did you meet Doug? He and I (and Roddy) were classmates in grade 7.

kubera wrote:

[...]

I wish for Psionics powers.
I wish these psionic powers to be heriditary
I wish the granting of these heriditary be retro active [...]

One of my PCs in Roddy's world wished psionics for himself; unfortunately, his psionic abilities were so weak that he was more vulnerable to psionic enemies than he was previously.

kubera wrote:

[...] the Hasture dynasty of
Jharamy. Lewis Hastur, Carlina, Dom, and several others. [...]

Did you come up with the name Hastur or did you get it from literature (e.g., Robert Chambers)?

kubera wrote:

[...]

When the VP group started [...]

When was this? The meeting I attended was in the fall of 1982. My memory could easily be wrong, but my impression is that this was a new club.

kubera wrote:

[...]

I went immediately, Keith Mallet volunteered to DM and a group was formed. Keith was annoying, arbitrary, showed favoritism and was odiferous. [...]

Dignan, the Owen Wilson character in Bottle Rocket reminded me of Keith.

kubera wrote:

[...]

I went immediately, Keith Mallet volunteered to DM and a group was formed. Keith was annoying, arbitrary, showed favoritism and was odiferous.

It had something to do with a room with a dome force field eminating from a gem, allowing only 1 way out of a room, even though several exits were visible. It was one of those frustration dungeons [....] I demanded that Keith roll 60 saves vs. magical fire against his magic gem, on the table where we could all see the, He refused, I killed the entire party and walked out. VP gaming lasedt oh about 1 hour. [...]

The gem in the dome is similar to the final room in the TSR adventure module Ghost Tower of Inverness--except for the other exits.

On what basis did you demand that the DM make those saving throws? Did you cast 60 fireballs at the gem?

Regnar wrote:

[...]

From then on in, it was high school campaign in the week [...]

Refresh my memory.

Regnar wrote:

[...]

From then on in, it was [...] Lalanne and I (and later Roddy) during the weekend ... 11 am - 10 pm is memory serves...

We met on Sunday mornings?

Quote :

Seems similar to the random dungeon system in the 1e DMG.

I always thought it was a small standalone booklet but I'm old

Quote :

How did you meet Doug? He and I (and Roddy) were classmates in grade 7.

Either through Don, or Dougs sister Laurie... he and morris were considerably younger, I was only at school with either of them for a year or two.

Quote :

Did you come up with the name Hastur or did you get it from literature (e.g., Robert Chambers)?

Marrion Zimmer Bradely and her Darkover world, crashed humans on a low metal dying world, breed with an indingenous telepath race eventually rising up a psi tech , resutling in wars that throw them down losing their history of being from anywhere else but darkover, until contact with humans again a 1000 years later.

I liked most of her work

Quote :

When was this? The meeting I attended was in the fall of 1982. My memory could easily be wrong, but my impression is that this was a new club.

That was my last year so its possible. I'd have to check the year books to see what year Tavelli first sponsored the club.

It was not Inverness but something Mallet wrote, we were very close to the begining when I nuked everyone. When I was at Eatons Mallet worked at the scarborough town center game store. Good stuff games I think, I also played for a short time with the Chinese guy who worked there called Mike Wong,, he was also from my public school , VP and was one of our loss prevention guys at Eatons.

I had a wand with 60 charges, I said roll until the gem breaks or the wand goes dry, he refused. As I understand it he simply reset the game and started over.

Regnar wrote:

[...]

Lalanne and I had a couple years previous kinda invented our own medieval war game by drawing castles on a piece of paper and then having the two opposing armies attack one another (I won't go in to the embarrassinly simple detials of hwo it worked) [...]

Of course D&D (1974) beat us to market, but if we had thought of using dice we could have independently come up with a real war game.

One of my friends from high school (Alek Grguric) had picked up the basic game in the early summer of 1981. We decided to start playing when I got back from the Boy Scout Jamboree.

I remember talking to another scouting member in Alberta while we were on a day hike about D&D, making what I now know to be ridiculous statements: "But hobbits have high courage, right?" To his credit, the other person didn't make fun of my ignorant comments, but he didn't really explain how the character stats worked either.

I played all through high school (I think the high water mark was 5 players plus myself).

I lost contact with the group after they went to university and I went to Grade 14 at Don Mills Collegiate (along with about 1/3 of G. S. Henry's Grade 13 class, it seemed).

When I ran into Harrison at York, we struck up an immediate friendship, sharing many similar interests and he invited me into his campaign. The rest is (embarrassing) history.

[quote="SteveLWe met on Sunday mornings?[/quote]

I seem to remember that we usually started calling around to various houses to see who was available around 11 am. More often than not, this meant that Lalanne's mother would have to wake him up.

Wilhelm wrote:

I remember Carter DMing a sexually deviant dungeon at one point as well.

I'm almost afraid to ask.

Quote :

I remember Carter DMing a sexually deviant dungeon at one point as well.

As often is the case I have no fucking clue what Doug is on about!

I ran one huge adventure which was a great chase/scavenger hunt throughout the Moorcock Multiverse. The only thing marginally sexual was my turning Don's Character into a girl. I do however remember Doug and his stupid ass sword trying to dive fly straight down at full speed into a Pan Tang Wizard Monk, he proceeded to hit a double size anti magic shell, the monk stepped aside and proceeded to snap dougs neck just after he went face first into the rock. ouch!!!!!

The Dwarf I was running was anally raped by a throng of goons.

If gang raping a dwarf isn't sexually deviant I really don't know what is.

I don't remember that, are you sure you're not transfering from some camping trip you took with Fricker

If your not delusional rember
"What happens in Melnibone, stays in Melnibone"

that might however explain the bone in "Melnibone" you must have really pissed me off, because I quite sure Gang rape player was not writen into the scenerio

Gord and I never brought dwarves camping.

It happened on the first night of the adventure - I was unable to play - I found out at the next session that the party was knocked out and when we woke up various bad things had happened including the assault on my character. I wasn't there to piss you off. You just don't like dwarves.

And yes. I'm quite sure. I also seem to recall that after the monk incident I was reincarnated (not raised or resurrected). The thing that pissed everyone off was that I came back as Human. I think everyone (including myself) was hoping for something a little more unnatural (I actually found the character sheet).

Quote :

I wasn't there to piss you off. You just don't like dwarves.

Now that does makes sense

plus you were not there so we could have moocho fun at your expense.

I don't remember but it seems more plausible now!

My first memory of roleplaying is quite young it seems. When I was about 8 my brother and I had a baby sitter who would tell us stories when we went to bed. The stories were populated with characters from cs lewis's narnia, Donny osmond, the monkeys and ofcourse us. We participated in the fantastical story telling saying what we did and how we solved problems etc. And the baby sitter would describe what happened and move the plot along. I loved it.

Years later during the winter of grade seven ('79 I think) my dad bought the basic boxed set with the number chips because he wanted to introduce the game at a training session he was attending (turned out he never got the opportunity). Later that year he introduced my brother and me to the game. I recall him scaring the pants off us as he roared out when we encountered the ogre in our first encounter. Thus began my tank career as I stood toe to toe with the ogre, sacrificing my character while yelling for everyone else to run away. We rolled dice by picking numbers from a styrofoam cup.

That summer break I ran the game for my brother and several of our neighbourhood friends. I remember being very excited when one of the characters lived long enough to go up a level. We stopped and played kick the can for the rest of the summer.

In the fall this guy named Daniel (who lived across the street from Troy (although I didn't know Troy then cause he went to "special school" rather than donview)) and me and a couple of other geeky guys started up the donview dnd club. I ran a basic campaign for two or three other guys still using the styrofoam cups and chips for dice. That Christmas I got the dmg and my brother got the phb. As I remember it our club started with about 25 guys and there were several groups who played at different levels, most of the others were playing adnd. As my group got more experienced we evolved to a freeform storytelling kinda game. We rarely rolled dice and we just made stuff up as we went along. I've never been too big on learning the rules we just had fun.

When I went to vp I met Lalanne and doug and I think Troy. Of course Keith, Kurt, Paul, and spanky were all still around and bullied our characters without mercy...or something is kinda foggy. I do remember one day ending up with doug in a head lock ontop of one of the tables. I have mo idea why nor how I got out of it without getting my ass kicked (I didn't get big till like grade 12).

so when are you gonna start a game for Xander and his friends? Get the next geek generation going

Bruzynski wrote:

[...]

When I was about 8 my brother and I had a baby sitter who would tell us stories when we went to bed. [emphasis added] [...]

I first thought you said baby sister! "A baby telling stories? What kind of weird story is Craig spinning?"

Bruzynski wrote:

[...]

The stories were populated with characters from cs lewis's narnia, Donny osmond, the monkeys and ofcourse us. We participated in the fantastical story telling saying what we did and how we solved problems etc. And the baby sitter would describe what happened and move the plot along. I loved it. [...]

Awesome. Who was she?

Bruzynski wrote:

[...]

Years later during the winter of grade seven ('79 I think) my dad bought the basic boxed set with the number chips [...]

It must have been 1979: "For a period in 1979, TSR experienced a dice shortage. Basic sets published during this time frame instead came with two sheets of numbered cutout cardstock chits that functioned in lieu of dice, along with a coupon for ordering dice from TSR."
--"Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set", Wikipedia

"cutout cardstock chits"--it rolls off the tongue.

Bruzynski wrote:

[...] because he wanted to introduce the game at a training session he was attending [...]

What kind of training? How would he have used the game?

Bruzynski wrote:

[...]

Later that year he introduced my brother and me to the game. I recall him scaring the pants off us as he roared out when we encountered the ogre in our first encounter. Thus began my tank career as I stood toe to toe with the ogre, sacrificing my character while yelling for everyone else to run away. [...]

It's like a comic-book origins story.

Bruzynski wrote:

[...]

We rolled dice by picking numbers from a styrofoam cup. [...]

You and your a-dice (a- as "non-" as in atheist) ways! Remember when no one brought dice one day at the high school club and we made up random-number generating devices?

And remember when we destroyed all the yardsticks in that particular science classroom by swordfighting with them?

Bruzynski wrote:

[...]

That summer break I ran the game for my brother and several of our neighbourhood friends. I remember being very excited when one of the characters lived long enough to go up a level. [...]

In one of our early games, Roddy (I think) had a PC who had accumulated enough XP to advance to 2nd level (the first time anyone had achieved this). The problem was that his entire party was trapped by a portcullis in the dead end of a subterranean passage (the old portcullis-falls-behind-you-comma-trapping-you-in-a-dead-end trap so popular in early dungeons). Roddy rolled up a new party just to stage an expedition to rescue the parvenu, and I as DM had to figure out how long the trapped characters could survive without food and and water. I don't think the PC was rescued.

Bruzynski wrote:

[...]

I ran a basic campaign for two or three other guys still using the styrofoam cups and chips for dice. [...]

Mmm . . . chips.

Bruzynski wrote:

[...]

As my group got more experienced we evolved to a freeform storytelling kinda game. We rarely rolled dice and we just made stuff up as we went along. I've never been too big on learning the rules we just had fun.[...]

After we discussed the role [sic] of dice during a recent drive to Newmarket (yes, there is a new market), I came up with an idea for very simple/abstract diceless combat. Not sure if it's feasible, but the idea is that a combatant has a combat total (say, 100 for a particular warrior, and 20 for an orc), based on skill, agility, weapon, armour, etc. Combatants secretly decide how many of these points to invest in the current round. The numbers are then compared; the low value is lost from the low-value combatant's total, and the high value combatant loses half the amount his victim lost. So, if the orc invests 10 points and the warrior chooses 20 points, the orc loses 10 and the warrior loses half this (i.e., 5). One problem is that the orc couldn't possibly defeat that fighter if the fighter was at full strength unless the fighter was very conservative. Maybe there'd have to be another secret factor to be decided by the player, like a maneuver (perhaps represented by a number from a scale that spans all-out attack at one end and all-out defence at the other) that is cross-indexed with the opponent's maneuver choice. Or maybe the points invested are divided into attack and defence totals. Or maybe armour/defences operate differently (e.g., by reducing the points lost); maybe maneuvers have point costs which are reduced for the highly skilled, etc.

Speaking of diceless storytelling, what do you think of PCs as merchants? They'd have to obtain investors, negotiate with suppliers, learn about distant markets, set up warehouses, plan routes, hire people, and deal with authorities, pirates, market fluctuations, regional conflicts, etc. They may never get into combat! It could work, but maybe not with more than two players (other than the GM).

Bruzynski wrote:

[...]

When I went to vp I met Lalanne and doug and I think Troy. Of course Keith, Kurt, Paul, and spanky were all still around and bullied our characters without mercy...or something is kinda foggy. I do remember one day ending up with doug in a head lock ontop of one of the tables. I have mo idea why nor how I got out of it without getting my ass kicked (I didn't get big till like grade 12).

Yes, there was a certain amount of bullying. Don, who never seemed to bring his character sheet--which gave him the opportunity to remember stuff at opportune moments (or so I recall)--, used reincarnate on a PC. If memory serves, Don had actually killed the PC, who was being introduced into the campaign as a prisoner for the party to rescue. Do you remember that, Doug, or is my memory faulty? He also used a spell he had written called blinding light show, which I think was only 1st level; anyway, even if the save was made, the victim would still suffer a substantial effect (something like temporary blindness or unconsciousness). Still, he had the potential to mature into a great player

There was another player in the club. I think he DM'd a different subgroup. He was taller than average, slightly stout, black curly hair. Might have had a beard but no moustache. What was his name?
____________________________
"Why, he swam through lava. Lava!"

kubera wrote:

so when are you gonna start a game for Xander and his friends? Get the next geek generation going

Hmm we were at Scarborough town centre and went by games workshop. He is very interested in the warhammer stuff. I like warhammer stuff. I like I like.

My war gamming has never been formal. But the way I used to play army men was turn based. And I remember when about 6 or 7 wanting the sets of war figures from the back of comic books. I took boxes of tooth picks and pennies and made forts and formations of guys and had them fight it out. Mother wad quite anoyed at all the snapped toothpicks. And playing modifided chess from the corners of the boards or on multiple boards. Unlike everyone else I played these games alone. People knew I is wierd.

Jonathan introduced me to squad leader and is a game I loved but never learned the rules...I just like the way the pieces move.

I played axis an allies about a hundred times in first year it is a game I like too.

Latest "war game" I like is diplomacy. Again I love the way the pieces move and support each other.

Enough of looser geek let someone else do it.

SteveL wrote:

Awesome. Who was she?

Lori Clasper sp?

SteveL wrote:

[...]
What kind of training? How would he have used the game?

Did you really just ask me that question? I was what 11? I don't think he was running the training. I think it was for fun and games after the training. Probably they were too drunk to stand let alone play dnd.

SteveL wrote:

And remember when we destroyed all the yardsticks in that particular science classroom by swordfighting with them?

That was you and Troy. i had nothing to do with it.

SteveL wrote:

After we discussed the role [sic] of dice during a recent drive to Newmarket (yes, there is a new market), I came up with an idea for very simple/abstract diceless combat. Not sure if it's feasible, but the idea is that a combatant has a combat total (say, 100 for a particular warrior, and 20 for an orc), based on skill, agility, weapon, armour, etc. Combatants secretly decide how many of these points to invest in the current round. The numbers are then compared; the low value is lost from the low-value combatant's total, and the high value combatant loses half the amount his victim lost. So, if the orc invests 10 points and the warrior chooses 20 points, the orc loses 10 and the warrior loses half this (i.e., 5). One problem is that the orc couldn't possibly defeat that fighter if the fighter was at full strength unless the fighter was very conservative. Maybe there'd have to be another secret factor to be decided by the player, like a maneuver (perhaps represented by a number from a scale that spans all-out attack at one end and all-out defence at the other) that is cross-indexed with the opponent's maneuver choice. Or maybe the points invested are divided into attack and defence totals. Or maybe armour/defences operate differently (e.g., by reducing the points lost); maybe maneuvers have point costs which are reduced for the highly skilled, etc.

How about you subtract half the difference from the winner. Then there is incentive to low ball your choice.

SteveL wrote:

Speaking of diceless storytelling, what do you think of PCs as merchants? They'd have to obtain investors, negotiate with suppliers, learn about distant markets, set up warehouses, plan routes, hire people, and deal with authorities, pirates, market fluctuations, regional conflicts, etc. They may never get into combat! It could work, but maybe not with more than two players (other than the GM).

There are numerous games like this online, but like car wars et al there is little 'role' playing.

SteveL wrote:

There was another player in the club. I think he DM'd a different subgroup. He was taller than average, slightly stout, black curly hair. Might have had a beard but no moustache. What was his name?

Jim something?