What first influenced you to start pen and paper gaming?

[Rain_Spider_08]

I always wonder this sometimes about fellow gamers I meet, what made them pick up the dice...? What or who made them interested in rpging...? I can honestly say that I first started contemplating gaming after I played the PC game Vampire the Masquerade Redemption, I was always fascinated by the supernatural and it was the first vampire game I had seen that didn't involve Dracula (I still remember that the first adult book I read was Bram Stokers Dracula at the age of 6, my mom thought I was a prodigy, poor woman lmao) I remember being fascinated by the concept of different groups/clans of vampires and I frequently poured through the games manual to read about the clans. Later on I discovered that books about the different clans existed! I was thrilled and before I knew it I was buying dice at the local comics and games store, readying myself for a game I never got the chance to play with anybody else till a few years later, due to the fact they thought my age was an issue (I was around 13 at the time) that and my mom didn't want me hanging around with 20 year olds in my preteens.

Long story short even now all I seem to be able to do is buy the books and study them and build character sheets... It's still difficult to find fellow WoD, D&D, and Star Wars fans that game how I like, I'll play a session and if the game isn't to my liking I leave (aka one of the players doesn't have any "respect" for the game or the fellow players or they just flat out don't take it seriously or are too freaking immature (I never got along with people my own age for some reason... must've been because I always surrounded by "adults"). The first game I ever TRULY played (aka more than one session) was Star Wars with my boyfriend at the time (now an ex) and his best friend.

[fmitchell]

Actually, I'm not really sure. I think it started when I found my first Microgame from Metagaming (Chitin, a $3 sci-fi wargame about warring bugs). Liking what I saw (although I couldn't get anyone interested enough to play), I bought other Microgames, including Melee and Wizard, which became the foundation of The Fantasy Trip, which eventually led to GURPS.

And then there was this D&D thing going around high school in the early 1980s. Plus I played one session or two of Traveller. In college I found a TFT campaign, plus a little D&D, plus RuneQuest, Champions and Ars Magica (and Pendragon and Call of Cthulhu and on and on and on)

What led to this obsession? I think it tied into my newfound love of science fiction (mostly literary, with a little Star Wars, Star Trek, and Doctor Who thrown in). The idea of creating a shared imaginary world with rules and dice also intrigued me. And then, too, my Friday and Saturday nights tended to be free ...

[PhishStyx]

Sadly, it has been a few too many years for me to remember more than a vague notion of buying the Basic box set in Waldenbooks, but most likely, it was the cover, combined with the fact that I'd never seen anything like it at that point.

But that was in 19mrph-mmrph, and now I feel very old.

[twesterm]

I tried Vampire a few times a very long time ago and never really liked it and really turned me off to pencil and paper gaming for a while. When DnD 3rd edition was released Wizards was pushing it pretty heavy and my friends finally got me to try it and I loved it.

[Skunkape]

A friend of mine in grade school had a whole lot of 1/35 scale tanks and soldiers and we played a 'wargame' over at his house one day using them. It wasn't the first time he used his tanks to play 'wargames' and it was a really fun time, I enjoyed it a lot. He also had a bunch of Avalon Hill 'wargames' and we played those as well.

Many years later, about junior high school, I ran across a line of games put out by Steve Jackson and a different friend and I started playing those during lunch. About the same time, we discovered a really cool game called, Melee. After playing that for a couple of years, we ran across this other cool game in a blue box called Dungeons and Dragons.

We started playing that game, with his brother taking the part of the Dungeon Master. I've been playing ever since.

[Ed Zachary]

We started playing AD&D in college, as a break from our studies.

It was a great diversion, we often wound up playing ourselves in a fantasy surrounding.

[Moritz]

My mommy. She gave me the blue box D&D set back in the late 70's.

[Ezrandi]

Sadly, it has been a few too many years for me to remember more than a vague notion of buying the Basic box set in Waldenbooks, but most likely, it was the cover, combined with the fact that I'd never seen anything like it at that point.

But that was in 19mrph-mmrph, and now I feel very old.

<chuckle>

For me, I loved Reading.. and A friend of mine was very much into the gaming scene in HS. He sold me on the idea by telling me that it was my chance to act out a story, in which I was one of the main characters.

The idea appealed to me, and my first character was born, a rune-singer from arduin!

From Kill kittens, zoom dogs, and other strange and wonderful things, I was hooked.. My imagination finally had a playground in which to run free.

[twesterm]

My mommy. She gave me the blue box D&D set back in the late 70's.

I'm still scared to tell my parents I actually play and I'm 25. They think D&D and roleplaying are the devils things. I remember when they found out my sister played and they almost disowned her just for finding the crappy board game. Though I did test the waters one day in high school and told them I was going to play the Star Wars roleplaying game and they didn't have a problem with that. Guess it's all about the subject matter.

I am pretty sure they know I play now though. Some of my D&D experience is on my resume and I know they've seen my resume. Oh well.

[Moritz]

I had friends whose parents called D&D "That Game". IE: "Oh, you're going to go play 'that game' again?" , "Why yes Miss Comeaux, I'm leading your son down the path straight to hell where he can hang out with the devil and lose his immortal soul.

During High School, Father Ron (catholic priest) allowed us to use the Rectory to play our games in. Every Saturday night after Mass, we'd just walk next door and set up and play till the demon hours.

[Farcaster]

I am pretty sure they know I play now though. Some of my D&D experience is on my resume and I know they've seen my resume. Oh well.

What do you do that D&D experience is applicable on your resume?

[twesterm]

Level Designer

[PhishStyx]

I am pretty sure they know I play now though. Some of my D&D experience is on my resume and I know they've seen my resume. Oh well.

You work as a professional tomb raider?

[twesterm]

You work as a professional tomb raider?

Interesting enough, I was interviewing with Crystal Dynamics for a while (Tomb Raider: Legends) and they were pretty interested in me but sadly couldn't move to California so had to stop the interview process. Shame really because I really liked Tomb Raider: Legends.

[TheYeti1775]

Growing up in the country, the 2 other boys your age within a few miles of you. One gets it as a gift for his bday. And taday a gaming group is born .