Wednesday, August 3, 2022

RPGaDay 2022 - Day 1-3

 It's August, so it's time for RPGaDay again...

Maybe I'll do these in batches every few days...?

There are a LOT of questions that I'm not sure I'll even be able to answer... but I'll have a go at this anyway. 


1. Who would you introduce to RPGs?

I don’t know… I am less and less interested in doings stuff with  complete strangers as life goes on. Of the people I know, most already play role-playing games or have no interest… 

I have, in the past, ran games at conventions or stores (though, admittedly, most of those were more “tabletop miniature skirmish adventures” using Savage Worlds (or similar) but I’ve always tried to encourage a little role-playing in all my skirmish miniature games. 

I introduced my kids to role-playing games. That was so much fun. One, in turn, has introduced others, so maybe my work here is done. 

If ever I had grandchildren (I have my doubts about that… which I am neither pleased nor disappointed about… but you never know….) I would be thrilled to introduce them! 



2. What is a great introductory RPG? 

I’m not sure. 

Something simple that promotes ROLE-PLAYING and less about fiddly mechanics. 

I used to run Savage Worlds a lot - and introduced a lot of people to role-playing (and skirmish miniature gaming) through that. It was great because it was simple enough and could be used for ANYTHING… It used a lot of different dice which can be tricky - but usually easily solved with a “dice map”… and there were other problems… but I may need to revisit that at some point. 

I feel like FATE would be good… but I haven’t really played it enough to say for sure. 


3. When were you first introduced to RPGs?

I think it was forty years ago, this year - 1982-ish. 

I don’t know WHERE exactly I first heard of Dungeons & Dragons… I definitely didn’t KNOW anyone that played it. I do know it was mentioned or portrayed in at least two movies I saw around that time (Taps and E.T.). I relatively certain by that point I was reading Conan the Barbarian comics and maybe there were ads in there…? Or maybe other comics I was reading...? 

Then one day I saw the  Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (the one with Keep on the Borderlands) and a number of Ral Partha miniatures in a toy store at the Wildwood Mall (now part of the Centre at Circle and 8th… or maybe it’s just called The Centre, now…?) I somehow convinced my parents to buy it and my dad to try and play it with me.

7 comments:

  1. One of us! One of us!

    Good to have you back on board, Tim. Keep up with the awesome biking and birds on your other blogs, but don't forget us here too!

    The questions are "streaky" this year. A whole week of talking about your current character, which could be done in one post. It's perfect for your technique!

    #RPGaDay, #ZineQuest, #GenConHype and #HastaggersAnonymous meetings. It will be an amusing August to say the least.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The ones on "YOUR CURRENT CHARACTER" are going to be a challenge for me, and a lot of people I know. Things have fallen by the wayside during the pandemic and I don't HAVE a current character... Unless I make up on in the next week and start a new game... I guess there IS that option. Maybe that's why they put it in the last week or so!

      Delete
  2. Haven't really played role playing games for years, I first got into D&D in about 1979 when my best friend at school Paul got the basic set with the dragon on the front( might have been the UK version?) We found out you could use figures with it and the local model shop stocked Ral Partha, Citadel and minifigs and we were away, there is a chance I might play it at Christmas , it's a big family gathering in France ( where my sister now lives) and I'm painting figures for a big Napoleonic game for various family members but my grand niece is a very active D&D player, although without figures but I can see it as a Christmas game, make a change from monopoly!
    Best Iain

    ReplyDelete
  3. WOW the memories this invokes....I remember you introducing me to Savage Worlds...it was great fun! I am just trying to recall if you ran something at Fallcon or was it an adventure heading off to your place with Chris to play? Roleplaying is one of those things that has sadly fallen by the wayside as life continues...I think part of it being, those whom I grew up with playing, are scattered to the winds these days.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "Anonymous"...? Who Dis?!

      Strangely, the pandemic got me running role-playing games again. Before things even shut down, the writing was on the wall, so I helped Finnegan sort out Roll20 and got thinking, "hey! I could do this too!" I'd been talking to Woody the previous summer and the Pandemic was the impetus to get things going. It also happened that NO ONE WAS DOING ANYTHING for those first few months, so everyone always showed up... As stuff opened up again, people were less available again... Trying to get something going again for this fall.

      Delete
    2. Oh its me, Terry, been dealing with this silly Anonymous stuff lately with changes to blogger

      Delete