Hello everybody, today I have something different for you. I want to share the things that really made me say "I HAVE to play D&D." Without those things it would be tough to say I would still be playing today, let alone writing this and podcasting games. Yep, it is safe to say that these are not the things that drove me to the blog or the podcast, but drove me into D&D. Without them I would not have been willing to take to the DM's seat in order to play. You see, I was the one who was willing enough to step up into that chair early on. To take the extra time, to get the books together, and to run the show. Shout out to everyone who has done the same because no matter the group there had to be that first DM. So my basic premise here is to stroll down memory lane and reveal to you the works that got me here. Most of these could be recognized by you all and I encourage you to share your own stories!
The Ballad of Baron No-Nose
There are all of a handful of people who will read this and recognize the story, but it was how I got introduced into D&D. Baron No-Nose was a dwarf you see, and one of the most dwarf-iest dwarfs you could know. Amidst the tales shared to me by my dad, who played AD&D, of Zzaappuumm, the brothers Dhum, and horrendous traps, was Baron No-Nose. He got his name after a giant rat bit it clean off, by the way. Anyways, when D&D was first explained to me for what it was, his story was prominent. Why? The unlikely event of multiple natural 20s in a row. Baron No-Nose, through some insane and cocky actions, managed to find himself chained to a statue for sacrifice by lizardfolk. Completely naked and without any gear of any kind of course. What happened next was twenty after twenty. The dwarf would proceed to break his bonds, wield them as weapons against his captors, and escape with his life. Nothing exemplifies D&D like a classic style fantasy story tossed together with the obvious ability to do what ever you want and, in the obvious face of utter destruction, perform actions worthy of any bard's tale. Needless to say, I was hooked.
Baldur's Gate & Icewind Dale
When I was somewhere around 10-13 years old I had heard of D&D. I had looked through all the old Dragon issues my dad still had (which I still have today), and come up with plenty of my own ideas and imaginings. And while the N64 and Dreamcast were great systems for me at the time, PCs had a handful of games I couldn't play anywhere else that just got my attention. Many of you were probably introduced through Planescape Torment or Pool of Radiance, but me? I was hooked into Baldur's Gate. It was the first D&D game and I literally had no idea what I was doing. I knew when armor was better and what stats to make highest. But I had yet to grasp the ability to synergize much or optimize (let alone min-max anything). So there I was left in a challenging game, playing exactly whatever I wanted to make, and exploring a massive world. It was incredible and I can still remember finding the ogre in the first area and trying over and over until I defeated him only to be rewarded with a belt that cursed my into a female. This was my earliest introduction to check the magic item first. Because of my love of that game, despite never getting very far, I got Icewind Dale. I never beat it but managed to get incredibly far and played the games for countless hours. This was when I got to make a whole party and imagine why they were together, how they could work together, and how strategies could work with them. It was almost as if I were already leading a party or DMing.
Lord of the Rings
While my father ran a few games for us off books, I had obtained the 3rd Edition books from my local Electronics Boutique (back when we still had them instead of EBGames and later GameStop). Whenever I could I would snatch up more books. Birthdays, Christmas, you name it. I loved them and I ran very minor "sessions" on occasion. But when I read Lord of the Rings and saw how much there was to Tolkien's world. I knew I had to play more and run more games. My dad a great many works of his own creation and began to do the same. There are many old maps and notes I still have from those early days of world-building, most never having been used. But there I was reading Lord of the Rings and neeeeeding to create my own stuff to one day tell stories in.
World of Warcraft
For a while I didn't play many games, and I will probably go into greater detail in the future about why I didn't play much and stopped DMing. As well as how 4th Edition turned that all around (yep 4E). But a big part of that and a big influence on me has been the World of Warcraft and Blizzard, in general. I began playing because I enjoyed other MMOs, but wanted something I could get in on the ground floor and was fantasy. I had played Star Wars Galaxies and City of Heroes and even Asheron's Call, but to no great extent. But the World of Warcraft was the most immersive, explore-able, fleshed out world I could remember. I was astounded by its breadth, not in small part to it being my first exposure to the world. That, and I got my friends playing. And then I got my friends in college playing. And then I met a guild from which I have some of my best friends now. Oh did I mention I DM three of my old guildmates every Wednesday-ish now? You see Warcraft, and other Blizzard games, have a depth of lore and continuous growth that still holds MMO records. Add to that the books I have read most of now and the social interactions of dungeon crawling with friends. It influenced and influences me as a table top gamer. It really was the funnest thing I could do while still having that inkling of "you could do this and so much more with D&D". So, throughout my time playing it, if I wasn't DMing, I was creating.
Now, nearly everything I read, see, or play has some kind of creative relation to D&D and the other table-top games. It must be that way for many. I mean who doesn't see a movie and start assigning D&D classes to the characters?
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