tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549940298295825812.post199055865103472937..comments2024-03-27T01:53:40.812-06:00Comments on Classic RPG Realms: What Makes RPGs So Special: A ConfessionSizzaxehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13715649618278080709noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549940298295825812.post-64099129377416282942016-08-26T13:31:36.706-06:002016-08-26T13:31:36.706-06:00Imagine being a fan of RuneQuest or even one of it...Imagine being a fan of RuneQuest or even one of its less popular variants. It's a wasteland out there.Ruprechthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00139664977453444000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549940298295825812.post-79387614734346399112012-06-13T19:50:20.049-06:002012-06-13T19:50:20.049-06:00The fact is, without a gaming community a gamer is...<i>The fact is, without a gaming community a gamer is but a reader of gaming books.</i><br /><br />I don't <b>know</b> what you mean by "community", but I guess.<br /><br />So I think: "Nope".<br /><br />You started gaming in'81, as did I, so maybe you remember what I remember: that your "gaming community" was a half-dozen schoolkids.<br /><br />And if you are telling me that you can't get SIX people to play the game you want to play as often as you want to play it...<br /><br />Then I know, yes, you are a grown man, but also, yes, you can't fix that by choosing the most popular edition of <b>any</b> game.<br /><br />Read.<br /><br />Wait.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549940298295825812.post-87692306451137542442012-06-11T20:54:13.214-06:002012-06-11T20:54:13.214-06:00I am the aforementioned younger brother. Chris ind...I am the aforementioned younger brother. Chris inducted me into the Realms of Elminster and The Harpers by running me and my friends through countless AD&D campaigns when I was a starry eyed 11 year old. In many ways, I believe Chris' contribution to gaming world is introducing people to the wonderful world of TTRPGs.<br /><br />And twenty years later, I'm still playing...every weekend. And yes, I am knee deep in 4e spanning three campaigns, two in which I play and one in which I spend hours devising ways to kill 8 of my best friends (which, as it turns out, is pretty hard to accomplish in 4e). I'm also up to my eyeballs in 5e playtesting groups and surveys. I try to motivate Chris to become involved, but while 5e holds much promise, it will never be the game that is 1e...unfortunately.<br /><br />The purpose in sharing the history of my personal introduction to gaming is to point out that Chris carries a bright torch to kids like me everywhere. I hate to see him toil with editions to such a degree that his gaming experiences are tainted. <br /><br />My purpose in providing the update as to my current gaming situation is to support the statement I'm about to make: while editions, systems, and platforms matter greatly in gaming experience, a good group can go a long way to enjoying whatever is being played at the dining room table.<br /><br />I remember feeling just like Chris does right now when I was in middle school. I'd been involved (obsessed really) in gaming for 3 years and my group fell apart. Friends moved away, others got interested in band/sports/girls or generally just lost interest. All I wanted to do was game. It sucked; I remember feeling lonely and consumed with reading about the game I wanted to play so bad. It lasted for years...looking back, I can't believe I couldn't find a group. Because of that simple inconvenience, I didn't game at all during the time of 3e-3.5e (though I got into PF for sometime). <br /><br />Fast forward to now: I've been gaming consistently again for sometime, and while I do NOT love 4e, it's the only game I could find a group to play. Two groups later and still playing 4e, I can appreciate 4e for what it is. I REALLY like what I see and have played of 5e, but that's still years away. Regardless, the experience of gaming has superceded my edition preferences. And I've realized that what occurs when I game (incidently what Carr and Gygax refer to in Chris' post) is greater than the edition I'm playing. Because I've already decided that I'm not ever going to go on a "gaming fast" if I can help it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549940298295825812.post-166178303035396992012-06-11T09:22:10.077-06:002012-06-11T09:22:10.077-06:00Hey, you're not alone. Though I have a steady ...Hey, you're not alone. Though I have a steady group to game with these days, I've also felt like I'm scrambling to find a silver key of my own with which to access the roleplaying of my youth. So perhaps I've slipped into the bad nostaligia that stops progress in the present in favor of staring back longingly at the past. Perhaps this is what you are going through as well. But it can't last forever...can it? I know it's tough to reach out to find new gamers. But it might be the only way you will get what you are looking for. If it gets you back to the gaming you are wishing for, isn't it worth reaching out?Anthony Simeonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04312134763577949405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549940298295825812.post-63714612746404144212012-06-10T16:02:23.709-06:002012-06-10T16:02:23.709-06:00I hear you on this one. Where you are now is where...I hear you on this one. Where you are now is where I was a couple of years ago - no group, no players except for my 7-year-old son. I'd contacted other gamers in the area but they were into C&C and Mystara, which didn't really do it for me - I'd only ever gamed 1e and wanted to stick with the edition I loved and knew intimately (plus Mystara was too real-world for me and too over-detailed). I put posters up in the local library only to have them mysteriously removed (never did find out why). So I ran games for my son with him running four or five characters, learning the ropes of 1e; then, one by one he began to talk to his friends at school about the game, and one by one they came to the table. It was a long and painstaking business, one in which my wife (who volunteers at the school) did sterling work bigging up the game (she also plays). Now we have six players and one of those may be ready soon to start DMing. <br /><br />What I'm trying to say is, use what you've got (the 13-year-old?); I'd get him totally immersed in one-player games till he starts to tell his friends what they're about and you never know, you might start getting some more players who recognise 1e for the work of genius it is. <br /><br />I didn't compromise on edition because I had the books, couldn't afford to invest in another system and the love of 1e still flowed through me. I consider myself gifted to be in a position to pass it on to the next generation. I hope it works out for you too.Daddy Grognardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05559857164172090739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549940298295825812.post-74609134614835590862012-06-09T12:02:31.340-06:002012-06-09T12:02:31.340-06:00Geez man : p
Maybe stop looking for people who wa...Geez man : p<br /><br />Maybe stop looking for people who want to play AD&D and just look for people who want to play Dungeons & Dragons and don't know much about editions.<br /><br />OR, do what I do, reach out to friends or coworkers who seem likeminded but have never played D&D. If you get them in a first session and it's a blast they are likely to come back. Most of my games have at least a few people who are completely new and they are always the most fun to play with.<br /><br />Failing all that, just play 3e or PF or whatever else but manipulate it to play more like AD&D. It's really pretty easy to do. I think you may have even talked about it on here before. <br /><br />I get where you are coming from but if you put too much thought and effort into this you're going to wake up 10 years later realizing that you've barely gamed at all and you should have just been playing 5e or Pathfinder this whole time ; pOzrethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288579174927754869noreply@blogger.com