In Perspectiva: Capitulum I
To put things into Perspective, at least from a Gaming context, I should tell you a little about myself. I've been Gaming, both Wargames and RPGs, since 1973 - a little over 3 1/2 decades now - when I was 8 years olde ....not counting all of the Army Men that I annihilated before I discovered real, proper Wargames, or all of the different characters that I created in my own imagination or wrote about before I ever discovered RPGs (that is, before RPGs existed).
As a child I had a somewhat...active imagination. I didn't have many friends, mainly because - to be honest - I found most people to be, well...odd. I would want to discuss something interesting that I had read in a book - something like a new scientific discovery - and they would look at me like I had two heads. I read War and Peace (in three weeks...granted, with the help of a dictionary. I supposed I was a little introverted as a child) at the age of 8 and then my Teacher thought I made it up. Well, that, combined with a lot of other similar Social Interactions, made me not want to be around people too often - if at all. I read a lot, listened to music, tried to write my own short stories (not very good ones, I'll admit. My dreams of being an Author never quite panned out.), and generally stayed to myself. Then, I discovered this group of people, some of them older than myself (ok...most of them were older...even if they were 9 and 10, a big thing when your 8!!!) who were like me. They actually talked to me - not at me...they actually asked my opinion...and they were interested in similar things, like Science and History!!! Our little group (5 of us), we the terror of the School and Local Library (Ok...not quite "terror," more like well-behaved miscreants, but we were inseparable for several years.). We'd spend time looking through books trying to figure out stuff about History. If I remember correctly, we were hooked on the Napoleonic Era at this time (I think it was the Uniforms...don't know why, but we thought they were cool!). From Napoleon's rise to his defeat and exile, to his 100-day return and defeat at Waterloo in 1815, to Emperor Napoleon's death in 1821 (Murdered on Elba by one of the Coalition Allies!!!). We thought we knew everything about History. As for out Science interest...it extended primarily into the realm of wanting to know how things worked and how to blow things up. Fun...but dangerous. This interest in History (and Science) was only the beginning...for this was to lead to a lifelong love of Wargames and RPGs, as you, Friend Gamer, will soon see. |
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A Little War, Mr Wells...Wargame 101
I was introduced to the idea of Gaming, per se, by the discovery of a copy of Little Wars by H.G. Wells, a Wargame that was billed as "A Game for Boys from twelve years of age to one hundred and fifty and for that more intelligent sort of girl who likes boys' games and books" (My Apologies to all the Lady Gamers out there, but this is from the original text) at a Flea Market in 1973 (Flea Markets were all the Rage in the 70's and early 80's...). I was eight at the time, and roped my friends into playing it. After trying to follow the rules, it became apparent that we were missing some important components. We didn't have the breechloader gun or any of the tin soldiers the game mentioned, but we did have green and blue army men and a great deal of imagination...and in place of the breechloader we tried to modify some mouse traps, which was a somewhat painful experience. We eventually settled on launching our shells - actually ball bearings - via spoons at ground level.
We set about fighting, with our makeshift forces, different battles in History! The Battle of Bunker Hill (Lots of Pillows Used!), the Battle of Trenton (1st and 2nd), and many others. Of course, one of our favorite battles was Waterloo, 18 June 1815, with each of us trying to defeat the Seventh Coalition with the French Forces of Napolean! It was a great time, until one of our shells (ie: ball bearings) broke one of my mother's Hummel Figurines - a little boy holding a sheep or cat, though I can't remember which one nowadays. However, I can remember my Mother's reaction. Let's just say that we were no longer allowed to play in the house and it was a day or so before I could sit down without wincing. After that we continued gaming outside, in the grass and dirt, which lent a sense of realism to everything - as well as being an excuse to get dirty. |
Purchase Little Wars at DriveThruRPG
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Of Chainmail & Miniatures...Wargame 102
The next year I was introduced to Chainmail , which was developed by Lake Geneva Tactical Studies Association members Gary Gygax and Jeff Perren and published by Guidon Games. Compared to Little Wars, Chainmail was simultaneously easier and more complex. Easier, in the fact that the rules were written in modern, 1970's English and were designed for the modern Wargamer. More Complex in that it used dice, required critical thinking and there were a lot of rules. Rules for Terrain, Morale, Fatigue and different types of Combat. Another thing that Chainmail provided was a load of fun. Not that Little Wars wasn't fun, it was. It was just that with Chainmail we were able to actually have real, proper combat where we could annihilate each others Armies with proper Rules! I still have some fond memories of all those battles. "Sigh"
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Here Be Dragons...Roleplaying 101
The next year, 1975, I was given, as a Christmas present, the Dungeons and Dragons Boxed Set. Initially I thought it was a supplement for Chainmail, which is understandable from it's description as "Rules for Fantastic Medieval Wargames, Campaigns Playable with Paper and Pencil and Miniature Figures." However, I and my fellow Wargamers were soon to discover differently. This Supplement turned out to be something entirely new. Instead of controlling Armies, you controlled an individual, and instead of fighting against each other you cooperated with each other while participating in an adventure. Instead of fighting against soldiers and knights, we - through our Characters - were facing creatures like Skeletons, Orcs and Dragons!!!
Needless to say, we were hooked...and I've been hooked on RPGs ever since. Let's see. Christmas 1975 to today...that would make 36 1/2 years of RPGing (And Wargamming...). Yep...guess I'm officially olde. :p We spent several years playing Dungeons & Dragons, replete with sleepless weekends spent exploring different Dungeons, Caves and abandoned Ruins (We never did come to understand during those bygone days - or really ask at the time - why a Dragon was deep inside an abandoned underground Monastery...), and protecting our (not-so-well-thought-out) fantasy world from the evils-that-be. Fights, Clerics, Wizards, Elves, Dwarves...ahh...good stuff And then... |
Things Become Advanced...Roleplaying 102
...in 1977, TSR (Tactical Simulations Rules, Inc.), released Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. We didn't get to try it until the next year (Money Issue$...at the time I was 12 and earned my money from mowing lawns), but when we did we found a richer and more fulfilling gamer. Sadly, it was at this time that we lost our Dungeon Master - a 14 year olde who had been running our intense Explorations! His Father had taken a job in another state and, despite our protests, his parents just wouldn't let him stay behind. Our last few game sessions were some of the best that we had together. Still, we were left with a conundrum...nobody to GM. After sitting around and lamenting our situation, we decided that one of us would have to become the GM. None of the other individuals in the group wanted to do it, so I took up the mantle and became the groups GM (and, over the next 3 or so decades I have continued the fun - and "Evil" - activity of being a GM...or DM, Storyteller, GOD, etc...).
So, for Christmas 1977 I received some money as a present and promptly bought the new Advanced Dungeons & Dragons RPG System (Ok...I actually bought it in January 1978). After devouring the system - something that I seem to have a knack for - I introduced the group to it. We set down, created characters and I ran my first adventure (Which I spent something like three or four weeks on). It was a blast, with lots of mayhem and violence to be had. One of the things that we liked about the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons RPG System was that it just seemed to work better that it's predecessor. The combat and magic systems offered more options, and so did the the Races and the Classes...and of course, when it came to the Monsters, well, they opened up a whole new world. No longer were our imaginations limited to just the Underground (Dungeons, Caves, and Ruins), now, . All in all, the new Advanced Dungeons & Dragons was, for us - at the time- a better system. We still had fond memories of the Dungeons & Dragons White Set, and even recreated some of our Characters int he new Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game, but we were ready to move on and become "Advanced" - so to speak. |
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