I have been playing D&D for over 26 years, originally I found the
Deities & Demigods at the Duluth public library in Minnesota. I was 10 years old and the cover just called to me, I thought it was so cool that I ended up keeping it, yes I know we had to pay the fines, at least I hope we did. Ah the pictures at that time that's all that mattered since reading was an issue for me. Those pictures were amazing, we didn't have cable every where then or computers like today mostly they were black screens with green letters, we look through comic books, went to the arcade and played outside until the street light came on. But those pictures they sparked an imagination that could not be contained, I would show all my friends and we would pick the deity we wanted to be and do battle, cast spells (using grass and leaves and sometimes dirt as spell effects that we would throw at each other), sticks as swords and bows, in fact I was known in the neighborhood as the weapons master, I created every thing I would tie string to the stick for bows and make arrows, I made crossbows with rubber bands, spears, I even made shurikens out of nails and plastic (that was a little dangerous). Little did we know that people sat at tables and rolled dice, (weird) they wrote down their characters on peaces of paper and someone told a story. Then in 1983 something wonderful happened
Dungeons and Dragons was on T.V. Saturday morning cartoons. Every Saturday I would watch and after it was over I be outside with friends playing D&D I was always Hank even though my name was Eric (who really likes their name at that age) we would go up to the wood by the T.V. towers and fight Venger and his evil minions, some days just like in the cartoon we would battle Tiamat and always end up running, it was fantastic! It was a few years later when I was visiting my uncle Wade and his family, that I discovered that Tom my new cousin had books and books and magazines
The Dragon what became
Dragon magazine. That was when I found out how to really play using dice of course (duh no more bruises). I got to play some real games and that turned out to just as fun I would play on and off for a few more years until my mother packed us up and moved us to a small town in Minnesota called Sleepy Eye maybe you heard of it, on
Little House on the Prairie, if your mother watched it. That's where I met my first and most cohesive group of players. Bob, Steve, Jason, Matt (Doc), Justin and of course Myself, as we played over the years more people would come and go. We had Magnus or Mag for short, Mike, Joe, Chris, Curtis and others I can't think of (sorry). During that time we all worked or went to school, I even started a hobby sore and you can guess what I sold. Eventually I moved to Florida and others moved or settled down with family Steve still DM's games regularly and I try to find groups. Lately though I haven't played in a group and it can be rough, so that's why I decided to start this blog and the wiki I really hope you enjoy.
Design Diary: Part VII: Running a Ptolus Campaign
