Pen and Paper RPG Nerds unite!

[Barbarian]

One of the other barbershop threads got me thinking.

Who else enjoys a good pencil and paper RPG in addition to their shaving addiction?

I am not afraid to bring this up since my avatar obviously demonstrates my nerdiness!

I am currently playing Shadowrun 3rd edition once a week!

 

[Ken Tanaka]

Back in the day it was AD&D, Twilight 2000 and Shadowrun.

20 years ago...

A lot of fun I thought.


Cheers!

 

[taprater]

One of the other barbershop threads got me thinking.

Who else enjoys a good pencil and paper RPG in addition to their shaving addiction?

I am not afraid to bring this up since my avatar obviously demonstrates my nerdiness!

I am currently playing Shadowrun 3rd edition once a week!

Being the one that started said thread yeah me and some friends get together about 2-4 times a week and play.

 

[fidjit]

Back in the day it was AD&D
20 years ago...A lot of fun I thought.

mmm, AD&D and Traveller.....

mmmmmm 29 + years ago........

 

[Mr. Igg]

mmm, AD&D and Traveller.....

mmmmmm 29 + years ago........

Yeah...and there was a secret agent one, but the name escapes me...oh, and Gamma World...man, I'm old...

 

[soapbox]

Yeah...and there was a secret agent one, but the name escapes me...oh, and Gamma World...man, I'm old...

Top Secret.

(pass the Geritol)

 

[soapbox]

Being the one that started said thread yeah me and some friends get together about 2-4 times a week and play.

four days a week? wow, that's strong commitment. I wish I had that kind of time to do...um, anything recreational!

But I do miss the RPGs, and Steve Jackson board games.

 

[FLTiger]

Just saw this thread. I'm 40 years old and I've been playing D&D since I was twelve. I've been playing with the same group of folks since I was 16, and we still meet once a month.

When I was much younger, I used to play much, much more, both in time spent, and different games played. I recall playing Traveller for one campaign. I also ran a Gamma World campaign that was loosely based on Atlas Shrugged.

I played in a Champions campaign that proved to me that RPG's don't have to be serious to be fun. "Regulator Guy" was a lot of fun to play, and there was something satisfying about dropping 20d6 for damage.

I tried to get a Vampire campaign off the ground, but could never generate sufficient interest. The system was...too different, too loose for most folks' tastes. I did do some LARP'ing at a couple of 'cons, though--that was fun.

I still have a bookshelf full of resource books and boxes, going all the way back to the orange-spined AD&D books. Of course, now all you need is a computer and the PDF's from Crystal Keep and you are good to go.

And, as I said before, we're still playing. I've been working out the details of a new character, a polearm-wielding fighter who maximizes his use of attacks of opportunity and swings a weapon that does x4 on a successful threat (bec de corbin, lucerne hammer).

Nerd on!

 

[Barbarian]

I am 38 and have played various RPGs since I was in sixth grade. My two best buddies and myself play once a week, as long as the SWMBO allows. As I said before, currently playing Shadowrun 3E.

A couple of my favorite games are Champions: New Millenium, and Warhammer Fantasy RP.

One thing I have learned over the years is that there is no need to upgrade and play new editions of anything. Just costs you money (like new razors).

I also collect vintage D & D stuff going back to 1974.

 

[taprater]

Only reason I play that much is we play at work just got started though right now I have a level 2 paladin that the rest of the party thinks is crazy since he worships a god that doesn't exsist. The god is the only real in another gods mind that has Schizophrenia.

 

[waterbear]

Still have the ORIGINAL (and unplayable) red D&D rulebook!
My favorite was T&T from Flying Buffalo (Tunnels and Trolls). It was a simple system that allowed for more roleplaying and less bookkeeping. It also had a LOT of solo dungeons and excellent solo rules.
Played a lot of Traveller, Starfleet Battles, AD&D, and my favorites:
Call of Cthulhu
Car Wars with the expansion sets that added roleplay
Toon (probably the MOST fun you can have and not break any laws!)
Illuminati, (with the expansion set that introduced cheating and the rules for it!)
Magic Realm (Avalon Hill's role playing board game, still used a hex grid like their war games!)

Back in the 70s and 80s I used to get together with a groups of about 6 friends twice a week to game. It might have been an RPG, a simulation like Civilization or a board game like Dune or we might just play the classics like bridge or mah johng! I also used to spend time gaming online on GENIE and Compuserve (before the internet) in the gamer's forums they hosted. Used to get involved in the online RPGs and played in some of the very early MUDS that GENIE experimented with.
In the 90s I was still getting together with friends several times a week to game but the games had changed to spades, hearts, and bridge with the occasional poker game (different group of friends!)

Yeah, I'm a nerd. What of it?

 

[FLTiger]

One thing I have learned over the years is that there is no need to upgrade and play new editions of anything. Just costs you money (like new razors).

There were several of us who were basically drug kicking and screaming from AD&D to 2nd edition, then to 3.0, and finally to 3.5. The transition to 3.5 was the only one where game play actually seemed to improve.

The reasons for keeping up with the current editions were stronger back then. New players who showed up were more likely to know the latest edition. Before the Internet, old books would become scarce, while the latest edition was always available. Newly-published gaming resources would have to be retooled or retrofitted for the older edition. If you planned on playing at a 'con, you needed to show up ready to play the latest and greatest (especially if it was official). Plus, in some ways, each subsequent edition was a little easier for new players to play.

That said, we've drawn the line in the sand--no more. We're not taking on new players, we're all to old for 'cons, and with ebay and the Internet, there are plenty of resources out there even if we were to bring in someone new.

 

[Barbarian]

Played carwars and battletech a lot.

Funny thing in Carwars, I remember owning everyone elses vehicles with Flechette guns. Then some 'new' guy told me flechette guns were anti-personnel. Made my car useless and I turned out to be the noob, lol.

We have tried a few times over the years to add another player and it never works out. We are too set in our ways. We have started bringing our teenage sons along just recently. We can tell them to zip it if they get annoying, hehe.

 

[Confuzius]

How do you go about starting to play something like D&D?
I'm interested in it, but the barrier to entry seems pretty steep, especially since none of our friends play or know anyone that plays.

 

[FLTiger]

How do you go about starting to play something like D&D?
I'm interested in it, but the barrier to entry seems pretty steep, especially since none of our friends play or know anyone that plays.

Find a gaming shop in your area where RPG's (role-playing games) are sold. Stop by at a time when you think it might not look too busy, and express your interest to those* running the shop. These shops are almost always staffed by enthusiasts who really do like talking about games and gaming all day long.

Quite often, these stores provide gaming boards (and I mean physical bulletin boards) where folks post about their gaming interests and DM's (dungeon masters or game masters) post about openings in their games. Some shops even host games in a back room, often on Friday or Saturday nights.

Should you find yourself watching a game in progress, remember that the quality of the game depends on the preparedness, knowledge, and creativity of the DM, and the level of involvement from the players. Different gamers seek different objectives, and one unappealing session is not reason to set aside your interest in the game (or even that particular gaming group).

*Note: some folks who work in these shops are socially challenged, but most should be friendly and helpful.

 

[SiBurning]

I really miss doing this. For a while, there was a group doing this over the internet through a chat-like program. It did some calculations and maps, but it was essentially the pen and paper game.

 

[NightLad]

I'm one of those people who would have been all over it, but I never had any groups to play with. I even read the rule/game books all by myself.

But then computer RPGs caught up and I was in D&D heaven.

I also missed the boat on Vampire: The Masquerade... even missed out on the CCG, which I only recently discovered literally 2 months before the local comic shop that hosts games is moving away. Apparently they've been organizing games for 5 years. Le sigh. Maybe I was just never meant to enjoy these things with others.

 

[Mycon]

Played carwars and battletech a lot.

Ah now THAT'S what I like to see! My brother got me into Battletech so long ago I can't even remember NOT playing it. I got my friends on it a few years back, and we've had a blast. The only bad part with the newer battles, is without fail someone ALWAYS takes an Ultra AC20 to the head within the first bleeping combat round.
Did you hear that the head of Fasa got the rights back and is even heading up a brand-new Mechwarrior PC game?

We used to play DnD (3.0-3.5) every Friday, but I've since grown distant with that group.

 

[Barbarian]

I haven't played Battletech for a long time. I remember when it first came out and was called Battledroids. When I went off to college I lost all my miniatures, etc. It was a real bummer so I quit playing.

 

[sturgeon]

I was really into RPG's when I was younger. I played Traveller, Shadowrun, D&D, gamma world, star fronteirs, top secret, and BattleTech. I tried to get into car wars, but no one wanted to play! Shadow run was my favorite followed by battletech. I had a good GM in a previouly established game for SR, that's probably why I liked it so much. We weren't groping in the dark with rules and storylines.

Tim