What set you down the path of D&D geekdome?

[SuperMunch]

Let's see...

I started off on Rogue, graduated to Hack then to Nethack.  From then on a long line of SSI's Forgotten Realms games and finally... Neverwinter Nights.

As for PnP, I was a lazy reader when I was a kid despite chewing on three to four books a month (lots of time while I waited for Duck Tales and Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers on TV - I still love those shows).

I got started in The Hobbit and Dragonlance like most others here but I stopped my trek into books and took up cyberpunk and modern sci-fi novels for a while until, about... seven years ago.  Since then I've torn through Heinlein, Asimov, Heinlein, A.C. Clarke, Gibson, Dick, Heinlein, Stephenson, Heinlein, Stephenson and quite a few others.

Tolkien and CS Lewis are also high on my list and their books are very worn through from my rereads.

However, of all this I wrote, what started me into the world of D&D geekdom was the original Nethack, I so loved the game that I had to grok it's context so I got the boxed D&D games, then the AD&D books.

In fact, I still love it, despite NEVER ascending nor even getting to the Wizard himself - the game's so dense I can play it for hours and I can't really get over it.  I have a copy of it on every PC I own, but I can't load it up unless I have two to three hours to kill.  My work machine has it installed, eight servers I manage have it also - quad Xeons 3.8Ghz servers with 2.5Tb RAID5 storage with 16Gb of RAM running a text game, there's something about it that makes me very happy.

You know, talking about it makes me want to fire it up, but I'll resist or else Freldo's gonna go on a few weeks hiatus.  

My work email signature is the Bridge of Khazad'dum scene from the Lord of the Rings depicted in Nethack fashion, with added "-- more --" goodness.

[Chuckles_McChuck]

My dad got pulled into it with LOTR and shortly after his best friend introduced him to D&D, which he ended playing for years and years after.  He then introduced me into the game at a very young age.

[Serissa]

My son wanted to play D&D in the early eighties, back when it was considered dangerous to young minds. I became the neighborhood DM so that I could keep an eye on him. He lost interest after a while, but I was thoroughly hooked. I played single person computer games until I discovered online play--which is definitely dangerous to adult minds. I'm hopelessly addicted to Layonara.

[Faldred]

I actaully rmember playing early D&D (The "basic set" and eventually AD&D).  Also, games like Top Secret, Gamma World, Boot Hill, and Paranoia.

But looking back, I was clearly more of a "roll player" -- I was just a kid, after all.  Growing up, reading lots of fantasy and sci fi, and doing some high school drama work matured my thinking to the point where I was more capable of doing real "role playing", but by then, I didn't have a group to play with.

Fast-forward to present day.  Games like KOTOR2 and NWN allowed my to play characters that had impacts to the decisions they made.  I would select a persona to my character and try to be consistent when making choices, to reflect that persona.  The limitations of the engines wouldn't always have the right result (i.e., playing LN, doing something because it made sense from a "law" standpoint, but get an alignment shift towards LG because the engine couldn't determine intent and assumed it was a "good" action), but were close enough.

Layonara is my first foray into a MP environment since text-based MUDs some 15 years or so ago.  I'm enjoying it because I get a chance to truly "play" the character and interact with others doing the same.  My first character (Aeoleth Ellyn) is kind of sitting on the back burner -- I think I was a bit ambitious for a first character.  I fully intend to return to him someday (who knows, maybe he'll make an occassional appearance), but for now, I think I'll stick with a character (Zug) that's a little easier to play, both from the RP aspect, as well as the game aspect.

[Faldred]

SuperMunch - 3/23/2006  8:31 AM

However, of all this I wrote, what started me into the world of D&D geekdom was the original Nethack, I so loved the game that I had to grok it's context so I got the boxed D&D games, then the AD&D books.

In fact, I still love it, despite NEVER ascending nor even getting to the Wizard himself

I've gotten to the final level (Astral Plane) twice.  Once, I got killed one of the big nastys (Pestilence, Famine, or Death -- I forget which).  The other time, I completely was spacing out... and sacrified the Amulet on the wrong altar!  D'oh!

I believe the scoreboard description was "escaped in Celestial disgrace".  *Sigh*

[miltonyorkcastle]

I grew up fascinated with stories of all kinds, my mother reading them to me (including C.S. Lewis, the Bible, the Hardy Boys, etc.) and handing me down her old books.  

I did theatre quite a bit as a kid, as well as a lot of singing.  

Then there was the good old Nintendo...  the Legend of Zelda captivated me, and to this day I can navigate every nook and cranny of that 8-bit game with my eyes closed.  From there my interest in fantasy soared, and I read every bit of sci-fi and fantasy literature I could.

By highschool I still did some singing and acting, but was lost in the love of the game of American football, so it wasn't until college that I returned to a more artistic lifestyle, pursuing a degree in theatre.

It was in college that I discovered DnD (much to my mother's dismay), and other RPG's, as well as online gaming.  I found that RPG's complimented my interest in theatre nicely, in the mean time stumbling across NWN.  I was immediately drawn to it as I had by then read through the Forgotten Realms sourcebook multiple times, even DMing some campaigns set in Faerun.  I missed the whole BG experience, and still have yet to play it, unfortunately.

I guess that's about it in a nutshell.  My newest interest is writing fantasy literature, but that's still in its infancy.

[xXDenizeNXx]

miltonyorkcastle - 3/24/2006  12:50 AM
  My newest interest is writing fantasy literature, but that's still in its infancy.

Good luck with that Milton. Maybe you should ask L if you can use his world as a source and maybe you'll both be rich! Never know they seem to be into making fantasy trilogy movies atm

[miltonyorkcastle]

*chuckles*  that's a heck of a lot of writing....  would be more than a trilogy with Layo...  and would need multiple multiple authors....

[Niles09]

not really sure when it started... Ive found old cartoons from when Ive must been 2 years or so (cant remember making them, but my sister could) of Robin Hood.
Ive just always been fascinated by knights and tales, and had huge imagination. Ah and BG can take part of the credit for me ending up in Pnp and Dnd.

[Zen]

I was bored and had some friends that played "Chainmail" and it was a reason to hang-out and get drunk. (in my not-nice years)
Then someone bought the D&D book and we started to convert (it was still Gygax) So with D&D / AD&D / Traveler / AD&D 2nd / AD&D 3rd DMing for my son only / Thats my PnP history.  

Computer: started with Rouge on DOS (yes before Windows) then Pool of Radience / Dongeon Hack etc etc and yes Rouge was out of boredom.  

Misc. Games: Illumnati, Nucular War (card game), Magic Unlimited to just after WotC bought it and trashed it just to make more money.

ok as you can see I'm old hehe

[NEXUS7]

The Women

[Filatus]

NEXUS7 - 3/23/2006  8:38 PM

The Women

ROFL!