happy anniversary, D&D!

Cora in Austria.


It looks like our children's concert at OVFF is going to be at Sunday from 12-12:30 pm, a half-hour joint concert with Ookla the Mok. Many thanks to Mary and Emily for coordinating the programming. It's been quite a few years since UT and Ookla have performed together, so this should be lots of fun. The Hockey Monkey Song is on the playlist, of course. Anyone with a child or who is still a child at heart is welcome. :-)

Saw "I (heart) Huckabees" last night with Parki. Entertaining movie with some clever writing; I just wish it had a stronger story. There were some very funny scenes, however, and I LOVED the interaction between Lily Tomlin and Dustin Hoffman.



Intriguing sculpture in the Schloss.


So it's the 30th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons today. How many of you out there were or are into D&D and other roleplaying games, online or offline? I'm curious.

I found out about D&D through Games magazine when I was eleven, was SUPER-excited about the concept, ordered it as soon as it was available, then spent weeks waiting anxiously by the mailbox. When it finally arrived, I happily pored over the manual, created a campaign, did the maps, etc., then inflicted it on my family.

In the first session, when my family came across a candlelit cave with a creepy vampire coffin, my brother and sister got too scared (heck, I admit scaring myself as well) and my parents nixed the game permanently. And thus ended my first and only stint as Dungeonmaster. I didn't even think about trying to get my friends to play; they would think it too weird, I knew. My notes and maps ended up in the trash.

In high school, I heard that the War Games club was playing D&D and got all excited again, but unfortunately it didn't work out. I was the only girl, and it was clear that my presence was putting a crimp in their style. They kept apologizing whenever there was violence, for instance, and were WAY too polite. Augh. I never came back.



Vendor at farmer's market.


At university, I participated in several campaigns under DMs like Tom West (I had a wimpy magic user named Rowena), Andy (hobbit thief named Charity), Reid (Heroes game, can't remember my character), Mark Thompson (Xlaw campaign), John Chew (2nd edition of D&D, Oriental Adventures supplement). Jeff played D&D as well, though he and I were never in a campaign together. Jeff's games group played D&D last night in honour of the anniversary. Hey, my friend Harald just posted in Blatherchat:

"Xlaw is called Rolemaster now; I'm in two ongoing campaigns. :-)

We're having a D&D session tonight in honour of the anniversary. When I created my character I realized that I've never actually played a D&D mage before; I've always played in campaigns where the D&D magic system was replaced with Spell Law."

I no longer play D&D, but more because of a busy schedule than lack of interest. Creating a character usually takes a lot of effort, time and record-keeping, and then (at least for me) the sessions themselves need to be fairly frequent, else the immediacy and interest fade. Sometimes I wonder how we managed to find time for studying amidst all the gaming and socializing. :-)

But I loved the imaginative and storytelling element, the challenge of figuring out the rules and riddles of another world. Now I get my fix through reading and writing sf/fantasy instead. Very cool that my friend Reid plays D&D with his son and stepson from time to time.

I do still feel the occasional twinge of nostalgia, remembering those hours immersed in someone else's invented world with my companions, our fates sometimes hinged on a single roll of a 20-side die....

Happy Anniversary, D&D!

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