Dungeons & Dragons 30 Day Challenge, Day 1: How I Got Started

How did I get started? Wow, that’s a question shrouded in the mists of history. I’m not sure I can remember all the details.

This thing right here started it all.

I had to have been about 8. My brother had been playing Dungeons & Dragons for a little while at this point, using the now classic original Red Box that my father had bought him. And all I can remember was that big dragon on the cover, and being told that it was like playing a game of the Hobbit, only we get to be the characters and decide on what happens. And with that description, I knew I wanted to play.

I can’t remember who the DM in that first game was, my dad or my brother, but it was my dad that convinced my brother to let me play. I remember being in a small group, I think of friends of mine at the time from school. We rolled up characters, which was a cool experience. Remember, we knew nothing of min/maxing or race/class combo’s. Races weren't even an option, really, Elf and Dwarf were classes. What we did know was that we could make up our own fantasy heroes, characters that novels would be written about, and that would maybe show up in a Rankin/Bass animated movie.

I made up a dwarf, because I loved the idea of a burly, stocky warrior with a massive battle axe. I can’t remember what I called him, but I remember that many goblins were slain by his axe that first adventure. I also don’t recall there being much of an actual story in that first game. We entered an underground complex, fought monsters and took their loot. I do remember that this dwarf of mine died in a blaze of glory taking on some large creature, like an ogre or something similar.

Over the years, my dad was the DM for many of the adventures that my friends and I would play through, and eventually, I started DMing on my own, because my dad wasn't always available, because I wanted to tell the stories, and because I had the rule books. I've since gone on to play other games over time, but I always seem to come back to good old Dungeons & Dragons. Not for nostalgia’s sake. But because it’s a good game, and always a lot of fun.