Friday, February 2, 2018

Discussion: Formative Experiences

On Wendesday I talked about Quest For Glory, a favored PC game from my childhood and one that had a tremendous impact on how I view games and gaming.

Today I want to ask you about your own formative experiences. What games, stories, or movies in your childhood brought you into the hobby or got you into gaming in general? What taught you what a good game should have? What inspired you to take up the mantle of a DM/GM if you've made the leap?

Quest for Glory is definitely one for me. Along with that I have to thank my cousin John who got me into the hobby, quite literally. John was the first GM I ever had, making games out of Marvel collectible cards and stat blocks and leading from there to D&D to Heroes Unlimited and into a slew of other games. The other two big impacts would be the Dragonlance Chronicles (Dragons of Autumn Twilight, Dragons of Winter Night, and Dragons of Spring Dawning) and the movie 13th Warrior.

Dragonlance Chronicles have taken many people into the hobby, but they're also wonderful stories of a group of adventurers. I've heard rumors that the stories are based off Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's D&D campaign - thus spawning millions of people trying to do the same with their own novel ideas - but I've never seen it verified one way or the other. Even then, I'd be willing to bet they took some dramatic license.

13th Warrior beyond being an exceptional movie had an impact from perspective. Antonio Banderas is definitely the focal character for the story, but he is not the main character of the story. The perspective shift makes a good point for gaming, where other players can be important even as a story focuses on one.

How about you?

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