I'm 28. I started playing at age 14 with the red and blue sets. Come to think of it I've been playing D&D longer than I I haven't this year. Yay I guess :-)
I'm surprised to find I'm actually younger that most of the posters here (if only by a few short years). It's funny how close we all are in age, though, and how most also started gaming round the same age.
I think it's tough for teenagers nowadays to start playing D&D when there's some many computer games out there that require less effort and give instant gratification regarding power, action, graphics, etc.
Since most of us 30 & 40 somethings grew up actually having to leave the house to play, we socialized more with the kids in the neighborhood--so when D&D came out often times it was a natural extension for the kids that played in the neighborhood, now teens, would now get together to play D&D.
I know that's being a bit overly general, but I don't think I'm too far off base here.
D&D requires quite a bit of effort and reading. 3.5 is easier to learn than ever, but 4 hours into it, you still don't know what the heck you're doing, at which point most teens (or people) for that matter, say f**k this!
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Farewell's points mirror closely my logic to why powergaming has become more prevelant. In the early years of RPGs, the players were typically avid readers and found the RPG a way to create their own stories without sitting in front of a typewriter (yeah, that long ago). Their games focused on the story aspects of the campaign rather than the mechanics of the game (albeit simple mechanics compared to today...except for those bloody 1E psionic mechanics...oi!).
Today I suspect a lot of new players come from the video connection, wanting to have an adventure that is uniquely theirs and not so "canned". Video games focus mostly on action and action is derived from the mechanics of the rules. To be a bad-ass in the video game, you need to have the best widgets and the most pumped up stats/abilities. This mentality translates to the RPG as the best stats/feat combos/prestige classes/magic weapons.
Realizing what that combo is takes reading/research which takes time. In the "MTV" generation, time comes in small chunks before the mind wants something else. This is where Farewell and my theories blend. The mechanics-driven generation will either find the rules and use them, or get bored trying and move back to the video game (or card game or miniature game or Texas Hold'em). The story-driven generation often pursues the mechanics but always has the story to fall back on.
And thus, the bell curve has shifted so that the average is still over that group that came in primarily in '81-'88.
I must say I'm pleased to see some new blood chiming in on the boards. It gives me hope that I'll continue to find new blood to add to my extended gaming family, adding new perspectives and concepts and keeping the Old Farts' games fresh and young.
...D&D requires quite a bit of effort and reading...
I've thought much the same thing. D&D is a complex game (though I wouldn't say hard). Then there's the price...
Jack
...D&D requires quite a bit of effort and reading...I've thought much the same thing. D&D is a complex game (though I wouldn't say hard). Then there's the price...
Jack
....which is why the teenagers need to get their parents into it so they can buy the core books :-) You really don't need all the add-ons, just PH, DMG and MM and take it from there for a homebrewed campaign.
Rexx,you're obviously very much on target, but my experience has been that players have always been very action oriented. As long as I've DMed, players have enjoyed a good story, but they were disappointed if the gaming session didn't have at least one or more knock down drag out combat sessions in it.
I think 3.5 recognizes that, yes, there are story-driven gamers out there who spend hours role-playing, but that they're probably closer to the end of the bell curve than the middle.
The rules have been cleaned up to emphasize cinematic action, but I don't think it's necessarily a result of the MTV generation (which, by the way , is us....I watched "Video killed the radio star" when MTV went on the air in '81 or '82)
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The rules have been cleaned up to emphasize cinematic action, but I don't think it's necessarily a result of the MTV generation (which, by the way , is us....I watched "Video killed the radio star" when MTV went on the air in '81 or '82)
Cinematic action? Ummm...I never thought of a game of chess as being "cinematic" (okay, cue "One Night in Bangkok" by Murrey's Head...) as the 3.x rules certainly play out that way.
And I'll redefine MTV generation: MTV generation when they actually showed something called a "music video" and post-video MTV.
Wow, you watched the launch of MTV? You must have had one of those satellite dishes in the backyard that are visible from the surface of the moon. :: smirk ::
Okay, topic hijacking will end now. Point is: I appreciate new-blood and hope to see more chiming in.
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...Okay, topic hijacking will end now. Point is: I appreciate new-blood and hope to see more chiming in.
Now topic-hijacking observed here! I think it fits into this thread!
Oh, and I remember my first seen music video on MTV when my parents bougth a satelite: MC Hammer with "Hammertime" How long ago this was...
That's pretty scary, Tom...did you buy any of those pants? Remember those flying carnivorous squirrels from 1st edition, I always wondered if he could skyglide with those pants...
Rexx--yes, new people to the hobby is good, whether they be 13 or 30.
My first post to the board...
I just turned 39 a few days ago and have been playing D&D since about 1978. I got a B2 boxed set for Christmas and played my first sessions with my mom at our kitchen table. My friends also had the boxed set, but for larger scale fighting we used the little silver Chainmail book for tabletop wargaming. I never really bought into the 2nd edition rules but I REALLY like the new 3.5, it seems to incorporate many great ideas while still paying proper homage to the old ways.
To this day, anytime a party enters a city or keep, the town guards leer down at the characters and demand them to "State your names and state your business!"
I'll raise the average by admitting I'm 50. I've been running a campaign for the past - I can't believe it! - must be about 15 years! I only have two players and one's my husband, so getting together isn't too hard. I had a fantasy book published in 2002, and I've just had another one accepted to come out next year. This time the world in the book will be based on my game world. D&D is a great way to develop worlds, my favourite hobby.
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Rexx--yes, new people to the hobby is good, whether they be 13 or 30.
Most definitely, F2K! One the best editions to my extended gaming family is a fellow that's my mother's age (circa 1948). Boy, can he play a bard! The bonus with Dean is he got his teenaged son and friends into the game too.
It's good to see a 50-something on this thread. I know they're out there as I see them at the Con's clinging to their "Fighting Men" and "Magic-users".
39, this is my first post and thought this was a great thread! Brought back a lot of memories. I began playing when my cousin visited from Ottawa and introduced me to the Steading of the Hill Giant Jarl when it first came out (1978?). Man, those hill giants were bad asses. I was hooked, played 1e with a group in high school, then university and even founded a group in the mill town I worked in! Haven't played much in the last 10 years but have subscribed to Dungeon since issue 97 (1st shackled city adventure, no mere coincidence). This month, an old D&D buddy and I have been trying out Fantasy Grounds. Very cool. 3e and 3.5 are ok but I miss the elegant, abstract simplicity of the 1e rules (what the hell is THAC0?)
39, this is my first post and thought this was a great thread! Brought back a lot of memories. I began playing when my cousin visited from Ottawa and introduced me to the Steading of the Hill Giant Jarl when it first came out (1978?). Man, those hill giants were bad asses. I was hooked, played 1e with a group in high school, then university and even founded a group in the mill town I worked in! Haven't played much in the last 10 years but have subscribed to Dungeon since issue 97 (1st shackled city adventure, no mere coincidence). This month, an old D&D buddy and I have been trying out Fantasy Grounds. Very cool. 3e and 3.5 are ok but I miss the elegant, abstract simplicity of the 1e rules (what the hell is THAC0?)
You're right. This thread is a blast. Besides where else can you find a bunch of "thirty somethings" (Wasn't that a TV show?) who know what the hell a THAC0 is? By the way, wasn't Jarl a frost giant? My memory is shot........
...To this day, anytime a party enters a city or keep, the town guards leer down at the characters and demand them to "State your names and state your business!"Well, let them come to the City of E.... - Oh, never mind!
Don't say it, or I'll have to breath!
GGG
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Thank you for the input, Randy. It's interesting to hear the "modern" perspective of how someone get's into the hobby. There are a lot of parallels to how I became interested in the game and why my interest was maintained and grew with time. Your point about nuturing the enjoyment of the game in others is right on. I suppose that's why I'm always looking for "new blood", regardless of their demographics. I had a wonderful experience of nuturing and I have Dungeon to thank for it.
I had noticed a letter to the editor in Dungeon #53 from a young fellow complaining about the adventures having too much roleplaying. Yeah, that caught my eye too. I noticed the fellow lived in the same small town as I did at the time. Though the issue was a couple years old, I figured I try and write the guy (he had included his mailing address) and see if he was still gaming. We made contact at the local gaming shop and his group of friends were 15, 15, 14, 13, and 12. I was 26 at the time, recently married (my wife gamed as well but that's a story for another time...), no kids. I met the parents to assure them we weren't whackos (well, beyond being gamers) and we had an incredible game that lasted three years. During that time I saw their "raw" love of fantasy mature into some incredible role/rollplaying skill. They weren't so much my gaming buddies but my little brothers. They're all scattered to the four-winds finishing up college now but we still get together for an annual game (Steading of the Hill Giant Chief as a matter of fact!). Besides nuturing some "youngsters" in gaming, I feel like I helped to nuture them in life. They are some of my closest friends to this day.
I hope you have luck in finding some "raw" players of your own, Randy, and you too can instill some RPing nuturing with them. Good luck.
Since I seem to hijack this topic with my anecdotes far too often, let me chime in some ages of people in my extended gaming "family" found on Difonix.com (using their screen names):
LironMaelstrom 31
Harlequino 32
Dingbat42 34
Vacendik 34
SLOmoot 24
No2Mullets 24
Aurin 22
Demitheus 21
Akuma 28
Pictblu 28
Na'ed 57
Minuetcat 18
Darth_Guinness 33
I think only four of the above read Dungeon on occasion but this may help the curve some (yes, I omitted a bunch more 30-somethings).
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To build a little on my previous post, the main group I currently play with is composed of three 40ish guys (all old-timers, at least one dating back to pre-1st edition AD&D, the other two to late 70s/early 80s I believe) and two 30something girls (both newbies who've only been playing for 3 or 4 years).
Hi there!
A friend of mine and I are just wondering what the average age of a Dungeon reader is.
I said between 28 and 31. I am 34 years old and play D&D since the age of 14!
So, how old are you ;) ???
35 and I've been playing since about 17. While members of my current group range from 27 to 40-something.
I turn 40 in two days. Yeeesh. Forty! I still feel 13 when I see a nything Dungeons and Dragons related, though, so no mid life crisis yet.
Well, at least when we all retire, we'll have a hobby.
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I'm still 37, last I checked.
I started playing in 4th grade, so I guess I must have been around 10. I had a copy of Blackmoor I bought in a hobbyshop. I don't know why I bought it, I think I thought it was a story or something, maybe a fancy comic book, and it sort of reminded me of a cross Conan and the Hobbit. A few months later I figured out it was a game and that I was missing some pieces so I went back to the hobbyshop (it was in a mall several towns away so i had to convince my mom I needed some pants for school or something)
I got a copy of the blue book and Keep on the Borderlands and as soon as I got back I tried to get someone to play with me, my friend John agreed, but he couldn't come over that day, so we played over the phone and I ran up a really big phone bill.
My mom got pissed.
The rest of the year I rode miles on my bike to anyone nearby that would play.
Now I just drive hundreds of miles to conventions in Indianapolis, or take a ferryboat into Manhattan.
My wife won't let me play over the phone either.
Dang I miss the 70s.
First of all, great thread. I always find it very inspiring, and also strangely beautiful, whenever I hear about those veteran gamers among us who haven't stopped enjoying our beloved hobby even in the face of "real life" demands, particularly so in the case of those who have introduced their own kids to the game, something I find really laudable. As a 27-year old guy whose old gaming group is starting to disintegrate, I hope I will manage to continue the tradition of bearded, middle aged D&D players who DM with their own kids and their friends!
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Hey Tim, it was great meeting you in the writing seminars at Gen Con (your thousand mile trip to Indianapolis). You might remember me lamenting the fact that I had no regular group for playtesting, ideas, etc. Well, when it rains it pours - my kids want to restart a campaign where they reached level 8, and I've rounded up a few people from my board game group for a new Silver Marches campaign. Ages, oldest to youngest, are 44, 43 (me), 41, 33, 18, 18, 17, 15, and 11.
Gotta go - lots of work to do and a couple Class Act articles to write...
I'm and oldie at 43. I run games for my kids and their friends (currently 16 kids ages 13 to 17). Of them, I think only one or two get Dragon and I'm the only one who gets Dungeon. I'll be the Dragon reader ages is lower than Dungeon...
Yay! 13 now!!!!!!!!!
At 19 years old, I guess I share the position with Onrie as one of the youngest subscribers to Dungeon. Sadly, I've never had the opportunity to actually play Dungeons & Dragons - but I guess reading all the books and Dungeon is ALMOST as fun. :)
I'm sorry to say that I can't agree with that statement.
40 been playing since 1978 (27 years) with B1 and G1. I guess I should get out more... Oh, yeah, grooming my son to get into D&D. He is only 4, but he likes the pictures in Dungeon. Didn't like the 'worms' having teeth on the one cover, though. I have Fantasy Forest, MB Heroquest and the old Dungeon game waiting for him...
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Hey Tim, it was great meeting you in the writing seminars at Gen Con (your thousand mile trip to Indianapolis). You might remember me lamenting the fact that I had no regular group for playtesting, ideas, etc. Well, when it rains it pours - my kids want to restart a campaign where they reached level 8, and I've rounded up a few people from my board game group for a new Silver Marches campaign. Ages, oldest to youngest, are 44, 43 (me), 41, 33, 18, 18, 17, 15, and 11.
Gotta go - lots of work to do and a couple Class Act articles to write...
Hey Russell,
Good hearing from you. Sounds like you got yourself a good crew going.btw. I have a weird e-mail address on some Miskatonic U. stationary I have to try. I'll be in touch.
Tim
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I am 38 and have been playing D&D off and on since about 81, and across two continents. I have always DMed with a horror bend. I mostly run campaigns in Greyhawk with Ravenloft rules…mostly. I had been buying Dungeon quite infrequently until recently. I found that the Age of Worms adventure path captured my interest, and now I am a devotee of the magazine. I did get a fright recently when the Newsagent mispriced the Magazine to 15:95AUD…ouch, that pricing problem was resolved promptly, I else where. The standard issue price is 11:95AUD and special 12:95AUD. Sorry, have wondered a bit in my dotage. Anyways thought you would be interested in what we pay in the wonderful land of Oz.
Cheers
DDM
40 been playing since 1978 (27 years) with B1 and G1. I guess I should get out more... Oh, yeah, grooming my son to get into D&D. He is only 4, but he likes the pictures in Dungeon. Didn't like the 'worms' having teeth on the one cover, though. I have Fantasy Forest, MB Heroquest and the old Dungeon game waiting for him...
I started out the same way, 1 and 2nd edition rulebooks and magic cards I found while attic diving.
This is some question. I am 38 years old and I have been playing D & D since I was in 8th grade in junior high school. I would have been 13 years old at that time. I bought that first basic box set and then moved to expert and then to advanced. The advanced game did seem just that to me at the time but my group and I caught on quick or at least we thought we did.
I am still gaming today. My old pals and I get together about once a month and we are finishing up TTOEE hopefully in Ocotber. We will be starting the Shackled City when we complete our current game. Oh, paladins have always been my favorite class to play.
I'm 34.
To be honest I'm not sure when it started. My stepmother (or soon to be stepmother... it gets kind of fuzzy) got me the old first edition Deities and Demigods (with the copywrited stuff they took out in the reprints) for my birthday, because my brothers and I liked mythology. I sort of acquired the rule books for 1st ed over time and way out of order.
Was unhappy when 2nd ed came out... tried to resist and ended getting a mini library of the books. And then nearly the same thing happened when 3rd ed came out. And now I've got a whole lot of 3.5 (but not everything... I'm not that rich and some things don't appeal to me).
I've DM'd and played. And yes, it's really weird to play with people in their early to mid 20's who have said, "I think I've heard about that [Clash of the Titans], isn't that the one about the Greek myths?"
I'm 26, and my husband is 27. We've been regular players since 3.0 came out. Tried many times to figure out second ed. but my poor brain couldn't grasp the concept of Thac0 *lol*
The youngest person we've gamed with was a very smart 6 yr old. Although, having our 3yr old ask what were doing and what monster that is (MM) is soo much fun...and a laughfest to watch her chase down the giant dice! Only 3 years to go *crosses fingers* I'll make a gamer out of her yet *cackles*
I'm 17 and I've been playing since Age 6 with Temple of Elemental Evil
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I...One is having a kid. One moved to Colorado. One decided to quit after 19 years! The last one got married and his wife isn't keen on him spending his Sunday nights away from home...
Oh man, I know this kind of stuff!
Don't get me wrong, I like all the wifes of my players (or ex-players) and it is ok, if they want to spend more time with their family. But, hell, we play once a month - is it so damn tough to get ONE FREE DAY per month when you are married and have kids?!Obviously it is, and so I feel lucky that I have still two players!
Oh my, the good old days, where we played once, sometimes twice a week... :´(
age: 34
Been playing since about '84, so 21 years.
I've been reading Dungeon since the mid-teens, and have been subscribing since issue 18, I think. I managed to pick up all the back issues, too! For value, I'd have to say Dungeon can't be beat.
Speaking of value, and the previous comments about cost of the game, I remember in the '80s the hardcover books were $15-20 (Cdn). Now they are about $30 (Cdn) on Amazon. So the price hasn't quite doubled, in 20 years. That's not too bad. However, WotC puts out a lot more hardcovers a year (though almost no modules) now.
So I'd say that to get into the game is probably easier/cheaper than it was in the 80s, for a player. For a DM, it can get pretty expensive if you are using one of the published campaign worlds.
Steve
Simply had to reply to this thread... I'm 32, I've been playing since I started university and met my husband back in 1990. Of note, our oldest son started playing with us (as opposed to trying to hang out and watch) when he was about 11, he's now 13. He also tried DMing a game with some neighbourhood kids one summer, which he'd like to try again. So while adult themes can be fun, I've never met an adult that couldn't ad-lib it into an adventure where appropriate. But it would be a major drawback to have to self-censor or watch the gaming shelf and keep inappropriate content out of reach.
If you're the Kris I think you are (and the story sure matches if you aren't!) I just wanted to mention to the others that your oldest son was actually exposed to D&D on a regular basis practically from birth and I'm sure he wanted to try playing even sooner than 11. I remember discussing with your husband, once, whether or not being ten was "old enough" to play or not.
Of course, my son and your younger son have also had the same exposure, but they still have a few years to go and they had a playmate in each other to keep them company while the "Grown Ups" were playing. It will be interesting to see if, in three or four years, they also take up the game.
For the record - I'm 37 and have been playing since 1979 after getting the Red Box from my parents as a birthday present. I don't remember too much about the first adventure I tried to DM, except that it had a Gelatanous Cube in it (which, to this day, has to be my favourite D&D creature). However, I'll never forget my uncle rolling up a halfling character and ending up with an Intelligence of 3 (back in the days when you simply rolled 3d6 once for each stat in order). He was promptly christened "Quinnick, the half-wit halfling" and much hillarity ensued.
Before I read through this thread I thought I was in the older bracket of D&D players. I have been playing for 24 years and begun with the basic box set.
I was introduced to the game by my older brother-in-law and two sisters who I now DM. In fact I have been DMing them for 18 years now. How the time flies! The funny thing is we have only played three different campaigns in all that time. The first of these lasting 14 years.
I still think having all the skills that essentially replace the need to socially interact with NPCs is a negative of 3rd Ed. A bugbear I have cared for years now... Anyway I love the fantasy, the pure escapism of the game and above all else the banter, conversation, problem solving and humour it induces.
I still can't get my wife to understand though...
Delvesdeep
Just turned 40 recently and have been playing off and on since a friend in high school got me started. I started with the basic boxed set, and have played each edition that has come out. And I have to say that the current edition is my favorite.
DJ
I'm 25, and started playing D&D when I was about 19, right after I started college. Only ever really played 3.x and higher, and I always get a kick out of listening to people who've been playing longer tell their "war stories" of campaigns 20+ years ago. I look forward to hitting the 20 year mark as a player sometime.
I'm 35. I've been playing since I was 16.
Started it all with the Red Box (Italian edition).
I'm now DMing the AoW adventure path in the Eberron setting...