Someone needs to introduce you folks to Runequest.
And, like Johnny L.A., I lament that no one either has time or interest in pencil and paper games these days. It’s all computer-based “RPGs” (with little actual roleplaying) and first person shooters now. I really liked Fallout and Fallout II, but could care less about FPS and miss the social aspect of tabletop games. I always had loads of fun with Paranoia and Call of Cthuhlu, even though everybody pretty much got killed or driven into the depths of irredeamable insanity every session. And no “save and redo” either. ::sigh::
I went and pulled my stuff out of it’s storage box, and yes, you have the title right: City-State of the Invincible Overlord from Judge’s Guild. It seems that White Wolf has purchased all the Judge’s Guild stuff (of course they have; who else?) and has re-issued it.
I bought my white box in summer '76, along with the first issue of *The Dragon * magazine. It took me almost a year to find someone to play with.
I’m glad it’s been established that elf, dwarf and halfling weren’t character classes. I was afraid I was going to have to drive over to the ministorage place and dig out my boxes of old gaming stuff for confirmation.
Here’s some other stuff you guys may remember:
Dungeon Geomorphs
Fun with Phil & Dixie
Metamorphosis Alpha
Monty Haul and his Friends at Play
Ral Parth
The Lankhmar Board Game
Snit Smashing
Dixie was hot, sigh.
Geomorphs, were they really worth it?
Monty Haul, and behind door number three is an Ancient Huge dragon in a 10x10 room with max treasure.
I still have somewhere the original Ral Parth Lord of the Ring Figures. Entire Fellowship, Sauroman, 9 Ringwraiths and many orcs. I could afford Smaug he was $28.
What was Snit Smashing?
Snit Smashing was the first Tom Wham game in The Dragon. It was followed by Snit’s Revenge (which was also a much better game) and then The Awful Green Things From Outer Space.
In more recent Dragons, after they brought Foglio back onboard (i.e. after WOTC bought the Lake Geneva crew out), Dixie turned evil and wore even less even more often…
I bought it cheap off a friend who stopped playing. Whenever someone stopped playing and wanted to sell books, I always bought. This was frequent in my navy years. A lot of people played while bored at sea and then when getting out of Navy and returning to real world decided they probably wouldn’t play anymore.
I never found it or “Oriental Adventures” much fun.
I gave my “Dragons” away at one point but probably have most of the modules produces up until 1989. Weird part is, I rarely used them. I just read through for ideas and always bought used or clearance. I do have a fond spot for the Steading of the Hill Giant Chief. Very Fun and well put together.
BTW I think I have 3 copies of original MM with Original art. Oldest is 3rd printing 1978.
I gave most of my TD’s away as well, although I still have issues 1-3.
I never liked modules very much either – I don’t think I owned any of the TSR ones, although I did have some Judge’s Guild or FASA stuff. I much preferred to roll my own.
I may very well have a first printing MM. I can remember how my gaming group jumped on it when it first came out. I think I bought it in spring of '78.
Hang onto that, dude. It should be worth some serious potatoes by now.
Know it and love it, though I haven’t played it nearly as much as AD&D. The last campaign I ever played in featured a baboon (me), a water-nymph and a duck as player characters. It was a barrel o’ laughs and I still have the adventure logs.
Hey, it ain’t everyone else, it’s you :). Dungeons and Dragons has more players than ever before: the transition to 3rd edition brought in a tremendous amount of new blood into the game.
Have you checked messageboards, game stores, and the like for players? I bet you anything there are groups playing in Pasadena, and I’d be pretty amazed if there aren’t groups of cool, well-adjusted adults looking for new players in Pasadena.
I would be happy to invite you to my game but I live in NJ.
But it may be tough. After 4 years of playing characters are around 12th.
We have been playing only 12 times a year but for 6 hours at a time.
Mapping is on screen via a PC to TV connection. Rules are primarily 1st Edition.
Newbie but smart and creative is far better than “I know all rules” and I argue every one despite GM being final arbitrator or I play stiff as cardboard and probably should have just stayed online.
Other problem some have had in my games, I don’t allow evil characters or interparty attacks. It is heroic adventure not wandering around to find monsters to kill and Gold to grab.
We take in new players in my game pretty often: usually an experienced player works alongside them to keep them up-to-date on the rules. The newbie says, “I’ll attack the goblin that’s wearing the crown,” and the experienced player says, “You want to shoot him with your bow, or move over and attack him with your sword?”
The newbie says, “My sword,” and the experienced player says, “Okay, you can drop your bow, move over to him, draw your sword, and attack him. You’ll get a +2 on your attack, in addition to the +6 (+1 for level, +1 for weapon focus, +4 for strength). Roll this D20 and add +8 total to it.”
The newbie rolls, and the game goes on.
I think lots of groups work this way. Seriously, if you want to play, you should look around for a group. It’s tons of fun, and you can probably find a group willing to work with a newbie.
One caveat, though: while folks who play old-school D&D certainly exist, the overwhelming majority of the D&D community has switched to version 3.5, in which the rules are far more consistent and comprehensive (whether this comprehensive quality is a benefit or a drawback is incessantly debated). If you’re willing to try 3.5, you’ll have a much easier time finding a group–especially if you’re feeling inexperienced. A lot of the folks who stick with old-school D&D are kind of curmudgeonly folks who pride themselves on knowing the old rules backward and forward.
Actually I don’t know any other groups that use 1st Ed. We do it because we’re comfortable with it. Don’t play very often and the rules are less important then actually game play. We only seem to argue over spell effects. Everything else is straight forward enough.
2 of the players also play 3.5 and really enjoy the new rules. They play my game as its confortable at this point and storyline driven.
BTW I used to know the old rules backward and forward. But I have forgotten to many.
