It was Covid for me. The UK went into a full lockdown where we couldn't leave the house for months at a time and although my friends and I tried casual meet ups on Discord it felt awkward so we tried D&D as something we could do while meeting. None of us knew what we were doing, some of us had watched a bit of Critical Role but that was about it, but most of us are still playing together 5 years later and for me at least it's grown into a sprawling hobby where I'm running multiple games and volunteering at a local library to run games for a couple of kids groups
I started as a player for a school club, under a DM who didn't even bother to learn the rules. It ended up losing her a BBEG in the end, but even though the entire campaign was completely bunk, it was still kinda fun. I took over as dm after our old one ghosted without another word and have had a great time doing it!
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Having fun? I would hope so. Lets see how much fun you're having after the lich starts dipping into it's 1/day spell slots.
Yes I'm aware my username is completely awful, just do your best to ignore it.
Best friend had a random neighbor who introduced him to it in the late 70s. My best friend exposed me to it, combined with my ADHD inclination to hyper-fixation/special-interest, and the rest is history.
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Started playing AD&D in the late 70s, took a 40 year hiatus, re-started with 3.5 and 5e in 2023
I had a friend who had his older brother run us through a (very rules-light and watered down) DnD oneshot in second grade, and in the fifth grade I saw Tyranny of Dragons at a store and bought it. I have never looked back.
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He doesn't have much besides the skin on his bones. Me: I'll take the skin on his bones, then.
"You see a gigantic, monstrous praying mantis burst from out of the ground. It sprays a stream of acid from it's mouth at one soldier, dissolving him instantly, then it turns and chomps another soldier in half with it's- "
I was eight when I first begged my brother in law to DM a super quick game of AD&D. I was immediately hooked. When none of my older siblings would entertain the idea of playing a game with their much younger brother, I began to create my own dungeon. When I went to Secondary School, I had few friends, so I asked if any of the random kids that blessed me with a fleeting friendly interaction, if they wished to play. Some said yes. From this stumbling, rules light game, I made a group of close friends and began to create and write.
Once my older siblings discovered I now DM'ed a group, they wanted to see how I navigated a game (and probably to have a laugh at my expense) but loved the game. I then began to DM them (all 8 - 13 years my senior) and formed a close bond with them I have even to this day.
I still run a weekly game with my brothers-in-law and friends, and have been playing D&D for over 44 years!!!
I was in university and was dating someone who got me into it, I was immediately interested! I had no one to play with for years honestly when we stopped seeing each other but have gotten back in the fold recently and am planning to run my own campaign shortly! Hopefully it becomes a regular thing.
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"In fact, we’ll be keeping your weapons, your armor and, I believe, your pride."
Back in middle school a friend named Steve told me about a fantasy game he had heard of, but he was very hush hush about it because his family was very religious and this was 1981 - peak Satanic Panic time. I must have mentioned it to my parents because just a few months later they got me the red Basic boxed set for Christmas. And that was that. I was hooked. Played all through the 80s, most of the 90s, just a bit in the 00s, and have been playing darn near every week since 2015. I am currently DMing a campaign and this is without a doubt the biggest and most complex creative project of my entire life.
Honestly it's all a bit of a blur because it was probably twenty plus years ago at this point, give or take. I played some 3.5, a little AD&D, and then eventually I took up the mantle of DM with 4th edition. Been playing since then
I had always been interested in playing but I never got it off the ground. Then about a year ago I was in Barnes and noble and saw the monster manual. Didn’t look back.
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“And the Lord spake, saying, 'First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then, shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, nor either count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out! Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thou foe, who being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it.'"
I started in 1989 with the guys from my Boy Scout troop, we were very active and did camp outs once a month, and it turned into saturday nights sitting around the fire playing DnD once a month. Started in the summer of 89 when the PHB for ADnD 2nd edtion released. Played every edition since with a break for 4th ed until I saw the new release for 5th. I cant tell you how many people have been lifelong friends that we met at the DnD table.
A friend of mine had started a campaign with his wife DMing Candlekeep Mysteries. She even 3D printed and colored everyone’s game pieces! Unfortunately, the two ended up divorcing and gamenight fell apart, but it was enough to get me into liveplays, which in turn had me seek out a local game shop that did one-shots. This led to a homebrew campaign by one of the regular DM’s, and although the game shop is no longer there, the campaign is still going strong! We’ve had to move around, but one of our newer members offered their spacious home to us, and we’ve been playing there every other Sunday (mostly) ever since.
For me, it was books. I would read almost any fantasy book as a pre-teen (even highly inappropriate ones, which were numerous at the time). But it was the combination of the Fighting Fantasy books (the Jackson/Livingstone ones) and the early DragonLance novels. These led me to set up my own game with my friends at the time. We barely understood the rules, and I don't think we ever completed a single adventure but we had a lot of fun and it led me to being both an a lifetime TTRPG player and video gamer (the first computer game I ever finished was Heroes of the Lance on my Amstrad CPC 464).
I got a book (not sure who gave it to me) a few years ago on my 7th birthday, it was those kinda dumb kid DND books who told you nothing, after that me and my dad started playing a year later and I kinda shot off on being that one kid who makes the best dumbest move. Like how I found out you can use Prestidigitation to make feredium and currently using to ruin my friends campaign.
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Go to work. Send your kids to school. Follow fashion. Act normal. Walk on the pavement. Watch TV. Save for old age. Obey the law. Now repeat after me. "YOU MUST CONSTRUCT ADDITIONAL PYLONS"
My Daughter asked for the Mines of Phandelver for Christmas 2015. So she used this to lead us through character creation and the story. Now she was young and very intelligent but with the limited resources and no experience we totally messed up our characters, Including me with a Warlock that had like 7 spell slots for level 7 spells at level 7. We quickly found out how wrong that we were when she got the Trio of books for her Bday in the summer(PH, DMG, MM). LOL Still an experience that I will never forget. I have been playing DnD ever since May 2016. So My Ten-year is approaching lol.
How did you begin your D&D journey? Was it a friend? A family member? Were you inspired by people online? How did you start?
It was Covid for me. The UK went into a full lockdown where we couldn't leave the house for months at a time and although my friends and I tried casual meet ups on Discord it felt awkward so we tried D&D as something we could do while meeting. None of us knew what we were doing, some of us had watched a bit of Critical Role but that was about it, but most of us are still playing together 5 years later and for me at least it's grown into a sprawling hobby where I'm running multiple games and volunteering at a local library to run games for a couple of kids groups
I started as a player for a school club, under a DM who didn't even bother to learn the rules. It ended up losing her a BBEG in the end, but even though the entire campaign was completely bunk, it was still kinda fun. I took over as dm after our old one ghosted without another word and have had a great time doing it!
Having fun? I would hope so. Lets see how much fun you're having after the lich starts dipping into it's 1/day spell slots.
Yes I'm aware my username is completely awful, just do your best to ignore it.
Best friend had a random neighbor who introduced him to it in the late 70s. My best friend exposed me to it, combined with my ADHD inclination to hyper-fixation/special-interest, and the rest is history.
Started playing AD&D in the late 70s, took a 40 year hiatus, re-started with 3.5 and 5e in 2023
Friends in high school :)
I had a friend who had his older brother run us through a (very rules-light and watered down) DnD oneshot in second grade, and in the fifth grade I saw Tyranny of Dragons at a store and bought it. I have never looked back.
He doesn't have much besides the skin on his bones. Me: I'll take the skin on his bones, then.
"You see a gigantic, monstrous praying mantis burst from out of the ground. It sprays a stream of acid from it's mouth at one soldier, dissolving him instantly, then it turns and chomps another soldier in half with it's- "
"When are we gonna take a snack break?"
I was eight when I first begged my brother in law to DM a super quick game of AD&D. I was immediately hooked. When none of my older siblings would entertain the idea of playing a game with their much younger brother, I began to create my own dungeon. When I went to Secondary School, I had few friends, so I asked if any of the random kids that blessed me with a fleeting friendly interaction, if they wished to play. Some said yes. From this stumbling, rules light game, I made a group of close friends and began to create and write.
Once my older siblings discovered I now DM'ed a group, they wanted to see how I navigated a game (and probably to have a laugh at my expense) but loved the game. I then began to DM them (all 8 - 13 years my senior) and formed a close bond with them I have even to this day.
I still run a weekly game with my brothers-in-law and friends, and have been playing D&D for over 44 years!!!
I was in university and was dating someone who got me into it, I was immediately interested! I had no one to play with for years honestly when we stopped seeing each other but have gotten back in the fold recently and am planning to run my own campaign shortly! Hopefully it becomes a regular thing.
"In fact, we’ll be keeping your weapons, your armor and, I believe, your pride."
Back in middle school a friend named Steve told me about a fantasy game he had heard of, but he was very hush hush about it because his family was very religious and this was 1981 - peak Satanic Panic time. I must have mentioned it to my parents because just a few months later they got me the red Basic boxed set for Christmas. And that was that. I was hooked. Played all through the 80s, most of the 90s, just a bit in the 00s, and have been playing darn near every week since 2015. I am currently DMing a campaign and this is without a doubt the biggest and most complex creative project of my entire life.
Anzio Faro. Protector Aasimar light cleric. Lvl 18.
Viktor Gavriil. White dragonborn grave cleric. Lvl 20.
Ikram Sahir ibn-Malik al-Sayyid Ra'ad. Brass dragonborn draconic sorcerer Lvl 9. Fire elemental devil.
Wrangler of cats.
Honestly it's all a bit of a blur because it was probably twenty plus years ago at this point, give or take. I played some 3.5, a little AD&D, and then eventually I took up the mantle of DM with 4th edition. Been playing since then
Find my D&D Beyond articles here
Friends introduced me to the game Basic D&D B5 Horror on the Hill in 1982 then AD&D Started being a DM in 1987.
Just published a map on DriveThruRPG The Forgotten Temple
I had always been interested in playing but I never got it off the ground. Then about a year ago I was in Barnes and noble and saw the monster manual. Didn’t look back.
“And the Lord spake, saying, 'First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then, shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, nor either count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out! Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thou foe, who being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it.'"
I started in 1989 with the guys from my Boy Scout troop, we were very active and did camp outs once a month, and it turned into saturday nights sitting around the fire playing DnD once a month. Started in the summer of 89 when the PHB for ADnD 2nd edtion released. Played every edition since with a break for 4th ed until I saw the new release for 5th. I cant tell you how many people have been lifelong friends that we met at the DnD table.
High school lunch time dungeon crawls, AD&D I believe.
I was just a fighter and I killed things while drinking a Coke and a snickers before they banned them from schools. Good times
I started playing D&D in the 80's as a kid, after watching my friend's older brother roleplaying with his friends using funny voice and strange dice.
He DMed for us and i played a Halfling with Basic D&D Red Box. A passion was born....
PS We still play together nearly 40 years later. #OG
A friend of mine had started a campaign with his wife DMing Candlekeep Mysteries. She even 3D printed and colored everyone’s game pieces! Unfortunately, the two ended up divorcing and gamenight fell apart, but it was enough to get me into liveplays, which in turn had me seek out a local game shop that did one-shots. This led to a homebrew campaign by one of the regular DM’s, and although the game shop is no longer there, the campaign is still going strong! We’ve had to move around, but one of our newer members offered their spacious home to us, and we’ve been playing there every other Sunday (mostly) ever since.
For me, it was books. I would read almost any fantasy book as a pre-teen (even highly inappropriate ones, which were numerous at the time). But it was the combination of the Fighting Fantasy books (the Jackson/Livingstone ones) and the early DragonLance novels. These led me to set up my own game with my friends at the time. We barely understood the rules, and I don't think we ever completed a single adventure but we had a lot of fun and it led me to being both an a lifetime TTRPG player and video gamer (the first computer game I ever finished was Heroes of the Lance on my Amstrad CPC 464).
I got a book (not sure who gave it to me) a few years ago on my 7th birthday, it was those kinda dumb kid DND books who told you nothing, after that me and my dad started playing a year later and I kinda shot off on being that one kid who makes the best dumbest move. Like how I found out you can use Prestidigitation to make feredium and currently using to ruin my friends campaign.
Go to work. Send your kids to school. Follow fashion. Act normal. Walk on the pavement. Watch TV. Save for old age. Obey the law. Now repeat after me. "YOU MUST CONSTRUCT ADDITIONAL PYLONS"
My Daughter asked for the Mines of Phandelver for Christmas 2015. So she used this to lead us through character creation and the story. Now she was young and very intelligent but with the limited resources and no experience we totally messed up our characters, Including me with a Warlock that had like 7 spell slots for level 7 spells at level 7. We quickly found out how wrong that we were when she got the Trio of books for her Bday in the summer(PH, DMG, MM). LOL Still an experience that I will never forget. I have been playing DnD ever since May 2016. So My Ten-year is approaching lol.
School Library in the 1990s, a group of us were chatting mythology, someone went to grab a book and found aD&D. Been playing TTRPGs since then.
DM session planning template - My version of maps for 'Lost Mine of Phandelver' - Send your party to The Circus - Other DM Resources - Maps, Tokens, Quests - 'Better' Player Character Injury Tables?
Actor, Writer, Director & Teacher by day - GM/DM in my off hours.