I’ve noticed Judd Karlman (the Book of Judd) and Vincent Baker (Anyway) both recently posted a history of their roleplaying life, so I’ve been inspired to do the same. Here’s mine:

For me it began with a computer game called Wizardry. I can’t recall if it was Wizardry III or Wizardry IV, but I played both eventually.

Then it was another computer game, The Bard’s Tale.

From these computer dungeon-crawl games I created a world called Taeryth. Celtic-themed fantasy. Wrote alot. Imagined alot. Never played it as a game, though. Not then.

Then, before I had a chance to actually try a tabletop version of an RPG, I went to a Southern Baptist college and let’s just say there was not much in the way of roleplaying going on on campus or anywhere near campus. At least not openly.

Finally, after college, I played in two separate one-shots of AD&D 2nd Ed., both run by a different guy in a different setting. Neither one of the adventures took place anywhere near a dungeon. Story was important and character immersion was encouraged. We didn’t know to call it “immersion” but that’s what it was. I was so very lucky to start out that way.

I decided I could be a DM. I took Taeryth, worldbuilt the hell out of it, and grabbed the other guys and told them to make characters. AD&D 2nd Ed was the system. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing in terms of rules but I thought I knew exactly what the hell I was doing in terms of story.

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