DM Sol_train
Squire
Back behind the screen 20yrs post 2E
Posts: 33 
Favorite D&D Class: Druid (Pathfinder Wolf-shaman)
Favorite D&D Race: Human
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Post by DM Sol_train on Aug 26, 2015 3:39:04 GMT
Loving the podcasts (just found them about a week ago and starting from 1 working to get caught up), and just signed up here last night.
I'm originally from South Dakota, now living near Saint Cloud, MN, started playing D&D around 1981 or so when the Basic D&D box came out with Keep on the Borderlands. Saw an advert in an Xmen comic, and just had to give it a try, but never really played much with a group - small town and D&D was really still new then. but my imagination was completely hooked.
I started DMing a 1E campaign on a home-brew design world in college in '89 and loved the UA, Dungeoneer and Wilderness Guides. Ran that for 4 years, and near the end just dabbled adding 2E items, but wasn't too happy about 2E which seemed like a huge T$R money grab as every month or so a new "Complete X Handbook" came out. I ran a few 1 off games in the 90s, but mostly focused my RPG skills on an online text-based MUD called Aalynors Nexus, where I eventually started doing moderator work and coding/running adventures. Alas life gets too busy and I had to break that off.
Fast forward almost 20yrs, and my older kids 11, 9, 7 (plus a 5 and 4), had been flipping through my old D&D books as well as my 3ring binder of campaign stuff for about the last 2 years and asking "when could we play this it looks awesome". Yes..I'd kept it all, plus about 100 issues of Dragon, and Dungeon Magazine, and 4 containers of miniatures. I finally broke down about 6 month ago, and after designing their characters under 2E rules I stumbled on d20 OGL and Pathfinder while looking for some DM apps for my phone. So we switched to PF (which I must say I'm in love with - thank you WotC for OGL) and I've been running a "home brewed" homebrew for my wife, and 3 oldest children since.
I feel a little like one of those people Chris mentioned who was raised from the dead and is amazed by the technology and how things work "now". Apps, online forums, and more automated DM tools like random generators - beats the old 1E DMG Random Dungeon creation tables any day (although I still have those books and there are some good analog tables in them). My oldest son is playing a 1/2elven Cleric/Sorcerer (Draconic Bloodline); daughter (9) plays a elven fighter with all archery feats plus a strength bow (she's lethal); son (7) playing an elven fighter with an attitude; and the wife (who took watching a couple sessions to convince we weren't going to draw a pentagram in goats blood on the table...well at least not OOC) is playing a 1/2elf rogue with an acrobat/scout style build (her first night she did an awesome stealth/climb/sneak attack to silent kill a goblin lookout...nice intro to the party). Toss in the 5 and 4 year old from time to time chucking my d20's for monster attacks and its a great family game night.
...roll for initiative.
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Post by joatmoniac on Aug 26, 2015 5:09:29 GMT
Awesome! Glad to have you back in the fold of DMs in general, and even more so as a Blockhead here! Can't wait for you to catch up on the episodes.
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Post by kjmagle on Aug 26, 2015 12:21:28 GMT
Welcome back to the POOOOOOOOOOWEEEER!!!!  |
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Samuel Wise
Demigod
Ready to Help...
Posts: 989
Favorite D&D Class: Warlock
Favorite D&D Race: Mousefolk
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Post by Samuel Wise on Aug 26, 2015 13:31:00 GMT
Welcome to the Block Party!
It is really cool that your playing with your (whole) family. That's really great! I'm excited to hear all your ideas (and perhaps stories). Welcome!
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Post by friartook on Aug 26, 2015 15:40:45 GMT
Welcome to the forums!
Family D&D is the best! I run a game for my two older boys (10 & 12), and the younger (10) runs a game for just me (just for me 'cause his older brother can't handle him running the game and being in charge, lol). He's an amazing DM, killer descriptive abilities and a great storyteller.
Glad to have you aboard!
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Post by DMC on Aug 26, 2015 16:42:42 GMT
Welcome aboard! I've gotten my kids (20 and 14) into it too, and think it's awesome!
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Post by dmmadmaxi on Aug 27, 2015 12:31:47 GMT
funny how sibling rivalry can come out in certain things lol....I cannot wait until the day that I can sit down and play DnD with my kids!
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Post by friartook on Aug 27, 2015 14:16:31 GMT
funny how sibling rivalry can come out in certain things lol....I cannot wait until the day that I can sit down and play DnD with my kids! Funny how "certain things" can mean "everything"... just kidding/not kidding |
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Post by dmmadmaxi on Aug 27, 2015 14:20:23 GMT
yeah me and my brother have the same issue. So I 100% understand it!
We have a good love/hate relationship lol...
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Post by friartook on Aug 27, 2015 14:21:47 GMT
yeah me and my brother have the same issue. So I 100% understand it! We have a good love/hate relationship lol... As do my boys. They get on each other's case all the time, but when an outsider comes at one of them, they form ranks real quick. Good to see. |
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DM Sol_train
Squire
Back behind the screen 20yrs post 2E
Posts: 33
Favorite D&D Class: Druid (Pathfinder Wolf-shaman)
Favorite D&D Race: Human
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Post by DM Sol_train on Aug 28, 2015 2:30:55 GMT
Welcome to the forums! Family D&D is the best! I run a game for my two older boys (10 & 12), and the younger (10) runs a game for just me (just for me 'cause his older brother can't handle him running the game and being in charge, lol). He's an amazing DM, killer descriptive abilities and a great storyteller. Glad to have you aboard! That's awesome - kids have amazing imaginations and as many of us who started gaming or reading Tolkien/CS Lewis at a young age know it just needs an outlet. My 11yr old son was planning to run a game with his sibs, and I offered to play (and his mom) if he could handle "1x every other week" offset with my game. So we had our 3d session in his campaign last night, and he finally got from some intro battle stuff into a really cool story line. Really fun to play vs run a game as well, and was intriguing not having a clue as to where the story was going. What I'm also enjoying is being able to focus on -1- character vs several NPCs and really get into my voice, describing my actions, and breathing life into the character. I'm running a Druid with wolf companion, who's devoted to restocking mother earth's metal and gems, so he immediately buries/sacrifices all of his loot (coins/metal/gem), and then carves bone/stone/wood trinkets to barter with IOT purchase what he needs in town. He also writes his scrolls on bones not paper. As the only person in the family who's ever played, its a chance to demonstrate how indepth you can get with your character to make them "your character", especially with a little discussion with the GM about something not necessarily "in the rules", but showing how its for RP not game advantage and thus doing something outside of the rulebook or even contrary to a certain rule. Funny about the sibling rivalry - I came home today and heard the 7 yr old describing how he'd run a game with the baby-sitter, "I didn't know what a goblin AC was dad, so I just made one up, and the sitter was mowing them down!" His older brother quickly started to rant about the rules, but I had to remind him "Rule 0" DM is in charge of his table, and Rule 1 - if your having fun, your doing it right. According to the 7 yr old the sitter had so much fun he was going to look into Pathfinder himself - so IMO success.
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Post by dmmadmaxi on Aug 28, 2015 12:06:23 GMT
Solsukut sounds like you got yourself a very appreciative family of gamers. I am sooo jealous and can't wait for this with my kids!
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Post by DM Mitch on Aug 28, 2015 16:35:03 GMT
Welcome to the Block Party Solsukut!
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Post by DM Chris on Sept 3, 2015 0:30:04 GMT
Indeed! Welcome! May the Dice gods always smile in your favor.
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