Akodoken comments on RPG’s that Influenced Our Play

I started with the Moldvay Basic Dungeons & Dragons and dabbled in AD&D when I could get my hands on it. To be honest, I’m not even sure I knew what the differences were when I was younger. I grabbed anything I could get my hands on that said Dungeons & Dragons on the cover.

From there I have to revise what I said during Monday’s recording because I realized there was an important step for me between D&D and Vampire the Masquerade.

West End Games’ Star Wars the Roleplaying was the game that introduced me to RPGs outside the mold of D&D. My family wasn’t well off but my parents cobbled together enough money to take us to Disney World because the Star Tours ride had just opened in ’87. We were huge fans of Star Wars. As we left the ride we passed through the gift shop and that is where I discovered Star Wars the Roleplaying Game and The Star Wars Sourcebook. My young mind was blown! I didn’t have much money for souvenirs but I bought both books (and had just enough left over for a Pirates of the Caribbean rifle).

That game opened my eyes to a wider world of RPGs. Because I was so familiar with Star Wars, I immediately fell into the groove of telling stories in the Star Wars vein that were nothing like our D&D adventures. I started branching out from there looking for other games and soon I found my way to Robotech, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Heroes Unlimited (all Palladium Books, of course).

In ’95, I played Call of Cthulhu for the first time and I was not ready for that game. I knew how to play adventurers and superheroes and I also had no idea who H.P. Lovecraft was. My horror lit education had gone no further than horror movie adaptations and a little bit of Stephen King. The game was great, I still remember most of it to this day but I wasn’t in the right mindset for it yet.

In late ’95, my friends introduced me to Vampire the Masquerade and the wider World of Darkness. That’s when I got really deep into the storytelling side of gaming (and not just because that was the name of their system, hehe). White Wolf’s work changed my world for the better and I loved the community (quirks and all). I eventually becme one of the moderators on the White Wolf forums but that is a story for another time. VtM taught me about creating a real character and diving deep into that persona with that group.

My gaming world spread out from there. I did eventually return to Call of Cthulhu once I had properly educated myself and it is one of my favorite games to play now.

Anyway, great episode! Thanks for churning up the nostalgic memories.

Stephen Dragonspawn emails us on RPG Tourist

Stephen Dragonspawn emails us on RPG Tourist

Hello there sexy BSers

A few comments on the last few topics you fine gentlemen discussed recently.

1- On Tourism – I find nothing wrong with touring a few new games if I’ve heard some good things about it. When at Cons, I have tried some games in order to get a first hand vibe on it. This can help me decide if I want to buy it and play it more often. Or, I’ve got enough friends that some of them have run games for me in systems or settings I’ve been curious about.

Sometimes it has confirmed that the system or setting in question isn’t for me. Other times, I have discovered a hidden gem.

2- The Purge (of RPGs) – This is something that I’ve had to do multiple times in my life, due to some major life changes as well moves. There have been times when I have regretted giving up some of my books (some books, not so much; good bye and good riddance). 

At this point in my life, I try to filter carefully what RPG books I will buy (not always successfully. LOL!) and even before these Covid times, I have focused on digital media since they take up less space and can be used more easily on VTT games, which is how I’ve been gaming the last 4 years or so.

3- ”Ch-ch-Changes!” – I guess this can be tied to the Tourism topic as the games I’ve tried at Cons or from fellow GMs have often allowed me to improve or change some of my role-playing and gaming habits. For example, when I began playing with the Savage Worlds rules after playing 3.5ed D&D for years, I then wanted to run games with a little less crunch and allowed more leeway and creativity to everyone around the table. Even when I went back to the D20 system, I tried to port over what I learned from those other systems.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking on the various D20 systems. They have a lot of fans and some good things about them.

That’s it for me, for now. Still enjoying the show obviously and your banter. 

P.S. Very happy to know you like the portraits I’ve made of you both. Getting back to drawing has been a great thing these days, as a means to relax and pass the time. Love, hugs and big wet kisses.

Have a Gay day.

regards from Stephen Dragonspawn.

Mark D. emails us on RPG Purge

Hey B&S,

This topic of the RPG Purge has been weighing on me heavily in recent times, thanks for giving it the ol’ Gaming & BS treatment. As a “Collector” of many things I can easily justify whether or not to keep certain items by asking the simple question of, “does this thing bring me joy?” But as a “Completist” this simple question becomes complicated. My insane comic book collection brings me immense joy. Part of that joy comes from a sense of completion; knowing that I have every single X-title from the mid-’70s up until a few years ago, or a full run of Iron Man dating back to the ’60s (even though I haven’t read them all yet) brings a certain sense of fulfillment or satisfaction.

I have no problem going through my closet and saying, “I haven’t worn any of these shirts in the past year… donate!” So why do I still have a milk crate full of AD&D 2nd Ed books when I haven’t played that game in decades?

My friends and I are getting ready to retire our AD&D 1E characters after 8 years of gaming, and I can’t wait to be done with them. I might even burn the various iterations of my character sheets and campaign notes in an effigy to finalize the ordeal before we start over with brand new characters in 5E. For some reason, I’m deliberating the idea of hanging onto these 1E core books. Do I have any desire to play this system again? Not likely! So do I lose my “Nerd-cred” if those books are no longer displayed on a shelf in my home even if I never use them again?

Brett, I understand your nostalgia with hanging onto those White Wolf publishings.

Sean, I feel your frustration with the time and effort involved with selling online.

Warren Zevon said, “We love to buy books because we believe we’re buying the time to read them.” Let that quote sink in for a moment.

I say, “Perhaps we hang on to things as if grasping at moments that only remain in our minds.”

Mark “Official BS Archivist” Dawson

PS apologies for waxing poetic, I may have drunk some mead in alignment with my Viking roots while composing this email, but somebody please talk me off this damn ledge! Should I keep these books as some sort of weird reference or would someone else put them to actual use?