Moments in D&D

SJ_the_Bartender

Perma-Newbie
There are some moments in the course of a D&D player's life which are pretty monumental, as far as the game goes. I want to share a few of these moments from my own experience.

My first exposure to the game didn't come until relatively late in life. Most D&D players get their first taste while still in their teens. Sometimes, even earlier. I was in my early 20's. I was babysitting with some kids for the weekend, and they were D&D players, so we went to the game shop for their weekly game. I had never been in a shop like this before so walking in was a bit of a wonder. I saw a lot of people gathered around tables, heard dice clicking, and people moving various miniatures around on battle grids. I dropped the kids off and went to do my own thing for a little while. I knew they were ok there. They were old enough to be at home by themselves, but their parents were on an extended trip, so I was just kind of hanging around to make sure that there was no party, and the house didn't burn down.

Anyways, I came back a little early, and watched them play for a bit. It was interesting, and it reminded me a lot of Ayenee, which was pretty much dead in chat at that point. The next week, I came by and played in my first game as a gnome sorcerer. His name was Match, and he was pretty traditional as far as Sorcerer's go, what with casting the spells to make the peoples fall down and such. His name was obviously due to his penchant for fire spells.

I remember getting a copy of the character sheet and feeling overwhelmed by it. There were so many little boxes that I didn't know what to do. It was funny in a way, how I was being taught by kids who were younger than me. Normally, the older generation teaches the younger. I was a fast learner though. Soon, I had a charismatic small spell slinger, who's first mission in life was to find a familiar. It was a fun day, and I've been hooked ever since.
 
I think there are 3 or 4 really big moments for all D&D players. The first is their first exposure to the game. The next is their first player's handbook.

The artwork in the D&D books is pretty cool, and sitting down to read one is nothing like sifting through the SRD websites. The writers really bring the characters to life with the chewy bits. All the crunchy bits are there too, but it all starts fitting in nicely once you've read about character creations. Opening that book and reading was like stepping into my own mind and seeing my own imagination put into words.

You might have read a friends PHB before this, but once you get your own, thats when you know you are a committed player to this game, and that you are going to really immerse yourself into the fun.
 
Getting a PHB is probably the moment when you realize that you are really into this game, and that you want to dedicate yourself to it.

However, the next moment most people have is the one that really defines them as an individual player.

The process of getting your own set of dice is more a Rite of Passage than it is a commercial purchase. Its really a process of self-discovery. No one really does it the same way. Some people start off buying just a d20, and stealing a few d6 from an old monopoly game. some people get a whole set of dice right off the bat. Others build their collection one piece at a time.

A person's dice reflects their play style and their personality. I have seen the way players will dig through a bin filled with random dice, searching for the perfect one that they feel a connection to. And really, in this game, where the luck of a die is what determines if you live or die, you have to trust your dice. You have to know that you selected your dice, and that in some way, you have a bond to them. They are your life-line. They are your weapon against evil. They are the soul of your game.

And the process doesn't end with just selecting dice. Each player tends to manifest their own rituals concerning their dice. Some believe that no one else can touch their dice, or it will interfere with their karma. Some always 'reset' their dice after every roll, to preserve the luck inherent in the dice themselves. Everyone at one point or another has offered a small prayer to whatever fates control the world for a natural 20, sometimes even getting an answer to their prayers.
 
The dice reflect the player, but the Miniature reflects the Character. And a Player without a Character is a sad thought indeed.

I have yet to even experience this one myself, but one part of character building is finding a miniature to represent your character. Today, you can get pre-painted minis, but in the old days, you had to paint your own. You can still get unpainted minis, and the hardcore players will always go this route for each of their characters. pre-paints are ok for NPCs and Monsters, but for a player character, you have to go with your own paint job. This process really brings your character to life. There is only so much that numbers on a character sheet can tell you about a character. The miniature is what lets you actually visualize yourself living and acting as your character would.
 
I'd say that one of the greatest moments in D&D (or any dice role playing game) is the first time you DM. Maybe D&D is a game of firsts. My first time DMing was on Okinawa, when I convinced a bunch of other Marines to join me for a little Post Apocalyptic mayham. The greatest part for me was planning out the encounters they'd run into - looking through the DM's book for the perfect monsters for them to come across.


Sometimes though, the greatest part about DMing is when they do the unexpected. When they're searching the shit monsters that they just killed, intensely looking for loot. Or when when of them does a cavity search on said shit monsters. Or the time when the party runs from the rats you thought they'd kill easily. At those times, it's almost better to be a DM then it is a player..

(End the "You can be a DM too" campaign commercial)
 
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