D&D

[rameumptom]

Okay, I admit. I am a Dungeon Master. Not the greatest on knowing the details of the game, but I have enough of an imagination that my sons and their friends enjoy where I take the games. We play once a month, where I can do something with them they enjoy, and ensure the game play remains wholesome.

Anyone else involved in such gaming? Do you limit your characters to good/neutral? I prefer my players remain good/neutral, personally.

I'm also rather flexible, having a general game plan, but willing to adapt it to things the players say and do. One guy playing a rogue, stole the money purse from a store owner. He left to the tavern. Another player was also standing in line to buy something, so as soon the player #1 left, the store owner reached for his money purse to give change, only to find it was stolen.

Well, he called for the town guards, who found him. They stripped him and found the purse on him, as well as weapons he illegally brought into town. So, they asked him which hand he used to steal with, and stabbed through it with a knife. They then stripped him and cast him out of town.

So, he wandered for a while out of town, until an old lady brought him into her house and cared for him a couple days. All she had for him to wear was women's clothing, so that's what he wore, when the old lady sneaked him back into town, dressed as her "niece". Months later, others in the party still tease him about it.

[Maxel]

That's a very funny story!

I've never been one for live-action RPG's, although I've been addicted to the video game genre of RPG for... well, most of my life. I have an ex-girlfriend who was into gaming, and she enjoyed it as a wholesome activity after her conversion (until the people she played it with decided to make it darker, and she quit playing). I think she played Vampire? I don't remember...

I've been wanting to try it once, but there's no one around who plays that I'd be comfortable playing with.

[Captain_Curmudgeon]

Stripping? Wearing women's clothing? Sounds pretty diabolical to me.

So, you don't take the charges of Satanism seriously?

[blessedinarizonia]

We used to have D & D clubs in Las Vegas. They may still hae I just don't live there anymore. Once a month we all got together and played. We kept it clean. Instead of getting dark we tended to go Star Treky. We had a good time. I also like rpg on the puter. Anyone heard of a interesting new rpg lately.

[Tarnished]

My husband and I play when we can find a DM. I actually started on role playing games (RPG) playing a different game other than D&D, but eventually we did end up playing D&D with a friend of ours as the DM. Ironically almost all of the gaming groups I have been a part of have been primarily LDS folks.

When it comes to table top role playing games there are differences. Live action role playing games (often refered to as LARP) are different than table top. In LARP you actually physically act out the role of your character often using costumes and props. This is something I have never participated in. Table top RPGs are played with pencil and paper where the Dungeon Master (DM) describes a scenario and the players use their imagination to describe what their characters are doing. Because of the way the games are set up and the rules that are imposed people can't do anything they want, there are restrictions. If the group is good it can be a ton of fun!

Currently we do not know of a good DM near us and so we do not play table top RPGs at the moment. However we do, when we have the time, play online RPGs in video game format. We are currently playing World of Warcraft which is a fantastic but highly addictive game.

As far as memorable stories surrounding D&D, yes we have quite a few. The one that is most memorable for me was with a character that I made who was initially a cleric of Corellian Letharian (sp?) well one day the local temple burns down and she ends up being the highest ranking cleric around. Thus she became the leader of the local temple which happened to be for the rather large city of Silverymoon. Shortly after the fire she discovers information leading her to the people behind the fire and the killing of the leaders of the order and so at a large celebration ceremony she gives a stirring speech encouraging the followers of her order and the people of Silverymoon to rise up against the group that caused the death of so many of her people, and at the end of the speech as the crowd erupts into cheers, a person from the enemy group shoots her with an arrow which has a spell on it that kills her immediately. It was the most dramatic way I have ever had one of my characters killed. It was great!!

[Maxel]

When it comes to table top role playing games there are differences. Live action role playing games (often refered to as LARP) are different than table top. In LARP you actually physically act out the role of your character often using costumes and props. This is something I have never participated in. Table top RPGs are played with pencil and paper where the Dungeon Master (DM) describes a scenario and the players use their imagination to describe what their characters are doing. Because of the way the games are set up and the rules that are imposed people can't do anything they want, there are restrictions.

My bad, I was under the impression D&D was a LARP.

[Tarnished]

My bad, I was under the impression D&D was a LARP.

No problem, many people do. In fact I was under the same impression before my husband drug me to a game. I had grown up with a mother who told me that D&D was of the devil and caused people to do bad things like kill each other. While I could see that D&D taken to the extreme could lead to bad things (as most things taken in excess can) I think the LARP playing style is what most often gets people in trouble. When people are actually acting out something the idea gets more firmly stuck in their heads. Besides if you are swinging real swords around the prospect of killing someone is much more likely.

[Maxel]

No problem, many people do. In fact I was under the same impression before my husband drug me to a game. I had grown up with a mother who told me that D&D was of the devil and caused people to do bad things like kill each other. While I could see that D&D taken to the extreme could lead to bad things (as most things taken in excess can) I think the LARP playing style is what most often gets people in trouble. When people are actually acting out something the idea gets more firmly stuck in their heads. Besides if you are swinging real swords around the prospect of killing someone is much more likely.

I have a roommate who's really, really into gaming and he does a lot of LARP's. I think he has 3-4 going at any given time. He's a great guy, but I actually get scared when he invites me to go with him. It's like the spirit's saying 'Don't do it!'.

Of course, he plays Vampire and Werewolf and all the other ones that naturally lend themselves to dark subject matter...

[FunkyTown]

I used to play roleplaying games. They're about as dark as any game of pretend is. Actually, a friend of mine ran a whole campaign that basically was a fantasy recreation of Revelations, the prophecies of Daniel, etc.

[ruthiechan]

I used to play roleplaying games. They're about as dark as any game of pretend is. Actually, a friend of mine ran a whole campaign that basically was a fantasy recreation of Revelations, the prophecies of Daniel, etc.

You mean they're as dark as the DM/GM (Game Master) make it?

Also, dark does not necessarily mean evil or satanic. You can have a game with some serious subject matter and things going on.

I ran a game of Shadowrun 3rd edition that had all sorts of aspects to it. It was dark, it had some very serious and very sobering tones to it. However, it also had some hilarious moments and zanyness. It was a great game until tow of my players broke up. >.<

I like parts of the world of D&D, but I find the system too restrictive.

My favorite RPGs are Shadowrun 3rd edition and Exalted 2nd edition. I'm in an Exalted game right now, but it only runs whenever we can because two of our players go to college outside of the area.

I avoid campaigns that would require me to be evil.

I have never RPGed with a group of religious people before. I would love to run a game of Shadowrun for a bunch of Mormons. You're a bunch of Mormon's without a SIN (Serial Identification Number), you're stuck living in the slums with the rest of the sinless. You nave no way to prove who you are. What do you do? Do you turn to a life of crime? How do you keep an honest living when the best way to make money is to become a runner? How do you pick and choose who to deal with and what runs to take? Etc..

That's the sort of thing I'd never get to do with a group of nonreligious folk. Alas.

PS: Ram, your coolness value just went up yo.

[TurkeyRun]

Actually something I can comment on around here!

Wizards of the Coast who now owns "Dungeons and Dragons" has a whole series of books and gaming environments based on the world created in the Dragonlance books. One of the co-authors of the Dragonlance series, Tracy Hickman is (last I heard) a Latter-Day Saint.

How's that for knowing your LDS trivia - coming from a non-member :)

[ADoyle90815]

I've played D&D and other games, but I haven't since I finished college. Some of the gamers who also played Vampire and Werewolf with me were also LDS, and seemed to have no problems with the dark subject matter. When I played LARP's, we never used any props, and since one Werewolf game was set during the present-day, there was no need to wear costumes, and the Vampire costumes were minimal.

Edited January 30, 2009 by ADoyle90815

[rameumptom]

2 years ago, I found an Advanced Dungeon and Dragon's Player's book at a yard sale in incredible condition. AD&D is like version 2.0, and came out in the 1970s. Anyway, I bought it for my 29 year old son for his birthday. Here in Indianapolis area, they have an annual big Role Playing/Fantasy seminar called GenCon at the convention center in August. I found out that Gary Gygax (creator of DnD) was going to be there, and so gave my son his present early, so he could have Gary sign it. Gary was amazed at the great condition it was in, and signed it. He died just a few months later, so it is a great prize for my son to have. (I wish I had another like it).

I've played DnD on and off for years. I played it with friends while in the USAF in S. Korea in 1985. I played it once a quarter or so with my son and his mostly LDS friends in the 1990s.

This is my first time as DM. We're playing DnD 3.5, as neither of our key players (my 29 yr old son and his friend, Aaron) like version 4. We usually play on the 2nd Saturday of each month (February will be the week before, as I have to do the Valentine Day thingy with wife).

Games can be dark, but still good, kind of like a Harry Potter book/film. Or they can be pure evil, if allowed. DMs can control bad and evil behavior. I had one guy do something wrong last month, so I changed his alignment from good to neutral. I've warned the guys that bad things will happen to anyone who becomes evil, so they know not to cross the line. Of course, having a male player wear a dress helps to put this point across very quickly.

They do LARP at the seminar in August.