This is a story on how Dungeons and Dragons got me hooked on wargames.
I remember the first time I heard about Dungeons and Dragons. I was sitting in school and some classmates were talking about this new game that their older brothers were playing. They called it D&D. I had no clue what that was, but it sounded interesting. I made the mistake of going home and asking my mother if she had heard of the game. Well, that was a huge mistake! She went on for over 15 minutes on how the game was awful and it prayed on children and brought bad spirits into kids' homes. As you can imagine, Now I want to know more about it. I found out that the game was based on fantasy and that you had to have a great imagination to play. I have never been that guy, so I blew it off and did not think about it for a couple of years.
the game was based on fantasy and that you had to have a great imagination to play. I have never been that guy
We fast forward to 1978 and I was headed to this new store that had just opened in downtown Albuquerque. Wargames West was the name and they were having a D&D tournament and all of my friends were headed down to play. They talked me into going with them, even though I had never played the game.
At this time in my life, I was playing sports as much as possible. basketball, football, and baseball dominated my time. I remember thinking that these D&D guys were wasting their time on a stupid game. As I strolled into that little game shop, I did not know that my life would change and that I would start a hobby that I have been involved with for over 40 years.
I remember walking around all of these tables with folks sitting around, listening to a guy tell a story behind a 3-panel chart. Every once in a while kids would roll a die. I could tell by the reaction if they had done well or if a mythical creature might have inflicted some damage on them. I heard folks talking about ogres and then my life changed... it was like a ray of light came flashing from the sky... well not really but I needed to make it sound dramatic. I looked over in the corner and two adults were playing this game. They were sitting there quietly, contemplating a move and looking around the rule book.
I walked over and they both smiled and asked me to sit down and watch if I wanted. I watched as they pushed these cardboard pieces around this board that had a hexagonal grid on it. There were roads, buildings, and woods shown on the board and tanks and soldiers depicted on the cardboard pieces. I was mesmerized. This was my introduction to Hex and Counter wargaming.
The game was Avalon Hills Squad Leader and they were playing a new expansion for the game called Cross of Iron. I stayed for over 5 hours watching these two guys push cardboard and talk about the rules. They let me look at the rulebook and when I started to look at it, I knew I would be hooked. I read the rules and tried to pick up as much as I could that afternoon. I was 14 years old and to be honest, did not know much about WWII or any other military history. This experience changed that as well. The Dungeon Front (the merging of D&D and Squad Leader) changed my life. I asked them if they would be back the following Saturday, and they said that they would as that is how they spent their time on the weekend. I found out later that they both were professors at the University.
I returned the next Saturday, waiting out front for the store to open. I was so excited. I was going to purchase Squad Leader today. I was paying for my brand-new copy of Squad Leader when they walked in. They both laughed and said, well he won't be dating anytime soon. That line still makes me smile.
They both laughed and said, well he won't be dating anytime soon. That line still makes me smile.
I remember going to Wargames West as often as I could. I stayed up late many nights playing by myself and butchering the rules, but I was hooked. I have never played a Role-Playing Game (RPG) to this day, but I am so glad that Dungeons & Dragons came around. It spawned my love for Historical Wargames and Military History. Two loves that I still have with me to this day.
So I have a couple of questions. How did you get involved with wargames? Have you played an RPG in the past or present? Maybe some D&D? I have to be honest, the Traveller series of RPGs has always had me intrigued.
Well, that is it. I am headed back to my gaming table to play a few turns of RAF, before turning in. Take care and Be Kind!
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