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RPGs In The 'Real World'
As more and more people realize the fun they're denying themselves by turning away from orc-bashing and dragon-baiting, mainstream businesses and media are paying more attention to RPGs. Sam the Giant writes "Barnes & Noble University is offering a free 8 hour on-line course titled 'Discover Dungeons & Dragons: Becoming a D&D Player'. The free course is described as follows: 'As a beginning player, this course will guide you in understanding how D&D works, explaining the various worlds and characters types that it is based on, creating a D&D role for yourself, and understanding how your player role interacts in the world and with other characters. You will learn the extent of your abilities and the possibilities that lie ahead for your player, including magical spells, mythic quests, and epic battles with incredible monsters.' It's free to enroll." In the same vein, NPR's great reporting turns to World of Warcraft. Dragoonmac writes "All Things Considered recently ran a feature about WoW communities, farmers, and a humorous review of real-life. A Slashdotter's must hear."
The "humorous review of real-life" is two years old, and can be found here. It's pretty funny though.
pros: Great Graphics, Vast Open-Ended Gameplay
cons: Random Start, Permadeath
First off, ignore the trolls. Many gamers go against stereotype and some are just like "normal" people. For instance, I'm a doctor currently DMing a game, one of my players is a professor, and another is a police officer. We're all sucessful and married. Hardly people living in their parents basement. RPGs can be a great way to be social, make friends, and play a game that can stimulate your mind and imagination. Your location may have a local game shop where they sell RPGs. They should have a bulletin board where people will be looking for gamers. Either contact an ad that looks interesting or put up your information. Make sure you notify the person (or put in your ad) that you are a beginner. Groups are starting up all the time, and IME getting into a game is never a problem. Ignore any games going on at the game store. They can be good for beginners, and some game shops may have excellent games going on, but more likely they are pit stops for desperate gamers, and a breeding ground for bad DMs and players. You will likely be put off if your first impression is from one of these games. Another option is to put your information on the wizards of the coast bulletin board: http://boards1.wizards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=347 If you go to a game and don't enjoy it, politely notify the DM, and find another. Not all games cater to all people, and while one group may be horrible for you, another may be a perfect match. Have fun!
Start off on the good foot. If you're a magic-user, the most important spell is Lvl. 3 Eroticism. Be sure to tell the GM that you would like to "put on your robe and wizard hat" before you learn it, aight?
If your party ever encounters a gazebo, be sure to ask the GM how many hit dice it has. Be careful - those things have powerful resists.
And on a more serious note, if you enjoyed either of those links, you're on the right track. Buy a basic set. Find a group of players who recognize a (Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Monty Python, Terry Pratchett, Snow Crash, or any other bit of canonical geek humor) and start playing. If they're not playing D&D, play whatever it is they're playing. All pen-and-paper RPGs are fundamentally the same - if you've got even the slightest inklings of an imagination and a sense of humor, it doesn't matter how introverted you are. You'll have more fun than you ever thought possible.
You know what? I think that DnD and the rest of RPGs will go on for a long time and eventually be an old pastime like playing chess, go or even Monopoly and Scrabble. When people read about the history of these RPG games, there will be a small note about its early history like this:
"When Dungeons and Dragons was originally released over 100 years ago, it caused quite a social stirring among parents concerned over their childrens activities. It was used as a scapegoat for otherwise normal social problems. Now its a game that is enjoyed by the whole family and is generally accepted as a great way to build many mental feats."
Magic: the Gathering 4ever!
By far the best message board about Dungeons & Dragons is ENWorld: http://www.enworld.org/ It's actually the only forum I know of where the average member is older than 30, for better or worse. They have a specific forum for gamers looking for groups to join. There might be groups in your area, try it out.
I'm a registered GM with the RPGA (the organized play arm of WotC), so I can help you out:
1. Pick up Dungeons and Dragons for Dummies. I flipped through it, and it was a very good guide for learning Dnd if you know absolutely nothing about the game.
2. Pick up the Players Handbook. Make sure you get version 3.5e. You don't actually need the Dungeon Master's guide and Monster Manual right away, but do get them some day. Each of the core set can be had for around 20 bucks from Amazon, but if you can afford a little extra, buy them from a local game shop. Its important to support them.
3. Find a place to play. I would recommend a local hobby and/or game shop. Its the most popular game out there, and the oldest, chances are someone out there is playing it. Ask the shopkeep how to find a game. If you can't, you can always start with an online version of the game. The largest and most popular way to play Dnd online is play by post. One of the best sites for that is DNDOG. They have a great community and plenty of people who would love to get another player into the game.
Good luck! Your welcome to email me at dm@aerthon.com if you have any additional questions.
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Our D&D gaming group, which meets every two weeks, is comprised of people with the following day jobs:
I'm glad to see D&D becoming more mainstream. It was a haven from a rather boring world as a child, and as an adult is a haven from a rather boring world ;-) There were two women in the group - but one had to leave to finalize her job search (she's a professor of law).
The Luddites were ahead of their time.
Besides, D&D is not the be-all-end-all of roleplaying*. For example, Shadowrun is a good choice if you don't want to play in a clichéd pseudo-medieval world - the fact that your character can throw fireballs is nice, but it doesn't quite impress the flame-resistant sentry gun aiming at you. You can play a secret agent or the baddest mutha on the block or a delivery guy with an autocannon mounted on his car. If you want to your character can run around with a cyber-torso with chrome finishing and an open hawaii shirt. Probably the gratest thing about Shadowrun is that it gives you full control over your character's style. Hell, if you want to play a dwarf with a neon green afro, blinking cybernetic eyes and a penchant for rocket launchers nothing except the GM will stop you. Or you run around with a bow and arrows filled with a plastic explosive, giggling every time you hear an explosion. Or you play a civil servant gone bad, armed with a pumpgun and his enemies' death certificates (filled out in triplicate). Try that with D&D.
* Actually, I'd call it the stereotypical role-playing game that I wouldn't want to be caught dead with. Over here in Germany we have a similar but different default system, which features an extremely detailed world and a nice way of handling skill checks. Unfortunately it's also very good-vs-evil-centric and the fourth edition (the first one also released in English) suffers from skill cancer, giving you a selection of about 200 skills which your character can have, including separate skills for stuff like attacking from behind. A common joke among TDE players is that the fifth edition will include skills for "walking up stairs" and "walking down stairs", with separate skills for wooden and stone stairs. Don't play this with unmodified rules.
USE HOT GRITS WITH STATUE OF NATALIE PORTMAN (NAKED AND PETRIFIED)