I’ve decided to delete my Facebook account for a bunch of reasons, the upshot of which is that I’ll be posting more here, on my far-too-neglected blog. To kick things off, I’ve decided to participate in RPGaDAY 2022, the annual list of questions designed to promote the Tabletop Role-playing Game hobby.
I’ve missed the first 8 days, so this post will cover the first 9 questions.
1: Who would you like to introduce to RPGs? At this point, RPGs have gotten enough mainstream attention (through shows like Community and Stranger Things, for example), that I’m fairly sure that most folks have at least an introduction to the idea. I don’t really have a specific person in mind for this question.
2: What is a great introductory RPG? As obvious as this answer is: Dungeons & Dragons. It’s the 800lbs gorilla of the industry, the game that invented the format. It makes a great introductory RPG simply by virtue of the number of people who are available to play it with you.
3: When were you first introduced to RPGs? I was first introduced to RPGs in the summer and winter of 1980. I received a copy of TSR’s TOP SECRET for my 11th birthday, and that was my first RPG — although I didn’t really grasp the gamemaster-and-players, theater-of-the-mind, collaborative story elements of RPG play until I got a copy of Basic Dungeons & Dragons for Christmas of that year.
4: Where would you host a first game? I’ve always been a proponent of home games, rather than games played at schools, libraries or comics/games stores. Especially for an introductory game, having the players be as comfortable as possible while they’re introduced to what is, honestly, an odd experience is always the better idea, in my opinion.
5: Why would they like this game? What an odd question! I have no idea how to answer this.
6: How would you get more people playing RPGs? I think that streaming players like Critical Role have done a lot to introduce people to RPGs. I’d like to see a cable network produce a streaming actual play show, featuring genre celebrities. Take what has been a web-streaming phenomenon into the broadcast television realm.
7. Describe a cool part of a system that you love: Modiphius’ STAR TREK ADVENTURES is the 5th TTRPG based on Star Trek, and in my opinion, the rules system makes it the first that actually feels like Trek, both in it’s encouragement of teamwork, and the broad-category skill system based on the divisions within Starfleet (Command, Security, Sciences, etc.).
8: Who introduced you to RPGs? John Cochrane, the friend who gave me my first RPG, TOP SECRET, for my 11th birthday in June of 1980.
9: What is the second RPG you bought? The first few RPGs I received as gifts. It wasn’t long before I was purchasing them myself. The second RPG I bought for myself was STAR FRONTIERS, TSR’s science fiction RPG.
There are the first 9 questions. I’ll probably wait to do another batch, rather than doing them one at a time. Check back!