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October 16, 2004

Heart of Dorkness: D&D at 30

Even CNN lowers itself to cover the anniversary:

ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- Dungeons & Dragons players gathered in game stores around the country Saturday to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the grandfather of fantasy role-playing games -- a pop culture phenomenon that has influenced myriad video games, books and movies.
An estimated 25,000 fans in 1,200 stores celebrated the anniversary Saturday, said Charles Ryan, brand manager for role-playing games at Wizards of the Coast, a Renton, Washington, company that owns Dungeons & Dragons.

...

Dungeons & Dragons went on to become one of the best-selling games of all time, inspiring fan devotion so great that some travel thousands of miles to play in tournaments.

There have been Dungeons & Dragons books, movies, puzzles, even a Saturday-morning cartoon show.

All quality entertainments, too.

The game peaked in the 1980s, but there are plenty of fans left. Some 4 million people play D&D regularly. Many of them laugh at a common suggestion that fantasy gamers are geeks: Of course they are, they say.
"I think a lot of people who get drawn to this game are loners, but here's a real opportunity to come out of that shell and feel safe about it," said fan Mitch Hamburger, 32.

Yes. There's something empowering about having a nicely-statted character sheet and smiting a couple of kobolds.

Look at me! I just rolled the shit out of that d4! Man, I'm fuckin' cool!

Related Dorkiness: Just on the phone with Son of Nixon.

Me: "I went to a blog party last month."

SoN (perfectly serious): "You mean like physically at a party, or just 'partying' in a chatroom?"

Me: "Give me some credit, for crying out loud."

Blog-party.

Me and bunch of dudes sitting around in a chatroom, telling each other how "freakin' wasted" we are.

That's me. Such a fucking dork that even a "friend" thinks that I'm "partying" on-line-- and then bragging about it.

posted by Ace at 07:50 PM

Comments

Snort, Ace ... too funny. I mean, I'm a loser, but at least I can blame my five kids (5 kids under 9 y/o.) I have NO life. Before kids, I got my "out" by being a bartender. Just a thought.

Posted by: Carin on October 16, 2004 08:04 PM

Five kids under 9? That's like 9 months and 15 minutes apart.

Posted by: Joe R. the Unabrewer on October 16, 2004 09:05 PM

Former dorks are the best people later on.

Posted by: lauraw on October 16, 2004 09:35 PM

True, lauraw, in a sense, but I would add that there are no "former dorks." It's like being a former marine -- no such animal.

But they have grown up to rule the world.

Posted by: George on October 16, 2004 10:47 PM

Shut up George, LOOSE LIPS...

Posted by: lauraw on October 16, 2004 11:43 PM

"I wanna cast - MAGIC MISSILE!"

Please tell me I'm not the only one who loves that Dead Alewives D&D routine :).

Posted by: on October 17, 2004 12:50 AM

Above comment was me - wasn't trying to be *that* mysterious.

Posted by: Sonetka on October 17, 2004 12:51 AM

I have some links you'll appreciate, Ace. They're at the end of the post.

Posted by: ccwbass on October 17, 2004 01:36 AM

Ace, if this is your way of announcing to the blogosphere that you're looking to DM a campaign and need players... Well, you have a funny way of doing it.

Posted by: someone on October 17, 2004 04:44 AM

--Ace, if this is your way of announcing to the blogosphere that you're looking to DM a campaign and need players... Well, you have a funny way of doing it.--

LOL, Ace does have a way of showing it.

But to be fair, Wizards of the Coast found a damn good way of modernizing the system. They latched onto Neverwinter Nights by Bioware and will never ever let go. The player created worlds have fared well, financial model or not. The greatest test will be the next online incarnation of D&D Online, to be specific, based in the world Eberron, which will be coming out in the next year. NWN2 is being developed, but will Eberron overcome it? Who knows. It's wizards vs Bioware.

Their competition is Middle Earth Online by Turbine. I fully expect MEO to whomp D&D, but we'll see. Wizards have been pushing Forgotten Realms for so long with so much detail, no one gives a shit. They've broken the D&D system into two camps. You either know FR, or you don't. Most of us don't. (I saw that Ravenloft comment in the other thread, damnit!). I give a shit about Forgotten Realms. What a generic asshat of a world. I want new, different, better. Which is what led me to all those other different worlds in the first place. Wizards never got that. That people wanted something different. So, they've been advertising to a different audience with Eberron. They hope to capture the player-base they fucked all these years by concentrating on FR.

My bet is, people abondon FR in droves for Middle Earth Online and Turbine sees numbers that were only wet dreams when they were building the Asheron worlds.

/geek

Posted by: on October 17, 2004 07:38 AM

Oh, the above comment is mine, btw. And I have an axe to grind. TSR, when they were still TSR, had a contest. The best fantasy writer could get a job with them. Submit your stories. I did. I won the contests, and then they merged, and my idea of pumping out D&D material went to hell, so they can all fuck themselves.

/bitterness

Posted by: Rob on October 17, 2004 07:43 AM

Joe - actually the closest they come is 13.5 months apart in age. I got the 2-year-gap thing DOWN after that mishap.

Posted by: Carin on October 17, 2004 07:56 AM

Hey, at this so-called "blog party", do you get to 'talk' to people or do you post comments in a thread...curious

heh.

Posted by: sonofnixon on October 17, 2004 11:16 AM

I'm with you Son of Nixon, I think this "blog-party" was probably something where Ace and company figured out how to use "roger Wilco" and all ended up on a channel (probably password protected: "wonketteass")talking about D&D and miami vice. We'll know for sure later if Ace puts up a post in which he compares Crockett and Tubbs to a chaotic good Paladan and a neutral Dark Elven Ranger.

Posted by: senator philabuster on October 17, 2004 11:47 AM

Where are the cheetos?

Posted by: Brock on October 17, 2004 06:37 PM

Amazon.com Widgets

Now Available!
The Deplorable Gourmet
A Horde-sourced Cookbook
[All profits go to charity]

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Do I ever! It's all I remember!

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We're back to the fucking bamboo. Guys, I don't think I can pay for bamboo ruminations.
I think he added that because he was embarrassed about all the bamboo imagery from Part 1. He's justifying his twin obsessions: His ex, and bamboo. Which is not a tree but a kind of grass, he'll have you know.

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