A short history lesson
Every so often, I like to talk more on this blog than simply about the WLD. And at this time I’m going to chat about the ghosts of this gaming group’s past.
Over the past decade and a half of its existence, this gaming group has changed. In fact I think the only constant is that Dale has been a member of it for so long.
Well technically, I don’t think I can call it the exact same group. But to me it is. And since I’m the writer of this blog, that’s all that matters now isn’t it?
:)
Long ago there was a game store, and that game store had a nice big room where a lot of people could come in and play a game. And every Saturday evening, there would be a D&D game in that room that would last until past midnight.
This group got to be huge. Such as over 20 people at one point. I even attempted to join the group at this time, but was told I could only play when enough people left. That was a bit offensive to me because there were some people in the group that I thought were sub-human. And in my 19 year old oversized head, they were picking the sub-humans over me. So I would just do other things that on my Saturday evenings. Magic: the Gathering was in full swing, so it’s not like I had nothing to do.
Fast forward a few years. That game store had gone under, as did many others after Magic all but died. This left only one game store around that had an area for gaming. By this time the same gaming group had moved to a player’s house because this last game store basically catered to their biggest money source; the 10-15 year old crowd.
Well at this time I was bored on the weekends, having recently broke up with the girlfriend I had back then, and needed something to do other than get into a new CCG-of-the-month. So I asked someone if they still gamed with a group, and what-do-you-know, it was the same group. And in a much more manageable size as well.
Well that was about 7 years ago. And since then the players have changed dramatically. It has gone from 2 dozen players down to a lowly 3 at one point.
Heck for about 6 months, the game died. Basically it was because I had found a new girlfriend, the woman I ended up marrying in fact. And that left the group with 4 total players, but one half of the group didn’t care for playing with the other half. So the group dissolved until I called Dale about 6 months later.
Edit: My wife "asked" me to jump in here and say that she had nothing to do with me quitting the group. That is true. The reason is that I wanted to spend more time with her and I was not enjoying gaming with one person in particular. So rather than drop-kicking the guy out of the group, I chose to quit. A decision I have regretted since. I will not be making that mistake again.
The rest is history.
Recently I gave it the title of “The Cincinnati D&D Group” simply because I couldn’t think of anything better. I even tried to get the group think of something new and original, but nothing came of that. And since we’re now on the net with that title, it’s not likely to change.
Here’s a list of various gamers we’ve played with in the past, good, bad, or otherwise.
There are probably a lot more out there, but I can’t remember every single one of them.
(No names on some... just in case.)
Craig – He was fun to pick on, and he loved picking back. After a rough start, his first attempt at being a DM went over quite well with everyone who played. And his second one went just as well. Both were year long grand campaigns with heavy influence from Lord of the Rings (and this was prior to the movies). Eventually he decided that he hated where he lived and moved to California.
Player A – He was the standard “I’ve played everything and can’t be impressed” kind of gamer. And he always seemed bored or bothered to be at the game. And boy did he not like it when I ran. I think it was because I wouldn’t allow him to spend half the night dominating the game with his solo-adventuring while everyone sat on their thumbs. Eventually he stopped showing up after people stopped letting him know when I was running a game.
Jesse – I miss this guy. He was with the group long before I was. He started with the group when he was merely 12. After that I’m amazed he came out normal (his first session involved several evil group members doing very evil and adult things). Eventually he quit and joined the marines (and was in it during 9/11). Afterwards he went to college and is working on becoming a lawyer. I heard he got married not too long ago.
Player B – This gamer simply needed a good old-fashioned “attitude adjustment”. He only liked you if you could do something for him. Otherwise you’re treated like dirt. Had he been in this group 7 years ago, I would not have joined.
Doc – He was the primary DM when the group had its 2 dozen players. How he did it I have no idea. He quit because of a girl, so I can’t put any blame on him there. But I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing him game again. I know Dale would love to have him in our group.
Player C – This guy was an awesome player, but had some anger issues. He could join a game and fix all of the little things wrong with it, simply by speaking calmly and pointing out a few things. Unfortunately his patience would run thin after a while. Then if someone got to him or the DM made a call he didn’t agree with, he’d get aggressively angry. He eventually left the group after a couple of months where we weren’t gaming very steadily.
Tony – I would let this guy join our group in a second, without question. He never got angry, never raised his voice even. He always thought before acting, and the idea of power-gaming was just wrong to him unless the situation 100% warranted it. But unfortunately I quit the group, and it subsequently collapsed. When we reformed the group, he was too much into the online role-playing games and chose not to play again. And that’s a darn shame. Recently I ran into him again, but unfortunately he already has a group he is happy with. Good for him, bad for us.
Player D – This guy always seemed like he was just waiting for the opportunity to take over and dominate the group. He always was sure that he was 100% correct about everything. Teamwork meant that you do everything he said. He even went so far as to make character that had a high charisma and a maxxed out diplomacy skill, just so he would be the one talking all the time. When the group collapsed and was reformed, he was not called. He just seemed like a guy who was one step away from snapping at all times.
Drew – We all miss Drew. He was simply your standard good guy gamer. He was also a good DM, and had many nonstandard and interesting ideas for dungeons that I swiped and have added to my repertoire. He joined us when we restarted the group. Unfortunately for us, he wanted to go to law school. And the law school that accepted him was in Toledo. He frequently reads this blog, so I won’t say anything bad about him ;)
Player E – Something about this guy just drove me nuts. He would actually make snoring sounds when his character was sleeping. And he would go so far as to be so loud that you couldn’t hear the DM. Plus you couldn’t trust your stuff around him as he was rumored to be a thief. His version of fun was simply to make things more difficult for you. He was another person I made sure that wasn’t in the group before I joined in.
Joy – She is Dale’s daughter and is Justin’s ex-girlfriend (something they both hate being reminded of). She shows up to game about once a year when she’s bored. She’s also fun to pick on, but only from a distance. She can leg-press more than twice of what I weigh (I’m not even close to kidding), but luckily for me, she has bad aim with dice. Unfortunately for Justin, she was within…uhm “knee-shot”…when he made a comment she didn’t appreciate hearing. He woke up a couple seconds later, doubled up on the ground, tasting concrete.
Player F – This fellow is your standard “old-timer-gamer”. He has played table-top war games long before D&D came along. And when he plays or runs D&D, he’s an absolute jerk. Rules mean nothing unless you can use them against someone else. And if you cheat and you aren’t caught, then it is 100% legal. Would you let a guy like that in your house?
Player G – This guy joined us when we restarted the group. He showed up the first session, the third session, and the seventh session. We just stopped inviting him after the tenth session and he came up with another last minute reason why he couldn’t make it. I wanted to uninvite him sooner, but Dale reminded me that a little niceness can go a long way.
Player H – This poor fellow was another standard good-guy gamer. But he didn’t have a car, so he missed the game whenever he had to work, or his ride couldn’t bring him. His character lost an arm in one of those optional “devastating criticals” table. He eventually got it back, only to lose the other arm a couple weeks later. He didn’t find it as funny as the rest of us. He quit playing not too much later.
Player I – This fellow told everyone he had cancer. He didn’t of course, it was just a ploy to get sympathy from others, and then exploit them. I never trusted him because something just didn’t seem right (he gave off the snake oil salesman vibe). Eventually he disappeared from the game store. A couple months later the police later came to the game store looking for him. He had allegedly written tens of thousands of dollars in bad checks. There’s another person who I’d never want in my house.
Player J – Another nice guy I wouldn’t mind joining the group again. Unfortunately he is close friends with someone I would never game with again and this guy wouldn’t play without him. Damn shame too.
Player K – Although this guy is fun to game with, he’s a little too aggressive and selfish for my tastes. While I would certainly game with him, I don’t think he’s a good fit for the group as it is right now. (We’re more into teamwork.)
Player L – This guy was a nice guy, but thinking before acting was a totally foreign concept to him. He never seemed to understand that actions have consequences, in the game or the real world. He joined group after group, but eventually just drifted off because he never felt he received the respect he thought he deserved.
And finally,
Nergal (his nickname) – I despised this pile of wretched flesh. He claimed to bathe, but there was no proof of it. You could actually tell if he was in the game store without even seeing him as he wreaked so much, hence the nickname. Another person I would not game with again. I’ve heard rumors that he is back into gaming and that he shows up to Yottaquest about once a month. Man he’s nasty.
I bet you might recognize some of the player characteristics in your own group.
Hopefully the better ones.
:)
Over the past decade and a half of its existence, this gaming group has changed. In fact I think the only constant is that Dale has been a member of it for so long.
Well technically, I don’t think I can call it the exact same group. But to me it is. And since I’m the writer of this blog, that’s all that matters now isn’t it?
:)
Long ago there was a game store, and that game store had a nice big room where a lot of people could come in and play a game. And every Saturday evening, there would be a D&D game in that room that would last until past midnight.
This group got to be huge. Such as over 20 people at one point. I even attempted to join the group at this time, but was told I could only play when enough people left. That was a bit offensive to me because there were some people in the group that I thought were sub-human. And in my 19 year old oversized head, they were picking the sub-humans over me. So I would just do other things that on my Saturday evenings. Magic: the Gathering was in full swing, so it’s not like I had nothing to do.
Fast forward a few years. That game store had gone under, as did many others after Magic all but died. This left only one game store around that had an area for gaming. By this time the same gaming group had moved to a player’s house because this last game store basically catered to their biggest money source; the 10-15 year old crowd.
Well at this time I was bored on the weekends, having recently broke up with the girlfriend I had back then, and needed something to do other than get into a new CCG-of-the-month. So I asked someone if they still gamed with a group, and what-do-you-know, it was the same group. And in a much more manageable size as well.
Well that was about 7 years ago. And since then the players have changed dramatically. It has gone from 2 dozen players down to a lowly 3 at one point.
Heck for about 6 months, the game died. Basically it was because I had found a new girlfriend, the woman I ended up marrying in fact. And that left the group with 4 total players, but one half of the group didn’t care for playing with the other half. So the group dissolved until I called Dale about 6 months later.
Edit: My wife "asked" me to jump in here and say that she had nothing to do with me quitting the group. That is true. The reason is that I wanted to spend more time with her and I was not enjoying gaming with one person in particular. So rather than drop-kicking the guy out of the group, I chose to quit. A decision I have regretted since. I will not be making that mistake again.
The rest is history.
Recently I gave it the title of “The Cincinnati D&D Group” simply because I couldn’t think of anything better. I even tried to get the group think of something new and original, but nothing came of that. And since we’re now on the net with that title, it’s not likely to change.
Here’s a list of various gamers we’ve played with in the past, good, bad, or otherwise.
There are probably a lot more out there, but I can’t remember every single one of them.
(No names on some... just in case.)
Craig – He was fun to pick on, and he loved picking back. After a rough start, his first attempt at being a DM went over quite well with everyone who played. And his second one went just as well. Both were year long grand campaigns with heavy influence from Lord of the Rings (and this was prior to the movies). Eventually he decided that he hated where he lived and moved to California.
Player A – He was the standard “I’ve played everything and can’t be impressed” kind of gamer. And he always seemed bored or bothered to be at the game. And boy did he not like it when I ran. I think it was because I wouldn’t allow him to spend half the night dominating the game with his solo-adventuring while everyone sat on their thumbs. Eventually he stopped showing up after people stopped letting him know when I was running a game.
Jesse – I miss this guy. He was with the group long before I was. He started with the group when he was merely 12. After that I’m amazed he came out normal (his first session involved several evil group members doing very evil and adult things). Eventually he quit and joined the marines (and was in it during 9/11). Afterwards he went to college and is working on becoming a lawyer. I heard he got married not too long ago.
Player B – This gamer simply needed a good old-fashioned “attitude adjustment”. He only liked you if you could do something for him. Otherwise you’re treated like dirt. Had he been in this group 7 years ago, I would not have joined.
Doc – He was the primary DM when the group had its 2 dozen players. How he did it I have no idea. He quit because of a girl, so I can’t put any blame on him there. But I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing him game again. I know Dale would love to have him in our group.
Player C – This guy was an awesome player, but had some anger issues. He could join a game and fix all of the little things wrong with it, simply by speaking calmly and pointing out a few things. Unfortunately his patience would run thin after a while. Then if someone got to him or the DM made a call he didn’t agree with, he’d get aggressively angry. He eventually left the group after a couple of months where we weren’t gaming very steadily.
Tony – I would let this guy join our group in a second, without question. He never got angry, never raised his voice even. He always thought before acting, and the idea of power-gaming was just wrong to him unless the situation 100% warranted it. But unfortunately I quit the group, and it subsequently collapsed. When we reformed the group, he was too much into the online role-playing games and chose not to play again. And that’s a darn shame. Recently I ran into him again, but unfortunately he already has a group he is happy with. Good for him, bad for us.
Player D – This guy always seemed like he was just waiting for the opportunity to take over and dominate the group. He always was sure that he was 100% correct about everything. Teamwork meant that you do everything he said. He even went so far as to make character that had a high charisma and a maxxed out diplomacy skill, just so he would be the one talking all the time. When the group collapsed and was reformed, he was not called. He just seemed like a guy who was one step away from snapping at all times.
Drew – We all miss Drew. He was simply your standard good guy gamer. He was also a good DM, and had many nonstandard and interesting ideas for dungeons that I swiped and have added to my repertoire. He joined us when we restarted the group. Unfortunately for us, he wanted to go to law school. And the law school that accepted him was in Toledo. He frequently reads this blog, so I won’t say anything bad about him ;)
Player E – Something about this guy just drove me nuts. He would actually make snoring sounds when his character was sleeping. And he would go so far as to be so loud that you couldn’t hear the DM. Plus you couldn’t trust your stuff around him as he was rumored to be a thief. His version of fun was simply to make things more difficult for you. He was another person I made sure that wasn’t in the group before I joined in.
Joy – She is Dale’s daughter and is Justin’s ex-girlfriend (something they both hate being reminded of). She shows up to game about once a year when she’s bored. She’s also fun to pick on, but only from a distance. She can leg-press more than twice of what I weigh (I’m not even close to kidding), but luckily for me, she has bad aim with dice. Unfortunately for Justin, she was within…uhm “knee-shot”…when he made a comment she didn’t appreciate hearing. He woke up a couple seconds later, doubled up on the ground, tasting concrete.
Player F – This fellow is your standard “old-timer-gamer”. He has played table-top war games long before D&D came along. And when he plays or runs D&D, he’s an absolute jerk. Rules mean nothing unless you can use them against someone else. And if you cheat and you aren’t caught, then it is 100% legal. Would you let a guy like that in your house?
Player G – This guy joined us when we restarted the group. He showed up the first session, the third session, and the seventh session. We just stopped inviting him after the tenth session and he came up with another last minute reason why he couldn’t make it. I wanted to uninvite him sooner, but Dale reminded me that a little niceness can go a long way.
Player H – This poor fellow was another standard good-guy gamer. But he didn’t have a car, so he missed the game whenever he had to work, or his ride couldn’t bring him. His character lost an arm in one of those optional “devastating criticals” table. He eventually got it back, only to lose the other arm a couple weeks later. He didn’t find it as funny as the rest of us. He quit playing not too much later.
Player I – This fellow told everyone he had cancer. He didn’t of course, it was just a ploy to get sympathy from others, and then exploit them. I never trusted him because something just didn’t seem right (he gave off the snake oil salesman vibe). Eventually he disappeared from the game store. A couple months later the police later came to the game store looking for him. He had allegedly written tens of thousands of dollars in bad checks. There’s another person who I’d never want in my house.
Player J – Another nice guy I wouldn’t mind joining the group again. Unfortunately he is close friends with someone I would never game with again and this guy wouldn’t play without him. Damn shame too.
Player K – Although this guy is fun to game with, he’s a little too aggressive and selfish for my tastes. While I would certainly game with him, I don’t think he’s a good fit for the group as it is right now. (We’re more into teamwork.)
Player L – This guy was a nice guy, but thinking before acting was a totally foreign concept to him. He never seemed to understand that actions have consequences, in the game or the real world. He joined group after group, but eventually just drifted off because he never felt he received the respect he thought he deserved.
And finally,
Nergal (his nickname) – I despised this pile of wretched flesh. He claimed to bathe, but there was no proof of it. You could actually tell if he was in the game store without even seeing him as he wreaked so much, hence the nickname. Another person I would not game with again. I’ve heard rumors that he is back into gaming and that he shows up to Yottaquest about once a month. Man he’s nasty.
I bet you might recognize some of the player characteristics in your own group.
Hopefully the better ones.
:)
posted by BlueBlackRed at 12:30 PM
3 Comments:
I'm not "Drew the Orc" anymore? Heh.
Ideas? You stole my ideas? I didn't know I had any? What ideas did you steal? Eh I probably stole them from someone else so it doesn't matter.
Drew
Live over in Ft. Thomas and am starting up the WLD next week. I get to play it instead of running it (a rarity), so I won't be reading your blog.
That's an amazing list of losers. I've played D&D in six cities over a span of 25 years and, while I can certainly recognize a few of the archetypes, the majority of people I played with were little trouble at all. Something really strange about this area, evidently.
Remember the bad ones are gathered from a decade of gaming.
And not every bad one is bad to others. This is written from my perspective ;)
Plus there were a lot of people who just didn't get mentioned because there was not much bad to say about them. What could I say? "Um Bubba...he was alright."
Good luck with your game Keith.
Drew, Drew the Orc, whatever.
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