Origins - Part 1 - RPGs

Welcome to the First Part of a Series of Posts designed to help you, Valued Reader, get to know me, Innocuous Writer.

 

I call this series the Origins Series. I am particularly proud of how unique and innovative the name is, so please, appreciate. (Read also... Sarcasm....I see you, Hugh Jackman, put those claws away)

 

In this Inaugural Post, I will be talking about something very near and dear to my heart... RPGs

 

RPGs, or Role Playing Games, present a interactive opportunity to be someone else... to live another's life. The best modern examples are, of course, in the form of Video Games, and that is definitely where I got my start. My very first Video Game, and first RPG, was Pokemon Blue. When I first got Pokemon blue, I was astounded by the adventure. I was captured... stuck... entranced. The ability to control another character, Ash usually, or Blue... was a completely new experience, as was having a rival, Buttface McGee. (I Loved also that you could name him) In the end, it was the best 2D adventure game a 8 year old boy could hope for.

 

 

Fast forward to about 2003. Xbox.... Morrowind. I borrowed this game off a friend who told me it was incredible... and I played he living heck out of it. I sunk Lord knows how many hours traveling on Stilt Striders, running around unsure where to go, and getting bitten by Vampires. Heck, to this day I am not sure if I beat it or not. But Morrowind was immersive... enormous. I felt like a slave getting off that ship, entering a land of new hope and prospects... fearing for falling wizards with levitation potions. Everything about Morrowind was perfect for that time... I still remember the fear I would get from the uptempo music... I always knew I was a hairsbreath from death.

 

Of course, other amazing RPGS come and go, Mass Effect, Fallout, Oblivion, Dragon Age, Knights of the Old Republic.... but there was always something missing. No matter how many different responses you may have to a character, they are still pre-generated responses.

 

In College, it all changed. I had just started my Warhammer 40k Hobby... and discovered a little game called Deathwatch. Deathwatch lets you play as a superpowered, genetically engineered soldier, with two hearts and three lungs and the ability to spit acid. I mean, come on. I struggled to get a group to play, I had never played anything like this before... but finally... I managed to collect a small group of people, some with RPG experience, most with none. Our first encounter was... well, frankly, boring as hell. There was little to no threat, no way to lose. But the interaction that we as players go to embark upon with each other... that sparked something in me. A want to delve deeper. I eventually joined a group that was playing once a week... and i couldn't get enough. I wanted to play MORE! Heck, I am not even ashamed to admit I lost a girlfriend over it. (You want to play a stupid game more than you want to hang out with me...Yes? Also, not stupid, Awesome) Those experiences drove me to bring this gaming mentality back from college, to my local group of friends. I am happy to say we have formed a semi regular group for RPG Shenanigans.

 

How did you discover RPGing? Feel free to share below

 

- Rob -