Read an RPG book in public week

Rockin' it old school

I did it. Heck, I’m proud I did it. I played RPG‘s from elementary school through my first few years in college. I am probably preaching to the converted, but RPG stands for Role Playing Game, the most well known of which is Dungeons & Dragons.  My favorite character class was the thief. The traveling vagabond aspect has appealed to me since I was young. There are plenty that scoff at the thought of  RPGs. “It’s for geeks and losers. Anyone who plays D&D is going to be living in their mothers basement at thirty. It’s for anti-social freaks who have nothing better to do with their time.” I have heard it all before. Like all stereotypes, you can find cases that support any of these and more. But, again like most stereotypes, they are much more the exception than the rule. I may be a bit of a geek, but I am thrity-two, married, very social and I don’t live with my mother. Playing D&D I learned very valuable lessons about socializing with others, team work, story telling and dealing with differences of opinion. In fact, I would say I owe a bit of what success I’ve enjoyed to playing D&D. I suspect there are other people, much more successful than I, who occasional found themselves rolling for initiative at some point in there lives.

In honor of the hobby and in and effort to get it out in the public eye, The Escapist – an RPG blog, is sponsoring  Read an RPG Book in Public Week. It takes place three strategically chosen weeks a year, you can find out more at their site, and the hope is to make the hobby more visible. At the very least, inspire some nostalgic memories among former gamers and at most, create some interest among the uninitiated.

Check it out. I think I may even dig out my copy of the 2nd Edition Dungeon Master’s guide. I don’t really game anymore, but I think I’ll throw my hat into the ring on this one.

What was your favorite RPG? I played, D&D of course, but other favorites were Teenagers from Outer Space, G.U.R.P.S. and Tales from the Floating Vagabond.