Dave B's Gaming Bio

I'll keep this brief.

I've played a lot of games.

OK, maybe that's too brief. I got into the hobby in 1979 when I bought Panzerblitz and a little bit later bought Divine Right. This led within a few months to buying the Dungeons & Dragons basic set (in the cool blue box). It only covered characters from 1st to 3rd level, but it had an adventure in it and was capably written (an uncommon trait in the early days). I "DM'd" the adventure with some neighbor friends and we were soon hooked. We all bought the AD&D books when the came out and were soon running campaigns and arguing about rules and grudge killing characters and "Monty Hauling" through ridiculous dungeons full of monsters and traps.
Other board games and RPGs followed. I won't name them all. In fact, I won't name any of them. But I'm pretty sure I played or read most of what was available back then, except for some of those super-complex giant SPI games like Drag Nacht Osten.
I stayed with the hobby in college with a great group of friends, and started getting into miniatures games, too. Inevitable, considering how miniatures driven games like D&D tend to be.
After college, I played with several different gaming groups, including one at Comic Store West, back when it was at the North Mall (you guys want anything from Orange Julius?). A lot of D&D, but plenty of other games, too. Eventually I got married to Carolyn, we had Bryan, and I slowed down on gaming for a few years. When I got back into it, I played mostly miniatures games (Warhammer, Chipco, DH, and numerous historical rules sets). I wanted to get back into RPGs, but didn't have the time.
Over a year ago, Brett invited Bryan and I to be in his D&D group. I'd never played 3.5, so I was happy to play. I've had fun ever since!
Why do I still play after 30 years? The simple answer is: Because it's fun! Beyond that, I love RPGs because they promote cooperative game play and working with a team. To be good at pen and paper RPGs, you have to learn how to work and interact with people face to face. And miniature and boardgames are fun because they are competitive and allow you to see how people think, both strategically and tactically. Most of the people I've gamed with I consider friends and I really like hanging out and talking about other stuff beyond gaming. It's one way I stay connected to people outside of family, work, neighbors, and church. I will always find time to game because I've never considered it a waste of time.