13 freaking years and still kicking...
Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 10:55 am
13 years ago today on Friday, June 9th, 1993:
I was 20 years old and just bought a x386 computer that ran MS Windows 3.1, you know back when you boot your computer to a DOS window and then typed “c:> win” for windows to boot up. My modem ran at a blistering speed of 9600 bps. The computer was brand new and cost almost a couple thousand dollars.
I had gotten some promo floppy disk, no not a CD, among some snail mail. It was the first release of AOL. It took a couple hours after work to get it all working right, but eventually I got online for the first time not using some BBS call in number or telnetted from some education institute server to someone’s MUSH. I think I got like 20 hours free with the promo disk, but was wondering what would make me stay on AOL for any length of time at $2.95 an hour for usage.
So one of the first windows that would come up after signing on was the “People’s Connection” menu of chat rooms. I scrolled down the list and saw something that caught my eye, “Red Dragon Inn.” Being a gaming geek, you know the rolling dice type playing 2nd edition AD&D or 1st edition Shadowrun at the time of the early 90s, the RDI sparked an interest. So I went into this “chat” room “Red Dragon Inn.”
Some hottie redhead bartender, RDI Dansr, served me an ale, “~~~~~~~~<(_) Ale for Ecore!” Then I got the feel for the role-play of the environment. A “regular” of the time, Cymranger, came into the RDI and we got our characters talking. I made the SN “E core 008” for my own personal OOC reasons when I first created the account. But when I got into the RDI and was faced with coming up with a character on the fly to use I chose my favorite character ever then, and now still, Baphelocutis, my fighter/mage/cleric platinum draconian I used playing AD&D. Back then there was an SN “REDDRAGON” that owned the RDI and I remember shortly after coming on AOL him handing the proprietorship to Kairee.
Eventually after some interactive role-play with Cymranger that night he told me about the Duel of Swords in the basement of the RDI. I role-played going through the door to the basement of the RDI, then picked the Duel of Swords chat room from the People’s Connection menu, and then role-played going into basement of this tavern to do some fighting. Cym introduced me to RDI Gloin, the man who basically kept DoS running in the beginning in a lot of ways. Cym introduced me to Xenograg, who just beat Falon I believe for the Overlordship. My first duel ever, was Commoner Baphelocutis vs. Overlord Xenograg.
I was hooked quicker than a homeless girl on crack. One month I ended up with an AOL bill for just over a thousand dollars. I guess having to spend almost three dollars an hour to be online we tried to make our time as worthwhile and “vested in the environment” then those who came after unlimited flat rate pricing came to AOL. That is why I have the attitude I do about RoH, I like to see the quality of the game as if you had to pay to play it, and get past the example of you get what you pay for. Back when I first came online there wasn’t even a dueler’s forum even though there was a fledging dueler’s community that was half the RDI community basically then. Since then what the dueler’s community has gone through and accomplished is a testament to life in general. I got my cat, Bella, on July 4th, 1993 a month later, and she is the only thing I still have in my life since then that was in my possession.
I greatly appreciate all the RoH staff that keep this community going today, but today my shout out goes to the old school who got me hooked on this place to begin with.
Kairee: The ultimate redheaded lass character who ran this place for years to help it originally grow strong enough to survive the chaos that transpired in the years after
Dansr: The ultimate redheaded lass bartender who served me my first drink who was often serving drinks and calling duels.
Gloin: This guy was the “Man” of the duels, he was some of the great old characters that are part of the history today, as well as running the sport and maintaining the standings.
Britsh, Doctor, and Panthr: some of the early callers who helped develop a lot of the “environs” of the basement of the RDI.
And all the characters who I met in those early days who I dueled and role played with in both the RDI and the duels both that made “Rhy’Din” a place to not only want to game, but “invest” some of my self in by doing more online in the FFGF at $2.95 an hour besides play a game.
13 freaking years and still kicking, here’s to the dueling in the basement of a tavern idea that got me hooked!
I was 20 years old and just bought a x386 computer that ran MS Windows 3.1, you know back when you boot your computer to a DOS window and then typed “c:> win” for windows to boot up. My modem ran at a blistering speed of 9600 bps. The computer was brand new and cost almost a couple thousand dollars.
I had gotten some promo floppy disk, no not a CD, among some snail mail. It was the first release of AOL. It took a couple hours after work to get it all working right, but eventually I got online for the first time not using some BBS call in number or telnetted from some education institute server to someone’s MUSH. I think I got like 20 hours free with the promo disk, but was wondering what would make me stay on AOL for any length of time at $2.95 an hour for usage.
So one of the first windows that would come up after signing on was the “People’s Connection” menu of chat rooms. I scrolled down the list and saw something that caught my eye, “Red Dragon Inn.” Being a gaming geek, you know the rolling dice type playing 2nd edition AD&D or 1st edition Shadowrun at the time of the early 90s, the RDI sparked an interest. So I went into this “chat” room “Red Dragon Inn.”
Some hottie redhead bartender, RDI Dansr, served me an ale, “~~~~~~~~<(_) Ale for Ecore!” Then I got the feel for the role-play of the environment. A “regular” of the time, Cymranger, came into the RDI and we got our characters talking. I made the SN “E core 008” for my own personal OOC reasons when I first created the account. But when I got into the RDI and was faced with coming up with a character on the fly to use I chose my favorite character ever then, and now still, Baphelocutis, my fighter/mage/cleric platinum draconian I used playing AD&D. Back then there was an SN “REDDRAGON” that owned the RDI and I remember shortly after coming on AOL him handing the proprietorship to Kairee.
Eventually after some interactive role-play with Cymranger that night he told me about the Duel of Swords in the basement of the RDI. I role-played going through the door to the basement of the RDI, then picked the Duel of Swords chat room from the People’s Connection menu, and then role-played going into basement of this tavern to do some fighting. Cym introduced me to RDI Gloin, the man who basically kept DoS running in the beginning in a lot of ways. Cym introduced me to Xenograg, who just beat Falon I believe for the Overlordship. My first duel ever, was Commoner Baphelocutis vs. Overlord Xenograg.
I was hooked quicker than a homeless girl on crack. One month I ended up with an AOL bill for just over a thousand dollars. I guess having to spend almost three dollars an hour to be online we tried to make our time as worthwhile and “vested in the environment” then those who came after unlimited flat rate pricing came to AOL. That is why I have the attitude I do about RoH, I like to see the quality of the game as if you had to pay to play it, and get past the example of you get what you pay for. Back when I first came online there wasn’t even a dueler’s forum even though there was a fledging dueler’s community that was half the RDI community basically then. Since then what the dueler’s community has gone through and accomplished is a testament to life in general. I got my cat, Bella, on July 4th, 1993 a month later, and she is the only thing I still have in my life since then that was in my possession.
I greatly appreciate all the RoH staff that keep this community going today, but today my shout out goes to the old school who got me hooked on this place to begin with.
Kairee: The ultimate redheaded lass character who ran this place for years to help it originally grow strong enough to survive the chaos that transpired in the years after
Dansr: The ultimate redheaded lass bartender who served me my first drink who was often serving drinks and calling duels.
Gloin: This guy was the “Man” of the duels, he was some of the great old characters that are part of the history today, as well as running the sport and maintaining the standings.
Britsh, Doctor, and Panthr: some of the early callers who helped develop a lot of the “environs” of the basement of the RDI.
And all the characters who I met in those early days who I dueled and role played with in both the RDI and the duels both that made “Rhy’Din” a place to not only want to game, but “invest” some of my self in by doing more online in the FFGF at $2.95 an hour besides play a game.
13 freaking years and still kicking, here’s to the dueling in the basement of a tavern idea that got me hooked!
Vixxenish is one that I remember a lot too... hard to get the image of a polka-dotted Arena out of my mind. And Vixx vs Amaltea was, I believe, the first Overlord match that I watched, heheh. At least, it was the first one in which I had a clue about the dueling itself, and wasn't just watching the rp.