Ask Me Anything: SJoyner72

Always wanted to ask an old timer this one; does lore ignorance (in any old enough rpg) from new players (either be in age, to the hobby or both) frustrate you at all or do you find it a good chance to share the knowledge?

Got any favorite/guilty pleasure cult/b-movie that you keep watching over and over again?

Tell us a little about your experiences with the SCA, if you would...

Also, how'd you like GURPS? What flavor did you play & for how long?

I’m not bothered by people not knowing lore. My favorite part of RPGs is making the world your own, either as a DM but especially as a player. If I as a player can’t shape the world/setting/campaign then I find it really limiting.

One thing I love how the younger generations have made DnD more inclusive and creative. 5e especially seems suited for that.

My favorite B movie I can watch over and over is probably Conan the Barbarian. I first saw it when I was 9 and it left an indelible mark upon me.

I started doing rec-fighting with a foam and rattan ruleset in an organization called Markland when I was 14. It was loads if fun.

Later we got involved with going to Pennsic and fighting in the SCA. We were outsiders and liked to take the piss out of people who were into the royalty/nobility aspect of the hobby. In retrospect we were probably really obnoxious but we had fun. Now a lot of my older friends who kept in the hobby are now the establishment.

About 15 years ago I got back into it first while in the UK, that was really cool. We went to a war at a real castle and that was awesome. When I got back to the US I tried to get good at fighting sword and shield. I got beat to shit going to practices and at the time I was getting into running and playing soccer so I decided I wanted to keep my legs from getting bruised up and avoid CTE from getting my bell rung repeatedly. I don’t miss the fighting but I do miss the fun of going to wars.

GURPs I just remember playing some fantasy version of the game. A friend liked it so I played in their campaign. I don’t remember much more about it than that.

Prefer to play or to DM? Do you prefer established settings or homebrew game worlds?

I am definitely a player at heart. I love taking on a character and role playing in whatever setting there is.

I have also run campaigns in person as well as here on GP. I ran Out of the Abyss with some local friends but the pandemic kinda killed it.

Here on GP, I’m running a campaign from a home brew setting in a post apocalyptic world just using 5e which I really enjoy. DMing has a lot of challenges: keeping up with what your players do (because they NEVER do what you think they will), trying to have fresh ideas and maintain momentum.

I've always had a soft spot for the Elric of Melnibone stories. Have always been curious about the various RPGs set in that world but have never had the opportunity. What's your experience with those RPGs been like?

Is gaming together a thing, in your family? Are your children of an age where you can show them the thrill of roleplaying ☺️?

I think it was Runequest set in Melnibone. I enjoyed playing in that setting because at the time I was really into those books.

My son and I enjoy playing tabletop miniature games like Warhammer 40k, Kill Team, or Necromunda together. I have run a few DnD campaigns like Out of the Abyss where he played in. My daughter enjoys some board games like Machikoro but isn’t as much into the same hobbies.

As a fellow old-timer in the rpg hobby, I wonder what your experience was like playing D&D and other games in the 80s when it was frowned upon by some religious and political groups? Did you run into any pushback from adults back then, or have a hard time finding fellow players?

Where I grew up we didn’t experience the Satanic Panic. My parents didn’t really understand what DnD was. Basically any game was "DnD" to them.
We played it at school and never had a problem with teachers or anything.

I guess the biggest taboo with DnD was letting potential girlfriends know about it! But in high school, our DnD group eventually included 3-4 girls who played with us, so it was never really a big problem.

What place you've travelled to would be suitable for a setting in an RPG? Why?

What kind of motorcycle do you ride, SJ? Do you have a dream motorcycle you'd like to own or ride one day?

The north of Sweden near Örnskoldvik is like a fairy tale. Deep dark forests with lakes, sea dotted with islands, history of robbers hiding in caves waylaying travelers on the king’s road, witch burnings, ancient (pre-viking) carvings. The setting writes itself!

I have a KLR-650. It is my dream motorcycle! I’m looking forward to moto camping adventures this fall.

First time writer. Long time fan!

As a really old player I bet you have played in a lot of Campaigns. What was your favorite and why?

That’s a great question!
I think the campaign I had the most fun playing was probably the AD&D Esterhazy campaign we played in high school. Although we had a pretty toxic DM, there are still moments of role play I remember and laugh about. I remember lots of all nighters, drinking cheap RC cola. The absurdity of that scene coupled with a pretty rich world made for some unforgettable (but maybe regrettable) role play moments, including the infamous PvP killing that I would never ever tolerate nowadays (let alone be guilty of) but at the time was kinda funny.

On GP, I think Waterdeep adventure run by @Adam was loads of fun! I had never played as a bard before and really liked the whole "yes and" improv vibe if that campaign. That campaign definitely didn’t take itself seriously but still had some memorable moments. It has definitely influenced how I try to run my games.

That game was a lot of fun, but I think it was mainly fun because we all posted regularly and often, and we were all polite and courteous to each other (which turns out not to be as common as I expected).

Anyway.... questions:
If you were a character, what would be your class, subclass, and stats?
If your life were a campaign, who/what's the BBEG, and what's the campaign's title?
If you could cast any 5e cantrip IRL, what would it be?