As other's have said, you player anecdotes are just like any other and hence largely worthless. No-one wants to hear about your character; they want to hear about what it was like back then, the people, the personalities and even what happened to some of them.  The less stories about your PCs the better, it just comes across as self indulgent.

I'm thrilled that you have involved editors because a good one can really improve your story, and there is a fascinating story in there and the timing is right for bringing it to the public.

Actually, there is one reason I disagree that the anecdotes are worthless.  There is a segment of the RPG hobby which is SO FUCKING SERIOUS ABOUT THEIR ELFGAMES.  I consider a Balrog named 'Ghulash' to be a useful anodyne.

Further, for every person saying 'your anecdotes are boring just like everybody else's,' I get five to ten people saying 'your stories are great, they make me laugh.'

The whole point of playing this game is to produce anecdotes that you can talk about years later. My older brother still talks about how his monk got killed by Asmodeus back in 1980.

Quote from: Old Geezer;746656Further, for every person saying 'your anecdotes are boring just like everybody else's,' I get five to ten people saying 'your stories are great, they make me laugh.'

Do they also say "You should write more of them! Many, many more of them! But you should read some books on how to write memoirs first, and research the details of everything and everyone you mention, and then rewrite what you've written!"?

And then, after you've slowly shuffled off with your walking frame, do they look at one another with relief and say "Hopefully that'll keep the senile old codger busy for another few months."?

Quote from: aspiringlich;746658The whole point of playing this game is to produce anecdotes that you can talk about years later. My older brother still talks about how his monk got killed by Asmodeus back in 1980.

Anecdotes are great to share with the people who were there. For most others they are boring. At the Cons I attended in my youth I remember one of the rules of the con was 'No Anecdotes'. As soon as someone tried to talk about one of their characters they would be shouted down with cries of No Anecdotes! 'twas both fun and instructive.

Anecdotes are the meat of a memoir. So in terms of Geezer's book, they are part and parcel of it.

Anyone saying any differently is basically loading up their 'take an easy pot-shot at Old Geezer' catapult.

Quote from: Fiasco;746725Anecdotes are great to share with the people who were there. For most others they are boring. At the Cons I attended in my youth I remember one of the rules of the con was 'No Anecdotes'. As soon as someone tried to talk about one of their characters they would be shouted down with cries of No Anecdotes! 'twas both fun and instructive.

I wasn't there at my brother's gaming table (I was only 6 or 7 at the time), but I still love hearing stories about what went on. You might find that sort of thing boring, but I don't, so I hope OG shares the wealth.

Quote from: Fiasco;746725Anecdotes are great to share with the people who were there. For most others they are boring. At the Cons I attended in my youth I remember one of the rules of the con was 'No Anecdotes'. As soon as someone tried to talk about one of their characters they would be shouted down with cries of No Anecdotes! 'twas both fun and instructive.

Sounds like bullshit to me.

I love hearing people talk to me about their games and characters. That's what they invest their time and imagination in, and I'll be damned if as a game designer I wouldn't pay attention to what they're saying to me when they explain about that time the village got attacked by orcs and they had a sword of sharpness and it was so cool etc etc.

It's not the *point* of the game to generate these anecdotes, but it's the way people after the adventure communicate their enjoyment of the game to other gamers they think will actually understand the place their coming from and why this is so cool.

YES, some people can be really heavy with this and don't get a clue when to stop and take a deep breath to let other people speak. Some people are socially retarded, that's a fact. True. But for God's sakes, fuck the "no anecdotes, ahh those dirty gamers with their bullshit stories blah blah blah". That's just another way of pretending to be above it all and hating on gamers for being gamers, IMO.

Quote from: Old Geezer;746656Actually, there is one reason I disagree that the anecdotes are worthless.  There is a segment of the RPG hobby which is SO FUCKING SERIOUS ABOUT THEIR ELFGAMES.  I consider a Balrog named 'Ghulash' to be a useful anodyne.

Further, for every person saying 'your anecdotes are boring just like everybody else's,' I get five to ten people saying 'your stories are great, they make me laugh.'

I agree completely ith both poinnts.  The only caveat would be to focus on the anecdotes that show how things were done, where ideas came from, why things were done the way they were. Which, I believe, is your major goal, so I'm not worried here.

One thing about describing the people involved: when people say they want to know who Mike Wollan or Bill Corey are, they probably mean "in relation to the hobby." Did they contribute anything to the rules, write articles for zines? Did they go on to publish anything we might know, or even something obscure? Are they still active, to your knowledge? Maybe a little of how you met them, and some sketchy details of their non-gaming bio, just to give a sense of what kind of people were playing back then. I donn't think anyone really cares where and when they were born, date of marriage, number of children, income, or life story. That really doesn't tell us about them as GAMERS.

Quote from: talysman;746759One thing about describing the people involved: when people say they want to know who Mike Wollan or Bill Corey are, they probably mean "in relation to the hobby." Did they contribute anything to the rules, write articles for zines? Did they go on to publish anything we might know, or even something obscure? Are they still active, to your knowledge? Maybe a little of how you met them, and some sketchy details of their non-gaming bio, just to give a sense of what kind of people were playing back then. I donn't think anyone really cares where and when they were born, date of marriage, number of children, income, or life story. That really doesn't tell us about them as GAMERS.

Well, the thing is that in the case of both these guys, the answers are pretty much "no" to all the above.

"Zaphod's just this guy, you know?"

But a little bit about how we met and what games they played, yeah, I could do that.

Quote from: talysman;746759I agree completely ith both poinnts.  The only caveat would be to focus on the anecdotes that show how things were done, where ideas came from, why things were done the way they were. Which, I believe, is your major goal, so I'm not worried here.

The point of 'humorous anecdotes' is to be funny.  If you look at the chapter titles, there aren't really many of those.  I spend a lot more time talking about where ideas came from and why we did what we did, but threw in a few funny stories.

I personally think the idea of a young Balrog pouring oil on himself and hitting himself on the head with a torch because he can't immolate is hilarious, just like I think the idea of a flying vampire getting hit by another vampire, being drained two levels, and turning into a mummy 1000' up in the air is hilarious.

"DO you mean to tell me undead that get drained turn into other undead?"
"Only if it's funny!"

Quote from: Benoist;746751YES, some people can be really heavy with this and don't get a clue when to stop and take a deep breath to let other people speak. Some people are socially retarded, that's a fact. True. But for God's sakes, fuck the "no anecdotes, ahh those dirty gamers with their bullshit stories blah blah blah". That's just another way of pretending to be above it all and hating on gamers for being gamers, IMO.

Partly true, but also true that a funny story about a character goes over better.  I included the Ghulash story because I think it's funny.  The story (if I had one) of Ghulash killing some monsters and getting some treasure isn't funny so I didn't include it.

To some extent, "funny" is subjective.  On the other hand, after 59 years of telling funny stories, no few of which were greeted with Sad Trombone, I trust my own sense of what is and isn't funny more than I trust anybody else's.  This goes times a bazillion on the Internet, where there is a significant number of people with the same remarkable sense of humor as Mustrum Ridcully.

Quote from: One Horse Town;746726Anecdotes are the meat of a memoir. So in terms of Geezer's book, they are part and parcel of it.

Anyone saying any differently is basically loading up their 'take an easy pot-shot at Old Geezer' catapult.

Or has the sense of humor of a wire coat hanger.

I'm sure there are people who don't find the idea of a young Balrog getting so frustrated he uses a torch and oil to immolate funny.

That's their character defect, not mine.

Quote from: One Horse Town;746726Anecdotes are the meat of a memoir. So in terms of Geezer's book, they are part and parcel of it.

Anyone saying any differently is basically loading up their 'take an easy pot-shot at Old Geezer' catapult.

Anecdotes of your experiences playing at the dawn of D&D absolutely. That is why we are buying the book. Anecdotes about a character you played back in the dawn of the hobby not so much.