The name of the game was Dungeons & Dragons. So there was a certain expectation on, well, dungeons. But that is not all of what we got. Sometimes we went outside.
Day 11 Wilderness
Live-Action Role-Playing was not really something we knew a lot about back in the early to mid-80s. Yes even in my little town we had heard about SCA but that was something that happened far away in places that sounded exotic to us.
We did know about live D&D.
Of course, we had heard stories of people getting trapped in their make-believe world. I mean we had seen Mazes & Monsters right. But still in the time after discovering D&D and before discovering easy access to alcohol there was a time when my D&D group would run around the woods wearing all black to play "live D&D." Sometimes this was near the train tracks near the Hospital north of town but most often it was at the local Boy Scout camping area out way west of town. Known as Ebaugh County Park, we always called it Ebaugh Corner since it was on this corner of old Route 36.
It felt a lot bigger than what is on that map I can assure you.
We didn't get out there often. Our town was hit with Satanic Panic back in the mid-80s and we worried the cops would come out and harass us.
Not a lot of D&D was played here really. Frankly, my eyesight was getting bad then (and it never got better!) so running around in the dark was not something I could well. I was actually pretty pathetic really! I remember my last time there too. June 1987 right before college.
I never really did try live-action D&D again. Was never really my thing.
This has come up again recently as I am getting ready for a trip to the Renaissance Faire in Bristol, WI. My son and his friends are all dressing up in Assassin's Creed gear. I have been there in the past in Steampunk gear. Though I must admit I want to go in period clothing and keep a Star Trek badge hidden, just in case.
Hope to head there this weekend. It might not be the actual wilderness, but for a city kid like me, it is close enough.
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