But before there was inspiration, there was origin.
Mine?
It starts in a quiet classroom in 1979. Washington Elementary School, Jacksonville, Illinois. “Silent reading” time. Most kids had The Phantom Tollbooth or Ramona the Pest.
I had the Monster Manual.
Or, more accurately, I had my friend’s copy of the Monster Manual, because I didn’t have one of my own yet. Not easy to come by in a tiny, near-bible-belt town. But once I saw it? Once I opened it and saw the hydra, the efreet, the demons, devils, and displacer beasts? The vampires!
I was gone.
Hooked. Claimed. Branded.
The Monster Manual wasn’t just a game book, it was a grimoire.
A bestiary of monsters that felt as real as anything I’d read in the Greek myths I was already devouring.
That was my origin point. That was the moment I became the über-geek you all know today. (And yes, I use the umlauts. That’s my street cred.)
I borrowed that book.
And read.
And read.
And read.
I’m pretty sure I had the whole thing memorized before I even played my first game. The mechanics were confusing, the art was a little weird, but the imagination? Unmatched. That’s the moment that formed me.
And ever since then, every game book I pick up gets judged against what I call the Monster Manual Scale.
How close does this book come to giving me that feeling? That rush of wonder, danger, mystery, and possibility?
Some have come close. A few have hit the mark.
C.J. Carella’s WitchCraft gave me that same feeling. So did Wasted Lands, in a different, deeper way.
That’s my origin.
But here’s the thing: everyone who comes to this hobby has one.
And your origin shapes everything:
- The kind of stories you like to tell.
- The kinds of characters you play.
- The mechanics you care about (or happily ignore).
- The tone you aim for at your table.
- The feel of fantasy that feels right to you.
Maybe your origin is Tolkien. Maybe it’s anime. Maybe it’s heavy metal album covers and 1980s horror movies. Oh, I guess I am still talking about me here. Maybe it was a family member who taught you to roll dice, or a weird little book you found at a garage sale that opened a door in your brain you’ve never quite shut again. Maybe you got here via Critical Role.
Whatever it was, your origin matters.
It doesn’t just explain how you game.
It explains why.
So think back. What was it? What was your Monster Manual? And have you passed it on yet?
Questions
Why. Envious. Rule. Ok...
What rule am I envious of and why? I really have been enjoying the Hope & Fear mechanic of Daggerheart and wish it had been something I had come up with myself. It is a fun narrative device for both the players and game master, who often doesn't get a narrative point device like this.
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