Jim Maliszewski Grognardia Imagining D&D you know what I'm talking about etc., right? Okay so here's my answer:
No one thing.
I can't picture just one image, or book cover, or anything else that says "Dungeons & Dragons" to me and I certainly CAN'T HEAR MYSELF THINK BECAUSE THE KNUCKLEDRAGGERS ARE WATCHING FREAKIN' "THE HANGOVER" IN HERE AND THEY'VE GOT IT TURNED UP SO GODDAMN LOUD LIKE THEY WERE FREAKING NINETY-YEAR-OLD WOMEN WITH HEARING AIDS, because when I think of D&D I think of a lot of stuff.
"Not at the WHAT, Carlos?!" |
Mostly, though, I picture being 15. I picture being 15 years old, on a Spring afternoon, on a Friday after school, and going to my buddy Kyle's house to hang out a few hours while we gathered up all the friends and got ready to play. I picture Little Caesar's pizza trays. I picture Larry Elmore art. I picture photocopied character sheets with a Comliness box added in in ballpoint. 2-liter bottles of Mountain Dew. Mechanical pencils.
I picture freedom.
"DAMMIT, I CAN'T HEAR MY VANGELIS!" |
But this one comes close, because I first saw it in Kyle's basement. I've posted it before, so I guess that gets it as close to the distinction as anything ever will: "Saving The best For Last" by Daniel Horne.
Damnit -- now I wanna play.
Hmm.
That'll do. That'll do.