An earnest love letter to the Holmes Edition of Dungeons & Dragons of the late 1970s, Stephen Wendell's self-published 30-page monograph Blue Flame, Tiny Stars details his own introduction to the wonderful world of roleplaying games.
It's a life-changing story, in many ways familiar to a lot of us, about discovering a hobby unlike any other, but told from Stephen's unique perspective as a 13-year-old in 1982.
An author of fact and fiction books, Stephen also runs the Donjon Lands blog, dedicated to old school fantasy adventures and campaigns.
The story at the heart of Blue Flame, Tiny Stars (the title representing the lasting impact of the David Sutherland's iconic cover) probably echoes those of many of us who consider ourselves "second-generation" gamers.
It delves deeply into the importance of having learned the intricacies and lore of the world of Dungeons & Dragons second-hand, almost by osmosis; how we were taught the game by others inspired to spread the brilliance of this new, imagination-driven hobby.
Although we would pick up the books eventually, we learned first from our chosen mentors.
It delves deeply into the importance of having learned the intricacies and lore of the world of Dungeons & Dragons second-hand, almost by osmosis; how we were taught the game by others inspired to spread the brilliance of this new, imagination-driven hobby.
Although we would pick up the books eventually, we learned first from our chosen mentors.
Another aspect Stephen addresses in the pages of Blue Flame, Tiny Stars is that once you have embraced the simple genius at the heart of roleplaying, you will never see the world in the same light again.
You can use ideas you've picked up in the real world to give you an advantage in the world of the game, while, simultaneously, the game can teach you about medieval history, ancient arms and armour, outdoor survival etc
Dungeons & Dragons also fostered a great deal of creativity in teenage brains. I mean, after your first session or two of D&D, who didn't go off, grab some graph paper and pens, and sketch out sprawling castles and megadungeons for our friends to explore and ransack?
A well-written booklet, oozing with nostalgia and a sense of fun, many of its short chapters are - essentially - "actual play" accounts of eerily familiar early games.
These would then provide the essential building blocks upon which all of us who have stuck with the hobby have learned to improve and expand our gaming.
Blue Flame, Tiny Stars is an account of finding that tiny acorn from which a mighty passion can grow over the decades.
At that age, we all dip our toes into a whole host of hobbies, but it takes something special for one to endure in the psyche for four decades (and counting).
Stephen has explained what it was about the blue-covered, Eric Holmes-edited, edition of Dungeons & Dragons from 1979 that compelled him to stick with the hobby, and it also reminds us what lit that fire in us as well.
I have to thank Tim Brannon of The Other Side for his comprehensive review of this little tome, which spurred me to pick it up.
- Blue Flame, Tiny Stars is available from DriveThru in a variety of formats.
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