Still nerdy after all these years
I started playing D&D about 1978, not long after it came out. I'm still playing now, every week, with a group of '40-somethings'. It's such wonderful escapism.

I can also admit to truly great nerd-ness. There used to be a UK office for TSR, which was based in Cambridge and represented TSR throughout Europe. We had a warehouse full of stock. I worked there for 2 years. I wasn't one of the designers, I worked in Sales Admin and IT. We did all get to muck in and test stuff, review things and even write some bits. Afternoons or very long lunches spent gaming were not unusual - and normally instigated by Don Turnbull, the UK MD. I had articles published in Imagine magazine and my name even appears in the design credits in some of the old AD&D books and modules. We even got one of every product free. I still have boxes full of the stuff.

I got to meet Gary Gygax, and several of the other 'big names' from the 80s too. He was a nice guy, but there were strong rumours in the company that a lot of the profits ended up going up his nostrils in the form of Columbian marching powder. I have no evidence or opinion of my own on this, I'm merely reporting hearsay from other staff.

I saw him DM and play on several times (yes, we did have an 'in-house' group that played) and he got the rules wrong on occasion - no big deal but nice to know he was a fallible as the next man with his own creation.

My recollection is that he lost control of TSR in the late 80's when the money ran out (the head office once had to fax the MD who was in New York for permission to buy more toilet rolls, money was that tight) and the control ended up with the daughter of the man who created Flash Gordon.

I loved working there, but the money wasn't very good and I had to change job to afford to buy a house, otherwise I would have worked there until they closed the place.
(mad-dog slept with your sister on, Fri 7 Mar 2008, 10:32, Reply)