Steve Jackson Games Forums - View Single Post

Kirk · 06-07-2018, 09:32 PM

There are so many! But the start of it all was when, nearing the end of my senior year (class of '77), my brother and his friend, and me and my friend went to the local hobby store (Dibble's) in San Antonio and we saw a small gaming booklet (last copy) of 1st edition Melee.

I asked the clerk about the game and he said it had gotten good reviews from those that had bought it. I found the art very intriguing, especially since the fighter had already delivered his blow and was bringing it back for another. The characters were well drawn and balanced. The game was $2.95 and perhaps was just something the four of us could play as a last summer before I entered college.

Since all four of us wanted the copy, we flipped dimes twice and I ended up with the copy. I still have it.

We rushed home to give it a read and try an arena combat. We paired off and, being the clever guy that I was, I decided I would be strong with a powerful weapon and well-armoured, and take advantage of the fact that a 3, 4, or 5 was an automatic hit.

My partner wanted to be quick, first to hit, and to move fast. We had our bases covered.

Here we were:

Me
ST - 15
DX - 9 (4)
MA - 10 (4)
Battleaxe 3
Hvy. Crossbow 3 (every third turn)
Dagger 1-1
Plate/ 5 hits

Partner
ST - 9
DX - 15
MA - 10
Rapier 1
Sm. Bow 1-1
Dagger 1-1
Sm. Shield/ 1 hit

Opponents

ST - 12
DX - 12
MA - 10
Broadsword 2
Lt. Crossbow 2
Dagger 1-1
Sm. Shield/ 1 hit

ST - 11
DX - 13 (10)
MA - 10 (6)
Shortsword 2-1
Longbow 1+2
Dagger 1-1
Chainmail/ 3 hits
Sm. Shield/ 1 hit

Needless to say, the battle quickly degraded as my partner ran out, poked at one of our opponents, then was quickly killed. I was backed into a corner, and swinging for the fences with a DX of 4 was slowly but surely whittled to death.

It was a great lesson in the bell curve and began a multi-decade gaming experience that developed the imagination and utilized an excellent combative and magical system in a workable fantasy world.

06-07-2018, 09:32 PM	#3
Kirk Join Date: Feb 2018	Re: Interviewing the Fans #1 There are so many! But the start of it all was when, nearing the end of my senior year (class of '77), my brother and his friend, and me and my friend went to the local hobby store (Dibble's) in San Antonio and we saw a small gaming booklet (last copy) of 1st edition Melee. I asked the clerk about the game and he said it had gotten good reviews from those that had bought it. I found the art very intriguing, especially since the fighter had already delivered his blow and was bringing it back for another. The characters were well drawn and balanced. The game was $2.95 and perhaps was just something the four of us could play as a last summer before I entered college. Since all four of us wanted the copy, we flipped dimes twice and I ended up with the copy. I still have it. We rushed home to give it a read and try an arena combat. We paired off and, being the clever guy that I was, I decided I would be strong with a powerful weapon and well-armoured, and take advantage of the fact that a 3, 4, or 5 was an automatic hit. My partner wanted to be quick, first to hit, and to move fast. We had our bases covered. Here we were: Me ST - 15 DX - 9 (4) MA - 10 (4) Battleaxe 3 Hvy. Crossbow 3 (every third turn) Dagger 1-1 Plate/ 5 hits Partner ST - 9 DX - 15 MA - 10 Rapier 1 Sm. Bow 1-1 Dagger 1-1 Sm. Shield/ 1 hit Opponents ST - 12 DX - 12 MA - 10 Broadsword 2 Lt. Crossbow 2 Dagger 1-1 Sm. Shield/ 1 hit ST - 11 DX - 13 (10) MA - 10 (6) Shortsword 2-1 Longbow 1+2 Dagger 1-1 Chainmail/ 3 hits Sm. Shield/ 1 hit Needless to say, the battle quickly degraded as my partner ran out, poked at one of our opponents, then was quickly killed. I was backed into a corner, and swinging for the fences with a DX of 4 was slowly but surely whittled to death. It was a great lesson in the bell curve and began a multi-decade gaming experience that developed the imagination and utilized an excellent combative and magical system in a workable fantasy world.