Basements are made for gaming of all different kinds. Video games, pinball machines, game design and discussion, and of course Dungeons & Dragons. The house where I grew up had a full basement (with a bar!) and it was absolutely made for gaming.  A family room area with plenty of space for a full-size pinball machine, gaming table, console (huge) TV set, and space for storage. An ideal setup even if I did not realize it at the time.

Let’s start simple. The pinball machine. For the life of me I cannot remember the theme of the machine. I do know that it was yellow and it was loud and bright and it was completely amazing. Hours would be spent mastering the ins and outs of this particle machine and how to roll over the score. To do this, you had to score more than 999,999 points. This was done over and over again. This machine was played so much that it would get really warm and would have to be left alone to cool off. Once this needed to happen it was time to switch the focus of attention.

Video games. I was lucky enough to own the quintessential 1980’s console system. INTELLIVISION. 28 cartridge games, instruction manuals that game with plastic controller overlays, and a voice synthesized module add on called INTELLIVOICE. Game after game, hour after hour. The game highlights were ASTROSMASH, NFL Football, and B-17 Bomber. The other games were given a lot of attention, but it was these three in particular that were the bookends to most gaming sessions. Amazing graphics for 1982. I still have my original system and all 28 games. I have currently misplaced the instructions manuals. This is actually a topic for another blog. Tired of the electronic wonders of pinball and video games? No problem.

Dungeons and Dragons. We are talking old school gaming. 2nd edition, hardback manuals, handwritten character sheets, and campaign maps/dungeons/lairs drawn on actual graph paper with pencils. If you are now rolling your eyes at the mention of Dungeons and Dragons I dare you to spend 5 minutes with the game instructions before your eyes start to cross and you become massively confused. This was not gaming for the faint of heart or those that do not like to think. Intelligence +17 is all I have to say on that note. Massive fun, massive storytelling, and an obsession that is with me to this very second.

Game design and discussion. Playing the wonders of INTELLIVISION got me thinking about designing my own game. I can still remember sitting at the round orange felt covered gaming table and designing the storyline, drawing the graphics, and writing an instruction manual for a space epic that was never named. Hours I’m telling you. Hours spent inside my head and in discussion with a friend about how we could make our own game and make enough money so that we never had to leave the basement.

So I mentioned a friend. See above. My go to friend for all of the above was Bill Pleau. A year older, much brighter, and full of insight and wisdom, Bill Pleau was an amazing friend for gaming and all things that were on the outskirts of what was considered normal. Bill Pleau, yep, I keep mentioning his name, was a Renaissance child. Tuba player, math whiz, black belt in Tae Kwon-Do, gamer extraordinaire, Ozzy Osbourne junky and a Rush devotee. He was a fascinating friend. Bill Pleau is now in Oregon living the dream and has two kids and a great wife. I was fortunate enough to go to his wedding a ways back and it was just like old times. I will never forget our time gaming and geeking out in the gaming basement.