Dungeonworld, The Beginning of the Club

In 1992, I was in Highschool, Year 12. I had an after school job in Childcare, and alot of kids from the after school care were interested in board games,. one in particular was Heroquest.

Back then I was paid $7 an hour to look after kids. I worked one hour after school from 3:45 to 4:45 when the school care had the most kids, and needed extra help.

I volunteered to run Heroquest for any of the kids interested, from 4:45 to 5:45 as some of the kids had to wait around for their parents until 6pm.

while I recognised that I was giving up a potential $7 an hour.. I also saw this need. Kids wanted to play these games, and their parents might be in the need for them to get out of the house and give them some peace and quiet..

So I started a club, Saturday and Sunday afternoons, 12pm til 4pm, for $2 an hour (I was expecting the kids to get most of this from their parents)

First of all, this partly didn't work, Parents had choices, and many of them were not as expensive as $8 for the day. Magic mountain, down at the beach, cost 20c a game, and $2 would get you a hot dog and coke.. so parents could leave their kids there for the day, with barely $5 in their pocket.

Most of the kids who wanted to come to my club, couldn't get $5 a month out of their parents, let alone $8 a week.. So I had to scale this.. firstly I made a set of 'helpers' those who would turn up at 11:30, help set up, and get in free.. then I made a membership card, laminated , which allowed 5 'visits' for $10.

So my next big problem was gamesmasters.. which is still a problem to this day.. I ran games, I never once had anyone run a game for me, For the next 4 years, I would run games. 

In the beginning

In 1990, Students of Modbury High were instructed to contact businesses, to organise work experience.

I organised to work for a Printing press, where I learnt about separation of prints into Red, Yellow Cyan and Blank. To demonstrate my knowledge, I was asked to take an Icon, Logo or Title of something and make it work with both this YCRB system, and an old B&W PhotoCopier.

I chose to do my 'club' name. Dungeonworld.

From there, my friends and I began a club for roleplay & boardgames.

In 1992 I was employed at the Modbury South Primary School After School Care. I was helping look after kids ages 5-12. Some, between 8-12 wanted to play board games. so I began bringing my games to the after school care. We played Heroquest, Talisman and Monopoly. more...

By the end of 1992, 12 kids wanted more, so I formed the Official Dungeonworld Club, Registered my business name, Trademarks and bought some more board games with my meagre inheritance when I turned 18.

By Christmas of 1993, I had 30+ members, we played Advanced Hero Quest, some guys came in to play D&D, Traveller, Vampire, Gurps. There seemed more interest in roleplay games than board games, I looked at many of them, over the shoulders of the other players. I gave them a go, as a player, but I always suspected there was something very wrong in what they were doing.

So Sometime in 1994, we started development on our own system. Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay + Dragon Warriors + a little D&D, Some Rolemaster for good luck.

And thats how we started...