Sunday, January 13, 2013

The OSR of Computers

I am of the age that my involvement in RPGs began at the same time as my involvement in the burgeoning home computer market.

Indeed, my games were from TSR and my computers are from TRS. As in the old TRS 80 and Tandy Color Computer.

Most of my first attempts at programming were ways to help, improve or other wise supplement my D&D experience.  This went on for a number years. In fact I upgraded past (ie got rid of) my CoCo3 right around the same time I moved to 2nd Ed AD&D.

It should then be no big surprise then that while I am trolling eBay for old RPG materials I am also looking at old Color Computer stuff.
Which is really dumb.  I have owned at least three or four of these things over the years.  I have computers sitting in my office unused that are 1000s of times better every respect.

Yet. Here I am. Looking at these toys off my youth.

Maybe an emulator is the way to go.  I have a computer I could rebuild I am sure.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Commodore recently released a modern pc in the case of an old Commodore 64. With modern ports, etc.

Maybe that will satisfy the nostalgia urge. Even if it wasn't "your" computer.

http://www.commodoreusa.net/CUSA_C64.aspx

Timothy S. Brannan said...

YES! I have seen that. I want a Color Computer version of that.

I do run Ubuntu on "my" computer. I had to keep the kids' homework computer with Windows 7 on it.

The search continues.

Random Wizard said...

Thumbs up on Ubuntu. I am a Debian fan myself (close enough). Seems most servers I deal with are CentOS (sigh).

I made a blog post not too long ago about articles in the dragon about BASIC programming.
http://randomwizard.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-electric-eye.html

I even typed one up and found a working BASIC emulator that runs in the web browser.