At the corner of 7th and Broadway in Rockford, Illinois was the original home of the Toad Hall Fantasy Horde, where I first played D&D in 1975.
On the right is Steve Brown. Dungeon Master extraordinaire. You may have seen his miniature Orc Castle & Dungeon at the early Gen Cons in Lake Geneva. Steve is also the reason I don't own a 1st edition of D&D (woodgrain). Who would think the game would become collectible ? 8-)
I only played one Magic User in D&D. We played what we rolled. Benjamin lasted 3 minutes and was of course immortalized by our resident artist, Robert Garcia.
And in 2024, USPS releases stamps commemorating the 50th anniversary of Dungeon & Dragons (tm)
My original Boot Hill town at Toad Hall in 1974