Re: OOC
Me, I started around 1977. We had a board game club at my high school that I co-founded, and we had some old fun board games, when one day a female student came in and taught us how to play D&D using the old Blue Box set, and it was an instant fascination for me.
I got the blue box set myself soon after, and dove in to the art of being a DM.
I got the AD&D Players handbook as soon as I could, and actually picked up the DMG the very day it became available.
Played too much in Junior College, then took the game in to the Army, which is great as you have a rather locked in crowd of comrades. Good times.
I've played a lot of RPG's, in dribs and drabs, Traveler, Gamma World, Role Master, War Hammer, Paranoia, The Late, Late, Late, Late Show, Macho Chicks With Guns, Vampire: The Masquerade, Call of Cthulhu, and more, but I always fall back on D&D in the end. I can play 5E, but it isn't my favorite, and I would be hard pressed to say what is.
Sadly don't know anyone right now, but RPoL is a great place to game.