Defending Dungeons and Dragons...

http://www.rpg.net/252/quellen/stackpole/pulling_report.html

This is important, because every single thing I've ever seen written against D&D has been rooted in some way in Pat Pulling's material. Understanding that, it turns out, simplifies the issue substantially.

Okay, there's also Darren, but he's mentally unwell. I also note that you have his letter in there twice.

FWIW, I've been playing D&D for over twenty years, and I have yet to see any support, at all, for the claims generally made about it. The Chick tract is a real marvel; it's totally unlike anything in the real world.

I do think it's interesting that Tracy Hickman wrote about this; for those who don't recognize the name, Hickman is a novelist, and also I believe one of the people involved with Dragonlance.

It is hard to imagine a better example of "charismatic evil", isn't it?

I was once in a very long and heated debate about D&D's alignment system. I can think of no other hobby that results in hundreds of people getting into heated debates about the nature of good and evil. This is, it seems to me, one of the game's great victories; it exposes people who have never considered heroism to the idea that it could be, not merely possible, but obligatory.

I personally find no problems with role-playing (which in essence, is what this issue is really about). It's not that much different than a movie actor playing his role in a movie. Except the players get to decide how the story's told, instead of having it pre-scripted for them (well, to a degree, since the DM/GM does decide the main story to a large extent). But even movie actors get some freedom in their interpretation of the characters, while the director scriptwriter decides if it fits.

It's actually a good example of how Pre-Destination(DM) and Free Will(PC) interact.

*rolls d100* the answer is...
D&D is okay.

http://www.cybermoonstudios.com/8bitDandD.html

Another link talking about the evils of D&D. (Flash player is required.)

I just looked at the Chick track...and fell over laughing. It's absolutely ludicrous. If D&D players actually believed as those in the track did, then I think they would need some serious mental assistance.

*pats her little wingless pixie character*

HadouKen24 said:

http://www.cybermoonstudios.com/8bitDandD.html

Another link talking about the evils of D&D. (Flash player is required.)

Click to expand...

Ah yes, seen it and still love it! For the people who don't know the origin of this, the audio track was from a skit performed by the Dead Ale Wives, a comedy improv group. They also did a Part 2 to this.

There's also a more famous CG version of it called Summoner Geeks which you can find through Google.

That chick track was pretty sad.
its WAY too extreme IMO

http://www.deadalewives.com/funny.ccc

The actual "dead alewives" page from which you can get the MP3 of the D&D skit - interesting because it's actually legitimate!

I'm way too smart to get consumed by D&D. Afterall, I do have an 18 Intelligence.


Actually, D&D did take control of me once. When I saw the dark path I was on, I said the exact same thing the girl in the Chick Tract said...


"I don't want to be Elfstar any more. I want to be Debbie!"


My mom was like, "You want me to call you Debbie?"

I pose a few questions:

Does D&D glorify God?

Does D&D cause one to sin?

Does it cause conflict with other christians?


Answers:

1. No it does not glorify God, but that doesn't mean it is evil. We do many things as humans that are "fun" but not sinful, course we can always find better things to be doing with out time....

2. I am not that familiar with D&D but I do know that it is pretty much harmless, however, once D&D starts cutting into church and bible time and simply becomes more of a desire than God or Gods work, then you would want to reconsider your choices.

3. We are to be all things to all men. Many people like D&D and I know it could be a great way to spend time with the unsaved and you can even come up with christian parallels from D&D to help and preach the gospell. However, if you know that there are people who dislike it and disapprove of it (especially your church leadership) then you should avoid the conflict, in case you were to play it at church.

Just some things to consider, there are two sides to each of the questiones and it just depends on the circumstances God has you in, so pray about it, as you should everything else.

I play Neverwinter Nights, an online RPG based on the D&D system. I almost always play as some kind of mage (chaotic good alignment). I like to RP a kind of mage good samaritan: wandering around invisible giving out free heals, helping newbies enjoy the game, mounting rescues when players get into a fix, taking less than my share of the troll loot, etc.

It's a lot of fun and I've made good friends from all around the world. Anything can hurt you if it becomes obsessive, even baseball or gardeding. The trick is to make recreation a balanced part of life, not a replacement for life.

-Neil