The curse placed on Irving Pulling?

[Katana_Geldar]

But it's not all disappeared, the whole D&D leads to satanism thing. Take, one of my players for example. Her father is a minister and the fact that we play D&D irks him uncontroably, to the point where we may as well be boiling babies and sacrificing virgins.

I offered to remedy this, even to the point where we have a game at his house and he can see what we do, but he's not interested. He's just so immersed with his own prejudices he blinds himself from the truth. There's another story when my friend brought back a copy of the Koran for homework and he want nuts.

 

[renau1g]

We had a similar thing with one of my friends. We could play Star Wars RPG at his place, but his folks would blow a gasket if they found out he played D&D.

 

[billd91]

We had a similar thing with one of my friends. We could play Star Wars RPG at his place, but his folks would blow a gasket if they found out he played D&D.

While I don't have a direct experience with a similar story (the one player we lost to religion came at a time we were pretty much just playing D&D and hadn't added V&V to our repertoire yet), I've recommended that RPGers in similar situations focus on non-D&D RPGs when dealing with irrational anti-D&D nuts. They may go crazy over D&D but probably won't bat an eye if you have some Traveller stuff out and visible.

 

[jaerdaph]

All I know is, the only place I see the whole "D&D = Satanism = Evil" thing anymore in the USA is when some gamer brings up the past on an RPG message board.

D&D has never recaptured the mainstream popularity it had in the 80s, so it's off the RADAR now of those kinds of groups.

Edit: If anything, I see the occasional irresponsible journalist try to link playing D&D to criminal behavior with the same (lack of) "evidence" that would also link breathing air to criminal behavior.

 

[Umbran]

So, justice = vindictive?

Er, no. You seem to be selectively leaving out the mockery and derision which are part of the equation. And the fact that no form of justice can be had from a woman (need I say it yet again?) who has been dead for over a decade.

Umbran, the world you choose to live in must be very, very serious indeed if nothing can be held up for ridicule, which is pretty much the position you're laying out.

Er. No.

If you cannot see the difference between disliking hauling up a shade of the dead who were clearly pained in life and mocking it to remove what precious little dignity it might have left from it's ghostly presence, for purposes of making yourself feel better after perceived damage from decades prior (as in this venue, no other purpose is served by the action), and saying that nothing can be made fun of...

...well, I'm not in a position to take the time to educate you on the difference.

 

[billd91]

If you cannot see the difference between disliking hauling up a shade of the dead who were clearly pained in life and mocking it to remove what precious little dignity it might have left from it's ghostly presence, for purposes of making yourself feel better after perceived damage from decades prior (as in this venue, no other purpose is served by the action), and saying that nothing can be made fun of...

...well, I'm not in a position to take the time to educate you on the difference.

Maybe you should take a page out of the moderator's handbook and not ascribe motives to my holding Pat Pulling up for ridicule. Am I doing it make myself feel better? No. I do it to keep her memory where I think it should be in a gaming context, contemptable for what she did. She participated in lawsuits as an expert witness despite being terribly ignorant about the game and prejudicial toward it. The fact that her efforts were largely unsuccessful is immaterial. The fact that she grieved for a son and died of cancer is immaterial to this context.

 

[Minicol]

The fact that she grieved for a son and died of cancer is immaterial to this context.

You know, I have seen people go really nuts over much less than the loss of a son. Nuts as in "certified nutzo" to quote a famous comics.

What she may have done when in a state when she was maybe not her true self should not have us dig out this sad story forever.

Besides, I don't think it would do the hobby any good : people who have a bad opinion of RPGs will likely have it forever.

A better thing would be to find ourselves a popular icon that would win the general public opinion of us. Vin Diesel is a good start on this, but a few others would not hurt.

Just my thoughts.

 

[jonesy]

A better thing would be to find ourselves a popular icon that would win the general public opinion of us.

Start here:
One Of Us - Television Tropes & Idioms

Is it just me or is the idea of playing WH40K with Robin Williams the most amazing thing ever? You know he does all the voices.

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

"Wow, there's gamers out there who are still that upset over it? What a bunch of bitter old kooks!"

This is exactly how people not familiar with the issue, who are looking into it from a historical perspective, will view derisive attitudes currently held toward Pat Pulling.

Regardless of the motive behind it, a hurtful or callous statement made 25 years after the incidents in question really doesn't sound rational. To those not in the know (for example, reporters, judges, parents, teachers, and so on) it looks like a petty grudge-- and potentially paints gamers in a bad light.

 

[Janx]

This is exactly how people not familiar with the issue, who are looking into it from a historical perspective, will view derisive attitudes currently held toward Pat Pulling.

Regardless of the motive behind it, a hurtful or callous statement made 25 years after the incidents in question really doesn't sound rational. To those not in the know (for example, reporters, judges, parents, teachers, and so on) it looks like a petty grudge-- and potentially paints gamers in a bad light.

I dunno, if there's ever an time where it will be considered wrong to hate Hitler...

Pulling's no Hitler, but she lied and stirred up fear to further her own agenda of narrow minded-ness, causing quite a bit of harm for folks. Her name should be reviled in gaming circles for decades to come.

However, being willing to spit on her grave should you ever come cross it is not the same as dredging up the story every chance that comes up.

I think the key then, is to not forget, but also not to dwell.