D&D General [Nonfiction] [Review] Dangerous Games by Joseph P. Laycock AKA The Satanic Panic or Arguing with Morons

[beancounter]

It seems someone is profiting from the absurdity that was the Satanic Panic...

 

[Charles Phipps]

I'm grateful to Mike Stackpole and others who advocated on behalf of the hobby and helped ensure it didn't become more of a thing. But I suspect one of the features of moral panics is that the panic afflicts all sides. The stakes are raised until social disapproval from any quarter, no matter how niche, becomes an existential threat. You see the same kind of dynamic in what some consider the current moral panic, wherein certain people are searching every nook and cranny for evidence of racism and colonialism (rather than satanism and witchcraft). Yes, it changes the kind of material that gets published, but otherwise, it's not likely to affect anyone who doesn't want to be affected by it. The best response is probably to allow people their moral causes and concerns and not get too bent out of shape about it.

ETA: Not sure why I posted something that's likely to piss off everyone, but there you go.

Hilarious fact:

Today, my book SPACE ACADEMY DROPOUTS, received a 1 star review from Amazon.com that blasted me for being obsessed with "Nazi, Nazi, Nazi!" "marginalized political groups" and "political propaganda." He said that I ruined my books with my attempts to be woke and anti-fascist.

Here's the funny thing: there's no Nazis in the book.

There are some Neo-Con pirates in one chapter but that was an extended Firefly joke.

 

[Umbran]

Folks, we recognize history for what it is, but there's a lot of loaded language being used in this thread. "Moron." "Insane." Disrespect for people's religious texts... it isn't a good look, you know.

I'll remind everyone that we have an inclusivity policy, and trying to equate the panic of the 80s to a desire for inclusion now is apt to play very poorly with respect to that policy.

Keep your heads about you as you engage in this thread, or it will simply be closed.

 

[LongTimeLurker]

My only real brush with the Satanic Panic came when a visiting priest (I went to a Roman Catholic grade school) warned us against the dangers of Dungeons and Hounds. HAH. You've got to love it when people don't even know what they're railing against. This fellow, "Father " Connie later went to jail for raping children. Guess no one told him that was against the rules?

Of course there were the "cosmetic" changes to the game because of Pat Pulling and her ilk.

 

[Wolfram stout]

I have to admit I'm a bit curious what an adventure in DragonRaid is like.

So, I never played but I had a roommate in college that had it, and I read over it several times. The adventures will sound a bit D&Dish. The players live in a protected holy land that they use as a base to make raids into the Dragon lands and rescue people (Dragon Slaves). There is combat and even a type of "magic". The magic is the players reciting verses from the Christian Bible by memory. If they do it without mistake (including citing the chapter and verse) then a (non-violent that I remember) effect takes place. Effects would be light, healing, protection, etc. You might hear of a slave caravan travelling and decide to attack it for example.

Funny, this game is still around, and even now has a follow up game. It looks like it might move away from the Fantasy RPG style, I can't really tell. You can google it (as it is a dedicated religious site I don't want to link).

You can also find a really good review of it on Boardgamegeek.com.

 

[J.Quondam]

You see the same kind of dynamic in what some consider the current moral panic, wherein certain people are searching every nook and cranny for evidence of racism and colonialism (rather than satanism and witchcraft).

But this is a false equivalence.

edit: I didn't fully read the mod post above. Apologies.
Keeping the bit above only because it's been replied to already.

 

[Greg Benage]

But this is a false equivalence.

Based on the moderator post above, it appears we're not allowed to discuss this. My apologies.

 

[Charles Phipps]

My review kind of skips over the entire Nineties White Wolf period too where there was some serious humor to the counter-culture Goths embracing Mark Rein Hagen's game.

"Oh yes, I tried to incorporate as much real magic as possible. Also, demonology, the occult, and controversial religious practices."

Which...props to MRH.

 

[billd91]

Not just the Bible Belt. Al Gore's wife took it national as part of her activism and there were also police groups across the country taking it more seriously than everyone else.

Yes, definitely broader than the Bible Belt and before Tipper Gore and the PMRC as well. I lost a player to it in about 83 and I lived in Wisconsin within a couple of hours of TSR and Gen Con.

 

[Charles Phipps]

Yes, definitely broader than the Bible Belt and before Tipper Gore and the PMRC as well. I lost a player to it in about 83 and I lived in Wisconsin within a couple of hours of TSR and Gen Con.

I remember when a fundamentalist friend of mine told me he burned his Changeling: The Dreaming books during the 90s and felt free of it.

I was like, "You've burned books, my friends. This is not something godly."