D&D in the 80s, Fads, and the Satanic Panic

[Bedrockgames]

My mom was supportive. My dad didn't think much of the Satanism nonsense but also didn't see how it could possibly be worth the money for a game and so I'd get flak for that from him sometimes. But at least neither of them were worried that I was falling into Satanism.

But what I remember is the Satanic Panic folks making D&D sound a whole lot edgier than it actually was. They'd paint lurid pictures of D&D being this:

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When the reality was vastly different...

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I think the thing that makes it hard for people to appreciate these days is how much rumor was involved and how much of it was due to this being a new game that, to outsiders, seemed to blur reality and fantasy. Also there were a lot of mainstream experts and shows giving credence to it (so it wasn't just the 700 club, this stuff was on ABC). And it was a blend of a religious and psychological and legal panic. There were a lot of things, that I think were coming on the heels of some of the cultural chaos of the 60s and 70s, that made a scape goat like music or gaming very appealing (I don't know if people remember how many adults were traumatized vets in the early 80s, but I sure do, and I think stuff like that, also had a major influence: had a lot of friends parents in recovery for example). What I recall is my mother was fearful from a religious point of view, because we were very religious, but also from the point of view of worrying about me getting into drugs or losing my hold on reality (she had heard from a friend, who claimed her friends kid was killed because he played D&D and took PCP and they acted in the woods or the sewers---can't recall precise details: I think this was just a wives tale that spread from stuff like the story in the OP). Now we know how much of this was fantasy, how much was based on reality. At the time, if you were a mom or dad worried about your child's wellbeing, it was a lot less clear (moral panics tend to be like that when you live through them).

 

[James Gasik]

Wasn't that on an episode of Real Stories of the Highway Patrol?

It was, and the White Wolf staffers were less than thrilled about it.

 

[James Gasik]

It is true though that D&D had some "lurid" art back in the day. The cover of the DMG, for example, which, to a lot of people, looks like a big demon or devil to begin with. And there's more inside, like the weeping Succubus.

And then there's some early Dragonmirth cartoons as well. Mixed bag, that AD&D. : )

 

[Reynard]

It is true though that D&D had some "lurid" art back in the day. The cover of the DMG, for example, which, to a lot of people, looks like a big demon or devil to begin with. And there's more inside, like the weeping Succubus.

And then there's some early Dragonmirth cartoons as well. Mixed bag, that AD&D. : )

It is important to remember that D&D was not originally designed for kids. Like all things kids actually find cool, it was designed for young people that wanted to see blood and boobs in their fantasy. I don't know how much it is brought up, but softening that edge probably didn't just irritate the existing players that wanted their demons and devils back, but probably also made D&D look much lamer to the 12 years olds in search of something just a little bit naughty (boob armor and Elmore lady poses notwithstanding).

 

[Jer]

I think it often boiled down to where you lived and what social circle your family was part of (as well as what TV programming they watched). Was allowed to listen to Stryper and Petra though lol. I had it easy though, I knew kids who weren't allowed to watch shows like Full House.

Yes. A lot of this was very local - I moved around a lot in the 80s and while it was universal that at some point upon finding out that I played D&D someone would say "isn't that game Satanic" the way the question was intoned would often be very different - sometimes accusatory, sometimes just openly curious whether it really was or not, and sometimes in a "I'm open to a bit of Satanism, tell me more" sort of tone. In highly religious areas (where I lived a few times) you got a bit more of the accusatory tone (but also more of the "hey maybe tell me more about this Satanism thing" too, so it balances), while in the non-religious areas it was far less "exotic" and folks just didn't care as much.

One thing most folks could agree on after actually playing the game though was that the game was more math than Satan. As a pre-teen/young teen I was able to convince a few parents of very religious friends that role-playing was okay by letting them watch sessions of us playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (not D&D - even as a dumb kid I knew that it would be easier with a game that didn't involve magic) and they walked away convinced that mostly what I was doing was tutoring my friends in math in a creative way, which they highly approved of

First I have ever heard of Huey Lewis being banned lol

I moved into a town shortly after Huey Lewis released "I Wanna New Drug" and it was one of the first examples I can remember of being viscerally shown that if you want kids to buy your stuff you have to convince their parents to ban it. I think that had to be the height of Huey Lewis's popularity with the pre-teen set...

 

[Cadence]

It is important to remember that D&D was not originally designed for kids. Like all things kids actually find cool, it was designed for young people that wanted to see blood and boobs in their fantasy. I don't know how much it is brought up, but softening that edge probably didn't just irritate the existing players that wanted their demons and devils back, but probably also made D&D look much lamer to the 12 years olds in search of something just a little bit naughty (boob armor and Elmore lady poses notwithstanding).

It feels like B/X was always aimed pretty young, in both content and advertising.

 

[James Gasik]

It is important to remember that D&D was not originally designed for kids. Like all things kids actually find cool, it was designed for young people that wanted to see blood and boobs in their fantasy. I don't know how much it is brought up, but softening that edge probably didn't just irritate the existing players that wanted their demons and devils back, but probably also made D&D look much lamer to the 12 years olds in search of something just a little bit naughty (boob armor and Elmore lady poses notwithstanding).

Mmm, loved me some Elmore ladies...sorry, what were we talking about?

 

[Reynard]

It feels like B/X was always aimed pretty young, in both content and advertising.

Flipping through my copy of B/X, I don't feel that way. it's art is higher quality but in tone very much like the AD&D art of the time. BECMI was much softer and "lamer" as I defined it above.

 

[James Gasik]

It feels like B/X was always aimed pretty young, in both content and advertising.

Who remembers TSR's attempt to break into the children's games market with Morley, the Game Wizard?

 

[Cadence]

Flipping through my copy of B/X, I don't feel that way. it's art is higher quality but in tone very much like the AD&D art of the time. BECMI was much softer and "lamer" as I defined it above.

B/X didn't have any of the nude/topless female human-appearing monsters and gods that the MM, DMG, and Deities and Demi-gods had, did it? (Although one female character in B had seemingly really powerful nipples under that armor). No harlot table. And no Demons or Devils.