D&D haters???

[pawsplay]

When I was 13, my mom took away my gaming books. She even told me she burned them, but I didn't believe her, and searched the house until I found my old books. Once I located them, I moved them to somewhere more out of the way where I could retrieve them later.

I spent several months saving money. When I had enough, I bought a new copy of GURPS. My mother was deeply unhappy, but I dared her to take away what I had just bought. She acknowledged it was my money. It became a step to adulthood, I guess.

If someone's parents threaten an intervention, invite them and the local pastor to sit it on a session, and do something wholesome like slaying bandits. Compare the game frequently to video games such as Legend of Zelda and World of Warcraft. Mention D&D's roots in Conan stories and LOTR, and leave aforementioned books lying around the gaming area. Offer to loan parents the Dragonlance novels. Ask them what's satanic about King Arthur. etc.

There are some people who won't be convinced, probably the same people who think Care Bears are Satanic and one of the Teletubbies is somehow gay. I wouldn't let those kind of people stop me, but I am a stubborn sort.

If you happen to share a church with those people, go to your pastor and ask the pastor for advice.

 

[Avatar_V]

If you happen to share a church with those people, go to your pastor and ask the pastor for advice.

Somewhat off topic, but this makes me think of a funny (and supposedly true) story I heard from someone on these boards a while ago (unfortunately, I don't remember who):

There was a mother who was concerned her son was playing D&D, so on Sunday after church, she took her son to the pastor and explained the situation.

Mother: "Pastor, my son has begun playing Dungeons and Dragons. What do you think of that?"
The pastor thinks for a moment and then replies, "What do I think of that? I think rangers got the shaft in 3rd edition!"

 

[YourSwordIsMine]

Is it just me, or is this thread a magnet for all the bad spelling on the forum?

hehe while probably true and I'm a big offender of bad spelling, I tend to write first and spellcheck later. UNfortunately this has the side effect that if I stop to spellcheck I end up not getting anything said in the first place...

 

[werk]

Is it just me, or is this thread a magnet for all the bad spelling on the forum?

It's a whole forest:trees sort of thing...

 

[Rothe]

As ligitement as all of those points are, and very worth considering, you also have to realize the alternative. Perhaps it's not near so much an issue with people who have moved on out of high school, or their adolescent, teen-age idiocy years, but so far as my age group goes, there's much worse that could happen. You have to take into account things such as gameing systems (Xbox, Playstation, Wii), Computer interaction (Myspace additions, chating), and the other time fillers (Movies, TV, ...Nothing). While D&D can have it's negative effects when compared to other more ideal lives, you have to realize that it is actually often saving more than killing. It get the screen out of your face and replaces it with people and friends, it gets you out of the house, it gets your imagination going, as well as other things. And to be perfectly frank, I think that if it gets to the point that your saying it is non-physical, or anti-social, then your more looking for reasons NOT to play, and are bound to find them in some fashion or another. Don't get me wrong though, I'm sure there are some out there that actually do have such tight scheduals of school or work that taking four-ish hours to play would cuase some damage, or at least change, in their daily lives.

Those are all positives. I don't know if you can convince skeptical parents that are not your own, but will share what convinved my own religous parents that AD&D was a good thing.

This was back in the late 70s, and my parents had heard of the cult connection and saw the demons listed in the MM. But when they saw we were playing characters that were defeating the demons, rescueing the innocent, righting wrongs, doing good, giving vent to the desire to be heros when in the real world trying to be good can seem so pointless, they became convinced of its worth. It also didn't hurt that part of how we say and sold it was like playing in JRRTs world. JRRT being a devout Catholic helped lend an air of moral acceptability. I did't know this about JRRT as a teenager but I found out my parent's did.

Funny thing is there are now religous themed counsole games out there that are more about glorified killing (sort of like GFA but for religous reasons) than the D&D games we ran.

Alternatively, Rock Band is coming out soon.. play that with her instead.

 

[Wild Gazebo]

As ligitement as all of those points are, and very worth considering, you also have to realize the alternative. Perhaps it's not near so much an issue with people who have moved on out of high school, or their adolescent, teen-age idiocy years, but so far as my age group goes, there's much worse that could happen. You have to take into account things such as gameing systems (Xbox, Playstation, Wii), Computer interaction (Myspace additions, chating), and the other time fillers (Movies, TV, ...Nothing). While D&D can have it's negative effects when compared to other more ideal lives, you have to realize that it is actually often saving more than killing. It get the screen out of your face and replaces it with people and friends, it gets you out of the house, it gets your imagination going, as well as other things. And to be perfectly frank, I think that if it gets to the point that your saying it is non-physical, or anti-social, then your more looking for reasons NOT to play, and are bound to find them in some fashion or another. Don't get me wrong though, I'm sure there are some out there that actually do have such tight scheduals of school or work that taking four-ish hours to play would cuase some damage, or at least change, in their daily lives.

Palleomortis, I'm not sure why the alternatives you listed make the points any less valid. I would consider computer gaming just as dire...if not more. And, if you were simply trying to list things that are worse...I'm not sure that is helpful--'cause we could just mention heroine or curb stomping. Attempting to make one thing look better by listing things that are worse is really grasping at straws--especially when there are so many more positive attributes that could be mentioned.

As for the time issue...I was really attempting to illustrate that the hobby can be very time consuming (especially if taken to extremes--like any other obsession). And, believe me, time constraints do become a lot more real as you get older.

While spending four hours watching a couple football games on T.V isn't any better than gaming for four hours...it really doesn't change the fact that you just spent four hours sitting on your butt, engaging in something that you really don't have any tangible physical interaction with.

As per the problem at hand: I like the Cops and Robbers reference.

Oh, and don't forget, some people will just not understand what it is you are doing...and when explained: will not be able to fathom the motive for such activities. These people will really never be able to understand...and might remain oppositional simply due to their inability to understand.

 

[WayneLigon]

How do you guys/gals usually deal with the generic, unsupported, boarderline destain of D&D? Or DO you?

I never really had to even though I grew up and reside in a small city in the Deep South. I was already 17 when I got into D&D in '78 and all the people I played with were either my age or in college; a couple had their own homes or apartments, so the idea of parents, schools or churches having any influence on what we did for a pasttime was moot. None of the people were ever dealt with or hung out with on a regular basis were anti-D&D so we mostly ignored what the anti-D&D people said. I never even heard of Pat Pulling until much later.

If it had bothered any parents, we'd have simply ignored it. The under-eighteens that played with us on a regular basis, we'd have simply lied for them if it had ever come up, but it never did to my knowledge.

We never dealt with any instances of book burning but had a contingency plan in case we did: we'd simply pitch in and buy that person new books and keep them for him elsewhere until he turned 18. I knew a friend-of-a-friend who suppossedly had to keep his books off-site as it were but I can't say that that was ever confirmed to me personally. It might well have just been some kid trying to make his situation sound important.

We always either had a game store to run games at, or someone's house; we never had to depend on public places or meeting places such as after-school classrooms, libraries or church basements to play, so I have no idea how that would have played out.

The so-called occult aspect of D&D never bothered us or anyone we knew. We drew regularly from fantasy literature of the time, which had and has vastly stronger occult themes than any D&D book that has ever been made. Someone played a cleric of so-and-so, we'd go out and read up on various myths and practices from various parts of the world to add verisimlitude to the PC. Same with mages; after all, you think it's a mere coincidence between the spell and most of those material components listed? I hope nobody thinks elementals come in Earth, Air, Fire and Water varieties just because that was something Gary pulled out of the sky.

Most of our campaign worlds were built up on some sort of 'real-world' occultism, usually Tarot symbology or a mish-mash of various things all thrown together and blended until they made a consistant whole. If we modified a spell, we usually brought it more into line with the various Laws you find in a lot of anthropology books.

None of us were particularly religious in any aspect; none of us were practicing pagans, or whatever, so the whole of the world's various belief systems were just grist for the gaming mill.

 

[palleomortis]

I've just started reading a d20 modern core rule book and have talked whith my gamers about starting a campaign with it. Would it be appropriet? (I.E. are there many reffereances to dieties or magic us?)

(Yea, the spelling sucks, I can take the heat for that one )

 

[AnonymousOne]

Mother: "Pastor, my son has begun playing Dungeons and Dragons. What do you think of that?"
The pastor thinks for a moment and then replies, "What do I think of that? I think rangers got the shaft in 3rd edition!"

Must not have upgrades to 3.5 and gotten access to SC.

 

[WayneLigon]

I've just started reading a d20 modern core rule book and have talked whith my gamers about starting a campaign with it. Would it be appropriet? (I.E. are there many reffereances to dieties or magic us?)

I don't think it has any references to deities as such but it does have magic and psionics as a minor part of it, for the Urban Arcana campaign example, which later got it's own book. Most of it is our mundane world, though.