DragonRaid Adventure Learning System
A Brief History of DragonRaid
Authored by Dick Wulf and first published in 1984 by Adventure Learning Systems Inc., the DragonRaid Adventure Learning System was originally conceived as a teaching tool, using roleplay to introduce young Christians to the teachings of Jesus. While other roleplaying games have been
used as teaching tools, DragonRaid is unique in the respect in that it was actually designed as a teaching tool first, and ended up being categorized as a roleplaying game after the fact. Additionally, DragonRaid was the first published Christian roleplaying game. While that doesn't sound like much of a feat now (as several Christian RPGs have been published), in 1984 it was a daring thing. Why was it daring?
In 1984, Patricia Pulling's anti-roleplaying movement known as BADD (Bothered About Dungeons and Dragons) was in full swing, demonizing role-playing games as tools of the devil and those who played them as evil, or worse, as active devil-worshipers. While Dungeons & Dragons survived persecution at the hands of the well-meaning (but completely uninformed) members of BADD, other games weren't so luckily. Ironically, DragonRaid was one of the first casualties of the hysteria, being billed by many Christian critics as an attempt by devil-worshiping subversives to infiltrate the ranks of Christianity. Despite such criticism, the publishers of DragonRaid stood their ground - as it often does, however, hysteria triumphed over reason and, in the end, DragonRaid all but disappeared.
That was over two decades ago. Despite suffering no small persecution at the hands of its intended primary target audience, as well as a good many roleplayers who are just as biased against Christianity as BADD was against roleplaying, DragonRaid has continued to rumble along behind the scenes. Today, Adventures for Christ (a division of the Lamb's Bride Project) has assumed control of the DragonRaid property and continues to distribute the original boxed set, as well as produce new material for the game - and after more than two decades, DragonRaid is still introducing young Christians to both the teachings of Jesus and the basics of roleplay as a hobby.
Giving the Game a Fair Shake
So, what's the review doing here? Well, simply put, I thought it was time that somebody gave DragonRaid a fair shake. I've read a lot of DragonRaid reviews, but I have only read
one that judges the product based on what it is, as opposed to what the reviewer dislikes about what it is. It's very easy to tell somebody that you don't like a game because you disagree with its goals - but that isn't being at all objective. Likewise, it's very easy to condemn DragonRaid as a 'preachy' game - a criticism that ignores the very clearly stated design goals that the game is designed specifically to serve as a Christian teaching tool. What it isn't so easy to do (as most DragonRaid reviews illustrate) is objectively evaluate a game based on its stated design goals and ad copy - especially when said game covers such touchy ground as religious beliefs.
In this review, I've tried to do what dozens of other DragonRaid reviews don't do - evaluate the game objectively. I've made a concerted effort to discuss production values, mechanical consistency, adherence to design goals, and other objective criteria. I've also made a concerted effort to avoid making personal value judgements about the religious content of DragonRaid, positive or negative. In short, when I sat down to write this review, it was all about giving the game a fair, unbiased, shake. I hope that I've managed to do that, as I think that after more than two decades of being bombarded by hysterical criticism from both of its potential target audiences (established roleplayers and Christians), the game deserves at
least that much.
Production Values
I have to be honest. Having only caught a brief glance of DragonRaid some six years ago, I wasn't really sure what to expect when my review copy arrived. All that I could clearly recall was that it came packaged in a red box, and beyond providing a list of the box contents, the
official website didn't give me any real idea of what quality I could expect from the game itself. When my review copy finally arrived, I was pleasantly surprised - in fact, opening my DragonRaid boxed set was a lot like opening my first Basic D&D boxed set, except that I got a lot more nifty stuff to play with. So, what exactly are you getting for your $24.00? The short answer to the preceding question is 'A lot' - but that isn't giving you much detail. Inside of your big, red, DragonRaid boxed set you will find:
- A 15-page, saddle-stitched, copy of the DragonRaid New Player Briefing
- A 24-page, saddle-stitched, copy of the DragonRaid Rulebook
- A 141-page, coil-bound, digest-sized copy of the DragonRaid Player's Handbook
- A 126-page, loose-leaf, 3-hole punched, copy of the DragonRaid Adventure Master's Manual
- A 44-page, saddle-stitched, copy of The LightRaider Test, an introductory adventure
- A 77-page, saddle-stitched, copy of Rescue of The Sacred Scrolls, an adventure module
- A 56-page, saddle-stitched, copy of The Moon Bridge Raid, the first module in a campaign series
- An 18-page pad of character worksheets
- An 18-page pad of character record sheets
- A list of Errata for the 1st Edition DragonRaid products.
- A cassette tape containing an introduction to the game
- Two cardstock battle maps, counters, and paper minis
- 2 dice (1d10 and 1d8)
- 4 DragonRaid stickers
In short, there's really a
lot of material packed into the DragonRaid boxed set. As an added bonus, with the exception of the 24-page Rulebook, all of the manuals in the boxed set seem to be printed on heavy stock paper that far exceeds the quality of that used in many other saddle-stitched roleplaying books. It is also worth noting that the dice are 'old-school', lacking inked numbers, and that the counters are merely passable in quality (lacking the rather nice artwork of the paper minis). The cassette tape... well... I haven't owned a cassette deck since around 1999, so I regrettably couldn't give it a listen (I think that it might be time for the publisher to transfer this content to a CD, ensuring that it is accessible to the majority of consumers). So, are you getting a good deal for $24.00?
When it comes to the quantity and physical quality of product contained in the DragonRaid boxed set, the consumer is getting an
extremely good deal. In point of fact, there are currently some campaign boxed sets on the market that boast similar production values, contain less content, and retail for about three times the price of DragonRaid. Well, I know what you're thinking - maybe they have better artwork, right? Wrong. If anything, the artwork in DragonRaid can stand on its own next to that found in most popular RPG products of the modern age. In point of fact, DragonRaid is one of the few small-press games of the early 1980s that I've seen which boasts remarkably good artwork across the board - at its worst, it's far above average in quality, and at its best, it could give Larry Elmore a run for his money.
Having said all of that, good artwork, heavy paper weight, and even a
fat stack of gaming material won't mean a lot to you if you have little or no interest in the mechanics that DragonRaid utilizes, nor will it mean much if you are
rabidly anti-Christian (Note that I, myself, am not a devout Christian, but find plenty to admire about DragonRaid, nonetheless). Which brings me to...
The Rules of DragonRaid
Before I get into the rules proper, it's worth mentioning that they are
extremely simple - more importantly, though, they are
supposed to be extremely simple (i.e., they are intentionally designed to be easily understood by newcomers to the roleplaying hobby). It's a safe bet that if you don't like 'rules-lite' games, then you probably won't like DragonRaid, but if you
do like 'rules-lite' games or are looking to induct complete newcomers into the hobby, then DragonRaid may well be right up your alley.
Creating Characters in DragonRaid
Character creation in DragonRaid is largely random, but really quite different from what you'd expect to find in a typical roleplaying game. All player characters in games of DragonRaid are known as 'TwiceBorn', people who have broken free from the tyranny of the evil dragons (who rule most of the world) and joined forces with the OverLord of Many Names to fight against their former oppressors as 'LightRaiders' (warriors devoted to the OverLord's war against evil). Described below are the basic steps that one follows to generate a character.
First, characters are initially defined by nine different 'Character Strengths' - spiritual and moral values. These nine Character Strengths are Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control. Each of these values is rated on a sliding from 1 to 10, with initial ratings being determined by rolling the d10 included in the boxed set. The lower a character's ratings in one of these values, the less [insert Strength name here]-ful they are. I really like the idea of these spiritual attributes and, quite honestly, had no idea that they originated in DragonRaid* until reading the rules myself.
Given the sliding scale upon which Character Strengths are rated, this approach to morality allows for, not only a much wider, but more natural and less restrictive range of character personality types to be explored than game systems which enforce a system of pre-defined 'alignments'. Frankly, even if I don't play DragonRaid regularly, I'll be sure to port this concept into other games that I regularly play and, indeed, it'll probably be at the back of my mind should I ever choose to design anything else for commercial publication. It's an excellent approach to defining characters that merits further exploration, both during actual play
and design.
In addition to these spiritual values, a character is defined by 3 Physical Attributes (one of which - Physical Vitality - is derived from the character's Strengths, as explained above) and eighteen Character Abilities (some of which represent learned aptitudes, and others of which represent inborn abilities). Most, if not all, of these Attributes and Abilities (with the notable exception of Physical Vitality) will be rated from 1 to 10. This is more the fare of typical roleplaying games and, with the exception of a few unusual abilities (Hope and Converse With Animals, for example), there aren't any surprises for veteran roleplayers here.
Now, after you've figured a character's Strength, Attribute, and Ability ratings, you'll also need to calculate their armor ratings - which isn't at all what it sounds like. Taken directly from the pages of the Bible, DragonRaid's armor system is unique amongst published roleplaying games in that PCs are
literally armored by their faith and devotion to the principles of the Overlord (armor ratings are derived from Character Strengths, as well as Abilities such as Hope). This armor is, of course, invisible to the naked eye (unless you happen to be an evil dragon), but grants physical protection just as standard armor does in other RPGs (which I think is a rather clever mechanical application of biblical scripture).
Other than equipping a character, that's really all there is to creating a LightRaider. Despite a bit more basic math than some roleplayers may be used to, the character creation process in DragonRaid is, not only simple, but also very interesting from a design aspect. Whether you're a Christian or not, there are some neat ideas in DragonRaid's approach to character creation that I think you'll find worth exploring in other games, as well (the Character Strengths, for example, seem as though they'd be right at home in a game about Arthurian-era knights of Camelot).
Resolving Action in DragonRaid
Basic action resolution in DragonRaid is, well... basic. As mentioned earlier, a character's various Strengths, Attributes, and Abilities are (typically) rated from 1 to 10. Whenever a character wants to do something, the Adventure Master (aka the GM) assigns a Difficulty Level to the action that ranges from 1 to 10, and then cross-references this Difficulty Level with the appropriate character Strength, Attribute, or Ability rating on Success Grid (a chart reminiscent of the Resistance Table found in Basic Role Playing games). This produces a number ranging from 10 to 95 that a player must roll a result equal to or greater than on 2d10 (read as a percentage) to succeed at their action. That's all there is to it!
Those individuals who don't like to cross-reference charts while resolving action in roleplaying games or read percentile dice, probably won't like the basic DragonRaid resolution system - but those readers who don't mind such things, should find DragonRaid's basic mechanic both intuitive and very easy to grasp. Is it functional? Absolutely. Despite being very simple, DragonRaid's basic resolution mechanic isn't any less functional than those found in more complex games. The bottom line is that the mechanic
works - and in that respect, DragonRaid already has many other games from the early 1980s beat.
Resolving Combat in DragonRaid
Let's get one thing out of the way very quickly - characters in DragonRaid can, in fact, kill servants of the evil dragons in combat. A common (and completely untrue) criticism that I've seen leveled at DragonRaid
repeatedly is that combat in DragonRaid isn't combat at all, as it isn't possible to kill things. Again, this is
patently false. LightRaiders and dark creatures alike can kill and be killed in combat. That said, killing
is typically emphasized as a last resort in DragonRaid, keeping in line with its primary design goal of serving to teach young Christians the lessons of Christ. Note that this is
not the same thing as being impossible and, given the game's design goals,
makes perfect sense.
Well then, what exactly is combat in DragonRaid like? Much like combat in other roleplaying games, to be honest. It is worth noting that there are two different combat systems that may be utilized in a given game of DragonRaid - Normal Combat and Advanced Combat. Normal Combat is the default method of resolving armed conflict in DragonRaid and is a logical extension of the basic resolution mechanic. Advanced Combat, according to the Rulebook is designed to reflect the brutality of war in real life and adds options such as half-swings, critical swings, and critical hits. The explanation of both combat systems is extremely easy to follow, due largely to the accompanying flowcharts that outline combat sequences (something that, after seeing them in DragonRaid, I wouldn’t mind seeing in other games, as well).
WordRunes in DragonRaid
Easily the most unique (and most controversial) feature of DragonRaid, WordRunes are in fact, passages from biblical scripture. How do passages from biblical scripture fit into the design of DragonRaid? Well, where you would normally find magic in a traditional fantasy roleplaying game, in DragonRaid you will instead find WordRunes (which are
not magic, just to be clear). WordRunes are powerful passages taken from the Sacred Scrolls of the OverLord (The Holy Bible) that LightRaiders may recite in times of need to call upon the power of the OverLord of Many Names.
When utilizing DragonRaid as a teaching tool, it is intended that WordRunes be memorized by the players over the course of a game. This overtly Christian aspect is one that draws a lot of fire from anti-Christian roleplayers, who often exaggerate it to make a point. The fact is, from a design standpoint, memorizing WordRunes makes
perfect sense - remember, DragonRaid is a teaching tool before it is a roleplaying game. And even if it didn’t make sense, for all of the fuss that WordRunes generate, they can easily be overlooked or toned down (memorization isn’t strictly
necessary) if you simply want to enjoy DragonRaid as a game.
In fact, I’ve got to be honest - while I’m not hot on the idea of quoting biblical scripture down at the local game store, I find that the concept of WordRunes and its mechanical implementation is very, very neat. I look at Word Runes and think - “Wow! A mechanic that grants characters a mechanical edge based on dialogue! That is way cool!”. Although it was almost certainly unintentional, the idea of WordRunes is (to my knowledge) the first appearance of a truly ‘Narrativist’ mechanic to appear in a roleplaying game. Whether you use the concept as it is presented or alter it for use in your own games (i.e., substitute some other literary passages for scripture), it’s a winner.
Character Advancement in DragonRaid
Character advancement in DragonRaid largely represents
spiritual growth, not the mere passing of years, which in and of itself is a pretty neat idea. Characters earn ‘Maturity Units’ by completing dragon raids (adventures), reciting WordRunes, or acting in accordance with the teachings of the OverLord. Characters can also
lose Maturity Units, should they actively defy the OverLord, fall under the influence of a Sin Enchantment (more on that in a bit), or are otherwise wooed by a dragon or dark creature.
Now, while what Maturity Units represent, how they are earned, and how they are lost are all fairly unique; how they are
spent is not very unique at all. As in many modern point-buy systems, Maturity Units in DragonRaid are traded on 10:1 basis to raise the ratings of Character Strengths (which, in turn, raises the values of Attributes and Abilities).
Situations Unique to DragonRaid
In addition to all of the things mentioned above, there are a few other concepts that are unique to DragonRaid (at least
I haven’t run across them anyplace else, and I’ve done quite a bit of roleplaying):
First, the StarLot and the Shadow Stone bear mentioning. The StarLot is the clear, red, ten-sided die that comes with the boxed set, and the Shadow Stone is the dark gray eight-sided die that comes with the boxed set. In and of itself, this seems like a pretty hokey naming convention until you discover that the StarLot and Shadow Stone aren’t only dice, but a part of the DragonRaid setting, as well (there’s even a whole section on the history of StarLots in the New Player Briefing). That kind of attempt at immersion in design is something that I personally find to be entertaining.
Second, Sin Enchantments (previously mentioned in this review) are curses that function somewhat like magical diseases in that they are ‘carried by certain dark creatures, dragons, and other servants of evil. LightRaiders can, of course, contract these magical maladies should he be so unlucky. What do Sin Enchantments do? Appropriately enough, they alter a character’s nature in demeanor, serving as a kind of spiritual taint. Sin Enchantments can be overcome in a number of ways (including WordRunes), in a process called ‘rescue’ which seems to be a bit like crisis intervention. While a bit contrived, perhaps, I can see where such a situation could lend itself to some very dramatic roleplay.
The Adventure Master in DragonRaid
Like a DM, GM, or Referee by any other name, the DragonRaid Adventure Master is the guy (or gal) in charge of running the game. I momentarily considered omitting this section of my review from the final draft, as it seemed awkward in its relative brevity when compared to the rest of the review, but it really
is worth mentioning. The DragonRaid Adventure Master’s Manual is an
excellent guide to serving in the capacity of a referee that is well worth reading whether you’re a fledgling GM or an old hand - it covers a
lot of ground.
From a reiteration of the rules presented in the Rulebook to an introductory solo adventure, as well as tons of advice on how to handle problem players, adjudicate rule disputes, and add more mystery to a game, the Adventure Master’s Manual covers more ground in 126 pages than many such manuals manage to cover in twice that number of pages. Most importantly, perhaps, is that every last bit of information in the DragonRaid Adventure Master’s Manual is
relevant - there isn’t any useless fluff padding out the game guide.
Having piled ona bit of praise, there is one notable thing missing from the Adventure Master’s Manual - and that is advice on how to construct your own adventures. In fairness, the three adventure modules included in the boxed set serve as a pretty good guide on how to do this, but some discussion of the topic should almost certainly have been covered in the Adventure Master’s Manual, and its exclusion seems odd, given the comprehensive coverage that said manual affords other subjects.
The World of EdenAgain
Described in depth within the pages of the DragonRaid Player’s Guide, the world of EdenAgain (and the continent of Talania, in particular) is a world of danger, suspense, and cleverly presented Christian allegory. As I noted earlier, I’m not a devout Christian, but even I find the use of allegory in the setting of DragonRaid to be admirable. I stand a pretty good chance of finding players for DragonRaid in Colorado Springs, but even if I didn’t, I’d think about recycling the setting for use with another system at my game table. Where to begin...
The OverLord of Many Names, if you haven’t figured it out yet, is Jesus. Conversely, the Great Red Dragon (Abaddon) is a representation of Satan. In the beginning, the Great Red Dragon carries and egg from the dragon Kakia to the planet of EdenAgain, where this egg hatches and spawns nine lesser dragons who, together with Abaddon, enslave the planet’s population. Although the dragons are cruel masters that force their minions to work under generally horrible conditions, they also lure more people to their cause with promises of material wealth in exchange for their devotion.
Displeased with the situation unfolding on EdenAgain, the Maker (God) sends the OverLord of Many Names to EdenAgain in order to engage Abaddon and rescue those denizens of the planet that he can. In a swift, decisive, victory, the OverLord of Many Names drives the dragons and most of their followers into the Northlands, after which he removed the evil enchantment from many people formerly enslaved by the dragons (these folks become the TwiceBorn). Soon thereafter, however, the dragons strike back.
Unprepared for such an attack, the OverLord of Many Names sacrifices himself to secure the escape of those individuals that he has rescued from the dragons. Soon thereafter, he rises from dead to split the land (the continent of Talania) asunder, creating a massive mountain range that divides the realms of the TwiceBorn (the saved) from those of the evil dragons. From the Southlands, the Twice Born and their LightRaiders proceed to strike out against the dragons in the North, winning back their world one person at a time.
That’s a pretty basic summation, but you get the idea - while some of the allegory works very well, other parts of it are a bit clumsy (but, hey - no game is perfect). Obviously, the setting of DragonRaid serves its purpose as a backdrop for a Christian teaching tool, but I also think that it could serve as a fairly engaging high fantasy roleplay setting if one chose to ignore the teaching aspects of Dragonraid and run it as a ‘straight’ roleplaying game. Which brings me to...
The DragonRaid Adventure Modules
From the standpoint of DragonRaid as a Christian teaching tool, the adventure modules are well-written, engaging, lessons that any youth leader would do well to have in their arsenal. From the standpoint of DragonRaid as a roleplaying game, the adventure modules are somewhat juvenile, heavily railroaded, travesties of design (with the possible exception of the Moon Bridge Raid module). It seems somewhat incredible that the modules could simultaneously be fantastic
and horrible, but that’s the truth of the matter - and it is here that DragonRaid’s primary nature as a teaching tool becomes apparent.
Two of the adventures included with DragonRaid (The LightRaider Test and Rescue of The Sacred Scrolls) would serve as extremely useful tools for teaching Christian ideals to youth, but are essentially devoid of any utility as traditional roleplaying adventures -
not because they’re Christian-oriented, mind you, but because they’re extremely rigid in their design (which, in fairness, they have to be in order to accomplish their primary goal). That said, there are some ideas worth mining in both modules and, with a generous application of elbow grease, they could serve as traditional roleplaying adventures.
Of all the included adventure modules, only the first installment of the Moon Bridge campaign could feasibly be used as both an educational tool or a traditional roleplaying adventure module with little alteration. While this would be a flaw in any other game, in Dragonraid it’s a commendable obtainment of design goals, so it can’t fairly be criticized as a shortcoming.
Final Observations of DragonRaid
By design, DragonRaid is a Christian teaching tool that utilizes fantasy roleplay as a vehicle to convey its message, and it meets that design goal admirably. That said, while DragonRaid is a Christian teaching tool
first, there is little doubt that it is
also a roleplaying game - it plays like a roleplaying game, shares many features with roleplaying games, and suffered right alongside the world’s most popular roleplaying game back in the early 1980s.
As a Christian teaching tool, DragonRaid conveys the lessons of the Gospel while, as a roleplaying game it contains several interesting and relatively innovative design features. It is my opinion that DragonRaid still has a lot to offer as a teaching tool, a roleplaying game, and a unique piece of pop culture history. If you have an extra $24.00 sitting around and an interest in either Christian gaming or innovative game design, I highly recommend that you order a copy of DragonRaid.
*At least one game released within the last four years claims to have pioneered the innovation of spiritual character attributes, but as DragonRaid introduced this concept in 1984, that claim is obviously disingenuous.
