Satanic D&D... for the kids!

[patchbunny]

GURPS Traveller, perhaps?

Are you using my "Syndicate" rules from the Traveller COTI File Library? I'm known as Keklas Rekobah over there, btw.

Nope, we're using the Characters and campaigns modules for the basic set-up, along with Ultratech for futuristic information, but the rest of the campaign is all coming out of the GM's head. Works fairly well.

 

[Arkan_Wolfshade]

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The computer thanks you for your prompt attention to this <Censored>.

I'm SINless, you'll never find me you wageslave!

 

[Morrigan]

Years ago, my brothers (and eventually myself) used to play those Make Your Own Adventure games, by Steve Jackson, Ian Livingston and Joe Dever. I was especially fond of the Lonewolfand Sorcery adventures.

One day a close friend and neighbour of my brother borrowed the Sorcery books. His mother was a staunch Catholic. Nevermind that, way too kind: she was a crazy, uptight, uber-religious bitch (who allegedly beat her son, too, when he was little [whereas she did not even discipline her younger daughter] and then had him committed for a few months because he had "anger issues", where he came back more screwed up in the head than before... but I'm going off on a tangeant here) and even my mother, who rarely said anything unkind about anyone, didn't like her very much.

I'm going to let you guess what happened when she stumbled upon these dreaded, evil tomes of foul black magic. Yep, she tried to have her son cut contact with my brother, and complained to her husband that he was giving him "spellbooks" who'd teach him how to practice "witchcraft". Thankfully, the boy's father still had a shred of common sense, and just laughed it off and said, "dear, those are game books, for children!", so it didn't escalate.

But when my brother told me this anecdote years ago, I could not fathom how anyone could be so awfully irrational and deluded, let alone still believe in sorcery. I was sure that even the Pope could not be so Catholic.

Then I learned about the USA and people like Jack Chick and the mother in this story, and how my brother's friend's mother was not a single isolated nutcase but there were others like her... and a little part of me died. Alas!

 

[ceo_esq]

My aunt and uncle are, well, nuts (there's no real good way of putting it) about their religious beliefs. They take Catholicism to a new (previous?) level. Anyway, among their ideas is no fantasy genre stuff at all. No Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, anything of that sort, period.

I'm not sure if it is, or was, a part of Catholic doctrine, but at least that idea is out there.

It seems unlikely that there was ever any Catholic teaching about fantasy literature as such, especially when one considers not only the role of the fantastic in the Catholic literary tradition but also the role of Catholicism in the development of the fantasy genre. Think of the medieval allegories and chivalric romance literature. And the pope could hardly be more Catholic than Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings. Hopefully your aunt and uncle will eventually permit their horizons to be broadened.

 

[dirtywick]

It seems unlikely that there was ever any Catholic teaching about fantasy literature as such, especially when one considers not only the role of the fantastic in the Catholic literary tradition but also the role of Catholicism in the development of the fantasy genre. Think of the medieval allegories and chivalric romance literature. And the pope could hardly be more Catholic than Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings. Hopefully your aunt and uncle will eventually permit their horizons to be broadened.

Chronicles of Narnia is pretty much a "what if Jesus was a magical talking lion" story, and C.S. Lewis admits as much.

 

[NobbyNobbs]

These days, I tend to stick to either rules that are less than 100 pages long and are confined to one book, or rules that have been out of print for decades.

May I recommend Feng Shui? Very little crunchiness, lots of room for interpretation, and if played right, the players contribute to the story at least as much as the GM does.

I played a cab driver named Jack Burton. Sound familiar? Loads of fun.

 

[YourSpleen]

Funny thing about Car Wars, we were stupid kids when we were playing it and felt that keeping track of weight was no fun, so we didn't. You can imagine the hilarity that ensued, especially when I introduced the "Rolling Death" 18-wheeler. That thing had more cupolas on it than a golf ball.

The other most embarrassing RPG moment of my youth (in my defense, I started playing Basic Set D&D when I was 8) was reading that it took 10 minutes of time to search a room properly. So, yes, we waited ten minutes in REAL TIME. We did this six times before I decided it ignore that rule. But it remains a precious gem of my stupid youth.

ETA: I remember there were several Net supplements making D&D Christian friendly, written by Christian gamers, mostly by eliminating the magic system and bumping up the clerical system. I seem to recall they found Dragonlance the least offensive official setting around the time.

 

[kmortis]

DM: Okay, so you unroll the scroll and cast "Read Languages." After the spell goes off, you determine that only one word is on the scroll, three times in succession. This is what it says.

[DM hands Player a slip of paper]

PLAYER: That's it?!! Just "Hastur Hastur Hastur"?!!

DM: BWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!


Ah ... I miss the good old days.

And who could forget the classic
Player: I'm picking up the lantern.

DM: Ok, well roll on the "Pick up lanterns" table, at a -3 as you've never seen this kind before and might grab the wrong bit

P:Uh...ok. I got a 6.

DM: You grab the blazing hot mantle and burn yourself. Take **rolls 1d8** 4 HP damage.

If you REALLY want to get gaming kicked out, try HoL. It's claimer states clearly that it WILL make you worship Satan...and sell drugs dressed as a nun.

Hey, Marquis, just how much HoL have you played?

 

[Polaris]

It is horrible the way the tail wags the dog in these circumstances. Those that get wound up about this sort of thing do go through a lot of fear and angst though - it might not be rational but to them superstition is as real as a real thing that has been down to the shops for an extra packet of real.

Edited by Darat: 

Breach of Membership Agreement removed.

DO NOT ADVOCATE VIOLENCE. Your membership agreement clearly states 'Advocacy of suicide or of violence to others: If you tell someone to kill or harm themselves, or to harm someone else, you will be suspended or banned without prior warning. Example: "Go kill yourself."' Forwarded to admins for review.

Replying to this modbox in thread will be off topic  Posted By: jmercer

D&D is indeed a great way to get kids to become creative, increase team work and to do some pretty complex arithmetic. It all comes down to how much pull this mother has. You need to find where your boss stands and flow with it, unfortunately.

And they'll have plenty of time seeing as they won't be dating, and all.

 

[Ryokan]

Edited by Darat: 

Quoted breach of Membership Agreement removed.

I don't think you quite understand how reproduction works.

And they'll have plenty of time seeing as they won't be dating, and all.

That may have been true way back, but these days we have gamer girls.

Gamer girls <3

 

[Madalch]

I don't think you quite understand how reproduction works.

If she doesn't survive, she won't reproduce. What's hard to understand about that?

 

[JWideman]

Cast Magic Missile and attack the darkness!

 

[Ryokan]

If she doesn't survive, she won't reproduce. What's hard to understand about that?

Sorry, I misread. Apparently, it's I who don't know how these things work.

 

[kmortis]

Sorry, I misread. Apparently, it's I who don't know how these things work.

Failed your INT roll again, eh?

 

[Beerina]

I went to Catholic school for all 13 years of my schooling life, and the only two times I was ever suspended were in grade 7 and 8, when I brought in a ouija board and played D&D at school, respectively.

It's interesting to note that Christians don't like Ouija boards not because they're junk, but because they're real things that contact the underworld, which, as we all know, is a real, but evil and wrong, thing to do.

 

[orpheus]

I've no advice. I just wanted to say that I find this so sad. I'm old enough to remember when Gygax first came out with D&D. D&D sessins with other kids - many of whom were antagonists on the playground - are some of my fondest memories of those years. And I remember being thrilled - even then I was aware of it - to find a game that was open-ended; that challenged me to think.

 

[joobz]

you could always introduce the kids to text based adventure computer games

"You Find Yeself in Yon Dungeon. Ye see a SCROLL. Behind SCROLL is a FLASK. Obvious exits are NORTH, SOUTH and DENNIS."

 

[ThatSoundAgain]

Years ago, my brothers (and eventually myself) used to play those Make Your Own Adventure games, by Steve Jackson, Ian Livingston and Joe Dever. I was especially fond of the Lonewolfand Sorcery adventures.

Hah, me too! Interestingly, that's a different Steve Jackson than the one of SJG fame. Instead, he was co-founder of Games Workshop.

Zombiebex, it's a shame that this should get in the way of a fun and educational experience. While I can see the points about removing the magic / fantasy elements from the games if that's what's bothering this parent, a more modern setting would irk me if the game is still combat-centered, like very simplified RP gaming often is. It seems somehow safer or more removed to be playing in a fantasy / fairytale setting.

Another good card game, even though it may be too disorganised for your purposes, is Set ("the family game of visual perception"). To the outsider it seems entirely like the people playing are putting on an elaborate prank, since the sets of three that are claimed from the twelve face-up cards on the table are completely dissimilar. Yet, once you get it, you can train yourself to see them rapidly. Great fun!

Oh, and ETA: "GET YE FLASK↵"

 

[arthwollipot]

As a long-term roleplayer (I'm about to start up a new game soon) I suggest that you cruise over to http://www.theescapist.com/ and http://www.carpga.org/ for some real information to give to the poor deluded parents of this poor child.

ETA: sorry, that second link doesn't work. I'll look it up when I get home.

 

[PrincessIneffabelle]

you could always introduce the kids to text based adventure computer games

"You Find Yeself in Yon Dungeon. Ye see a SCROLL. Behind SCROLL is a FLASK. Obvious exits are NORTH, SOUTH and DENNIS."

"It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a Grue."