wait. this game ISNT satanic? wth!!! you mean that SLAYING demons and evil isnt satanic?

seriously. i think that those who call it satanic are on the verge of insanity. its like trying to say that those who play counter-strike are going to go and slay a bunch of people, because "their video game told them too". its ridiculous to think that rolling dice and having your elf cast a "fireball" spell to kill an orc, is going to make you sacrifice a goat to the lord of evil. MAN, people just NEED something to whine, b*tch, moan, and complain about!!!

I don't think it's satanic, but I can understand why some think it is.

oh come on now deathcow.you live in pat robertson's back yard.he's done a number of stories about this topic over the years.his people even did some interviews at Campaign Headquarters(place to buy stuff for,and play,rpgs) in norfolk.but then again i guess no one does take him serious after all.

let's put it this way

I am interested in the occult
I also play RPGs
I also used to be Anglican (Christian)

Neither are connecteed. If you think demons have 4 arms and ruun around bashing people you are sadly mistaken

(by "you" I mean anyone that thinks D&D remotely resembles the occult)

Back when I was at school, these lies were more damaging. The churches practically had a strangelhold, even getting my parents to wonder about the game itself. Basically the people condemning it are a waste of skin

<font color="plum"><font color="gray">Black Knight</font>,

I just wanted to briefly address the issue of your gaming partner. I also had to "work some issues out" between my faith (born-again Christian) and AD&D.

I've never felt like the game was "satanic", but there are some aspects of the game that "conflict" with my religious beliefs.

The occultic aspect I mentioned earlier was one issue. Another was the "stigma" that is associated with AD&D. I know that most of the accusations against the game are based on a lack of knowledge, but that doesn't make the public's perception any less real.

The BIGGEST issue I had, though, was that AD&D was occupying too much of my time. A Christian is suppose to place God before EVERYTHING else in their life, but I would stay out until 5-6am on Saturday night gaming, which meant that I didn't go to church a few hours later because I was asleep.

I also found that, instead of spending time in prayer, I was thinking about my characters or the game I was going to run next week.

So I talked to a visiting preacher about the game, and then I prayed about it. God answered my prayer by saying that He wanted me to give the game up and focus on Him.

That was several years ago, and I've only recently renewed my interest in the game. But now, I make sure to keep in the proper perspective.

The MOST IMPORTANT thing to remember, though, is that this was an INDIVIDUAL decision. The man that taught me how to play AD&D is just as dedicated a Christian as I am, but he has NEVER had any qualms with the game at all.

It sounds like your friend is facing the same issues I did. He needs to decide for himself if he can reconcile his new-found faith with his desire to play AD&D.

Whatever his decision, it still isn't a reflection on the game itself, only on his own decision about it.

Just be patient and give him the time and space he needs to work things out.</font>

With A hey and a Ho and a hey Nonny no, I must say that I remember when our R.E teacher warned us about the dangers of “the okkult”,
And made us do a homework on “the dangers of ouji boards”
How we laughed and scoffed at her, so the very next day some friend’s and I decided to do that Funky Ouji thing, and nothing happened,
We got very board, :D
The end.

Dramnek, don't you understand? It was precisely because you and your friends did a piece of homework on 'The Dangers of Ouija Boards' that the Ouija Board got deeply upset with you all and chose to ignore you fellas when you consulted her the next day. (Your marxist attitude wouldn't have helped much in this respect, either.) If you wrote something like 'The Fun of Ouija Boards', then you would have obtained some very positive results with the Board, believe me. :D

More seriously, it's interesting to note that many years ago even the Singapore government gave some credence to the notion that there was something unclean about D&D -- as could be seen in the fact that the D&D cartoon series (you know, the one featuring six kids and a Yoda-like DungeonMaster) only got to have a couple episodes broadcast here, and then was aborted, much to my dismay.

This issue is very near and dear to my heart. I think it's pretty funny how people react to the idea of gaming. Recently I was at a gaming convention. Somebody at the hotel that hosted the convention thought it a good idea to schedule another convention at the same time. The hotel was huge so it could hold both groups. Much to my amusement the other convention was a load of Jehovah's Witnesses. During a game of D&D our party had reached an auxiliary base of this evil cult and was busy making short work of the cultists when a youngish man approached the table. He asked my friend and I to "Be nicer to be people." We asked him what exactly he meant and he scampered off. We weren't unkind or anything, since we were truely worried that perhaps someone had made some nasty remark or something.... Never found out. I think it was mostly him trying to do something about our "Satanic" ways.

I find this attitude a bit shortsighted. Like most things, gaming/roleplaying can get out of hand and that's mostly what we hear about. We hear about the "Vampire" cult that killed the DM's mom. I walked into a gaming store to hear, much to my disgust, a girl relating to the owner her gaming tale of woe. Apparently the other characters had raped hers. Never found out why. Obviously something had gone seriously wrong. What we never hear about are positive aspects of gaming. Storytelling, heroism, camraderie, fun...... I've played for years and never even really touched upon the occult (with the rare exception of a Cthulu game) . Like Cerek pointed out... It is the individual who decides where to direct the game and not the game itself which directs the indivdual towards the darker side of things.

DeSoya

DnD= devil worship?

What a bunch of bull. First off dnd provides the groundwork for a balanced ethos of good and evil. Individuals are provided a wide range of ethical directions for their characters to face.

Second off, as a student of the occult (which means unseen or unknown) I know what it really is and isnt. Dont believe the hype.

I DMed a long campaign that included a paladin character playyed by a real satanist, who doesnt sacrifice babies or all that other crap that is really CULT behavior, not satanic.

Kewl!
Conjure Cthulhu for me please.