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I'm ashamed of myself for not knowing this.

Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 7:30 pm
by ArcticFox
Gary Gygax, creator of Dungeons & Dragons, was a Christian
Gary Gygax wrote: All I am is another fellow human that has at last, after many wrong paths and failed attenpts, found Jesus Christ.
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Re: I'm ashamed of myself for not knowing this.

Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 7:33 pm
by Deepfreeze32
So we can finally lay the myth that Dungeons & Dragons is satanic to rest, right? :P

Maybe someone should have told Jack Chick this...but then again, we wouldn't have the awesome MST3k commentary on it.

Re: I'm ashamed of myself for not knowing this.

Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 7:33 pm
by ArcticFox
Deepfreeze32 wrote: Maybe someone should have told Jack Chick this...but then again, we wouldn't have the awesome MST3k commentary on it.
And the equally awesome movie adaptation.

Re: I'm ashamed of myself for not knowing this.

Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2014 3:09 am
by ArchAngel
He actually kept his faith private because he didn't want to hurt the reputation of Christianity because of the "moral panic" over D&D. (I'm citing Wikipedia which is citing something else.)

That's a real shame.

And dat movie adaptation. Love it!

Re: I'm ashamed of myself for not knowing this.

Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2014 4:27 am
by Sstavix
I did know that.

(Of course I knew that. It's "obscure historical game trivia." Ask me a question about something that's relevant and I'll have no clue....)

If I recall correctly, his faith is also why his game universe tended to have a vaguely Tolkienesque feel to it. Just as Tolkien had subtle influences of his faith in "The Lord of the Rings," the same goes for Gygax's works (especially with emphasis on the hero's journey and success against overwhelming evil int he face of insurmountable odds). Of course, being a role-playing game and subject to innumerable house rules, things have changed a lot with D&D (and any tabletop RPG, really) since then.

Re: I'm ashamed of myself for not knowing this.

Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2014 1:50 pm
by ArcticFox
ArchAngel wrote:He actually kept his faith private because he didn't want to hurt the reputation of Christianity because of the "moral panic" over D&D. (I'm citing Wikipedia which is citing something else.)

That's a real shame.
It is a real shame, because that's one of the most facepalm inducing behaviors of some Christians. That ranks with book burners and people who ignore Halloween because they think such things will send them to Hell.

I often say that science and religion are separate tools in life's toolbox, but reason is something that should be common to both, and people who are so paranoid that a man had to hide his faith to help them save face are part of the problem, not the solution.

Re: I'm ashamed of myself for not knowing this.

Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2014 10:47 pm
by ArchAngel
A pretty fun anecdote: http://snapjudgment.org/chasing-dragon" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: I'm ashamed of myself for not knowing this.

Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2014 11:46 pm
by ArcticFox
Hilarious!

Actually, that was a lot like listening to a Greaseman bit.

Re: I'm ashamed of myself for not knowing this.

Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2014 6:25 pm
by ccgr
w00t Epic DnD Games in Heaven!

Re: I'm ashamed of myself for not knowing this.

Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2014 9:13 pm
by ArchAngel
Awww, darn. I'm gonna miss out on that.

Re: I'm ashamed of myself for not knowing this.

Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2014 1:54 pm
by ArcticFox
You don't have to.

Re: I'm ashamed of myself for not knowing this.

Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2014 10:48 pm
by Orodrist
Don't worry Arch, when you get close to dyin I can run over and let you fight me to the death, get you into Valhalla. We're chill like that.

Re: I'm ashamed of myself for not knowing this.

Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2014 2:35 am
by ArchAngel
You got a deal! Mead from the skulls of our enemies!