As a person who's first acquisition was the Moldvay basic set, I recall the '81-82 "demon door" with much fondness...and my Christian parents didn't seem to mind (perhaps Christians were more relaxed in those days).
I had several of the full-colour version of "The Game Wizards present your... Gateway (drug) to Adventure" catalogue!
As for the Satanic Panic, when my dad complained that I was spending too much time in my room playing D&D with my friends, my mom asked him if he'd prefer I was out all night drinking with the rest of the town's hooligans. (End of argument.)
The satanic panic is a facinating topic. I'm afraid our memories of it are unreliable. It was also conflated with parents fears of heavy metal and the depictions of women on fantasy books and games.
Re: Satanic Panic... I'm pretty sure my original Holmes set was stolen (after pretending to be interested in it and wanting to borrow it) in order to "save me" from it. "Hogwash," I say, in polite company. Of course, the joke's on them to a degree, because I thought the interest was real and only turned over my "beginner" stuff, keeping the hardbacks and other expansion-y things.
And I'm pretty sure the art (and name, obviously) came first — the panic followed when something needed to be blamed for some social ill or other.
But it wasn't my parents. They were fine with D&D, and all the rest of it.
It was my brother-in-law (I'm the youngest of six, spread across two marriages). He was a cop, and given what I know now, I'm pretty sure he thought he was being a hero (meanwhile not knowing a damn thing about what he was doing, but thinking only he could do the right thing). By the by, he is a long-time ex brother-in-law...
That's cool! I have no recollection of those images.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad this wasn't on the cover. We might have upset a few Christian parents.
ReplyDeleteAs a person who's first acquisition was the Moldvay basic set, I recall the '81-82 "demon door" with much fondness...and my Christian parents didn't seem to mind (perhaps Christians were more relaxed in those days).
ReplyDeleteI need to do a Demon Door blog post...there are at least three different covers for these
ReplyDeleteWhich came first, the Satanic Panic or TSR's decision to lace their covers with sacrificial victims and red devils?
ReplyDeleteI had several of the full-colour version of "The Game Wizards present your... Gateway (drug) to Adventure" catalogue!
ReplyDeleteAs for the Satanic Panic, when my dad complained that I was spending too much time in my room playing D&D with my friends, my mom asked him if he'd prefer I was out all night drinking with the rest of the town's hooligans. (End of argument.)
The satanic panic is a facinating topic. I'm afraid our memories of it are unreliable. It was also conflated with parents fears of heavy metal and the depictions of women on fantasy books and games.
ReplyDeleteRe: Satanic Panic... I'm pretty sure my original Holmes set was stolen (after pretending to be interested in it and wanting to borrow it) in order to "save me" from it. "Hogwash," I say, in polite company. Of course, the joke's on them to a degree, because I thought the interest was real and only turned over my "beginner" stuff, keeping the hardbacks and other expansion-y things.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm pretty sure the art (and name, obviously) came first — the panic followed when something needed to be blamed for some social ill or other.
I'm pretty sure the art was there first.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that Jon. My parents were very permissive.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Chris.
ReplyDeleteBut it wasn't my parents. They were fine with D&D, and all the rest of it.
It was my brother-in-law (I'm the youngest of six, spread across two marriages). He was a cop, and given what I know now, I'm pretty sure he thought he was being a hero (meanwhile not knowing a damn thing about what he was doing, but thinking only he could do the right thing). By the by, he is a long-time ex brother-in-law...
Roger Giner-Sorolla Rona Jaffe
ReplyDeleteGood story Jon, and a happy ending.
ReplyDelete