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Playing with Fire: Dungeons and Dragons, Tunnels and Trolls, Chivalry and Sorcery, and other Fantasy Games
Playing with Dungeons and Dragons, Tunnels and Trolls, Chivalry and Sorcery, and other Fantasy Games
91 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1984
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 25, 2013
Another paranoid-fundy book.
P76: "If one's mind is centered upon the 'imaginative' use of occult power, is he not at least tolerating the idea of its use? And who can guarantee that the demonic will not respond? Some players have reported actual paranormal or supernatural experiences (the movement of objects and other phenomena) while playing these games."
P76: "If one's mind is centered upon the 'imaginative' use of occult power, is he not at least tolerating the idea of its use? And who can guarantee that the demonic will not respond? Some players have reported actual paranormal or supernatural experiences (the movement of objects and other phenomena) while playing these games."
June 12, 2010
Hahahaha!... Here's to you fearmongerers.
I was one of you, once.
I was one of you, once.
August 6, 2022
Hysterical. So I first want to point out that this book was written and published in 1984 at the height of the anti-Dungeons and Dragons fear mongering.
It is written by two evangelicals, so already the bias is against fantasy and imagination. Or, anything that does not glorify god.
Thirdly, they have no idea how the game is played blatantly saying that is has no rules.
As an avid DnD player and an agnostic, I find this a hysterical read. I remember the hysteria around the game and my mother throwing out not only my DnD books but burning my comics and sending me to a bible study group. I survived that trauma and have gone to play the game to this day and love it even more.
Let me tell you that DnD teaches empathy, teamwork, problem solving. It is a safe place for self discovery. A chance to step into someone else’s shoes.
Christian’s are threatened by this game. It explores mythology and opens up a world of possibilities. All of which conflicts with evangelical beliefs.
So why did I read this book? I wanted a different perspective. Teach me something I didn’t know. I went into it open minded. However this offers nothing but speculation and untruth. Gaslighting the truth, as Christian’s do, to twist it to their perspective.
The authors offer many sources. However even these are Christian based. There is no evidence that the authors played with real DnD players.
DnD is more popular than ever and is now ingrained into pop culture. It is not going anywhere.
It is written by two evangelicals, so already the bias is against fantasy and imagination. Or, anything that does not glorify god.
Thirdly, they have no idea how the game is played blatantly saying that is has no rules.
As an avid DnD player and an agnostic, I find this a hysterical read. I remember the hysteria around the game and my mother throwing out not only my DnD books but burning my comics and sending me to a bible study group. I survived that trauma and have gone to play the game to this day and love it even more.
Let me tell you that DnD teaches empathy, teamwork, problem solving. It is a safe place for self discovery. A chance to step into someone else’s shoes.
Christian’s are threatened by this game. It explores mythology and opens up a world of possibilities. All of which conflicts with evangelical beliefs.
So why did I read this book? I wanted a different perspective. Teach me something I didn’t know. I went into it open minded. However this offers nothing but speculation and untruth. Gaslighting the truth, as Christian’s do, to twist it to their perspective.
The authors offer many sources. However even these are Christian based. There is no evidence that the authors played with real DnD players.
DnD is more popular than ever and is now ingrained into pop culture. It is not going anywhere.
February 20, 2021
2.5/5 - while the author's are well intentioned, there are inconsistencies and weak arguments throughout. Some important things the author's bring up for Christian RPG players to consider; morality, violence, and summoning Demons can be of concern when playing any RPG. If @ player is choosing to make immoral choices in a game, that is probably not a good game for them to be involved in.
Some weak points; The author's are concerned with the casting of spells & magic. I've never encountered a game of D&D where players actually recite a spell... It goes more like this: 'i'm casting fireball at the green goblin'. Also, there are plenty of good pieces of literature well regarded in Christian circles that involve magic (i.e. Narnia, LOTR). The concern over players using their imagination seems a bit absurd. Obviously your imagination can take you down many paths, but knocking a game because it forces you to use imagination is a bit preposterous.
That said, I do want to reiterate that I believe the author's are concerned for the moral and spiritual wellbeing of Christians engaged in RPG's, which I respect, even if I disagree on a number of points.
Some weak points; The author's are concerned with the casting of spells & magic. I've never encountered a game of D&D where players actually recite a spell... It goes more like this: 'i'm casting fireball at the green goblin'. Also, there are plenty of good pieces of literature well regarded in Christian circles that involve magic (i.e. Narnia, LOTR). The concern over players using their imagination seems a bit absurd. Obviously your imagination can take you down many paths, but knocking a game because it forces you to use imagination is a bit preposterous.
That said, I do want to reiterate that I believe the author's are concerned for the moral and spiritual wellbeing of Christians engaged in RPG's, which I respect, even if I disagree on a number of points.
April 3, 2014
This book attempts to paint a detailed portrait with a very broad brush. It is very apparent early in the book what the authors think about role playing games. If you are inclined to agree with the authors, you will find this book to be moderate and fair. Otherwise you will find this absurd, even if you don't play pen and paper role playing games. And you certainly would not have picked this book off of its dusty shelf at your church's library if it was any longer than 86 pages.
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June 2, 2021This book starts off by trying to give the appearance of a fair scholarly evaluation of role-playing games from a Christian perspective. Yet it rapidly becomes clear that the bar is set so high that there was never any hope of RPGs passing. If you're coming from the perspective that to imagine a thing is equivalent to doing the thing, and that all belief systems not based on a single specific one are both incorrect and a bad influence, then there's no world where D&D and other RPGs were ever going to pass.
It mostly focuses on D&D, but draws from a few other RPGs at the time in a way that is an indistinct muddle designed to present the most damning picture.
The book makes a great show of being an intelligent, well-cited work, but I'm reminded of the quote from the Witcher TV show, "You talk nonsense while making wise and meaningful faces."
I wouldn't feel right giving this book a star rating - how do you rank propaganda? It is an interesting glimpse into the heart of the Satanic Panic.
It mostly focuses on D&D, but draws from a few other RPGs at the time in a way that is an indistinct muddle designed to present the most damning picture.
The book makes a great show of being an intelligent, well-cited work, but I'm reminded of the quote from the Witcher TV show, "You talk nonsense while making wise and meaningful faces."
I wouldn't feel right giving this book a star rating - how do you rank propaganda? It is an interesting glimpse into the heart of the Satanic Panic.
April 27, 2011
For a Christian concerned with the possible risks involved in playing Dungeons and Dragons this book is very helpful. It was written by Christians, for Christians, and as a Christian who read this book while considering whether or not to play D&D I appreciated it.
The authors take a moderate approach to the subject and attempt to explain in objective terms what the dangers are. The book addresses such dangers as abuse of fantasy, abuse of escapism, playing in a world of nonChristian morality, and how the line can become blurred between the person playing D&D and that person's character. They also talk about how D&D has natural links to the occult, but they do so in a believable objective manner which I don't think is fear mongering. In any case, the subject matter is definitely worth considering and wrestling with if you are a Christian who honestly wants to follow Jesus and are unsure about D&D or games like it. I was glad to have the information in front of me to consider and pray over. In the end my conclusion was different than the authors', but it was an informed opinion having now dealt with the subject matter.
The authors are objective and respectful, authentically trying to do justice to both sides of this issue. I found their respect for the material and their balanced approach to be a very good treatment of the topic.
After reading this book I was able to walk away understanding why this game had such a negative stigma in some Christian circles. I also understood that those who lead and play this game have an important responsibility to be wise and discerning. When I finally did start my own D&D Campaign I was able to explain why this game is controversial, how it could take over your life, how it could hurt the player's spiritually, and then map out some very basic principles to make sure that none of that ever happened and we could just enjoy the game.
The authors take a moderate approach to the subject and attempt to explain in objective terms what the dangers are. The book addresses such dangers as abuse of fantasy, abuse of escapism, playing in a world of nonChristian morality, and how the line can become blurred between the person playing D&D and that person's character. They also talk about how D&D has natural links to the occult, but they do so in a believable objective manner which I don't think is fear mongering. In any case, the subject matter is definitely worth considering and wrestling with if you are a Christian who honestly wants to follow Jesus and are unsure about D&D or games like it. I was glad to have the information in front of me to consider and pray over. In the end my conclusion was different than the authors', but it was an informed opinion having now dealt with the subject matter.
The authors are objective and respectful, authentically trying to do justice to both sides of this issue. I found their respect for the material and their balanced approach to be a very good treatment of the topic.
After reading this book I was able to walk away understanding why this game had such a negative stigma in some Christian circles. I also understood that those who lead and play this game have an important responsibility to be wise and discerning. When I finally did start my own D&D Campaign I was able to explain why this game is controversial, how it could take over your life, how it could hurt the player's spiritually, and then map out some very basic principles to make sure that none of that ever happened and we could just enjoy the game.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews