'Dark Dungeons', the movie

[Lynn LeFey]

Okay, so here's a little history.

In 1984, or thereabouts, I got my first pencil-and-paper role playing game: Star Frontiers. It was a fairly cheap way to entertain myself and my friends, and was quickly followed by 'Marvel Super Heroes' and 'Advanced Dungeons and Dragons'. These were games. We were playing games... to entertain ourselves... because we were bored.

In that same year, a complete moron named Jack Chick published his 'Chick Tract' called 'Dark Dungeons', about how role playing games... RPGs, were destroying the lives, nay, the very SOULS of our children!
http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0046/0046_01.ASP

Except... they don't. Neither does Harry Potter, or Lord of the Rings, or Heavy Metal, or First Person Shooter videogames.

In my little inbred town, by the time I was in high school, it was widely known that I was a 'Dungeon Master'. Dun-dun-duuuuuun!

And I kid you not, my Vice Principal called me into his office and asked point blank if I was worshipping Satan.

Okay, first off, if I was, it's none of your business, and I'm allowed to practice whatever religion I wish. Second of all, no, I'm not.

Apparently there had been a convolution of stories, involving D&D, goat sacrifice, and LSD that made him think I was practicing some animal sacrifice or something.

As a side note, the goat sacrifice part of the story came because we would hang out in an abandoned clay mine near a farm that had miniature goats. They would come 'hang out' with us, as in, be horribly annoying a-hole critters. The larger male would want to face us directly... even when we were all facing a camp fire. So this idiot creature would stand with his rear feet IN THE FIRE, then jump in pain and look around in surprise, like 'hey, what was THAT?' Then do it again. Also... I hate goats. And in a related story, I HATE goats. So, it wasn't so much US sacrificing goats, as it doing it to itself.

Right, so, where am I going with all this? Ah, right, the moronic 80's D&D scare. So, now some folks got together and made the Chick Tract 'Dark Dungeons' into a movie!

It will premier at Gen Con Indy this year. If you don't know, Gen Con is the biggest gaming convention in the world. So, I must assume there is more than a bit of satire involved in the making of this film.

Enjoy the trailer.

[Etherealicer]

Funny, I made a larger discourse on RPG (for German class), showing how it improves communication / debating skills, that it consists of several layers of communication and enhances creativity. I also compared it to the "Commedia dell'arte*" and compelled the teacher to accept it as a transient art form. I honestly never got any repression for it.

So I cannot really relate. Its more nowadays that people think that its not age appropriate anymore (the same people that go and watch Avengers in the movie theater, they don't realize the hypocrisy of it). The trailer seems a bit weird, not sure what to make of it. I at least didn't find the satire in it. But who knows.
That said, have you seen "Knights of Badassdom".

* You know from Anne Rice, Vampire Chronicles

[Lynn LeFey]

I thought Knights of Badassdom was very fun, but I think the best gamer related movie I've seen is Gamers: Hands of Fate.

It LOOKS like the entire thing might be available on Youtube to watch, broken into about 10 minute 'episodes'.

Here's the first.


The first in the series, The Gamers, was moderately amusing. The second, Gamers: Dorkness Rising, seemed like it was actually starting to tell a story, by this third movie it's clear that they're onto something, IMO.

On age appropriateness... yeah. that's sad. Luckily, all my friends are gamer nerds.

[Etherealicer]

Uhh thanks, didn't realize there was a Gamers 3, now I have to watch this.
Actually, the best RPG movie is "13th Warrior" with Antonio Banderas. I mean how else but a critical success, do you explain that he learns the language of the Norsemen within days
Damn now I have to watch the 13th Warrior again. This is actually a very entertaining movie.

[Chako]

Yes, I can relate. In the mid 80s, I was told by my parents that I was never to play D&D ever again once they found out that I played it twice at my friends neighbours house. Yes, there was a lot of unwarranted fear about devil worshiping, drugs, and other stupidities implied with it.

I own Knights of Badassdom. It was an ok movie. Haven't seen any of The Gamers series....going to have to look into that now. 13th Warrior was a very good movie.

[Lynn LeFey]

The first Gamers movie is VERY rough. The second a bit less so. The third, while obviously low budget, is pretty awesome. They sort of embrace their lowbudgetness.

However, you might be a bit lost if you don't see the first two. Or at least the second one.

[Etherealicer]

The first Gamers movie is VERY rough. The second a bit less so. The third, while obviously low budget, is pretty awesome. They sort of embrace their lowbudgetness.

However, you might be a bit lost if you don't see the first two. Or at least the second one.

Yeah, might be, but nothing beats a rogue using a balista in his Sneak Attack for triple damage . Oddly enough I liked the first one better.

Balista attack from 3:28 on

[Whoey]

ah yes, to be in a world when the only evil was satanism. 

I had "the chat" with my foster parents where they tried to warn me of backwards satanic messages in heavy metal albums, I reached over and showed them Slayer's Hell Awaits (on Vinyl) and said: what's backwards about this, they aren't hiding anything! That quickly ended the conversation.

I didn't have much contact with D&D and RPGs until much later... and even then, mostly electronic.

[dmanuel]

I always point people towards this when they say something about DnD being Satanic

[Chako]

 

[ducttapetech]

I always point people towards this when they say something about DnD being Satanic

Lol!
Love the Final Fantasy reference.

live from Nate's mobile

[Lynn LeFey]

My game group frequently uses the "I'm attacking the darkness" line.

[ironraven]

 

I'd forgotten that 8-bit skit. If any member of my table ever acted like the guy getting drunk, there would have been girls. Ogre girls. Lots of them, hideous and cruel by ogrish standards. Who want snoosnoo. And he was the only male too drunk to run for his life. The description of this death would have been... disturbing.

But Hands of Fate always makes me sad. My group was weekly, I could put 7-8 players at the table for a solid 6-9 hours every weekend. And now... lucky if we can get together once a quarter, and usually board games and whining about our lives is the theme, rather than roleplaying.

Growing up sucks.

[RT1969]

Now that I could see the trailer in moving, not as a slide-show (yesterday the lags were unbearable, but only in this video  ), thank you Lynn for posting this here!

The trailer seems a bit weird, not sure what to make of it. I at least didn't find the satire in it. But who knows.

I think the satire stems from the proximity to the original cartoon.
Just read it at http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0046/0046_01.ASP and wonder, how anyone could see D&D this way. But it is my understanding that people really thought so about RPGs. Discussing why would be overstepping the boundaries of this forum.

A similiar view in german: http://www.rollenspielstudien.de/erwachet/dungeons_and_dragons/ (I hope this is ok, it is a publication by Jehovas witnesses from 1982)


Leaving this aside, how could you diss The Gamers? 
I mean, don't you forget something? - Like what?
-Like your characters paralyzing fear of water?
-Like The Bandit King?
-Like where is Mark?

Maybe your RPG experiences weren't as chaotic as mine, Lynn, but for me The Gamers is spot on!

Blood, Death and Vengeance! 

[Etherealicer]

@RT1969
Please tell me you didn't play (A)D&D but DSA (The Dark Eye).

[RT1969]

You wouldn't like my answer.