Gary Gygax's D&D movie

[besilarius]

This plot is really bad.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/tabletop/features/14604-Inside-Lost-1980s-Dungeons-Dragons-Movie-Gary-Gygax-Loved?fb_action_ids=10154775028331959&fb_action_types=og.comments

[MetalDog]

Wasn't Gygax a bit of a religious fanatic?  That would explain the Onelord aspect of getting things done in the plot.

[JasonPratt]

If you mean "Christian", like Lewis and Tolkien, then yes: he was such a fanatic he preferred not to talk about his faith lest (per his explanation) he tarnish it by association with D&D, in the aftermath of the 70s/80s Satanic scare.  ::)

(Actually we don't know a lot about his religious beliefs, aside from professing as Christian, and that in 1969 he didn't think Christians should celebrate Christmas per se. I've heard he was a Christian universalist, more-or-less like me, but I haven't seen confirmation of that, or what subvariety he might be.)

[bbmike]

If you mean "Christian", like Lewis and Tolkien, then yes: he was such a fanatic he preferred not to talk about his faith lest (per his explanation) he tarnish it by association with D&D, in the aftermath of the 70s/80s Satanic scare.  ::)

(Actually we don't know a lot about his religious beliefs, aside from professing as Christian, and that in 1969 he didn't think Christians should celebrate Christmas per se. I've heard he was a Christian universalist, more-or-less like me, but I haven't seen confirmation of that, or what subvariety he might be.)

Oh, no, it wasn't a just a 'scare'. There was a whole documentary on it with Tom Hanks called Mazes and Monsters!  :P

[mirth]

If you mean "Christian", like Lewis and Tolkien, then yes: he was such a fanatic he preferred not to talk about his faith lest (per his explanation) he tarnish it by association with D&D, in the aftermath of the 70s/80s Satanic scare.  ::)

(Actually we don't know a lot about his religious beliefs, aside from professing as Christian, and that in 1969 he didn't think Christians should celebrate Christmas per se. I've heard he was a Christian universalist, more-or-less like me, but I haven't seen confirmation of that, or what subvariety he might be.)

Oh, no, it wasn't a just a 'scare'. There was a whole documentary on it with Tom Hanks called Mazes and Monsters!  :P

It was a big deal in the media back then.  My high school gaming club was interviewed by the local paper to show that we were not a Satan worshiping death cult. For the most part, we weren't.

[bbmike]

[MetalDog]

If you mean "Christian", like Lewis and Tolkien, then yes: he was such a fanatic he preferred not to talk about his faith lest (per his explanation) he tarnish it by association with D&D, in the aftermath of the 70s/80s Satanic scare.  ::)

(Actually we don't know a lot about his religious beliefs, aside from professing as Christian, and that in 1969 he didn't think Christians should celebrate Christmas per se. I've heard he was a Christian universalist, more-or-less like me, but I haven't seen confirmation of that, or what subvariety he might be.)

I thought I read it was something a bit more cult like than your run of the mill Christianity.  Can't remember where I read it, so...we'll go with YAY D&D!!!

[JasonPratt]

Well, to be fair he never talked much about it, so we just don't know. Maybe he was 7thDayAdventist, who are basically Baptists plus an extra prophet and some insistences on rejecting many typical Christian habits (like worship on Sunday instead of Saturday). They're often regarded as cultic (thanks to the extra prophet from the 19th century), and since institutionally they go with annihilation (no eternal conscious torment, impenitents are wiped out of existence sooner or later) some comments from him on that could have been misunderstood.

But again, I have no idea. Vague guesses at best. No doubt someone somewhere knows more details.  :)

[airboy]

He was pretty hard core and did door-to-door evangelizing.  He just did not talk about it at Cons or in the gaming press - ever.  I talked with him at one of the first DragonCons in Atlanta.

[MetalDog]

What did he profess, airboy?

[mirth]

What did he profess, airboy?

Don't piss off Jesus unless you have at least a +5 Vorpal Blade.

[Nefaro]

What did he profess, airboy?

God only uses his Level 7 Resurrection spell on his son.  Selfish bastid.

[airboy]

What did he profess, airboy?

I cannot remember.  It was one of the groups that goes door to door like 7th Day Adventists.  He did not talk about it publically because of the hysteria about D&D being tied to devil worship. 

Unlike Dookies who embrace Satan.

[Staggerwing]

What did he profess, airboy?

I cannot remember.  It was one of the groups that goes door to door like 7th Day Adventists.  He did not talk about it publically because of the hysteria about D&D being tied to devil worship. 

Unlike Dookies who embrace Satan.

I recall reading somewhere that Gygax was a Jehovah's Witness. One of my coworkers at the time was a Witness and I asked her about it. She had not heard anything about it, though she did know what D&D was.

[JasonPratt]

7DAdvs are often mistaken for JWs. Partly because they both came from the same 19th century apocalyptic expectation movement (the Miller movement). The 7DAs kept their (Cumberland?) Presbyterian / Baptist-ish (and trinitarian) roots, and decided Miller had been right about Jesus starting a judgment process but wrong about when the tribulation and second coming (and millenial reign etc) would happen; the JWs decided the second coming had actually in fact happened (secretly, invisibly) and shifted to a high Arian Christology (although I'm not sure the two ideas were connected).