9/4/2023 0 Comments Mage time of judgmentWhat it contains could spell doom to any who dare look within. You must promise to deliver it without allowing anyone to break its magical seals. His arms are folded over a large tome bound in thick, reptilian hide. In the tavern, your party approaches the man you came to meet, a frail mage hidden in the shadows of his cowl, seated alone in the corner. They preached against the dangers of heavy metal music, long hair, gays, artists and, yes, Dungeons & Dragons, all of which they claimed could lead to Satanism and damnation. My friends and I began playing D&D during a decade when the game was caught in the crosshairs of a bizarre culture war - back when organized bands of Christian fundamentalists used to stir otherwise reasonable folks into irrational frenzies across the nation. It took a long time to earn this distinction. The taint of scandal that plagued the game in its early years seemed to dissipate, and D&D began to settle into its current role as the reigning elder statesman of nerd culture, the proverbial wizard behind the curtain to which mainstream pop-culture phenomena such as Pokémon, World of Warcraft and modern video games gratefully tip their hats. About a decade or so ago, right around the time sales from its merchandise passed the $1 billion mark worldwide, something unexpected happened. Those of us who have grown up alongside the game have watched it transform through the years, from obscure hobby to fan-fueled phenomenon, to lightning rod in a misguided culture war. While that doesn’t exactly make it as venerable as the Seer of Urnst, it is indisputably the granddaddy of all things geek. ĭungeons & Dragons is 40 years old this year. A bard strums a melancholy dirge on her dulcimer and quiets the crowd with a dramatic retelling of ancient battles and heroic quests. The hearth at the center of the tavern blazes with a fire which wards off the chill of the wintry winds outside. Soon I’d be joining fellow adventurers to explore the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, to discover the Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh, to do battle with the Queen of the Demonweb Pits. The book he had loaned me was the Dungeons & Dragons First Edition Dungeon Master’s Guide. “Read it cover to cover, and don’t let any teachers see you or they’ll confiscate it, and you’ll get detention. Jhonny slammed the locker door shut and leaned against it as if the book were a wild animal that might escape. I only caught a glimpse of the cover as it blurred by: a red-faced demon, a razor-sharp blade, a half-naked blonde about to be disemboweled. He considered me for a moment, then reached into his jacket, pulled out an oversized hardcover book and slipped it quickly into my locker.
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