h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I am currently writing an article for <./>ThePost</.> about the ongoing battle between the Christian right and the role-playing game community, and I'd like to ask you for your thoughts on the subject.

As a role-player myself it's impossible for me to present a completely unbiased view of things, so I'd like to make the article as balanced as possible and given that you appear to be my polar opposite on this kind of thing I figured you'd be the perfect guy to ask.

There's no pressure to reply, and the article will go ahead anyway if you don't but I feel that it is important to include the argument from the 'other' side.

Dear Mr Dreadful,

A few of us from my Christian Union at university protested outside a meeting of the university's role-paying club last May.

In the eyes of genuine, born-again Christians, role-playing is a satanic BLASPHEMY against the Holy Bible.

It cannot be denied that these games encourage an unhealthy interest in witchcraft and the demonic among children. Death, destruction, magic, fantasy creatures that are modelled on the devil himself - these are common themes in all these games. We are seeing the direct the denial of all that is good and Godly and the embracing of all that is downright evil.

These games are riddled with satanic rites and practices, and there have been a number of well-documented cases of demon possession that arose in America. Demon possession frequently results in self-mutilation, madness, suicide or, worse still, the devil leading the possessed to murder innocent people. Have a look at this link for some truly harrowing tales:

http://www.watchman.org/occult/frpgames2.htm

The Bible warns Christians not to become 'sharers with demons' (I Cor 10:20). God says that everybody doing these things is DETESTABLE to Him (Deut 18:10-12) and He will destroy them in the Lake of Fire, along with Satan and his demons.

Be warned Mr Dreadful, you are meddling with forces you do not understand and the devil is laughing in hell about that.

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I hope this inisght is useful to your research. I will be interested to read your article when you have written it. Do let me know.

Kind regards,

Sam.

Thanks for your input, it will be valuable to the article... I originally tried getting comments from various anti-roleplay websites but for some reason they never got back to me, which suggests that they lack the courage of their convictions. While our viewpoints may be opposed the fact you replied to my post sets you head and shoulders above the others in opinion.

Just a couple more things:
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Have you any more links on this subject? As well as being a table-top role-player I do live action role-play which, by it's very nature, means that any rites and rituals have to be acted out rather than just rolling a die to see if it works. However, the people who run the game have done their best to exclude any 'real world' stuff from the mythology of the campaign world so as not to offend or worry anyone (there was one guy who tried doing some 'geniune' Satanic rites at a game and was drummed out of the group faster than you could say 'Beelzebub').


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Again have you got more links about this, role-playing games nowadays are legally required to carry a disclaimer which explicitly states that the games are make-beleive.

Found a couple of links that may be of some interest to you.
www.christian-rpg.net/ - Community for Christian gamers.

www.holylands.net/main.htm - A Christian-orientated RPG which pits defenders of the medieval church against demons, dragons and sorcerers.

Mr D when's the article coming out? Sounds like it will be a good one.

It'll be out when it's finished! All I've really got left to do is research the court cases and suchlike which have marred the image of RPGs.

Ahh, of course.

" few of us from my Christian Union at university protested outside a meeting of the university's role-paying club last May. "

Would you come and protest outside some of the events I go to? We would welcome the publicity that shouting loons with placards standing outside always brings.

When we've finished with the sacrificial goats and chickens, by the way, we could pop out and offer you some kebabs if you like.

We are not 'lons' at all, we preach the Gospel. So if you are genuinely offering me an invitation to come along and share the amazing words of Jesus Christ, then I can certainly try and organise something. Give me a few dates of these events in the south east within the next couple of weeks, before I return to university, and I shall see what I can do.

"We are not 'lons' at all, we preach the Gospel. "

The two things are not mutually exclusive, although they can be. Sadly in your case they appear to be connected.

" So if you are genuinely offering me an invitation to come along and share the amazing words of Jesus Christ, then I can certainly try and organise something."

Nothing in the South East in the next couple of weeks that I know of, but if you go the The Miniatures Page and ask around on the message boards I'm sure you could find something. You could try Macclesfield Manouevres in October, though. Mind you, the event usually runs to capacity, so perhaps it doesn't really need the publicity. Beer and Pretzels in Burton next May might be worth the effort as it's run by a local games shop and I'm sure he'd appreciate the extra business that your particular brand of lunacy would give him.

Don't protest outside any Games Workshop branch - they don't need the publicity as far as I know, although you may want to contact them and check.

If there are any Lorien Trust games running near you in the next couple of weeks you could try protesting there... seriously, please do! The LT gives LARP a bad name and needs a kick up the bum!

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They do actually! They cocked up horribly with the Lord of the Rings range and have had to reduce opening hours and lay off a load of staff to even things out.

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Can I bring along my pal, the Celtic supporter. He wants to discuss "the stench of catholicism" with you.

Is your family still ripping off the taxpayer, by the way.

The wean.

"hey do actually! They cocked up horribly with the Lord of the Rings range and have had to reduce opening hours and lay off a load of staff to even things out."

In that case, please protest. The one in Staines would be a good place to start - I need to have that one kept open so I have somewhere to go if I realise I've run out of a particular colour of paint.

Whilst you are there you can protest outside The Entertainer for selling Satanic 'Lord of the Rings' merchandise.

Oh, and have a look for the Staines Wargamers website. This evil bunch meet on a Friday evening and could really do with the publicity.

See you on Friday?

"A few of us from my Christian Union at university protested outside a meeting of the university's role-paying club last May."

I wish I could have seen that. I have such an image in my head. You'll be complaining outside the RSC, next.

Just out of interest, Sam, can you remember what it was that you said to the man (it was a man, wasn't it?) in the Celtic top, just before he biffed you.

I've got a fiver on the words "stench" and "Catholicism" being in the text.

The wean.

"See you on Friday?"

Where were you Sam? I waited for you all evening.

He didn't show!!?! I guess he doesn't really care about preaching the gospel!! I guess he's not really born-again after all - hence god didn't choose him! Oh Sam, what a crisis of "faith"!!

"A few of us from my Christian Union at university protested outside a meeting of the university's role-paying club last May."

Sorry but that is really sad...

"These games are riddled with satanic rites and practices, and there have been a number of well-documented cases of demon possession that arose in America. Demon possession frequently results in self-mutilation, madness, suicide or, worse still, the devil leading the possessed to murder innocent people. Have a look at this link for some truly harrowing tales:"

What utter ignorant bollocks...

PS, have you left this cesspit too?

The more that you find out about Sam, the more bonkers he looks.

Perfect Tory MP material.

The wean.