Moody Press
1984, 86 pages
ISBN: 0-8024-0425-1
By John Weldon and James Bjornstad
The full title of this book is "Playing with Fire;
Dungeons and Dragons, Tunnels and
Trolls,
Chivalry and
Sorcery, and other
fantasy games."
From the back cover:
They are denounced by worried Christians and non-Christians alike who link the games to crime, suicide, and the occult.
They are defended as mind-expanding and relaxing by millions of players almost cult-like in their devotion.
What are the fantasy games?
Are they good?
Are they evil?
Or perhaps a mixture?
In this critique from a Christian perspective, you'll learn how they are played, the benefits and hazards of playing, and the possible effects on the players. And you'll investigate possible connections with the occult.
Playing with Fire is exactly what it claims to be, a critique of
role playing games from a
Christian perspective. Despite the fact that it was written at a time when
role playing games were a hot-button issue, it's suprisingly objective. The authors make a point of quoting the
manuals of any game they're talking about and citing page numbers.
As someone who has played pen and paper
role playing games, I found it a very amusing read. Some of the quotations were
taken out of context, some of the concerns seemed
blown out of proportion, but that's what made it fun for me to read.