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12
Sep/2008

Can Role Playing Games be fun for Christians?



Some of my friends have told me that they are not interested in playing D&D. If your not into it, that's ok. D&D really isn't for everyone. I did come across a game that may be interesting to some of my friends that would like to try a role playing game without all the "Might Makes Right" & "Kill things and take their stuff" philosophies. I intend to purchase a game called DragonRaid. If you have played it before, please tell me what you think.
  

 

DragonRaid is an exciting experience in adventure simulation. More than just a game, it offers hours of enjoyment while teaching participants to resist sin, counter deceptive arguments, memorize Scripture, and build moral and spiritual character. The DragonRaid system encompasses many different adventures. On the mythical world of EdenAgain, players meet challenges that parallel real life. The imagined dangers compel them to grapple with conflicting values, discover how faith in Christ can shape behavior, and reflect on what is really worth living and dying for.

DragonRaid differs significantly from many popular role-playing games, though it employs some of the same techniques. Created by NavPress author and Christian counselor Dick Wulf, its whole purpose is to give players deeper insight into spiritual truth and help them mature in their day-to-day relationships with non-Christians, with fellow believers, and with God Himself. Join the fun and reap the rewards of this innovative discipleship tool!

More than 500 pages of material in all, including:

New Player Briefing
DragonRaid Rule Book
LightRaider Handbook
Adventure Master Manual
Character Worksheets
Character Sheets
Introductory cassette tape
Battle Grids
Character Cut-outs
Dice (one StarLot, one Shadow Stone)
Adventure 1 ("The LightRaider Test")
Adventure 2 ("Rescue of the Sacred Scrolls")
Adventure 3 ("MoonBridge Raid Trilogy", Part 1)

 
Bookmark:



Viewing 1 - 10 out of 10 Comments

From: Cosmic_Emu
09/14/2008 01:44:45
I am thrilled at all the positivity I am hearingin this thread. Chrsitian or not, role-playing is such an incredible tool for learning. It helped me and it has helped me connect with my oldest daughter and gaming may even get my youngest to finally settle down and accidentally leanr her basic skill while she thunks she's having fun.


From: MitchBrock
09/13/2008 16:33:38

fivefootmayhem wrote:
Hmm..  A girlfriend of mine seems like she'd really be into D&D but she grew up very religious and is a little scared to play with me and my group (even though I've assured her D&D won't eat her soul).  I really think she'd have a lot of fun.  She's a bit nerdy (like us), and likes a lot of the same things that we do.  Maybe I'll try out this game to ease her into the idea.  It seems like a really good find!  ^_^



fivefootmayhem,


Thank you for actually reading my blog. I think DragonRaid will a great intro to RPGs for your friend and some of mine that are still "concerned". I think once they play and realize what gaming is all about they will be willing to try any genre or setting.

I have a D20 game that was published by Green Ronin called "Testament: role playing in the Old Testament". I ran the adventure for my Church's youth group. It was lots of fun! The teens played an advanced recon team for Joshua and the Israelites, the target was a city called Jericho. They had such a great time they wanted me to run the mission again next lock-in. When I told them we didn't have to play the same adventure, this game will let us play any era or story in from any book they want, they almost cheered! 

Good luck with your friend, she is going to love it!

Mitch  



From: fivefootmayhem
09/13/2008 10:41:50
Hmm..  A girlfriend of mine seems like she'd really be into D&D but she grew up very religious and is a little scared to play with me and my group (even though I've assured her D&D won't eat her soul).  I really think she'd have a lot of fun.  She's a bit nerdy (like us), and likes a lot of the same things that we do.  Maybe I'll try out this game to ease her into the idea.  It seems like a really good find!  ^_^

From: david090366
09/13/2008 03:52:12
I'm a Gamer and a born again Christian, ( of the pentacostal bent ), and I personaly don't believe that they are mutualy exclusive. In fact I even teach sunday school. The problem started way back in the early 80's ( or perhaps even earlier ) when some people started blaming AD&D for people commiting suicide. Then Jack chick ( a publisher of Christian cartoon tracts ) and some others started saying that AD&D was gateway to Satanism, ( If you have never seen these tracts count yourself lucky ). Well the Christian Evangelicals, ( especially the ones of my bent ), ate this stuff up like candy. All you had to do was say that you played D&D and next thing you knew you were at the alter with some preacher trying to cast a demon out of you. Now I do of course know that the Bible says that believers are not to consult with or practice sorcery, witch craft etc. etc. Never the less we all know that you can say " I cast Augery " and no is going to hear any voices in their head. ( At least I never have. I hope I'm not missing out on something. ) Becuse D&D magic has nothing to do with the real deal. That said here is an excellent place to refer any christian to that has questions about the hobby http://www.christian-gamers-guild.org/faq.html . This is in fact an FAQ put up by the Christian Gamers Guild. 

Now mitchbrock you got me thinking about D&D as a teaching tool darn you and now the DM in me is coming out. Why couldn't you do a campaign where the players take on the persona of famous Old Testament figures. Perhaps say a Joshua taking the Holy land campaign. Somebody could play Joshua ( obviously a paladin or some other such holy warrior type ) someone could play Eleazer ( cleric) etc. and you could use the bible story as a "campaign guide" of sorts. Hmm 


From: Veez
09/12/2008 19:36:17
You can play a drow and love Jesus; the two are not mutually incompatable contrary to popular belief.   It's a common misconception that one is "saved" by being good.  The central theme of Christianity* is that one is saved by faith and that we are mortal and fallable.  Christians make the same mistakes everyone else does.  Anyone who tells you otherwise is self-deluded and, if they've been reading the scripture, has not been paying close attention.


* "The central theme of Buddism is not 'every man for himself' Otto."


From: bytebull
09/12/2008 13:47:22

the old dice games are the best... you actually get freinds over and have fun and it's a great time.

 Online game seem to lose that interaction...

 

From: WonderWoman
09/12/2008 10:22:29

The first gaming group I was in was comprised soley of born-again
evangelical Christians, with the exclusion of myself.  There's no
conflict between gaming and Christianity except what has been manufactured by misunderstandings, the media, and people with nothing better to do than sow hatred and lies.

 A D&D game can easily have themes compatible with Christian mores.  It's more a matter of how the DM presents the material than anything inherent in the system itself.



From: Laggy
09/12/2008 09:28:02

Since I had to deal with Christians and some folks called "Gaymers" competing on opposite street corners at GenCon this year to hand out pamphlets, I think I'll speak up.

 

I say have the players start out in Hell and work they're way out. All the killing and looting they do is for THE Good Cause. Then once they're out and high enough level, the GM can get into more analogy and place them in the Middle East in the height of the Crusades to open up the discussion to problems of sectarian groups avoiding conflict or not, and the role each individual plays in making the world a better or worse place.



From: StupidSmurf
09/12/2008 08:57:25

Mitch:
::: raises hand ::: Yo...devoted, Bible-believing Christian here.....and not only have been playing for 30 years, but wrote for 'em too!  I've been having lots of fun with them, so yeah, I have first-hand knowledge/experience that RPGs can be fun for Christians. Check out my Curmudgeonly Ramblings blog entry about Christianity and gaming for the gory details.

Cosmic Emu speaks words of truth (man, that sentence sounds like some psychadelic 70's freak out! LOL).


In addition to "Yeah what he said", I think the whole "Christians playing D&D" thing is a modern-day parallel to the "eating meat sacrificed to idols" that Paul addresses in the New Testament. Some Christians ate meat that had been bought in the marketplace where it was first consecrated to idols. Since the idols were meaningless to them, they didn't give it a second tnought. Others with more, shall we say, tender consciences, considered it a sin and turned it into an issue.

As for DragonRaid, never played it, but heard a ton about it. The consensus seems to be that it's a watered-down, pale imitation of D&D.
But hey, if it floats your friends' boats, then that's cool.

From: Cosmic_Emu
09/12/2008 01:04:14
I would say that this question is really part of the issue it tries to address. I am sure you didn't mean it that way but I think there is a seriously flawed view that somehow gaming is not something good Christians can engage in. I have known a few Christian gamers and they liked the hobby just fine. I think it all comes down to the individual Christian and how much balance they have achieved between their faith and their life.

The Christian gamers I have known simply made sure that the characters they played were not an afront to their beliefs, or even better, simply accepted that what they were doing was playing a character in a story and that good or bad, it had little to do with who they were or what they beleived. One of them even took an interesting stance when he opted to play an evil character stating that ,through his role as an evil character, he could give others a chance to shine by creating the negative against their positive. This is a bit of a lofty goal, but I think it shows a willingness and ability to enjoy the hobby while still staying true to ones beliefs.

Just as my Wiccan wife does not always play a witch, and just as my aethiast friends do not always play aethiest characters and I as a regular guy living life in the not so fast lane play whatever I want, I don't see why it should be any different for a Christian unless they let it be.

IT'S A GAME!!! :)

-Eli



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