D&Dploitation; Summer of Sleaze: The Exploitation of James Dallas Egbert III

[Voros]

Grady Hendrix is an amusing and entertaining writer and his blog posts on old horror and sf paperbacks are always a good read.

HERE he discusses the supposedly 'non-fiction' book by William Dear THE DUNGEON MASTER that was the real spark to the Satanic Panic around D&D in the 80s. He also discusses the semi-classic MAZES AND MONSTERS and the bizarre D&D horror novel HOBGOBLIN. I own all three of these masterpieces but have only skim-read THE DUNGEON MASTER.







When you read the actual details about Egbert it is hard to not feel really sorry for the poor kid.

I admit to perversely loving the MAZES AND MONSTERS TV movie. Even as teens we found it amusing because it was so offbase and Tom Hanks earnest performance is hilarious. I wonder how many kids were introduced to D&D by that TV movie? Like the crusade against heavy metal it just made D&D look cool and dangerous instead of silly and nerdy.

 

[Dumarest]

"Better than anything else Rona Jaffe has ever written" is a curiously ambiguous endorsement, no?

​

That central image looks like Sally Field to me. (Edit: make that Sally Field crossed with Elisabeth Shue.)

I've read the book and seen the TV movie at least once all the way through. The book is rather boring when it deals with anything other than the hilariously incorrect representation of how and why people played D&D. The TV movie is quite amusing to me, though, and highly recommended. And goofy as it is, you can really see that Tom Hanks did what he could with his role and that he had some impressive acting ability even at a young age.

 

[K_Peterson]

Oh, I remember Hobgoblin. Read that 30+ years ago. Don't remember much from it now. There were interesting aspects of Irish mythology in it; also, very anti-D&D, IIRC.

 

[Doc Sammy]

Oddly enough, Mazes & Monsters is what got my Dad interested in D&D back in the early 1980's. He was nine years old at the time, and he saw Mazes & Monsters on TV and rather than be horrified by what he saw like the film intended, he thought all that stuff looked cool.

A few weeks later, he started playing AD&D 1E with his best friend and the rest is history. My Dad got me into D&D when I was thirteen and was my first Dungeon Master.

In a weird and roundabout way, had Mazes & Monsters and the Anti-D&D panic never happened, I may never have gotten into RPG's.

 

[Dumarest]

...he thought all that stuff looked cool.

Best sales gimmick in the world. We would likely never have heard of 2 Live Crew had people not got worked up over them and tried to ban their dopey music.

 

[Doc Sammy]

Best sales gimmick in the world. We would likely never have heard of 2 Live Crew had people not got worked up over them and tried to ban their dopey music.

So very true. As horrible as the Satanic Panic was, it did bring millions of dollars worth of free publicity to D&D and drove up sales dramatically during the 1980's.

 

[Endless Flight]

The Law of Unintended Consequences in action.

 

[CRKrueger]

Oddly enough, Mazes & Monsters is what got my Dad interested in D&D back in the early 1980's. He was nine years old at the time, and he saw Mazes & Monsters on TV and rather than be horrified by what he saw like the film intended, he thought all that stuff looked cool.

A few weeks later, he started playing AD&D 1E with his best friend and the rest is history. My Dad got me into D&D when I was thirteen and was my first Dungeon Master.

In a weird and roundabout way, had Mazes & Monsters and the Anti-D&D panic never happened, I may never have gotten into RPG's.

Jesus Fucking Christ, I was older than your dad in the early 80's?

 

[Apparition]

Jesus Fucking Christ, I was older than your dad in the early 80's?

If it makes you feel any better, I'm pretty sure about two thirds of us here are old enough to be Doc Sammy's father, myself included.

 

[Doc Sammy]

Yeah, my dad had me about a month after he turned twenty, and about a month before my mom turned twenty.

He was born in May 1973, she was born in July 1973, and I was born in June 1993.

 

[xanther]

If it makes you feel any better, I'm pretty sure about two thirds of us here are old enough to be Doc Sammy's father, myself included.

Indeed, depending on the year I may have been old enough to be a dad in the 80s, let alone later.

I'm still trying to get those AD&A spells to really work, I was promised working magic by Blackleaf and I intend to get it!

As funny as it is in hindsight, it really wasn't funny back then the religious crusade against D&D.

 

[Endless Flight]

Yeah, my dad had me about a month after he turned twenty, and about a month before my mom turned twenty.

He was born in May 1973, she was born in July 1973, and I was born in June 1993.

I qualify! I am April, 1973.

 

[Dumarest]

As funny as it is in hindsight, it really wasn't funny back then the religious crusade against D&D.

I have always heard about this but believe it is overstated as I was going to Catholic school at the time and no one had any issue with D&D or kids playing it. My mom thought it was great as it for kids to voluntarily read and do math as well as exercise our imaginations, seek out more books, and leave her more free time knowing we were not on drugs or drinking or experimenting with anything we shouldn't. I think my dad found it mildly intriguing that we could go on adventures and slay monsters.

 

[Raleel]

Yeah, my dad had me about a month after he turned twenty, and about a month before my mom turned twenty.

He was born in May 1973, she was born in July 1973, and I was born in June 1993.

also older. by 1.5 years.

 

[Voros]

As funny as it is in hindsight, it really wasn't funny back then the religious crusade against D&D.

Growing up in liberal and secular Western Canada the crusade against D&D wasn't viewed very seriously by either kids or adults.

 

[opaopajr]

I have always heard about this but believe it is overstated as I was going to Catholic school at the time and no one had any issue with D&D or kids playing it. My mom thought it was great as it for kids to voluntarily read and do math as well as exercise our imaginations, seek out more books, and leave her more free time knowing we were not on drugs or drinking or experimenting with anything we shouldn't. I think my dad found it mildly intriguing that we could go on adventures and slay monsters.

It depended on your religious circles. Catholic schools were filled with, well, mostly Catholics and we know what their school girls are like from The Kentucky Fried Movie... But Evangelical Protestant circles are a whole other kettle in the USA, as I learned from my friends later in life -- even in "deepest darkest Sodom & Gomorrah" Coastal California.

 

[opaopajr]

Unless I was a (pre-)teen parent, I scrape by not being an age that could've been Doc Sammy's dad! Hah! (Where's my radishes, son? )

 

[TristramEvans]

If you like Mazes & Monsters, I highly recommend tracking down the season 3 10th episode of the "Greatest American Hero: "Wizards and Warlocks". It's from the same time period, was written with the same hilarious confusion as to what the game actually was, and was likely also inspired by the Eggbert case to some degree

 

[TristramEvans]

found it on Daily Motion:


I particularly liked how they "leveled up" by changing fantasy races, and combat was via riddles.

 

[Dumarest]

If you like Mazes & Monsters, I highly recommend tracking down the season 3 10th episode of the "Greatest American Hero: "Wizards and Warlocks". It's from the same time period, was written with the same hilarious confusion as to what the game actually was, and was likely also inspired by the Eggbert case to some degree

I remember that one well. A channel called Heroes & Icons has the show in reruns.

 

[Edgewise]

There's an odd cluster of guys around 45 on this forum, I've noticed. Like, ahem, me.

We're basically the Stranger Things generation. Seriously, that show was probably the first time a movie or TV show hit me hard with nostalgia. I was 100% one of those guys, just not as charming and minus the actual encounters with the supernatural.

 

[Raleel]

We should probably invite Doc Sammy ’s dad to be on the board! GenX represent! You are right, there appears to be a serious bump around that age on the board in the vocal crew. How odd.

 

[A Fiery Flying Roll]

Growing up in liberal and secular Western Canada the crusade against D&D wasn't viewed very seriously by either kids or adults.

Yeah, we didn't see much of it.

At school one of our player's vicars had heard all the fuss and was a bit worried so we invited him to sit in on a game.

Never had any issue at all after that.

 

[A Fiery Flying Roll]

Also, I'm a year younger than Doc's dad. Wewt, I am officially one of this board's younger members.

 

[Edgewise]

GenX represent!

Of course, we welcome other generations. We're the nice GenX...not the snarky, ironic ones who are sarcastic in such a way that you can never be sure what they mean.

 

[K_Peterson]

As funny as it is in hindsight, it really wasn't funny back then the religious crusade against D&D.

The only exposure I had to the "Satanic Panic" back then was with one friend around freshman year of high school (1985/1986). He came from a very devout Christian background, and his parents threw away his AD&D books once they discovered he was playing it. Into the garbage those sinful books went.

DragonRaid was the only Rpg that he was approved to own and play. (He lent it to me, one time, to read. I never played it or wanted to). Gamma World was reluctantly accepted. I really felt sorry for the guy.

 

[Raleel]

My step mother bought into the satanic panic for a while. Step sister wanted to make a spell that tickled people, a sort of lower powered Tasha’s, and then step mom caught us playing. She went ape shit.

This was in the midwestest of Midwest places. So not too surprising. However, she has never been evangelical.

I kept playing, of course, but it’s stuck in my craw with her for a while. But I do get a good laugh out of Jack Chick cartoons nowadays.

Birth mom was always good with it. History, mythology, math, reading, etc. she supported me when I had 14 over to play TMNT.

 

[Dumarest]

So you're saying this is "badwrongfun"?

 

[A Fiery Flying Roll]

I prefer this version.

 

[Dumarest]

More realistic version:

 

[Endless Flight]

The only word I can come up with is "gullible". Like who the hell would believe that crap?

 

[TristramEvans]

The only word I can come up with is "gullible". Like who the hell would believe that crap?

There's a Christian fundamentalist movie review site I occasionally read for fun. It very much displays the insane side of religion for some folks. One of the major complaints about the Avengers film was that Piper was shown in shorts without socks on, implying she and Tony are living an indecent lifestyle. Oh, And Loki was obviously going to turn all young viewers into Satanists because his one costume has horns on it. For that debauchery, several poster said they would be "praying for the film-makers" and that the film "was unsuitable for viewing by children".

 

[Endless Flight]

For that debauchery, several poster said they would be "praying for the film-makers"

 

[Dumarest]

There's a Christian fundamentalist movie review site I occasionally read for fun. It very much displays the insane side of religion for some folks. One of the major complaints about the Avengers film was that Piper was shown in shorts without socks on, implying she and Tony are living an indecent lifestyle. Oh, And Loki was obviously going to turn all young viewers into Satanists because his one costume has horns on it. For that debauchery, several poster said they would be "praying for the film-makers" and that the film "was unsuitable for viewing by children".

Wait till Pepper hears about this Piper girl...