70. Why Did A 1980s Televangelist Try to Cancel the RPG DragonRaid? | with James R. Hannibal
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What if you grew up learning Scripture memory and biblical virtue from a Christian-made tabletop game system? Then you discovered that game had been “cancelled” by an irritated televangelist in the 1980s? That’s a decent setup for a contemporary novel. But in fact, it’s a true story. Now suspense and fantasy novelist James R. Hannibal, owner of the role-playing game known as DragonRaid, joins us to explore this story of dice-rolling, discipleship, death, and rebirth.
Former stealth pilot James R. Hannibal is no stranger to secrets and adventure. He has been shot at, locked up by surface to air missiles, has hunted insurgents with drones, and was once chased by an armed terrorist down a winding German road. James is the Carol Award–winning author of the Clandestine Service series and a three-time winner of the Silver Falchion Award for Juvenile Fiction for his Section 13 series. He also stewards the discipleship learning system game DragonRaid, soon to be relaunched as LightRaiders.
1. James, how did you discover biblical truth, fantastic faith, and DragonRaid?
- How did the game help fans love biblical truth and fantastic imagination.
- What’s the game like? Origin? Uniqueness? How does it help train disciples?
- What other memories do fans have about of the game? What about misconceptions?
2. How was the game “cancelled,” at least for a time, starting in the 1980s?
- In general terms, speaking as kindly as we can, what happened to the game?
- How did this “cancel” campaign fit with the general 1980s “Satanic panic”?
- What did you think about that cancelling then, and how do you think now?
Wolf Soldier, inspired by the world of LightRaiders, arrives this fall
3. Today, how are you blessed to help redeem the game and expand its world?
- What’s happening now with the game.
- Updates about the late game founder, Dick Wolfe.
- What’s next for the redeemed game: renaming, Wolf Soldier, and beyond.
Explore more
- JamesRHannibal.com
- DragonRaid page on Wikipedia
- LightRaiders.com: DragonRaid complete vintage boxed set
- LightRaiders.com: First Watch Scripture memory game fundraiser
Episode sponsors
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Next on Fantastical Truth
This week, we’re both heading to Realm Makers, live from St. Louis (and also online!). This is the premier Christian-led conference for faith-based creators of fantasy, science fiction, and beyond. I’ll captain the Lorehaven booth and talk about our mission. Zack will basically run the audio-visual for streaming classes. Please pray for this event and for the gospel faithfulness and Christ-exalting creativity of every Christian storyteller attending there. Meanwhile, we’ll share more about this event either next week, or as soon as we return!
Explore the best Christian-made fantasy, sci-fi, and beyond, and apply these stories' meanings in the real world Jesus calls us to serve.
Share your thoughts with Fantastical Truth!
So we can’t roleplay on its own merits, we need to make up an excuse that it’s “educational” in order to roleplay? Welp, baby steps for paranoid parents, I guess.
But remember, kids, a team made up entirely of paladins is bad party balance in regular DnD and your DM will nuke you on principle.
We actually address this in the full episode: the fact that paranoid folks in the 1980s had a lot of assumptions about DragonRaid being evil, while others fell into the “ohhh, so it’s a replacement for ‘Dungeons and Dragons'” trap. In fact, DragonRaid-soon-to-become-Lightraiders is neither.
I did listen a bit, but while I only have a broad understanding of gameplay mechanics from half-listening while my dude watches Shut Up and Sit Down, the parts that are different — the memorization bits — do not seem to be the parts that are fun, which seem to be the DnD knockoff parts.
Granted, mitigating the reliance on dice rolls is nice, but there are other methods. My dude prefers Arkham Asylum (not actually related to the DC universe) to Call of Cthulhu because he likes the card-based approach.