: :::. : ____, In Memory, : :: : : |_ _; Karl Marx ,~~ : :::'istorted : `|| says: --)( : :::. :::: : || "Aufheben!" ()= : :: :igital ::. rection : [] HOOKAH! : :::' :::: : 19 March 1994 : Text File #19 Mongoloid Telecom ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: This is a text file that appeared awhile ago from a user named Iron Eagle. A lot of the newer users didn't have a chance to meet Iron Eagle ... but I'm re-releasing this old text file of his. Actually, this runs contrary to most of his conservative views, but that's the way it goes er sumthin. Without further ado... 'In Response to Anti-AD&D Arguments' by Iron Eagle A text file has appeared on the BBS. A text file describing the dangers of Dungeons and Dragons (R) and Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (R). I feel that it is my duty that you , if you wish, receive both sides of the arguement. You have may have already read the anti AD&D arguement. If you haven't please do so, because you SHOULD hear both sides of the arguement, and this essay is specifically designed to answer the anti-text file found on Amiga Asylum. I'm not going to preach to you, and bring in thousands of religious passages. Instead, I'm going to use simple, plain logic and fact. The same logic that I believe that God uses. -Iron Eagle April 12, 1992 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- First of all, let me get this out of the way. I, personally, have been playing AD&D and D&D for eight years now. I have never killed anyone before. I have never made an attempt on my own life. I have never had the urge to kill anyone before (even in great anger). I have met hundreds, maybe thousands of other players of (A)D&D. All of them had been playing (A)D&D just about as long, or longer than me, and they haven't tried to kill anyone. Let me now talk about Mr. Molitor's catagorisation of the occult. Some of what he says is occult, I agree with. HOWEVER, ESP and telepathy are natural talents that EVERYBODY has. True, some people are born with more talent in it than others (identical twins for example). Some people develop it through years of careful practice (like a weight lifter may lift weights to increase strength). I believe that Mr. Molitor ment hypnosis when he said that the occult included the remote influence of the sub-conscious mind. If you do some reading, while people even in the deepest of hypnotic trances may be more willing to do certain actions, they absolutly cannot be made to do anything that they don't want to do (their conscious mind becomes present when someone tries to do it). The exception though, is the use of mind influencing drugs (sodium penthanol is frequentaly used, because in amounts that do not cause sleep, it lessens the will of people; hence the nickname, truth serium). Let's resolve this right now, brainwashing is NOT hypnosis. Brainwashing is flooding a person with both conscious ans sub-conscious messages while placing the person in some uncomfortable situation, position, etc. The brain eventually assumes that such uncomfortability (pain, humility, etc) can be avoided if it preforms the action that the messages tell it to preform. The only similarity between hypnosis and brainwashing is that they both affect the mind. Also, many chants that are used by the Catholic Church (and other churches that use ceremony) have a droning, hypnotic quality to them. Finally, Mr. Molitor said that self-hypnosis was occult. I have news for you; whenever you read a book, listen to the radio, as you fall asleep, or concentrate on any one task, you enter a state of self hypnosis. When you enter that state, your mind blocks out everything else and it focuses absolutly everything on that one task. Plainly stated, hypnosis and self-hypnosis are naturally occuring events in the mind. Now, let's get back on track, back to AD&D. Mr. Molitar stated that AD&D subjects the mind to a large amount of violence. Personally, I take in more violence in an average night of watching TV (news, older TV show and newer TV shows) than in an equal amount of AD&D. Considering I watch about 3 hours of TV a night (starting at 7 pm and ending at 10 pm), that means that I'm taking in around 15-21 hours a week of violence by watching TV alone. That can hardly compare to a simple 4 or 5 hours session of AD&D a week. Advanced Dungeons and Dragons is not based on the supernatural, it contains it. AD&D is based on the interaction of the alter-egos of the players in a fantasy setting. Being a fantasy setting, it is natural to have magic. You may say that fantasy is based on the supernatural. Fine, but don't single out AD&D because there are thousands of ancient and modern fantasy books (Lord of the Rings, Riftwar, The Illiad, The Oddessy, Song of Roland, The Arthurian Legend, The Malloreon, The Elenium, First and Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant and thousands more) that may or may not (depending on your belief of AD&D) contain the risk and occult. Mr. Molitar's essay states that there an AD&D book called "Deities and Demigods" (it is now called "Legends and Lore") And that you, as a player charactor, must pick a god, worship him, sacrifice to him, even die for him. First of all, you do NOT do those things, your charactor does, IF he chooses to worship a god. And the what the charactor must do for the god depends solely on which god it is. If you may or may not see this as a sin. If you do, consider this: An actor is in a play (let's say it Julius Ceasar) and s/he plays even a common Roman. 999999999 times out of 1000000000, that Roman worshiped the Roman pantheon of Gods. Is that actor committing the same sin? If you still say yes, then classify these plays as sinful: Any Greek, Roman, Egyption, Chinese and Japanese plays; any parts in a play containing someone of a different religion and any church play containing a bad guy (since the bad guy most likely was Satan or one of his minions). Mr. Molitar states that AD&D contains extreme violence. That such violence (as he says: "..murder, rape, theivary, pillaging and terrorism") is natural and a charactor is expected to do such things. Well, first of all, it depends on the DM, the player and his charactor. Most campaigns only contain a moderate amout of violence (equal to an average news broadcast). Mr. Molitar also says that a charactor must murder and rob in order to survive. Well, it depends of the charactor and his alignment. My charactors have never murdered or robbed. They have killed before, but those who they killed were of evil alignment. Considering that most PCs (Player Charactors) are of good alignment it is natural for them to kill, but only the evil charactors (it's no different in any police show that you may watch on TV). It's the same thing in real life. If someone is coming at you with a gun, ready to kill you and your family, it is natural for you to try to kill him/her first. Mr. Molitar goes on to talk about how the sub-concious mind becomes accusted to violence, and he's right. What he is wrong about is that MOST people would need to be exposed to incredible amounts of violence (90 times what you may find in an AD&D game). And those people who don't need to much violence, and have a hard time separating fantasy from reality, ANYTHING is dangerous to them (AD&D, TV, radio, magazines, books, etc.) However not to many people are like that. As far AD&D goes, According to the National Coalition on Television Violence, About 3 to 4 million people play AD&D, and less than one percent of players are adversely affected by it. Even IF Mr. Molitar is right and anybody can be subdued by this game, why is he singling out AD&D?? There are many more Role Playing Games out there. Most of which contain A LOT more violence than AD&D (BattleTech, for example, is set in a time of perpetual war). Finally, Mr. Molitar states that AD&D is a lure of Satan to take us away from God. IF it is, then it's a damn bad one. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- I would like to recognize the efforts of Kelli Tyson. A girl who goes to Wooster High School who wrote a newspaper article which contained some information that I used. `'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`' Distorted Digital Erection March 1994 Text File #19 DDE is fully supported on the Necropolis BBS 216.966.8970 - subterranean telecom - All TEXT! vaginal yeast infections are worse, much worse.. Submissions are accepted. Send your t-file submission to Sorc, on the Necropolis. If using a new account, (I)nclude the file with the New User Application. CHECK for MORE Distorted Digital Erection in the NEAR future! TCC in CHECK! ... and assorted tales of erect rodentia!... Soon to be supported on TWO MORE 216 bulletin boards! `'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`' -eof-