When Dungeons & Dragons was first published in 1974, the 1,000-print run sold out in the first year. The adventure game continued to gain popularity throughout the 1980s until it came under an extraordinary assault from groups who feared that it promoted devil worship and witchcraft.
Like so many other pop-culture controversies of the past, these claims were found mostly to be without merit. But enough parents had heard the news reports, and the damage was done. Those who played D&D and other tabletop role-playing games were ostracized. Doomed to spend Friday nights in their parents’ basement battling orcs and trolls.
Over time, the moral panic over Dungeons & Dragons shifted to other things, including movies and especially video games and RPGs began to enjoy a resurgence.
Fast forward to today, and people from all walks of life can be found playing tabletop role-playing games to escape the high-stress world in which we live. Add a global pandemic and the ability to play these games remotely into the mix, and you have a recipe for an RPG renaissance, which is what’s happening. And that brings us to our first Stolendroids Podcast episode of 2021.
Listen as we discuss our experiences with tabletop role-playing games. We also get into what some of the different game systems are and why we believe TTRPGs are seeing such a surge in popularity. And you know that we’re going to talk about the newest addition to the Stolendroids family, The Lettuce Inn, as new Game Master Erika joins the conversation.
So give the episode a listen, and then let us know what you think. We also want to know what your experiences with role-playing games are. Tell us in the comments below, or message us on social media!
