RPGs and the New Jazz

Two years ago this weekend was the release of Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, a film that is generally enoyed by those who watched it, though at the time, for various various reasons, a surprisingly croweded spring schedule, Covid-based reshoots that bloated the buget, and some decisions by the company caused fans to boycott (generaly regarding some controversual takes on copyright and intellectual porperty ownership, this will become important in a bit), led to a commercial underperfomance for the picture. This is widely believed to have hampered an abiltity to take the property's popularity to new heights (As we would see with the Barbie phenomenon later this summer), especially when the game was starting to see a higher profile in places. That said, it could again become an instiution in Medieval America, for the most unlikely reason--the free publicity of controversy abd eventual santification by the mainstream.

In a culture starved for entertaonment options: No more video games, no more televison, even new magazines are going to stop coming out, tabletop games would be the best way for people to forget civillization has withered away. For a while, people would make due with popular board games like Monopoly and Battleship. Over time, we would see a winnowing to the more broad and less equipment intensive games like Chess and Checkers. But one might thrive most of all, which is classic Dungeons and Dragons. It would be a go-to for several reasons. First, the setting is already fairly Medieval as a default. it’s low-tech, easy to modify, and thrives on oral tradition. The only thing you really need is dice, and even those could be substituted with simple chance-based mechanics (like drawing numbered sticks). People could bring in maps and figurines, the most important thing is your imagination. To some extent the world-building would probably be a lot more simplified. (Perhaps a good example is Dragonstrike, a simplified, prefab setting that was made as a gateway to bring in more casual players.) Less prestige classes, or Pantheons and monsters that Wizards of the Coast would own the rights to. (Though perhaps an enterpising young individual might be imaganitive with the campaign, the lack of mass communication would probably mean sticking to the most stock of fantasy elements.)

But one of the greatest assets might be one of its' earliest threats early on. In the 80's, the games was a ligthning rod in the Satanic panic, with a sensationalist TV movie depicting players gone insane from playing it. For their part, most Catholics and Mainline Protestants (who would form the basis of the Non-Denominational Church) don't necessarily condemn it, but for the Fundamentalist groups that might see a huge membership drive early on? They would still be on this "Mazes and Monsters" kick. The game involves sorcery, gods, demons, and fantasy creatures, all of which can be seen as idolatry.Even when it’s harmless, it's about pretending to be someone else—a potential threat to religious identity. Eventually, evangelical leaders might push "Alternatives"—something like a Christian-themed RPG where you play as knights of the faith battling heretics, demons, or even Protestant vs. Catholic theological struggles. Once the game gets popular enough (because let’s face it, forbidding something makes it more popular), churches might co-opt it rather than ban it outright. You could get a "sanctioned" version of RPGs, where instead of magic spells, players have miracles, prayers, and relics. Instead of playing as wizards and thieves, you might have Paladins, Priests, and Crusaders.Maybe the default setting is Biblical or medieval Christian fantasy—think Pilgrim’s Progress meets Lord of the Rings. Some regions might only allow D&D-style games if they’re run by church authorities, turning them into moral teaching tools rather than freeform creativity. Much like with Pagan festivals becoming Holy Feast Days.

The "Prohibition Effect"—Too Popular to Stop

Much like Prohibition in the 1920s, banning RPGs could make them stronger. Underground gaming circles would pop up, held in secret or framed as "harmless" storytelling games. Once the absolute nerdiest hobbies, it might in turn be the forbidden fruit of social acitivity, with dungeon settings becoming new speakeasies. Some churches might actually use them as a social tool, realizing that fellowship is more important than micromanaging imaginary spells.The game becomes a rite of passage for rebels, intellectuals, and nonconformists, just as alcohol became a symbol of defiance during Prohibition. Eventually, after a generation or two, the resistance might burn itself out as RPGs become mainstream and ingrained in medieval American culture. Perhaps much like secular and sacred Christmas, D&D splits into two distinct paths; A "Purist" Christian version, where campaigns revolve around religious quests, miracles, and the triumph of virtue, and a "renegade" underground version, where people play as traditional fantasy adventurers in defiance of moral restrictions. In time, the game's use of oral storytelling to weave lessons about good and evil would thrive in a Christian society, much like Medieval passion plays. Much like how Jazz and Rock and Roll were once "the Devil's Music" only to become institutions (Elvis is now likely a sacred figure in Medieval America), ffantasy RPGs go through a similar cycle. They get co-opted and rebranded into something more socially acceptable. Finally, they become a cultural staple, with even the religious groups grudgingly embracing them. Eventually, the sheer joy of collective storytelling would win out, and even the most devout societies might find a way to make it work.