# Jack Chick's "Dark Dungeons" - The classics stay fresh forever! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 27, 2004, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-chicks-dark-dungeons-the-classics-stay-fresh-forever/242224 "2004-04-27T03:43:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-chicks-dark-dungeons-the-classics-stay-fresh-forever/242224/1 "2004-04-27T03:43:18Z")
.[Dark Dungeons](http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0046/0046_01.asp?repeatfrom3yearsago) ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-chicks-dark-dungeons-the-classics-stay-fresh-forever/242224/2 "2004-04-27T03:51:59Z")
By the way, D&D turns(ed) 30 this year. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk\_news/magazine/3655627.stm](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/3655627.stm) Brian ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-chicks-dark-dungeons-the-classics-stay-fresh-forever/242224/3 "2004-04-27T05:59:54Z")
Ahh, some things just never get old… ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-chicks-dark-dungeons-the-classics-stay-fresh-forever/242224/4 "2004-04-27T14:11:41Z")
Damn. Debbie looks _HOT_ in that sporty Member’s Only jacket. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-chicks-dark-dungeons-the-classics-stay-fresh-forever/242224/5 "2004-04-27T14:35:04Z")
The world-renowned [Mystery Science Theater 3000 treatment of _Dark Dungeons_](http://www.humpin.org/mst3kdd/). ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-chicks-dark-dungeons-the-classics-stay-fresh-forever/242224/6 "2004-04-27T14:56:02Z")
Thanks for that link, **tracer**! > [@](#): > > Crow: You know I once had a Call of Cthulhu character that lasted three days! > > Tom: No, you lie! > > Crow: Yes it’s true! O.K. Gypsy was the Keeper, and I hid some of the dice. But it was three days! ---
**Author:** ![WernhamHogg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a587f6/32.png) [@WernhamHogg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WernhamHogg)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-chicks-dark-dungeons-the-classics-stay-fresh-forever/242224/7 "2004-04-27T15:01:31Z")
What an unexpected narrative arc. I thought the evil witch would kill the Christian and share his blood with the coven in a ceremony, then they’d play games all weekend. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/13edae/32.png) [@Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Cheatem_Undhow)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-chicks-dark-dungeons-the-classics-stay-fresh-forever/242224/8 "2004-04-27T15:28:20Z")
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: that tract is totally unrealistic – there are _girls_ playing! ---
**Author:** ![Hamish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@Hamish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamish)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-chicks-dark-dungeons-the-classics-stay-fresh-forever/242224/9 "2004-04-27T15:50:35Z")
What a bad DM. I would never kill off a character so unambiguously, and I certainly wouldn’t banish the player from the table. Oh, and now I finally know which part of the Bible outlaws Dungeons and Dragons: > [@Acts 19:19](#): > > Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all [men]: and they counted the price of them, and found [it] fifty thousand [pieces] of silver. That’s what it says in the King James, at least. Chick must be using Rorscach Bible, as usual. 😃 (This is why I’m against biblical inerrancy – I can accept pillars of fire and water in the desert, but 50 thousand pieces of silver is far too cheap for a pile of D&D books. It could buy you a Bag of Holding or a Necklace of Prayer Beads (Karma), however, if your DM was willing) ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-chicks-dark-dungeons-the-classics-stay-fresh-forever/242224/10 "2004-04-27T15:58:49Z")
> [@Hamish](#): > > What a bad DM. I would never kill off a character so unambiguously, and I certainly wouldn’t banish the player from the table. What do people generally do when their character gets iced? Just hang around and keep soaking up the RPG atmosphere? Hassle the cleric of the group to learn a resurrection spell? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-chicks-dark-dungeons-the-classics-stay-fresh-forever/242224/11 "2004-04-27T16:09:52Z")
> [@Dewey Cheatem Undhow](#): > > I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: that tract is totally unrealistic – there are _girls_ playing! Hey, I’ve played with girls before! … Okay, a girl. … Okay, my friend Mike’s character was a female elf. But that should count for something! ---
**Author:** ![Taran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Taran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taran)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-chicks-dark-dungeons-the-classics-stay-fresh-forever/242224/12 "2004-04-27T16:12:18Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > What do people generally do when their character gets iced? Just hang around and keep soaking up the RPG atmosphere? Hassle the cleric of the group to learn a resurrection spell? Depends. In my games, then tend to make smart remarks until the party finds its way to a friendly temple that does resurrection. If there’s no resurrection, they make a new character. ---
**Author:** ![Hamish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@Hamish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamish)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-chicks-dark-dungeons-the-classics-stay-fresh-forever/242224/13 "2004-04-27T16:15:58Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > What do people generally do when their character gets iced? Just hang around and keep soaking up the RPG atmosphere? Hassle the cleric of the group to learn a resurrection spell? It should never happen. First of all, a character is dying at -1 hit points, not dead. Any DM that throws in a trap that can reduce a fully healthy character to -10 (dead) has made a serious error in judgment – and it’s up to the DM to find a way to correct it. Any player who disables a trap, takes on a tough monster, etc, when they are almost dying is either stupid or desperate. If they’re desperate, it’s okay for the DM to fudge dice roles or throw in a _deus ex machina_, as long as they’re subtle about it. A character who is dying can be treated with the heal skill until they are stable (no longer losing one hit point per round), assuming there’s no magical healing available. The only time I kill off a character is when the player does something stupid – and then I always allow a chance to raise them – or when the player is tired of the character and wants a new one. If the player wants a new character, they can make one while the other players are playing. Otherwise, it’s good for them to listen in – presumably their compatriots will later update them on what happened while they were unconscious or dead. ---
**Author:** ![Hamish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@Hamish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamish)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-chicks-dark-dungeons-the-classics-stay-fresh-forever/242224/14 "2004-04-27T16:20:43Z")
> [@Dewey Cheatem Undhow](#): > > I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: that tract is totally unrealistic – there are _girls_ playing! For the first time ever in one of campaigns, I have gender parity among my players: three women, three men. I had one campaign when I was 16 where a quarter of players were girls. ---
**Author:** ![Gamaliel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b487fb/32.png) [@Gamaliel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gamaliel)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-chicks-dark-dungeons-the-classics-stay-fresh-forever/242224/15 "2004-04-27T16:34:26Z")
I need to learn that “mind bondage” spell so I can get people to buy me stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Anonymous\_Coward](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/94ad74/32.png) [@Anonymous\_Coward](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_Coward)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-chicks-dark-dungeons-the-classics-stay-fresh-forever/242224/16 "2004-04-27T17:34:29Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > What do people generally do when their character gets iced? Just hang around and keep soaking up the RPG atmosphere? Hassle the cleric of the group to learn a resurrection spell? In my gaming group, death is usually permanent and it forces a character reroll at average group level minus 1. The DM does fudge numbers from time to time to prevent stupid deaths from random encounters, but if a player does something stupid and fails their rolls… well, stupid is as stupid does. ---
**Author:** ![elfbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b782af/32.png) [@elfbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfbabe)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-chicks-dark-dungeons-the-classics-stay-fresh-forever/242224/17 "2004-04-27T18:04:51Z")
I remember when my gaming group had to rely on websites of other gamers who had scanned old copies for our Dark Dungeons fix! It was tragic. Then they reissued it and one of my friends actually BOUGHT a box full so she could distribute them to all of us. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-chicks-dark-dungeons-the-classics-stay-fresh-forever/242224/18 "2004-04-27T18:32:48Z")
> [@](#): > > Quote: > Originally Posted by Dewey Cheatem Undhow > I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: that tract is totally unrealistic – there are girls playing! > Hey, I’ve played with girls before! > > … > > Okay, a girl. > > … > > Okay, my friend Mike’s character was a female elf. But that should count for something! When I met **Pepper Mill** she and her friends were in the midst of an RPG that hed been going on for a long time. There were several women in the group. I was invited to join. Pepper’s character was a Sex Researcher, among other things. So girls do, so, play. Fortunately for me, they also bury themselves very well in their characters. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-chicks-dark-dungeons-the-classics-stay-fresh-forever/242224/19 "2004-04-27T18:37:09Z")
I’m a girl. I play every week. (D&D 3.5). I DM too. 😛 So there. I play male characters a lot, though. And my boyfriend prefers female characters. It confuses the other players. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2004, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-chicks-dark-dungeons-the-classics-stay-fresh-forever/242224/20 "2004-04-27T20:29:24Z")
> [@Gamaliel](#): > > I need to learn that “mind bondage” spell so I can get people to buy me stuff. The funny thing is that the tract seems to imply that the spell actually worked. Could Chick be admitting that magic is real?!?!? 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-chicks-dark-dungeons-the-classics-stay-fresh-forever/242224.md?page=2)