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» October 23, 2024

Chick Tract #061 - Dark Dungeons (1984)

Dark Dungeons

"Debbie thought playing Dungeons and Dragons was fun...until it destroyed her friend."

Occult

o Characteristics ⇑ ⇓collapse_button

Editions / Variants
Nickname "Tolkien" "Skirt" "Jeans"
Pub Year 1984 1984 1984
BUCINS CHICK.061.1984A.## CHICK.061.1984B.## CHICK.061.1984C.##
Fowler Code DARK DARK DARK
Print Code #46 #46 #46
Cover Color Black Black Black

 

o Plot Summary ⇑ ⇓collapse_button

A tract about how Dungeons and Dragons can lead teenagers towards witchcraft and occult practices. The tract opens with a game of the eponymous "Dark Dungeons" already in progress and the players are dealing with a monster. The Dungeon Master, Ms. Frost, then exclaims that Black Leaf (Marcie's character) failed to find a trap and died. This results in Marcie becoming extremely upset over the death of her character and running from the house. Following the game, Ms. Frost explains to Debbie that as a result of her character being raised to 8th level, she should learn how to cast spells associated with witches (referred to as 'the real power') and invites her to join a coven of witches know as the Temple of Diana, using her recent initation to cast a spell on her father. A few days later, Marcie receives a call from Marcie and heads to visit later that night, only to find that Marcie has committed suicide as a result of the death of Black Leaf. Debbie begins to experience guilt over Marcie's death, while Ms. Frost gets infuriated that Debbie is more concerned about Marcie than her own growth of power via witchcraft. Following this, Mike sees Debbie is distraught and talks to her, explaining that Jesus is the only answer to her problems and invites her to attend a meeting involving a former practitioner of witchcraft. At the meeting, the speaker preaches about how occult practitioners have limited power and how it is a trap, with true power coming from Jesus. He encourages the crowd to destroy their 'occult paraphernalia' in an emormous bonfire and to pray for deliverance. Debbie accepts Jesus in her life and burns her occult materials.


 

o Tract Contents ⇑ ⇓collapse_button

Tract Viewer Double Marquee Left Tract Image Previous Button Next Button Zip Button PDF Button Right Tract Image Previous Button Next Button Zip Button PDF Button Image Swap Sync Pages


o Characters ⇑ ⇓ collapse_button

  • Debbie (Elfstar) - The main protagonist who engages in regular play sessions of the RPG Dark Dungeons under the guidance of the dungeon master Ms. Frost, as the cleric character "Elfstar". At the behest of Ms. Frost, she joins a coven of witches known as the Temple of Diana in a bid to attain greater real world power.

  • Marcie Anderson (Black Leaf) - Debbie's friend and another player in the Dark Dungeons game. Debbie's character "Black Leaf" is unceremoniously killed in the opening page of the comic which sends Marcie into a self-destructive fit of depression, ultimately leading her to take her own life.

  • Ms. Frost - The Dungeon Master of the eponymous Dark Dungeons game, as well as a priestess of the Temple of Diana. Frost entices the main character, Debbie, with promises of power after witnessing her aptitude playing the game and luring her to join her occultic coven.

  • Mrs. Anderson - Marcie's mother who is oblivious to both her daughter's activities, as well as her slide into depression and suicide.

  • Mike - A Christian acquaintance of Debbie's. Mike convinces Debbie to hear the sermon of a local preacher on the dangers of witchcraft after Marcie's suicide leads her to question her involvement with both role-playing games and the occult in general.

  • Preacher / Speaker - Lorem Ipsum

  • Unnamed Characters - Dark Dungeons players (4), Temple of Diana coven members (12), Revival meeting attendees (2+), Bonfire attendees (7).
 

o Tract Variations ⇑ ⇓collapse_button

There have been three major revisions made to this tract which have been identified and cataloged. In addition to slight changes in both the font and dialog bubble layout between the "A" and "B" variants, the most notable (and controversial) change took place on page 19 in which a footnote labeling the works of the nominally Christian authors Clive Staples (C.S.) Lewis and John Ronald Reuel (J.R.R.) Tolkien as being so-called "occult paraphernalia" which would be best consigned to flames. Both authors exhibit heavy Christian influence and allegory in their works, the Chronicles of Narnia and the Lord of the Rings series respectively. In fact, it was Tolkien's influence which led Lewis to a renewed faith in Christianity and the Anglican Church, which steered the direction of his later writings. This claim is subsequently redacted in the newer version.

The most noticeable change between the earlier variants and the "C" version is a drastic change to the style of wardrobe depicted being worn by some of the characters. In earlier versions of the tract, Marcie's body is shown wearing a skirt or a dress when she is discovered by Debbie hanging in her bedroom on page 11. This is updated to be a pair of jeans in the newer variant. During the sermon given by the unnamed Preacher/Speaker and the subsequent bonfire, Debbie is at first depicted as wearing a business jacket and skirt, whereas this is replaced by a t-shirt and jeans in the newer version.

A more detailed accounting of the various changes made between variants are as follows...

  • On Page 5, the text explaining that the "intense occult training" Debbie has experienced through playing "D&D" goes from qualifying her to accept an invitation to enter a witches' coven as a priestess, to merely preparing her to enter it between variants "A" and "B". Between versions "B"and "C", she goes from being immediately declared a "priestess of the craft" upon arrival, to being told that she will now "become a priestess of the craft" instead, suggesting a greater consideration for the rigors required to ascend the ranks of this particular satanic coven.

  • On Page 11, the cant of Debbie's "Big No!" text is shifted slightly to the right and increased in overall height. Likewise the frame of her hanging body is slightly zoomed in, obscuring a larger portion of the night table containing figurines in the foreground. As previously mentioned, Marcie's body goes from wearing a skirt/dress to wearing jeans between versions "B" and "C". The window behind her body also goes from being dark to either showing a brighter scene through it or having a more diffuse reflective surface.


o Reviews and Commentaries ⇑ ⇓collapse_button

 

o Parodies ⇑ ⇓collapse_button

  • 3rd Edition: Tool of Satan? - Will it take some controversial changes in the newest edition of the Master's Guide to show these foolish players just how much danger they're in?
    "We're just unwinding with a little live-action Call of Cthulhu... want to touch my octopus?"
    (foo.ca via The Wayback Machine)

  • [Chick Tract] Dark Dungeons - A humerous reading of the tract by user Morrakiu [Video]
    (YouTube)

  • Christians and Crusades - What if it were the Christians themselves who got carried away with fantasy role playing?
    "A flick of Hellfire can make anyone a unprincipaled coward!"
    (The Bronze Blog)

  • Dark Dungeons: The Animated Movie (2010) - Computer animated film made by yours truly, covering the plot of the tract... with a few minor embellishments
    "The Lord shall provide! Now who brought the gasoline?"
    (Boolean Union Studios) [Video]

  • Dark Dungeons: The Movie (2014) - A live-action film with impressive production values. Produced with the expressed approval of Chick himself
    "If they want to be a couple of chickens who go their entire lives without experiencing the unrivaled thrill of an RPG, that's their business."
    (Zombie Orpheus Entertainment) via YouTube [Video]

  • Dark Dungeons: Between the Panels - A mock-u-mentary that posits to catch up with the characters of the tract 25 years after it's publication
    "Oh, and the fumes from the bonfire scene were heinous. All that burning lead, plastic, and ink... I passed out for a little while, and when I woke up, I couldn't remember my own name."
    (The Escapist)

  • Darque Dungeons - The dangers of Dungeons and Dragons extrapolated through a thinly-veiled pastiche of Vampire: The Masquerade as well as Gothic metal music
    "I'll fucking kill anyone who opposes the countercultural assault of noise music WITH MY BARE FUCKING HANDS!"
    (foo.ca via The Wayback Machine)

  • Demonic Deviltry - White Wolf Publishing released their tabletop game Demon: The Fallen in 2002, and since that means this old tract was due for a bit of an update, they released their own take on it under the guise of the fundamentalist (but entirely fictional) Pastor Robert Ramos
    "Do you do that after every game? Not all the time. Sometimes we have sex instead of doing drugs."
    ("Eternal Grace Congregation Church" via The Wayback Machine) PDF Document
    (via Scribd)

  • Dork Dungeons - If you thought basic D&D was geeky, it gets worse... soooo much worse
    "Sometimes I think about him and, you know, touch myself in the bath... condoms, I'm thinking we'll need a twelve pack."
    (Unhelpful.org via The Wayback Machine)

  • GURPS Fourth Edition - Dark Dungeons - A new gaming paradigm causes dissention in the ranks
    "Afraid I'll steal all the hot guys? I am totally ready. I even started my period."
    (GameGroup.org)

  • Mystery Science Theater Meets Dark Dungeons - What if the crew of the Satellite of Love took a stab at riffing on a Chick tract?
    "You know this reminds me so much of High School. Two women conspiring to manipulate the men in their lives? No. The Members Only jacket."
    (Fecundity.com)

  • Darkest Dungeons #1 - A parody tract involving fantasy roleplaying and in which readers have the opportunity to vote on what will happen in the next instalment. The first of the series.
    "Oh yeah? Well, she told me the same thing... before I argued with her about the Grapple rules... No-one likes a rules lawyer, Marcie..."
    (Darkest Dungeons #1)

  • Darkest Dungeons #2 - A parody tract involving fantasy roleplaying and in which readers have the opportunity to vote on what will happen in the next instalment. The second in the series.
    "Well done, everyone. You survived the Beholder's Lair. I'll do your XP next week."
    (Darkest Dungeons #2)


 

o Bible References ⇑ ⇓collapse_button

1984A Edition (6) 1984B Edition (8) 1984C Edition (6)
Panel Verse(s) Panel Verse(s) Panel Verse(s)
2   2   2  
3   3   3  
4   4   4  
5   5   5  
6   6   6  
7   7   7  
8   8   8  
9   9   9  
10   10   10  
11A   11A   11A  
11B   11B   11B  
12   12   12  
13   13   13  
14   14   14  
15   15   15  
16   16   16  
17   17   17  
18   18   18  
19 Acts 2:38
Acts 19:19
Luke 10:19		 19 Luke 13:5
Acts 19:19
1 John 4:4
John 8:36		 19 Acts 19:19
1 John 4:4
John 8:36
20A   20A   20A  
20B   20B   20B  
21 Acts 19:13-17
John 8:36
2 Corinthians 3:17		 21 Acts 19:13-17
John 8:36
2 Corinthians 3:17		 21 Acts 19:13-17
John 8:36
2 Corinthians 3:17
22A   22A   22A  
22B   22B   22B  
    22C Deuteronomy 18:10-12    


o Tropes and Clichés ⇑ ⇓collapse_button


Trope 1984A Edition 1984B Edition 1984C Edition
Seven Letter Saviour   21 21


o Further Reading ⇑ ⇓collapse_button


o Scholarly References ⇑collapse_button

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