Greetings!
The "Satanic Panic" didn't have any significant impact where I was growing up, in Northern California in the late 1970's and into the 1980's. A friend of mine, who was Baptist, heard about it from some folks at his church, and his parents were initially pretty caautious. Once I taught him the game though, he was able to explain D&D to his parents, and they relaxed. My other friends, whether Catholic or otherwise, didn't have any real pressure or harassment. My junior high school, as well as the high school I went to, both had organized game clubs, sponsored by at least one teacher, from which we would often gather everyday at lunch to play, as well as after school. Lots of pick-up games and different groups forming and playing together. It was a blast, and a lot of fun!
As for my own home, aside from my best friend who had originally taught me how to play, and got me into a campaign, I started my first campaign as a DM with my best friend, another friend, and my own mother and father. I remember my father playing an educated, crusader-Cleric, something like a Bishop Turpin from the Middle Ages, or famed warrior-priests from the Crusades fighting against the evil forces of Islam. My father was excellent as a player, being decked out in his heavy armour, carrying a heavy mace, and stomping the shit out of Orcs and evil bandits. *laughs* My father would frequently preach at the enemies encountered, and use some Biblical quotation, before smiting them with his mace, and calling down fire from the heavens against them. Meanwhile, my mother, she rolled up a Barbarian. As this was AD&D, class-wise at the time it was a Fighter, but she wanted to wear furs, and have necklaces of wolf teeth and carry a giant sword. My mother also embraced playing the game with great enthusiasm, and she was very zealous in slaughtering any enemies that the group encountered. All this modern talk about getting triggered, whaa, whaa, whaa. My own mother said that enemies they captured would be tortured with sharp knives and shimmering fire. Enemies would be made to talk, and they would suffer judgement of pain and death for their crimes against the Kingdom! My mother was epic as a fierce, warlike barbarian woman! *laughs*
Both my father and mother would take me to this cool local game store, and walk about it with me for several hours, buying me bags of coloured weird dice for the game, as well as books and modules, and boxes of lead figures. My first box of figures my mother bought for me--a variety monster pack, of Monsters by Grenadier. My parents gave me the whole hardcover set of books for AD&D as a Christmas present, as well as more dice, and more boxes of figures. My father used to help me paint figures on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, where he would primer them for me, and suggest colours for different monsters, as well as paint and colour schemes for different knights and medieval warriors.
There were many weekends where I would invite 3, 4, or 5 of my friends over to my house, often sleeping over, where we would have these epic marathon game sessions lasting the whole weekend. My parents would often play as well, or at least supervise us. Lots of pizza, steak, pasta, salads, and sodas then, as well as cookies and chips! Good times! Even when my parents were not playing, they would often relax nearby, watching and listening to us play the game. Cheering at us, or making suggestions as we battled hordes of Orcs, trolls, evil bandits, Pagan rebels defying the King, and savage dragons! My father would sometimes relate war stories that were similar to medieval combat, echoing some of his experiences in combat while serving in World War II, or explain mythology or stories from the Middle Ages and the days of Knights and great Kings, barbarian hordes, and the ancient Roman Empire. That was always such fun, too!
Great times indeed!
Semper Fidelis,
SHARK