Then came the Satanic panic. Was it a front for the occult? Was it corrupting impressionable young minds?

But, 45 years later, the world of Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) is breathing renewed fire into the imaginations of young and old alike.

It started out as a role-playing board game involving a few dice, a character sheet filled with statistics — and a story. Now the imaginative world spans online games and streaming services, live-action role play and a seemingly endless stream of novels and comics. There are even a few forgettable movies floating about.

Always seen as something of a subculture, its appeal was generally among the geeks and nerds of past generations.

But they’ve since grown up. And, thanks to airplay on Stranger Things, Big Bang Theory and even Futurama, the venerable alternative universe is on the brink of going mainstream.

It’s certainly long since come out of the basement.

“It’s resurgence is remarkable,” says Brisbane’s Netherworld Bar D & D organiser Mitch Wilkins.

But he’s not surprised. He says storytelling has an eternal appeal. And that’s why the game is here to say.

“D & D is a story that people own,” he says. “It’s their own story. It doesn’t need to evolve beyond you and a few close friends sitting around a table. It’s a franchise you and your friends make your own.”

But one franchise, in particular, is producing some startling results.

IT’S COOL NOW

How does a group of eight or so players sitting at a table around a board rolling dice make for compelling viewing?

There are no glowing computer screens. The visual effects consist of a few cardboard cut-outs and plastic figurines. And people actually have to talk to each other.

But compelling it must be.

Take the first ‘campaign’ of the live-streamed Critical Role. It started out as some living-room fun by a group of voice-acting friends. It has since turned into something … big.

“When I speak to new players, most say ‘no’ they haven’t played the game but have watched it online,” Mitch says. “I’m not sure if YouTube is the first step — perhaps their curiosity was piqued by pop culture references such as Stranger Things. Critical Role gets them hooked, then they go on to want to play.”

The first Critical Role season lasted 115 episodes. Each episode was between three and six hours long. And it’s still pulling audiences of more than 500,000 each release.

But some measure of its true popularity can be seen in what happened next.

SUMMONING SPELL

Earlier this year a kick-starter campaign was launched to fund an animated special based on the characters and events of Critical Role’s first season

Its target of $US750,000 was fully funded well within the first hour. At the end of that hour, it had reached $US 1 million.

Since March, it has pulled in 88,887 backers and $US11.4 million — and rising.

But Dungeon and Dragon’s new popularity isn’t limited to livestreaming.

Yes, friends who want to enjoy the game — and the company of friends — are getting together on internet video conference calls and live-streaming to game broadcasting services such as Twitch.

But they’re also meeting up at clubs, pubs, bars and restaurants.

Last year was, according to its publisher Wizards of the Coast, the most profitable ever for Dungeons & Dragons. It attributes that success to the introduction of the fifth refinement of its original rules.

It’s all part of Dungeons and Dragons making the transition from subculture to pop culture, says Mitch. And he says that can be seen in the new faces and enthusiasm at the events he has organised.

Part of it, he says, is the elimination of the game’s sexist legacy.

Armoured bikinis are gone. No more is every page graced with scantily-clad women swooning in the face of fierce monsters. The game’s rules no longer impose limits on female characters, either.

“That makes it much more accessible,” he says. “We had a beginners D & D event back in March and the gender mix was pretty even.”

THEIR NUMBER IS LEGION

In its original form, Dungeons & Dragons is in many ways a group-narrated choose-your-own-adventure book.

A circle of friends sits down — face-to-face — around a table, chooses the type of character that inspires them, rolls a few dice to establish their strengths and weaknesses — and begin to act their way through a challenge. Overseeing it all is the storyteller, or dungeon master, who enforces the rules and brings every scene to life as it develops.

Games can last years.

And they can inspire.

George R.R. Martin (and the showrunners of the HBO hit Game of Thrones), Matt Groening and Dan Harmon have admitted their first attempts at storytelling involved spinning tales as Dungeon Masters among friends.

Celebrities including Vin Diesel, Drew Barrymore, Robin Williams, Steven Colbert, Jon Favreau, James Franco … and more … have confessed to falling under the game’s spell.

DUNGEON TALES

As a dungeon master and event organiser, Mitch says the last thing Dungeons and Dragons delivers is a predictable outcome.

“Oh, god no!” he says. “You learn pretty quick to improvise. No matter how much you prepare, players always go down some unexpected path. That’s the fun of it all.”

The story is what the players make it, he says.

It’s about the characters. Their behaviour. Their development. Their co-operation.

It’s about the resulting adventure. The twists, turns and surprises.

And the fickleness of lady luck.

The best-laid plans all, in the end, depend on the roll-of-the-dice, and the ‘modifiers’ players have struggled to earn.

Ultimately, though, the only limit is the imaginations of those involved.

“Video games and movies can reach a certain point,” Mitch says “but you can do anything in D & D, it’s a limitless game.

“If they did a great movie, well great. But it’s not necessary. It’s a story among friends.”

@JamieSeidelNews