Geekstorians Episode 7: D&D & The Satanic Panic

Geekstorians - With Dave From Geektown · Jan 28, 2026 · 40m

In the 1980s, Dungeons & Dragons became the focus of one of the most unusual moral panics in modern history.

A tabletop role-playing game built around imagination, storytelling, and collaboration was suddenly accused of promoting occultism, psychological harm, and even violence. Dice were framed as sinister objects. Rulebooks were treated like dangerous texts. And ordinary teenagers playing fantasy games found themselves caught in a storm of fear and misinformation.

In this episode of Geekstorians, Dave from Geektown unpacks how D&D was pulled into the wider Satanic Panic, and why it became…