jas2@ihlpm.UUCP (scheirer) (10/09/85)
> All this talk about D&D, teenage suicide, and fundamentalists brings > to mind a book I read...called The_Dungeon_Master, by William Dear, > about the disappearance of one James Dallas Eggert. > JDE, you may remember, was the University of Michigan student who went > missing back in the late '70's. He was an avid AD&D player, and many > people blamed AD&D for his disappearance. > > ...the book shows that although JDE played D&D, it was not a > factor in his disappearance. > JDE was depressed, a genius without someone to love, and was also heavily > into drugs. He originally disappeared to kill himself, failed, and then > was 'rescued' by some gay friends (referred to in the book as a chicken hawk) > Dear eventually finds JDE ... > although a year or so later, Dallas tries to kill himself again, and this > time succedes. This actually was Michigan State University, not U of M.. I was a freshman at MSU when this was happening (it started the July before I arrived) and had a couple of friends that had known JDE, one from his gaming group. Things did happen as Jim Sullivan [above quote] said in his article, but there were quite a few people who really came down on gaming, both the investigators and JDE's parents included. I had to explain to my parents just what gaming was and what it involved when they read about this in the newspapers. > > p.s. anyone out there that actually played in the tunnels beneath > > UofM ? care to tell us about those games ? - jrs > > Presuming that when you say 'actually played in the tunnels', you > don't mean that they took their books, dice, pencils, lights, pillows, > munchies, mapping board, etc. into the tunnels to play an frp game, I'll > assume you mean that they dressed up, wandered around darkened tunnels, > etc. > Jeff Sonntag Actually people have done both. These tunnels were originally for the maintenance of dozens of pipes carrying steam for heating the dorms and classrooms from the boiler plant to where-ever and criss-crossed beneath campus. Most of the older buildings had access doors to them and if you could few an unchained manhole you could also get into them from there. The fact that it was illegal (campus administration) to go down into the steam tunnels seemed to add another facet of thrill to many people. For the few times I went into them, we (the group I was with) found something different each time, depending on the area we were in. Some sections were just long tunnels with side passages of varying sizes carrying pipes. Others were connected rooms and building supports were old basements had been remodeled or closed off. Proof that we weren't the only group down there was found one night when we stumbled across a room beneath the dorms that contained several mattresses, a small table, candle stubs and a selection of empty beer and wine bottles. Dressing up in costume and popping out of access doors/manholes to startle passers-by was a Halloween happening, so to speak. Gaming in the tunnels was something a true gamer on campus had to do at least once so that they could say they had done it. I myself prefer a comfortable couch or chair and table - usually the lighting is much better above ground as well. Disclaimer: Anybody near/at MSU who plans to go tunneling, don't take this a go-ahead. It can be dangerous. If you must go, do so with a group, carry extra flashlights and wear a heavy jacket and pants to prevent burns if you brush/touch any of the pipes. An injury twelve feet underground could be death and some pipes carry live steam even in the summer. I WANT my two DOLLARS! - The Paperboy Jack Scheirer ..ihnp4!ihlpm!jas2 Gee Ricky, I'm sorry I blew up your mother. - Lang