The ’80s were a weird time to grow up. There were the jelly shoes, the big hair, and the layered, neon-colored socks … oh, and the oppressive atmosphere of Satanic Panic. A rash of day care sex abuse scandals got most of the media attention, but the same logic condemned everything from heavy metal music to “Dungeons & Dragons” as being the work of the devil. I was one of those kids who wanted nothing more than to find out what all the funky dice and character sheets were about. But since I grew up in the semirural South during the era of Satanic Panic, I didn’t get to explore pen-and-paper role-playing games until I reached the magical world of college. And while it seems like we’ve moved past Satanic Panic today, role-playing games haven’t shaken their vaguely nefarious reputation.