Erik Mona (the editor of Dragon) – The Lock Down:
Dragon receives several letters from prisoners every week. I renamed Dungeon’s mail column “Prison Mail” as an inside joke because of it. Part of the charm is that almost no one else sends letters. I get plenty of mail, but almost all of the hand-addressed envelopes are from guys on the inside.
There are thousands–probably tens of thousands–of prisoners playing Dungeons & Dragons right now. Just like in the military, the game has a strong hold anywhere groups of young men are trapped with a lot of free time. We get letters asking for campaign advice, letters apologizing for implicating D&D in crimes committed in the 80s at the height of the gaming scare, and letters with questions, criticisms, and praise of the latest issue–or sometimes and issue from months or even years ago.