From Stealth Bombers to Slaying Dragons: A Milestone Conversation with James R. Hannibal

From Stealth Bombers to Slaying Dragons: A Milestone Conversation with James R. Hannibal

From Struggling for Purpose by John Wilkerson

November 30, 2025 · 33 min · Episode 100

About this episode

John Wilkerson interviews James R. Hannibal about his unique life experiences and the evolution of Christian role-playing games.

Having reached 100 episodes on this journey of “faith and folly,” and for this landmark installment of the Struggling for Purpose , I sat down with a man whose life story reads like a high-octane thriller: James R. Hannibal . James isn’t just an author; he’s a former A-10 Warthog and B-2 Spirit stealth pilot, a synesthete, and the man tasked with carrying forward the legacy of one of the most unique Christian discipleship tools ever created: Dragon Raid . The Evolution of a Legacy: From Dragon Raid to Light Raiders In the 1980s, Dick Wolf created Dragon Raid , a tabletop role-playing game (RPG) designed to teach scripture memory and Christian character. For James, a pastor’s kid growing up in Colorado Springs, the game was a formative experience. Decades later, when James sought out the game for his own children, he ended up connecting with Dick Wolf himself. Before his passing, Wolf asked James to expand the world. This birthed the Light Raider Academy novels and a completely redesigned gaming system. “We wanted to change the sci-fi fantasy mashup and make it pure fantasy,” James explains. “We spent months creating cultures and the world before even writing. We took the map on…

People in this episode

Host: John Wilkerson

Guest: James R. Hannibal

Topics covered

  • faith
  • personal growth
  • role-playing games
  • Christianity
  • storytelling
  • military experience

Keywords

  • James R. Hannibal
  • Dragon Raid
  • Light Raider Academy
  • Christian discipleship
  • role-playing games
  • military pilot
  • faith and folly

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Dragon Raid, Light Raider Academy

Products: A-10 Warthog, B-2 Spirit

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