Dungeons and Dragons cartoon series

Having been rewatching the series with a friend this interesting discussion came up.

"If you remade this for todays audience...what would you change?"

Now of course the big diehard fans would cry "nothing!" but it got us to thinking.

1) I'd personally go the old school route on the characters 'classes', Fighter, Cleric, Mage, Thief. Then I'd probably add in Ranger and Cavalier. To make the Fighter and Cavalier different I'd have one focused on Offensive power (probably wielding two swords...because everyone loves dual blade using characters) while the Cavalier would be more Defensive and the groups 'tank' character.

Now the Cleric brings up an interesting problem...mainly in more religious countries obviously and we all know that D&D has a history with the heavily Christian America (heck they don't like characters using Magic as a whole, let alone actively being a conduit for a made up deity). So careful ground would have to be trodden in that regards.

2) Give them proper (but still magical) weapons, it always seemed stupid having the Cavalier running around with JUST a shield. To get around this I'll take an example from a TV show I watched and have the enemies explode in clouds of red smoke when hit with a sword, thus keeping it decidely kid friendly.

3) Story arcs...the old series is very much a 'monster of the week' type deal due to the fact it was designed to be Syndicated heavily, thus was not allowed a proper beginning (mind you the opening does tell you everything you need to know) or a proper end (though that was apparently due to writer squabbling as neither could decide on how to end it and less to do with Syndication).

4) Setting, to be fair I'd probably keep the setting of the original show, other settings are a bit too gruesome for a kids show, Ravenloft, Darksun and Planescape are out, especially Planescape since that just enters into a whole new area of mind screwing.

Anyway that's just my thoughts, you guys ever thought about something like this, taking an old show and seeing if you could 'modernize' it...yes I know most things are a product of their time and should remain unchanged but hey the reboot of the Turtles was pretty damn good.

My main thing would be to have Uni die a horrible, painful death.

Every episode.

Oh god yes...I didn't mention that since it was a given.

"And lo did the almighty say that thou kids show shalt not have an annoying animal sidekick!"

I'd keep the cloak that turns you invisible when you put up the hood, the bow that shoots energy arrows, and the idea of a show set in a fantasy world, including the fairly good array of monsters that showed up (i.e., the dungeons and the dragons).

I'd scrap the rest. Even at the time, I never understood why this show dealt with an annoying group of kids traveling through time and space and not characters like Strongheart and Kelek, "regular" D&D heroes and villains from the contemporary LJN toy line. This would have also enabled the show to feature a character called "Melf." I love everything about that idea ...

The funny part about the series is that, at the time it was made, half of those classes didn't even exist. Barbarian, Acrobat, and Cavalier were all added to the game for the first time two years later, for Unearthed Arcana.

Also funny is that there's an official 3.0 or 3.5 (I can't tell at first glance) book with stats for all the main characters (though those stats make them seem much more powerful than the show ever did), as well as a mini-adventure, "Beneath the Blade of Sword Mountain". Yeah, Eric still has just the shield. He uses it as a bashing weapon (with the feats to support that).

Oh, yeah, and that final script (entitled "Requiem") was finally officially produced... sort of. It was done as an audio play (without the original cast) on the US version of the 2007 4-disc boxed set (not the 2009 3-disc re-release).

Gygax is listed as an Executive Producer and Advisor for the show and apparently did have some hand in it so I wouldn't be surprised if he took the classes from the show and added them later.

The official PnP version of the show was a 3.0 book IIRC, a friend has it sitting around somewhere.

As a side note, I think it's funny that I always remembered this show as having an actual pilot episode, more than just the opening credits.

Having watched the very first episode recently I really wouldn't call it a proper pilot.

1) You're actually given no introduction as to who is who beyond names, infact you don't find out the Barbarian is the Thiefs little brother until slightly later in the show.

2) They DO introduce the big bad and rival big bad in full however but no more than is explained in the intro (Venger is a force for evil etc. Tiamat is the evil dragon goddess and is actually invulnerable to harm because of this, which would make her a more awesome Big Bad IMO.)

3) At the start of the episode they've already got all their weapons, the intro is actually the story setup for them getting into the world of DnD.

Yeah, what I meant to say was that my memory expanded the credit sequence into an entire pilot episode.

See my mind had done the exact same thing. Prior to rewatching the first episode recently I could have sworn the pilot episode had them meeting up at the amusement park, them talking to each other, us being introduced to the characters and character traits before them hitching a ride on the DnD rollercoaster at the very least.

It's weird how your brain goes "nah...they couldn't just leap straight in like that...even Visionaries had three episodes devoted to the origin story and that only lasted 13 episodes."

Oh and while I remember

Quote:

I never understood why this show dealt with an annoying group of kids traveling through time and space and not characters like Strongheart and Kelek, "regular" D&D heroes and villains from the contemporary LJN toy line. This would have also enabled the show to feature a character called "Melf." I love everything about that idea ...

One of the Episodes I watched today actually had a character named Strongheart in it. He had a fancy helmet and a Golden hammer as his weapon...I'm curious OLantern since you remember the toys, were these the items the actual toy came equipped with?

Edit:


Ok that was the dude in the Episode but the weapon was golden hammer and not a basic sword.

Interestingly there has been atleast 3 characters from the toyline (including Strongheart) to turn up in the show within the first 12 episodes.

Okay... here is what I would do with a new AD&D cartoon...

1) All the old characters are scrapped EXCEPT the Dungeon Master. I would bring him forward but with a slight twist. From the first episode it would be apparent that HE is the one manipulating everything. At first he claims he is just someone who "finds heroes to bring to worlds that need saving" but as the series goes on it becomes more and more apparent that he is manipulating the villains as well. Perhaps this is just some semi-sadistic entertainment for him or maybe he is a diety of neutrality/balance/conflict? Who knows?

2) The heroes are brought in from our world once again and most, if not all, are NOT prepared for the change in culture, location, etc. There will be an extended adjustment period. One of the reasons for this is that they don't have the same bodies they did in the real world. I'm thinking a Biggest Loser candidate suddenly looking like early Arnie in the Conan movies or the senior dance WallFlower shy-girl looking like a Hooters waitress in a chainmail bikini. They all have serious adjustments to make mentally, emotionally and physically.

3) They do NOT have immediate skills. They are assigned to trainers initially to become "first level" characters. I don't care if the wizard is MIT level intellect and skills, he will NOT enter this world knowing a magic missile from a chain lightning spell. Also, I would NOT have the characters' skills be dependent entirely upon magical items they are given. They'll find those magic weapons eventually, but to start out they are going to have to quest for and earn them.

4) Character growth is a must. I want to see them grow and evolve as well as grow more powerful in a character-sheet sense. Maybe one of them starts becoming power hungry and a bit abusive with their new-found powers, having brought all their real-world prejudices and angsts into this new place in full-force.

5) Rated PG-13. This was one of the things that really irked me at the time about the original series. They may as well have printed "No Orc Was Harmed During the Making of This Cartoon" at the start of it because no one ever was! The heroes kill the monsters. Period. I don't need to see blood sprays and piles of guts laying around, but there WILL be deaths and the unprepared novice heroes' reactions to killing for the first time.

That's enough for now. I could go on and on until I've actually written a pilot script but you get the idea.

My idea would be to... uhm... let Steelclaw write the show. >.>

He was defiantly bound by some law of balance. I remember one episode where Eric was given DM's power and was thirsty so he just made a little fountain of water appear out of the ground. DM then chastised him saying he was taking water from somewhere that may need it just for his use.