# D&D Animated series DVD **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 16, 2006, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-animated-series-dvd/384427 "2006-12-16T20:28:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2006, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-animated-series-dvd/384427/1 "2006-12-16T20:28:05Z")
I just bought the animated TV series of Dungeons and Dragons for my almost 12 year old. He loves to play D&D with his dad’s old books and is an avid reader of sci/fantasy. Has anyone here ever seen the series? What are your opinions of it? Any one have the new DVD set? Opinions, opinions! ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2006, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-animated-series-dvd/384427/2 "2006-12-16T20:57:21Z")
I love the series. Gary Gygax was personally involved with it so even when it gets rules or names wrong, the feel of wonder and adventure is always right. Every roleplayer I’ve ever asked knows and loves this cartoon. Your son will love it and love identifying monsters and spells that he sees. “It’s Tiamat, the only chromatic dragon!” “Venger’s assistant is a shadow demon as seen in the Fiend Folio!” “The acrobat is from the Unearthed Arcana- and is hot!” ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2006, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-animated-series-dvd/384427/3 "2006-12-16T22:40:32Z")
:eek: It’s out on DVD?! Aw man, geek flashback time! ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2006, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-animated-series-dvd/384427/4 "2006-12-16T23:52:34Z")
It sucked. Dull, boring, no monsters got killed. Why are they putting this out, and not _Kim Possible: The Complete First Season_? :dubious: :mad: ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-animated-series-dvd/384427/5 "2006-12-17T00:03:43Z")
Soulless heretic! ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-animated-series-dvd/384427/6 "2006-12-17T00:38:25Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] It sucked. Dull, boring, no monsters got killed. Why are they putting this out, and not _Kim Possible: The Complete First Season_? :dubious: :mad: [/QUOTE] So, do you think a 12 year old will like it? I know nothing about D&D, so are monsters getting killed a huge part of it? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-animated-series-dvd/384427/7 "2006-12-17T02:21:07Z")
I wouldn’t call it dull or boring. YMMV of course. In case you don’t know the premise a group of teens are trapped in the world of D&D, guided by the enigmatic Dungeon Master they fight evil and have adventures. There is comedy and drama and some of the monsters are a bit frightening. Killing monsters is as big a part of D&D as the players and DM want it to be. Some groups are all about the killing. Other groups are into roleplaying characters or solving puzzles. BTW Avoid the film. It sucks mightily. Lo, like a thousand black holes it sucks. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-animated-series-dvd/384427/8 "2006-12-17T02:30:44Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] Dull, boring, no monsters got killed. [/quote] Yeah, during the 1980s, due to activists and such, there really couldn’t be violence in children’s cartoons. Tom Sito, an animator who was until recently the head of the Motion Picture Screen Cartoonist Union, commented on working on _He-Man_ during the 1980s that they could not show He-Man using his sword to kill anyone. He once tried to animate a sequence in which He-Man threw a tree onto one of his enemies and got back a note saying they couldn’t even show trees being harmed. Mark Evanier, who created and wrote the _D&D_ series, commented on a bizarre lesson he had to put into each episode which basically stated peer pressure is a good thing: one of the characters would not want to do what the other characters wanted and was eventually suckered into agreeing. This might have been the origin of the Buddy Bear characters from _Garfield and Friends_, which Evanier also wrote for. > [@](#): > > Why are they putting this out, and not _Kim Possible: The Complete First Season_? :dubious: :mad: I have no idea- that’s two different studios. Episodes of _Kim Posssible_ are available on iTunes. I’d love to see Disney put more of their TV output onto DVD, but they should at least freakin’ advertise it. You’re Disney! You can advertise whatever you want and children will buy it. I’m sure there’s somebody out there who wants to buy _DuckTales_ and the ilk on DVD- why are you putting them out if you’re not advertising them? You can’t live off of _High School Musical_ royalties forever. ---
**Author:** ![Asgardking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Asgardking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asgardking)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-animated-series-dvd/384427/9 "2006-12-17T04:01:12Z")
[QUOTE=DocCathode] “The acrobat is from the Unearthed Arcana- and is hot!” [/QUOTE] Ubergeek time. The cartoon came out before Unearthed Arcana. The three classes in the cartoon that weren’t in the Players Handbook (Cavalier, Barbarian and Acrobat) were brought in with that book. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-animated-series-dvd/384427/10 "2006-12-17T04:44:20Z")
The early 80’s was a weird time for children’s television. The rules changed so that children’s programming could essentially be the thirty minute toy commercials that all children of that decade know and love, but part of that was the show’s producer had to include a certain amount of time for “educational” content. That’s where the odd morals like in GI Joe and He-Man came from. And mobo85 has already commented on the curious standards and practices rules that persisted until the late 90’s (things like not being able to say “kill” or “die”). Allow me to commit some blasphemy here and say that I don’t think any cartoon from that period is good for anything more than nostalgia value. The D&D cartoon on the better side of the things produced in that period, but the restrictions they were under and the fact that these shows were produced as cheaply as possible as de facto advertisements undermines every program in the era. I did, however, buy the set for a friend for Christmas. He’s a D&D guy from way back and has ancient taped off the broadcast cassettes so it was, like I said, nostalgic for him. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-animated-series-dvd/384427/11 "2006-12-17T05:02:47Z")
[QUOTE=Asgardking] Ubergeek time. The cartoon came out before Unearthed Arcana. The three classes in the cartoon that weren’t in the Players Handbook (Cavalier, Barbarian and Acrobat) were brought in with that book. [/QUOTE] They had all, however, seen previous semi-official incarnation in the pages of _Dragon_ magazine. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-animated-series-dvd/384427/12 "2006-12-17T05:03:31Z")
There the script for the final episode that was never filmed. I’d find it and read it. I felt a lot better about the series after reading it. You know what it was? Closure. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-animated-series-dvd/384427/13 "2006-12-17T06:58:32Z")
Michael Reaves, one of the writers for the series, has the script for the unproduced final episode on his [website](http://www.michaelreaves.com/requiem_preface.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-animated-series-dvd/384427/14 "2006-12-17T18:59:46Z")
Man, I loved that 'toon, though the Gilligan’s Island premise started to wear a little thin (Dungeon Master: Oh, my children, you _could_ have made it home, except the barbarian ate the radioactive coconut…) Also, too many episodes hinged on “We could through the portal back to Earth but then Vengor will kill [well, not _kill_, but hurt] the villagers!” If it was me, I’d say _screw_ the villagers! Hey, villagers, this is what I look like when I’m walking away! See ya, wouldn’t wanna be ya! Nevertheless, I highly recommend it. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-animated-series-dvd/384427/15 "2006-12-17T19:33:35Z")
[QUOTE=DocCathode] Killing monsters is as big a part of D&D as the players and DM want it to be. Some groups are all about the killing. Other groups are into roleplaying characters or solving puzzles. BTW Avoid the film. It sucks mightily. Lo, like a thousand black holes it sucks. [/QUOTE] My son is more of an adventurer type player. I heard the D& movie sucked along the likes of Erogan (or however it’s spelled!). We’re skipping Eragon too. However, last night he was introduced to Monthy Python’s Holy Grail (I got his dad the new DVD for Hannukah). Now that was fun! ('cept the Castle Anthrax part- We both forgot how explicit it got!!). ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-animated-series-dvd/384427/16 "2006-12-17T20:49:53Z")
[QUOTE=IvoryTowerDenizen] However, last night he was introduced to Monthy Python’s Holy Grail (I got his dad the new DVD for Hannukah). Now that was fun! ('cept the Castle Anthrax part- We both forgot how explicit it got!!). [/QUOTE] And then…the oral sex! Yeah, I think if my parents had showed _Grail_ to me when I was a kid and we’d gotten to that part, I’d just have melted into a big puddle of embarrassed and sunk behind the couch cushions. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-animated-series-dvd/384427/17 "2006-12-17T21:04:22Z")
Apparently, you’re not okay with oral sex, but you’re okay with mindless violence, the word “shit,” etc. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-animated-series-dvd/384427/18 "2006-12-18T00:55:53Z")
[QUOTE=mobo85] Apparently, you’re not okay with oral sex, but you’re okay with mindless violence, the word “shit,” etc. [/QUOTE] For an eleven year old- yup, that about sums it up! But really- he doesn’t have any video game systems, he watches no TV or plays on the computer during the school week. He reads, draws, runs around ouside with his friends, goes to Hebrew school, Karate and flute lessons. So, I am pretty darn comfortable with the level of “mindless violoence” and mild swearing that he views once in a blue moon. ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-animated-series-dvd/384427/19 "2006-12-18T01:15:05Z")
Whilst most of the 80’s cartoons were indeed 30 minute toy commericals, D&D wasn’t a bad cartoon at all. At times whimsical, funny and genuinely touching, it’s well worth a watch. Just my $.02. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2006, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-animated-series-dvd/384427/20 "2006-12-18T05:57:32Z")
_Dungeons & Dragons_ was one of the gems of 80’s cartoon television. Instead of being a hasty license cash-in, it did an admirable job of giving the characters real characterization, and of setting up stories that played on shades of grey. Admittedly, the repeated use of “You could have escaped from the realm if only you abandoned the villagers” plot got old quickly, but it’s a small blemish on an otherwise great series. [QUOTE=Fern Forest] There the script for the final episode that was never filmed. I’d find it and read it. I felt a lot better about the series after reading it. You know what it was? Closure. [/QUOTE] Damn straight. I’d _really_ loved to have seen that animated, just to provide a proper ending to the season (and the series). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/d-d-animated-series-dvd/384427.md?page=2)