D&D Movie/TV Dungeons & Dragons 3 Movie Trailer

Tsuga C · Jun 22, 2012

Quickleaf said:
I've seen it repeated on multiple sites that Planescape Torment sold 400,000 copies, whereas its predecessor Baldur's Gate sold 5 million copies, across various forms (as of 2006). Now that doesn't include digital copies since Torment only became available on GOG in 2009/2010, but consensus seems to be that it was an outstanding game with rather mediocre sales.

So while I love Planescape Torment, I'm not sure it's a winning bet for a big screen adaptation.

Those numbers sound in the ballpark from what I remember reading and you're absolutely right, however remember that:

1. Baldur's Gate had the advantage of being the first big cRPG out of the block. It was the one that revived the genre.

2. The cover of the game featured a rather homely Nameless One in blue and a lot of orange for the background. It wasn't very attractive and a lot of people, rightly or wrongly, base their impulse buys of books and games on the cover art.

3. The setting was very different, one that either appeals strongly to you or makes you roll your eyes. Sigil and the Outer Planes aren't your run-of-the-mill fantasy setting.

4. Regardless of all the above, I'm a Planescape fan and I really wish that it had been carried over to 3.X. In a similar vein, I'd to see the story of the Nameless One on the silver screen, dark ending and all.

Warunsun · Jun 23, 2012

Fifth Element said:
Unless I'm missing something, Syfy movie = never intended as a theatrical release.

Not necessarily. In the past some of the films seen on channels like Sci-Fi have had "International" releases in some countries. And some of them were intended on being released in the theaters but were just that bad or had legal or funding issues.

Still waiting to see Solomon Kane here in the USA. That movie is far superior to this one and still hasn't been released here. Eventually, I imagine we will see it on Sci-Fi.

Jester David · Jun 23, 2012

Wow... just wow.

Dragon SFX unchanged from the last movie, which was made seven years prior.
Cheap words-over-fire that would be cheesy in a fan film.
Dialogue with the delivery of a bad '80s soap opera.

Gamers 2 looked less cheesy and low budget.

I am surprised that it has the same writer and director as the previous effort, which was terrible. You don't rehire the people who made a film so bad, that the best thing you can say about it is "it wasn't as bad as the first one".

Aberzanzorax · Jun 23, 2012

I'm starting to wonder if we have a character class here (or prestige class/kit).

The "heckled bard" (alignment any, but frequently: "misguided stupid")

Abilities:
*Skin like stone (never fails an intimidate or diplomacy check...is confident in self and of product, even when wrong and with substandard product).
*Prolific updater "it might not be better, but it's newer!" Able to re-roll un re-rollable knowledge/craft/perform checks, taking the most current result EVEN IF WORSE.
*MORE STUFFS!!!! Bigger explosions, more characters that add nothing, but stand in crowd scenes, etc. (+10 to anything that causes distraction (sneak attacks or marketing), -10 to likabilty/diplomacy (or marketing).
*poop harder! <OTYUGH only>(eventually it won't stink). This is a "shotgun approach" in which more happens, but most is worthless... 1000 monkeys and 1000 typewriters has got to result in something, right???

Notable examples: George Lucas. Ummm...no one is as representative or bad as George Lucas except perhaps the director of this tripe.

Le Sigh.

Not sure what the actual movie will do, but it has inspired a bardic character with at least 4 homebrewed feats.

I might even use this in my current campaign in a sarcastic/self-effacing context similar to the animated series with John Lovetzz (sp) as "The Critic". Why not have a punkarse bard who sarcastically drives the pcs and unintentionally enhances their maginficent reputation?

EDIT: So I wrote the post, took a moment, and read it again. It said what I meant it to say, but gave me an idea....What about a heckler bard!?!
What if we focused on "bad publicity is still publicity."? What if the bard was a jerk, but we still rolled against his ideals, and he "inadvertently", while tearing down the pcs, lifted them up?

Man...this is so happening in my campaign.

Ridley's Cohort · Jun 23, 2012

Umbran said:
Yeah! I mean, really, the only thing good about the first movie was that he got killed! You expect to satisfy anyone with this if you don't have Snails to kill?!?

Hey! Some moderator moderate this immoderate moderator, right now.

Obviously, I did not mind dying for Ridley (who would?), but my death was really the elf's fault for dissuading the dwarf from coming in and lending a hand. Never trust the folk with the pointy ears.

GX.Sigma · Jun 23, 2012

Isn't there some way to get the movie rights back? Lawsuit? Hostile takeover? Assassination?

Stormonu · Jun 23, 2012

Y'now, if you can't even make the trailer not stink, you've got problems.

I don't think I can even stomach this third installment. D&D 2 was disappointing, Dragonlance has more of an effects budget for Tika's bounce than the dragon graphics ... now this?!?

Even I have my limits on watching B-rated stuff. I think I'd rather see Scourge of Worlds made into a full-fledged movie at this point.

Quickleaf · Jun 23, 2012

Stormonu said:
Y'now, if you can't even make the trailer not stink, you've got problems.

I don't think I can even stomach this third installment. D&D 2 was disappointing, Dragonlance has more of an effects budget for Tika's bounce than the dragon graphics ... now this?!?

Even I have my limits on watching B-rated stuff. I think I'd rather see Scourge of Worlds made into a full-fledged movie at this point.

Wait was Scourge of Worlds that DVD interactive thing they released years ago?

And who knows, this D&D movie might be the perfect sort of drivel to watch when you've had a hard night of drinking while staying in a hotel for business and being unable to sleep cause your significant other left you. Or at least two out of three. See? It's niche marketing!

Ridley's Cohort · Jun 23, 2012

Stormonu said:
Y'now, if you can't even make the trailer not stink, you've got problems.

Yup.

I remember watching the preview for Dude, Where Is My Car? and rather enjoying it. Of course, I am pretty certain I saw every scene I would consider worth watching within that 90 seconds. But the preview did not stink.

Hussar · Jun 23, 2012

Given the horror that is D&D licensing, is it really a surprise to anyone that WOTC seems to make every effort to try to get all its licenses back under one roof?

Shame they can't get the movie license back. I heard they finally got the video game one back though, so, hopefully they have MUCH better lawyers for the next licensing agreements they write.

Because, whoever wrote the licensing agreement for D&D movies needs to be beaten with a stick.