D&D 5E A 5e Setting: The Realm of the D&D Cartoon Show

[Dungeonosophy]

A 5e boardgame, like 4e Ravenloft and 4e Gamma World.

The setting is the Realm that the Kids were trapped in.

There is an intro sequence where the players roleplay themselves visiting the nearest amusement park, state or county fair...where they embark on quite a roller-coaster ride: "Hey look, it's the Dungeons & Dragons ride!"

Each player makes a 1st-level D&D character with the same name as the player.

Their sobriquet is their character class, like "Sheila, the Thief" and "Eric, the Cavalier"

Each character starts with a magic Item of Power.

The Dungeon Master is an actual character in the story.

There is a party mascot like Uni (but not Uni).

Venger and Tiamat are there too.

The adventure begins after the last season of the cartoon show.

The story reveals what happened to the Kids. (All we know so far is that they were later spotted in a Forgotten Realms comic book.)

The goal of the game is to escape from the Realm.

A coupon for the Complete Animated Series DVD set is included in the box.

 

[Jeffrey]

Just picked up a DVD of something like the first 9 episodes at WalMart for $4. I'd not watched the cartoon since it first aired. I chuckled all the way to the checkout

 

[Incenjucar]

A new cartoon should certainly make winking references to the old show, but hopefully it doesn't just remake the show. I'm not an expert on pop culture, but I'm not sure that either board games or roller coasters really have as strong a hold on the imaginations of today's youth as they did back then.

Really, if they were to redo the "dragged kicking and screaming from reality" thing again, I would expect a hand to reach out of a video game, or maybe even each character gets dragged in from a specific form of media display - PC, TV, Book, Phone, Drama Stage, Painting (maybe graffiti?) and finally.... DM screen.

 

[WheresMyD20]

A new cartoon should certainly make winking references to the old show, but hopefully it doesn't just remake the show. I'm not an expert on pop culture, but I'm not sure that either board games or roller coasters really have as strong a hold on the imaginations of today's youth as they did back then.

Really, if they were to redo the "dragged kicking and screaming from reality" thing again, I would expect a hand to reach out of a video game, or maybe even each character gets dragged in from a specific form of media display - PC, TV, Book, Phone, Drama Stage, Painting (maybe graffiti?) and finally.... DM screen.

I remember a quote from one of the creators of the show that the original concept was that the kids would be acting out adventures on a drama stage when they got pulled into the realm - kind of like a LARP (but before LARP was even coined as a term). It was later thankfully changed to a roller coaster.

Video games might be a little too obvious. Even in 1983, video games were far more popular with kids than boardgames and roller coasters. Besides, the idea of being pulled into a screen (TV or monitor) is pretty cliche.

 

[Incenjucar]

The idea of being pulled into an an alternate dimension is already cliche to the point of being painful. But if you're going to do it, do it in a way that people can more readily identify with - ideally in a way that speaks to a larger audience.

 

[kitsune9]

I called dibs on Eric the Cavalier.

 

[Glade Riven]

Can't say that sounds interesting...because it kinda doesn't.

You know what would be really cool? Handle it like Avatar: The Last Airbender or the new Thundercats. Ditch the kidnapping of kids and the reality hopping. Air it on Hasbro's new Hub Network next to the latest Transformers or something.

 

[trancejeremy]

I thought they were in Mystara? Or was that ret-conned in?


edit:

It was the action figures that were in Mystara! That's it.

 

[Dungeonosophy]

I called dibs on Eric the Cavalier.

Cool...but Eric would be an NPC.

You'd be playing yourself as a D&D character.

If your real name is "Joe", and you chose the Monk class, your character would be yourself as a D&D Monk..."Joe the Monk".

 

[kitsune9]

Cool...but Eric would be an NPC.

You'd be playing yourself as a D&D character.

If your real name is "Joe", and you chose the Monk class, your character would be yourself as a D&D Monk..."Joe the Monk".

Awwww...I at least see myself as an assassin. Boo! No fair!!