Community plays D&D on NBC last night

[Goonalan]

Anyone know how I can get to see this over in the UK, tried the link but US only apparently.

Cheers Goonalan

 

[DMZ2112]

I really enjoyed the episode as well. I sat down with the wife to watch it expecting to have a good time despite suspicions that it was going to be another of Wizards' soulless marketing propaganda sessions, and I was surprised and pleased that all of the books and materials featuring in the episode were not even from D&D4!

I thought it was great that the episode was decidedly about the people playing and not about the game, which is how all roleplaying should be.

Also, I wish any of my sessions were ever half that engaging. :\

Speaking of D&D on televison, something that may have escaped most readers' notice is that Leo, the personal assistant to the main character of USA's Fairly Legal, is characterized in the pilot as being a fantasy gamer. At one point he finagles evidence from a police officer, a D&D buddy, by trading him Magic cards.

Again, the important thing about the character is less that he is surrounded by accurate depictions of the hobby and more that he is shown to be a capable and productive member of society despite (or perhaps because of) his habits, and that his boss (who just happens to be a very attractive woman) obviously loves and respects him a great deal.

...Although she does destroy his collector's Buffy the Vampire Slayer watch in the first episode.

 

[Mercurius]

LOL - are we really analyzing the game play and DMing techniques?

Best line: "I won at Dungeons & Dragons - and it was Advanced!"

 

[Abstruse]

Dan Harmon, one of the show's creators, is actually one of the geniuses (and voice actors) from the epic "Summoner Geeks." Many in the fanbase suspect that the books shown in the episode actually belonged to Dan Harmon.

He actually undid a lot of the damage he did to D&D in the modern day.

Allow me to explain...at the time that was recorded, it was brilliant because it was in the middle of the "D&D = devil worship with human sacrifices" scare. Making that clip let us all laugh and showed a lot of people that a D&D game was nothing like that. It was a bunch of people having fun together.

The problem became that the people at the table were nerds. So after the devil worship scare went away, it left people with the impression of all D&D players being nerds. My last campaign I ran two years ago, I asked one of my friends to play. His response was "Yeah right. 'Roll to see if I'm getting drunk!' No thank you." Try as I might, I couldn't get him to get that out of his head.

I'm starting a new campaign this week. I asked my friend after the episode of Community aired. His response this time was "That sounds pretty cool. I might stop by." I'm pretty sure I can get him if I can make him watch the Penny Arcade/PVP/Wheaton video (and making it clear beforehand that cloaks and horned helms are not required or advised).

Also, did anyone else catch the dig at 4e in the show? "Don't we need game pieces or something?" "No, it's all in our imagination." I would've blown that off if it weren't for the fact that Harmon's a gamer. I think he was taking a potshot at 4e's reliance on minis and game tiles.

 

[Ranes]

Anyone know how I can get to see this over in the UK, tried the link but US only apparently.

Cheers Goonalan

This link worked for me: http://www.wisevid.com/play?v=6tbzfx8ccwt7 I don't normally drink until evening but this had me cracking open a beer. Very funny.

 

[Goonalan]

This link worked for me: http://www.wisevid.com/play?v=6tbzfx8ccwt7 I don't normally drink until evening but this had me cracking open a beer. Very funny.

Yep, works for me now, yesterday I just kept getting a message that it was only available to US, thanks.

DuKane!

 

[The Little Raven]

Also, did anyone else catch the dig at 4e in the show? "Don't we need game pieces or something?" "No, it's all in our imagination." I would've blown that off if it weren't for the fact that Harmon's a gamer. I think he was taking a potshot at 4e's reliance on minis and game tiles.

It's no more a dig at 4e than it is at OD&D, whose cover says that it is playable with pencil and paper and miniature figures.

Plus, you can see they have a copy of Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdom between 3:00 and 3:30 on the table.

And that question is the same question every single new player has asked me when playing for the first time.

 

[Viking Bastard]

I watched this with the fiancée (we're big Community fans), who then showed it to two of her friends. This resulted in the three of them badgering me to teach them to play. I haven't gamed since before the release of 3.5e and my fiancée had never shown any interest in playing (not that it had ever come up, although I had mentioned my RPG playing days in passing).

I borrowed the core 4e books and once I'm up to speed, we're gonna run a test game. If they like it, it might become a regular thing.

For years, I haven't even thought about playing. I'm kinda excited.

 

[Daern]

Showed it to my gal tonight. I think it actually piqued her curiosity for the first time... On second viewing, what a great episode. It really has it all. Chevy Chase is a great villain.

 

[SoulsFury]

I thought it was great. Normally community isn't that good, but I definitely enjoyed this episode.