How would you remake the D&D cartoon?

[ivocaliban]

Out of Forgotten Realms and Eberron, Eberron seems the obvious choice.

Yeah, as much as I dislike the setting, Eberron is ideal for a cartoon. Heck, it's already a comic. Just make the pictures move!

Like it or not, Eberron has all the bizarre, cinematic, "uber-cool" things to make a cartoon work: Warforged, necro-elves, dino-riding halflings, shapeshifters, werefolk, lightning-rails...

So, it's not my cup of potpourri. I still agree it's got the best chance of winning over both fans of Eberron and folks who've never even heard of D&D. It can be D&D without the over-abundance of self-referencing in the original cartoon.

 

[Nifft]

I'd just watch Slayers again.

Cheers, -- N

 

[phindar]

Individual episodes, set in Greyhawk.

I'd feature new stories with every 22-minute show, and pick 4 of the base PHB iconic characters to tackle the quest.

The next show might feature one or two from the last show, or a whole new set of 4, whatever would help tell a good story.

You'd eventually get to know all the iconic characters and know their quirks and the like.

-DM Jeff

This is pretty similar to how the old GI Joe cartoon went. There were the main guys you saw almost every episode (like Duke), and other characters that showed up every other or every third episode, and some that just "guest-starred".

It's kind of hard to imagine a D&D game marketed to 10 year olds for a couple of reasons. The main one is that life-and-death combat is a big part of the D&D game, and the other is the fanbase is a bit older (and some of us are getting older every day).

I'd be pushing for a Cartoon Network/Adult Swim type of show, somewhere between Samurai Jack and Clone Wars (with a healthy dose of Venture Brothers).

 

[Arrgh! Mark!]

Whats up with the calls for Greyhawk? I just don't get it. Just people wanting to see their setting in action?

The "wow" factor of Eberron would be a far better selling point, and has all the journeying into deep dark whatevers to find the seven parts of the macguffin. It just has all the nice politicking of houses, Kunderak gangsters with a hand out (And desperately in need of a soother), and modern conveniences that that also make people smile. Intertextuality is fun, after all.

You could do a 'fantasy' cartoon fairly easily, and with a plot as great as whoever wrote it. But if you want D+D, you want to put in where D+D is at now; a show about teamwork, buddy-banter, bad jokes, running away from stuff you can't fight, beating up stuff you can, and finding the loot.

And then the next episode they've spent it all on beer or useless trinkets sold to them by used airship salesmen.

I think to make it a good show worthy of watching it should have an overall plot - and not just "Get the MacGuffin". characters that change due to the circumstances and grow.

 

[Imp]

Have I been transported to an alternate universe where " early teen " shows like Naruto, GUNDAM and especially Inuyasha, are not filled to the brim with people dying, often in bloody messes?

For reals. Seriously, you don't have to do half the stretching to make a D&D cartoon these days as you would have in the '80s. It's in the culture now.

A character of each class or so, shifting allegiances, kewl weapons (here is where I would want a spiked chain fighter), some recurring scary monsters (a couple dragons, a demon, a mind flayer, a drow), pulp it up a little, cheese it a little, give it a metal intro song and put it on Adult Swim! ooooooh it's forbidden gotta watch

Eberron would be cool, but then you have a lot of setting-related stuff intruding. It would be nice if it worked, but possibly overambitious. May as well make it generic feudal + wilderness + underdark and focus on the cast.

 

[Kaodi]

Also, if there is anything that I have learned from animé, it is that all opening and closing themes should be recorded by popular, succesful artists with great music and good lyrics.

 

[Herobizkit]

Personally, I would love to see either computer-generated "shows" such as Medieval Weapon and Red & Blue as a full-length series, or animated forms of either Knights of the Dinner Table or Order of the Stick.

Of course, if you're looking to reach a broader audience... for myself, Avatar roxxorz. I'm 31, and I LOVE it. It's everything an adventure should be, PLUS it's asian-themed AND has some subtle "today" humour thrown in.

 

[MarkB]

Nevermind taking style tips from anime - just commission the whole show from a major anime house. Hand them a setting bible, the core rulebooks and maybe a tame game designer to put on staff as a creative consultant, retain limited creative control and US / western Europe distribution rights, and let them get on with it. After all, they've been doing this sort of tie-in / conversion work for decades - they're the professionals.

 

[Herobizkit]

Oh, and let me add in that I would love to see this show run on MTV or Comedy Central, and would compare such a show with the humour as seen is shows such as Mission Hill, Clone High, and Drawn Together. It would HAVE to be on Adult Swim to get my vote, unless, of course, it's Avatar Redux.

 

[Kaodi]

Hmmm... BONES, with an Asian Kung Fu Generation theme?