D&D 5E Is Dragons of Stormwreck Isle Based on the 80s D&D Cartoon?

We've known about the new starter set for D&D, Dragons of Stormwreck Isle, for some time, but we've known precious little about the boxed set.

The folks over at comic book.com have a theory, though -- they posit that the adventure is based on the 1980s Dungeons & Dragon cartoon. Looking closely at the cover art (which is very blurry) it looks a lot like Hank the ranger with his energy bow, and Diana the acrobat leaping over the dragon's lightning breath, while the one piece of interior art we can see features somebody with a glowing shield -- the signature magic item of Eric the cavalier in the cartoon.

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But that's not the only clue! WotC has been teasing the cartoon in various social media posts over the last couple of weeks, as has D&D Beyond.

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The cartoon ran in the 1980s and featured a group of children who found themselves in the magic world of Dungeons & Dragons, and were granted magical items by the mysterious Dungeon Master. Those children became Hank the ranger, Eric the cavalier, Diana the acrobat, Presto the magician, Shelia the thief, and Bobby the barbarian. The show also featured Uni the unicorn, plus the Dungeon Master, the villain Venger, and, of course Tiamat the 5-headed dragon.

A couple of years ago, a Brazilian car commercial featured a live action version of the D&D cartoon heroes.

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[LuisCarlos17f]

Almost off-topic. There is a new videogame imitating the spirit of 80's cartoons. I guess this is an example about how would be a new D&D cartoon.


My idea is is each season with a different group (allowing to introduce no-human heroes: gnomes, aasimars, genasi), and I suggest in some episodes to add mash-up version of other D&D franchises, even when this was forgotten, for example in one they go to Gamma World and return to the "Realm".

Maybe the "Realm" is a nexus demiplane with planar gates to other worlds.

 

[Nathaniel Lee]

I remember thinking Warduke was so unbelievably badass as a kid. I mean how can you not love that helmet?!? It’s a shame he canonically has such a one-note personality in Witchlight. I may have juice him up a bit if I ever get around to running that adventure.

I mean, that was pretty much Boba Fett's whole shtick.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

I'm probably in the minority here, but I think it's going to be an homage rather than a full "reboot" into TTRPG that some folks are suggesting.

An homage in that the box may contain some pre-generated characters, that are essentially the characters from the TV show. And include some locations and enemies that mimic areas/adventures from the show. But I don't really expect the actual Venger, Dungeon Master (or much less, Tiamat herself) to make appearances. Maybe little hints or characters that mimic them in some ways.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Almost off-topic. There is a new videogame imitating the spirit of 80's cartoons. I guess this is an example about how would be a new D&D cartoon.


My idea is is each season with a different group (allowing to introduce no-human heroes: gnomes, aasimars, genasi), and I suggest in some episodes to add mash-up version of other D&D franchises, even when this was forgotten, for example in one they go to Gamma World and return to the "Realm".

Maybe the "Realm" is a nexus demiplane with planar gates to other worlds.

I looked this game up hoping for Shadows of Mystara, and got this instead... not my forte.

 

[Undrave]

I'm probably in the minority here, but I think it's going to be an homage rather than a full "reboot" into TTRPG that some folks are suggesting.

An homage in that the box may contain some pre-generated characters, that are essentially the characters from the TV show. And include some locations and enemies that mimic areas/adventures from the show. But I don't really expect the actual Venger, Dungeon Master (or much less, Tiamat herself) to make appearances. Maybe little hints or characters that mimic them in some ways.

Maybe the magical items too.

 

[Parmandur]

I'm probably in the minority here, but I think it's going to be an homage rather than a full "reboot" into TTRPG that some folks are suggesting.

An homage in that the box may contain some pre-generated characters, that are essentially the characters from the TV show. And include some locations and enemies that mimic areas/adventures from the show. But I don't really expect the actual Venger, Dungeon Master (or much less, Tiamat herself) to make appearances. Maybe little hints or characters that mimic them in some ways.

That was what I thought when the box art first leaked, and people said it looked like the cartoon characters.

Then D&D social media started dropping cartoon references left, right, and center. Then new carton merchandise started being announced, such ad the Venger Halloween mask. Then the Dungeon Master is coming to Idle Champions. Now I suspect we are seeing the tip of the iceberg for a much bigger marketing putsch.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

This can't be only a revival of the D&D cartoon, maybe in Disney+, but so many references to the 80's show can't be only a reboot or spin-off. Here the goal is to revive the merchancising about the old show

A hypothesis could be really DM's pupils returned to home, and later they arrived to the Realm by a different way, because they didn't want to ride in a amusement park atraction ever again.

A partnership with Capcom for a new videogame? Today the market is not so interested into a third of "shadow over Mystara".

 

[Urriak Uruk]

This can't be only a revival of the D&D cartoon, maybe in Disney+, but so many references to the 80's show can't be only a reboot or spin-off. Here the goal is to revive the merchancising about the old show

I'm fairly certain that D&D/Hasbro have a pretty good, concrete contract with Paramount Pictures, and I doubt either party is interested in changing that. Streaming is always possible, but it'd go to Paramount+.

That was what I thought when the box art first leaked, and people said it looked like the cartoon characters.

Then D&D social media started dropping cartoon references left, right, and center. Then new carton merchandise started being announced, such ad the Venger Halloween mask. Then the Dungeon Master is coming to Idle Champions. Now I suspect we are seeing the tip of the iceberg for a much bigger marketing putsch.

Eh, maybe. Thing is a matter of tone to me. The box, and images, look mostly like standard 5E "slay the monster" fare. The tv show is... much less violent? Like there's violence, but it's a bit more PG than PG-13 like most D&D is. And the adventure itself, plus the image of the dragons fighting, looks more like generic D&D like Phandelver than the cartoon. If Venger was on the cover I'd be more inclined to agree, but this doesn't seem like more than an homage to me.

The other stuff just seems like easy branding for the D&D social media and merchandise team to leverage. I'm surprised they weren't using it years ago (and they kind of were).

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Hasbro and Paramount had got a partnership deal, and this would end soon, but maybe the agree an "open relation". We don't know what could be happening behind the curtains. I love to tell crazy theories about future mergers and aquisitions, but we should be prudent. Only I dare to say 2022 will be a really busy year for entertaiment industry.

Maybe Hasbro bought the trademark of the show. And a licencing with Warner could a rebooted version of "Pirates of the Dark Waters" to become a D&D setting.

 

[Rikka66]

This can't be only a revival of the D&D cartoon, maybe in Disney+, but so many references to the 80's show can't be only a reboot or spin-off. Here the goal is to revive the merchancising about the old show

Not only can it be that, but it could be even less than that.