Rick and Morty, the cartoon inspired by Doc Brown and Marty McFly's relationship from the movie Back to the Future, has taken sci-fi comedic nihilism to new highs and lows. The Starter Set, in which the dungeon master plays Rick DMing a Dungeons & Dragons session for his family, has its roots in Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons, a comic series that firmly positions the fantasy tabletop game in the Rickiverse. The first chapter, divided into three parts, is a surprisingly nuanced conversation about what it means to play D&D and makes some barbed commentary about different play styles that will certainly resonate with gamers. Please note that this review contains spoilers!
First and Second Edition
Anyone familiar with Rick Sanchez's dimension-hopping capabilities knows that "playing" D&D can be approached from an infinite number of ways. The first chapter takes three different approaches, beginning with a virtual reality game hacked from Roy: A Life Well Lived in the Blips and Chitz arcade (it first featured in "Mortynight Run").
The reason they get involved in D&D at all? Because Morty wants to impress a girl he met at a hobby shop. This news is very well-received by Rick. It will be a surprise to no one that Rick is also an old school DM:
Third Edition
Rick decides to drag the whole family into the game this time after his granddaughter Summer and daughter Beth both decide they want to play. Instead of a virtual simulation that takes place in the player's mind, Rick makes a hard-light simulation complex. It took him four months to create.
This go round, Rick is still a wizard, Beth is a fighter, Summer is a thief named Winterblade, and Marty takes on the cleric role. Rick makes it VERY clear he hates bards (he made that super clear in the first issue, but he reiterates it here after Marty considers taking the class). They hack and slash their way to glory which is entertaining ... for a little while, until everyone realizes that it's just endless fighting and that Rick's wizard is absurdly overpowered compared to the rest of the party. When they abandon Rick, he proceeds to solo the rest of the dungeon (including the first dracolich I've ever felt sorry for, who responds to Rick's rampage with "excuse me?" before being instantly obliterated). There is a sad moment where Rick, having beaten everything in the dungeon, echoes Conan the King ... slumped alone on his throne and looking bored.
It all comes to an end when Morty does something bard-like, which causes the whole simulation to break down. Also, Jerry's involved.
Fourth Edition
After Morty invokes his right to choose every tenth adventure, he demands Rick take the whole family along (including his dad Jerry). What ensues is an homage to the D&D cartoon that takes place in the Forgotten Realms. It comes complete with a Dungeon Master who shifts between little red-robed character from the cartoon and Chris Perkins, among other celebrity DMs. The Dungeon Master immediately goes to work leveling the playing field. This isn't the first time magic has taken Rick by surprise--he had a similar issue in the animated episode, "Claw and Order," but was able to overcome it with typical Rick ingenuity. Not so in this case, he ends up in a ironic twist as Gee-Whilickers Petalbutt, a 4th level gnome bard.
This go round, Summer is Ari Strongbow, a 6th-level half-elf ranger; Beth is Lyan Amaranthia, a 6th-level wood elf cleric; and Jerry plays Kiir Bravian, a 6th-level half-elf abjuration wizard. Morty returns to play a rogue, 6th-level half orc Keth Silverson.
Although the series frequently follows Rick and Morty's adventures, it's worth pausing to reflect on Jerry's role in the family. As Beth's sometimes husband (depending on the dimension), Jerry is everything Rick is not: meek, cowardly, and not very effective. And yet he has a very strong moral compass that is frequently overshadowed by his incompetence. Not here; in D&D, Jerry is Rick's equal and veteran writers Jim Zub and Patrick Rothfuss use the balance as an opportunity comment on why people play D&D. They use Jerry to share what makes D&D great:
It's clear that the authors have much love for D&D but are clear-eyed enough to see that the game--and its fans--have changed over time. That nostalgia elevates the Rick and Morty comic to a worthy addition on any gamer's shelf.
First and Second Edition
Anyone familiar with Rick Sanchez's dimension-hopping capabilities knows that "playing" D&D can be approached from an infinite number of ways. The first chapter takes three different approaches, beginning with a virtual reality game hacked from Roy: A Life Well Lived in the Blips and Chitz arcade (it first featured in "Mortynight Run").
The reason they get involved in D&D at all? Because Morty wants to impress a girl he met at a hobby shop. This news is very well-received by Rick. It will be a surprise to no one that Rick is also an old school DM:
What commences is a harsh introduction to First Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. Rick calls up his old buddies and they drag Morty along on an adventure. It does not go well:
Despite Morty's misgivings, Rick declares that Morty has in fact passed the test:
And that's how Morty and Rick end up in a virtual reality simulation of Greyhawk (using Second Edition rules). Rick plays Alkazaar the Magnificent, a 36th level wizard. Marty plays a paladin. Things go bad to worse when one of the Blitz and Chits workers unplugs them from the machine. Eventually, Rick and Morty get dumped back into their home reality and are resurrected by a Cthulhu-like janitor named Gary. It's complicated.
Third Edition
Rick decides to drag the whole family into the game this time after his granddaughter Summer and daughter Beth both decide they want to play. Instead of a virtual simulation that takes place in the player's mind, Rick makes a hard-light simulation complex. It took him four months to create.
This go round, Rick is still a wizard, Beth is a fighter, Summer is a thief named Winterblade, and Marty takes on the cleric role. Rick makes it VERY clear he hates bards (he made that super clear in the first issue, but he reiterates it here after Marty considers taking the class). They hack and slash their way to glory which is entertaining ... for a little while, until everyone realizes that it's just endless fighting and that Rick's wizard is absurdly overpowered compared to the rest of the party. When they abandon Rick, he proceeds to solo the rest of the dungeon (including the first dracolich I've ever felt sorry for, who responds to Rick's rampage with "excuse me?" before being instantly obliterated). There is a sad moment where Rick, having beaten everything in the dungeon, echoes Conan the King ... slumped alone on his throne and looking bored.
It all comes to an end when Morty does something bard-like, which causes the whole simulation to break down. Also, Jerry's involved.
Fourth Edition
Fifth Edition
After Morty invokes his right to choose every tenth adventure, he demands Rick take the whole family along (including his dad Jerry). What ensues is an homage to the D&D cartoon that takes place in the Forgotten Realms. It comes complete with a Dungeon Master who shifts between little red-robed character from the cartoon and Chris Perkins, among other celebrity DMs. The Dungeon Master immediately goes to work leveling the playing field. This isn't the first time magic has taken Rick by surprise--he had a similar issue in the animated episode, "Claw and Order," but was able to overcome it with typical Rick ingenuity. Not so in this case, he ends up in a ironic twist as Gee-Whilickers Petalbutt, a 4th level gnome bard.
This go round, Summer is Ari Strongbow, a 6th-level half-elf ranger; Beth is Lyan Amaranthia, a 6th-level wood elf cleric; and Jerry plays Kiir Bravian, a 6th-level half-elf abjuration wizard. Morty returns to play a rogue, 6th-level half orc Keth Silverson.
Although the series frequently follows Rick and Morty's adventures, it's worth pausing to reflect on Jerry's role in the family. As Beth's sometimes husband (depending on the dimension), Jerry is everything Rick is not: meek, cowardly, and not very effective. And yet he has a very strong moral compass that is frequently overshadowed by his incompetence. Not here; in D&D, Jerry is Rick's equal and veteran writers Jim Zub and Patrick Rothfuss use the balance as an opportunity comment on why people play D&D. They use Jerry to share what makes D&D great:
At one point Rick berates Beth for incorporating a prophecy into her backstory. The Dungeon Master's response:
After asking what everyone really wants, the the Dungeon Master sends the adventurers go on a quest to save a little girl. There are several twists in the story, but the plot is really about the Jerry vs. Rick dynamic:
This dialogue feels like a response to the toxic elements of Rick and Morty fandom that views Rick as a role model, but it's also railing against the types of players who embody Rick's style of play, the chaotic neutral jerk.
It's clear that the authors have much love for D&D but are clear-eyed enough to see that the game--and its fans--have changed over time. That nostalgia elevates the Rick and Morty comic to a worthy addition on any gamer's shelf.
