So how stupid is this campaign idea?

[barsoomcore]

I've heard of worse ideas, I can assure you.

Heck, I've RUN worse ideas.

I think it's madly stupid but I'd have fun with it. As long as AFTER I get the FREE level in whatever class I can go ahead and do what I want with my character, it's all good.

I'd do up the d20 Modern characters ahead of time and let the players pick who they want to play. Then they won't be quite so attached to the characters and thus won't feel so, er, violated, when you slap a new class on them.

I would also make the amusement park an adventure in its own right -- maybe have them confront Venger THERE, and follow him into the fantasy world. But that would build up the surprise a little -- convince them they're actually playing a d20 Modern game and then yank the rug out from under them.

 

[demiurge1138]

I like BSC's idea to meet Venger first in the real world. And I'd definitely allow the players to make their own characters, instead of shoehorning them into the characters from the original show. Also, I'd lessen the role of the Dungeon Master. He should act more as a sage and advisor than a railroading tool, although he could get a little railroady if they need the help. Because, really, the joy of this sort of game is in how real people would behave if thrown into the D&D world and started meeting interesting people, being attacked by interesting monsters, and getting interesting loot off of interesting corpses.

And Venger a tiefling? I would swear he was an old-school cambion.

Demiurge out.

 

[Virel]

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo - Ask them to try it for like one session and to continue if they like it.

I've set my players up once with pre-gen/stat'd characters for a 3 session mini-campaign. They ended up liking the characters enough to keep playing them for about a year or so. I tried very hard to tailor the pre-gens to what I thought was each players "favorite" type of character.

I've been thinking about a similar 3 session mini-campaign where each player has to play a cleric. My group dislikes playing clerics so I think this could be a challenge.

 

[Whimsical]

I think that this would make a great one-shot. Such as for a gaming convention or just to have your gaming group take a break for a session or two. Pregen all of the characters, hand them out, then run them through a few scenarios derived from the cartoon episodes. Just make sure that you communicate to your players that this is just a light-hearted and fun homage to your common nostalgic memories of the cartoon.

I've contemplated running an epic level version of the D&D cartoon party for a gaming convention, imagining that they found a way home after all that they have gone through, went through college, entered challenging risky occupations, such as spying or special forces (since they are all essentially combat veterans) then came back to the D&D plane to bring some serious hurt to the forces of evil. Uni would be a full unicorn with many cleric levels (none of the cartoon characters were allowed to use magical healing, or even allowed to use magic reliably; didn't want to upset the bible belt) Bobby's club would grow him to Colossal-size when he started to wield it, treating Large and Huge threats like golfballs. Something like Sauron at the beginning of the Lord of the Rings movie, but bigger. Shiela's cloak could teleport herself and anyone else around her (as it magically grew and wrapped around those around her instantly at will. Eric would actually have a cool flying mount (possibly dragon or just a buffed pegasus) and a new thunderlance. Remeber Neo vs. the agent Smiths in the second Matrix movie? That would be Diana. She would also be able to dodge a colossal giant's attack while jumping onto the club, run up his arm and start attacking his head while always perfectly balancing on its head and shoulders. Presto would actually cast spells as a full level wizard without needing the hat. But he could use the hat to conjure items reliably. I imagine that while he's focusing on a section of the battleground, a red dragon is flying low charging him from behind. the instant that he's about to rip into presto, he summons a massive wall of iron directly behind himself without even looking which causes the dragon to smash himself into it at full velocity. Presto doesn't even look fazed. It would be tough to improve on Hank's Bow of Infinite Wishes, but I would think of something.

Hey, I like thinking epic!

 

[warlord]

I'm sorry, but that idea is about as dumb as Napolean Dynamite cool once horribly annoying every time after. I mean do not realize how bad the D&D cartoon really was and dragging Elminster into it is the role-playing Kiss of Death.