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Dungeons & Dragons Cartoon

ginger_hammerginger_hammer Member Posts: 160
edited October 2012 in Off-Topic
Did anyone else watch this cartoon as a kid? When a group of friends are on a rollercoaster and end up getting sucked into fantasy land? I remember an an invisible woman, a kid with a club, a guy with sword and shield and a girl with a fire bow and arrow. Oh and that annoying unicorn thing! The bad guy had one horn, and I remember them in a dragon bone graveyeard or something. Was my favourite cartoon back as a kid.

Comments

  • Metal_HurlantMetal_Hurlant Member Posts: 324
    Decided to check this out. Will watch this on channel BT and see what it's like.
  • scriverscriver Member Posts: 2,072
    Ayup, I remember it. Didn't follow it myself since it didn't air on Swedish television, but my aunt had satellite tv (or whatever) and taped many of those good old shows for me and my brother. Didn't see many parts, but it stuck with me.

    You forgot about the kid wizard with the magical hat though. And Dungeon Master! of course. Damn he was annoying.
  • CharlytanCharlytan Member Posts: 27
    I totally remember the cartoon. lol, I used to wake up in the early mornings just to watch it. Mmm, back then, I thought it was so amazing, but when I watched the series again at an older age. It suddenly dawned on me that there were several issues with it that went against the D&D rules. (Not to say it wasn’t great or anything, it was just a true early 80’s cartoon.)

    Hm hm hm, the girl had an invisible cloak, but she only ever used it a handful of times. Assuming it was 1/day, I would have abused it every day! O.O

    It’s too bad, they never returned home either. >.< The series ended mid-way through the adventure. I remember it was building up to a climax, and suddenly the show was just cancelled.
  • ginger_hammerginger_hammer Member Posts: 160
    Forever trapped in the d&d world!!
  • mlnevesemlnevese Member, Moderator Posts: 10,214
    There's a script for the last episodes, that were never produced btw, out there. They discover the villain was the son of the Dungeon Master, redeem him and are finally given a choice of returning home or staying there. The script didn't say what their choice was as it was supposed to be a hook for a following season if renewed.
  • vorticanvortican Member Posts: 206
    This was a great cartoon and you can buy the whole series on TV at places like Target or Wal-Mart. It was pretty cool.
  • ZraenianZraenian Member Posts: 26
    My god how awfull was that in retrospect! It was a crappy story, with way to much "moral".

    And that for only 27 episodes. But as a kid it did impress a lot.
  • BrudeBrude Member Posts: 560
    Haha, yep. My friends and I all agreed it was severely stupid, but we still watched it every week just the same.

    Only thing I remember is that one kid was from a wealthy family and was supposed to be a cavalier. He was the snotty brat of the bunch, kinda like a cartoon Blair Warner or Cordelia Chase.

    Every time I hear 'cavalier,' especially in a DnD context, I think about that kid.
  • mlnevesemlnevese Member, Moderator Posts: 10,214
    edited October 2012
    Someone should mod the items they used into BG. Some of them were quite impressive, as the shield and club, for instance. :)
    Post edited by mlnevese on
  • LadyRhianLadyRhian Member Posts: 14,694
    edited October 2012
    (Puts on nerd hat) I have the entire series on DVD. And yes, I watched it religiously back in the day. Several of the characters were opposite-ville, like the Cavalier being a terrible coward, and the Barbarian being an 8 year old kid with a club. Requisite cute animal companion being Uni the Unicorn. I think my favorite was the Ranger's bow, which created a magic string and arrows every time it was used. And The comic relief magic user, who had a magic hat he could pull stuff out of, but never what he wanted. Once he pulled out a living Dragon's head... and had to stuff it back into the hat before it breathed on the party.

    The Bad Guy's name was Venger, and I believe they based the mortal form of Paladine on the Dungeon Master character, who like all really wise and powerful characters, could only speak in riddles and allusion, making the players grind their teeth into powder. And they did get to go home in one episode, but Venger followed them, and they had to lure him back into the portal by going in themselves.

    And no, I haven't watched it in ages. Why do you ask? (Takes off nerd hat). B-b
    Post edited by LadyRhian on
  • rexregrexreg Member Posts: 292
    You must gather your party before Venger-ing forth.
  • DJKajuruDJKajuru Member Posts: 3,300
    I remember Tiamat kicking Venger's ass =D
  • TheCoffeeGodTheCoffeeGod Member Posts: 618
    image
  • BelgarathMTHBelgarathMTH Member Posts: 5,653
    I was a college student when this cartoon was airing, and was very into "serious" D&D playing. I hated that it was played for children, with a heavy dose of comedy and silliness. But still, I watched it, just because it was the only televised offering for D&D fans at the time.

    Ah, how excited I would have been if I could have looked into the future, and seen promotional trailers for Hercules, Xena, Charmed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries, Smallville, Star Trek: TNG, Deep Space Nine, Enterprise, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and so many, many others.

    The early 1980's were such a desert of slim pickings for hi-fantasy and sci-fi fans! Was there *anything* worthwhile back then?

    In the 1970's, we had Six Million Dollar Man, Bionic Woman, and Wonder Woman. Then, the '80's. Almost nothing. Besides this D&D cartoon, I remember He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Nothing else.

    I wonder if the amount of imaginative, supernatural high-fantasy on TV in any given Zeitgeist/decade has to do with politics? (Kennedy, lots of fantasy TV. Nixson, Ford, deadly serious TV. Carter, lots of fantasy TV. Reagan, Bush I, almost nothing. Clinton, fantasy TV makes a comeback. Bush II, so ineffective he doesn't make any impact, thank goodness. Obama, the presence of fantasy TV proliferates). Something to think about. LOL.
  • LadyRhianLadyRhian Member Posts: 14,694
    @Belgarathmth Fantasy cartoons? I remember Blackstar, and in the seventies, there was Isis, The Powers of Matthew Star, Space: 1999, Reruns of Star Trek: TOS, Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, Project Blue Book, There was the Star Trek Animated Series, which was pretty good, and if you were into British TV, there were tons of Sci-Fi shows to watch: Doctor Who, Sapphire and Steel, UFO, Thunderbirds, Tomorrow People...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slYW7kkHyI4

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJraUDqN6u4

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WZW4groJro (Season One, broadcast mostly in the UK)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gjHmEUiaxo

    There was the Man from Atlantis...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Smj78NAme9M

    The Incredible Hulk...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoILzi5thYg

    The Fantastic Journey...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SauJnxxn1M

    The Invisible Man...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L4H5JlPf1M

    The Magician, about a stage magician who solved crimes...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu7W0DKndek

    Battlestar Galactica (The original)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHD1uPVkyk0

    Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BINijYepahA
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO8kFHCXiEg

    Salvage 1, with Andy Griffith

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mR-gz9EFO8

    Quark

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIXlSMsndp0

    And there were tons of Anime (although no one called it that back then). Star Blazers, G-Force/Battle of the Planets, Speed Racer, Captain Harlock, Galaxy 999, and lots of stuff from the 60's still floating around.

    And don't forget the Spiderman TV shows starring Nicholas Rowe, Logan's Run, and Future Cop. Not all of them lasted very long, but they were there. And that's just the 70's! The 80's had programs like Manimal, M.A.N.T.I.S., The Phoenix, Q.E.D., Voyagers, Automan, Photon (based on the game), Blake's 7 (British), The Transformers cartoon, Tripods, V, Starman, Max Headroom, Star Cops...
  • BrudeBrude Member Posts: 560

    I was a college student when this cartoon was airing, and was very into "serious" D&D playing. I hated that it was played for children, with a heavy dose of comedy and silliness. But still, I watched it, just because it was the only televised offering for D&D fans at the time.

    Ah, how excited I would have been if I could have looked into the future, and seen promotional trailers for Hercules, Xena, Charmed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries, Smallville, Star Trek: TNG, Deep Space Nine, Enterprise, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and so many, many others.

    The early 1980's were such a desert of slim pickings for hi-fantasy and sci-fi fans! Was there *anything* worthwhile back then?

    In the 1970's, we had Six Million Dollar Man, Bionic Woman, and Wonder Woman. Then, the '80's. Almost nothing. Besides this D&D cartoon, I remember He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Nothing else.

    I wonder if the amount of imaginative, supernatural high-fantasy on TV in any given Zeitgeist/decade has to do with politics? (Kennedy, lots of fantasy TV. Nixson, Ford, deadly serious TV. Carter, lots of fantasy TV. Reagan, Bush I, almost nothing. Clinton, fantasy TV makes a comeback. Bush II, so ineffective he doesn't make any impact, thank goodness. Obama, the presence of fantasy TV proliferates). Something to think about. LOL.

    I like this post quite a bit but I have to quibble a bit -- it's true that high fantasy didn't hit its stride until much later, but the 1980s had a pretty strong output of low fantasy/ sword & sorcery, eg Conan, Beastmaster, etc.

    As for sci fi, seriously? In the US, 1982 had Blade Runner, The Thing, Tron, ET, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and The Road Warrior. Several of those movies debuted within two weeks of one another during the summer!
  • LadyRhianLadyRhian Member Posts: 14,694
    And don't forget Wizards and Warriors. That was on then, too. Okay, yes, it was played for laughs, but it was there.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwvMqoDdfCU

    And there was the Fire and Ice film, based on art by Frank Frazetta: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sz-yLWGaIxM

    The animated version of the Hobbit, of course, with rotoscoped animation. And the Rankin-Bass Return of the King.
  • PeccaPecca Member Posts: 2,215
    I love Fire and Ice, and also The Dark Crystal. 80's movies.
  • BelgarathMTHBelgarathMTH Member Posts: 5,653
    edited October 2012
    @LadyRhian, @Pecca, @Brude, Wow, I was a fan of almost all that stuff. I guess I forgot a lot of it.

    In defense of what I said, I was referring mostly to TV, not the movies, and the "dry spell" I meant was the (middle and late)1980's, not the 1970's. But I was probably a bit careless in the comment. Thanks for reminding me of all that great entertainment that us "old folks" had.

    Has anyone mentioned Buck Rogers in the 25th Century? I watched that one, too. I had a bit of a crush on Gil Gerard.

    Let's see, the late 1970's also had a show called "The Fantastic Journey", where a family from the futuristic 2000's got caught in an interdimensional teleportation network managed by, of all things, a big throbbing brain in a glass case (it was the main villain - it was trying to catch them and kill them, which was why they kept fleeing through the gates, but could never figure out how to set one for home.) It only lasted one season.

    Sorry, I didn't mean to derail the thread. It was supposed to just be about the D&D cartoon. But I thought that the topic kind of logically leads to wanting to talk about other related shows in the genre.

    EDIT: I was reviewing all the posts, and I see now that @LadyRhian did in fact post the Buck Rogers show. Wow, what a memory trip!
  • ginger_hammerginger_hammer Member Posts: 160
    edited October 2012
    I used to love the original battlestar galactica. That also reminded me of Jason and the wheeled warriors for some strange reason, and that Terrorhawks with the scary witch woman (Zelda?) and the circle/square things.
  • mlnevesemlnevese Member, Moderator Posts: 10,214
    The original Galactica was quite nice. The opening theme is unforgettable, as Stargate's one
  • ginger_hammerginger_hammer Member Posts: 160
    haha - from that list I remember Thundercats (obviously!) - hoooooooo!, defenders of the earth and mask.

    Good retro cartoon skills :)
  • LadyRhianLadyRhian Member Posts: 14,694
    @Ginger_hammer Thanks! I love the C.O.P.S. intro. I watched that for the short time it was on. The main character (the Black Guy who does most of the talking in the intro) is a Federal agent named Vess, nickname "Bulletproof" He gets nearly blown away in the first episode by Big Boss's gang and ends up with a metal-sheathed chest and torso, hence the moniker "Bulletproof". Yes, he's "Bulletproof" Vess. You can groan now. Most of the other characters had similarly themed nicknames. HardTop, Mace, Barricade, Bullseye, and so on.

    But my favorite was probably the Galaxy Rangers. The main Ranger, Zachary Fox, was voiced by the same actor who played Lenny Briscoe in Law and Order. It was a fun series- the old West among the stars.
  • rexregrexreg Member Posts: 292
    edited October 2012
    @LadyRhian...thanx for the trip down amnesia lane...
    as a quick aside, the animated Hobbit & The Return of the King were both Rankin-Bass; the first Lord of the Rings movie was done w/ rotoscope...
    my favourite cartoon was....
    http://youtu.be/p-8TPrEU3nU
    &
    this gem seems to have been forgotten...
    http://youtu.be/nCpScBIm0lk

    &, lastly...
    http://youtu.be/SaB19auvjc8
  • LadyRhianLadyRhian Member Posts: 14,694
    @Rexreg I remember those. I also used to watch Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, with Witchypoo. And my favorite characters from "Land of the Lost" were Chakka and the Sleestak, although there was one episode where Holly gets trapped inside one of those pyramid-like portal rooms (with the board of crystals that controlled them) and gets rescued by an older, blonde woman, who at the end, we find out is Holly herself from the future.

    I have to admit, though, my favorite show was British and could only be seen on UHF stations.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Omm16abxjYI
  • FigrutFigrut Member Posts: 109
    I still think Conan the Adventurer cartoon is extremely underated even though the phoenix is the worse thing to have ever happened. *slams tender parts in door*. Yep, that phoenix is still the worse thing that has ever happened. Krull aka "D&D The Movie" is a must watch for any once 1st edition player. It captures so much. Felt like sitting in on a game.
  • LadyRhianLadyRhian Member Posts: 14,694
    Weirdest cartoon ever. They started with this:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRdvXBFaBMQ

    And ended at this:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Pch_77AX08

    The 70s turned EVERYTHING into a cartoon:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKvFe8c5btE

    The intro to this one was sung by Menudo. Remember them?
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYs_GCy9PRk

    You may think I am joking when I say EVERYTHING. I'm not:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sGOfWP2bWk

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtW6wS3z97Q

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiKN6uRsTM0

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TooCr9mAfaI

    And this was another series from the minds of Sid and Marty Kroft. Sometimes, i think everyone in the 70's was on drugs. It would make this TONS easier to explain...
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtD4mn9CeH4
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