Dungeons and Dragons – the Cartoon

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Running over two years for 27 episodes, Dungeons and Dragons is a classic example of cult TV was an attempt to bring the D&D franchise to a wider audience. During its run it was criticised for being too violent, having occult content and generally being misunderstood by adults.

The quality of the animation, voice-overs and music are excellent. The stories are really quite original too. The only drawback might be trying to get your head around the weapons and character classes of the characters if you are used to the D&Dverse.

Perhaps the most interesting little tidbit about this show – Eric the Cavalier is voiced by Don Most, or as most would know him, Ralph Malph from Happy Days.

The show is available on DVD in the UK and USA, but for some reason we have to wait here in Oz for a while longer…

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About RupertG

RupertG has been playing roleplaying games ever since he discovered Dragon Warriors at the age of 12. Since those days he has played many different RPG's, collected not insignificant Dwarf and Tomb Kings armies for Warhammer Fantasy Battles and even worked as a games designer in the heady days of the late 90's building a CCG. Now he runs a gaming blog and is a participant in the Grand Gaming Experiment
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  • Cuchulain

    I remember sneaking a few minutes of this show on Sunday mornings. It always seemed like such a magical, wonderful show – especially as we weren’t allowed to watch it! Now it’s all on Youtube. I’m going to have to spend a few happy hours watching it all.

    Unfortunately, the final episode was never produced. I believe it appears on the original script writer’s webpage – oh wait, - here it is - and apparently it has been done as a radio play on the DVD, which has only made it on region 1 and 2, if I’m not mistaken.

  • Cuchulain

    I remember sneaking a few minutes of this show on Sunday mornings. It always seemed like such a magical, wonderful show – especially as we weren’t allowed to watch it! Now it’s all on Youtube. I’m going to have to spend a few happy hours watching it all.

    Unfortunately, the final episode was never produced. I believe it appears on the original script writer’s webpage – oh wait, - here it is - and apparently it has been done as a radio play on the DVD, which has only made it on region 1 and 2, if I’m not mistaken.

  • http://www.diceofdoom.com RupertG

    I have always loved this show. I thought it was really well done for the time and didn’t have such plastic characters like He-Man and the like did…

  • http://www.diceofdoom.com RupertG

    I have always loved this show. I thought it was really well done for the time and didn’t have such plastic characters like He-Man and the like did…

  • Miss T

    This place looks like somewhere out of Better Homes and Gargoyles…. LOL

    THAT’S too violent?? Far out… There are so much more violent cartoons out these days

  • Miss T

    This place looks like somewhere out of Better Homes and Gargoyles…. LOL

    THAT’S too violent?? Far out… There are so much more violent cartoons out these days

  • http://www.diceofdoom.com RupertG

    Yeah, it was listed as being the most violent show for children in 1985 by the National Coalition on Television Violence. When you think of what was to come later in TV shows for kids, this seems really quite tame…

  • http://www.diceofdoom.com RupertG

    Yeah, it was listed as being the most violent show for children in 1985 by the National Coalition on Television Violence. When you think of what was to come later in TV shows for kids, this seems really quite tame…

  • Cuchulain

    Before coming to work today, the kids were watching a program that had a proper (stylized) brawl, people punching each other etc. Nothing like that on D&D.

  • Cuchulain

    Before coming to work today, the kids were watching a program that had a proper (stylized) brawl, people punching each other etc. Nothing like that on D&D.

  • http://www.diceofdoom.com RupertG

    Nope… yet it was a big big deal… He-Man and Thundercats and other cartoons that were contemporary with the show I would have thought were much much worse… all well…

  • http://www.diceofdoom.com RupertG

    Nope… yet it was a big big deal… He-Man and Thundercats and other cartoons that were contemporary with the show I would have thought were much much worse… all well…

  • Cuchulain

    It probably had to do with the connection with the game of the same name and the fear and misunderstanding going on around that time.

  • Cuchulain

    It probably had to do with the connection with the game of the same name and the fear and misunderstanding going on around that time.

  • http://www.diceofdoom.com RupertG

    Well, that certainly had something to do with it as well…

  • http://www.diceofdoom.com RupertG

    Well, that certainly had something to do with it as well…

  • Cuchulain

    Well, I’ve finally managed to start catching up on these shows. Making up for lost time! They’re actually really quite good fun, although I’ve always thought the weaponry etc. is rather lack-lustre. Just not “real” enough for me I suppose. Gritty RP has been my game since the beginning, I guess!

  • Cuchulain

    Well, I’ve finally managed to start catching up on these shows. Making up for lost time! They’re actually really quite good fun, although I’ve always thought the weaponry etc. is rather lack-lustre. Just not “real” enough for me I suppose. Gritty RP has been my game since the beginning, I guess!

  • http://www.diceofdoom.com RupertG

    Yeah – one of the only complaints I had about the show was the weaponry… It just didn’t seem realistic enough. You can understand it from a story perspective, but a Cavalier with only a shield? Just didn’t work that well for me…

  • http://www.diceofdoom.com RupertG

    Yeah – one of the only complaints I had about the show was the weaponry… It just didn’t seem realistic enough. You can understand it from a story perspective, but a Cavalier with only a shield? Just didn’t work that well for me…

  • Cuchulain

    Which is a bit peculiar – I think it’s episode 3 where the Cavalier thinks he’s frightened away a big monster with his “weapon.” I know shields were used as weapons, but as presented, it’s never used offensively in the show.

    I thought the token minority – the “acrobat” – was also somewhat tasteless. Dress her up in furs, make her athletic – smacks of the whole “noble savage” thing. And she never takes centre stage in the show, her dialogue almost solely restricted to riffing on the Cavalier.

    But then again I haven’t watched them all yet.

  • Cuchulain

    Which is a bit peculiar – I think it’s episode 3 where the Cavalier thinks he’s frightened away a big monster with his “weapon.” I know shields were used as weapons, but as presented, it’s never used offensively in the show.

    I thought the token minority – the “acrobat” – was also somewhat tasteless. Dress her up in furs, make her athletic – smacks of the whole “noble savage” thing. And she never takes centre stage in the show, her dialogue almost solely restricted to riffing on the Cavalier.

    But then again I haven’t watched them all yet.

  • English King

    It is no worse than online gameslike runescape or wow which cause hate and fighting, drug talk sex talk. And no worse than the crap they show on tv lately.

  • lightning

    Yeah I dont like the weapons i also like gritty rpg and this is not that at all

  • http://diceofdoom.com RupertG

    The show was released at the height of the whole Pat Pulling debacle (if you don’t know the story, it’s worth looking up on Wikipedia). There’s a good chance that, what we can loosely call the religious right, had it in for the show from the start and used the violence angle to get it pulled from TV. The growing concern with violence on TV was a cause that was also just gaining ground at the time. With those two strikes against it, it’s hardly surprising it got the criticism that it did.

    As for the show itself – it’s all in good fun – not the type of game that I’d run or play in, but a bit of a laugh none-the-less… :)