# Thoughts on: Dungeons and Dragons 2483 tags: #thoughts #game/rpg/dungeons-and-dragons #game/rpg/starforged ![[DandD Ride.png]] In, perhaps, what is a vain effort to [[Thoughts on Rewriting The Acolyte|avoid rewriting what is probably one of the greatest abominations pushed on human eyeballs in decades]], I've turned my mind slightly to thinking about rewriting. Or, more accurately, extending one of the greatest pieces of literature in the last 40 years. By that, what I mean is [the 1984 **Dungeons & Dragons** cartoon](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW8q9E0mB4_GgHu9cj7w6lItvJJUDo3dl).  *"Lex,"* I hear you say, *"you don't even like **[[Dungeons and Dragons|Dungeons & Dragons]]**, why would you even think about such a thing?"* It's very simple. While I don't particularly care for **D&D**, the cartoon really is the distillate of the *idea* of the game as it existed in the public perception at the time. I absolutely *adore* the cartoon. In part because of the straightforward and classy writing, because of the simple and straightforward plotting, because of the greater arcs that exist between and betwixt what looks like simple stories of good and evil. But you're right; I prefer science fiction to fantasy. But … Hold on. *Insert scene of Lex digging through his pile of books.* **[[Ironsworn - Starforged|Starforged]]: [[Ironsworn - Starforged|Sundered Isles]]** explicitly has a section on doing a *Starfaring Realm* game. ![[Starfaring Realm (excerpt).png]] That *does* have a lot of thematic overlap with one of my favorite **D&D** settings, **[[Spelljammer]]** … And lets me say [[i-fucking-love-illithid|I Fucking Love Illithid]]. That could work. There is a never produced script for a final episode of the cartoon which would have tied up several of the plot threads and saw the kids get home, and it's a pity that it never saw the light of day. Well, that's not completely true… The script is floating around out there. And if you have a script, you have a fan-made production. It's an iron rule of the Internet.[^bible]  That's a lot of set up but how could we actually make this work as an extension of continuity using the mechanics that we have available but with certain changes which inevitably come with 40 years of game and narrative development? Fleshing that out entirely would probably take a *series* of articles (ones which I still haven't completely avoided thinking about). But as notes: - The story begins a couple of years after the end of *Requiem*, pushing the ages of our heroes up into their early 20s for most of them. - Presto has stayed behind in the Forgotten Realms under the tutelage of Dungeon Master's son Merlin. - The first "episode" begins with the remaining party getting together to celebrate their return to the real world with a ride on Space Mountain^[Or appropriate serial-numbers off renaming for branding purposes.] among general laughter. - Their ride is once again interrupted by trans-dimensional magic, dumping them out unceremoniously and a little bit roughly on what's clearly the amusement park they started in with centuries of decay and probably a couple of world wars in there. - They work their way out of the park, discovering some of the history of the Earth along the way and encountering unusual magitech constructions. - When they reach the exit, they find Presto waiting for them, wearing full wizard regalia and a slightly exaggerated version of his original hat. - He welcomes them in a way similar to that of Dungeon Master originally in the first episode and presents to them their original relics. - He reminds them that they promised to return if there was need of them again and they point out that this isn't the Realms but the future which Presto corrects to "a future." - Humanoid robot constructs begin to attack and force the group to follow Presto who leads them to a magitech ship named the Unicorn which surprisingly immediately bonds to Eric and refers to him as "Captain". - The party boards the ship and escapes the robots narrowly as Bobby discovers that the Unicorn has the personality of Uni and has the ability to operate a companion bot which looks much like Uni did when they left the Realms.^[My perversity makes me want to go full anime on this and have the actual Uni bound into the ship's core as its guiding intelligence.] - The first episode/session ends with Presto looking grim, staring out at the ethereal stars, and announcing that they have to go find someone who has been lost entirely too long. **Big Changes** - Both Venger and Dungeon Master are AI's. - DM is an AI left by the ancient Precursors who ended up using human technology to develop what he expected to be a companion AI but it went rogue. - Both of them lead factions who don't actually know who's in charge but are oppositional across the Isles. - Dungeon Master is usually seeking more control, centralization, regularization, and predictability. - Venger is usually pushing for more chaos, unpredictability, individuality, and freedom. - Of course, individual worlds may have their own interests and factions, trade organizations and polities, which makes everything more complicated. - Inspirations for visuals and styles would not only be **Spelljammer** but likewise **Thundarr the Barbarian**, perhaps more so.  - At the end of the first major arc, Presto would reveal that they aren't actually looking for Dungeon Master which everyone had assumed – but Presto's daughter, who had been kidnapped by forces unknown and which he had been unable to locate. - This would, as quite a significant shock as none of the rest of the party had children and only one or two had significant others.^[Think the survivors in **It** who were marked by the continuing supernatural power of Pennywise.] Okay, I may have been thinking about this entirely too much. I think it could work! I think people would really enjoy exploring this extension and expansion of quite beloved media franchises which have not been treated the best in subsequent years. There's even room in the set up to not play the original party; maybe other people on the train got taken along with one of the originals and get gifted a different relic or magitech upgrade. Maybe you want to focus on the Thundarr aspects. Now you know why I've been aggressively avoiding writing either of these things. There's just so much meat to be carved up there. [^bible]: If you're a *real* hardcore geek, you probably want to read [the series bible](https://www.scribd.com/document/25015221/Dungeons-Dragons-Cartoon-Series-Bible), and you can do that. It's fascinating stuff.