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Unfinished D&D movie footage Leaked To Net 69

Posted by Hemos from the looking-at-choppy-stuff dept.
Donsimus writes "French distributor, SND appears to have leaked a 30 second quick time teaser for the D&D movie that was showing in French theaters in front of Gladiator and MI2. The unfinished footage was not authorized by the producers for net distribution, beacuse it contains unfinished CGI and none of the final sound efects. The original download has been yanked, but Mirrors for the teaser continue to distribute the footage. A list of mirror locations along with a blow by blow analysis of the teaser can be found at DnDMovie.Com"
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Unfinished D&D movie footage Leaked To Net More

Unfinished D&D movie footage Leaked To Net

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  • While I got bored of D&D pretty quick because there seemed to be no point except to acquire wealth and moved to other RPGs, I still have some nostalgia for the simplicity of beating stuff up and grabbing gold. It may be because I tended to be the game master and complicated games took too long to develop... In any case, Magic the Gathering is NOT a successor to D&D though they are now owned by the same company. Roleplaying is alive, probably under threat by computer games, but then again, please refer to Baldur's Gate, Fallout, Deus Ex (sort of), etc. And IMO competitive sports is more at risk in teaching dangerous morals than D&D.

  • Re:huh? (Score:3)

    by Black Parrot ( 19622 ) on Friday July 28, 2000 @02:55PM (#896622)
    > why...did it get shown to ANYBODY?

    <conspiracy_theory>Because when your trailer gets "stolen" and posted all over the network and you file an injunction against the carriers, it becomes "news" and lots of people hear about your forthcoming movie at zero advertising expense to yourself. And lots of people rush out to download and view a trailer that you didn't even have to spend the money to finish.</conspiracy_theory>

    If there is any truth to the conspiracy theory, this smacks too much of vaporware operations, so perhaps we should not get too excited about ever seeing the movie released. It would be most interesting to know whether they are looking for more investors.

    --
  • > Watch the teaser and play "identify the magic item" and "identify the spell".

    And most important of all, buy the endless supply of collectibles that you can get out of the genre:
    "Fool! I will smite you with my Frostbrand +3!(tm)[Available at a Toys'*'Us near you!]"

    --
  • > While I got bored of D&D pretty quick because there seemed to be no point except to acquire wealth

    I lucked out and had a couple of good years with a DM who had a "deep" world model, with lots of "truth is out there" kind of stuff going on in the background. We stumbled across a thread and started following it, and had lots of fun playing Medieval Secret Agent Man instead of Kitchen Blender.

    Funny thing, though, was that half or group were slash&bash players of the traditional stripe, and they never had a clue what the other half of us were up to until one of them started sleeping with the DM and he spilled the beans for her. Then they all wanted to try playing PI+Kingmaker with the same lack of subtlety that they had previously played Orc Chopper, and the fun wore off in a hurry. The enemy could spot us from halfway around the planet, and the only time we ever learned anything new anymore was when said player, er, "milked it" out of the DM after hours.

    --
  • Nothing to see here. Just an older lady trying her best.
    Please, ma'am you'd be better off not staring. It's not pretty.
    No, ma'am, she'll be coming with us just as soon as she's finished doing that.
    Yes ma'am, I know it's offensive; but trust me, it's better to let her finish. The city people will tidy it up. She's a bit past her best, but she keeps on working. Nothing to see here.
  • Watching some other people play D&D is like watching someone else write code...it sucks to be the one sitting down listening to someone else's pointers and unasked-for advice.

    There isn't a single other coder in this dump that'd know a pointer from their asshole. They all come to me for advice, and then want me to translate my C examples into fsck'n VB for them.

    (Ok, I thought it was funny...)

    --Threed-Looking out for Numero Uno since 1976!
  • After seeing the unfinished trailer they showed at Dragon*Con, and hearing them plead with fans not to video tape it and release it to the internet, I agree. Some of the footage we saw was only partially done and some of it was finished (it all looked absolutely great though, and I'm highly looking forward to this).

    I'm preaty sure this wasn't a deliberate leak (unlike what some people are implying). I think its just a case of someone jumping the gun ahead of someone else's wishes... not that we've _ever_ seen that happen before ;)
  • Ok, I have to admit: That was really funny.

    Seriously though, I often give vegetables a fighting chance. If I'm making a salad from a salad bar and a piece of lettuce or broccoli jumps out of the tongs, I usually let it go. I appreciate their spunk. ;)

    Actually, to be completely serious, there is an extreme of veganism that even I can laugh at: Fruititarianism. They honestly believe that killing any plants is wrong, so they only eat fruit, or basically anything which falls off of trees without killing the parent plant.

    Interesting idea, but come on!

  • Nope. I admit I had to cheat and find a Dr. Who episode guide. It sounded familiar, but I don't think I ever saw that episode. Something about a race of plants running around and killing people?

  • GoVegan may get this joke: Up with Vervoids!!! :)

  • Now _here's_ a D&D movie (Score:3)

    by Junks Jerzey ( 54586 ) on Friday July 28, 2000 @04:55PM (#896631)
    If you ever played D&D, this downloadable movie [ign.com] is a riot.
  • Great response -- thanks for not taking my "attack" as a personal (or truly judgemental) affront.

    But, I figured you might be expecting such a jab (in jest) when you chose your username.

    Personal aside: I have a dear friend who is a strict Vegan. He is the leader of a statewide PETA group (no details), and I dare say he would never take such a jab so graciously. I think it really betrays his struggle to maintain his position within himself; I think he wavers in his conviction.

    By your response, you have evidenced that you are solidly at peace with your conviction.

  • Strange that you should think this way. I'm a vegetarian and whenever I wonder about becoming vegan, I think to myself, well, I'd still be drawing the line unless I went fruitarian.

    Fruiarianism is a logical conclusion. Omnivorism is a logical conclusion. Vegetarianism and veganism are a compromise.

    Hamish
  • I was exaggerating a bit when I said that I laugh at Fruititarians. I've actually never met one, and if I did, I'd be impressed with their resolve.

    I just don't know that it is a reasonable lifestyle.

    I live in the Dairy State and can fairly easily maintain a 100% vegan diet of food which is 90% organically grown.

    Is it a compromise? Sure. Does that mean it's not a logical conclusion? I don't think so.

    I'm eating in a manner that causes the least amount of harm to plants and animals that I can reasonably maintain.

    Would I ever consider fruititarianism? Maybe, but I can't honestly say right now. My progression toward veganism was extremely gradual: I stopped eating all meat when I was 10, slowly cutting out eggs, milk, etc. until I arrived here. It's a compromise that I'm comfortable with.

  • Well, your post didn't seem to be mean-spirited (plus I thought it was very funny). I like playful jabs, and I did expect them. I didn't expect as much the much more meanspirited attacks I've gotten. Several times I've posted something having nothing to do with vegetarianism and been told to "F*** off and die, vegan scum." I always wonder why people like that have such an extreme reaction. It's not like I was throwing fake blood on their fur coat or anything. For all they know, I'm the member of an organization that believes that a comet is going to come and take all Believers to the planet Vegan. Go to Vegan!!!

  • For all they know, I'm the member of an organization that believes that a comet is going to come and take all Believers to the planet Vegan. Go to Vegan!!!

    Oh. You're not? I thought you were a fellow Vegan-Bounder (our internal nickname for our true believing brothers). Sorry for the confusion.

    At least you're not one of those wackos I ran into the other day. He thought Vegans were people dedicated to the modification of small Chevy passenger cars into SUVs. *Shudder*

    BTW, I came up with the "cruelty" speil one day standing in line at a pizza-buffet. The woman before me made a very loud, intense demand for vegetarian pizza on the buffet before she would pay for the meal (of course, there already were 2 trays of vegetarian pizzas available; she was obviously interested in making a scene).

    She said, "I am a vegetarian. I believe it is wrong to eat meat..." etc. After a long, tense pause, I walked up to the cashier and, quite spontaneously, said, "I am am carnivore. I believe it is cruel to eat defenseless plants..." etc.

    The atmosphere was lightened considerably.

  • *ouch*. I can't remember the last time I laughed that hard at something on the net. If only I had moderation points. Well, here's a symbolic (+1, Funny).
  • Didn't we get an edict from on high [slashdot.org] that non-Linux-viewable trailers, specifically Quicktime ones, were no longer going to be considered in the submission queue?

    --

  • Not to go off on a rant, but (Score:2)

    by Anonymous Coward
    D&D is currently facing its thrid incarnation (not including the various "AD&D" flavors, as was announced at GenCon [wizards.com](World's largest gaming convention) last year.

    Magic the Gathering(tm) is not a successor in anything but devoted fans (addicts), as it is a card game, not a roleplaying game.
    (Us purists do make distinctions between these things.)

    The real issue is Wizards of the Coast, who make M:tG and who bought out TSR (makers of D&D) early last year. Seattle-based WotC became so profitable from its loyal Magic junkies that it decided to start buying up other companies. The fate of D&D (and the profits dervied therefrom) now rest solely in Wizard's court.
    BTW, wasn't there an article about "open source" D&D posted not too long ago?
  • Haha! That's FUNNY!
  • What I'm wondering is why on earth you would actually want a D&D movie? I have nothing against the game, I spent most of high school playing the thing, but what made the game fun was the idea that you could take the plotline in any direction you wanted, whenever you wanted.

    Where's the fun in looking at a screen for 2 hours?

    Do I really want to look at someone wave around a magic sword +1 for two hours, or watch some moron in a stupid cape shout "magic missile!" at some goblins? When was the last time you watched other people play D&D?

  • Do I really want to look at someone wave around a magic sword +1 for two hours, or watch some moron in a stupid cape shout "magic missile!" at some goblins? When was the last time you watched other people play D&D?

    Man, you've got a point there! Watching some other people play D&D is like watching someone else write code. You just HAVE to point out all the mistakes they're making, and telling them how YOU would do it in their place.
    In both cases, it sucks to be the one sitting down listening to someone else's pointers and unasked-for advice.
  • D&D and AD&D are still very much present, despite Wizards of the coasts bungling. I don't really think they teach negative value sets. It is true the objects of the game often tend to me gain paranormal and dark powers and become wealthy at any expense; however, this occurs at players discresion. A character could also be stoutright do-gooder or one that battles darkness. The evil is in the those who play and I think a roleplaying game is a preferable avenue to vent this agression to more tangible ends. Wally Sanchez "Guns don't kill people, people kill people." Of course people with guns generally have an easier job of it.
  • i agree with you wholehaeartedly about FF, even though it has been changing with leaps and bounds for the last several releases. but i cant see how your comments hold any truth as far as the dnd movie is concerned. just looking at the dndmovie.com site shows shot after shot of similarities between the paper and dice game and the movie. especially if talking about a dragon heavy campaign, the type of thing that TSR and now WoTC seems to like to push.
  • In the event that the first Dungeons and Dragons movie is a success, TSR/WOTC will licence the studios to produce two sequels. Unlike the recent rash of back-to-back sequel filming (Star Wars, Lord of the Rings), these movies will be filmed in different decades. Tentative working titles are "Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, 2nd Edition" and "Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, 3rd Edition".
  • I don't have access to a windows machine, is there a PSX port of this movie available?
    --
  • exactly my point...why show it, if they KNOW that it looks like ass and has not been finished?
    "They think its sexist"
  • Right, as they're sick of being harvested since they can photosynthesise (sp?) and thus need not humans or any animal life for nutrition (sp?) where as animals, lacking the ability to directly harvest the sun, ultimately are using plants, either directly by consumpsion or indirectly by consuming that which consumes plants and so on down the food chain, the base of which is always plants. I suppose a similar argument in favour of fungus could be made as plants would have a hard time digesting nutrients from the soil if fungi weren't there to break it up. In fact, since we and all animals lack chloroplasts I'd say we are somewhat inferior to plants, and as that's the same conclusion the Vervoids drew, they decided there was no need for continued animal existence (probably since they had legs the didn't need insects like flowering plants). So these Verviods were pretty much what you'd get if you mixed Animals with chloroplasts and the result would be considered plant as it had this important celular difference. So of course, you've got plants with brains and they ain't to happy about being eaten all the time, let me tell you. They are not nearly as friendly as Xan from 'Farscape'. :) In the end, the Doctor is convicted of Genocide for killing off the entire Vervoid species. The story is called, appropriately enough, 'Terror of the Vervoids', or more generally 'The Trial of a Time Lord' episodes 9 - 12, and features Colin Baker as the Doctor and Bonnie Langford as Melany Bush, a computer programmer who doesn't even know what a Megabyte Modem is. :) The production code is 7C (though that also refers to the following 2 episodes of that season). And in the end, that's MORE THAN YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VERVOIDS! :)

    Be Seeing You,

    Jeffrey 'The Krynoid' Jacobs...
  • This same argument could have been made for Xmen.
    If they bring in some classic, and do them cool, it could be succesful
    example: if ottoluke makes a appearance, and it's done well, the D&D fans will think WOW he kicks ass. And if it is a good scene, the nonD&D'ers won't care who he is, just that it was fun.
    This movie might be good as a fantasy flick, but I would bring popcorn and sodas into the theatre, not d10s and character sheets.
    hehe, good line.
  • i saw this like two days ago on aintitcoolnews. not a bash of /. by any means, but its odd. and the trailer DOES look like ass, if anyone even cares. but ill let it slide, cuz its cut for a european audience anyway. but i dont get this: why, if the trailer is such an embarassment for the producers, as is evidenced by its swift denunciation and retraction, did it get shown to ANYBODY? who knows.
    "They think its sexist"
  • Disk drive companies have got to be exicted about this kind of thing and Napster too!

  • (A lame attempt at humour from a non-D&D geek) (Score:5)

    by 11223 ( 201561 ) on Friday July 28, 2000 @12:19PM (#896652)
    The Net Community steals your orb of teaser footage! (Your wallet feels lighter)

    You invoke a strange scroll labeled 'LEGAL THREAT'.

    The Net Community utters some magic words which you have never heard before. Suddenly, you are surrounded by copies of the orb of teaser footage!

    Inventory: You have a +2 cloak (being worn) and a strange scroll labeled 'LEGAL THREAT'.

    You invoke a strange scroll labeled 'LEGAL THREAT'. One of the orbs dissapears.

    You see: 512 copies of the orb of teaser footage, and a +20 Net Community.

  • I thought our fearless leader CmdrTaco wouldn't put up links to Quicktime movies? If you wanna see it, get ready to reboot.

    -Antipop
  • Disk drive companies have got to be exicted about this kind of thing and Napster too!

    Yeah, kinda balances out the article about new video compression.

    Oh wait, that wasn't about compressing video after all; just about compressing 3-D models. Gee.

    --

  • Of course Taco didn't post the story: Hemos did. Guess he doesn't mind dual-booting for such tasks.

    Now all I have to do is wait a couple of days for the Slashdot effect to wear off to see it for myself.
  • The movie should have been based off the TV show!!!

    I'd kill to see a real-life version of the Red-Headed Thief.... (I should be really ashamed of myself, but I don't care! :)

    Wiwi
    "I trust in my abilities,
  • why, if the trailer is such an embarassment for the producers, as is evidenced by its swift denunciation and retraction, did it get shown to ANYBODY?

    This is a daily rush of the trailer. The sequences in it don't have the current (final?) CGI fx.
  • Even Baldur's Gate, fantastic as it was, did not feel exactly the same as sitting with friends, delving into a dungeon. This is not to say that it's a "bad" thing that it isn't exactly the same; just that a lot of people are going to be expecting the same feelings they'd get from playing the game, and won't, and will be disappointed or even angry.

    I don't think it's possible for the movie to be anywhere near what it's like to play a game. What made AD&D so fun was social interaction, watching your own character grow and develop, having something to do one (or more) nights a week, etc.

    How can you replicate that in a movie??? You can't!! Most people think D&D is dorky and stupid (not my opinion, just thinking of Joe Q Public) so they're going to avoid a movie with D&D in the title. The D&D fans are going to rush in, watch it, and be disappointed because it didn't give them the same feeling. You're watching someone else's character unfold, not your own.

    All they're doing in this movie is just making a fantasy movie. They CAN'T bring D&D to the screen. For this movie to be succesful (Hollywood definition) there has to be lots of exciting action, lots of one-liners, girls with two square inches of leather armor, etc. That is NOT D&D, except maybe for the girls with skimpy leather costumes.

    This movie might be good as a fantasy flick, but I would bring popcorn and sodas into the theatre, not d10s and character sheets.

  • Download here [ign.com].

    Related to D&D, Mountain Dew, etc. [grin] It is Blink format in EXE. :(

  • I remember the old D&D comics. Spells cast by characters were identified with word balloons outlined in purple. Very silly, very cheesy.

    And now the D&D movie. Watch the teaser and play "identify the magic item" and "identify the spell". I can't help but imagine what the dialogue will be like:

    "Fool! I will smite you with my Frostbrand +3!(tm)"

    "Now, you chaotic evil(tm) half-elf(tm) fighter(tm), you will feel the wrath of my Delayed Blast Fireball!(tm)"

    And you'd think a movie with a title like Dungeons and Dragons would at least have prominent...um...dungeons? The fractionally visible grade-eight CGI dragon at the end of the teaser doesn't bode well, methinks(tm).
    --

  • All right, that does look pretty cool, if cheesy... I can't help but be a little dissapointed that they made a 'Dungeons and Dragons the movie' at all, though. If TSR (Or I guess it's WotC now - look how outdated I am) wanted to make a movie, they could just as easily have made a film set in a D&D type-setting, with another title. Dungeons and Dragons, like the upcoming Final Fantasy Movie, will likely not even attempt to capture the feel of the game, so calling it that is just an attempt to capitalize on how recognizable the product name is - and I imagine that relying on that, they will work a lot less on making it an actually quality fantasy movie than they might have if it had just been something called 'The Pit of Flame' or whatever set in Greyhawk.

    Of course, I'll probably see it anyway... Damn them, they were counting on this... -Glump!

  • BTW, wasn't there an article about "open source" D&D posted not too long ago?

    Yes. TSR used to throw their lawyers at anybody who ever did anything creative with their rules. Lots of FTP sites that published software tools relating to the D&D stats and/or ideas were shut down.

    WotC seems to be a little cooler about that. They are calling the core statistics model behind D&D3 the "d20 System"... You can do anything you want with the core, even sell your own products based on it, you just can't use the D&D trademarks when you do so. They say they were inspired to do this by the success of the open source movement, and it is scoring them huge brownie points with geeks all over the place.

  • Lets put it this way: When i DMed with my old friends, we got 1 hour of gaming in and 3 hours of making jokes, making fun of the one idiot (who only managed to kill himself once in a while surprisingly), and laughing at how poorly i DM without preperation (inevitably). No movie or computer game will capture that same 'feel'... Unless of course my group is all assembled to see it :) In any case, i believe it will be incredibly difficult to produce a well liked movie from D&D. After all, look at X-Men!

    -Elendale (Open the door... yeah... like that... LIGHTNING BOLT! HAHAHAHAHAHA...)

    Karma burn coming
    As i meta-troll again

  • More powerful than a Temporary Restraining Order...

    Its the slashdot effect :-)

    [ now choking servers anywhere a DnD movie is rumoured to be posted ]

    the AC
  • hahaha
  • Du ngeons And Dragons [deadalewives.com]
    sorry, but you missed the html format, and we know people here can't cut & paste :)

    .sig
  • The answer is extremely simple, the D&D worlds have excelent histories to tell. Settings such as Dragonlance have a lot of top selling novels (specially Weiss-Hickman), so do novels about the Forgotten Realms (specially R.A. Salvatore, and his excellent character Drizzt Do'Urden). Those novels are not only readed by D&D players. I have quite a lot of friends that liked the novels but never before had played a D&D game. The question is not why do they make a D&D movie, but why they dont use the existing settings for the movie plot. What would be my dream, and most of my friends dreams? Seeing characters such as Raistlin interpreted by, i dont know, Jeremy Irons (a bit old now, maybe before ;)). What would be really cool is watching our all time loved characters on the big screen. D&D is not a game only for nerds. Its an extremely flexible game that can be shaped in almost every fashion you want. Obviously, making a D&D movie is saying something to vague. Legend could be a D&D movie, Krull too. I think they are making a big mistake calling it a D&D movie, and not making it a "Dragonlance" or "Forgotten Realms" movie... but thats is way out of my power to decide.
  • Truth hurts, doesn't it? Now take off the silly-assed Cowboys jersey and quit rubbing up against that Aikman poster.

    Deo
  • They're claiming on their homepage to have an MPG version (penguin-friendly, as they say) available now.
  • http://216.115.77.100/ftp/teaser_vf_480 .mpg [216.115.77.100] - Be Kind, mirror if you can.

    db

  • First, the reason Dungeons and Dragons: The Movie is the title is because of the name. People know it's a fantasy movie. It carries an immense amount of branding as well, for good or bad.

    From reading comments here, it seems people are thinking this is going to be some sort of view of a RPG-session. It's not. It is a movie done somewhat close to the rules/spells/etc. of DnD.

    One of the biggest flaws in other fantasy movies (besides the lack of actors and actresses who could, well, *ACT*) was the lack of any real idea what the boundaries of magic are. By basing it on DnD, Corey ("the man" behind the movie) has given *SOMETHING* to the magic system besides "well, he can do magic!"

    We aren't going to be watching someone DM any more than X-Men was watching someone GM in the Marvel Universe (I've got the Marvel RPG).

    Give it a shot. It's just a movie, after all, and hey, it may be quite cool.

  • I just can't wait to see Tom Baker (4th Doctor Who?) as the king of the elves.

    Should be even better than John Cleese as Robin Hood in Time Bandits!

  • "Unauthorized?" Gimme a break... (Score:3)

    by legLess ( 127550 ) on Friday July 28, 2000 @12:29PM (#896673) Journal
    This is about as "unauthorized" as those new G4 cube shots. Companies have gotten smart - they realize that they can get more publicity by releasing something and "trying" to shut it down than by just releasing it and waiting.

    It does look pretty cool, though. One hopes that they've learned lessons from some of the recent big-budget deritative flops and actually cast decent actors.
  • This is yet another reason why corporations are a threat to the net's continued existence. /. has already been threatened for containing a post that violated copyright (the protocol formerly known as kerberos). Now what happens if someone is sued for merely linking to illicit material?

    This is not entirely hypothetical; there is already precedent in which people have been sued for links: DeCSS. Even sites containing lists of mirrors (that would be a link to a link) were given cease-and-desist notices IIRC. Now what happens to index sites such as Yahoo? The MP/RIAA will sue anyone small enough to be unable to fight back. So Yahoo is safe. What happens to the Open Directory servers that are used by Google, among others? The policy of making linkage illegal will destroy the Net as we know it.

    I predict that if these sites are not taken down yet, they will be shortly. And don't be surprised about it either. This will continue to happen as long as the RI/MPAA feels they can get away with it. In other words, until we raise hell.

    --
  • Tom Baker will always be the doctor. I can't seem him as a [giggle]...elf.
    ----Quid
  • After seeing Gladiator, I suppose most non-D&D-gamers thought it was a sequel of sorts.

  • Good to know that story submissions basically rely on a crapshoot of which editor happens to see them first... (*sigh)
    --
  • When was the last time you watched other people play D&D?

    About once a month, when Kenzer & Co.'s Knights of the Dinner Table [kenzerco.com] comes out.

    If you want a cool sample, check out the animated shorts based on KODT [hoodyhoo.com]. (Warning: requires recent Flash plug-in.)

    Jay (=
  • This is off-topic (but, then again, the topic is fake trailers of incomplete movies, so, save your moderation points for a real topic) -- your /. name is GoVegan and I cannot be silent!

    It's disgusting. Don't you know SALAD IS MURDER!

    Those defenseless plants have no chance to fight back against free-pod agressors -- they're rooted in the ground, for Darwin's sake!

    Plants evolved to their current state in a more innocent, harmonious environment -- before the need for self-protection and defensive capabilities (such as being able to run away).

    You...ambulatorist!

    I, my wayward friend, am a carnivore. I eat meat. That's it. Only those beings which have the potential to defend themselves. Survival of the fittest, yes, but give them a chance!

    Repent of your ways, weed-wacker!
    (...kidding...)
  • Someone please post a mirror? Please?


    Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur.
  • If that doesn't top X-men at the box office for the best selling movie of the year, I'll be damn surprised!!
  • If you are really worried about young kids delving into the dark arts, better get down to the local bookstore and protest all those Harry Potter books being sold.

    Actually, if you want a really funny take on that, go here [theonion.com]

  • The cartoon? You mean the "Every episode we find a way home but we always blow it in the last five minutes" cartoon?!
  • <a href="http://www.deadalewives.com/sound/[The_Dead_ Alewives]-[Dungeons_and_Dragons].mp3">Du ngeons And Dragons</a>

  • Re:I thought the game had died (Score:5)

    by TrentC ( 11023 ) on Friday July 28, 2000 @02:23PM (#896685) Homepage
    Whilst I know that I'm going to find scant support amongst a demographic known for its irreverance and disdain for tried and tested knowledge,

    and a plethora of trolls who wouldn't know tried and tested knowledge if it bit them on the butt.

    (But hey, I'm bored...)

    I have to say that I'd honestly thought that Dungeons & Dragons had gone the way of the dodo many years ago.

    That's why there's not one [interplay.com] but two [interplay.com] computer games based on the game system, with more [interplay.com] to come [neverwinternights.com]?

    When was the last time that anyone heard anything about D&D or its equally dubious successor, Magic the Gathering?

    Well, Wizards of the Coast will be releasing the 3rd edition [wizards.com] for Dungeons and Dragons in about 2 weeks, so expect to hear more about it. As for Magic the Gathering, [wizards.com] well, they show the tournaments on EPSN2 of all places.

    I had thought that roleplaying was an eighties fad whose time was thankfully past,

    Not bloody likely.

    Now the cycle of fantasy starts again, as this is sure to turn more youngsters from wholesome persuits to playing a game which teachings that violence and dark arts are tools for success, and that the acquisition of wealth makes you a better person.

    God would I have loved to have been the first to post with the NFL crack, but there was a good point -- there are far more "socially acceptable" hobbies and interests which teach some rather poor morals.

    In fact, Tracy (Dragonlance trilogy co-author) Hickamn wrote an excellent essay on morality and role-playing [trhickman.com] that I show to people whenever this topic comes up.

    I'm with BADD on this one - these games teach dangerous morals to the people that are most vulnerable.

    It's funny you should mention BADD -- Michael Stackpole (genre author and part of the Industry Watch segment of GAMA, [gama.org] the gaming industry's trade association) compiled The Pulling Report [cybercomm.net] which investigates the claims of Pat Pulling (the founder of BADD) and rather expertly debunks her allegations and attacks her credibility as a "cult crime investigator".

    For more on GAMA's point of view, check out their Q&A about role-playing games [rpg.net], with the rather interesting factoid:

    "One of the more persistent claims is that role-playing games has caused teens to commit suicide. The Center for Disease Control conducted an extensive study of teen suicide and found no evidence to link role-playing games with suicide. Investigations by the Association of Gifted and Creative Children (Dublin, CA), the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (the Bronx, NY), and the American Association of Suicidology (Denver, CO) have likewise found no evidence that games encourage suicide.

    Moreover, researchers point out that the most heavily weighted factor in determining a child's suicide potential is whether or not he is a loner. Participation in a group activity of any sort sharply reduces that potential. It also provides a circle of friends who can pick up on any unusual behavior and encourage their friend to get help when there is a crisis."

    Jay (=
  • Now the cycle of fantasy starts again, as this is sure to turn more youngsters from wholesome persuits to playing a game which teachings that violence and dark arts are tools for success, and that the acquisition of wealth makes you a better person.
    When did we switch topics to the NFL?

  • I really do hope it's good. (Score:3)

    by Dirtside ( 91468 ) on Friday July 28, 2000 @12:38PM (#896687) Journal
    Note: I have no evidence (aside from the trailer) to support my ideas here; this is merely wild speculation on the part of a programmer and RPG-liking person.

    I really do hope this movie is good. The shots from the trailer do look like they have at least halfway decent production values; and the shots that looked completed, really did look pretty good. (It's amazing what a few million dollars will do these days.)

    That said, the thing I fear most about this movie is that it will upset the legions of D&D fans in the world. Not that it will suck; but rather that it seems nearly impossible to capture the "feel" of D&D in anything except actually playing the game! Even Baldur's Gate, fantastic as it was, did not feel exactly the same as sitting with friends, delving into a dungeon. This is not to say that it's a "bad" thing that it isn't exactly the same; just that a lot of people are going to be expecting the same feelings they'd get from playing the game, and won't, and will be disappointed or even angry.

    I also hope this movie succeeds, to show that the fantasy genre really is viable for movies. If both this and the Lord of the Rings trilogy succeed, I think we'll see a huge resurgence in fantasy film (which of course will also bring the countless bad copies), and I know I'm all for that.

  • You couldn't be more wrong. In fact, I am suprised by the lack of gaming news on /..
    People I know like computers, comics, anime, and gaming. All topics (to some extent) covered on /. with the notable exception of gaming.
    While this is technically a movie topic post, maybe it's a sign of things to come.
  • The trailer can also be downloaded from this site: movie-list [movie-list.com]. To winnow out stupid people, I have not linked directly to the trailer but rather to the front page of the site. If you can't find it from there... you probably don't deserve to. MUAHAHAHAHAHA!

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