Dungeons and Dragons Dungeons and Dragons is an 80’s Children’s TV cartoon. It was based on a Board game / Role Playing game called Dungeons and Dragons and Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (owned by TSR Inc.). It was created to cash in on the extremely popular game. If you had played the D&D games, then you might have been a little disappointed (expectations are always higher than they should be). If you hadn't, then you were in for a treat, as it put you inside of the realm of D&D with characters that you cared about.   A total of 27 episodes were made and the were produced by 'Marvel Productions'. Initially 3 title sequences were created for the first series and the one you see in the series was the third one produced. But there was a different title sequence for the second series, which seems to have been lost over time (more likely they wanted to keep the titles the same for viewer familiarity).   The series was created by Mark Evanier, who was the writer, and the creator of the series bible, which the whole of the series was based upon. He received inspiration for it from a Dennis Marks production called 'Swords and Sorcery'. One of the cast from Happy Days, did the voice of Eric - Donny Most, who appeared as Ralph Malf in the show. I'm not sure if a series like this would be made anymore. It does deal out a lot of death and despair (followed by good of course!), that a number of people wouldn't consider suitable for children. I think they would be wrong, as there are a number of important lessons that the series touches upon.     Story  The story starts with a group of kids at an Amusement Park (Hank, Diana, Presto, Sheila, Eric and Bobby). Bobby spots a Dungeons and Dragons ride (shame that they haven't made a real one of these) which they all go on. This is where the trouble starts, as they are transported into the Realm of Dungeons and Dragons.    As soon as they arrive, they see a small Unicorn running towards them (Uni) being chased by a 5 Headed Dragon called Tiamat. To this day, I still don't know how a small Unicorn can annoy such a big dragon (answers by email please). Lurking in the shadows is Dungeon Master, who is their guide through the Realm of Dungeons and Dragons. He conjures them up a weapon each to fight off Tiamat, and gives them alternate names (Ranger, Acrobat, Magician, Thief, Cavalier and Barbarian).   While trying to escape Tiamat they come across Venger (an evil being) who fires a blast of energy from his hand towards the group of them. Luckily Cavalier deflects the blast with his shield, which hits Tiamat, who then goes after Venger. Throughout the series the group of friends try to find their way home. On their journey, they meet people being terrorised by Venger's henchmen. Normally the henchmen are monsters that oppress the locals. True to their spirit, the group (usually) pull together to defeat the monsters and help the locals become free from Venger's tyranny. The group has to be careful, because Venger could appear in any guise to thwart them.   In the series, they never made it home, but there is a script that was written by Michael Reaves, that was supposed to tie up the loose ends. The show abruptly ended (it was cancelled) so this episode was never made, which is a shame. But that isn't the end of the story. The script is available online plus some fans, headed by George De Luca, have decided to try and animate the last episode. Remember, the animation isn't up to the originals standards, but then again they aren't a professional animation studio (Requiem Project). So lets meet the stars of the show:   Dungeons and Dragons Characters   Hank (Ranger)     (voiced by Willie Aames) Weapon : Magic Longbow, with endless Energy Arrows. He can use the arrows to help people, such as firing numerous arrows into a wall to make an energy ladder.    Hank is the 15 year old leader of the gang, as he's the most calm and sensible one of them. He didn't choose to be leader, but was selected by the others. They also count on him to get them out of bad situations and come to him for advice. But his number one fear is the thought of failing the group. He seems to be close to Sheila, but admires from afar and takes on an older brother guise for Bobby, when he needs it.   But the gang didn't always look up to Hank. Once he was overheard (by Sheila) talking to an Orc about a pact he had made with Venger, where he was supposed to steal the other members weapons and signal an attack on the Cloud Bears (the rotter!). Sheila told the rest of the group and stopped the signal being sent. They judged him to be guilty and cast him out, to fend for himself. Little did they know that Hank was only doing Venger's bidding to earn Bobby's freedom from his castle. Eventually this was discovered by the others, who helped Hank free Bobby and they all breathed a sigh of relief that Hank wasn't a traitor.    Hank maybe level headed, but when he's pushed too far, then he comes out fighting. One such time was when Venger closed another portal to their home. The whole group was angry, but Hank said enough was enough and they had to get rid of Venger. So they set out on a quest to ask Tiamat (the 5 headed dragon) to help them. They found her at the Dragons Graveyard, when their weapons came from (and where they are more powerful than normal). She agreed to bring Venger to the graveyard, where their more powerful weapons could defeat him. But when Hank had a chance to kill Venger, he stopped himself, as he knew that he would be just as bad (if not worse) than Venger, and we wouldn't want that to happen.       Diana (Acrobat)     (voiced by Tonia Gayle Smith) Weapon : Magic Javelin. Extends from nothing to about the height of Diana. She can use it as a weapon, by throwing it, and it should always return to her, like a boomerang.   In the real world Diana is an athlete. She has been a Gold Medallist in the state gymnastic finals for the last 2 years in a row. So she was a natural choice to be chosen by Dungeon Master to be the Acrobat. She is 14 years old and acts like the mother figure of the group and seems to be on par with Hank as the most sensible. If Hank is injured or separated from the group, then (initially) Diana becomes second in command.    She is always looking for the 'good points' in a bad situation and uses her agility and fighting skills to protect the group. Out of the whole group, she is the one that is less tolerant with Eric's behaviour. She's always telling him to shut up, or threatening to hit him (I even feel sorry for Eric!). But she does fear that one day she will get too old to fend for herself.      Eric (Cavalier)    (voiced by Donny Most) Weapon : Magic Shield, deflects most magical blasts.    Eric is the spoilt brat of the group and is the most funniest. In the real world, everything was done for him, because his family could buy the best. Now that he's in the Realm, nothing is done for him, which is why he's always in a mood and constantly moans about everything. Most of the others treat him as a joke. He also has a tendency to be a bit of a coward, but when the group of them are really in danger, he seems to accidentally show some bravery, which surprises the others and Eric.   He is jealous that Hank is the leader of the group. He is on the receiving side of sarcastic comments from the others when he decides to dig his heels in and do either nothing or the opposite of everyone else. Also he seems to have a dislike of children, which is evident when he speaks to or about Bobby (I think Bobby feels the same about Eric). He certainly feels that he is victimised by the others and constantly comments (in a sarcastic tone), that he was out voted again. This mostly happens when he wants to go in the opposite direction to danger and the others want to head towards it.    He hates the riddles from Dungeon Master and the appearing/disappearing at the wrong moment. He complained about this and even said that he could do better if he had Dungeon Masters power. So Dungeon Master gave him his power (for a short period) for a rest. But he wasn't given a user manual and he didn't know how to use his powers, which really depressed Eric (especially when he's trying to help the group). Venger knows this too and tries to take advantage, but eventually Eric succeeds and learns that he would lay down his life for his friends.     Once, Eric turned into a Bog Beast after smelling a flower. The group then found a village full of Bog Beasts, who thought Eric was their god. Eric tried to lead them on a mission to stop an evil monster from diverting the flow of the river away from the Bog Beast Village. But true to form, he finds out they are just as cowardly as Eric, which seems to upset Eric (I don't know why, I thought he'd be proud of them!). As their quest goes on, so Eric's confidence grows and his natural leadership skills come through. When Hank disappears, Eric steps in to lead the group. In the past this would be unheard of, but the group as a whole are starting to respect the new forward thinking Eric.      Presto (Magician)     (voiced by Adam Rich) Weapon : Magicians Hat, that doesn't seem to work correctly, but is probably one of the most powerful weapons in the whole realm of Dungeons and Dragons.    Presto has the most appropriate name with his alias ('Hey Presto' is what magician used to say). He is 14 years old and his real name is 'Albert'. Before he entered the realm, he was a keen magician and used to drive his friends round the bend with 'Pick a Card', but he wasn't very good at it. One thing he does lack is self belief, and he needs to be more confident.    Once in the realm, he was granted the real powers of a wizard, but when he casts a spell it seems to go wrong nearly every time. This can have its advantages because what he conjures up seem to accidentally helps. Once in a blue moon his magic works perfectly, but this normally happens when the group are really in trouble. The strange thing is that the group keep asking him to try his magic to help them (I thought they would have given up by now - too dangerous).    We definitely know that there is nothing wrong with the hat, as it was used by a Lizard Man against the group quite effectively. But his magic isn't his greatest fear, instead it is losing his glasses and not being able to see.      Sheila (Thief)     (voiced by Katie Leigh) Weapon : Magic Cloak, makes the wearer invisible when they put the hood over their head. This is especially useful for sneaking past people and creating diversions.    Sheila is the older sister of Bobby. She is always looking out for him and mothers him a bit (to Bobby's annoyance). Not only that, but she has a fear of being alone. She likes to give most people the benefit of the doubt and wants to stop the group going into battles needlessly. Her closest friend of the group (apart from her brother) seems to be Diana, who she confides in.   She seems to like Hank a lot, but even the very short dress and kinky thigh length boots she wears, he doesn't seem to notice her (or does he?). The name 'Thief' doesn't really reflect what she does, and really refers to the stealth tactics she uses to help the group out against Venger and his henchmen. This is achieved by using her weapon, as detailed below (its not really a weapon, but we'll let that slip). She also seems to have the talent for translating the language of fairies.      Bobby (Barbarian)     (voiced by Teddy Field) Weapon : Magic Club, has great power when it hits the floor or anything else.    Bobby is the youngest of the group (8 years old) and is the little brother of Sheila. He is like the little kid in the playground that will take on anybody, maybe it's because he's a bit small for his age, and he has a chip on his shoulder. One thing he doesn't like, is being treated as a young kid and he prefers to hang around with the older kids. The trouble is, this used to annoy the group before they entered the realm of Dungeons and Dragons, and they wished he would play with children of his own age.   It's quite funny that such a small person was chosen to have such a powerful weapon in the realm. Because of this, enemy's are lulled into a false sense of security and laugh at him, thinking that he's weak. Once he's smashed them with his club, they aren't laughing anymore.    Not surprisingly he doesn't like taking orders from anyone. Because of this he is very head strong and doesn't think about the consequences of his actions. He mostly runs into battle with his club and mostly one of the others in the group try to restrain him or get him out of the situation. The only person that seems to bring Bobby into line is Hank, as he respects him, like the older brother that he didn't have. His best friend/pet is Uni.     Uni     (voiced by Frank Welker) Weapon : Horn on top of head, which can also power teleportation.    Uni is a talking Unicorn, but it can be tricky to work out what she's saying. After the gang rescued him from the Dragon called Tiamat, she has stayed with them. She has built up a bond of friendship with Bobby. They have had the opportunity to go back home, but Bobby wouldn't leave without Uni.   Most unicorns have the power of teleportation and Uni has this power. But an evil wizard called Kelek removed Uni's power and horn from her and other unicorns to gain the power of teleportation and take on the might of Venger. Poor Uni was a shell of herself and the energy was draining away from her. Luckily the others helped free her and the other unicorns from this wizards power (with a little help from Venger!) and the horns were returned to their owners.      Venger     (voiced by Peter Cullen) Venger is evil wizard and he is on a quest to conquer the realm, but he needs more power to do this. This power is contained in the six weapons our band of heroes posses (The Weapons of Power). So Venger goes out of his way to capture / destroy them. Between the battles he has with our heroes, he terrorises the inhabitants of the realm, instilling fear into them, so that they will stay oppressed and frightened so that they won't turn on him. He uses his servants to do this, such as the Orcs, Lizard Men, the Shadow Demon, plus lots of slave labour (which are usually Dwarfs).   The Shadow Demon is one of Venger's most useful servants and is a dark spirit that spies on the children to see what they are up to. Useful information is then relayed back to Venger, so that he can use it to help plan the downfall of the children (Boo!). He rides a black stallion (which has red eyes and can fly - no the horse doesn't have wings!!). Also he uses his magic to disguise himself and try to destroy Dungeon Master, his mortal enemy.    Now one thing that puzzles me is why Venger won't let them go home? I would have thought that he would want them out of the way ASAP. OK the weapons would help him become more powerful and he could have cut a deal with them, but no, he really has it in for them. Could there be another reason why?    Venger is only frightened of one thing - Tiamat the Dragon, this is because Tiamat is immune to his magic / power, and the gang use this weakness whenever they can. We do find out a little history about Venger from Dungeon Master. We find out that Venger was not always evil and that Dungeon Master feels that Venger was his mistake. But the shock revelation was that Venger is Dungeon Master's son! Do you think the writers are Star Wars fans, as it is similar to the Luke/Vader storyline. It doesn't end there, there is a hidden sister too, called Karina, who Venger imprisoned.      Dungeon Master     (voiced by Sidney Miller) Dungeon Master is probably responsible for the gang being in the Realm. Why else would he be waiting for them all to arrive and give them weapons?? Is he on their side, and if so, why doesn't he tell them how to get home? What is his alteria motive? Is it to get them to battle Venger? There are so many questions to be answered!   So he seems to guide the group through the Realm and hopefully to the way home, but talks in riddles all the time. Which really annoys Eric and just when he wants to tell Dungeon Master this, he disappears! The riddle is supposed to help the band of heroes, if they can work out what it means. But Dungeon Master has an enemy, a big enemy - Venger. Funnily enough he doesn't seem to be concerned with this, but this is probably down to Dungeon Master being the most powerful being in the realm. But he doesn't brag about this (too much).    Dungeon Master isn't immune from danger. He was once frozen solid by Warduke (a dark knight) and some Bullywugs (frog like creatures) and taken back to his domain. There he informed the Shadow Demon to tell Venger that Dungeon Master was his for the right price. Funnily enough, Venger rushed round there and zapped Dungeon Master and killed him. Or did he? The group gatecrashed the evil baddy party and released Dungeon Master from his icy tomb. But he wasn't dead and had fooled everyone. He wanted to be captured and wanted to fool everyone (the little swine, you should be severely told off for playing tricks on people).    One thing that is worrying, is that Dungeon Master has had previous pupils. They have all had magic weapons and they have all failed against Venger. It seems that the pupils are pawns in a war between Dungeon Master and Venger (who are Father and Son!!).   Dungeons and Dragons Images (click to enlarge) Dungeons and Dragons T-Shirts - NONE Dungeons and Dragons DVDs Region 2 (Europe) - Dungeons And Dragons -     Complete Series Region 1 (USA) - Dungeons And Dragons -     Complete Series Dungeons and Dragons Video Intro Dungeons and Dragons Episodes Series 1 (1983)  1. The Night of No Tomorrow  2. Eye of the Beholder  3. The Hall of Bones  4. Valley of the Unicorns  5. In Search of the Dungeon Master  6. Beauty and the Bogbeast  7. Prison without Walls  8. Servant of Evil  9. Quest of the Skeleton Warrior  10. The Garden of Zinn  11. The Box  12. The Lost Children  13. P-R-E-S-T-O Spells Disaster   Series 2 (1984)      1. The Girl Who Dreamed Tomorrow  2. The Treasure of Tardos  3. City at the Edge of Midnight  4. The Traitor  5. Day of the Dungeon Master  6. The Last Illusion  7. The Dragon's Graveyard  8. Child of the Stargazer   Series 3 (1985)    1. The Dungeon at the Heart of Dawn  2. The Time Lost  3. Odyssey of the 12th Talisman  4. Citadel of Shadow  5. Cave of the Fairie Dragons  6. The Winds of Darkness © JedisParadise.com Toys & Gifts T-Shirts Bargain DVDs