AD&D Question...

[SexySkottie]

Ok guys, I have another one for ya...Anybody have any idea why LJN's line of Dungeons and Dragons figures were different from the main characters from the 3 season cartoon?

I know Strongheart & Warduke made a couple episodes of the cartoon, but it seems SO odd to me that the figures and cartoon characters wouldn't be the same.
I do remeber seeing PVCs of the cartoon characters...but I beleive they were imports from a company called Comics Spain.

Anyone?

[Bruce Banner]

The toys were based more on a general AD&D license from TSR, rather than being specifically based on the cartoon itself and the characters in it.

But some of the characters released as figures (such as Warduke, Strongheart, etc.) eventually made cameos in the show.

Similarly, my Dungeons & Dragons ViewMaster reel features Venger as the villian, but he's fighting Strongheart, Ringlerun, Elkhorn, etc.

Some info here:
http://www.toyarchive.com/DungeonsDragons.html

[mazinz]

Wow that is a nice site. I can tell you though that back then no matter where I went to, no place by me ever sold the shield shooters. In fact I tried in vain to find any of them and never could. I remember the commercial for them and the giants. The giants by me where everywhere, but those shield shooters, nada (and those were the ones I wanted the most)

Wonder if any of this stuff was regional? Being close to NYC you figured I would have been able to find them all but that was not the case

[ctc]

>Wonder if any of this stuff was regional?

They saw REALLY limited release, and the second + series' got very scant distribution. I had the first series; got 'em almost by accident on clearnace at Woolworth's. Never saw them anywhere else. Pity too, 'cos they were VERY game-accurate.

Don C.

[mazinz]

>Wonder if any of this stuff was regional?

They saw REALLY limited release, and the second + series' got very scant distribution. I had the first series; got 'em almost by accident on clearnace at Woolworth's. Never saw them anywhere else. Pity too, 'cos they were VERY game-accurate.

Don C.

the first series by me were all very common, but the second series though we had some of them pretty easy to find, many of them I have not seen until I checked out that website

would have been great to have the internet back then

[tmthor]

also the figures pre date the show by a year or 2

[ctc]

>the figures pre date the show by a year or 2

Do they? That'd help explain the descrepencies. 'Course, the show was only VERY loosely based on the game, so I could see both projects having been developed completely independant of each other. (Seriously: what alignment was the Reggie Mantle guy from the cartoon? Chaotic stupid?)

Don C.

[danadoll]

Loved this toy series as a kid, I've built a pretty good collection over the years...I never had the chance to play the game, though.

Dana

[tmthor]

To bad the game was better than the toys

[bizzaro megomauler]

I used to have the TSR board game tied in to the show, I sold it here a few months ago, the only time TSR really even acknowledged the show...

[tmthor]

I know the following apear in the show
Kelek
Warduke
Strongheart
Elkhorn
Nightmare
Tiamat

But also Warduke has now been retconed into Greyhawk & has also been apart of the new Minatures game
Below from Wikapedia
"Warduke originated as a character for the Dungeons & Dragons toy line in the 1980s. Warduke originally appeared as a D&D action figure along with such other characters as Strongheart the paladin, Elkhorn the dwarf fighter, and Zarak the half-orc assassin. In a module featuring many of the characters from the toy line, Warduke and Strongheart were depicted as once having been good friends, until Warduke turned to evil.

It is worth noting, however, that a (unnamed) figure with Warduke's distinctive headgear appears on the cover of Dragon Magazine #17, published by TSR in 1978.

Warduke often was seen teamed with the villainous sorcerer Kelek, and even once appeared on the Dungeons & Dragons animated TV series. In 2003, the staff of Dungeon magazine retconned Warduke into Greyhawk continuity."

http://www.legendgames.co.uk/acatalog/Warduke.jpg
Warduke from WOTC Minature game Wardrums Expansion

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31vsUZuyOUL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Dragon mag #17

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/dndalumni_heartstone.jpg
Modual XL-1

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/alumni/20060414a
Link to WOTC's warduke page

[ctc]

Neat!

I could see Dragon #17 providing some inspiration for the figure. I wouldn't be surprised if the designers perused a lot of game art before designing the toys. (Zarak has a Tim Truman AD&D art vibe to him.) XL-1 came out well after the toys, and was an attempt to absorb the characters. The latest attempt to add Warduke was in Dungeon 105.

Don C.

[tmthor]

I remember reading that XL-1 was to followed up with moduals with more characters (Melf/Perlay Zarek) but they never happened.

[danadoll]

I know the following apear in the show
Kelek
Warduke
Strongheart
Elkhorn
Nightmare
Tiamat


I have never seen Elkhorn's rumored appearance in the D&D cartoon...Do you know which episode he's supposed to be in, Tmthor?

Zarak also appeared in the cartoon (in a way)...He appeared in the later seasons title sequence.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eb977TybeCs

Dana

[johnmiic]

I never played the game but loved the Saturday morning cartoon. I bought the boxed DVD set from BCI Eclipse, (supposedly the only version that has bonus materials), and in the bonus materials they interview Mark Evanier about the creation of the show.

He stated that the network felt the show didn't work and they wanted him to restructure it so the writers could tell stories. The way the concept was set up no one could write a workable script. Evanier stated the series had far too many characters so he stripped it down and simplified them to the core group we know of today. He also stated that the person who came up with the initial series concept, (he doesn't say who-could it have been Gary Gygax?), was very unhappy and confronted him after the network decided to run with his, Evanier's, version of the show and accused him of ruining the whole concept. Evanier responded that if he didn't rework it the show would not have ever gone into production.

Evanier seems to leave open the possibility that after the show got on the air the other characters could have been added to the series but as with many tv networks and kids programs, it retained its status quo and never expanded the cast. Networks feel a complex tv show wouldn't hold viewers who are kids-only confuse them. I disagree with that and remembered how well written the series was for the 1980's compared to he other crap on Saturday morning televison, (The Flintstones/THING hour, Casper and he Space Angels, Hero High, ughhhh).

Article on Wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons_(TV_series)

On Evanier's site he identifies the creator of the TV series as Dennis Marks and tells a story somewhat similar to what he said on the DVD. Some details on the DVD differ:

Dungeons Dragons (http://www.povonline.com/cols/COL145.htm)

[Nostalgiabuff]

pretty cool website. I had all of series one and some of series 2. almost all the creatures. I was only missing the playset really. loved them as a kid
sold everyhing off several years ago.

[tmthor]

I have never seen Elkhorn's rumored appearance in the D&D cartoon...Do you know which episode he's supposed to be in, Tmthor?

Zarak also appeared in the cartoon (in a way)...He appeared in the later seasons title sequence.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eb977TybeCs

Dana

I don't remember which episode.

By the way there was a AD & D Comic one shot that came out around 2000 that had the characters from the TV show as adults still trpped in the D&D world as well.

[johnmiic]

Check these out. Remember those comic-adverts for D&D that told a story when we were in high school? They are collected here:

Das Übernerd: The Original D&D Comics (http://das-ubernerd.blogspot.com/2008/01/original-d-comics.html)

[Bruce Banner]

Cool, I remember those ads. Still have a lot of comics with those inside.

[SexySkottie]

I watched an Episode last night that one one of the skeletons of sith in it...not star wars, I mean on of the PVC guys from the AD&D 2 packs

[billygalaxy]

I know the following apear in the show
Kelek
Warduke
Strongheart
Elkhorn
Nightmare
Tiamat



The young male titan also appears in an episode, but he is human sized and actually Venger in disguise

[argent007]

By the way, Amazon.com has the completed cartoon series for $7.50!

I have been very tempted though I think I have a homemade copy of these series somewhere...

[ThatBatmanGuy]

^^ The boxset has altered music. I was disappointed with this fact. It's a good thing I burned all of my VHS first run copies to DVD sometime back. It's great to watch the episodes with the original music. Always a big fan of this show.
Bob

[danadoll]

As far as I can tell...Elkhorn is not in any of the episodes (and I've watched them all again recently).

I made some custom AD&D figures...If anybody is interested in seeing them, I'll post some pics.

Dana

[danadoll]

Neat!

I could see Dragon #17 providing some inspiration for the figure. I wouldn't be surprised if the designers perused a lot of game art before designing the toys. (Zarak has a Tim Truman AD&D art vibe to him.) XL-1 came out well after the toys, and was an attempt to absorb the characters. The latest attempt to add Warduke was in Dungeon 105.

Don C.

Tim Truman may have helped to design Zarak for D&D (this is the artwork for the action figure card...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/cmdrkoenig67/zarak_art.jpg

Signed Timothy Truman and Roscoff (82).

Truman also did the card art for Warduke, Melf/Peralay and Elkhorn.

http://www.canonfire.com/wiki/images/2/2c/Warduke05.jpg

http://www.toyarchive.com/Dungeons&Dragons/Prototypes/Art/ElkhornArt1a.jpg

[mazinz]

^^ The boxset has altered music. I was disappointed with this fact. It's a good thing I burned all of my VHS first run copies to DVD sometime back. It's great to watch the episodes with the original music. Always a big fan of this show.
Bob

which is why I am glad I bought the region 2 UK dvd boxset a few years before the US release. The music was left untouched

[bizzaro megomauler]

In the actual last script of the cartoon, the kids make it home, once venger had been defeated. they had to give up their weapons, and it was revealed that Dungeonmaster was the father of venger, who was cursed or something. I forget the exact details, but the script rocked.

[mazinz]

In the actual last script of the cartoon, the kids make it home, once venger had been defeated. they had to give up their weapons, and it was revealed that Dungeonmaster was the father of venger, who was cursed or something. I forget the exact details, but the script rocked.

you know they really could actually make this last episode or even make it a "motion comic" using the voice actors of then. The script was really good. It had Venger revert back to a normal person before he became corrupted by evil. Though the main characters did NOT go back home, it left it as they had the option to go home or stay to take on another adventure (which at that time was a way for another season if the station gave it the ok)

[Janson]

you know they really could actually make this last episode or even make it a "motion comic" using the voice actors of then. The script was really good. It had Venger revert back to a normal person before he became corrupted by evil. Though the main characters did NOT go back home, it left it as they had the option to go home or stay to take on another adventure (which at that time was a way for another season if the station gave it the ok)

They did do a radio drama on the bonus disc with some of the original cast returning (think Bobby the Barbarian and one other) of this last story on the US release in 2005. I own it but much like other BCI DVD's this bonur feature does not work. I returned the box set when I discovered the radio drama would not play but the new box set gave me no luck either.

[mazinz]

They did do a radio drama on the bonus disc with some of the original cast returning (think Bobby the Barbarian and one other) of this last story on the US release in 2005. I own it but much like other BCI DVD's this bonur feature does not work. I returned the box set when I discovered the radio drama would not play but the new box set gave me no luck either.

I totally forgot about that!!!. Hmm I can easily steal it off the disc. Actually with that in mind this could really be made by manipulating still shots from the show with the radio audio.

going to fish out my set now--


ripped it to my drive. Since the video portion is just the script as it is being read by the actors, I can create you an mp3 audio for this if you need to hear it--

[Rat King]

Mill Creek's version is with the original music etc. but no bonus features...

[mazinz]

Mill Creek's version is with the original music etc. but no bonus features...

but as with most of everything else Mills creek has ever released, does it have crap low budget transfers?

[Janson]

Mazinz thanks for the again man!

[Rat King]

but as with most of everything else Mills creek has ever released, does it have crap low budget transfers?

No the quality was pretty good

[mazinz]

No the quality was pretty good

thanks for the info on mills creek. If I did not already have the region 2 UK 20th centuiry Fox set (as well as the bci US set) I would prob pick up the Mills creek

[bizzaro megomauler]

if anyone actually gets the radio drama working please keep me in the loop.

[Rat King]

thanks for the info on mills creek. If I did not already have the region 2 UK 20th centuiry Fox set (as well as the bci US set) I would prob pick up the Mills creek

Hey for $8 it wasn't bad...I too would like to get the audio from that last episode....

[bizzaro megomauler]

Mazinz, that was awesome! you could close your eyes and picture how it would have looked easily. Thanks so much! I had read the script years ago,but it pales in comparison. I enjoyed it very much and appreciate you sharing!

[danadoll]

Maybe somebody will know here....

I was wondering if there are other 3 3/4 inch figure lines like the D&D figures by LJN, with the straight-arm/shoulder ball joints (or even a non-ball joint shoulder)) and straight leg (held by the rubber o-ring inside)?...Other than Gi Joe or the Micronauts, please...LOL!

I've been looking for other figures to use for D&D customs and my searches have found very little.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks folks.

Dana

[mazinz]

Maybe somebody will know here....

I was wondering if there are other 3 3/4 inch figure lines like the D&D figures by LJN, with the straight-arm/shoulder ball joints (or even a non-ball joint shoulder)) and straight leg (held by the rubber o-ring inside)?...Other than Gi Joe or the Micronauts, please...LOL!

I've been looking for other figures to use for D&D customs and my searches have found very little.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks folks.

Dana

hmm off hand the Dragonriders of the styx toy line had some characters that might help you
check the link below:
Dragonriders of the styx (http://figure-archive.net/toyline.aspx?toylineID=961)

[danadoll]

Thank you, Mazinz. I've seen them before, but I'll take another look at them.

Dana

[danadoll]

I had been considering GI Joe figures as a possible D&D customizing resource, but I've found that the GI Joe figures fall rather short of the stature of the AD&D figures by LJN. The Strongheart figure is actually about 4 1/4" (not including his helmet plume) and Mercion (one of the female figures) comes to 3 3/4 inches tall. Both Kelek and Ringlerun are about 3 3/4", but I've found (like Strongheart), almost all of the male warrior figures (Warduke, Bowmarc, etc...) measure around 4 1/4 inches.

I'm in a bit of a stall in finding compatible figures, I guess.

Dana

[Falstaff13]

Not sure how well they'd customize, but Empire's Legends of the West are 4" tall and might work. Course, then you'd be going after what I'm tracking down...