I started playing D&D in 1984, the same year the D&D cartoon came out. In case you don't remember this show, it's about six kids who ride the Dungeons & Dragons roller coaster at the amusement park. The ride somehow propels them into a fantasy world where they meet Dungeon Master, a pudgy, bald midget dude who instantly gives them magic weapons. The ranger gets a bow with no string or arrows, that shoots unlimited arrows. The barbarian gets a magic club. The cavalier gets a magic shield (no sword, no horse). The thief gets a cloak of invisibility. And the acrobat gets a magic staff, which can appear in her hands at will. The point of the show was for the kids to find a way back home. It was a cute show. My daughter and nephew are both six, so I decided to use them as an excuse to purchase and watch the series again.
My buddy Tony got the core AD&D books from his parents after seeing the cartoon. He had me over to play. What's the first thing he did? Assign me a magic item. Heck, we didn't even roll attributes yet. So now I know why my friends and I, and probably so many others who started out in those times, were obsessed with magic items in D&D.
I don't know why this is important, but I thought I'd share.
And for the record, the kids want to know more about D&D now. Mission accomplished. :)
I remember watching that show as a kid and becoming concerned about the continuity issues (yes, even at the age of 9, I was a continuity freak). But, admittedly, if I hadn't watched it I probably wouldn't have gotten into D&D in the first place, so for that I can be grateful. :)
ReplyDeleteDude, "The Dragon's Graveyard" is an AWESOME episode. Most cartoons had the same basic repeated storyline in each episode but D&D was the rare exception where they finally have an episode where the characters acknowledge it, break the repetitive sequence, and ultimately... well, I won't give it away.
ReplyDeleteStarting a game by giving everyone a distinctive magic item can be pretty cool. However, doling out new magic items with every level up and having designated "slots" for said items, not so much.
ReplyDeleteI recently got the whole set on DVD. Good times!
ReplyDeleteAs to magic, my own pet theory is that Magic items should enable players to do things they can't do, not just make them more powerful.
It was a lot easier to have cool items in D&D because there wasn't a whole lot characters could actually DO as determined by the rules.
Magic items opened up amazing possibilities. Now with modern games that have skills/feats/edges etc. and character balance, characters can do more and are expected to be on an even playing field so the allure of magic is somewhat reduced.
At least that's my experience.