Derek

Will definitely check it out!

I actually listened to it instead of re-reading it the most recent time! It is a great audiobook and the new translation is nice. It also fixes some of the odd choices in earlier English-language translations (such as explicitly setting it in Canada).

Interesting. Do you have a link to that module?

And yes, I think the TV series would have been quite the ride.

I originally discussed the specifics of the very ends of each (such as Red being cut off at the end of RP) but decided to cut it for space. You’re very right though: we don’t know if Red’s gambit works. Given the censorship environment, it was also probably the safest way to end the story ;).

Like folsks below, I actually think the ending also works better this way because it no longer matters: Red’s willingness to sacrifice another means he’s lost, whether he gets what he wants or not.

I’m drawn to the temporal element you’ve highlighted as well (in the form of repetition). There’s almost a sense that a spatial emergence triggers a temporal regress. Very provocative!

Adaptation is interesting because there is even less of a baseline expectation than in other media. Of course, everyone has different opinions about any movie or book or song, but the framework for judgment seems a bit more standardized when its an “original” work. Some people hope for the “feel,” others the “characters,” and others still the plot is supreme. It’s quite the problem for practitioners!

As a long-time D&D player myself (15+ years of DMing!), I enjoyed the article considerably. I think your elucidation of the two fantasy genres carved out by Tolkein and Gygax is spot on. There is an interesting tension at the heart of the D&D that, as you point out, has been there since page 7 of the original DMG. Gygax’s sense of how D&D ‘should be played’ runs counter to how most players enjoy the game. In my experience, cartoons like Adventure Time capture the spirit of D&D play better than Gygax’s adventure modules do – a blend of silly antics, CYE moments with the forces of evil, weird landscapes, DM flourishes, recurring jokes, and plentiful diplomacy.

Your article has given me a lot to think about as I work on my next campaign… which intends to tackle environmental themes and make violence a costly and ugly option. Thanks!