The Gamers: Dorkness Rising

[Myiven]

Have any other board regulars seen this movie yet?

The Gamers: Dorkness Rising is a low budget independent comedy made by Dead Gentlemen Productions. Don't let the low budget note fool you. It is a fun movie, and the few special effects make the movie work without distracting from the character interaction.

The movie is about a group of D&D gamers and the characters they play. The scenes regularly shift from "in game" to "real world". The gamers and the gamers' characters are played by the actor, with one rather hilarious exception. One of the male players chooses to play a female character, but frequently forgets he's supposed to be a woman. In scenes where he forgets, the male actor portrays the female character--complete with the revealing costume.


I strongly recommend the movie. Since I got it last week, I've watched it at least once a day. As I write this post, I'm watching it for the second time today. I am enjoying this movie more than any movie Hollywood has put out for years. It's definitely a movie by gamers for gamers.

[Strawman]

I've seen it. It's very good, especially for something so low budget. I know there are two of them, but I cannot remember whether or not Dorkness Rising is the first or the sequel.

[Myiven]

Dorkness Rising is the sequel, but you don't need to watch "The Gamers" to appreciate Dorkness Rising. I haven't seen The Gamers yet, though I have purchased it and am eagerly awaiting its arrival.

The Gamers: Dorkness Rising is low budget. The Gamers is no budget.

[Foeofthelance]

All I can say is that in hindsight, it was probably a bad idea to watch this with my ten year old niece before introducing her to 4th edition D&D. It took us ten minutes to explain to her that no, her first level rogue hadn't pulled a bazooka and dynamite out of the chest...

[Strawman]

Of course. That's 3.5 only.

[Killer Angel]

Have any other board regulars seen this movie yet?


TG:DR is very good, and the bard is fantastic .. :smallbiggrin:
still, I prefere decisely The Gamers, and I highly recommend it... but I've heard also someone who have seen both "movies", saying that Dorkness is better, so I suppose it's a fair match.

EDIT: thread related (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=119402). Sadly, the discussion was very limited.

(and on youtube everyone can find both movies).

[pita]

You prefer The Gamers to Dorkness Rising.
What is wrong with the world?
A lot of the jokes in Dorkness Rising are based on jokes from The Gamers, though, so there's a bit of a problem with that.

[Lord Herman]

I love both movies, but I think I prefer Dorkness Rising. It's just as funny, but it has more of a plot, and the characters are more interesting.

[Dallas-Dakota]

And we really need to watch it at the next meet-up. >.>

[Saph]

I've seen both. They're both worth watching, but the original (The Gamers) was better, IMO. Lower budget, but the jokes are a lot funnier. My favourite was the sneak attack sequence. :)

DM: "You're going to backstab him with a ballista?"
Thief: "Uh-huh!"
DM: "With a ****ing siege weapon?"
Thief: "Uh-huh!"
DM: *sigh* "Roll it."

[Corlindale]

I also prefer the original The Gamers. The jokes were more frequent and more funny, and furthermore I don't think DR's attempt at a more serious plot worked that well. I liked both, though - mostly excellent comedy.

My favourite scene of all is probably "Fear of water":smallbiggrin:, though I also really like the introduction of the new wizard.

Rising had some nice stuff as well. I loved the Monk's parody of cryptic language, and a lot of the stuff involving the bard. ("As if killing the bard impresses us...")

[Myiven]

After enjoying Dorkness Rising as much as I did, I bought both of the Dead Gentlemen's other movies. I'll be watching The Gamers and Demon Hunters today.

[Mr. Scaly]

All I have to say is that the spatula of light will scramble the egg of your malfeasance. :smallbiggrin:.

[Makensha]

I'm also going to chime in. Having seen both, I agree the original was better, despite a lack of budget. The Gamers had a lot of laugh out loud moments. TG: DR had a couple laugh out loud moments, but most of the humor was more silly than hilarious.

[Myiven]

I just watched the original "The Gamers". I'm going to have to disagree with the consensus and say that the sequel is better. I laughed harder, and liked the characters more. There are more jokes in The Gamers, but Dorkness Rising has better timing and writing. For my tastes, anyway.

[Partof1]

Would these be good for a group that has no real knowledge of DnD outside og the name? Are the jokes too geeky? Or could they understand them with minimal explanation?

[Froogleyboy]

"Your going to back stab him with a F*cking siege weapon?"
"yep"

Classic

[Dienekes]

Seen both, and thought they were awesome.

Me and my gaming group agree (we watched them together) that Gamers had the two funniest moments overall (siege weapon and fear of water) though Dorkness Rising was better paced, better acted, and all around funnier. Almost everything about the sequel is hilarious, except for the boring romance.

I will always remember with delight the exclamation of what I already knew, bard's suck.

And to Partof1. A lot of the jokes are geeky or making fun of the geekyness. But a lot of it can be funny to non-gamers. Actually my friends girlfriend watched it with us (no gaming experience) and she thought it was rather funny and wanted to join in on our games afterward.

[pita]

Would these be good for a group that has no real knowledge of DnD outside og the name? Are the jokes too geeky? Or could they understand them with minimal explanation?

Gamers is not very good for non-D&Ders. Too many of the jokes are about D&D itself.
Dorkness Rising has a lot more character humor, and makes a lot more fun of nerds, so someone who doesn't play D&D could watch it.
On the other hand, if you're watching something funny with someone who doesn't play D&D, why not Zoolander, The Hangover, Borat, Tropic Thunder, or a lot of other hysterical movies that don't require you to know the difference between a paladin and a fighter?

[Makensha]

With TG: DR you might notice little hints that are given about characters that later lead to jokes (Paladin's inspection of old architecture). While they try not to beat those "in the know" they do leave subtle bits here and there that allow someone unfamiliar with D&D to get a better understanding of what is going on. One of the larger factors of this is the girl (can't remember her name) and that she occasionally needed guidance with some of the slang.

[Kato]

I've seen both and liked both about equally. Though, I usually skipped the frame plot of DR since I was more interested in the actual gaming. I think we had a thread about some months ago...
Oh such great quotes as _A always expect an ambush!' or 'What did the barmaid say?'

Yeah, our gaming session really enjoyed that... 'How could he rather spend an evening with a young, intelligent, kind girl than with his friends?!'

[pita]

I've seen both and liked both about equally. Though, I usually skipped the frame plot of DR since I was more interested in the actual gaming. I think we had a thread about some months ago...
Oh such great quotes as _A always expect an ambush!' or 'What did the barmaid say?'

Yeah, our gaming session really enjoyed that... 'How could he rather spend an evening with a young, intelligent, kind girl than with his friends?!'

That was my thread... :(
My favorite quote will always be "Hide behind the mound of dead bards!"

[Shademan]

those two movies have a place of honour in my center of humor.
could talk about what i liked and didnt like but... way to late now! need sleep and stuff.
and pirates.
everything.... is better.... with pirates!

[Dienekes]

and pirates.
everything.... is better.... with pirates!

True words man, true words.

[Ditto]

I enjoyed the first one, particularly the 'I shoot him. Caught him monologuing, c'mon! Sneak attack... I waited three rounds already!' :smallbiggrin: Didn't know that the second one had come out, I'll have to look that up.

My obsession of late has been another YouTube phenom, A Very Potter Musical (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmwM_AKeMCk). I love YouTube and the lovely people on it...

[Killer Angel]

I just watched the original "The Gamers". I'm going to have to disagree with the consensus and say that the sequel is better. I laughed harder, and liked the characters more. There are more jokes in The Gamers, but Dorkness Rising has better timing and writing. For my tastes, anyway.

Yep, they are both two very good products, so it's all a matter of personal tastes.
My favourite war cry will always be: "BLOOD, DEATH AND VENGEANCE!".
'Nuff said. :smallbiggrin:

[magellan]

I just watched the original "The Gamers". I'm going to have to disagree with the consensus and say that the sequel is better. I laughed harder, and liked the characters more. There are more jokes in The Gamers, but Dorkness Rising has better timing and writing. For my tastes, anyway.

Better timing and writing? You mean as in "more time and more writing and more is always better?" ;)

Dorkness rising is *way* too long and drawn out and padded. I was looking at the clock more often than at the movie when i saw it, with a voice constantly going "move along, nothing to see here, move along" in my head.

Reaction to the end of the gamers "owww, its over"
Reaction to the eind of dorkness rising: "Its over. Finally!"

[Vest Man!]

I frankly think that both movies hold a form of integrity for different forms of gameplay.

Gamers: Honour. Valour. Gloury. Dourks.

This is more about a more easy going kick the door down setting. Though full of detail it is definitely set up to have more laughs. It displays the setting that is more hack and slash and gafaw gafaw. The jokes are meant to be more immature because in truth it is showing the ridiculousness that gaming is at times. Less focused on character development and having a good time with friends and kicking the asses of a few thieves here and there.

The Gamers 2: Dorkness Rising

It displays a fuller and more enriching environment that is well thought out and made to not only make you think, have fun, and do something with friends but to be part of a story. Allow I will say that the movie is much longer, but does that necessarily mean it is bad. It can be argued that many moves are too long, whereas I disagree for Dorkness Rising. It was not just meant to display gaming, munchkining, story-telling it was meant to show the levels of gaming and how they affect others lives. The comedy of it is only one layer to Dorkness Rising which is just as fulfilling if you watch the movie only for the story which in itself is full of elegant design, much like a good dungeon crawl.

Either way it is really telling that people that made these movies knew what they were doing. They wanted those that made them and those that would inevitably watch them have a good time. Of course this only opinion. I can say that I have had many a game that at least one person made a reference to these wonderful movies. But in greater truth I may as well be speaking out a metaphorical posterior. I enjoy both movies on different levels, one no more than the other.

5 nat 20s to both. And that my friends is a 1 in 32000000 chance and that is how they roll.

[mikej]

Did anyone else found it ironic that the powergamer-like guy was playing the Monk?

... the shadow

[Strawman]

I loved that the DM allowed lightsabers and rocket launchers while ealier complaining that the monk looked shaolin rather than friar in a medieval setting.

[Hopeless]

I loved that the DM allowed lightsabers and rocket launchers while ealier complaining that the monk looked shaolin rather than friar in a medieval setting.

Actually he threw a fit when the monk unveiled the lightsaber I believe he called it a Psion spirit blade or something like that, however he also had a fit when the monk drew the shotgun!