PDA

View Full Version : Let's see how many D&D references we can find in music and popular media?



Pika...
2010-02-23, 02:38 PM
Sure they are mostly going to be cynical/insulting to the community, but let's be honest in that many of us take pride in that. We are the type of people who can take the jokes and laugh as well. :smallbiggrin:

This is the one I just saw which got my attention to just how often it's mentioned if you just keep an eye out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4lZvJV6nFU&NR=1

FirebirdFlying
2010-02-23, 03:26 PM
I wouldn't say it's popular media, but it is music…

I Put My Low Stat (http://quadrivium.livejournal.com/275706.html), by Mary Crowell.

She's got another one about AoOs, too, and prolly more.

hamishspence
2010-02-23, 03:28 PM
In the Time On Our Hands episode of Only Fools and Horses, Rodney, when Del is coaxing him to reveal his feelings about Cassandra's miscarriage, uses the phrase:

"Suddenly Happy Families became Dungeons & Dragons."

Godskook
2010-02-23, 03:32 PM
Steven Lynch has a song called D&D. There might be a reference or two hidden in the lyrics *somewhere*.

Lysander
2010-02-23, 03:34 PM
There's the 1982 made for TV Tom Hanks vehicle Mazes and Monsters, which stands in direct opposition to D&D. I suppose that counts as a reference.

There's also Dungeons & Dragons the movie, which probably defames D&D by how bad it is more than Mazes and Monsters did.

The Dark Fiddler
2010-02-23, 03:38 PM
This is the one I just saw which got my attention to just how often it's mentioned if you just keep an eye out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4lZvJV6nFU&NR=1

Strange thing is that Al actually said he's never played D&D.

Mystic Muse
2010-02-23, 03:41 PM
In "That seventies show" THere's an episode about a radio station guy who Eric thinks is awesome but turns out to be a nerd.

at the end it has the owner of the station, the previously mentioned person and Alice cooper playing D&D.

Nich_Critic
2010-02-23, 03:43 PM
Not to cheat or anything but...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_&_Dragons_in_popular_culture

Siegel
2010-02-23, 03:44 PM
There is a Futurama Movie dedicated to D&D and the memorial of Gary Gygax.

Benders Game

Susano-wo
2010-02-23, 03:53 PM
Yes! White and Nerdy is awesome, as well as the D&D skit. There's always Ready to Roll by..I cant remember. [Google tells me its Flashlight Brown].
lets, see, there is the fact that Vin Diesel is openly Gamer [wrote the forward tothe special edition 3.5 PHB, in fact)
Also, in the excellent [heh, spell-check suggested eccentric...which is also true] movie SLC Punk, there is a quite funny late-movie Dnd reference.
And the last one I can think of off the top of my head, environmental activist Derrick Jensen has a bit, where, while describing why he's not a Star Wars Nut, though he did go see the movie, he explains [paraphased]"I'm not a nerd. I mean, I was too busy playing Dungeons and Dragons to go see things like Star Wars"

Zom B
2010-02-23, 03:55 PM
When I first heard of him, I thought the rapper D12 was some sort of reference to D&D...unfortunately I was mistaken. But what would hardcore nerd rap sound like?

Mystic Muse
2010-02-23, 03:57 PM
Oh yeah, There are also references in Angel and you can see them playing a game or two in Buffy the vampire slayer.

Beelzebub1111
2010-02-23, 04:01 PM
There's the two Gamers movies.

Prime32
2010-02-23, 04:02 PM
Dexter's Laboratory had an episode called D&DD, where Dexter is the worst DM ever.

The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy has a ridiculous number of references to it, including appearances by an army of dark elves lead by a spider queen, and the line "No, not my Monster Manual!"

raitalin
2010-02-23, 04:02 PM
When I first heard of him, I thought the rapper D12 was some sort of reference to D&D...unfortunately I was mistaken. But what would hardcore nerd rap sound like?

Something like this (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=F29CA16155190D0F&search_query=nerdcore).

Weezer references 12 sided die in their song "In the Garage."

Lin Bayaseda
2010-02-23, 04:11 PM
When I was in Niagara Falls last year, I saw a gangster-rapper type of limo pulling out of one of the casinos with customized license plates "NO DND 4"

Even gangster-rapper dudes hate 4th edition. It's that bad.

faceroll
2010-02-23, 04:20 PM
Stephen Colbert talks about D&D occasionally on the Colbert Report, and he was talking about it with Conan or someone on one of those talk shows.


Something like this (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=F29CA16155190D0F&search_query=nerdcore).

Weezer references 12 sided die in their song "In the Garage."

And a dungeon master's guide.

Zom B
2010-02-23, 04:24 PM
When I was in Niagara Falls last year, I saw a gangster-rapper type of limo pulling out of one of the casinos with customized license plates "NO DND 4"

Even gangster-rapper dudes hate 4th edition. It's that bad.

I've considered getting a customized plate to show off my nerdery.

DNDPLYR
IMALICH
NAT20
NOSAVE

Kobold-Bard
2010-02-23, 04:26 PM
Steven Lynch has a song called D&D. There might be a reference or two hidden in the lyrics *somewhere*.

D&D (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgOB7VWjlSQ)

I love this song.

WalkingTarget
2010-02-23, 04:29 PM
There is a Futurama Movie dedicated to D&D and the memorial of Gary Gygax.

Benders Game

Hell, Gary Gygax was a guest star (as himself) in one of the Anthology of Interest episodes (along with Nichelle Nichols, Al Gore, and Deep Blue).

bosssmiley
2010-02-23, 07:25 PM
When I first heard of him, I thought the rapper D12 was some sort of reference to D&D...unfortunately I was mistaken.

Rapper? I thought D12 was Eminem's buddies as a collective mass?


But what would hardcore nerd rap sound like?

MC Frontalot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nigRT2KmCE) :smallwink:

D&D in popular media. Has no-one mentioned the 800lb gorilla in the room yet?

WoWcraft. Their primetime adverts with Ozzy & Mr T are about as mainstream as D&D culture gets.

And yes, it does apply. It's quite simple: without D&D, no WoWcraft. And without D&D Tolkers would still be a semi-obscure cult author from the 60s-70s pulp revival. RPGs turned LOTR from a campus classic into a meerkating (http://www.comparethemeerkat.com/home) juggernaut.

faceroll
2010-02-23, 07:38 PM
MC Frontalot is hip hop, not rap, and definitely not hardcore rap. Hardcore rap would be stuff like NWA or Wu Tang.

Dyllan
2010-02-23, 07:51 PM
MC Frontalot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nigRT2KmCE) :smallwink:


Isn't that about text adventures, especially Adventure (predecessor to Zork)? Although there are many correlations there, I don't think that's D&D.

DementedFellow
2010-02-23, 11:04 PM
On a recent episode of Lost, Sayid was brought back to life by drowning him.

Lvl45DM!
2010-02-23, 11:13 PM
One of the funnier Simpsons quotes
"We played Dungeons and Dragons for four hours:smallbiggrin:Then i was slain by an elf:smalleek:"

and that old show reccess had the Daggers and Dragons game for the Pale kids

AustontheGreat1
2010-02-23, 11:24 PM
Marcy's Playground has a song called "Cloak of Elvenkind". If thats what your looking for.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFG5Dd6EF1k

Mystic Muse
2010-02-23, 11:31 PM
In the video game "Bully" There are kids playing "Gremlins and grottos"

waterpenguin43
2010-02-23, 11:36 PM
Take a quick look at those dog-things in Avatar, just personally, and I'm not sure if this counts, but they look suspiciously similar to displacer beasts to me!:smallamused:

Katana_Geldar
2010-02-23, 11:51 PM
xkcd's tribute to Gary Gygax

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/ultimate_game.png

anubistheta
2010-02-24, 12:04 AM
When I first heard of him, I thought the rapper D12 was some sort of reference to D&D...unfortunately I was mistaken. But what would hardcore nerd rap sound like?

Slightly unrelated, but I think MC Chris has a more rapper like sound than MC Frontalot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJvxEjGpIqU
Also, he has an album entitled Dungeon Master of Ceremonies.

Reinboom
2010-02-24, 12:12 AM
Uhm... yeah.


Not to cheat or anything but...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_&_Dragons_in_popular_culture

This covers almost all the references people were trying to bring up. :smallconfused:

randomhero00
2010-02-24, 01:10 AM
On a recent episode of Lost, Sayid was brought back to life by drowning him.

ahahahaha, I lol'd. I forgot about that. I totally watch that show and didn't think of that when seeing it! :D

I wonder if that was an actual DnD reference? Probably not, but so funny.

Dapperdan
2010-02-24, 03:54 AM
ohh gods...

On an episode of Wizards of Waverly Place "Fashion Week" (I think...) they played a game of Dungeons and Gargoyles.

Sorry, don't get the whole drowning and being brought back to life thing.

DementedFellow
2010-02-24, 04:43 AM
Sorry, don't get the whole drowning and being brought back to life thing.

Sayid is shot and is probably in negatives. They take him to a healing pool and drown him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V28HD1ms60

He gets better.

In the drowning rules, your HP goes to 0, through some quirk. So if you are in negatives, by RAW, your HP stops dropping and goes back to 0. Better than any Heal check.

hewhosaysfish
2010-02-24, 08:11 AM
In the video game "Bully" There are kids playing "Gremlins and grottos"

"No, no, no! You can't use Diplomacy to make the Elven Princess do that!"

wormwood
2010-02-24, 08:22 AM
In the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher, the lead character often goes to hang out and play D&D with a group of werewolves. He takes a moment to point out, when they first invite him, that they're trying to convince a wizard who spends his days fighting evil monsters to come pretend to be a wizard who spends his days fighting evil monsters. It strikes me as funny.

Coplantor
2010-02-24, 08:31 AM
Nightwish song, Wishmaster, is based on the Greyhawk setting.
Futurama has beholders, rust monsters, pazuzu, Gygax himself...
There was an awful movie called basilsk king of the snakes or something like that, the monster frighens everyone in the mall except the three nerd guys playing DnD who argue if it was a dragon, a wyvern or a basilisk (if they where real nerds they would know:smallmad:)
The Slayers anime was originally based on DnD, see Lina casting Fireball and you can notice the similarities.

Also, in the Grim adventures of Billy and Mandy, there's an episode with Acererak. A movie where they go and try to recover the hand of doom, a hand with an eye on its palm.

I cant remember more now.

kamikasei
2010-02-24, 08:38 AM
The Slayers anime was originally based on DnD, see Lina casting Fireball and you can notice the similarities.

And of course, the Record of Lodoss War franchise was based on a retelling of a real D&D campaign.

Fri
2010-02-24, 08:43 AM
Record of Lodoss War is how dnd games supposed to be.

Slayers is how a dnd games in real life turned out to be.

Eldan
2010-02-24, 08:45 AM
In the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher, the lead character often goes to hang out and play D&D with a group of werewolves. He takes a moment to point out, when they first invite him, that they're trying to convince a wizard who spends his days fighting evil monsters to come pretend to be a wizard who spends his days fighting evil monsters. It strikes me as funny.

Well, he does play a barbarian, later.

Coplantor
2010-02-24, 09:01 AM
Record of Lodoss War is how dnd games supposed to be.

Slayers is how a dnd games in real life turned out to be.

Haha, so true.

Theodoric
2010-02-24, 09:05 AM
Why has no-one mentioned the stoner rock group Kyuss yet? They're not at all obscure. :smallconfused:

Dusk Eclipse
2010-02-24, 11:32 AM
Nightwish song, Wishmaster, is based on the Greyhawk setting.
Futurama has beholders, rust monsters, pazuzu, Gygax himself...
There was an awful movie called basilsk king of the snakes or something like that, the monster frighens everyone in the mall except the three nerd guys playing DnD who argue if it was a dragon, a wyvern or a basilisk (if they where real nerds they would know:smallmad:)
The Slayers anime was originally based on DnD, see Lina casting Fireball and you can notice the similarities.

Also, in the Grim adventures of Billy and Mandy, there's an episode with Acererak. A movie where they go and try to recover the hand of doom, a hand with an eye on its palm.

I cant remember more now.

Sorry to rain in your parade, but Pazuzu is an actual demon who was converted into DnD, if not, well the exorcist would be a big reference to DnD (a demon with the fiend of possecion prg class)

Coplantor
2010-02-24, 11:38 AM
Sorry to rain in your parade, but Pazuzu is an actual demon who was converted into DnD, if not, well the exorcist would be a big reference to DnD (a demon with the fiend of possecion prg class)

Oh, I know that it was an actual demon, but the pazuzu that appears in futurama looks the same as the pazuzu in DnD 3rd ed manuals, wich doesnt look like the original pazuzu.

Dusk Eclipse
2010-02-24, 11:40 AM
I don't have the book to check, but I'll trust you

Kobold-Bard
2010-02-24, 11:46 AM
I don't have the book to check, but I'll trust you

I also vaguely remember reading somewhere (possibly Futurama wiki) that Pazuzu in the show grants wishes, which would be another tie to the D&D version.

Coplantor
2010-02-24, 11:47 AM
After a google search, futurama pazuzu looks different than DnD pazuzu in the fact that it has leathery wings instead of feathered ones and it's a bit more beast like. So, who knows.

You may trust me, but I dont, and I trust google.

Kobold-Bard
2010-02-24, 11:55 AM
...I trust google.

Then it's already too late for you my friend[/paranoia]

Coplantor
2010-02-24, 11:56 AM
Then it's already too late for you my friend[/paranoia]

Soon you will be one of us!

Kobold-Bard
2010-02-24, 12:04 PM
Soon you will be one of us!

I don't doubt it, but I'll be damned if I'm going down without a fight :smallcool:

Egiam
2010-02-24, 12:43 PM
This (http://www.metrolyrics.com/the-you-in-me-lyrics-radish.html) one is so obscure, I couldn't find it on youtube. So... I suppose that it isn't really "popular" media. Ah well.


"I like to play D and D
and watch the Spanish channel on TV
be a nobody...like me."

JediSoth
2010-02-24, 02:33 PM
Near the beginning of E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083866/), the kids are playing an RPG which, while not explicitly called "Dungeons & Dragons" is clearly meant to be D&D.

Ironically (or not) the actor who play Eliot in E.T. went on to star in another movie that featured an RPG, Cloak and Dagger (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087065/). The RPG in that movie was called "Cloak and Dagger" and was modern espionage game. He played it with a girl his age...possibly the earlier gamer girl shown in a movie (though she was portrayed as mostly playing with Davey to humor him because they were friends, not because she was really into spy games).

Vulkarius
2010-02-24, 03:34 PM
I remember the beholder on futurama but when were there rust monsters?

Susano-wo
2010-02-24, 04:34 PM
; ;
I forgot Lodoss War. I just lost all my anime nerd points. Now I gotta start over!

RE: SLayers...yes they use fireball, but is that the only reason it is supposed to be Dnd based? Though Fireball is from Dnd, I think the idea is prevalent enough now that its presence in an anime does not necessarily make it based on Dnd. Probably is a valid reference, though :P

Reynard
2010-02-24, 05:00 PM
Not really a reference to DnD, but 'Those Were the Days, My Friend (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDVhB0jGP7I)' makes me think about DnD whenever I hear it. It just gives vibes about an ex-adventurer sitting in an inn singing about the good old days.

Yora
2010-02-24, 07:06 PM
Remeber that one episode of the first season of Star Trek The Next Generation.

http://startrekreview.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/tasha-skinofevil.jpg
It's a Taint elemental from Heroes of Horror! :smallbiggrin:


Record of Lodoss War is how dnd games supposed to be.

Slayers and Rune Soldier is how a dnd games in real life turned out to be.
Corrected it for you. :smallwink:

Coplantor
2010-02-25, 06:12 AM
; ;
I forgot Lodoss War. I just lost all my anime nerd points. Now I gotta start over!

RE: SLayers...yes they use fireball, but is that the only reason it is supposed to be Dnd based? Though Fireball is from Dnd, I think the idea is prevalent enough now that its presence in an anime does not necessarily make it based on Dnd. Probably is a valid reference, though :P

I think it was said by the author that it was inspired in DnD. And what I meant with the fireball was not that they casted spell called fireball, but the way they casted it, a small orange reddish ball that when impacts turns into a massive explosion

magic9mushroom
2010-02-25, 06:51 AM
Take a quick look at those dog-things in Avatar, just personally, and I'm not sure if this counts, but they look suspiciously similar to displacer beasts to me!:smallamused:

Ha, I noticed that too.

Also, here's a highly NSFW reference to the Yellow Musk Creeper. (http://mcstories.com/Yellow/index.html)

Susano-wo
2010-02-25, 02:45 PM
@coplanter
Ah, I see what you are talking about. ALso, I was not trying to be argumentative; I can totally buy that it is based on Dnd (especially if you've seen the class pictures from the old Japanese 2nd ed books). I just didn't know how conclusive the evidence was

Also, honorable mention: Tower of Druaga is based on an old NES game, which probably has a lot of OD&D influences (just giving from the appearance of the game). Oh yeah, and a villain introduced early on is called Pazuzu (though its a real mythical demon, Pazuzu is probably best known, if known at all, from dnd.)
Though the anime reminds me of an MMO. Main char even goes to the town square to essentially LFG :P

Heliomance
2010-02-25, 02:54 PM
Nightwish song, Wishmaster, is based on the Greyhawk setting.

Coulda sworn it was based on Dragonlance. Thought it was about Raistlin?

Eldariel
2010-02-25, 03:05 PM
Coulda sworn it was based on Dragonlance. Thought it was about Raistlin?

It's not based on any of those. It has lots of references, like all of Nightwish's music. Tuomas Holopainen, the writer, is big into fantasy. From Wishmaster, you can pick up tons of references; "Sla-Mori" and "Shalafi" appear in the song, as do "Gray Havens" and "Inn of last hope". Elbereth and Lorien (Quenyan words and names from Tolkien's cosmos; Elbereth Gilthoniel, aka. Varda and Lorien aka. Irmo - both Valar), Silvara (Dragonlance), etc.

And the whole theme of the song (Heartborne! 7th Seeker! Warrior! Disciple! In me, the Wishmaster!), finding oneself drifting into the world of fantasy seeing the fantasy elements and so on. It's not their only song with heavy fantasy element either; there's Elvenpath too, for example (though that mostly focuses on Finnish mythology and Tolkien's work).


But no, it's not really based on Greyhawk by any stretch of imagination nor in any other fantasy world; the song isn't about fantasy worlds, but about the trips of imagination. You can find familiar names there though.

Amiel
2010-02-25, 06:14 PM
It is, however, inspired by both Dragonlance and the Lord of the Rings.
It mentions; for Dragonlance; Shalafi (and Dalamar), Silvara (and Gilthanas), Starbreeze (Alana Starbreeze and Sturm Brightblade), Sla-Mori, the Inn of the Last Home; for the Lord of the Rings; Elbereth, Lorien, the Grey Havens.

As can be seen, there are many more references to Dragonlance.


Our very own Tripod has produced this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IgVPnhmVNE); it's pretty epic, and you get to hear what the Australian accent sounds like.


I'm surprised no one has mentioned the 8-bit theatre re-enactment of Dungeons and Dragons (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHdXG2gV01k).

Susano-wo
2010-02-25, 07:02 PM
oh yeah, duh! the famous DnD skit (if you want, you can count the second one as well, though its less well known :P..and would probably just count as the same since they are both done by the same people)

Thurbane
2010-02-25, 07:34 PM
OK, hope these haven't already been done...

Kyuss (band): got their name from a 1E monster from the Fiend Folio.

In an episode of the X-files, a witness says to Mulder "You don't play D&D for as long as I have without learning a little something about courage!"

The famous bit in E.T.

Grommen
2010-02-26, 01:15 AM
I'm fairly sure that the episode of x-files feechering the Lone Gunmen (has to be one of the middle seasons not sure what one) are at a convention for nerds. I think it's set back in the late 80's for some reason. One of the seens they are making characters or something of the like. The blond with the longer hair is the DM even. Not sure on all the details, that was over ten years ago, and I was drinking a lot more back then.

Coplantor
2010-02-26, 06:09 AM
Coulda sworn it was based on Dragonlance. Thought it was about Raistlin?

Oh yeah, it could be, for some reason I always get dragonlance and greyhawk mixed


@coplanter
Ah, I see what you are talking about. ALso, I was not trying to be argumentative; I can totally buy that it is based on Dnd (especially if you've seen the class pictures from the old Japanese 2nd ed books). I just didn't know how conclusive the evidence was

Dont worry, neither was I
Also, are we counting webcmics? Because Something Positive is full of references, I mean, rockslide everyone dies was born in that web comic, and Penny Arcade also has quite a few references.
(Oots, goblins and other similar webcomics are not count for obvious reasons)

KellKheraptis
2010-02-26, 06:27 AM
Other than their LotR references and concept albums, didn't Blind Guardian do a Dragonlance concept album as well? And IIRC Rush has a flagrant DnD reference as well on one of their older albums.

EDIT : Chain Lightning, Armor and Sword, just off the first page of songs.

Hopeless
2010-02-26, 06:41 AM
Record of Lodoss War is how dnd games supposed to be.

Thats how people wish it could be, that part I do agree with.


Slayers is how a dnd games in real life turned out to be.

Nobody is that lucky!

Well except munchkins...

Hopeless
2010-02-26, 06:47 AM
[QUOTE=Yora;7957624]
Originally Posted by Fri
Record of Lodoss War is how dnd games supposed to be.
Slayers and Rune Soldier is how a dnd games in real life turned out to be.
Corrected it for you. QUOTE]

Okay now I agree!

dragonfan6490
2010-02-27, 01:03 PM
Now I'm not sure if I'm right about this, but there's this webcomic, I think its called Order of the Stick(?), I hear that it has some DnD references in it, but I'm not so sure about it, I haven't caught any yet. :smalltongue:

Flickerdart
2010-02-27, 01:27 PM
Now I'm not sure if I'm right about this, but there's this webcomic, I think its called Order of the Stick(?), I hear that it has some DnD references in it, but I'm not so sure about it, I haven't caught any yet. :smalltongue:
If such a thing existed, I think the rest of us would have heard of it. Don't be going around making stuff up. :smallbiggrin:

Vorpalbob
2010-02-27, 01:36 PM
I just cannot believe no-one has yet mentioned that ridiculous cartoon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfif5DiGMYc). Seriously, what kind of sadistic DM only gives two party members weapons?
If you must, just kill me now. I actually kind of like the D&D movie.

Raiki
2010-02-27, 05:26 PM
Okay, I'm suffering from an acute case of tl;dr here, so this may have been stated already, but Stephen Colbert is a huge D&D nerd. He once challenged the chess master of the world to a game and said "Now, I've never played chess before, but if it's anything like dungeons and dragons I'll be up to my eyeballs in +1 scimitars before you can say Cure Light Wounds."

I laughed for about a week after I heard that.

~R~

Acero
2010-02-27, 07:09 PM
the beholder animal orb in castle crasher

babson99
2010-02-28, 12:01 AM
Saving Grace (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0195234/). An English widow turns to growing marijuana. At one point a local pot dealer is told to trail someone, and he says "I'm not free tonight - I have a Dungeons and Dragons night with the missus." Later on, after flubbing the job, I desperately hoped he'd say something like "It's not my fault! I don't have the Trailing non-weapon proficiency." But alas, no.