The D&D Community | Gameplaywright

The missus and I dig the NBC Thursday-night comedy, Community. I dig Dungeons & Dragons. Next week, apparently, they meet:

“ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS”

02/03/2011 (08:00PM – 08:30PM) (Thursday) : THE STUDY GROUP TAKES A JOURNEY INTO THE DARK WORLD OF DUNGEONS AND DRAGON WITH ABED AT THE HELM – CHARLEY KOONTZ (“Gigantic”) GUEST STARS – When Jeff (Joel McHale) becomes concerned about “Fat Neil,” (Charley Koontz) a fellow Greendale student who is a bit of a loner, Abed (Danny Pudi) proposes that they invite him to play a game of Dungeons and Dragons to boost his spirits and his confidence. But when Pierce (Chevy Chase) discovers that he’s been excluded, he forces his way into the game and takes charge, disrupting their delicate plan. Gillian Jacobs, Alison Brie, Donald Glover, Yvette Nicole Brown and Ken Jeong also star.

[via io9]

My opinion of this episode is almost sure to depend on how current and informed the jokes are. If the show chooses to mock us using outdated references or made-up jargon, I’ll be disappointed. I mean, we’re ripe for mocking, and Community‘s a comedy so that’s its job, but I’m hoping for jokes that reveal a knowledge of the game, whether they’re playing with old-school books or something more current.

In the spirit of Gameplaywright, I’m also hoping that there’s a great story at the heart of the episode and that D&D is an important part of it—something more than a hook to hang jokes on. Though, to be fair, RPGs are a great hook for geek mockery and it’s not like the episode is going to be written for a geeks-only audience.

An obvious gag, to me, seems to be a trajectory for someone that goes from outsider to insider, until maybe he or she is treating dice like a proper gamer: pleading with them, anthropomorphizing them, cursing them, exhibiting behaviors we talk about in The Bones. That story of obsession and change is what they did with Joel McHale’s Jeff Winger in the pool-playing episode, though, so maybe they’ll go somewhere else with it. Whatever. I trust Community to entertain me.

Given the title of the episode, I will award bonus XP for a THAC0 or edition-wars joke.

6 Comments

John Harper on January 27, 2011 at 4:52 pm

Also check out the first episode of THE IT CROWD, season 4. They play a fantasy rpg (not D&D exactly) and while it’s mostly for mockery (and funny, too) there’s a great insight into how much gaming means to people, too.

Looking forward to the Community episode.

Will Hindmarch on January 27, 2011 at 4:55 pm

Oooh, I’ve heard about that one but I haven’t seen it. Must get my hands on it. Netflix to the rescue, I guess.

John Arcadian on January 28, 2011 at 2:24 pm

Anytime I see a popular media franchise take on gaming or geek culture, I cringe a bit. Sometimes it turns out ok, sometimes it contains an attempt to show the culture as what it is (both redeeming and cringe-worthy elements), but most of the time it is the stereotypes in their most negative light. I think it is great to get more exposure in the mainstream, but I hate to see very negative stereotypes reinforced. You have to laugh at yourselves, and gamers and geeks produce plenty of things to laugh at, but it is always a gamble when tackling it from outside the culture.

The IT crowd’s take on gaming had just the right mix of laughter at ourselves and realistic interpretations of gaming. The element I loved most about that episode was how it showed non-gamers trying it out and then really getting hooked into it. Their portrayal was as realistic as any actual experience of watching new gamers warm up to the gaming experience.

elucidarian on February 4, 2011 at 1:57 pm

I thought the episode was brilliant, especially the subtle touch of the voice over at the end.

Shawn on February 4, 2011 at 6:04 pm

I loved it so much. But then, I love Community and I have a soft spot for D&D. Dan Harmon, the creator and executive producer of Community, is one of the guys who wrote the Magic Missle At The Darkness skit, so I think it’s safe to say he gets the game. This ep was actually much kinder to the game and players than that bit was. Awesomeness all around.

Chuck on February 4, 2011 at 8:44 pm

I thought the episode was hilarious, touching, and actually fairly on-point in terms of what goes on at the roleplaying table.

More specifically, I thought it handled the game with a measure of respect as opposed to mockery and exploitation.

Fat Neil, who started out as kind of a gamer stereotype, ended up a real, three-dimensional character by the end of the episode, and really was the true hero of those 30 minutes.

A classic Community episode.

Then again, I think it’s one of the best sitcoms out there.

— c.

John Harper on January 27, 2011 at 4:52 pm

Also check out the first episode of THE IT CROWD, season 4. They play a fantasy rpg (not D&D exactly) and while it’s mostly for mockery (and funny, too) there’s a great insight into how much gaming means to people, too.

Looking forward to the Community episode.
Will Hindmarch on January 27, 2011 at 4:55 pm

Oooh, I’ve heard about that one but I haven’t seen it. Must get my hands on it. Netflix to the rescue, I guess.
John Arcadian on January 28, 2011 at 2:24 pm

Anytime I see a popular media franchise take on gaming or geek culture, I cringe a bit. Sometimes it turns out ok, sometimes it contains an attempt to show the culture as what it is (both redeeming and cringe-worthy elements), but most of the time it is the stereotypes in their most negative light. I think it is great to get more exposure in the mainstream, but I hate to see very negative stereotypes reinforced. You have to laugh at yourselves, and gamers and geeks produce plenty of things to laugh at, but it is always a gamble when tackling it from outside the culture.

The IT crowd’s take on gaming had just the right mix of laughter at ourselves and realistic interpretations of gaming. The element I loved most about that episode was how it showed non-gamers trying it out and then really getting hooked into it. Their portrayal was as realistic as any actual experience of watching new gamers warm up to the gaming experience.
elucidarian on February 4, 2011 at 1:57 pm

I thought the episode was brilliant, especially the subtle touch of the voice over at the end.
Shawn on February 4, 2011 at 6:04 pm

I loved it so much. But then, I love Community and I have a soft spot for D&D. Dan Harmon, the creator and executive producer of Community, is one of the guys who wrote the Magic Missle At The Darkness skit, so I think it’s safe to say he gets the game. This ep was actually much kinder to the game and players than that bit was. Awesomeness all around.
Chuck on February 4, 2011 at 8:44 pm

I thought the episode was hilarious, touching, and actually fairly on-point in terms of what goes on at the roleplaying table.

More specifically, I thought it handled the game with a measure of respect as opposed to mockery and exploitation.

Fat Neil, who started out as kind of a gamer stereotype, ended up a real, three-dimensional character by the end of the episode, and really was the true hero of those 30 minutes.

A classic Community episode.

Then again, I think it’s one of the best sitcoms out there.

— c.