Greybishop's Board: Taking My Way Back Machine...To Hero Forge.

This past weekend, I revisited some of my favourite Saturday morning cartoons, including one from 1983, a time when I generally scoffed at cartoons as "kids' stuff". I was all of 13 and entering that awkward time when a young man still secretly enjoys "kids stuff" but tries to act like an adult and pretend he doesn't.

Most people grow out of it by leaving "kids' stuff" behind. I pretended to do that until I decided it was just easier and more fun to embrace the fact that I love cartoons and a lot of other "kids' stuff". I'm much happier this way.

Anyhow, that cartoon I mentioned? Dungeons and Dragons. It's about a group of teens (and one younger kid) from "our" world who land in a fantasy landscape inspired by the Dungeons and Dragons role playing game after a carnival ride goes haywire. For a 40 year old cartoon, it's aged very well and is still a LOT of fun. It's out on DVD and probably streams or youtubes or something. I highly recommend it for anyone who likes swords and sorcery, dragons and/or cartoons. It's got a little Scooby-Doo, a little He-Man and a little Lord of the Rings with a Saturday morning spin on the whole thing.

Damn, but I loved this show.

It hit at a moment when I had only recently started playing the role playing game. That eventually led me to my love of painting miniatures, a hobby that outlasted my interest in role playing games by a lifetime.

The picture above includes the entire main cast. From left to right:

Venger, the main villain. He has one horn and we just won't comment or ponder on that any longer.

Dungeon Master, the local guide and good guy who meets the heroes when they arrive in his world and gives them magic weapons to help them find their way home.

Hank, the Ranger and the leader He is given a magic bow that shoots bolts of energy. Kevin Costner boosted his look when he made Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves.

Diane, the acrobat. She is given a magic staff that extends and can be used in a variety of ways. And a fur bikini, apparently.

Bobby, the barbarian. Youngest of the group, he's given a magic club that lets him bash things. He also is the main keeper of Uni, a unicorn that the team rescues in the opening credits.

Presto, the magician. He is given a magic hat that he can pull things from. Never the right things or what he actually asks for. He's one of the main comic elements and is apparently actually named "Presto" since no one ever calls him any other name. Naming your kid "Presto" is terrible parenting, particularly since he's totally incompetent as a magician.

Eric, the cavalier. He is given a magic shield, ironically often forcing him to protect the group, despite being the most self centred member of the team.

Shiela, the thief. She's given a cloak of invisibility that she activates by raising the hood. She's also the elder sister of Bobby, the barbarian.

In the show, the team finds a new way to get home every week and every week they fail, usually because their getting home would cause suffering or spread evil in the world they'd be leaving behind. The show ran one season and they never got home. I would love to see the show get a reboot one of these days. If you're really observant, you can see a live action shot of the gang in the background in the 2023 film Dungeons and Dragons - Honor Among Thieves. I guess they never got home....

So, Hero Forge doesn't have any baby unicorns to work with, which decided me on creating the team a little older and allowing their outfits a little leeway since they've been adventuring for a few years now.