D&D 5E Movie and TV show inspiration for 5E games

[doghead]

I watched the movie Snow White and the Huntsman recently.

I am sure that I have seen it before (parts of it seemed familiar) but I didn't really remember it. While parts of it were a little heavy handed (the entry into Sanctuary and the coronation off the top of my head) overall I thought that it wasn't too bad. I also found myself thinking that it was a pretty good representation of the sort of world I am looking to create when running a regular fantasy game. Although, perhaps a little less mud. The next time I start a new fantasy game, I might tell the players to go and watch it.

However, the movie also served to reinforce my feeling that, while 5E seems like a pretty good game, its not going to be my system of choice. I'm not intimately familiar with 5E. I have the Basic Rules and have been browsing the 5E threads here since the release of them. From what I have seen, WotC have created a fairly robust set of rules that does a good job bringing together the best of the previous editions and that seems to have garnered broad support among D&D players.

Upon reflection, it seems boils down to the high magic quality of D&D PC's (and the system generally). IN the movie, few of the characters exhibit any sort of overt magical or special abilities, and its not like they are just young and inexperienced. The old dwarf does seems to have some form of supernatural insight, Snow White has some form of positive life energy. The Queen's brother does seem to have some sort of magical strength and healing buffs going, and the Queen herself is obviously a user of magic. Although even there, it seems that her magic is both slow and exhausting.

Its not really a big issue of course, there are plenty of 'low magic' systems out there i can use. But I still have a hankering to give 5E a try. It should just be a simple matter of adjusting my expectations or mental image a bit. But of late I have been struggling a bit with the creative spark, instead feeling a little flat and uninspired (just ask my players).

So I thought I would ask; what movie or show would you use to give new players a feel for what playing a 5E game, playing your 5E game if you want, was like?

thotd

 

[Afrodyte]

I've been dipping into the Avatar: The Last Airbender pool a lot, as well as the Inuyasha one. I even made 1st-level approximations of several characters from the latter series just for fun. Discworld is also appealing, as is Guardians of the Galaxy.

To be truthful, how much magic there is in any given game, as well as how it functions or is described, has more to do with what level people play at and what DMs allow at the table than the written text itself.

 

[Ravenheart87]

So I thought I would ask; what movie or show would you use to give new players a feel for what playing a 5E game, playing your 5E game if you want, was like?

Your Highness. That's how an actual D&D adventure looks like.

 

[Tormyr]

I tend to look at TV and movies more for story ideas than world building. That being said, After I am done with the current campaign, I am thinking of a Spelljammer based campaign that could borrow from Battlestar Galactica (Warforged skinjobs), Firefly/A-Team (crew on the run), and other sci-fi or fantasy stories.

For thinking about what D&D looks like to explain it to others, I like the Lord of the Rings, the Neverwinter trailers later D&D movies Wrath of the Dragon God and The Book of Vile Darkness and many others. The example story changes a lot depending on the world you are trying to describe.

EDIT: Although if I really want to show someone what D&D is really like, I show them Gamers 2: Dorkness Rising​.

 

[Reynard]

D&D is inspired by such a wide range of materials that one cannot really expect to include everything and have it match any particular sub-genre or milieu. What's more useful, I think, is to note what you prefer or what feel your going for and figure out to enforce that feel. For the OP, the solution is actually pretty easy (and works for anyone that wants that sword and sorcery vibe of heroes with steel against villains with magic): do not allow PC classes that are full casters. Not only do you generally avoid the overt magic, but it also puts pressure on the hit point resource that automatically gritifies the game. I am not sure what level 5th Ed. jumps the rails, but capping before things get too crazy is also a good idea.

On the other hand, throwing in the kitchen sink is great for an epic high fantasy campaign that feels like cinematic space opera a la Star Wars or Guardians of the Galaxy.

 

[Andor]

I usually describe "Record of Lodoss War" as the D&D game you want to run. Whereas Slayers is what actually happens at your table.

5e isn't so much high magic as common magic, for the PCs at least. The implied setting is lower magic than some 3e settings like Eberron for example.

Mid to high level characters will have common acess to things like flight and shape-shifting. At lower levels magic is not too dramatic, continual flame and rituals will be the common mans exposure to magic. Cantrips are probably common enough that most people will have seen Thaumaturgy and Prestidigitation in action.

For more modern shows Avatar is a good one. For a 5e like world with common low magic but rare high magic have a look at a movie called "Cast a deadly spell." The setting is modern, but that's mostly just trappings.

 

[Sir Brennen]

With regard to running a low fantasy D&D game, of all of the things assumed to be in the apparently 1200 page DMG coming out, options to do this kind of campaign are something I actually expect to be in there. If you like D&D, or are at least intrigued by the positive feedback on it, I'd at least hold out to see if such options are presented.

It's funny that some people mention source material for inspiring games that it actually based on D&D games, like "Lodoss War" and the Gamers movies. It's the D&D Worm Ouroboros. Also interesting that the movies directly based on D&D (the theatrical release a few years ago, and the couple of TV movies on the US SyFy channel) really highlight how overstuffed with magic typical D&D adventures are. And even those fall a little short of really happens in game.

For my own inspirational movies, that would be the Elric trilogy.

What, it hasn't been made yet? Someone get on that!

 

[SkidAce]

I usually describe "Record of Lodoss War" as the D&D game you want to run. Whereas Slayers is what actually happens at your table.

This is going in my sig!