D&D And The Legend Of Zelda

There are a lot of video games out there that feel like a game of Dungeons & Dragons. Some of them are D&D video games, others are just fantasy RPGs. The Legend of Zelda franchise is one of those series that belongs at the table. The elements are all there just waiting for you to save Hyrule as your own character. Other people seem to agree with this opinion, because the unofficial fan-made source books for D&D are out there. We are going to take advantage of the hard work done by those fans and deliver you a one-shot adventure set in Hyrule, but before that happens let's talk about The Legend of Zelda and how that will work.


The Legend of Zelda
The title of the original game for the Nintendo Entertainment System reveals something that a lot of people tend to miss: this isn't just about the hero character. The mix up still happens, and the uninitiated have a decent chance of calling Link by the name of the princess. Link is the hero and Zelda is the damsel in distress. Then there is Gannon, the villain. One of the greatest things about the LoZ series is that this trio of characters that are destined to be reincarnated throughout time and the artifact to which they are connected: the Triforce. Representing wisdom, courage, and power, the Triforce is often split into many parts and then gathered by the hero to save Hyrule (again!).

Amazingly, the series is that it presents you with a fairly in-depth story, even in the days of 8-bit graphics. Back then there were instruction manuals filled with art, game explanation, lists of enemies, and controls. That isn't all, though, the manuals included story. Why is the hero doing what they are doing? What happened? If you didn't read the manual you didn't know what Mario was looking for until some weird dude told you that the princess was in another castle. Not true for the Legend of Zelda. The title screen included a cinematic background, great music, and an opening crawl that revealed what the tale was. Then you start up, an old man gives you a sword, and you are left to figure out how to save the world.


D&D Fantasy Elements
So we have the hero, the quest, the villain. It's a pretty general story set up. It's also the cliche fantasy or fairy-tale set up, but it isn't the only thing that makes this game very D&D-like. First off, there is the presence of ghosts, living skeletons, magical beasts, and the equivalent of orcs (moblins). What I love about the Zelda games are that those creatures are often unique. For example you have the Like Like, a gelatinous, worm-like creature that kind of just hugs you, takes your shield, and spits you out.

Then you have the formula of the game: exploration of the world to get the tools you need to save it. This includes a lot of adventure zones that feature unique sets of creatures and obstacles. There are forests, mountains, deserts, shores, graveyards, and dungeons. There are hidden secrets hinted at by strange NPCs or found through random experimentation. Puzzles are also common, even in the early days where there is a repeating woodland screen tile. You could come back the way you came to get out, or travel a specific path to get out the other side.

All of those elements exist in the worlds of D&D, especially when thinking of the way old school campaigns tend to be remembered. Dungeon delve after dungeon delve, with potentially dangerous travel between and leaving the dungeon to seek the tools you need to get deeper. Learning to recognize traps and remembering the tenancies of common dungeon-dwellers. The LoZ series has always relied on tools, too. In D&D you bring your string, caltrops, mirror, and ten-foot pole. As Link you make sure you have your candle, potion, and bombs. And, of course, you have to get artifacts to get through the journey. Rafts, ladders, boomerangs, a hook shot, masks, and so much more. Don't forget the magical weapons either! Fighters always want prettier, more powerful swords.


The Problem and the Solution
OK, great, The Legend of Zelda fits all the cliches and desires of a D&D game, but there's a problem. The story (almost) always included a solo hero destined to fight a villain. Moblins, peahats, and wizzrobes seem to keep to themselves in the wilderness and dungeons, even in times of darkness. In the original game you don't visit towns or cities and in more recent games you usually don't find monsters in those civilized areas. It is as if the only thing creating danger in the world are the major villains and often these are, or combo with, some kind of demon. Whenever the villain is defeated Hyrule experiences another age of prosperity.

So are there heroes and adventurers besides Link? Probably, you cannot go a few hundred years without problems of some kind, right? The series creates so many possibilities and versions of Hyrule, that a DM is free to do whatever he wants. That in itself is a blessing, but also a curse. What is the right one to choose? If you pick one do you have to limit the classes available? And then of course, where were such heroes in Link's time(s)?

The creator of the guidebooks for a LoZ 5th Edition games takes care of this for you in a wonderful way. In this version of Hyrule, the Triforce and those connected to it have been removed from time. The cycle is broken and without the ruling family things are a bit in shambles. So what races and monsters are there? Pretty much all of them. They all have an area to themselves and all have some stake in Hyrule, and because of their interactions and the dangers of the wilderness between, there is reason for adventurers to be around.

That is the take we're going to go with. Our heroes will be adventurers in a Hyrule with no Triforce and no Hero of Time. There isn't much stability and monsters roam the wilds. Things can only get worse and there will be no Link to save the world. Someone must step up, and someone will be selected by the Goddess to help the world. And don't worry we will see a dungeon, classic items, and some of our favorite baddies. If you are interested in the resources we'll be using the links are below and we cannot wait to share our adventures through Hyrule on Untamed Dice!

GMs
PCs
Monsters

Resources For Every GM: Reference Books Part 4

Good morning everyone!  I am a couple days late due to a great D&D session with someone we haven't gotten a chance to play with in a couple years, but here I am nevertheless. Today, I have some more reference books for you to add to your collection, but this time they aren't our general reference books. This time the books that I am including are references to world made up by other creative minds. They are companions to some of our favorite places to visit!

Tobin's Spirit Guide (Erik Burnham):  Recently, a new official Ghostbuster's version of this book came out. Written by Burnham (with the help of Stantz and Spengler of course!) this edition features some of our favorite spirits from the Ghostbuster's franchise.  It also includes a variety of other common mythological creatures like household spirits or poltergeists. Each entry features a Ghostbuster's rating of spirit class level and what the spirit may be comprised of or where it is located / anchored. Additionally the entries feature some great bits of real-world mythology. Building upon that the way in which they can be angered or appeased and how dangerous they are. The book is written almost has a field guide, and (barring the lack of stats) is the best bestiary or monster manual you could ask for to run a Ghostbusters campaign. All you would need is a book on the Ghostbuster's gear. Even if that isn't your goal, the ideas you could pull from this book are numerous and inspiration on how to had even more incorporeal danger to your world, immense!

The (Complete) Tolkien Companion (J.E.A. Taylor):  My version of this resource is a bit outdated. I don't have the "Complete" in my title. Given that much of the source material still exists as part of Tolkien's work, itself, I don't see a need to get the revision too quickly. Though it is on my list. This book is an encyclopedia, there really is no other way to describe it. My copy is over 500 pages long and there is barely any pictures included at all. Maybe I do need an updated version. Anyway, this is your go-to resource for any questions you have about Middle Earth. Beyond the Lord of the Rings, beyond The Hobbit, and beyond even the Silmarillion, there is a vast fount of knowledge and lore these stories are built upon. Tolkien was a world builder and language developer, and the tales run deep in the land of wizards and hobbits. I know there are other resources you can find out there, but this is probably the most dense there is. If you really want a comprehensive reference to one of the foundation stones to modern fantasy adventure, this is it.

The Hyrule Historia (Eiji Aonuma, Akira Himekawa):  Honestly, this is probably my favorite of these three resources. It is as large and dense as the Tolkien Companion, but includes the fun (and more) that you can get from Tobin's Spirit Guide. There are four major sections to this book, divided up amongst specific topics unlike the other two. The first of these is a large section discussing the Skyward Sword, its lore, ideas, and concept art. While amazing, I am disappointed by how much space this single game takes up, but the rest of the book helps make up for it. The second section is my favorite. The Legend of Zelda series has been tackled game by game, with little to no connection between any of them aside from general themes and feeling. Even these deviate for each game making playing the game feel both familiar and unique. For those who have even played a few of the games and completed even less (sadly me), you still come to understand every one of them is connected somehow. This section is a timeline. It orders the eras of the world, describes what happens and when, from the creation all the way through the voyage upon the ocean in Windwaker and a New Hyrule in Spirit Tracks. For the first time there is a timeline of events, and yet still some connecting pieces and lore to be discovered. The third section of the book goes through 25 years of concept artwork. It is fantastic to see how things have changed and how different artists perceived the world.  This section provides a ton of inspiration for GMs. Following up on that is a catalogue of the games, what generation they are, and the story they tell. And finally, the last part is a comic for you to enjoy telling a part of the Skyward Sword story.