35 votes

‘Baldur’s Gate’ TV series continuing game’s story in works at HBO from ‘The Last Of Us’ co-creator Craig Mazin and Hasbro Entertainment

15 comments

  1. [7]
    derekiscool
    Link
    I'm looking forward to this, but I also feel like continuing with the Baldur's Gate story specifically is somewhat of a trap. With how popular the game is, people are going to have wildly...

    I'm looking forward to this, but I also feel like continuing with the Baldur's Gate story specifically is somewhat of a trap. With how popular the game is, people are going to have wildly differing and passionate expectations, especially in regards to the game characters.

    Hopefully, I'm wrong. Either way, I'm excited for a new game adaptation! They've generally gotten so much better in recent years.

    14 votes
    1. [4]
      Thea
      Link Parent
      I thought the same thing. There are a lot of people very invested in their Tavs or in the way they do their play throughs, and there are so many possible combinations of ending. It's not going to...

      I thought the same thing. There are a lot of people very invested in their Tavs or in the way they do their play throughs, and there are so many possible combinations of ending. It's not going to be easy to find a narrative that will suit everyone. I'm open to possibilities though, always glad to see what creative people can make of existing material.

      3 votes
      1. redwall_hp
        Link Parent
        Baldur's Gate 3 is itself a continuation of two other games with characters and plots that aren't super connected. My assumption is it's not going to be heavy on characters from the game, and will...

        Baldur's Gate 3 is itself a continuation of two other games with characters and plots that aren't super connected. My assumption is it's not going to be heavy on characters from the game, and will be its own standalone story set somewhere in the vicinity of Baldur's Gate.

        It's basically a lever to get Forgotten Realms as a concept out there more.

        2 votes
      2. [2]
        solgrove
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        I hope they at least stick with durge - I might be wrong, but I feel like most people's canon playthrough was some form of durge. The story really felt like it was the writers' intended canon as well.

        I hope they at least stick with durge - I might be wrong, but I feel like most people's canon playthrough was some form of durge. The story really felt like it was the writers' intended canon as well.

        1. sparksbet
          Link Parent
          I certainly think Durge is a lot more interesting than a no-backstory-Tav.

          I certainly think Durge is a lot more interesting than a no-backstory-Tav.

          1 vote
    2. [2]
      teaearlgraycold
      Link Parent
      I would assume most players are more like me. I did 1.25 play throughs, don’t know anything about BG1 or BG2, and I’m not particularly invested in the universe or any specific implementation of...

      I would assume most players are more like me. I did 1.25 play throughs, don’t know anything about BG1 or BG2, and I’m not particularly invested in the universe or any specific implementation of it. I’ll enjoy pretty much any well made narrative based on BG3.

      2 votes
      1. Gummy
        Link Parent
        I am deep down the forgotten realms rabbit hole and I think I agree with you. My initial reaction to this being a continuation of BG3 was pretty negative for reasons already brought up here. What...

        I am deep down the forgotten realms rabbit hole and I think I agree with you. My initial reaction to this being a continuation of BG3 was pretty negative for reasons already brought up here. What changed my mind was my wife just thinking it was neat we get to watch a show about Baldurs Gate. Her only forgotten realms experience comes from 2 BG3 playthroughs, one of which was the durge. She helped me remember I engage with these worlds to have fun so I'm going into this show hopeful at least.

        1 vote
  2. brews_hairy_cats
    Link
    Baldur's Gate 3 is a truly incredible game, it lives up to the hype, aside from the first few hours when I was questioning why people loved it that much. Then it clicked, and I was enraptured by...

    HBO is developing Baldur’s Gate, a drama series based on Wizards of the Coast’s video game franchise, with Mazin attached to create, write, executive produce and showrun the TV adaptation. Also exec producing are Jacqueline Lesko, Cecil O’Connor and Hasbro Entertainment’s Gabriel Marano. Chris Perkins, the former longtime Head of Story at Hasbro subsidiary Wizards of the Coast, which is behind the D&D game universe, will serve as consultant.

    Unlike HBO’s The Last Of Us, which retold the story from the PlayStation games, the Baldur’s Gate TV series will be a continuation to the games, telling a story that takes place immediately after the events of Baldur’s Gate 3, as the characters — old and new — are dealing with the ramifications of the events in the third game.

    Baldur's Gate 3 is a truly incredible game, it lives up to the hype, aside from the first few hours when I was questioning why people loved it that much. Then it clicked, and I was enraptured by it. I definitely wasn't expecting a TV adaptation that continues the story instead of a retelling, this is huge!

    9 votes
  3. redwall_hp
    Link
    Holy shit...and another Netflix-produced Forgotten Realms series causally mentioned in the article too. Hasbro actually figured out the thing I've been ranting about? And it's not an out of season...

    Holy shit...and another Netflix-produced Forgotten Realms series causally mentioned in the article too. Hasbro actually figured out the thing I've been ranting about? And it's not an out of season April Fools joke?

    I'm still disappointed we probably won't see another Larian D&D game, but Divinity is pretty damn good too.

    6 votes
  4. kingofsnake
    Link
    Craig Mazin is such a massive DnD player - having it in his hands is sooooo ideal. Listen to his and John August's podcast Scriptnotes on screenwriting. It's an absolute gem....

    Craig Mazin is such a massive DnD player - having it in his hands is sooooo ideal. Listen to his and John August's podcast Scriptnotes on screenwriting. It's an absolute gem.

    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/scriptnotes-podcast/id462495496

    3 votes
  5. [5]
    hamstergeddon
    Link
    I heard about this mid-D&D session last night. It was kind of perfect, especially since a few of us had just bought some BG3 mystery bags (d20 + bag + coin... I got Gale :/ ). It was a session 0...

    I heard about this mid-D&D session last night. It was kind of perfect, especially since a few of us had just bought some BG3 mystery bags (d20 + bag + coin... I got Gale :/ ). It was a session 0 for a new campaign, so we all kinda just switched to chatting BG3 for a while. Good stuff.

    Anyway, definitely looking forward to this! If we're not getting a new D&D movie, I'll certainly take a D&D show :)

    1 vote
    1. [4]
      brews_hairy_cats
      Link Parent
      Gale! I know barely anything about him, and yet I remember my ten minutes with that character vividly Ten minutes with Gale It wasn't until I already had a full party that I went back and found...

      Gale! I know barely anything about him, and yet I remember my ten minutes with that character vividly

      Ten minutes with Gale

      It wasn't until I already had a full party that I went back and found Gale and Astarion. I pulled Gale out of the teleport circle, where I'd walked past it last time, because the game had warned me the portal looked very dangerous. He did not make a good first impression, lol, I immediately disliked that character.

      I could have used another magic user though, so I add him to my party, and as soon as I do, he pops up an exclamation mark, and I talk to him. We literally just met, but he's reminiscing about how much adventuring we've gone on so far, and how we've gotten to know each other, lol. He jumps right into talking about how he has a condition that's like an addiction, and right away he starts talking about how he wants to eat the all powerful artifact I'm carrying. Bruh, what???

      Before this, and for the hundreds of hours of game after, I held myself back from using the illithid psychic powers, but I thought it was important to read his mind, to see what he's thinking. So I read his mind. It was nothing but a pure black void, an insatiable hunger. Okay, wow. Right after, I happened to roll a bad dice roll, and so Gale caught me peering into his mind, and rightfully got angry. I tried once or twice to convince him to stay, half heartedly lol, and another bad dice roll made him permanently leave. I felt mildly bad, but my gut told me I was right to let him go

      It was such a bizarre interaction, going from meeting, to have him permanently leave, in a span of ten minutes

      OH, EXCEPT that now nine out of ten items I pick up, say something about Gale can eat this item... but Gale is gone, that's all I have left of him, the inventory messages that never go away, lol!

      I never went back to look up info about Gale, either, I never felt like I was missing anything big. The TV show could turn out to be my way of catching up, lol

      2 votes
      1. Carrow
        Link Parent
        Early Minor Gale Spoilers I recall him deciding to drop his story about being groomed by a goddess and having that hunger for magic while we were creeping through the rafters of a goblin fortress....
        Early Minor Gale Spoilers I recall him deciding to drop his story about being groomed by a goddess and having that hunger for magic while we were creeping through the rafters of a goblin fortress. I was like, ok, thanks for opening up, but this really isn't a good time lol.
        2 votes
      2. RoyalHenOil
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        That's too bad. Gale is my second favorite of the companions. Jaheira's my #1, but she's not as fully developed as Gale, since she's just a secondary companion who doesn't really come into her own...

        That's too bad. Gale is my second favorite of the companions. Jaheira's my #1, but she's not as fully developed as Gale, since she's just a secondary companion who doesn't really come into her own until Act 3.

        They're in my top two spots because I think they have the funniest dialogue (albeit very dry, but I love dry humor) and I found them to have the most complex, realistic, and relatable personalities and backstories. But their characters are very much presented in a subtle show-don't-tell way that's easy to miss.

        An easy-to-miss example (potentially a mild spoiler)

        For example, they're very jokey characters because they use humor to deflect from depression/self-doubt. The game never states this explicitly, but demonstrates it repeatedly through conversations you can have with them as you gain their approval and select dialogue choices that push them in a more emotional or self-critical direction (particularly easy to miss for a certain kind of player because they're usually not the "nice" dialogue choices).

        2 votes
      3. hamstergeddon
        Link Parent
        Minor Gale Spoilers What won me over to actually keep him around and explore his story is that when he dies the first time there's an elaborate puzzle to revive him. And it was interesting enough...
        Minor Gale Spoilers

        What won me over to actually keep him around and explore his story is that when he dies the first time there's an elaborate puzzle to revive him. And it was interesting enough that I just had to know more. That being said, I also don't really care for him and would've preferred any other character's coin more!

        1 vote