S06:E17 - Dungeons & Discords

[SteveMorison 404]

I just thought. Spike is a child (allegedly) and Big Mac is a grown up stallion, isn't it a bit weird they treat a night together as a guys night, if Rarity and Sweetie Belle spend a night together it wouldn't be so much called a girls night as it would be called babysitting

[CT-1138 3,182]

Maybe it's referred to as guys night to spare Spike's feelings. 

[sombertempest 20]

Truth be told, I'm not usually a fan of the "Dungeons and Dragons" type games. This episode put an interesting spin on it, though. My initial reaction was from Discord's point of view, like the kind of ponies you don't want to hang out with. When they mentioned guys night, I hoped maybe they would go out and "paint the town red" (as Discord so cleverly worded, simultaneously holding up a red paint bucket and brush). However, it took a downturn when I saw Spike and Big Mac sit around a table with role playing pieces and an icosahedron (20 sided dice). I enjoyed Discord's witty comments and cynicism through the episode, especially when he played the Squizard ("And Rarity will be mine! I mean Schmarity.."). Overall from 1 to 10 (10 being best), I give this episode a 6. If you disagree, I encourage your point of view!

 

Warmest of Breezes, 

ST

[Megas 27,567]

This was a good episode, though not great like some people say it is. At the very least, it's one S6's better episodes.

 

It had a really great first third and a great third, uh, third. But Christ Almighty did the middle take it's sweet ass time. The episode would've improved if it spent less time explaining the game and Discord trying to avoid it and more time in fantasy world. It's still a good, fun episode, but that middle part really hurts it

[BlinkZ 1,151]

Maybe I miss it but Starlight wasn't in the episode again. I mean really didn't even go with the girls. What they couldn't' afford to put put her in the background?

[Sonic5421 423]

Maybe I miss it but Starlight wasn't in the episode again. I mean really didn't even go with the girls. What they couldn't' afford to put put her in the background?

 

I have no idea why Starlight did not appear in this episode myself. Maybe she was off doing her friendship studies and was so busy with them she had no idea of what Spike, Big Mac, and Discord were up to.

[Babyyoshi309 1,829]

I just thought. Spike is a child (allegedly) and Big Mac is a grown up stallion, isn't it a bit weird they treat a night together as a guys night, if Rarity and Sweetie Belle spend a night together it wouldn't be so much called a girls night as it would be called babysitting

 

In terms of physical maturity, yes, he is just a baby. But in terms of years old, he is probably not much younger than twilight. So really it is not that creepy. Plus, even if that was not true, it is not that creepy for an adult to play dungeons and dragons with a kid.

[brambleshadow4 35]

Dropping my comments

 

While I enjoyed this one more than 'What About Discord?', I still found this episode underwhelming because of one simple thing: Discord. Yeah, him. Every episode involving him focuses WAY TOO MUCH on his antics and far less on the subject matter. I was hoping for an adventure episode where they traverse the lands of the game while Discord is being his stubborn self but slowly comes to like all of it. This was more of, well, random chaos. So for an episode with only Discord doing Discord things, it is 10/10, but it wasn't that. It was an episode with Spike and Big  Mac with a really cool premise. I still enjoyed the episode for what it is, but mostly because of Spike and Fluttershy at the beginning, and some of the Discord jokes worked, but to me, most of them fell flat. Discord episodes have the wrong idea I think. Yeah, he is chaos incarnate and random and prankish, but there needs to be some restraint.

 

It wasn't a bad episode, but for the premise and the potential, it was just disappointing. I feel like there was just so much more potential. I mean, they didn't even get to the game until half-way through, and the whole Discord being stubborn thing at the table went on too long. I will say that I did like the ending though, it was fun looking, I just wish there was more of THAT.

 

If I had ot rate this episode, probably a 5/10. Not bad, not really good, just average.

 

Kyoshi mentions Discord’s use of magical mischief and its effect on the overall episode, and I think this is a valid critique of not just this episode, but every Discord episode following “Keep Calm and Flutter On.” But while Discord’s magic is almost always unnecessary, it’s also the one thing that differentiates Discord from all other characters. After all, Discord was defined to be the spirit of disharmony back in season 2, and with disharmony comes total chaos. Dropping this characteristic would make Discord feel less like Discord, but at the same time, isn’t he supposed to be reformed?

 

I don’t know where I personally would draw the line between what’s too much and what isn’t enough (though this episode nailed the balance for me). If we want to venture off into speculation, I suppose that Discord’s actions could be interpreted as nothing more than a performance. Depending on whom he’s with and what happens around him, he reacts to it in order to elicit the greatest response from those he’s around. This makes him the ultimate troll lord, which in turn makes me ask if he keeps up the performance when there’s no pony around to see it.

 

Really, I don’t think I’d ever tell Discord to turn it down a notch unless it was getting in the way of the story, though it’s hard to determine whether anything Discord does could actually do this. As long as he doesn’t filibuster for more than a minute, the story will always move onwards, and whether pro Discord or not, you’re not stuck with one gag for too long. 

 

So Rainbow Dash is a rogue, huh? That's an interesting one. Naturally, Pinkie's a bard.

 

I've got to say, I've really liked Discord's depiction over the last couple seasons. He has this preoccupation with being perceived as some kind of stock "cool guy," but in his quest to be seen that way, he often denies himself satisfaction. One has to wonder if he really enjoys going out to swing clubs in zoot suits and fedoras, playing poker and dancing the night away, or if he only surrounds himself with those trappings, because that's his idea of what a "cool" guys' night is supposed to be. I know our culture tends to tell us there's one way to be an interesting guy to hang out with--go out clubbing, be emotionally inaccessible, play "manly" games, etc. It's interesting how this episode subverts that perception by in fact saying that Discord is the one that's kinda weird. In this story, it's Spike and Mac who are doing something a little normal.

 

I do kinda wish that there had been a bit more of a normal progression from Spike and Mac being receptive to Discord's alternate dimension in its initial incarnation, to them realizing that the enemies on the first go-round were way OP. Like, it wouldn't have been hard to have that first encounter with the squizard's army start with Spike and Mac being confident they could win, but then reasonably good rolls like 13 and 14 were failing consistently against minions, and Spike and Mac react with alarm and distaste. Instead, the progression feels very sudden. Spike and Mac like it when there's no enemies, but they just run when the enemies appear without even seeing whether the enemies are OP.

I think the most satisfying part of the episode, however, was the inclusion, no questions asked, of Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie in the game. Nerd Culture, unfortunately, has a shaky track record with being inclusive to girls and women, and there's no shortage of external forces telling girls that nerdy stuff isn't for them, as well. It was so nice to see such an unequivocal endorsement of females being as much a part of the culture as males.

 

For what it's worth, I think Twilight would love tabletops, with all of their detail and adherence to rules and numbers. She should give it more of a chance.

 

ph00tbag here provides a really interesting take on Discord not too dissimilar from my own idea of Discord’s nature being more of a performance than genuine style, though I hadn’t considered that particular part of Discord’s performance to be fabricated. But then, besides messing around with other characters, how could we ever really know what Discord actually likes? He seems more of the type to leave others guessing than to actually reveal his true self.

 

If Discord is trying to conform and act like your typical Equestrian stallion, who is he looking to as a reference? Spike and Big Mac are the only two male characters we see often, and it’s probably safe to assume with all their secret whispering that their Ogre and Oubliettes game is probably not considered normal. But then, if we take Friendship is Magic #11 (the comic) into consideration, the whole O&O thing is probably more common that we’d expect.

 

In our world, D&D’s popularity is only growing, to the point that it also probably isn’t considered a weird thing. Given the fact that there’s also probably a lot of MLP fans who are also roleplaying fans, it’s even possible to interpret the opposite as true. Thus Spike and Big Mac would be conforming to stereotypes from our world while Discord actually breaks them by wanting to do something different. Especially with D&D and roleplay’s popularity on the internet, I tend to consider Big Mac & Spike’s behavior more normal than Discord’s. Either way, it’s likely that the audience will feel connected to one group or the other which in turn makes the episode feel more relatable, so it’s a plus either way. 

 

I'm not going to do any funny introductions or anything cause I just don't care just Dungeons and Discords written by Nick Confalone and my thoughts.

 

Imma just say I don't play DnD so I didn't really care for the premise from the get go. That being said I still had high hopes for this episode because it had potential. I was honestly expecting an episode like Power Ponies... but, ya know... better cause Power Ponies was terrible. Unfortunately we did not get that, what we did get is an episode with 2 acts of nothing and a third act with 4 minutes of something kinda. and a terrible ending.

 

Its boring, boring, boring, Discord acts like a whiny little c*** for the entire episode when he could have just left when he saw what Spike and Big Mac's idea of a 'guys night' was and wasn't interested..

 

There were parts that made me cringe, especially Spike and Big Mac's little... dance? I honestly have no clue what that was I just hope they never do it again.

 

I'm just annoyed cause Nick is a decent writer... well at least better than this (see The Saddle Row Review). It truly is insane how good this episode could have been if it had focused on the game and not Discord trowing a tantrum over wanting to do something else like a 5 year old.

 

I'm done, Dungeons and Discords 5.5/10 

It's trash 

  

But, Zantetsuken, isn’t this really the entire point of Friendship is Magic? Simply getting to watch our favorite ponies learn and grow throughout mostly normal experiences in their lives?

 

I don’t know what most think of earlier seasons, but seasons one and two really thrived on these kind of experiences. Almost every episode started out as either a day at work, or a day off from it, but from there they always branch away the normal and into what’s actually meaningful. Sometimes, the transition is due to an event taking place, but sometimes it’s just a conversation that starts the ball rolling.
 

I also think that as the seasons keep coming, most tend to forget that episodes don’t need to have world exploring or entire new races/species introduced in order to be good. Sometimes, all that’s needed are small interactions and gestures between different characters. For instance, nothing really happens in “Amending Fences;” it’s just Twilight talking and hanging out with her old friends in Canterlot. Yet this episode ended up being loved by many fans, and it has everything to do with the way Twilight and Moondancer interact with each other.

 

This is what I think “Dungeons and Discords” was aiming for, a compelling story based on the interactions between Discord, Spike, and Big Mac. The game, although aforementioned by the title, is really secondary, as I believe it also is in real life. It’s not so much the game itself, but whom you play it with, that is the source of the enjoyment (of course, you can also like the game objectively, but if you can’t find any friends to play it with, you’re still out of luck).

 

Also, if the episode’s really trash, why rate it 5.5/10?

 

Hey you! Did you actually read through this? If so, you also might like this

Edited September 1, 2016 by brambleshadow4

[PacificGreen 1,163]

I'm not really sure why, but I kinda rate this a meh ("average roll, average damage" as the poll says). I really want to like this episode more, as I think the premise is really cool, but I think Discord's behavior and attitude throughout the whole ordeal really made it less enjoyable. I think I probably would've preferred if they focused more of the episode on the actual gameplay and world of O&O, but I guess that would've taken away from the friendship lesson. So I'm kind of at a loss as to how I would improve this episode. :/ I dunno, a lot's been on my mind lately, so maybe I just need some time to cool down and process this episode later.

 

So I enjoyed it somewhat, and I could see myself re-watching this episode if I had time, but it probably wouldn't be one of my top picks.

[MLPFanatic34 3,234]

I did enjoy this episode, granted it wasn't one of my favorites and it wasn't one of my favorite Discord centered episodes. I did like the parody of Dungeons & Dragons/Magic The Gathering and liked seeing Discord try so hard to enjoy himself and enjoy spending time with Spike and Big Mac. The overall lesson was well done and I laughed quite a few times during the episode. It just wasn't one of the better Discord episodes I've seen, but it wasn't god awful. 8/10!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[okidoki 12]

Maybe I miss it but Starlight wasn't in the episode again. I mean really didn't even go with the girls. What they couldn't' afford to put put her in the background?

I thought she stayed at the crystal empire, because her lessons with euhm wizardguy aren`t over

[Truffles 2,033]

Finally getting around to summing up my thoughts on this excellent episode. Although... I don't have too much more say about it why I loved it so much. It was simply a really funny, refreshing romp with a group of the male characters from the show. It had a great sense of humor and the characters played off one another really well, and all of the VA's did a really good job with their respective characters.

 

A few things of note:

 

This is one of Spike's more combative episodes. While he (and Big Mac) were very tolerant of Discord when the lord of chaos was merely throwing insults at them, once he started teleporting them around and almost getting them killed, Spike blew his top. I've only seen him yell like that once before, and that was at that incarnate known as Angel. XD  It was almost surreal seeing him act in such a proactive manner, even when he wasn't angry, it was clear he felt like he was totally in charge of the night's activities.

 

I was surprised by the references to Sparity in this episode. There hasn't been anything about it this obvious since last season, although perhaps the sight of the plush Rarity in the previous week's episode was a sign of things to come. XD  Oh Spike - you need to confront her once and for all and get an answer. All this pining away for her can't be very healthy. =(

 

I could believe Rainbow Dash wanting in for the chance to be in battle. At first I wasn't as sure about Pinkie, but reflecting on it further I can see her simply wanting to try anything that looks fun to her. The episode "Too Many Pinkie Pies" is a testament to her love of taking part in as much activity with her friends as she possibly can! XD

 

When the Squizard shocked Spike and Big mac, I was hoping to see what kind of object they have for their last vertebrae, like we've seen with Rainbow Dash and Apple Bloom. But Spike and Big Mac have normal skeletons. For Spike at least, I was expecting to see a gem inside there! XD

 

It's interesting that Big Mac has no problem whispering to Spike when they are at the train station, but once they got playing the game with Discord around, the only word he says besides his usual yeps/nopes is "parsnips". (Which was worth a chuckle.) It makes me think Big Mac is willing to talk normally to his best friends, whom Spike apparently is one of. But I guess he doesn't consider Discord close enough at this point in the story to talk openly in front of him?

 

There is a bit of a parallel with this episode and last week's "Times Are a Changeling" in that Spike feels bad for rejecting Discord and forcing him to go away. This time, it wasn't as terrible as it was when he threw Thorax under the bus due to peer pressure since Discord was detracting from how they wanted to play. But it seems like Spike feels guilty anytime he's done something that goes against friendship.

 

It was curious that both Spike and Big Mac consider Discord a "weirdo." I would think their first thought would be that of him being kind of a low-grade bully, but maybe Spike still remembers this scene and it still has him creeped out: XD

 

 

 

 

Spike: Just use your....Imaginaaaaaaaaaation!

 

Me: Where's that Spongebob Rainbow meme?

 

I'd like to believe by the end of the series that Spike's dad will turn out to be Figment, the dragon mascot from Epcot, even though that is pretty much impossible unless Disney buys Hasbro. XD

 

 

One detail I find kind of interesting was Spike's hero of choice. In all past appearances of him fantasizing himself as some hero, he's always been some traditional looking buff Knight character. But here in this game he instead chooses to be an old, wise and powerful wizard, he's even got a beard.

 

 Sounds kinda like a certain bearded wizard Twilight idolizes...Wonder if that's something that influenced his choice. I find it kind of cute to think that Spike maybe picked his character based off of a desire to be the kind of hero Twilight would admire.

 

I love this idea. It really shows how much of an influence Twilight is having on her closest friend and family member! I honestly like Spike seeing himself in the role of the clever hero than someone who is a narcissist and uses raw strength to win battles.

 

Of course, Spike flexing his dragon-ly advantage of breathing fire and being armored is still always a welcome sight in other episodes! =)

 

 

 
Actually Tirek was designed to seem more of a Bull/horse combination to avoid Human-like features..

I'd expect the "Ogres" in this game might have the same sort of treatment

 

They showed us what the ogres in Equestria would supposedly look like right on the game box:

 

[Twilight Frost 271]

A dungeons and dragons inspired episode was pretty good, but I kind of feel it could had been a lot better. It just left a lot to be desired for. Instead of an entire episode of Discord not wanting to play a game he is not used to and doing cheesy hand drawn paper cut out villains, it could had told an amazing story while also doing it at the same time. Maybe instead of Discord hurting spike and big mac he could had just sucked them into a world and discovered he likes the game after being GM and creating a world of his own. 

[BlackWater627 700]

 

 

There is a bit of a parallel with this episode and last week's "Times Are a Changeling" in that Spike feels bad for rejecting Discord and forcing him to go away. This time, it wasn't as terrible as it was when he threw Thorax under the bus due to peer pressure since Discord was detracting from how they wanted to play. But it seems like Spike feels guilty anytime he's done something that goes against friendship.   It was curious that both Spike and Big Mac consider Discord a "weirdo." I would think their first thought would be that of him being kind of a low-grade bully, but maybe Spike still remembers this scene and it still has him creeped out: XD

Spike seems to be very attune to the lessons of friendship and doesn't need someone else to tell him if he's going in a bad direction. That's something I really like about him and the way he's developed. :idea: 

 

And yeah, I'd be creeped out too. Also, Spike might have been referring to that fever dream Discord put them through with the fedora, dancing, and milk shakes. I know there are people like that IRL but it's like a different planet.   

[vanillapudding 44]

I just realized this (and sorry if I missed an earlier discussion) - but we're seeing a lot of Big Mac dreaming of being something other than an Earth Stallion. We got Princess Big Mac, and he's also dressed up as a girl to get his baby sister's affection (kudos in that episode for literally no one caring when he did that :3), and now we have Unicorn Big Mac.

 

There's been some talk I saw about getting more Big Mac development, and on a subtle level I think we really have gotten a huge slice here. He doesn't seem to be content as just a big, strong stallion. He always seems to be dreaming of something more, when we do get a chance to look into his interests. Like, I haven't played D&D (always wanted to but never had a good group of people to do it with - my friends tend to like shooter games and that's just not my cup of tea) but I know there's warriors and such that are more about brute force than magic and Big Mac went for a chance to use magic. 

 

Big Mac, you mystery, I want to know more about you good sir. 

[Brainstorm 4,106]

I enjoyed how Discord brought the game to life for himself, Spike, and Big Mac, perhaps he'll do it again next guys night.

[Grtxkkyz 388]

Pretty amusing! Albeit i kinda wish we got some more of the DnD parody and a lot more monsters rather than just a living card of an evil cephalopod and its undead minions.

[Sunny Fox 5,950]

That wasn't DnD, that was LARPing! Magical LARPing, but still... as a DnD player myself, this was an amusing but ultimately rather forgettable episode. Discord doesn't interest me since he became reformed. Nega-shy was pretty much the highlight and it was all downmeh from theh.

[Conred 274]

I liked the subtle shipping of FlutterCord. Discord going out with Fluttershy ALONE to the beach is CANON now!

[Sam4849 3]

I gotta agree on discord. Considering wars and stuff is no games. So he got a point lol. In terms of wishing to be a warrior and stuff while pretending to be someone they are not.

[Shigekino 41]

BEST EPISODE EVER!!!! ITS AWESOMMMMME  

[Altmile 7]

Someone needs to add special FX to that last scene.

[Crusaders Forever 88]

Aw. An episode with all the things I love. Ponies, Discord, and gaming. This was a really fun episode, and I loved how Discord used his reality warping powers to make the game come to life.

[Sonic5421 423]

Aw. An episode with all the things I love. Ponies, Discord, and gaming. This was a really fun episode, and I loved how Discord used his reality warping powers to make the game come to life.

 

Yeah, that was an interesting idea on Discord's part to give the game a more Live Action Role Play feeling to it to see how Spike and Big Mac would feel about it and if they wanted to do it again after experiencing it at least once.

[Square 69]

Discord mentions fedoras as manly hats, directly jokes about torture, then proceeds to become Legolas.

 

Sums it up nicely.

 

Also, Schmarity.