The Shannara Chronicles first trailer.


Television

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Liberty's Edge RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16

Just watched it and it has some good stuff. First episode had a bit too much introductions for my taste but by the second episode/half of the two episode premiere, the plot started advancing and looks like it will keep the pace pretty fast. Overall, I'd give it 3 stars of 4, and have hopes it will improve. Definitely has some really nice visuals, and the acting was passable to good. Probably the weakest actor is the male lead who plays Wil Omshford, but part of that is his character being the least interesting, he's definitely the one who undergoes the transformation from sheltered boy to hero. Refreshing to see the female lead(s) both pretty bad ass and not in any need of being rescued damsels in distress.


Wow it goes pretty fast... And am I remembering it wrong? It has been a long time since I read it. But it seems like they made some changes to the story?

Liberty's Edge RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16

I haven't read the book since the 80s, but from what I read, most of the first episode is all prequel to the book, and a chunk of the second episode. Also, the "old world" ruins and stuff is way more prevalent in the TV show...even if it's just background.

Not 100% sure, but I don't recall trolls being at all common outside of the northlands in the books, but here they just seem to be randomly scattered around attacking travelers.

The one thing I wish they did better was showing/implying travel times and distances. It seemed that people got on a horse and next scene were halfway across the map. At the very least and Indiana Jones style showing their path on the map would give a better sense of traveling.

Acquisitives

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Didn't read the books.

BUT, this show is really my jam. It's fun, easy to follow, well cast, and beautifully costumed and shot. Just kind of turned it on expecting something pretty awful, but I'll be watching every episode from here on out.

Sovereign Court

It's good for now. And I'm already having a crush on the elven princess.


Yeah Aranna, they changed quite a bit from the books. That's not necessarily a bad thing, it might work better for a TV show.

In the book, Dagda Mor sends the Reaper to kill all the Chosen, and the Changeling to act as a spy for the demons within the Elven city

They seemed to have combined the main antagonist from Book 1, Brona (the Warlock Lord), a former Druid with Dagda Mor. In the books Dagda Mor is the King of all Demons in the Forbidding, not a former Druid.

The winged demons Dagda Mor sends out seems sort of similar to the Skull Bearers that Brona sent out back in the first book.


the postapocalypse angle is really one of the major unique things that separates out Shannara from the other Tolkien clones. I am glad they are emphasizing that aspect.

Sovereign Court

A preview I saw for episode 5 seems to indicate that the Reaper will appear.

Liberty's Edge RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16

Woundweaver wrote:

Yeah Aranna, they changed quite a bit from the books. That's not necessarily a bad thing, it might work better for a TV show.

In the book, Dagda Mor sends the Reaper to kill all the Chosen, and the Changeling to act as a spy for the demons within the Elven city

They seemed to have combined the main antagonist from Book 1, Brona (the Warlock Lord), a former Druid with Dagda Mor. In the books Dagda Mor is the King of all Demons in the Forbidding, not a former Druid.

The winged demons Dagda Mor sends out seems sort of similar to the Skull Bearers that Brona sent out back in the first book.

Actually, there is some mention of the warlock lord separately from the Dagda Mor, they didn't combine them. They refer to Wil's father fighting him. Alanon also refers to the Dagda Mor as a former druid when in the keep. They're definitely making changes, but those aren't some of them.

Dark Archive

Met the lead actress of the show at opening of Vandal this Friday, she is SO tiny but physically she is lovely.

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baron arem heshvaun wrote:
Met the lead actress of the show at opening of Vandal this Friday, she is SO tiny but physically she is lovely.

I usually don't have a crush on celebrities, but I'm crushing on her :D A lot.


Does it improve after the pilot? I wasn't really interested in continuing after the first episode.

Sovereign Court

It gets a little better.

Liberty's Edge RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16

I thought it was very cool seeing the changling the first time, when it took its natural form - looked just like a doppleganger, and not something I've seen in live action before.

Dark Archive

Hama wrote:
baron arem heshvaun wrote:
Met the lead actress of the show at opening of Vandal this Friday, she is SO tiny but physically she is lovely.
I usually don't have a crush on celebrities, but I'm crushing on her :D A lot.

Plot twist Hama, she is more attractive in person.

Dark Archive

Kind of like Julia Roberts, I never got why she was such a big draw and never thought she was captivating at all then I saw her smile and laugh in person at a premier and I was "Oh, I get it now."

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baron arem heshvaun wrote:
Hama wrote:
baron arem heshvaun wrote:
Met the lead actress of the show at opening of Vandal this Friday, she is SO tiny but physically she is lovely.
I usually don't have a crush on celebrities, but I'm crushing on her :D A lot.
Plot twist Hama, she is more attractive in person.

Great, all I need now is get a job in the states, move there, meet her and charm her. No biggie.


Wait, are we getting creepy about Poppy Drayton, or Ivana Baquero? 'Cause neither of them actually come from the U.S.

Sovereign Court

Poppy Drayton for me :D

Dark Archive

Hama wrote:
Great, all I need now is get a job in the states, move there, meet her and charm her. No biggie.

Oh your in Siberia. I get the wolf head now!

Sovereign Court

Hey Siberia is cool. I'd get to live in a wooden cottage, drink vodka all day, train bears and mispronounce English.

As a Serb, all I get to look forward is a bunch of functionally literate (barely) morons dive for a wooden cross in a frozen river.

Dark Archive Vendor - Fantasiapelit Tampere

I now finally watched the two-parter start and really quite liked it. It's no perfect, but very good. I find all the characters interesting and likable (Weird thing that Manu Bennet is my favorite) and I really like the setting. I have not read any of the original books so I can't tell how much they screwed up in characterization but I liked them fine. Special effects are neat, and wuite good for television series.

It moved forward maybe a little too fast. I first liked it, because it didn't feel dragging or anything like that. But then they moved between locations a bit too fast and it started to distract me. But maybe that's just speeding up the start. I have not watch more yet, but as a fan of high fantasy I'm very intrigued what's coming ahead.


I really enjoyed it, too. I'm not that picky, though. Gimme some swords and sorcery and I'll take it.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Quite liking the series but goodness me elves are ruddy hopeless


Are Amberle's polyhedral dice in the book? Speaking as a gamer, that's cool whether they are or not :-)

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KJL wrote:
Are Amberle's polyhedral dice in the book? Speaking as a gamer, that's cool whether they are or not :-)

They are not.

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1 person marked this as a favorite.

Stopped watching after episode 4 or 5. Even though I'm having a massive crush on Poppy Drayton, it just couldn't keep my attention. Terrible acting, mangled story of the books....yeah no.


2 people marked this as a favorite.
KJL wrote:
Are Amberle's polyhedral dice in the book? Speaking as a gamer, that's cool whether they are or not :-)

Going to check all my blue d10s just in case they are really Elfstones !


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Liked the series. (its on netflix now)
Saw on Wikipedia there will be a 2nd season.


Started watching it on Netflix, I am liking it but the graphic body count is a little much.


Best stay away from Game of Thrones then


MannyGoblin wrote:
Best stay away from Game of Thrones then

NO!!! They would never kill off my favorite characters! Never! I would cry if they did.


I enjoyed this. I've read several of the Shannara books although not close to half of them.

I found the books fairly slow, but the series was fortunately not. It's not the best fantasy TV, but I did enjoy it.


They are rather formilatic, the same siege situation repeat from book to book.


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

The Word and the Void books were better, imho.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Is this show worth watching? Is it on Hulu or Netflix?


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Netflix
and imho, yes.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32

Cool and cool. :-D

I'll check it out after Penny Dreadful, Vikings, and Shameless.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

Good call. Those shows are superior.


I have some questions for people who have read the books and/or thought about the TV series far more than they should.

1) Typical encounter example from the current season: They kill several members of the Queen's Guard outfitted with equipment worth a mint and then just walk away.

Why do none of the player characters loot the bodies?

2) Many book reviews (Amazon, Goodreads) claim that the series is an homage to Tolkein so thin that it is tantamount to plagerism.

I don't get that from the TV series but is that true of the books?

3) The delivery from the guy who plays Allanon the Druid is the main anchor of the show IMHO. You almost believe him when he says things like, "The Sword of Shannara is the most powerful weapon ever forged". Then you glance over at Mjolnir and think, "Hmmm, nope. Sorry dude. Made my save and I just don't believe you."

This gets me to my tangential question: Is the druid's name really just a purposeful contraction/misspelling of Al Anon?

Sovereign Court

Don't watch it if you haven't.


Hama wrote:
Don't watch it if you haven't.

I watched the first season hoping to steal some good ideas from it.

Spoiler:
There weren't any

I've see some of this season because my cousin's wife insists.

Not a fan but my questions in the previous post are sincere.

Sovereign Court

I watched it because of the pretty elf girl.

1. It's not a D&D game
2. Not really, it's similar though, not a pretty good book.
3. It's not.


OK. I still think they should loot the bodies. Eretria could've retired off of cashing in on that Queen's Guards gear.

In-universe Rovers are like scroungers and some of the stuff they rob/kill to scrounge? Crap! The loot from the Queen's Guards would have her sitting pretty for half a lifetime at least.

Verisimilitude not a strong point of the show's writers (or Terry Brooks?)


Yeah... pretty girl.

Hollyweird may figure out this harassment thing someday but they'll never cast people that look like me in leading roles (other than mocap stuff).

Sovereign Court

And how do you look?


I look like a cross between James Belushi and Steve Buchemi.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

If you guys get the chance you should see the Syfy miniseries version of Dune. Stilgar, leader of the Fremen, is gloriously not at all hot.

And yes, like Hama, I was really only ever watching the series to see Poppy Drayton wiggle around in tight leather pants. Haven't watched a single episode of season two.


I watched the first season and liked it pretty well. Still looking for a way to watch season 2.


A highly regarded expert wrote:
I watched the first season and liked it pretty well. Still looking for a way to watch season 2.

I'm guessing/hoping Netflix will get it once the entire season is finished, since that's their usual M.O. I watched and enjoyed season 1 for what it was, a campy fantasy genre series that played right into many of the genre's long-running cliches. Once I accepted that that's all it would be, I had no trouble enjoying it. I'm sure season 2 will be much the same, and I'm looking forward to watching it as soon as it becomes available. :)

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