The popular and long-running clicker game Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms will introduce its 100th character next week, with an iconic character from Dungeons & Dragons’ past. Dungeon Master from the 1980s Dungeons & Dragons cartoon will be added to Idle Champions next week, accompanied by Uni the Unicorn. The duo can be unlocked in the special “The Running” event that runs starting on April 27th through May 9th. Afterwards, the character will be available through Time Gates available at any time. Both Venger and the cartoon’s version of Tiamat will also appear in special Adventure Variants to celebrate the new characters’ arrival in the game.
Given that Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms has a deep roster that includes characters from official D&D adventures, novels, and popular livestream shows like Acquisitions Incorporated and Rivals of Waterdeep, ComicBook.com was curious how Dungeon Master would stand out in such a loaded roster. Luckily, we had the chance to speak with Game System Designer Peter Lee and Live Services Manager Chris Dupuis about how Dungeon Master fits into Idle Champions and how the game has evolved as its roster enters triple digits:
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ComicBook.com: Dungeon Master and Uni have a much different history than the other characters that appear in Idle Champions. Were there any extra hurdles that you had to go through to get the rights to use those characters in your game?
Chris Dupuis: We threw around a bunch of names for our 100th Champion, and I think it was Justin Stocks, one of Codename Entertainment’s co-founders, who floated the idea of Dungeon Master. I’ve wanted to bring the characters from the cartoon into the game for some time, but we were waiting for the right opportunity because it’s such a big deal, leaning into the nostalgia of the cartoon that so many of us grew up with. You don’t get much more special than the 100th Champion!
Dungeon Master is a perfect fit with the style of our game and the quirky quality of the D&D adventure we bring to the table. Our partners at Wizards were intrigued. Justin & Peter Lee, our Game System Designer, put their heads together on the design and quickly realized that Uni, Venger, and the cartoon-accurate Tiamat were the final pieces to add in order to round out this 100th Champion celebration. When we next met with Wizards I went over the updates and they were completely on board.
Dungeon Master mainly had a mentoring role in the D&D cartoon. How does his history and role in the cartoon reflect his abilities in the game?
Peter Lee: The original D&D cartoon really was the key inspiration for all of Dungeon Master’s abilities. In Idle Champions, there is a type of role called Support that improves the capabilities of other heroes in your party. Dungeon Master’s way of supporting improves for each Champion in the party that is 20 years old or younger, which is a reference to him mentoring the kids from the cartoon. Dungeon Master’s ultimate ability is also a mentoring nod as it recharges another Champion’s ultimate, allowing you to use a favorite ability a second time in quick succession.
It wasn’t just his mentoring behavior that inspired mechanics. Dungeon Master’s habit of frequently vanishing in the cartoon inspired the mechanic where he occasionally disappears and Uni takes his place in the formation. Dungeon Master also breaks the rules of the game by being eligible for any variant in the game as a nod to his ubiquitous presence in the cartoon. Finally, the event variants for his release features both Venger and an animated cartoon version of Tiamat, the dragon.
With 100 characters now in Idle Champions, has it become more difficult to balance all the character abilities?
Lee: Yes, it’s a really interesting design challenge. In theory, there must be “The Best” formation where you take the 9-10 optimal Champions and only use those, which results in either a stale environment or constant power creep. We have a few ways that can change how desirable a particular Champion is. Some Champions are more desirable for players as they let them progress towards a goal other than being the strongest. For example, some Champions speed up your progress in the game. This doesn’t let you beat high levels but instead gets you to the high levels sooner.
The most interesting way to mix up optimal Champion selection is with tough level variants. I like to think of Champion design a bit like creating tools for a swiss army knife. When you need a can opener, you bring out a can opener tool. When you need to take apart a desk, you pick the screwdriver. Dungeon Master excels at variants with extremely limiting requirements, as he qualifies for every variant and he can bring in one randomly determined ineligible Champion as a special guest star.
Idle Champions will celebrate its fifth anniversary later this year – what is the key to the game’s longevity and how much longer do you think the game will go?
Dupuis: I think the key to the game’s longevity is that we’re all such big fans of Dungeons & Dragons. We love that so many of our fellow fans are along for the ride with us. It is my hope that our love for the brand comes across in everything we do.
If we have it our way, Idle Champions will be questing through the Sword Coast (and beyond) for many years to come. We love our motley crew of Champions and we want to continue to bring exciting, quirky, and fun adventures to our players for as long as they are along for the ride with us.
Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms is available on Steam, Epic Games, Xbox, PlayStation, Android, iOS, and Nintendo Switch. As a special bonus to readers, players can use the code below to unlock Catti-Brie and 3 Catti-Brie chests in the game for free.
