Fans waiting for Dungeon Crawler Carl to reach the screen still have a while to go, but the World Dungeon is about to open up in another format. Renegade Game Studios is releasing the card game Dungeon Crawler Carl: Unstoppable and the official roleplaying game at retail late next month, while Peacock's live-action adaptation continues to move toward cameras rolling.
Where The Peacock Series Stands
The latest update on the show came at New York Comic Con earlier this month (October 10th), during a panel hosted by author Matt Dinniman with executives from Universal Television. As Variety reported from the panel, Universal Global Television scripted series chief Kelsey Balance said the team is already deep into preparation.
"We are starting to see drafts and outlines, and we've gotten the whole series pitch, which is really exciting, but it's continued to evolve," Balance said. She added that the production is in soft prep and is hiring department heads, line producers, production designers and directors.
Balance also laid out the schedule. "Then we'll start actual real prep in the new year and shooting next year. So, the plan is to have all scripts written before production starts, which is great," she explained, while teasing that more details would arrive within the next few weeks. No premiere window has been announced.
The series is being led by Chris Yost and Eric Heisserer, who executive produce alongside Seth MacFarlane, Erica Huggins and Rachel Hargreaves-Heald for MacFarlane's Fuzzy Door, with Dinniman serving as co-executive producer. Audiobook narrator Jeff Hays has been cast as the voice of Princess Donut, but the title role is still open.
"Carl's not been cast. And we don't have a specific answer for that," Dinniman said at the panel. "I want Carl to be played by someone who embodies the role and someone who can be both goofy and give off that really, really scary vibe."
Unstoppable Puts You In Carl's Boots
Until then, the closest thing to living the story is Unstoppable. Designed by John D. Clair and built on his Unstoppable system, it is a solo or two-player co-op card game in which you play as Carl or Princess Donut and fight through the first three floors of the 18-floor World Dungeon.
Its card-crafting system uses sleeves with swappable parts, so your deck changes as you play. Crafting makes you stronger, but it also boosts the threats you face, which captures the escalating danger of the books nicely. Like a roguelite, only a few benefits bought with XP carry over to the next floor. The core box costs $60.
Two $25 expansions arrive alongside it. Iron Tangle adds the fourth floor's subway maze, five new bosses and the Nightmare Express, while Crawler Chaos adds Katia, Imani, Prepotente and Archie as playable crawlers, a build-your-own crawler option and a short story by Ben Wolf.
The Roleplaying Game Lets You Write Your Own Episode
The Dungeon Crawler Carl Roleplaying Game takes a more open approach. Its $55 Starter Set covers the two tutorial floors, with a ready-to-play scenario and pre-generated characters including Carl, Donut and the Meadow Lark crew. The $65 Core Rulebook runs more than 300 pages and covers floors three through five, with tools for building characters, skills, spells, races and classes.
The games come from one of the biggest crowdfunding campaigns the tabletop industry has ever seen. The joint campaign wrapped in May with more than $13.29 million raised from 55,972 backers, making it the most funded game campaign in BackerKit history.
A Big Month For The Franchise
November also brings Dungeon Crawler Carl: Deluxe Edition from Ace, a collector's hardcover of the first book featuring art by Victo Ngai and a Q&A with Dinniman conducted by Princess Donut. Dinniman is writing the ninth book, which carries the working title The Beautiful Place and will be split into two volumes.
Between the books, the games and the show, the series that started as a web serial has turned into a multimedia franchise. The big remaining question is who will be barefoot in the dungeon when Peacock finally starts filming.
Who do you think should play Carl in Peacock's live-action series, and will the tabletop games tide you over until it arrives?
Sound off with your thoughts in the comments below.