Movie Idea: D20

The main concept behind this movie is that it would be low-budgetable - i.e. the kind of movie a person could make were they to buy a simple little camera and find a few willing actors. The downside of this movie is, no matter how good the writing is, and I don't think it would be all that good, since I'm not that good at dialogue, it's quality would depend very heavily on the actors. Something along the lines of Swingers or Good Will Hunting. But, anyway:

Connor is your average curly-red-haired, slightly pudgy, slightly pasty, jolly-faced, bespectacled, 27-year-old everyman. He drives a third-hand car, works at a no-where job, and lives at home with his single mom - the caring, doting sort that works 25 hours of overtime every week as a nurse. It's hard to believe, but Connor's single.

The vast majority of his free-time is poured into Dungeons and Dragons, or rather, D20 (the open-licensed version). Every week, ritual as it is, his five friends come over to run through the latest adventure he's created. Steve and Tanya: the cliched macho nerds, a married couple with wolf motifs everywhere, they ride a Harley-esque Kawasaki, they are embarrassingly apt to perform gratuitous displays of affection. He plays the amoral rogue, and she the buffed-out Valkyrie Warrior. Kurt: an up-and-coming car salesman who doesn't like cars, he wears fancy clothes mismatched with worn-out jeans, he is amiable and trustworthy and gullable. He plays the Paladin/Cleric. Marc(us): the IT guy who works at the same company as Connor, kind of aloof and distracted, and apt to get into arguments about science or game rules. He plays the wizard, and keeps track of his spells on his Palm Pilot. Jones: A bit socially peculiar, he shows up and leaves at odd times, and listens more than talks, but everyone knows that he's reliable when you really need him. He plays the monk - the self-reliant character.

The story is told in four parts, the first three 30 minutes, the last 15 minutes. When the story opens, Connor is waiting to find out that his setting submission to Wizards of the Coast will be rejected, and he's working on modules for Neverwinter Nights. Establish the characters and make Connor and Jones out to be the likeable ones. We need a conflict here to start the story off right, to set up the third act, and to establish the fact that conflicts are resolved through dialogue, around the "Oval Table", between rounds of exciting D20 action.

Part two of the story has Connor's Neverwinter Nights modules meeting with popularity; they're rated very highly for their story and characterization. While online in a chat room, he runs across someone using the name of the heroine from his modules as their screen name. He strikes up a conversation, which picks up over the course of several days, and he finds out that his correspondant is, in fact, a pleasant person, female (one can never be sure electronically), and when she learns (several days in) that Connor is the author of the module she liked so much, she is very interested in him. She invites him up north to visit her in college.

Part three is the misadventure of Connor's trip up to visit Vicki (he takes the train, but gets off at the wrong stop and thinks Vicki has forgotten to meet him). When they finally sort it out and meet up, they hit it off wonderfully. Of course, Connor is surprised and delighted to learn that Vicki is British and charming. As exciting as this is for him, he is also a bit jealous and threatened by her natural poise, as it emphasizes his own perceived oafishness. All the same, in the two days he's there, their relationship blossoms into something that might be something. That is, until he's checking his email from her dormroom computer, and the minor conflict from the first part springs back up and threatens to cut the relationship short. (Perhaps he's trying to get a job with a role-playing game or writing company, but it's on the other side of the country.)

Part four is the solution to the problem, where everyone learns a lesson and grows as a character (at least, Vicki, Connor, Marc, and Kurt do). The problem is wrapped up, and everyone lives happily ever for two weeks.

Obviously the story is poorly developed and suffers heavily from its dependence upon good dialogue, acting, and directing - none of which I have any reason to expect. But that's what I have so far.