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[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tripodvdragon.jpg]]
''Tripod Versus the Dragon'' is a {{musical}} by Australian musical comedy trio Music/{{Tripod}}. Originally conceived as "TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons: The {{Opera}}", it tells the story of three hapless adventurers who face many challenges on the road to discovering themselves.

* Scod (Scott Edgar): A {{Munchkin}} and {{Metagame}}r, a wizard on a quest for knowledge. Because knowledge is power. Or possibly [[AudienceParticipation pants]].
* Yon (Simon Hall): A priest (owing to being good at guilt trips), but he really wants to play "a dog cursed with the body of a small man". A ButtMonkey and arguably the OnlySaneMan (or at least Least Insane Man).
* Gatesy (Steven Gates): He'd be the AudienceSurrogate if he hadn't failed his intelligence roll, as he's new to the game. Elements of TheRoleplayer and TheLoonie, Gatesy is a warrior who dreams of being a bard.
* The GM/Something Something/The Dragon (Elana Stone): Elana narrates the story, gets most of the more "dramatic" songs, and is conflicted between her duty (as the Dragon) to protect the tree and her attraction (as Something Something) to Gatesy.

[[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant Despite the title]], this play isn't about a TripodTerror duking it out with a [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Dragon]], although it would make an [[CoolVersusAwesome awesome battle]] to watch.

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!!This show includes examples of:

* AmbitionIsEvil: Scod initially desires only power, knowledge, and a spiffy wizard hat, leading him to leave his friends behind in the quest for the Spear of Knowledge and [[spoiler:trick Gatesy into killing his love interest, who is also the dragon]].
* TheAtoner: Scod in the last act.
* AudienceParticipation: See ThrowItIn under trivia.
* BigNo: Gatesy, on slaying the Dragon.
* BlindedByTheLight: "Of course I was blind, you try shining a torch in your eyes."
* BSODSong: "On Paper". Gatesy's "Taking The Life", even more so: it's in reaction to killing a single Orc, albeit in a rather gory way.
* CaptainObvious: "How to get to the Underworld: Kill yourself."
* DoubleEntendre: Many. Gatesy has a habit both of seeing them where they aren't there, and being terminally ignorant of his own.
* DeadpanSnarker: The whole cast.
* TheElevenOClockNumber: "I Will Still Play".
* FearlessFool: Gatesy's INT stat is so low he's too dumb to feel fear.
* FreudianTrio: Tripod's usual trio of Scod as Ego, Yon as Id and Gatesy as Superego gets a reshuffle: Scod becomes a hammy Id, Gatesy as the hero adopts the Ego role and Yon, being the guilt-tripping priest and closest to earth, becomes the Superego.
* HeroicResolve: [[spoiler:The song that finally gets through to Hades is about Gatesy's unbreakable will, and how even if he's left with nothing he'll keep singing his song]].
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Gatesy and Something Something.
* HurricaneOfEuphemisms: Gatesy on meeting Something Something, among other scenes.
* HypocriticalHumor: "You say no to everything!" "No I don't!"
* InnocentInnuendo: Yon mistakes Scod's miming of throwing dice for something much worse.
* InvertedTrope:
** Gatesy is "a warrior who dreams of being a bard."
** Yon attempts this too: rather than a man with a dog's head, he wants to play a dog cursed with the body of a man.
* IAmSong: Gatesy and the Dragon's first numbers.
* ICantBelieveImSayingThis:
--> '''Gatesy:''' "I thought you guys brought me here to play ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''."
* LampshadeHanging: ''Every single trope in this list''.
* LargeHam: Scod. Dear lord, Scod.
* MacGuffinDeliveryService: Scod.
* MediumAwareness: "About 16 bars on the subject of massive guilt trip."
** It gets weirder: several lines that seem to be in-character make reference to, or pun on, the fact that they're in an RPG, such as the last line of "I Will Still Play" or the refrain of "On Paper".
* MediumBlending: Incorporates both live and paper-based shadow puppets.
* MusicSoothesTheSavageBeast: Parodied when Gatesy confronts {{Cerberus}} during his rescue. He tries to calm it with one of his songs but it runs away, yelping at the thought of him playing.
-->'''Head 1''': No need for that.\\
'''Head 2''': Go right on through.
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* PungeonMaster: "Dungeon? More like fungeon!"
* RescuedFromTheUnderworld: The last part of the show has Gatesy going to rescue his love from Hades with the help of his friends and terrible songs.
* RunningGag:
** Several, mostly involving Yon, such as his character being a priest because he's good at guilt trips.
** Another is carried over from their previous shows. "He's not actually shorter, he's just a bit further away."
** Not to mention "10 points to Gryffindor".
* SarcasmMode: "Don't feel bad, you only killed me."
* ScaryFlashlightFace: Gatesy and Yon play the evil Twin Wizards by wearing party hats and carrying torches to light their faces. [[spoiler: Scod gets a torch to light himself after getting Gatesy to kill the dragon.]]
* SelfDeprecation:
** "We have to be nice to her. She's the only girl we know."
** Scod in particular runs on this. Being an Australian band, half the jokes are this type.
--> "That's the kind of behavior that gets our kind beaten up."
* ShoutOut: To Music/JoniMitchell and Music/ChrisDeBurgh, among others.
* SophisticatedAsHell: Yon's priestly chant with a PrecisionFStrike.
* SpoonyBard: Scod refuses to let Gatesy play a bard "because bards are shit."
* Squick: "Is ''congealed'' a very romantic word?"
* SubvertedTrope: The GM's deleted song, starts as a cheesy "inspirational" song encouraging girls to feel better about themselves. The best way to do this? [[BitingTheHandHumor "Hang out with losers."]]
* TakeThat: [[Creator/WizardsOfTheCoast Wizards of the Coast]], owners of the of the D&D trademark, did not answer requests for permission to call the show "TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons: TheMusical", resulting in the band's management advising against explicitly using D&D in the show name and the line
--> "They can trademark the name all they like, it's all ripped off [[Creator/JRRTolkien Tolkien]] anyway."
* TooDumbToLive: Gatesy, trying to impress Hades, performs a song boasting about immortality. His low intelligence score is one of several running gags.
* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: The fact that Something Something is the titular Dragon is followed by "(spoiler alert)" on the DVD cover.
* UnwantedAssistance: "Shut up, boat!"
* VillainSong: Both of the Dragon's solo numbers fit this
* YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe: "For she telleth the taleth."
* YourHeadAsplode: Scod's ''hammy pronunciation'' does this to Yon.
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