History Film / TheGamers

The original short film that started ''Franchise/TheGamers'' series follows a group of gamers playing a game (the name of the game is never actually mentioned, but it's ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'') as they are about to face the final villain in the campaign. The action switches between the players--who have to deal with things like an absent gamer, a girl in a nearby room who is trying to study, and dice rolls--and the characters--who have to deal with things like bandits, a dead party member, and whether or not they are unconscious.

It would later be followed with its sequel, ''Film/TheGamersDorknessRising''.

It would later be followed with its sequel, Film/TheGamersDorknessRising.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_gamers.jpg]]

* MegatonPunch: Done unintentionally by [[BarbarianHero Rogar]] in his attempt to knock Ambrose unconscious. It takes ''[[OverlyLongGag 30 seconds]]'' before the poor mage lands - dead.

* PunchedAcrossTheRoom: Ambrose ends up getting punched ''sky-high'' by Rogar in an ill-thought attempt to knock him unconscious. It takes [[OverlyLongGag half a minute]] for him to finally hit the ground.

* BigDamnHeroes: Mark, the player, shows up late to the game just as the tide turns against the player characters during the bandit ambush, and his character Mark The Red single-handedly turns the tide in their favor.

** Rogar failing checks in any situation he should in theory ace. ''Then'' Newmoon getting much better results.

* LudicrousGibs: What happens to Hunk after Nimble backstans him with a balista.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Magellan is basically a second Ambrose.

* EqualOpportunityEvil: Peasants, deserters, pirates, and even a random female make up the Bandit King's gang.

* {{Corpsing}}: When Nimble is [[LargeHam dramatically screaming]] over the dead body of his sister, Rogar breaks into a chuckle, which he is trying to contain.

* NamesTheSame: Happens in-universe, as Mark named his character after himself.

* NamesTheSame: Mark named his character after himself.

* TheMagnificent: His Majesty, king Orlando the Reasonable Just.

* StylisticSuck: Unlike the rest of the franchise, the first movie fully embraces being an amateur production made without any meaningful budget. To the point that it deliberately never got a HD re-release (unlike [[Film/TheGamersDorknessRising the second film]]).

* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: A ''really'' different castle--[[spoiler:the dorm where the game is happening.]]

* {{Corpsing}}: When Nimble is [[LargeHam dramatically screaming]] over the dead body of his sister, Rogar breaks into chuckle, which he is trying to contain.

* EqualOpportunityEvil: The Bandit King's gang consists of peasants, deserters, pirates and even a random female.

* MeaningfulName: Hunk, the mercenary the party left behind somewhere in the past, is over seven feet tall and is quite buff.

* PunchedAcrossTheRoom: Ambrose ends up punched ''sky-high'' by Rogar in an ill-thought attempt to knock him unconscious. It takes [[OverlyLongGag half a minute]] for him to finally hit the ground.
* {{Railroading}}: It's not a particularly complex or branched scenario by itself, but the GM still reinforces certain situations, no matter how much the players are protesting.

* ReactionShot: Once Mark the Red goes into his berserker rage, the camera focus on his enraged face, as he's mowing down the bandits. By the end of the scene, it pans away to show pile of dead bodies and Mark standing in the middle of them.

* StylisticSuck: Unlike rest of the franchise, the first movie fully embraces being an amateur production made without any meaningful budget. To the point it deliberately never got a HD re-release (unlike [[Film/TheGamersDorknessRising the second film]]).

* VocalDissonance: As a RunningGag, the GM consistently talks in a dispassionate voice, no matter how dramatic scene or message he has to convey.

* BigNo: Rogar does one in a brief flashback to a previous session "at the battle of Black Fields, where Rogar's blood brother was killed."

* TalkingIsAFreeAction: The GM insists on allowing the bandit king to finish his speech before Newmoon can shoot him even though it technically allows the moment of surprise to lapse.
* TapOnTheHead: If you need to be knocked out ''don't let the freakin' barbarian do it.''

* PlugNPlayFriends: After Ambrose dies and the suspiciously similar Magellan shows up the party ignores the DM insisting that this should be treated as meeting a new character and fits him right back into the same slot.

* BreakingTheFourthWall: [[spoiler: The first movie ends with the characters breaking into the room and slaughtering their players. The second movie reveals at least one managed to survive by not being in the room at the time, but severely traumatized by the event]].