Warduke: a Retrospective; How the Mighty warrior fell.....

WARDUKE: A name that struck fear in all plastic warriors. A figure that was the champion of all young children. His record and legend are well known, but one day he fell from grace in a match that most bloggers felt he would be the easy victor.

How can a warrior so feared and seemingly unbeatable be defeated by The Black Knight from Dragonriders of the Styx? See:  dragonriders-of-styx-black-knight.

Many factors led to this tragic tale:

His long time trainer Kelek died unexpectedly. Kelek was the father figure Warduke needed in his life, and when the wizard passed away, Warduke had no grounding influence.

His marriage to Skylla was by most peoples accounts the beginning of the end. Her domineering ways and her penchant for spending his treasure at an alarming rate was weighing down his psyche and forcing him to Dungeon Delve at an alarming rate.

Then enter his new advisor: Ogre King. By most accounts he was only using Warduke for his profit, taking most in fees and high percentages. The people Ogre King surrounded Warduke were only their to prop him up so "The King of all D&D" could reap in the profit. His catchphrase "Only in Blackmoor" summed up this greedy promoter: only an ogre like this could run rampant in a setting like this!

We know what happens next....... see: warduke-vs.-black knight

Warduke fell in a match that should have propelled him to Immortal status. But instead his demons and the people he surrounded himself with drug him down.

We can only hope he doesn't continue to spiral out of control. Maybe "Get back to Basics." See if Ringlerun would take him in and reshape his career. Only time will tell.....

UPDATE: Warduke spotted with a new tribal facial tattoo. This new move doesn't look good for the once mighty champion getting his life back together......

:)

Dungeons and Dragons Warduke vs. Dragonriders of the Styx Black Knight What would Happen ??

Warduke vs. The Black Knight. What would be the outcome! How would these two figures compare in a Helmeted Head to Helmeted Head duel???

Lets find out......

Warduke draws first, using his height advantage to slice at his smaller opponent before he can even raise his sword!!!

But the Black Knight, using a lightning quick stroke, blasts his opponent and knocks him off his feet!!

Please Hammer Don't Hurt em!! Warduke kisses the ring of his new master....

The Black Knight takes Warduke into his service! He can always use a strong warrior to carry his treasure !!!!

So there you have it! The Black Knight is victorious over Warduke and the question is laid to rest.....Cmon, you read it on the internet! It has to be true!!!!!   :)

Dragonriders of the STYX Black Knight stands up to any Dungeons and Dragons figure !!!

This figure was one of my all time favorites as a kid. I had a bunch of the Dragonriders of the Styx figures, but the Black Knight was my favorite! DFC (Dimensions for Children) produced some excellent figures for this line in 1983, and I finally have the one that I've been looking for. Obviously produced to catch the D&D craze, but they do stand well against their LJN counterparts. In my opinion, the Black Knight could have been one of them. I used him alot as the silent sentinel of Lord Drex (Drex was always the leader of the villains).



The card art and backboard detail is awesome! I always marvel at the detail put into the packaging back then and it was done with such inferior technology! The only bad memory I have of this line is that the Wizard exploded (completely fell apart) within a few days of purchase, and I was excited to get him cause I didn't have Kelek or Ringlerun yet, making him the first Wizard. Oh, the calamities of childhood!!