The D&D Vortex

The Big Bang Theory"The D & D Vortex"
Season 12
Number 16
Episode information
Directed by	Mark Cendrowski
The Big Bang Theory Episodes
Previous	"The Donation Oscillation"
Next	"The Conference Valuation"

The D & D Vortex is the sixteenth episode of the twelfth season of The Big Bang Theory.

Synopsis

Wil Wheaton is hosting a private Dungeons & Dragons game at his house with the participants being other famous actors, including William Shatner, leading to everyone wanting in on the game, with the condition being that they have to keep it a secret.

Plot

Sheldon and Amy are guests on Wil Wheaton's Professor Proton show, trying to explain their Super-Asymmetry theory, with William Shatner also appearing as a special guest. Sheldon gets so overwhelmed with excitement that he inadvertently pukes on Shatner.

The guys tease Sheldon after seeing the clip. However, Sheldon foolishly thinks that he'll get to meet with William Shatner again. He goes to Wil's house so he can offer Shatner an apology; while there, he hears what sounds like a Dungeons & Dragons game being played in the background. Wil closes the door, though Sheldon tries to peak inside, leading Wil to use the sprinklers to repel him. 

Returning to Apartment 4A, he tells the others about it. They then decide to graph who else Wil may have invited. Howard, however, finds a picture on Instagram, showing Wil playing with William Shatner, Kevin Smith, Joe Manganiello, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and, much to their surprise, Stuart.

As he enters the kitchen at the Wolowitz house, Stuart finds Sheldon, Leonard, Raj, and Howard there; they are all furious that he attended Wil's D & D game night. He tries to hide it by saying he was at CVS, though they don't buy his lies, and start bombarding him with questions, causing him to breakdown. He then calls Wil to say that he's dropping out of the game because of all the pressure he got from the guys. 

Later, Howard tries to call Wil, but his number is blocked. He eventually gets hold of him and pretends to be William Shatner, but Wil isn't fooled. While Sheldon is playing a Wild West game, Leonard gets a call from Wil, asking if he would like to fill in for Stuart; he agrees, but Wil tells him that he can't tell anyone else, particularly Sheldon. As Leonard, Wil, Kevin, Bill, Joe, and Kareem are playing, they find themselves dealing with a monster, and argue about how to deal with it: kill it or talk it to death, leading to Kareem asking Leonard what they should do. Leonard is practically enjoying himself. 

Returning home, Leonard lies to Penny, saying he was at a "lecture". Penny assumes he was at "House of Pies" again. Leonard then lets it slip about the game, telling her about Joe Manganiello. In the Wolowitz kitchen, Penny tells Bernadette and Amy about how Leonard participated in the game; Bernadette confesses that she didn't see all of "Magic Mike" because Howard forced her to leave when he found out it wasn't about magic. Amy, however, has seen it about seven times. The girls then have a desire to play D & D again. The three women go to the set of Professor Proton and chat with Wil, who realizes that Leonard let it slip. 

At the cafeteria, Leonard joins Sheldon, Howard, and Raj in a good mood, much to their surprise. Wil then calls Leonard to say that he's out of the game, much to his disappointment. He admits that he was a participant in the game, much to their disbelief. Leonard points out that they would've been secretive about the game as well. However, Sheldon realizes that, with Leonard out, there's now an open seat. 

The four go to WIl's house, with Howard and Raj frantically knocking on the door; Wil opens the door and responds with a "No.", "No.", "No." directed at Howard, Raj, and Leonard, respectively, and a "Hell, no." directed at Sheldon. He feels that they just want in on the game so they can get close to his celebrity friends, making him wonder if they even like him for who he is. The guys promptly apologize, with Sheldon admitting that he never really considered Wil a celebrity, much to his annoyance. 

Back in Apartment 4A, Sheldon, Howard, Raj, and Leonard are starting to play D & D. Still feeling bad about how they treated Wil, they decide to call him to come and play with them to make it up to him. However, Wil is already playing with the other celebrities, as well as Penny, Bernadette, and Amy. While playing, the women make small talk with Kareem, Joe, and William. Amy promises they won't let the boys know. Wil then suggests taking a group photo and sending it to them. The four of them then get the photo, which has Amy, Joe, Wil, Bill, Penny, and Kevin grouped together, and Bernadette standing next to the much taller Kareem, so tall his head is out of the picture, in the background. Leonard states that they deserve what they just got.

Trivia

Last appearance of Dungeons and Dragons and Wil Wheaton.

External Links

v - e - d

Media The Big Bang Theory • Young Sheldon • Video Characters Main Characters: Leonard Hofstadter • Sheldon Cooper • Penny Hofstadter • Howard Wolowitz • Rajesh Koothrappali • Amy Farrah Fowler • Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz • Stuart Bloom • Emily Sweeney • Leslie Winkle Recurring Characters: Barry Kripke • Wil Wheaton • Althea • Kurt • Eric Gablehauser • Mary Cooper • Debbie Wolowitz • V.M. Koothrappali • Mrs. Koothrappali • Mike • Stephanie Barnett • Beverley Hofstadter • President Siebert • Zack Johnson • Priya Koothrappali • Wyatt • Mike Rostenkowski • Mrs. Rostenkowski • Alex Jensen • Janine Davis • Lucy • Professor Proton • David Gibbs • Claire • Stephen Hawking • Alfred Hofstadter • Colonel Richard Williams • Denise Minor Characters: Christy Vanderbel • Lalita Gupta • Toby Loobenfeld • Dennis Kim • Dimitri • Missy Cooper • Blain • Tom • Octavia • Maria • Lourdes • Ramona Nowitzki • Kathy O'Brian • David Underhill • Alicia • Mikayla • Captain Sweatpants • Lonely Larry • Dr. Crawley • Bethany • Sarah • Skeeter • Professor Laughlin • Abby • Martha • Officer Hackett • Sandy • Glen • Venkatesh Koothrappali • Sebastian • Louie/Louise • Joyce Kim • Mrs. Gunderson • Joy • Mrs. Fowler • Angela Page • Professor Glenn • Mrs. Latham • Todd Zarnecki • Susan • Randall • Colonel Richard Williams Episodes Season 1: Pilot • The Big Bran Hypothesis • The Fuzzy Boots Corollary • The Luminous Fish Effect • The Hamburger Postulate • The Middle-Earth Paradigm • The Dumpling Paradox • The Grasshopper Experiment • The Cooper-Hofstadter Polarization • The Loobenfeld Decay • The Pancake Batter Anomaly • The Jerusalem Duality • The Bat Jar Conjecture • The Nerdvana Annihilation • The Porkchop Indeterminacy • The Peanut Reaction • The Tangerine Factor Season 2: The Bad Fish Paradigm • The Codpiece Topology • The Barbarian Sublimation • The Griffin Equivalency • The Euclid Alternative • The Cooper-Nowitzki Theorem • The Panty Piñata Polarization • The Lizard-Spock Expansion • The White Asparagus Triangulation • The Vartabedian Conundrum • The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis • The Killer Robot Instability • The Friendship Algorithm • The Financial Permeability • The Maternal Capacitance • The Cushion Saturation • The Terminator Decoupling • The Work Song Nanocluster • The Dead Hooker Juxtaposition • The Hofstadter Isotope • The Vegas Renormalization • The Classified Materials Turbulence • The Monopolar Expedition Season 3: The Electric Can Opener Fluctuation • The Jiminy Conjecture • The Gothowitz Deviation • The Pirate Solution • The Creepy Candy Coating Corollary • The Cornhusker Vortex • The Guitarist Amplification • The Adhesive Duck Deficiency • The Vengeance Formulation • The Gorilla Experiment • The Maternal Congruence • The Psychic Vortex • The Bozeman Reaction • The Einstein Approximation • The Large Hadron Collision • The Excelsior Acquisition • The Precious Fragmentation • The Pants Alternative • The Wheaton Recurrence • The Spaghetti Catalyst • The Plimpton Stimulation • The Staircase Implementation • The Lunar Excitation Season 4: The Robotic Manipulation • The Cruciferous Vegetable Amplification • The Zazzy Substitution • The Hot Troll Deviation • The Desperation Emanation • The Irish Pub Formulation • The Apology Insufficiency • The 21-Second Excitation • The Boyfriend Complexity • The Alien Parasite Hypothesis • The Justice League Recombination • The Bus Pants Utilization • The Love Car Displacement • The Thespian Catalyst • The Benefactor Factor • The Cohabitation Formulation • The Toast Derivation • The Prestidigitation Approximation • The Zarnecki Incursion • The Herb Garden Germination • The Agreement Dissection • The Wildebeest Implementation • The Engagement Reaction • The Roommate Transmogrification Season 5: The Skank Reflex Analysis • The Infestation Hypothesis • The Pulled Groin Extrapolation • The Wiggly Finger Catalyst • The Russian Rocket Reaction • The Rhinitis Revelation • The Good Guy Fluctuation • The Isolation Permutation • The Ornithophobia Diffusion • The Flaming Spittoon Acquisition • The Speckerman Recurrence • The Shiny Trinket Maneuver • The Recombination Hypothesis • The Beta Test Initiation • The Friendship Contraction • The Vacation Solution • The Rothman Disintegration • The Werewolf Transformation • The Weekend Vortex • The Transporter Malfunction • The Hawking Excitation • The Stag Convergence • The Launch Acceleration • The Countdown Reflection Season 6: The Date Night Variable • The Decoupling Fluctuation • The Higgs Boson Observation • The Re-Entry Minimization • The Holographic Excitation • The Extract Obliteration • The Habitation Configuration • The 43 Peculiarity • The Parking Lot Escalation • The Fish Guts Displacement • The Santa Simulation • The Egg Salad Equivalency • The Bakersfield Expedition • The Cooper/Kripke Inversion • The Spoiler Alert Segmentation • The Tangible Affection Proof • The Monster Isolation • The Contractual Obligation Implementation • The Closet Reconfiguration • The Tenure Turbulence • The Closure Alternative • The Proton Resurgence • The Love Spell Potential • The Bon Voyage Reaction Season 7: The Hofstadter Insufficiency • The Deception Verification • The Scavenger Vortex • The Raiders Minimization • The Workplace Proximity • The Romance Resonance • The Proton Displacement • The Itchy Brain Simulation • The Thanksgiving Decoupling • The Discovery Dissipation • The Cooper Extraction • The Hesitation Ramification • The Occupation Recalibration • The Convention Conundrum • The Locomotive Manipulation • The Table Polarization • The Friendship Turbulence • The Mommy Observation • The Indecision Amalgamation • The Relationship Diremption • The Anything Can Happen Recurrence • The Proton Transmogrification • The Gorilla Dissolution • The Status Quo Combustion Season 8: The Locomotion Interruption • The Junior Professor Solution • The First Pitch Insufficiency • The Hook-up Reverberation • The Focus Attenuation • The Expedition Approximation • The Misinterpretation Agitation • The Prom Equivalency • The Septum Deviation • The Champagne Reflection • The Clean Room Infiltration • The Space Probe Disintegration • The Anxiety Optimization • The Troll Manifestation • The Comic Book Store Regeneration • The Intimacy Acceleration • The Colonization Application • The Leftover Thermalization • The Skywalker Incursion • The Fortification Implementation • The Communication Deterioration • The Graduation Transmission • The Maternal Combustion • The Commitment Determination Season 9: The Matrimonial Momentum • The Separation Oscillation • The Bachelor Party Corrosion • The 2003 Approximation • The Perspiration Implementation • The Helium Insufficiency • The Spock Resonance • The Mystery Date Observation • The Platonic Permutation • The Earworm Reverberation • The Opening Night Excitation • The Sales Call Sublimation • The Empathy Optimization • The Meemaw Materialization • The Valentino Submergence • The Positive Negative Reaction • The Celebration Experimentation • The Application Deterioration • The Solder Excursion Diversion • The Big Bear Precipitation • The Viewing Party Combustion • The Fermentation Bifurcation • The Line Substitution Solution • The Convergence-Convergence Season 10: The Conjugal Conjecture • The Military Miniaturization • The Dependence Transcendence • The Cohabitation Experimentation • The Hot Tub Contamination • The Fetal Kick Catalyst • The Veracity Elasticity • The Brain Bowl Incubation • The Geology Elevation • The Property Division Collision • The Birthday Synchronicity • The Holiday Summation • The Romance Recalibration • The Emotion Detection Automation • The Locomotion Reverberation • The Allowance Evaporation • The Comic-Con Conundrum • The Escape Hatch Identification • The Collaboration Fluctuation • The Recollection Dissipation • The Separation Agitation • The Cognition Regeneration • The Gyroscopic Collapse • The Long Distance Dissonance Season 11: The Proposal Proposal • The Retraction Reaction • The Relaxation Integration • The Explosion Implosion • The Collaboration Contamination • The Proton Regeneration • The Geology Methodology • The Tesla Recoil • The Bitcoin Entanglement • The Confidence Erosion • The Celebration Reverberation • The Matrimonial Metric • The Solo Oscillation • The Separation Triangulation • The Novelization Correlation • The Neonatal Nomenclature • The Athenaeum Allocation • The Gates Excitation • The Tenant Disassociation • The Reclusive Potential • The Comet Polarization • The Monetary Insufficiency • The Sibling Realignment • The Bow Tie Asymmetry Season 12: The Conjugal Configuration • The Wedding Gift Wormhole • The Procreation Calculation • The Tam Turbulence • The Planetarium Collision • The Imitation Perturbation • The Grant Allocation Derivation • The Consummation Deviation • The Citation Negation • The VCR Illumination • The Paintball Scattering • The Propagation Proposition • The Confirmation Polarization • The Meteorite Manifestation • The Donation Oscillation • The D & D Vortex • The Conference Valuation • The Laureate Accumulation • The Inspiration Deprivation • The Decision Reverberation • The Plagiarism Schism • The Maternal Conclusion • The Change Constant • The Stockholm Syndrome Locations The Apartment Building • Apartment 4A • Apartment 4B • The Elevator • California Institute of Technology • Wolowitz House • The Comic Center of Pasadena • Pasadena • The Cheesecake Factory • Raj's Apartment • Amy's Apartment • Howard and Bernadette's Apartment • The Stairs • Sheldon's Old Office • Raj's Old Office • Sheldon's New Office • Howard's Lab • The University Cafeteria • Kripke's Plasma Lab • International Space Station • The Kinetics Lab Songs Transportations See Also Unaired Pilot