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Innovative storytelling techniques and immersive worldbuilding in today's popular series and films reflect the enduring legacy of a game that has captivated imaginations for decades. Created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson and first published by Tactical Studies Rules (Tsr) in January 1974, Dungeons & Dragons quickly gained popularity, selling about a thousand copies just in its first year and tripling that amount by the following year, instantly establishing itself as the pioneer of modern role-playing games. Yet, its first burst of massive popularity happened in the early 1980s, when it quickly became entangled with pop culture. Unfortunately, the catalytic Satanic Panic saw its paranoical rise during that same decade. The game's fantasy elements, like spells and monsters, gave rise to religious groups that falsely linked the game to real-life Satanism practices. This led Tsr to change the game, removing demons and other supernatural creatures and classes like The Assassin and Monk.

Netflix is moving forward with a live-action “Dungeons & Dragons” series titled “The Forgotten Realms.” The show is being developed by Shawn Levy, known for “Stranger Things” and the upcoming “Deadpool & Wolverine,” alongside writer-showrunner Drew Crevello and Hasbro Entertainment.

The series is set in the famous “Forgotten Realms” campaign setting, which has been a major part of the “Dungeons & Dragons” universe since its introduction in 1987. This fantasy world has been home to some of the game’s most well-known characters and stories, even serving as inspiration for the 2023 film “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.”

Crevello, who previously worked on “WeCrashed,” wrote the pilot and will act as showrunner. He is also executive producing alongside Levy and Dan Levine under Levy’s production company, 21 Laps. While neither Netflix nor Hasbro Entertainment have officially commented, sources confirm the project is now in development at the streamer.

The road to...

A new live-action Dungeons & Dragons series, “The Forgotten Realms“, is now in development at Netflix. Deadline reports that the upcoming series has some heavy hitters behind it.

Producer Shawn Levy is teaming with writer/showrunner Drew Crevello (The Grudge 2) and Hasbro Entertainment for “The Forgotten Realms”.

Plot details are scarce at this time, but the series “will take place in the iconic campaign setting and centerpiece of the Dungeons & Dragons universe, a fantasy world that is home to some of the brand’s most famous characters and launchpad for some of D&d’s most popular adventures.”

What’s more is that “The Forgotten Realms“ was initially announced two years ago under a different streamer. “The Forgotten Realms“ received a straight-to-series order in early 2023 with eOne co-producing alongside Paramount Pictures, the studio behind the charming Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. The series ultimately didn’t move forward...

The live-action “Dungeons & Dragons” TV series has found new life.

Variety has confirmed with sources that a new iteration of the project is currently in development at Netflix. There had previously been a “DnD” series set up at Paramount+ with a series order, but that project ultimately did not move forward due to strategic shifts at Paramount as well as the sale of co-studio eOne by Hasbro. Hasbro Entertainment is also producing the new project.

The series is currently titled “The Forgotten Realms,” named after the famous “DnD” campaign setting. Drew Crevello, who was previously attached as the showrunner of the Paramount+ project, will serve as writer, executive producer, and showrunner on the Netflix version. Shawn Levy will executive produce along with Dan Levine via 21 Laps under the company’s overall TV deal with Netflix.

Reps for Netflix declined to comment.

Crevello previoously co-created and served as co-showrunner...

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is about to roll another death-saving throw, as the popular fantasy movie is about to land on a new streaming home. Honor Among Thieves is based on the immensely popular tabletop role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons, created in 1974 by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. With the game having a surge in popularity in recent years, thanks to streamers like Critical Role and Dimension 20, Paramount Pictures attempted to capitalize on that success in 2023 with a movie adaptation. While the film fell short of initial box office predictions, here's hoping its new streaming home can reignite the potential for a sequel.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves will stream on Netflix from Feb. 26. The movie features an all-star cast, including Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Hugh Grant, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Regé-Jean Page, and a surprise cameo from Bradley Cooper. Honor Among Thieves tells an original story set within...

Modern role-playing games are nearly whimsical in their depictions of magical powers and playable fantasy races, but the origins of the genre are much darker than most folks realize. More often than not, the books and myths that inspired RPG developers like Gary Gygax veered into terrifying territory (just think of all the times that Conan faced down cosmic horrors), with some of these influences needing to be watered down so that the hobby could eventually be accepted in the mainstream.

These days, even adult-oriented RPG-adjacent productions like Prime Video’s Vox Machina series are still mostly playful in tone, but that’s not to say that no creator has ever dared to explore the darker side of their favorite hobby.

We’ve already covered dark fantasy flicks like Solomon Kane and The Beastmaster on previous editions of Horror Adjacent, but today I’d like to discuss something a little more meta.

The drow Drizzt Do'Urden is one of Dungeons & Dragons' most beloved characters ever, and the story behind his creation makes his popularity even better – and more unlikely. Originally created by R.A. Salvatore for the Icewind Dale trilogy, Drizzt first appeared in 1988. Since then, Drizzt has been in almost 40 books, graphic novels, RPGs – Drizzt was even supposed to be in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves before rights issues necessitated scrapping him from the script and replacing him with the character of Xenk. His enormous popularity belies his smaller beginnings, however.

Drizzt Do'Urden, with his array of powers and abilities, is one of the best-written and fleshed-out characters in the entire Dungeons & Dragons pantheon. His backstory and history are rich and detailed, and his adventures and relationships have filled thousands of pages. As much time has been spent on crafting Drizzt's arc as on any fictional character. Care that deliberate...

Dungeons & Dragons has to confront its drow problem so it can finally reward the adventuring parties loyal to The Legend of Drizzt books with an adaptation, which has been overdue since 1988. Dark elf Drizzt Do'Urden was introduced in 1988 in R.A. Salvatore's The Crystal Shard, the first book in The Icewind Dale Trilogy. Drizzt is the center of a lot of D&d gameplay and is also important to many who have never played a D&d game in their lives. Adapting Drizzt for the screen may be D&d's biggest commercial opportunity, but a drow controversy stands in its way.

Salvatore's books frequently appear on The New York Times bestseller lists and have sold upwards of 30,000,000 copies. The powerful drow ranger Drizzt Do'Urden is a dark fantasy institution in his own right beyond D&d, and a movie or TV adaptation may be the awareness spike that D...

Wizards of the Coast are now more heavily focusing on the world of Greyhawk for Dungeons & Dragons. This is actually the setting designed by D&d founder Gary Gygax. Originally played in his personal home games, Greyhawk was used in several editions of the official rules. But, for a long time the Forgotten Realms had overtaken Greyhawk in published works. But, there is a great place to jump into the world: The Temple of Elemental Evil adventure.

This module storyline has been a part of D&d across its 50-year history. It began with the 1979 adventure The Village of Hommlet and expanded outwards. Much like the current Dungeon Master’s Guide, during the 2000s the third edition rules focused on Greyhawk. Eventually, the game developer Troika Games decided to combine the older The Temple of Elemental Evil with this new ruleset, releasing a unique computer game in 2003. Both the pen...

The Dungeons & Dragons franchise has one of its best book series in The Legend of Drizzt, but it could have spent more time on the saga's key romance. The Legend of Drizzt is R.A. Salvatore's creative tour of the Forgotten Realms, as seen through the eyes of one Drizzt Do'Urden. Although invented by Gary Gygax, the drow were brought to life by Salvatore's 36-year-old series, which shows no signs of stopping. Launched in 1988 with The Crystal Shard, Salvatore's books focus on Drizzt and his companions. However, they could have focused more on one companion in particular.

Powerful drow ranger Drizzt Do'Urden traveled the Underdark, Icewind Dale, Gauntlgrym, and beyond in The Legend of Drizzt, but wouldn't have got far without help. From his complex relationship with his father to his first tentative alliance with Belwar Dissengulp, Drizzt proved the value of friendship, love, loyalty, and trust in over 40 books...

The Drizzt Do'Urden books have occupied a special place in the Dungeons & Dragons franchise since 1988 and one October 2024 release suggests how this could continue. The Legend of Drizzt is the name of the book series by R.A. Salvatore spanning over 40 novels, graphic novels, and short stories, telling the story of D&d's favorite Dark Elf. The drow, as a species, was invented by D&d creator Gary Gygax, but Salvatore popularized them as playable characters through his legendary books. As Salvatore proved in 2024, he is still full of surprising material.

Salvatore introduced Drizzt and his scimitars in 1988's The Crystal Shard, the first book Salvatore ever published for D&d or anyone else and the first book in The Icewind Dale Trilogy. The series was originally meant to focus on Wulfgar the barbarian, but Salvatore realized Drizzt's unique potential and made his next move a prequel series focusing on Drizzt.

Within a certain area of Baldur's Gate 3, players may stumble upon the kuo-toa, a strange group of fish folk in the middle of an even stranger ceremony. A cluster of the creatures are praising a bloody altar, upon which a powerful redcap will appear if players get close enough to trigger the cut scene. Depending on how players handle the interaction, they may end up fighting the whole group, or they could gain a powerful new ally.

It's an entirely optional encounter, and due to how strange the kuo-toa are, it's one that sticks out for those who find it. But what exactly are these creatures, and why do they have the powers they do? The kuo-toa are lifted directly from Dungeons & Dragons, and the existing lore surrounding the tabletop RPG can provide a bit more info on these fishy folk.

Who The Kuo-Toa Are In Baldur's Gate 3 The...

There are at least 10 drow that deserve a spot on a Legend of Drizzt TV show. Invented by Gary Gygax for Dungeons & Dragons, the drow are a race of elves with ebony skin and white hair. They have been around since 1977, however, they didn't become widely known until R.A. Salvatore published The Crystal Shard in 1988. This was the first book published in a series that would become known as The Legend of Drizzt, and it was the world's introduction to Salvatore's character, the dark elf Drizzt Do'Urden. He is probably the most famous fictional drow around.

Drizzt wasn't the main character in The Crystal Shard or its two follow-ups. However, Salvatore realized Drizzt's popularity and made his next trilogy a prequel series focused on Drizzt. The Crystal Shard was Salvatore's first book for Dungeons & Dragons and his first book in general, and it launched Salvatore's D&d writing career. Salvatore's...

Over the past six decades Lucca Comics and Games, which is held annually within the medieval ramparts of the Tuscan town of Lucca, has expanded exponentially to become the largest geek meet in Europe.

This year they are pulling out all the stops with a lineup that comprises the first global event teasing the second season of “Squid Game” with talents in tow, massive celebrations for the 50th anniversary of “Dungeons & Dragons,” and the 40th anniversary of “Tetris” with their respective creators on hand.

Lucca’s director Emanuele Vietina spoke to Variety about the event’s theme, which is “The Butterfly Effect,” and why naming a street after the creators of “Dungeons & Dragons” is part of the event’s DNA.

The theme of this year’s edition of Lucca Comics is “The Butterfly Effect.” What’s its significance?

It means many things to us. First of all, it...

Although it may not have performed well at the box office when it was released in 2023, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves has captured the No. 9 spot on Netflixs Top 10 for the week of Sept. 30 to Oct. 6. Per Screen Rant, the movie, which isnt even available on Netflix in the U.S. broke through the Top 10 list of English-language movies with 3.2 million viewers and 7.2 million viewing hours. The film achieved the No. 1 spot in Croatia and Serbia on local charts.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves stars Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Reg-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, and Hugh Grant, and is set in the fantasy world of the legendary Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.

Related Hugh Grant Says His Eerie Killer Role in Heretic Is Inspired by Real People

The actor based Mr. Reed on people he's encountered in the real world.

The film grossed $208.1 million and had a budget of $150 million.

John Hamm might have just received two Emmy nominations for his work on The Morning Show, and Fargo, but the 53-year-old actor is turning to the world of podcasting for his next venture. Hamm first became a star in the eyes of many thanks to his portrayal of Don Draper on the AMC series Mad Men, which led to him having a successful career in both film and TV, with one of his latest appearances being in the blockbuster hit Top Gun: Maverick. Now, Hamm is venturing into the fantasy genre, so to speak, with his next project focusing on the massively popular Ttrpg, Dungeons & Dragons.

Per Deadline, Hamm will executive produce and star in Dungeon Masters, a scripted, true-crime podcast series that will explore the world of Dungeons & Dragons through the lens of a private investigator in 1979. Also starring Star Trek alum Wil Wheaton as Dungeons & Dragons creator Gary Gygax,...

Exclusive: Jon Hamm, fresh off his two Emmy nominations, has been set to star in and exec-produce scripted podcast series Dungeon Masters, which heralds from QCode and Smile and Twilight producer Temple Hill.

Created, written and directed by journalist and author David Kushner, the series is based on his research and writing about hit game Dungeons & Dragons, inspired by the real-life missing person case which inadvertently made the game (in)famous.

Set in 1979, the series gives listeners a behind-the-curtain look into the world of Dungeons & Dragons, told through the lenses of private investigator William Dear (Hamm), a swashbuckling style tough guy and creator of the game Gary Gygax (Wil Wheaton). The series follows Dear on his quest to find Dallas Egbert, a Michigan State student, who supposedly disappeared in the steam tunnels under his University while enacting a real-life version of D&d.

Multiple QCode podcasts have been...

New Player's Handbook release in September, lucky few can get early copy at Gen Con 2024. Major update after using 2014 edition for a decade, significant changes expected. Dungeons & Dragons, popular tabletop game since 1974, continues to evolve with new editions.

The new Player's Handbook is set for release in September, but Dungeons & Dragons has just revealed a way for a lucky minority to get the book way ahead of time. After ten years of using the 2014 Player's Handbook, the new edition is a significant shake-up for the popular tabletop role-playing game.

The first 3,000 copies of the new Player's Handbook will be made available at Gen Con 2024, featuring a commemorative Gen Con 2024 bookplate and a 50th anniversary logo in gold foil.

Dungeons and Dragons

Dungeons and Dragons is a popular tabletop game originally invented in 1974 byErnest Gary Gygax and David Arneson.The fantasy role-playing game brings together players for a campaign with various components,...

Quests from the Infinite Staircase offers six adventures for levels 1-13, with flexibility for insertion into other campaigns. The anthology includes classic adventures from various sources, offering diverse experiences from dungeon crawls to roleplay-focused scenarios. Standout adventures like When a Star Falls showcase timeless strengths in their updated iterations.

The new Dungeons & Dragons anthology Quests from the Infinite Staircase presents a greatest hits reel of updated classic adventures, but some of them are more likely to prove truly memorable in a campaign than others. Following in the tradition of books like Tales from the Yawning Portal and Ghosts of Saltmarsh, Quests from the Infinite Staircase arranges six adventures that can carry a party from level 1 to 13 when played in sequence. They can also be inserted into other campaigns or played standalone, giving the compilation more flexibility than standard campaign books.

Quests from the Infinite Staircase's adventures pull from a variety of sources,...

Quick Links An Impressive Look At D&d's History The Early Drafts Of Dungeons & Dragons Artwork, Correspondences, & Character Sheets

It's been 50 years since Dungeons & Dragons changed the tabletop gaming landscape, and to celebrate, Wizards of the Coast has released The Making Of Original Dungeons & Dragons 1970-1977. The new book is a comprehensive and extensive look at the earliest era of D&d, often shown from the perspectives of its co-creators Dave Arneson and Gary Gygax through reprinted drafts, letters, and drawings.

The Making Of Original D&d is a massive book. Compared to the rulebooks and campaigns D&d releases, it's nearly triple the size. Compared to other behind-the-scenes books, like Arts & Arcana: A Visual History, it's still noticeably thicker. In fact, for nearly 600 pages, fans are invited to get a close-up look at the creation of the most popular fantasy roleplaying game of all time. With creation and commentary...

The Dungeons & Dragons live-action series at Paramount+ has been canceled, undergoing a creative overhaul. The series was expected to tie in with the 2023 live-action movie - plot details were kept under wraps. Chris Pine is optimistic about a sequel to Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves, despite no official greenlight.

The long-teased Dungeons & Dragons live-action series will not be moving ahead at Paramount+. The franchise, created in 1974 by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, has seen a drastic surge in popularity over the last decade, thanks in large part to online streamers like Critical Role and the immensely successful live-action movie Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves. Before the film hit theaters in March 2023, Paramount+ ordered 8 episodes of the new show.

However, Paramount+ have canceled their order and will not be hosting the new series (via Deadline). That's not to say the show has been canceled entirely. The project...

The Making Of Original D&d is a comprehensive look at the earliest days of Dungeons & Dragons, including never-before-seen documents and concept art. The book showcases early character sheets, rules, spells, and personality traits from the 1970s era of D&d, offering insight into the game's evolution. This thick and detailed book is a must-have for Dungeons & Dragons fans, providing a deep dive into the history of the beloved tabletop RPG for its 50th anniversary.

Of all the Dungeons & Dragons books releasing this year, The Making Of Original Dungeons & Dragons 1970-1977 may be the most unique. To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the series, Wizards of the Coast is releasing this collection of the earliest DnD materials from Gary Gygax and others from the earliest days of the now-beloved tabletop RPG. At a press-only event, Screen Rant was given an early glimpse at the upcoming book.

The Making...

Vecna: Eve of Ruin pays homage to DnD's history by adapting a classic dungeon. Tomb of Horrors is an iconic DnD dungeon, but it doesn't hold up to modern design philosophy. The Tomb of Wayward Souls in Eve of Ruin is a much better reimagining of the dungeon, keeping its high difficulty but introducing more interesting elements.

The epic Dungeons & Dragons module Vecna: Eve of Ruin is a tribute to 50 years of tabletop RPG history, but it also highlights how much adventure design has improved, especially with its homage to the infamous Tomb of Horrors. As DnD evolved from its wargaming roots in Chainmail, the focus on individual heroes undertaking fantastic quests emerged. Dungeon exploration was the primary mode of play, hence the games name. Multimedia adaptations like the movie Honor Among Thieves, the long-running Legacy of Drizzt novel series, and even works like Critical Role, showcase modern DnDs emphasis on storytelling and roleplaying.

Over the course of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End , Frieren learns a lot of lessons. One she never learns, though, is how to spot a Mimic. Her head-first dives into danger live on as a new set of accessories, now available for pre-order online. The goods , made by Akros Ltd., include a vanity pouch and a pass case, each styled to resemble Gary Gygax's infamous fantasy monster: Related: Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Anime Exhibition Announced for April 2024 The pouch is large enough to hold your daily carry or your overnight toiletries. The pass case is made of synthetic leather and will hold multiple cards and passes. Both have visible teeth peeking out, and each comes with an acrylic keychain of Frieren to chomp on. Related: Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Anime Inspires Magical Escape Room Experience Both items are now available for pre-order from the Akros website , as well as other spots around the web.

When a Dungeons & Dragons adventure clicks, it’s a truly magical thing. This year, as long-time players and newcomers to the hobby are coming together in celebration of the 50th anniversary of rolling dice and sharing stories, it’s a great time to look back at all the adventures we’ve shared over the game’s decades-long history.

While everyone has their favorites, and game masters often write their own adventures or change the contents of published ones to fit the players at their table, there are a few undisputed classics from D&d‘s history that everyone should know. Below are seven of the most memorable Dungeons & Dragons adventures ever made that are still worth revisiting today…

Tomb of Horrors (1978)

Tomb of Horrors, written by Gary Gygax (one of the creators of Dungeons and Dragons), is one of those iconic Dungeons & Dragons adventures that was originally used...

Gary Gygax drew inspiration from EC Comics, shaping the dark and ghoulish world of Dungeons & Dragons. D&d's iconic elements like opportunity attacks define modern gameplay, influenced by famous authors and comic creators. The legacy of D&d extends beyond the game, inspiring a plethora of comics and RPGs that continue to captivate fans.

Dungeons & Dragons started a revolution when the first edition was released in 1974, inventing a new world that an untold number of fans have participated in for five decades since. Gary Gygax has never been shy about the fantasy influences behind the franchise's original creation, but fewer know the comic books that inspired much of D&d’s world.

1979’s D&d Dungeon Master’s Guide contains the now-legendary Appendix N, a list of works that inspired co-creator Gary Gygax in the creation of Dungeons & Dragons. Authors like J.R.R. Tolkein, Robert E. Howard...

Get a taste of D&d history with a free download of a classic adventure penned by the co-creator himself, Gary Gygax. Dive into a dungeon crawl in the Descent into the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, complete with updated monsters, magical items, and pre-made character sheets. Celebrate D&d's 50th Anniversary with this one-session adventure, showcasing the game's evolution from s niche hobby to mainstream success.

Dungeons & Dragons fans looking to play through a piece of history or just embark upon a classic quest are in luck as a version of one of Gary Gygax's original adventures is now available for free. While Wizards of the Coast does encourage role-players to create their own fantasy worlds, the company also releases plenty of pre-written tales to flesh out its fantasy world and serve as prompts for those who may not wish to create entire worlds. Fortunately, those who may be...

New core rulebooks will aim to enhance player experience without a complete overhaul. Exciting new D&d adventures, like Vecna: Eve of Ruin, offer diverse settings and challenges. D&d celebrates its 50th anniversary with upcoming books, including an archival resource and early access plans for local stores.

Dungeons & Dragons is an ever-changing, ever-growing game, and this ability to reinvent itself is part of why it's able to celebrate a 50th anniversary this year with an audience that's bigger than ever. It's also taking the opportunity to shake things up once more with a cavalcade of new books, including several core rulebooks that freshen up the ideas governing DnD's fifth edition for the past decade. Publisher Wizards of the Coast dropped the One D&d branding originally intended for the new products about a year ago, but it doesn't seem like it's reneged on any of its ambition.

Of course,...

Chris Pine believes that a sequel to Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is very likely, following the positive reception of the first film. The film grossed $208 million at the global box office, capturing the attention of fans and generating high interest in a sequel. The potential sequel would bring together the main heroes for a new epic adventure, focusing on the bond and chemistry between the characters. Additionally, a live-action series based on the game is in development.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves star Chris Pine has some good news for the fans. The actor believes that a sequel to the film released earlier this year is very likely.

Created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, Dungeons & Dragons marked a before and after in the history of pop culture, becoming the first commercialized role-playing game. The universe of the game has been brought to the...

Because "Futurama" is set 1,000 years in the future, show creators David X. Cohen and Matt Groening had to invent a sci-fi conceit that would provide an organic reason to include celebrity cameos. Thanks to a special fluid, human heads can be kept alive in jars more or less indefinitely. In the very first episode, the head of Dick Clark hosted a televised New Year's Eve special to ring in the year 3000. Clark played himself. Since then, multiple other celebrities have played their own severed heads, including the Beastie Boys, the cast of "Star Trek," Al Gore, Conan O'Brien, Beck, Lucy Liu, Penn Jillette, and most recently, Bill Nye. 

Of course, Cohen and Groening were more creative than merely storing severed heads in jars, and multiple other notable actors have continued to appear on "Futurama" as robots, aliens, space deities, and other sci-fi creatures. John Goodman, for instance, played the homicidal...

Slimes have become a staple in anime, appearing in various genres and serving different purposes, from weak opponents to lovable characters. The design of slimes, with their cute and round appearance, makes them marketable and appealing to anime fans. Slimes have evolved beyond their origins in Dragon Quest and have been featured prominently in recent anime, offering unique and creative takes on the concept, including using slimes as workers and exploring adult-themed variations.

Slimes pervade and appear in just about every anime genre, with viewers accepting them as an easily understood convention. They can be weak or strong, stupid or intelligent, highly capable or function solely as low-level fodder to train newbie adventurers. Since the early 1990s, slimes have progressed from being a rarely used theme in anime to one that has become a staple.

Amazingly, one of anime's most defining and enduring tropes first appeared in a 2D video...

Unearthed Arcana playtests introduce changes to the counterspell in DnD. These alterations focus on the interruption aspect of counterspell, aligning gameplay mechanics with the logic of spellcasting. The changes aim to make counterspell less frustrating for players but may disappoint magic users who relied on it.

Counterspell is a huge shutdown technique in Dungeons & Dragons, but changes in the latest Unearthed Arcana playtest tweak it in a way that makes it less frustrating to deal with. Taking its name from a 1985 rules expansion book by Gary Gygax, Unearthed Arcana provides a way for DnD publisher Wizards of the Coast to make changes to the game and let the community test them out without committing to overhauls in an official book. The current Unearthed Arcana playtests are leading up to the 2024 release of One DnD, which will officially implement any overhauls to DnD 5e that are deemed successful.

Most of...

The Forgotten Realms campaign offers a wealth of diverse adventuring parties that would make great movie adaptations, such as "The Cleric Quintet" and the Order of the Burning Dawn. The Heroes of Waterdeep and Moon Daggers stand out as exciting and underdog adventuring parties that would capture an audience's attention. Force Grey and the Men of the Basilisk provide unique perspectives on adventuring parties, combining fantasy with crime and dark dealings. The Nine Swords Company and Ladies of Renown offer intriguing stories that explore tradition, history, and themes rarely seen in fantasy. Drizzt Do'Urden's party and the Heroes of Baldur's Gate already have a dedicated fanbase, making them strong contenders for D&d adaptations.

After the release of Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, there's no doubt that the iconic roleplay game can be just as entertaining on the big screen as it is on a tabletop, however the question remains,...

Gone are the days when Dungeons and Dragons was a game regularly associated with dorks, a tabletop amusement created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson in the 70s where everyone could be their hero or villain and live out their fantasies. The Paramount production, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, is the latest attempt at converting one such quest into live-action, even though previous adaptations have yet to attract the audience as magically as the millions of Dungeons and Dragons players worldwide.

From Paramount and eOne, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves has been playing in theaters for over a month now, and it’s coming home this week.

Honor Among Thieves will be available on PVOD ($19.99) beginning tomorrow, May 2.

“A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves brings the rich world and playful spirit of the legendary roleplaying game to the big screen in a hilarious and action-packed adventure.”

Meagan writes in her review for Bd, “Directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein pack in elaborate set pieces in an epic-sized fantasy adventure, assembling a Rogues’ gallery of stars to deliver a charming and amusing introduction to the lore.”

Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, co-directors of 2018’s hilarious comedy Game Night and writers of Spider-Man: Homecoming,...

Back in early December 2022, Sean McCoy, one of the game developers from Tuesday Knight Games, who made the sci-fi horror Ttrpg Mothership, created a design challenge for himself and encouraged aficionados of RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons to take it up as well. This Dungeon23 challenge, where participants create a simple dungeon map for DnD style TTRPGs every day until the end 2023, has led to an outpouring of dungeon concepts posted on social media sites like Twitter, design spaces like SubStack, and game sale sites like Itch.io. Many of these dungeon rooms are free for Game Masters to use in their next session. Furthermore, Dungeon Masters who study these dungeon maps can learn a lot about Ttrpg campaign designs.

The concept of dungeon-crawling - i.e., a group of fantasy adventures delving into ruins in search of treasure and secrets - is as old as role-playing games themselves. Dungeons & Dragons...

This article contains spoilers for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves potentially killed off one of the eponymous Ttrpg's most famous heroes in a surprising twist. Based on the Wizards of the Coast role-playing game, originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, Honor Among Thieves has proved itself a more than worthy adaptation, and an incredibly fun blockbuster in its own right. Much of this positive reaction is down to the killer ensemble cast, led by Star Trek's Chris Pine, and the gorgeous effects work that brings the game's numerous fantastical creatures to life.

Honor Among Thieves has received a positive reception from both die-hard fans of the game and general audiences alike, even if some players took issue with the film's depiction of Doric's transformation into an owlbear. While the film has plenty to offer newcomers to Dungeons & Dragons, Honor Among Thieves...

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor among Thieves is at last here, and as led by Chris Pine with a song in his heart, and a lute in his hands, the film acts as a massive introduction to the Forgotten Realms of early D&d lore for a wider audience. That’s right, the game that was once accused of promoting evil is going mainstream with a feel-good comedy! Which is definitely one valid approach to the material.

Indeed, over the many, many years that Dungeons & Dragons has existed, a vast array of worlds (known to tabletop gamers as “campaign settings”) have presented players with a variety of universes, settings, storytelling techniques, and arguably even “genres.” They can be funny, scary, and often always thrilling. They also represent a rich tapestry from which filmmakers at Paramount Pictures can draw.

While the term “shared universe” hasn’t been explicitly thrown around since...

In the final episode of the seminal high school TV comedy-drama Freaks And Geeks, titled ‘Discos and Dragons’, teenage nerd Sam Weir (played by John Francis Daley) is fed up. “I'm sick of being called a geek,” he complains to his friends. “I mean, what's so geeky about us, anyways? We're just guys.” Then, with perfect comic timing, his equally nerdy friend Harris (Stephen Lea Sheppard) approaches him in the school corridor and announces: “Gentlemen. Good news! New Dungeons & Dragons handbook. ‘Deities And Demigods’. We’re gonna have a fun Friday night!”

Criminally cancelled in 2000 after just one season, Freaks And Geeks was at the time perhaps the most accurate on-screen depiction of the fantasy tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. For a long time, D&d — with its high fantasy tropes, its fair maidens, its complex magic, its many-sided dice and its opaque, labyrinthine rules — seemed solely the domain of geeks.

Back in the 1970s, when Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson were figuring out the gameplay for Dungeons & Dragons, they added several rules for how a player's characters could hire underlings and recruit followers as they leveled up. As DnD was updated to new editions and drew farther away from its tabletop war-gaming roots, the game mechanics for hirelings and recruitment receded to the background, and adventuring parties ceased to enlist them as a matter of course. There are, however, still ways that players of DnD 5th Edition can recruit followers in their games and make them a fun part of the overall role-playing experiences, without being too mechanically awkward.

Few of the exploration and combat gameplay mechanics in first edition Dungeons & Dragons came out of thin air. The notion of moving warrior figurines around a map and rolling dice to determine their effectiveness in battle was common in...

Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley's upcoming fantasy film "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves," due in theaters on March 31, will be the fourth live-action film to be based on the celebrated role-playing game first published by Gary Gygax and Dave Arenson in 1974. The game version of "Dungeons & Dragons" has had a colorful and fraught history, offering a popular activity that both nerds and metalheads could enjoy, while also often attracting the ire of right-wing censorship groups who felt its themes of magic and pretend were somehow damaging the minds of the nation's youth.

It remains popular to this day, periodically appearing in popular media. It was featured in an episode of the short-lived but beloved 1999 TV series "Freaks and Geeks" which, maybe not incidentally, starred co-director Daley when he was 14. More recently, the characters on "Stranger Things" played a "Dungeons & Dragons" campaign, ostensibly bringing the game...

Regé-Jean Page, Michelle Rodriguez, Chris Pine, Sophia Lillis, Justice Smith in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Photo: Paramount Pictures and eOne At some point in my youth I heard the old cliché that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” For me—and probably for a great many...

From Paramount and eOne, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves comes to theaters on March 31, 2023, and the film’s Final Trailer has been unleashed today.

This trailer spotlights the rave reviews the film has received thus far, with Bloody Disgusting’s own Meagan Navarro agreeing that the new D&d movie is indeed a fun ride.

Meagan writes in her review for Bd, “Directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein pack in elaborate set pieces in an epic-sized fantasy adventure, assembling a Rogues’ gallery of stars to deliver a charming and amusing introduction to the lore.”

Watch the Honor Among Thieves final trailer below.

“A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves brings the rich world and playful spirit of the legendary...

The Dungeons & Dragons universe spans vast underground realms, impossible outer planes, and kingdoms as beautiful or corrupt as you can imagine. It’s fertile ground for our imaginations, where player characters can overcome almost any plot or puzzle your dungeon master can throw at you.

But along the way, there are many dangers to face. Some are almost indescribably terrible hordes of monsters led by something insensate and terrible. Other times, your campaign leaves you face-to-face with a legendary villain that looms over your adventure and, more often than not, shapes its ending.

There are thousands of beasts and baddies for a dungeon master to pick from when setting up a campaign, but we’re going to introduce you to fifteen of the biggest, baddest, and coolest dangers you’ll ever have the misfortune of meeting during your D&d campaign. No dice necessary; just bring your imagination along for the ride.

From Paramount and eOne, the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves comes to theaters on March 31, 2023, and a brand new trailer has arrived today.

This latest international trailer for the new Dungeons & Dragons movie goes heavy on the monster-sized action, while also highlighting a humorous encounter with a skeletal corpse.

“A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves brings the rich world and playful spirit of the legendary roleplaying game to the big screen in a hilarious and action-packed adventure.”

Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, co-directors of 2018’s hilarious comedy Game Night and writers of Spider-Man: Homecoming, directed the live action movie.

Chris Pine leads the cast alongside Michelle Rodriguez (Resident Evil), Justice Smith (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), and Sophia Lillis (It,...

Before Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, the tabletop roleplaying system has inspired countless player-made adaptations, which the movie will inevitably be held up against. By design, D&d is one of the most prolific methods of collective storytelling. From the first adventurers who journeyed based on Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson's initial system, to the maximum security prisoners of the Sterling Correctional Facility using D&d as a form of therapy (via Vice), Dungeons & Dragons has always been a prominent cultural mover - except when it comes to movies. While Stranger Things' D&d-inspired plot have turned Dungeons & Dragons mainstream, the official movies leave a lot to be desired.

All of this underscore several huge problems that await the Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves cast. Prior to this iteration, all previous attempts at making official D&d movies have been largely considered to be failures, and...

From Paramount and eOne, the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves comes to theaters on March 31, 2023, and a brand new featurette has arrived today.

This one is titled “Meet the Creatures,” and it’s the coolest preview of the film we’ve seen to date. Why? Because it’s loaded with strange Dungeons & Dragons monsters!

Which of them will you be seeing on screen next month? Find out below…

“A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves brings the rich world and playful spirit of the legendary roleplaying game to the big screen in a hilarious and action-packed adventure.”

Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, co-directors of 2018’s hilarious comedy Game Night and writers of Spider-Man: Homecoming, directed the live action movie.

Back when "The Simpsons" was still good, celebrated theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking guest starred as himself in the season 10 episode, "They Saved Lisa's Brain." That 1999 appearance was the first of three guest roles on the show, and demonstrated what showrunner Al Jean described to The Hollywood Reporter as the late cosmologist's "tremendous sense of humor."

And while the appearance showed that Hawking didn't take himself too seriously, the writers on the show certainly did. Jean went on to explain how the esteemed physicist "was certainly a hero to all of us," and how the writers admired the work he'd done to "popularize science for people who may not have been interested in it," especially since they themselves had tried to do the same with their show.

And of all the writers in the history of "The Simpsons," none represented that passion for math and science more than David X. Cohen.

From Paramount and eOne, the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves comes to theaters on March 31, 2023, and the film will have its own Super Bowl spot.

But why wait? You can watch this Sunday’s Big Game spot below!

“A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves brings the rich world and playful spirit of the legendary roleplaying game to the big screen in a hilarious and action-packed adventure.”

Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, co-directors of 2018’s hilarious comedy Game Night and writers of Spider-Man: Homecoming, directed the live action movie.

Chris Pine leads the cast alongside Michelle Rodriguez (Resident Evil), Justice Smith (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), and Sophia Lillis (It, It Chapter Two, Gretel & Hansel).

Additionally, Hugh Grant...

At the height of the controversy over Wizards of the Coast's planned changes to the Dungeons & Dragons Open Gaming License, the game studio Paizo, publishers of the DnD-inspired tabletop RPG Pathfinder, announced their plans to create a new Open RPG Creative License that would retain the third party developer-friendly features Wizards of the Coast planned to drop. After a massive fan backlash, Wizards of the Coast publicly recommitted itself to the terms of the original DnD gaming license; even so, Paizo and other Ttrpg developers are still committed to their Open RPG Creative License - similar to the DnD Ogl, but also subtly different.

The original Open Gaming License, first released for Dungeons & Dragons third edition at the turn of the century, was an attempt by Wizards of the Coast to promote its major Dungeons & Dragons franchise (acquired from the defunct Tsr company founded by Gary Gygax) and make DnD more accessible.