I'm sure it is little surprise to those of you out there who have read my work for a long time to know that I am a massive fan of the roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons. I have been playing for years with my friends and been following many of the most popular livestream games out there, like Critical Role and Dimension 20. I don't think it is much of an exaggeration to describe ourselves as living in a renaissance for the roleplaying genre and to acknowledge the sheer ubiquity in popular culture as of late, especially in terms of television and movies.
Dungeons & Dragons presence within the television and film spheres in the last few years was largely limited to The Legend of Vox Machina (which we have already discussed in previous articles) and with the abysmal Dungeons and Dragons movie from the early 2000s (a film that has rightfully earned a bad cult classic reputation). Beyond that, we've had small independent films like The Gamers trilogy, which was one of the first pieces of media that really got me involved in the community (thanks Dorkness Rising). And of course, we've had the occasional reference to the hobby in various pieces of media like Stranger Things or My Little Pony, though these references tend to focus on the fans of the hobby rather than the worlds of Dungeons & Dragons specifically.
Thus when I heard that Hasbro was working with Paramount to release a big-budget Dungeons & Dragons movie, I must admit that I was immensely excited at the prospect. Hoping for a humorous and well-written exploration of the Dungeons & Dragons, I eagerly anticipated the release of Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
And then, the fucking Open Gaming Lisence debacle happened and I was stuck having to morally boycott the film until Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast got the idea that they could steal from their fanbase and microtransaction an improv game that I play with my friends on the weekend, when it is stupidly easy to make your own game system, was a terrible business decision. The loss of millions of dollars of revenue from boycotts, cancelled subscriptions to DnDBeyond and the irrevocable damage to relationships with previously well-regarded content creators; as well as the genuine threat of losing millions on a film that would otherwise have been a guaranteed hit finally made them back down, thankfully.
And thus, I was able to go with my sister and watch Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves safe in the knowledge that my cinematic hobby wouldn't financially contribute to the downfall of my roleplaying hobby. But was the film even worth the millions Hasbro risked in their series of poor business decisions?
