Dungeons And Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Will Be For Both Players And Non-Players
"Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" is an upcoming live-action film based upon the titular tabletop role-playing game. You may never have played it yourself but you probably know someone who has. At the very least, you know what it is, right? Right? Hmm, okay, picture this. A group of players bands together to actively experience a narrative as shared by a central storyteller, the Dungeon Master. The Dungeon Master's narrative, however, is only the springboard for whatever that experience will become because the players get to choose how they interact with every single element. The success rate of any interaction comes down to chance, the roll of the dice. It's at once beautifully loose and explicitly structured.
It's also a lot to take in, especially for someone either unfamiliar with the rules or for someone who simply doesn't have the mental energy available that is required to properly engage with this kind of entertainment. The social stigma barrier to entry might be waning, but the personal investment is still undeniably steep, even for a one-shot. Don't worry, though, the upcoming film doesn't expect you to have that kind of dedication to its source craft. In fact, "Honor Among Thieves" was specifically designed to cut through the expositional noise in a way that would allow new fans to enjoy the story, too.
Here's the story as shared by Chris Pine, one of the film's many stars, and Jonathan Goldstein, one of the film's directors.
Striking a tricky balance
During an interview with Empire, Chris Pine shared why he considers "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" to be the successful adaptation fans have been waiting for. To his mind, the project found its feet by collaborating with Wizards of the Coast, the company behind the famous tabletop role-playing game, and by allowing the directors, Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, to frame everything within their artistic viewpoint. Pine said:
"I think we benefitted from having Wizards of the Coast involved, so we could make something that was in line with the world, but you also need to have artists with a perspective to bring it to life, and I credit John and Jonathan with having a viewpoint. They can own it and either cry victory or fall on their sword, so to speak. But it's not diluted, and I feel quite proud of that. I think we made a film that both players and non-players will like."
Further expanding upon what Pine meant, Goldstein broke down how he and Daley brought elements of the table top RPG to the big screen, stating that he used his own mother as the baseline for what could and couldn't be expressed. Goldstein said that:
"We created each sequence in a way that, if you know nothing about D&D, you're still gonna enjoy it, because it's not specific to your knowledge of the game. I would always go back to, 'Would my mom understand this?'"
There you have it. Goldstein and Daley worked with Wizards of the Coast to honor the source material but they also fashioned a film with the express intent of shepherding new fans into the fold. If you're not careful, it'll be you out shopping for dice, soon.