Imagine: beyond the craggy peaks, a winding path turns towards a castle. The chains of the drawbridge grate in the wind while from the top of the walls, gargoyles follow you inexorably with their gaze. Wondering what’s going on? Welcome to the world of role-playing games. “Dungeons and Dragons” is the story of a board game that rocked generations of geeks barely out of puberty. When we think of role-playing, it is indeed difficult to forget the stereotypical image of the shy young boy at the back of the class. And yet, elves, mages and trolls are gradually coming out of the cupboards to nerds to now invest cinema screens in an international blockbuster.
Created in 1974 by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, the first edition of “Dungeons and Dragons”, (published by Tactical Studies Rules), is revolutionary. It is inspired by old war and strategy games like war game game of pawns on table, practiced by the Prussian soldiers to simulate fights.
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Gygax invents the first commercial role-playing game using the imagination. They are also, with Arneson, the first to formalize it and to give it precise and detailed rules. Thanks to a box containing three booklets, players invent quests, cursed or forgotten kingdoms and evolve in a setting heroic fantasy, inspired as much by Fritz Leiber or Robert E. Howard as by ancient and medieval myths (“Arthur”, “Beowulf”, Norse mythology). As a reminder, theheroic fantasy (medieval fantasy in French), designates a story where the hero, human in appearance and physically very strong, uses his skills in the service of a quest. He tries to survive in a world located in a distant even mythical time, confronted with magical creature objects.
At first glance, it is impossible not to think of the immense work of J. R. R. Tolkien “The Lord of the Rings”. Driven by a booming fantasy literature, “Dungeons and Dragons” appeared everywhere during the 1980-1990 decade: classrooms, forums or living rooms, there is something for everyone. Constantly reprinted, the game is supplemented by supplements, further accentuating the expectations and the weight of the license.
Simple, you say?
“Dungeons and Dragons” is also and above all a vast mythology and an extremely complex game system for any neophyte. Once again, the cliché of players staying twenty-four hours in a row around a table with a hard tooth… and perhaps rightly so. Here are the rules: each player creates an adventurer who is part of a group, responsible for exploring an abandoned dungeon, a ruined city, etc. These characters can travel through dimensions where gods, thieves, humanoid or totally fictional creatures rub shoulders. The stories, structured, allow to establish the consequences of each action of the player when he uses his dice.
Around the table, adventurers can talk to each other, solve puzzles or fight fantastic creatures. All of this is done under the watchful eye of the Dungeon Master who directs the scenario and acts as a referee. The latter decides the results and can improvise, making the game almost infinite. When a quest is finished, another can begin, many players thus continue their campaign (succession of quests) over several months or even years. As they progress, they gain experience and can improve their character, making their adventure easier and more thrilling.
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In the virtual age, success is always there
Faced with the triumph of “Dungeons and Dragons”, many criticisms emerged, starting in the 1980s. The game was accused of accustoming youth to sexualized female characters, murder, violence and even satanic rituals. Arguments that are reminiscent of the arrival of video games in our living rooms, for some also strongly inspired by “Dungeons and Dragons”. The role-playing game could even boast of the authorship of MMORPG games (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) like “League of Legends” or “Dofus”, become worldwide epidemic phenomena.
Almost 50 years later, there’s no denying it: “D&D”, as fans call it, is still alive and kicking. This boom in licensing and its access to new markets can be explained by a booming board game sector, especially after the Covid crisis. Last year, the French board game market reached 360 million euros in turnover and some 30 million game boxes were sold. One board game elapsed per second!
A fourth opus… to forget the other three?
Riding the wave of success, the “Dungeons and Dragons” license has taken on the cinema. Between 2000 and 2012, no less than three film adaptations were made. Opening the ball, the “Dungeons and Dragons » by Courtney Solomon was very badly received, in particular because of its catastrophic realization and interpretation. “Empire” even integrated it into its list of 50 worst movies of all time. In turn, the following sections worn by Gerry Lively in 2005 and 2012 failed to raise the bar. Since this outcry, the franchise continues to invade homes, occupying a prominent place in popular culture. On several occasions, “Dungeons and Dragons” is mentioned in other works such as “E.T. the extraterrestrial” or the series “The Big Bang Theory”, “Stranger Things” and “Riverdale”. These covers have fueled a certain resurgence in popularity.
For its part, Hasbro, owner of “Dungeons and Dragons” since 1999, created a surprise by announcing the release of a reboot of the saga. Paramount is therefore taking over the role-playing game for a big-budget action film adaptation with an insane cast (Hugh Grant, Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, and the star of the “Bridgerton” series Regé-Jean Page). In theaters this Wednesday in France, the film is however already available abroad. He also earned $ 38.5 million for his first weekend, a very good performance. The feature film even stole first place in the North American box office from a certain “John Wick”.
