Podcast cohost Lauren 11/9/2023

Up until the past couple years, I had never participated in an official DnD module. My only knowledge of the game had been the PHB and whatever favorite monsters various DM were including in their homebrews. When free-to-play mmorpg Neverwinter came to Playstation, I finally was introduced to the Forgotten Realms, and I even read R. A. Salvatore’s Drizzt series of novels. Why, since I have been a player since my freshman year of highschool, did it take me until virtual table tops became available to learn about the most classic settings in DnD lore? After shelling out $30 for the 3.5 edition player’s handbook, none of my peers could afford the supplemental materials! This lead to a small amount of confusion on my part joining games in college with friends who had spent less time at the table but were familiar with all the gods of Eberron. The power of the internet! Dungeons and Dragons Online had featured Eberron content and there was a group Roll 20 compendium subscription. Yet purchasing a published adventure was still a step farther than any of us was willing to go.

In March of this year, Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was released in theaters. Izzy and I recently sat down to watch it, and I had a frequent question on my mind for our reviews: who is this for? Viewers who are already familiar with DnD rules, settings, and referenced media. That’s the answer. As a guild member in DnD’s current mmo Neverwinter, set in the Forgotten Realms same as the film which’s principle location is the city of Neverwinter and adventuring hub of the game, I knew Lord Neverember’s name and had fought the Thayan Red Wizards in the Dread Ring. Main character of the film Edgin Darvis, is a former Harper who ran afoul of the Red Wizards he thwarted as an agent of justice, but it turns out they found his home because his fatal flaw was discontent with his material means and treasure he pocketed whilst raiding the Red Wizards was marked. I think this is a fabulous background for a player character and explains why someone existing in this fantasy world and already having a class and story would be knocked back to the beginning of their journey. However, I also think the film takes no time to educate viewers on the history of the Harpers and how in at least the Neverwinter MMO they are on the frontlines of fighting all the cultists of Faerun. Most of the charm watching the movie for me came from all the moments where I thought, “Ah, they flubbed a roll.” If the player rolls well, their character can be allowed by the DM to perform astounding feats, but if they roll poorly on ability their character should be an expert in, the DM might rule that sessions worth of party orchestrating has been dashed and the players must come up with a new tactic. Back to the drawing board! While this provided comedy gold for me, I’m not sure if an audience unfamiliar with side quests and magic items with cooldown timers might become frustrated waiting for the plot to resolve. Overall, I believe there were some missed opportunities to pitch further investment to a plausibly unaware moviegoer.

Q: While being introduced to the main cast, Simon the fallible sorcerer leads the team to recruit his ex-girlfriend and member of the Emerald Enclave, Doric the druid. I first thought because of her horns and woodland theme that Doric was a fawn, only to discover that she is a tiefling abandoned by her parents for the very fact. Baldur’s Gate 3 is popular currently with tiefling being a playable race. Izzy you let me know that players are unlikely to craft tieflings with an appearance I could mistake for an elfish woodland creature. What do you think is the most popular way to portray these characters and what do you think is the best use of the tiefling?

A: I mean tieflings are complicated characters. I know quite a few people who won’t play them in Balder’s Gate for story reasons, cause really no other races like tieflings. And Tumblr had apparently decided they are gay but I am not sure how many people actually play them that way lol.

I do think the tiefling was wasted in the movie a bit, one cause she didn’t look like one really which I will come back to, and two cause while she makes a point to say no one likes tieflings it never actually factors into the plot in any way. No one in the story treats her differently and there isn’t even a side comment or dirty look in a crowd scene. Which I think was odd cause why bring it up at that point. Her living with the elves was cause no one else wanted her but she could have been an elf or a fawn thing and nothing would have changed. It doesn’t hinder the story that people don’t trust her, and she never speaks infernal or does any other tiefling specific things.

And her appearance is odd. I don’t know if it was a relatable to the audience thing or a budget thing but she looks like no tiefling I’ve ever seen.

I mean you probably COULD make one in character creation in something like Baldur’s Gate that looks like her but I mean if you google tieflings it’s normally more devil like or you know, at least not skin toned.