In the world of entertainment, it sometimes happens that things conspire to create something amazing and truly extraordinary. The new Dungeons & Dragons movie is a result of the coming together of one of the greatest role-playing games and the immersive experience of film. The movie will bring the much-loved game to life for both devoted fans and keen-to-learn newbies.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a movie packed with action, monsters, and famous actors. The storyline will feel familiar to D&D players as it follows a motley band of heroes who are on an epic journey to steal a forgotten artifact. Of course, it wouldn't be a D&D movie if the heroes didn't find themselves confronted with challenges, so they quickly find themselves in all sorts of trouble. A fantasy epic, inspired by the crazy things that happen to the characters of the role-playing game, it is touted as one of 2023's must-see movies.

Philip Galliford, the spokesperson for Solarpop – distributor of D&D games, is thrilled about the movie release: "D&D has been on tabletops around the world and in South Africa for decades. It has developed into a widespread hobby where players open their minds to the fantastical worlds of the game. We will no doubt see more people taking up the game once they've watched it play out on the big screen.”

About D&D

Dungeons & Dragons is a roleplaying game invented by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974. Over the past five decades, the popularity of the game has spread, garnering a large, dedicated following. The game's longevity can be attributed to a number of factors: high entertainment value, satisfying mental engagement, and not least the fun, and socialising aspect.

How to Play

The items needed to play are rulebooks, character sheets, and polyhedral dice. Many optional accessories are also available to enhance the game, including miniature figures, grid maps, screens, token sets, expansion rulebooks, pre-designed adventures, and campaign manuals.

Firstly, each player creates their character, who will then go on adventures within a D&D fantasy world. A Dungeon Master (DM) oversees play by describing the setting, guiding the plot, and narrating the story. A good DM helps build the setting and the action in the players' minds through storytelling. The DM also plays the role of the inhabitants of the game world; referred to as non-playing characters (NPCs).

The aim of the game is for the characters to overcome challenges, engage in battles, explore, and gather both knowledge and treasure. Through their adventures, players earn experience points (XP) to increase their power and rise in levels over a series of gaming sessions.

Galliford explains that D&D is a game that fires up the imagination and presents players with a make-believe world of quests, interesting characters, and fictional creatures. "What makes D&D one of the foremost roleplaying tabletop games ever invented is that it keeps players' minds fully engaged in the story. It requires players to make decisions for their characters, which keeps things exciting as you never know what moves the other players are going to make next. It is also played for its social aspect - it's a great way to spend time with friends and meet new people," he says. 

Playing D&D

Currently, there are various rulebooks, sets, and expansion sets available online at Takealot and at select hobby stores. Furthermore, D&D and DM Bootcamps are running in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, and Bloemfontein. DM Bootcamp Session 1 is running from March to August 2023. A second wave will kick off in September 2023 and conclude in February 2024.

The following stores will be hosting the events on the Last Sunday of each month:

Jix Hobbies (PTA)Timeless Board Games (JHB)The Nexus (JHB)Sword & Board (CPT)Battle Bunker Paarl (CPT)Durbanville Games (CPT)The Unseen Shoppe (DBN)Oracle Gaming (BLOEM)

The March session will be a learn-to-play focusing on what D&D is and the basic game rules. Sessions 2-6 will be more focused on what it means to be a DM, and arm DMs with skills to take back to their gaming tables.

The learn-to-play session is open to any competency level, the session 2-6 would require a basic knowledge of D&D to get the most value out of the experience. 

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D&D starter sets, rulebooks, and expansion sets are available from: Takealot, hobby stores and all good book stores.