Exclusive: Chris Pine Calls 'Dungeons & Dragons' Movie a Mix of ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘Princess Bride’

 

Every Dungeons & Dragons player knows that a good adventure must have its fair share of thrills, surprises, and good laughs. And according to star Chris Pine, that’s exactly what we are getting in Paramount’s upcoming film adaptation of the beloved RPG franchise. During an exclusive interview for All the Old Knives with Collider's Steve Weintraub, Pine talked about what fans can expect from the highly-anticipated film, revealing the unexpected influences that directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein are using in their take on the franchise.

Starring top-class Hollywood adventurers such as Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, and Regé-Jean Page, the new Dungeons & Dragons film is sparing no expense to bring the beloved RPG franchise back to the big screen. As it should, since the Dungeons & Dragons adaptation starring Jeremy Irons, Marlon Wayans, and Thora Birch was a complete flop, despised by critics, the audience, and players alike. When asked if he could give some more details about the new adaptation, Pine did his best to keep the movie’s plot a secret. The star, however, revealed some exciting details about the film’s tone. In Pine’s words:

“Oh man. Well, what I will say is we had a hell of a fun time making it. There was a lot of laughs. The way that I've been describing it, it's like Game of Thrones mixed with a little Princess Bride, just a smidge of Holy Grail; it's somewhere in that ballpark. It's a lot of fun. It's got a lot of thrills. It's poppy, it's eighties heartfelt, there's a bit of Goonies in there. My character, he's the ultimate party planner. I think it's going to be really good. I mean, who fucking knows, but I think we got a good shot and John and John are killer guys. They know comedy and they know heart and we had a great cast and we had a good time making it. And that's all you can ask for.”

It makes sense for the new Dungeons & Dragons to be inspired by The Goonies. The tabletop RPG was first published in 1974 but had its biggest boom in the 1980s. So it’s no wonder productions set in that decade, such as Stranger Things, tend to use the game to reproduce the period’s trends correctly. It’s also somewhat expected that the new film has drawn some inspiration from Game of Thrones, as the dragons are the true A-listers of the cast. Besides that, a good Dungeons & Dragons campaign always features distant kingdoms, wars, betrayals, and everything in between.

Now, the reference to Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a little surprising. Even though the British comedy group’s film is a classic medieval adventure, Holy Grail is also a collection of sketches using the absurdity of King Arthur’s journey to make the audience laugh. We were not expecting the new Dungeons & Dragons film to be a comedy. However, if you want to make jokes, you can’t go wrong by mimicking Monty Python. Finally, there’s the Princess Bride inspiration. And that one is wacky! We are unsure how the Dungeons & Dragons film will mix romantic comedy, family-friendly adventure, and epic war drama. But we are indeed intrigued to see the result of this bold multiclass project.

Dungeons & Dragons is set to premiere on March 3, 2023

LIVE YOUR LEGEND IN 'BARDSUNG'

 

New Dungeon Explorer from Steamforged Games

The players' journey begins with a single tile.  From there, they build a branching, labyrinthine dungeon of dangerous enemies, wandering monsters, challenging puzzles, and valuable treasure.

Today, we'll be catching up with Steamforged's Lead Designer, Sherwin Matthews, to learn more about Bardsung, and the long journey that led to its creation.

Hey Sherwin!  Tell us about yourself and the inspiration behind Bardsung: Legend of the Ancient Forge?
My name is Sherwin Matthews, and I worked with Mat Hart, Richard August, and Fraser McFetridge to design and bring Bardsung: Legend of the Ancient Forge to life.

Bardsung is something we’ve wanted to create for a long time: an idea that bubbled away in the background over the years as we worked on other projects.  Our inspirations would probably be too many to mention.

We wanted to not only celebrate the old games we enjoyed when we were first discovering tabletop games, such as the Fighting Fantasy choose-your-own-adventure books, and tabletop games like HeroQuest, Key to the Kingdom, and Dark World, but also our shared love for roleplaying games and the universes they create.  Then we added a sprinkle of tabletop miniature game mechanics to really polish off the experience with exciting and impactful gameplay.

Bardsung is exactly what you might expect from such a heady mix.  A tabletop game with deep gameplay where players explore sprawling dungeons in search of fortune and glory, and an immersive story that offers meaningful decisions that will shape the course of the campaign and evolve the game.

Bardsung: Legend of the Ancient Forge is packed with hours of gameplay and miniatures.  What are you most excited for players to experience?
This is a really tough question — there’s so much for people to enjoy!  I think for me it’s definitely the story.  Not just the main narrative, but all of the smaller side quests and interactions.

Bardsung’s scope is massive.  There are four different endings and over thirty separate locations to explore in the core game alone.  And because the game evolves based on player decisions, each playthrough will be completely unique, with the players encountering different characters, enemies, events, and locations each time.

If players want to see every enemy and location, they’ll have to play through the campaign several times over.  Each time they do, they’ll learn something new about the Ancient Forge and Bardsung world.  There are a lot of easter eggs and hidden narratives in there to find!

What do you recommend for players picking up their first big box game like Bardsung?
I think my best advice would be to just buckle up and enjoy the ride.  Bardsung and other games like it are best enjoyed as a journey, where the players can lose themselves in immersive worlds and tell the stories of their characters.

That journey begins from the moment you open the box and read the cover sheet, then builds as you attempt your first encounters and the narrative text sinks its hooks into you - and doesn’t let go until the final dice lands, and the final word is read aloud.

There’s a real magic and sense of reward with that type of experience — it’s what keeps players coming back to their favorite games and the genre, time and time again.  I’ll admit that I’m actually envious that I don’t get to experience Bardsung myself for the first time!

​During playtesting, do you have a favorite memory or moment that stood out for you?
Phew — there are a lot that come to mind!  I think it might have to be some of the interactions we had when we were creating the heroes.

Each hero in Bardsung belongs to a set path, which is like a martial discipline, or a class in a traditional roleplaying game.  This informs the type of gameplay they specialize in, and helps focus players who might not be too familiar with how to build a character.

But one of the most exciting parts of Bardsung’s experience system is that characters are free to develop skills from any path they want, giving players complete freedom to customize their character how they see fit.

For a while during playtesting, we didn’t share this with the external groups, while we were getting the core abilities locked — and then, when we were ready, we dropped the bomb and told our testers that they didn’t have to stay on path when levelling up.

The emails and gameplay experiences we received immediately after that update were quite the sight to see, I assure you!

What can you tell us about working with guest authors?  How was it bringing their ideas and stories into the game?
Working with our guest designers was a privilege — they’re all extremely talented people, and each brought a wealth of different ideas and experience to the table.  Adapting their concepts to Bardsung’s game engine was very enjoyable, and never once felt like a challenge; partly because of the flexibility of the engine, but also because each guest designer was so versatile.

I think our audience is going to have a lot of fun exploring the universes that we’ve created together. Each adventure really feels like it captures the essence and presence the guest designer is known for, and will be a completely unique experience!

What can players expect for the future of Bardsung?
Bardsung: Legend of the Ancient Forge is only the first entry in the Bardsung series.  It establishes the world and its inhabitants, and teaches the players a little about its cultures and history, but there’s so much more to discover.

Like any good series, we’re extremely excited about building on these foundations and exploring this universe some more.

Players should definitely be looking forward to where our path leads us next, meeting new heroes and villains, and finding out more about not only the setting’s ancient world and history, but also how the new world is emerging and changing around their characters…

Inspire the songs.  Live your legend.  Become Bardsung.

CORVUS BELLI ANNOUNCES 'WARCROW'

 

CORVUS BELLI ANNOUNCES 'WARCROW'

Corvus Belli announced Warcrow, a new fantasy miniatures game line, which will feature a two product types coming out starting in Fall 2022.

Warcrow is a fantasy universe that has different nations that must decide what part they will play in shaping the world. It is a new IP and will have its own background and rules. Thus far, Corvus Belli has announced two product types: Warcrow Adventures and Warcrow Wargame. Warcrow Adventures is a dungeon crawler and Warcrow Wargame is a miniatures battle game that will premiere at Gen Con 2023.

Corvus Belli also recently announced Infinity: Raveneye, a new rulebook book for Infinity miniatures game (see "'Infinity: Raveneye'").

ASMODEE WILL RELEASE 'AZUL: QUEEN'S GARDEN'

 

Asmodee will release Azul: Queen's Garden, a new board game, into U.S. retail on April 15, 2022.

In Azul: Queen's Garden, players are headed back to the palace of Sintra. King Manuel I has commissioned the construction of an extraordinary garden for his wife, Queen Maria of Aragon, and the players must be up to the challenge of arranging plants, trees, and ornamental features. This is another game in the Azul series (see "'Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra'") that features its unique drafting mechanics. The player with the best garden will win the Queen's blessing at the end of the game.

The game box contains 4 Garden boards, 4 Storages, 4 Fountains, a scoring board, a rotary wheel, rotary wheel center parts, a screwable pin, an evaluation marker, 4 scoring markers, 108 colored tiles, 24 joker tiles, a first player tile, 36 Garden expansions, a Shield token, a Tower, and 8 points tokens. This game is for two to four players, ages 10 and up, and plays in 45-60 minutes. It will retail for $44.99.

WIZARDS OF THE COAST REVEALS NEW ANTHOLOGY OF STANDALONE 'D&D' ADVENTURES

 

Wizards of the Coast revealed Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel, a new anthology of standalone D&D adventures, for release on June 21, 2022.

Journeys through the Radiant Citadel features 13 short, stand-alone D&D adventures for character of level 1 through 14. The adventures all tie-in to the Radiant Citadel, a magical city on the Ethereal Plane. This book also debuts 11 new monsters, and can be run as part of a larger campaign in the D&D multiverse.

This hardcover book will retail for $49.95.

WotC also recently released D&D Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep campaign book (see "'Critical Role' Campaign").

WIZKIDS UNVEILS NEW FOUR FANTASY 'DEEP CUTS' MINIATURES PACKS

 

WizKids unveiled four new fantasy Deep Cuts miniatures packs for release into retail in July 2022.

This latest wave of WizKids Deep Cuts packs feature staple figures for fantasy encounters such as skeletons and zombies. These packs come with highly detailed figures that are primed and ready to paint. As usual, the miniatures in these packs include deep cuts for easier painting, and are packaged in a clear and visible display format.

The packs in this wave include:

• WizKids Deep Cuts: Zombies (MSRP $4.99)
• WizKids Deep Cuts: Skeletons (MSRP $4.99)
• WizKids Deep Cuts: Giant Spider (MSRP $8.99)
• WizKids Deep Cuts: Rowboat & Oars (MSRP $14.99)

WizKids also unveiled D&D: Daern's Instant Fortress Table-Sized Replica for release into retail in July 2022 (see "'D&D: Daern's Instant Fortress Table-Sized Replica'").

PENDRAGON GAME STUDIO UNVEILS 'ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK'

 

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Pendragon Game Studio unveiled Escape From New York, a new board game based on the John Carpenter cult film, which will be released pending a successful crowdfunding campaign.

Pendragon Game Studio is back at it again with a brand-new Carpenter movie turned board game, after their success with The Thing (see "'The Thing - The Boardgame' Kickstarter"). This time, Snake Plissken is on the scene and looking to rescue the President from the perilous prison city of New York. The game features some of the classic characters, including Snake, "Brain," Maggie, and Ernest Borgnine's loveable Cabbie character. The goal of the game is to beat the clock and return the President and his tape to safety.

The crowdfunding campaign for this game will kick off in Q4 2022.

Preview do Jogo de Tabuleiro da Funko REAR WINDOW - JANELA INDISCRETA

 

Rear Window Board Game
Publisher: Funko Games
Release Date: Summer 2022
MSRP: $34.99
Format: Boxed game with board and cards
Number of Players: 3-5
Playing Time: 40-mins.
Item #: 60501
UPC: 889698605014
Age Rating: 13+

Publisher Description.  Experience Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece Rear Window in this game of deduction and suspense. Carefully observe strange clues and ominous patterns in the things going on in the apartments across the way. There are parties, knives, a saw, bickering, laughing, music... and a mysterious trunk. Do you detect a murder? Or is the secret, private world of the neighbors planting frightening ideas in your mind?

The compelling gameplay brings Hitchcock's classic movie to life using cooperative deduction and decision-making.  Featuring beautiful illustrations and design, the game transports players to the era of 1950s murder mysteries with packaging featuring eye-catching likenesses of Hollywood legends Jimmy Stewart (as L.B. "Jeff" Jeffries) and Grace Kelly (as Lisa Carol Fremont).

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BRAND-NEW WAVE OF 'MONSTERPOCALYPSE' UNITS INCOMING

 

Privateer Press will release another wave of Monsterpocalypse miniatures into retail in June 2022.

There will be two First Guardians miniatures packs released in this wave: Warden of Teocali and Gargoyle Monoliths and Temple Monoliths. The Warden of Teocali is a monster that focuses on Support and Positioning, and is used to hold board positions. Gargoyle Monoliths and Temple Monoliths are used primarily for defense and fortify buildings they are assigned to protect. The Warden of Teocali pack will retail for $32.99 and Gargoyle Monoliths and Temple Monoliths will retail for $22.99.

The other two miniatures packs in this wave revolve around Ancient Ones forces. God of Vemana uses  her primordial energy to Transmute foes into her minions. Shambler and Bramble Hunters are units that are focused on Recursion and Support. Shamblers move across the front lines as fodder and can morph in Savage Growth if not dealt with. Bramble Hunters stalk their prey in order to rain a shower of thorns upon them. God of Vemana pack will retail for $32.99 and Shambler and Bramble Hunters pack will retail for $22.99.

Privateer Press also revealed four new Monsterpocalypse miniatures sets for release into retail in May 2022 (see "'Monsterpocalypse' Miniatures Sets").

CATAN STUDIOS TEASES 'DAWN OF HUMANKIND'

 

CATAN Studios teased Dawn of Humankind, a new CATAN board game, for release in 2022.

This new title sends CATAN back to prehistoric times, similar to Settlers of the Stone Age, which won a Gamer's Choice Award at Origins 2003 for Best Historical Board Game (see "2003"). In this new game, players will explore the human family tree, starting from its roots in Africa and then, expanding throughout the world. Thus far, there has been no word on MSRP for this game.