The Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game has been adapted into many related products, including magazines, films and video games.
Magazines
In 1975, TSR began publishing The Strategic Review. At the time, role-playing games were still seen as a subgenre of the wargaming industry, and the magazine was designed not only to support D&D and TSR's other games, but also to cover wargaming in general. In short order, however, the popularity and growth of D&D made it clear that the game had not only separated itself from its wargaming origins, but had launched an entirely new industry unto itself. The following year, after only seven issues, TSR cancelled The Strategic Review and replaced it in 1976 with The Dragon (later Dragon Magazine).
Although Dragon Magazine was originally designed to support the role-playing industry in general, it has always been primarily a house organ for TSR's games with a particular focus on D&D. Most of the magazine's articles provide supplementary material for the game, including new races, classes, spells, traps, monsters, skills, and rules. Other articles will provide tips and suggestions for players and DMs. The magazine has also published a number of well-known, gamer-oriented comic strips over the years, including Wormy, SnarfQuest, Yamara, Knights of the Dinner Table, Nodwick, Dork Tower, and The Order of the Stick.
Between 1983 and 1985, TSR's UK branch published Imagine Magazine. It featured similar content to Dragon, focusing on D&D and Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D). Imagine featured a monthly series of articles about a new campaign world, Pelinore, which were later continued in the non-TSR magazine Game Master. Some material that originated in Imagine was eventually incorporated into Unearthed Arcana.
In 1986, TSR launched a new magazine to complement Dragon. Dungeon Adventures, published bimonthly, published nothing but adventure modules for Dungeon Masters. While Dungeon now publishes other kinds of material as well, Dungeons & Dragons adventures remain its main focus.
While many other magazines have partially or fully devoted themselves to supporting D&D, Dragon and Dungeon remain the only two official publications for the game. In 2002, Wizards of the Coast licensed the two magazines to Paizo Publishing. Publication of both magazines then ceased in September 2007 as the owning company opted for an online model, citing a downturn in the market for low-circulation specialty and hobby magazines. In total, there were 359 Dragon issues and 150 Dungeon issues released in print.[1] The final 3rd Edition issue of Dragon was #362, and the final 3rd Edition issue of Dungeon was #153. The online version of the magazines are up to issue #408 and #201 respectively as of April 2012.
Performance
Film and television
Animation
An animated television series, titled Dungeons & Dragons, was produced in 1983. The cartoon was based upon the concept of a small group of young adults and children who get transported to a D&D-based fantasy realm by riding a magical roller coaster. When they arrive, they are given potent magical weapons and must survive against the chromatic dragon Tiamat and a power-hungry nemesis called Venger. They are assisted in each episode by a gnome-like creature called Dungeon Master and a baby unicorn named Uni.[2]
In 2003, a computer-animated motion picture entitled Scourge of Worlds: A Dungeons & Dragons Adventure was produced for DVD, featuring the iconic characters (Regdar, Mialee, and Lidda) created for the 3rd Edition. This is an interactive movie that asks viewers to decide what actions the heroes should take at crucial points in the story, allowing hundreds of different story-telling combinations. A special edition was released later that included even more choices, two additional endings, the making of the Scourge of Worlds, and the original (linear) version of film.
Secret Level (2024), an adult animatedanthology series, featured a Dungeons & Dragons themed episode titled "The Queen's Cradle".[5] The episode focuses on a group of adventurers saving a young man from the Cult of the Dragon before facing off against Tiamat.[6][7]
A live action film, titled Dungeons & Dragons, was released in 2000 to largely negative critical reception.[8]Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God, a made-for-TV sequel, was first aired on the Sci-Fi Channel on October 8, 2005, receiving better critical reception, and was released on February 7, 2006 on DVD.[9] This sequel is also known by the alternate title Dungeons & Dragons 2: The Elemental Might.[10] A third film, Dungeons & Dragons: The Book of Vile Darkness, was released in 2012. In 2013, Warner Bros. acquired rights to make a film based on Dungeons & Dragons, using a script written by David Leslie Johnson.[11]Hasbro and its subsidiary Wizards of the Coast then sued Sweetpea Entertainment, producer of the first three D&D films, over its movie deal with Warner claiming that the film rights (TV and feature) have expired.[12] In 2015, Warner Brothers reached a settlement with Hasbro's Allspark Pictures and Sweetpea Entertainment over rights and a new film was in the works.[13][14]
By January 2022, Hasbro's eOne was developing a live action D&D series with Rawson Marshall Thurber writing and directing the pilot.[23][24][25] By January 2023, Paramount+ gave this series an eight-episode, straight-to-series order with Thurber directing the first episode and co-production by eOne and Paramount Pictures.[26][27] However, in May 2024, Paramount+ announced that they were no longer moving forward with the series.[28][29]Deadline reported that the series will now be overseen "by Hasbro's in-house division Hasbro Entertainment following eOne's December 2023 sale to Lionsgate" with a new creative team and "will undergo a creative update before being taken out to other potential buyers".[28]
Documentary
By October 2022, Hasbro's eOne began to develop a documentary on Dungeons & Dragons to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the game in 2024. Joe Manganiello and Kyle Newman will co-direct; Manganiello will also produce along with Nick Manganiello, Anthony Savini and Cecily Tyler.[30][31] The documentary will feature more than 400 hours of archived, never-before-seen Dungeons & Dragons footage from the game's creation in the early 1970s, and interviews with celebrity fans of the game.[31]
Stage
The stage production of Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern officially opened off-Broadway on May 5, 2024, after previews began in April, at Stage 42 in New York City.[32][33] The show combines actual play, improv, and immersive theater as the players navigate an adventure set in the Forgotten Realms; audience participation ranges from select members joining the cast on stage to browser-based voting software to determine cast actions. The cast includes David Andrew Laws (also known as DAGL) as the Dungeon Master, Sarah Davis Reynolds as the Tavern Keeper, Tyler Nowell Felix as the Warrior, Madelyn Murphy as the Mage, and Diego F. Salinas as the Trickster. The player cast can perform as various versions of their archetypes which are selected by the audience. The show was created by Laws, David Carpenter and Reynolds; Reynolds is the designer for the game component of the production.[33][34][35][36] The show will also rotate in various guest stars: Felicia Day (September 2024), Aabria Iyengar (September–October 2024), Travis McElroy (November 2024) and Erika Ishii (December 2024).[36][37]
The Twenty-Sided Tavern was first performed at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival in 2021, prior to a run Off-Off-Broadway at Asylum NYC. At the time, it was marketed as a "legally distinct", "Dungeons and Dragons-style" production, due to lacking an official license.[38][39] The full production premiered at The Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera in 2022, followed by runs in Chicago and at Edinburgh Festival Fringe; it is now an official production by Hasbro, Curious Hedgehog, Showpath Entertainment, and Wizards of the Coast.[40] The show is scheduled to go on tour in spring 2025.[41]
Wizards of the Coast has created, produced and sponsored multiple web series featuring Dungeons & Dragons. These shows have typically aired on the official Dungeons & DragonsTwitch and YouTube channels. Some have been adapted into podcasts. Types of shows include actual play series, event livestreams, and talk shows.[42][43][44][45][46][47]
In November 2023, Hasbro's Entertainment One launched the Dungeons & Dragons AdventuresFAST channel, available on platforms such as Amazon Freevee and Plex, which features new actual play web series, reruns of the animated Dungeons & Dragons series, and reruns of other Dungeons & Dragons web series.[48][49]
Many unique digital games had been released and sold under the D&D license. A significant number of these games were published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI). Most, but not all, are role-playing video games that use rules derived from some version of the D&D rules. Many of the games were released on multiple platforms, including personal computers, consoles, and handheld devices (including mobile phones).
Throughout the early 1980s, TSR printed several series of gamebooks of varying complexity under series titles such as Endless Quest, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Gamebooks, HeartQuest, and 1 on 1 Adventure Gamebooks. Most of these books were based on D&D, although some were based on other TSR role-playing games.
The Dragonlance product line, begun in 1984, was the first series of novels produced by TSR and has since seen more than 190 titles published.
D&D creator Gary Gygax's series of Gord the Rogue novels, published from 1985 to 1988, was set in his Greyhawk campaign setting. A number of other novels have also been set in Greyhawk.
In 2021, HarperCollins Children's Books obtained exclusive rights to publish Dungeons & Dragonsmiddle grade books such as "novels, illustrated chapter books, and graphic novels".[50] The first book of the Dungeon Academy series, Dungeon Academy: No Humans Allowed by author Madeleine Roux and artist Tim Probert, was released in Fall 2021 and is set in the Forgotten Realms. Two other series began in 2022: an untitled Dungeons & Dragons graphic novel series by author Molly Ostertag and artist Xanthe Bouma and the Dungeons & Dragons: HarperChapters series.[50]
After the release of the 3rd Edition, KenzerCo, better known for the popular gaming comic Knights of the Dinner Table, secured the licensing rights to produce official D&D comics. Using the license, they produced a number of different mini-series. One notable mini-series for this comic line entitled Tempest's Gate was authored by Sean Smith. It featured memorable iconic characters of D&D such as Zed Kraken, a powerful and influential magus.[52]
In 2002, Iron Hammer Graphics published the single-issue comic Vecna: Hand of the Revenent. In 2005, the license passed to Devil's Due Productions. Starting in June of that year, Devil's Due began releasing official adaptations of D&D tie-in novels, starting with Salvatore's Dark Elf Trilogy.
As webcomics grew, many D&D inspired comics were created with some of them even going as far as publishing physical books. Amongst the more popular ones are Rich Burlew's The Order of the Stick and Tarol Hunts's Goblins. The game has also been seen in several FoxTrot comic strips over the years played by Jason and his best friend Marcus.[53]
In 2010, IDW Publishing started publishing an ongoingDungeons & Dragons comic based on the 4th Edition core setting which finished in February 2012.[54] In 2011, they also released a limited series based on the Dark Sun campaign setting, as well as another series, Forgotten Realms: The Legend of Drizzt: Neverwinter Tales, written by R.A. Salvatore and based on his famous D&D character, Drizzt Do'Urden.[54]
Since 2014, IDW Publishing have published several limited series based on the 5th Edition core setting[55] starting with Legends of Baldur's Gate (2014) — Jim Zub "has had a hand in nearly every D&D comic since" this limited series was published.[56] This series has five sequel limited series: Shadows of the Vampire (2016), Frost Giant's Fury (2017), Evil at Baldur's Gate (2018),[57][56]Infernal Tide (2019),[58] and Mindbreaker (2021).[59] Two additional limited series have also been published: A Darkened Wish (2019)[60] and At the Spine of the World (2020).[61] In 2020, author B. Dave Walters was the Dungeon Master for A Darkened Wish, an official actual playweb series, which was based on the comic; it ran for 30 episodes and ended in 2021.[62][63]
In August 2018, a crossover comic with the adult animatedsitcomRick and Morty was published by IDW and Oni Press. The series titled Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons is co-written by Jim Zub and Patrick Rothfuss, and drawn by Troy Little.[64] A four-issue sequel, Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons: Chapter II: Painscape, written by Jim Zub and Sarah Stern with art by Troy Little was published in 2019.[65] A five-issue crossover comic with the television seriesStranger Things was published by IDW and Dark Horse Comics on November 4, 2020.[66]
2025: Dark Horse Comics
In July 2024, Wizards of the Coast announced that Dark Horse Comics would gain the Dungeons & Dragons license in 2025.[67][68]
Board games
Several board games have been sold either under the Dungeons & Dragons trademark or in association with it:
Dungeon! (1975), a board game published by TSR, featured similar gameplay and genre tropes to D&D and was frequently advertised in D&D products.
The New Easy to Master Dungeons & Dragons (1991) - this game is in a way an introduction to role-playing games, but is played as a board game. Three expansions were released for it: Dragon's Den, Haunted Tower, and Goblin's Lair.
Dragon Quest (1992)
The Classic Dungeon (1992)
DragonStrike (1993) used a simplified form of D&D and included an instructional video tape in which costumed actors, combined with computer-generated imagery, played the characters and monsters from the board game.
First Quest (1994) was the name of the AD&D game that first featured an audio CD which included instructions and two quests that coincide with two of the four adventures in the included Adventure Book.
Clue Dungeons & Dragons (2001) - standard Clue with a D&D fantasy theme and optional wandering monsters.[69]
Dungeons & Dragons: The Fantasy Adventure Board Game (2002) - cooperative dungeon crawl game in which a party of four heroes strives to complete adventures that the Dungeon Master puts before them (in the style of HeroQuest). Two expansions have been released for this game:
Eternal Winter (2004)
Forbidden Forest (2005)
Dungeons & Dragons Basic Game (2004 & 2006) - a simplified version of the D&D role-playing game, designed as an introduction to role-playing, but is in essence a board game in the style of presentation.
Dungeon Mayhem (2018) - a card game where players are competing to be the last adventurer standing.[78]
Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage (2019) - a board game, released with standard and premium edition.[79]
Dungeons & Dragons: Adventure Begins (2020) - a board game, Gloomhaven style game loosely based on D&D with a bent on telling stories and having no Dungeon Master.[80]
From 1983 to 1984, LJN produced a line of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons action figures.[82]
The Official Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Coloring Album was published in 1979 by Troubador Press and TSR, written by Gary Gygax and illustrated by Greg Irons. It was both a coloring book and a mini adventure module.[83][84]
Lego released a series of minifigures based on Dungeons & Dragons.[85]
Dungeons & Dragons Character Builder (2008) — 4th Edition Character Generator released as part of the Dungeons & Dragons Insider initiative. The free version only lets characters of level 3 or less be created.
Soundtrack
The first official soundtrack to Dungeons & Dragons was produced when Wizards of the Coast teamed up with Midnight Syndicate, producing the 24-track album Dungeons & Dragons.[86] The album was released on August 12, 2003, and received positive reviews from both the gaming and music community.