Summary
Dungeons and Dragonshas spent most of its life in relative obscurity, ever since its inception in 1974. Of course, this has changed drastically in the past decade, with multipleDungeons and Dragonsrelated series exploding in popularity. However,D&Dis now reaching greater heights than ever thanks to recent video game crossovers.
Destiny 2andDead by Daylightare just the latest franchises to rock the world with freshD&Dcontent. These recent crossovers are very likely just another stepping stone in the growing popularity ofDungeons and Dragons. More than anything, they have shown the potential of future crossovers with the tabletop roleplaying game.
The Immense Crossover Potential of Dungeons and Dragons
The Latest D&D Crossovers
The developers behindDestiny 2recently released The Final Shape, an expansion meant to conclude the game’s current story arc and provide all sorts of new content for dedicated players to explore. Then, Wizards of the Coast and Bungie subsequently revealed acrossover betweenD&Dand The Final Shape. The crossover includes an armor set for each class in the game, alongside many other cosmetic items.
In a similar light,Dead by Daylighthas released aD&Dcrossoverof its own. The main feature of this chapter is the addition of Vecna, a malevolent wizard-turned-god hailing fromD&D, as a killer in the game. However, he isn’t the only addition, with a new map and other features released alongside him. The expansion meets the expectations of any otherDead by Daylightupdate, then exceeds them with itsD&Dtwist.
Dead by Daylight’s version of Vecna is even voiced by Matt Mercer, the Dungeon Master of theacclaimedD&Dpodcast Critical Role. Critical Role has played a huge role in the growing popularity ofDungeons and Dragons, so it’s nice to see it receive an allusion in the new expansion, since Vecna was the final antagonist of Crit Role’s first campaign.Stranger Thingshad an exceptional influence on the mainstream perception ofDungeons and Dragonsas well, with the TV series even featuring its own version of the Vecna character.
The Future of D&D Crossovers
Each subsequent crossover has increased the popularity ofDungeons and Dragonsimmensely. Likewise, each timeDungeons and Dragonscrosses over with one property, it only becomes more likely to pick up more crossovers down the line. The crossover potential is a two-way street:Dungeons and Dragonscould find its way into other games, and likewise, other games could find their way intoDungeons and Dragons.
Until its recent growth in popularity,D&Dwas often relegated to referential humor, or merely used as inspiration for monster designs or gameplay features. Now, constantly releasingmajor modules such asVecna: Eve of Ruin,Dungeons and Dragonshas placed an increasing focus on individual characters and the way they interact with their settings and storylines. This means rather than adding just any lich to their game, developers could confidently addD&D’s definitive lich antagonist, with greater recognition for the character than in years past.
Dungeons and Dragons' nature as a TTRPG makes it extremely easy to include other franchises within its systems. In fact, there is already a plethora ofhomebrewD&Dcampaignsthat attempt to do just that. With that in mind, there are undoubtedly many writers ready and willing to design official sourcebooks for such franchises. They could craft storylines, subclasses, and characters that reference everything from movies, to anime, to video games. The possibility is so endless, that not exploring it could be seen as a missed opportunity.
Dungeons and Dragons Brings the Potential of TTRPGs to the Mainstream
Dungeons and Dragonsis all about imagination. Characters are created to suit to the unique tastes of the people roleplaying them. Likewise, thoughWizards of the Coast designsD&Dmodulesto allow Dungeon Masters to play through pre-written adventures without so much burden on themselves, Dungeon Masters can simply create their own worlds and storylines.
This limitless potential has always been the primary draw toDungeons and Dragons. Now, that potential is in front of more eyes than ever thanks in no small part to recent video game crossovers.Dungeons and Dragonshas seen an explosion of success compared to where it once was, and future crossovers can show all audiences that the titan of roleplaying games is here to stay.
Dungeons and Dragons
Created by Gary Gygax, Dungeons & Dragons is a tabletop game in which players craft their own worlds and band together to take on adventures through mysterious realms outlined in companion materials. One of the best role-playing games ever made, it has been adapted into a variety of video games and other media.
