D&D Movie/TV Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves At San Diego Comic-Con

Attendees of San Diego Comic-Con this year will be able to immerse themselves in a 'Tavern Experience' promoting the upcoming D&D movie, Honor Among Thieves, IGN reports. It will be a 20-minute experience in which you can interact with D&D critters and characters. Additionally, guests can try both alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions of 'Dragon Brew'.

Additionally, on Thursday July 21st, during the convention, the films cast will be on stage and fans will get a sneak peek at the movie, which is due out next year.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves includes in its cast Chris Pine, Hugh Grant, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, and more.

D&D Movie/TV - Honor Among Thieves: The New D&D Movie Officially Announced

Paramount has announced the title of March 3rd, 2023's Dungeon's & Dragons movie -- and it's HONOR AMONG THIEVES! The cast includes some Hollywood heavyweights -- Chris Pine, Rege Jean Page, Michelle Rodriguez, Hugh Grant, and others. The release date was announced back in August: ‘Dungeons...

www.enworld.org

 

[Retreater]

WotC has explained this in the past: it's about ROI. ComicCon is better for the bottom line by drumming up interest in their product, GenCon is preaching to the choir who already bought the books.

Sometimes it should be about celebrating the game and the fans you have. Not everything needs to be a ROI on a spreadsheet.
I have friends that have small, Indie RPG tables at various conventions, but you're telling me that WotC can't even make an appearance at the biggest gaming convention in the world?
It's like they don't care about the game or fans anymore - just marketing to casual pop culture fans.
But it's not like this is new. I know they haven't been trying for years. It's just that this is way over the top.
Complaining about GenCon being too expensive?! WotC just doesn't care about people actually playing the game.

 

[darjr]

Sometimes it should be about celebrating the game and the fans you have. Not everything needs to be a ROI on a spreadsheet.
I have friends that have small, Indie RPG tables at various conventions, but you're telling me that WotC can't even make an appearance at the biggest gaming convention in the world?
It's like they don't care about the game or fans anymore - just marketing to casual pop culture fans.
But it's not like this is new. I know they haven't been trying for years. It's just that this is way over the top.
Complaining about GenCon being too expensive?! WotC just doesn't care about people actually playing the game.

They have had someone, on the paycheck, at those GenCons sans a WotC booth. They also have Baldman Games run a ballroom full of games that is essentially a WotC extension. Including having exclusive content that appears no where else.

Yes, no booth, but they do have a presence, and it’s still one of the largest footprints of any individual company at GenCon.

 

[darjr]

Also it’s even MORE about gaming and less about marketing because the lions share of that foot print is dedicated to gaming.

Especially given they don’t market the fact.

 

[Parmandur]

Sometimes it should be about celebrating the game and the fans you have. Not everything needs to be a ROI on a spreadsheet.
I have friends that have small, Indie RPG tables at various conventions, but you're telling me that WotC can't even make an appearance at the biggest gaming convention in the world?
It's like they don't care about the game or fans anymore - just marketing to casual pop culture fans.
But it's not like this is new. I know they haven't been trying for years. It's just that this is way over the top.
Complaining about GenCon being too expensive?! WotC just doesn't care about people actually playing the game.

ComicCon has over three times the attendance of GenCon, many of whom are also players of the game. GenCon is a tiny percentage of the player base, for that matter. For the cost of attending GenCon, one random Convention attended by a random percentage of the fanbase, they can attend several other Cons, like GaryCon or GameHoleCon, and reach many of the same people, and indeed probably more of a wide swathe. Time and money for attending conventions is not infinite.

I've never been to any Con in the Midwest, and neither will most D&D players. Indeed, it's sort of insulting to brush away the majority of D&D players as "casual pop culture fans." The game is marketed to middle schoolers, high schoolers, and college students that like pop culture and art. It always was, WotC explicitly was doing that back in 3E.

It really does make sense that they would avoid one particularly, expensive convention that is attended by a small fraction of the player base. Sometimes, it is simply about ROI numbers on a spreadsheet, and industry convention attendance is precisely one of those times. Always was. 20 years ago, GenCon was deemed worth the ROI. Now, it isn't. Simple as that. It was always a cold financial decision, not a "Celebration of True Non-Casual Fans" or something.

 

[LordEntrails]

Nice! I might have to make the drive down to San Diego to check this out.

Good luck getting in. Don't know what the pandemic has done to ticket sales, but it used to be even day passes were sold out within minutes of going on sale, and that was months ago. I assume it's still the situation. But maybe not?

 

[Retreater]

For the cost of attending GenCon, one random Convention attended by a random percentage of the fanbase, they can attend several other Cons, like GaryCon or GameHoleCon, and reach many of the same people, and indeed probably more of a wide swathe.

Which they also don't attend. They definitely had no presence at GaryCon this year when I went.

ComicCon has over three times the attendance of GenCon, many of whom are also players of the game.

Not saying there aren't gamers there. But coming in to watch a 20 minute commercial of a movie isn't the same as having real interaction with the game.

It was always a cold financial decision, not a "Celebration of True Non-Casual Fans" or something.

Perhaps in the Wizards era, but some companies take a small financial hit to show goodwill to fans from time-to-time.

I've never been to any Con in the Midwest, and neither will most D&D players. Indeed, it's sort of insulting to brush away the majority of D&D players as "casual pop culture fans."

Has nothing to do with location. I'm not saying that Californians can't be D&D players. I'm saying that this particular convention is not a game convention. D&D is a game. Ergo the biggest TTRPG publisher should also have a presence at the biggest game convention.

 

[Retreater]

They also have Baldman Games run a ballroom full of games that is essentially a WotC extension. Including having exclusive content that appears no where else.

Yes, no booth, but they do have a presence, and it’s still one of the largest footprints of any individual company at GenCon.

Baldman is independent of WotC, correct? (Unless you know something I don't.) They license the organized play.
But can they talk about upcoming products? Can they answer questions? Can you get an autograph or picture with a favorite writer? Can they explain to a dad walking by why he should let his kids play it?
Do they give swag? Do they have special new releases to excite fans?
It's like if Free League brought a table for The One Ring at a Lord of the Rings convention. Would you say that's the same as the Tolkien estate coming?

 

[darjr]

Which they also don't attend. They definitely had no presence at GaryCon this year when I went.

This is a bit disingenuous, they were there in 2019 D&D at Gary Con | Dungeons & Dragons
and sponsored Virtual GaryCon in 2020 and have sponsored the AL game room since very early including last year.

Running games I’ve been given books before publication and exclusive dice that were only ever given out at one other event. All donated to the DMs that run Adventures League. Last year a friend of mine even wrote an adventure that was premiered there for WotC AL.

Last year Elisa Teague and Mike Mearls were there too, though I’ll give y’all that I don’t think they were under any WotC banner at the time.

 

[darjr]

Baldman is independent of WotC, correct? (Unless you know something I don't.) They license the organized play.
But can they talk about upcoming products? Can they answer questions? Can you get an autograph or picture with a favorite writer? Can they explain to a dad walking by why he should let his kids play it?
Do they give swag? Do they have special new releases to excite fans?
It's like if Free League brought a table for The One Ring at a Lord of the Rings convention. Would you say that's the same as the Tolkien estate coming?

Baldman is so independant that they run their D&D digital weekends where a DM could earn several hundred running games FOR WOTC.

Jeremy Crawford came out and talked to us DM's and did indeed talk about future products, yes. In fact one time it was just a handful of folks in the room and very personable and fun.

Swag? Yea they do. I have more than one book given to me from WotC that was pre publication.

If employees of the Tolkien Estate, on the Tolkien Estates dime, showed up and discussed Tolkien with us? Yes I would.

 

[wellis]

So is this only going to show in San Diego? Or will there be a wider showing after the San Diego Comic Con?