About halfway by means of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Amongst Thieves, Michelle Rodriguez’s character, Holga the barbarian, visits her ex’s home to get some closure on their relationship. The scene is performed fairly straight, with Holga and Marlamin (performed by Bradley Cooper) having a heart-to-heart about the place their marriage went fallacious. However it’s one of many funniest scenes within the film, for the reason that two actors are having this deep, emotional dialog whereas certainly one of them is a tiny, fancy man in a regular-sized chair, and the opposite is a gruff, ax-wielding, fur-clad barbarian who simply beat up a complete crew of guards.
This sequence significantly tickled me as a result of for my part, having an ex floating round is such a enjoyable mechanic to combine right into a role-playing recreation. It’s a reminder that even on this fantastical world of dungeons and dragons, the characters nonetheless imply one thing to one another. That goes past previous romantic dalliances and backstory — I simply love having private, one-on-one interactions inside recreation settings, as a result of it makes the characters really feel actual, like they exist on this world past their quests and adventures. They have an effect on different individuals, past slaying monsters and seizing loot.
![LtR: Justice Smith plays Simon, Sophia Lillis plays Doric, Michelle Rodriguez plays Holga and Chris Pine plays Edgin in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Simon holds up a glowing wand as the others look on, in a rocky, lava-filled cave.](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AzO4EN2OBD7CTa1x4Yr4hkMlj74=/0x0:4200x1746/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:4200x1746):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24550145/DD_FF_100R4.jpg)
Picture: Paramount Footage
There could be mechanical advantages in addition to private ones. Certainly one of my present D&D characters has an extended record of exes that I’ve woven into his backstory. Solely certainly one of them has made an look in our recreation to date (with extra amiable interactions than Holga and Marlamin), however my character continually references his lengthy string of exes. It’s a telling element about his historical past, however I’ve additionally used it to argue for data of sure languages and historic particulars, due to all of the issues he’s picked up from his broad number of previous relationships.
I’ve already written about my love of downtime filler episodes many, many, many occasions right here at Polygon, so it’s most likely not an enormous shock that I really like video video games the place one of many core mechanics is simply hanging out with different characters. Fireplace Emblem: Three Homes and its tea-party system owns my complete coronary heart, however I additionally adore Marvel’s Midnight Solars, which not solely builds in player-initiated hangouts, however provides extracurricular actions, regardless that it isn’t even a faculty setting. The perfect Mass Impact DLC is the one the place you go on a light-hearted, banter-filled mission, then throw a celebration and hang around with your mates. That scene in Dragon Age: Inquisition the place rogue storyteller Varric ropes everybody right into a recreation of playing cards? Superb. (And sure, I’ve been instructed I ought to play the Persona video games; they’re on my ever-growing backlog).
![all the mass effect characters taking a photo after a total rager](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rUwFOZ5GWl_rTWOaYmCutfJt6SU=/0x0:3840x2160/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3840x2160):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24569461/Mass_Effect__Legendary_Edition_20210706003722.jpg)
I’m the kind of one that likes to cease and speak to each NPC, so when a recreation acknowledges that and integrates that into the gameplay, I get actually excited. I like that my participant character has an impact on the world round them! I like that folks have opinions about them, and wish to hang around!
It is sensible that as I began to discover tabletop gaming, I’d nonetheless adore downtime and role-play, the prospect to work together not simply with puzzles or battles, however with different individuals. Initially, not having preset dialogue choices was a bit daunting, however now I notice that tabletop RPGs have all the pieces I liked about video video games, however with extra freedom. I’ve been fortunate to have DMs who indulge this choice, from particularly engineering a watch schedule for character interplay to establishing a complete gathering the place participant characters and NPCs alike introduced dishes for a potluck luncheon.
Don’t get me fallacious — I nonetheless take pleasure in some good fight in my video games. However there’s one thing significantly satisfying a couple of memorable role-play interplay that at all times offers me a burst of inventive vitality. It’s half socializing with pals in a enjoyable means, and partly the enjoyment of making one thing collectively, even when the viewers is simply us.
![LtR: Justice Smith plays Simon, Chris Pine plays Edgin, Rege-Jean Page plays Xenk, Sophia Lillis plays Doric and Michelle Rodriguez plays Holga in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. All the other characters look at Xenk skeptically, while he seems unaware.](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6LHPidPS5iLvIjOjbOiaw_BAPzc=/0x0:3000x1244/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x1244):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24548314/DD_FF_089R.jpg)
Picture: Paramount Footage
And that’s one thing the Dungeons & Dragons film captures surprisingly effectively. Between the motion sequences and heists, the primary adventuring get together has enjoyable collectively. Since it is a film and never a long-form tv present, there aren’t designated filler episodes the place all of them go to the seaside or play a drunken recreation of playing cards. However throughout the framework of the film, the filmmakers managed to combine sufficient social scenes and private interactions to essentially emphasize that these characters get alongside and work together outdoors of what we see on display screen, one thing all too uncommon in large style motion flicks as of late.
The characters would possibly bicker. They could battle to attune to magical objects, and get crap for his or her insecurities. They could have uncomfortable conversations with their exes. However afterward, when Holga sadly mounts her horse and begins to trip away, her good buddy Edgin the bard (Chris Pine) sings a tune to cheer her up. It’s not lengthy earlier than a smile flutters to her face and so they’re each singing alongside collectively. That’s the kind of shit I’m right here for!
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Amongst Thieves is in theaters now.