What is Dungeons & Dragons and why does it have a LEGO set?

There’s a new LEGO Ideas Dungeons & Dragons set coming early next month but for those unfamiliar, what is D&D and why is getting a LEGO set?

It’s the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons and Wizards of the Coast, which is owned by Hasbro, is celebrating by partnering with the LEGO Group for the new 21348 Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon’s Tale next month. Dungeons & Dragons has had a surge in popularity over the past few years, even leading to a movie in 2023 with a star-studded cast.

While many will be familiar with Dungeons & Dragons, many more are probably confused as to why this LEGO Castle-adjacent model has a many-eyed monster and a panther with tentacles on its back. For some context, here’s a quick explanation of what Dungeons & Dragons is and why it’s getting a LEGO Ideas set.

Dungeons & Dragons is a tabletop roleplaying game that is turning 50 in 2024. It is currently in its fifth edition of the ruleset and you play the game using a set of multi-sided dice ranging from a 20-sided dice down to a four-sided dice. Players take on the role of characters and fill out their class and other attributes on a physical or digital character sheet and are free to take any actions in the game specific to their class or race, or anything else they desire.

The results and success of these actions are determined by dice rolls, using by rolling a 20-sided die. Rolling higher is better but the results are always determined by the Dungeon Master, or DM for short. The DM is responsible for guiding the players and the story, usually with the help of a pre-written adventure or at least a campaign setting.

Working together, the players and the DM co-operatively create a story, fighting monsters, looting dungeons and occasionally, rolling low enough to fail catastrophically and hilariously.

Dungeons & Dragons has a few generic creatures seen across other fantasy worlds including spiders, goblins, elves and dwarves but it’s also home to some specific monsters that are represented in the set. These include the Beholder with its many eyes that emit different rays of magic, or antimagic, the Owlbear crossing two animals – you can probably guess which ones – and a Displacer Beast with its six legs and tentacles on the back that can project illusions.

There are more specific references in the set but rest assured that they’re all authentic to D&D. 21348 Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon’s Tale doesn’t appear to be intended to be an accessory for the game itself unless you’re running a specific adventure, but a love letter to the game itself inspired by the original LEGO Ideas entry.

As for why we’re getting 21348 Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon’s Tale in the first place, it’s a combination of the LEGO Group continuing their partnership with Hasbro, which has also seen LEGO Transformers and DUPLO Peppa Pig, with a LEGO Ideas challenge held in 2022.

The LEGO Ideas challenge invited fans to submit models based on Dungeons & Dragons for the 50th anniversary of the game this year. This was then sorted down to five finalists and the crowd vote chose Dragon’s Keep by BoltBuilds as the winner. This then inspired the upcoming 21348 Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon’s Tale which is being released in 2024 for the 50th anniversary of D&D.

LEGO Ideas 21348 Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon’s Tale launches on April 1 for LEGO Insiders or on April 4 widely for £314.99 / $359.99 / €359.99.

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