When it comes to the art of role-playing games,Dungeons and Dragonsis the undisputed king of the castle. Compared to any other RPG on the map, theimmersion that comes with playing D&Dis unmatched. The popularity of this RPG has manifested in spin-off media like movies and comic books. That being said, no modern D&D-branded comic has truly left an impression on readers enough to leave a footprint on the industry.
However, comic book readers looking to whet their appetite forDungeons and Dragonsneed to look no further thanDieby Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans, and Clayton Cowles.Dieis a 20-issue series that ran from 2018 to 2021 and was published through Image Comics. Not only is the comic book an award-winning success, but it manifested its own role-playing game.
Dark Horse Comics will be expandingthe D&D franchise in 2025, but while fans wait, they have every reason to giveDiea read. In fact,Diehas plenty to offer toplayers new to D&Dand the RPG medium.
What the Dungeons and Dragons-Like Comic Book SeriesDieis About
The Perfect Comic for RPG Fans
Before diving into the series,Dungeons and Dragonsfans should know what they are getting into first.Diefollows a group of six friends - Dominic, his sister Angela, Solomon, Isabelle, Chuck, and Matthew - and begins in 1991, featuring narration from Dominic Ash on the night of his and Solomon’s 16th birthday. They all meet at Solomon’s house to celebrate, but Sol wants to make this birthday a special one.
Sol tells the group of"RPG elitists"that he has invented a fantasy game for them all to play, one in which he will be the master. After everyone chooses their character roles, they roll Sol’s special 20-sided die (not “dice,” as frequently pointed out) and suddenly, they disappear. When they return two years later,they"can’t say"where they’ve been, why Angela’s missing an arm, or why Sol is the only one still gone. 25 years later, in the present, the group struggles to adjust to life as fully-grown adults or to talk about what they endured wherever they disappeared to.
I’ve Played D&D Every Week For 4 Years - Here’s What I’ve Learned
What started out as a way to hang out with friends during the COVID lockdowns quickly turned into a regular weekly meet-up playing D&D.
While Angela and Ash celebrate his 43rd birthday over drinks, a mysterious package without a sender’s name is given to Ash. When he opens it, inside is a bloody 20-sided die, the same one that claimed his and his friends' childhoods. The surviving five friends all meet up to agree on what to do with it and what it means, but suddenly,the glowing die levitates and transports them back to the same fantasy realmthey were taken to 27 years ago, all wearing the garb as the character roles they chose.
How Accurate IsDieas a Fantasy RPG?
Embodies the Spirit of Dungeons and Dragons
They also learn that Sol is alive, and has become the land’s Grandmaster, refusing to let them leave again until they finish the game. To learn what happens next, readers need to pick up the comic series, butthe first thing worth praising about the series is the accuracy of the game. The comic series is fully aware of the impact ofDungeons and Dragons, as Sol even sells his game to his friends as"not some piece of D&D off-the-shelf s*** in a box"before they start playing.
Dieplays out like a love letter to Dungeons and Dragons, and RPGs alike, seeking to reward readers who play.
The series knows thatDungeons and Dragonsis at the forefront of anyone’s mind when they think of RPGs. Rather than be deterred from such expectations, Gillen and Hans embrace it by embodying the spirit ofDungeons and Dragonsthrough this series.Diecommits to trying to be as accurate as possible to how RPGs work, right down to the roles chosen for each cast member - the Dictator, the Grief Knight, Neo, Godbinder, and the Fool.Dieplays out like a love letter to Dungeons and Dragons and RPGs alike, seeking to reward readers who play.
For anyone who has never played the game ofDungeons and Dragonsor any sort of role-playing game, the story fills the reader in on anything they may need to know to understand the complexities of the game and its mechanisms. For anyone who has played D&D and is an avid RPG fan, they are bound to understand the intricacies that the series offers both in the fantasy realm and the real world, making the experience all the more rewarding. Not only isDiethe perfect introduction for new gamers to dive into D&Dbut also for the game that spun out of the comic series.
IsDie: The RPGWorth Playing forD&DFans?
Something for Experts and Newbies
The publisher Rowan, Rook and Deckard launched a Kickstarter campaign fora tabletop RPG version ofDie,made in collaboration with its creators.First launched in 2021 and canceled due to high production costs and shipment sales, it was re-launched in 2022, at which point it successfully met its goal. Both the series and the game have been praised as award-winning game-changers in the fantasy genre. While the comic won the British Fantasy Award for Best Comic / Graphic Novel two years in a row and was a three-time Hugo Award finalist, the game won Best Role-Playing Game Core Product at the Origin Awards.
Gary Gygax’s Comic Inspirations for D&D Explain the Franchise’s Dark Side
The legendary Appendix N explains the origins of Dungeons & Dragons, but Gary Gygax’s comic book influences also point to the franchise’s dark roots.
The game takes an admittedly meta approach to its gaming. The metatextual features come from the character roles being teenagers who fall into a fantasy RPG, pulling its storytelling elements straight fromDie’scomic book narrative. Like in the series, each player is a Paragon and even the Gamemaster is a character. Adapting an actual role-playing game based on the series issomething that Gillen envisioned from the start,and thus he worked on creating the game as he was writing the comics. Given the simultaneous success of both the comic series and the game, Gillen’s ambitious concept has paid off in dividends.
It’s admirable to see how both mediums have connected with both expert and novice audiences. Both as a comic and a high-concept game,Dieis a stunning achievement for fans of fantasy, RPGs, and most importantly,Dungeons and Dragons.For outsiders looking in, the concept of what is essentiallyItmeetsJumanjishould be a selling point, but the effective Gothic art style of Hans and the gripping storytelling of Gillen should hook anyone wanting more. Both the game itself and the originalDiecomic are perfect entryways for anyone remotely interested inDungeons and Dragons.
