Dungeons & Dragons is one of the pillars of the games industry, in the sense that so many games and entertainment experiences take inspiration from it. Tabletop role-playing games in general are a major building block for video games, but D&D in particular inspired many elements and general feeling that we take for granted in modern RPGs.
In modern days, D&D has become even more prominent in and of itself thanks to the rise of Actual Play series on streaming services (such as Critical Role and Dimension 20) and major releases such as the incredibly popular Baldur’s Gate 3 and, naturally, the Dungeons & Dragons movie.
Recently Vibrant Studio opened a new location for its live experience, called Dungeons & Dragons: The Immersive Quest. It originally launched in Toronto, where it saw over 30,000 attendees. Last month, it opened a new location in Dallas, Texas. I don’t live in Toronto, but I do live in Texas, so I was able to attend The Immersive Quest twice and play through the experience.
Eric Brouillet, president of Vibrant, said in a statement, “Our goal with this experience is to bring the magic of Dungeons & Dragons to life like never before. Every element has been thoughtfully designed for authenticity, immersing both longtime fans and first-timers into the rich and dynamic world of D&D. This is an epic adventure for the whole family.”
Traversing a dungeon, battling a dragon
One thing to mention upfront: I love playing Dungeons & Dragons even outside of this experience. So when the organizers of The Immersive Quest reached out and invited me to partake, I decided to go twice — because I was not going to miss a chance to live out some of the events I’ve played out in tabletop form. I went once to a press event, then once again later on an ordinary evening with my husband and two friends.
The experience does somewhat strip down the D&D experience, if only for the sake of feasibility. There are only four classes, rather than a dozen: Fighter, Rogue, Wizard and Druid. This mirrors the classic lineup of a four-person squad with complementary talents (which, fun fact, was actually based on the characters in The Golden Girls). But each class has its own experience in the actual dungeon.
The dungeon itself features a number of activities, including outsmarting a Beholder, running over a collapsing bridge, and petting an owlbear. There’s a framing story with an in-person dungeon master, NPCs and helpful hint-givers. Some of the activities are easier for some classes than others — the Druid, for example, can speak with the Owlbear to pass its test, whereas the others have to interpret its growls.
Players can also customize their experience with difficulty settings, depending on how easy they wish the experience to be. The experience culminates in a battle against a red dragon, using the boons the player got if they completed all of the puzzles and, should they be triumphant, they get to tally up their experience points to determine what level they finish at. They then complete the experience back in a tavern/gift shop, where they’re applauded for their bravery.
A mighty welcoming dungeon
As a D&D player, the adventure was a delight, especially with friends and several dozen other people around. My initial visit was during a time when few other people were present and, while fun, I discovered running around a dungeon as a Rogue with just your Fighter husband present is kind of lonely. Having others around helped share in the laughs.
The actors were also very much into their roles, leaning into the dramatics of the dungeon master, the stoic helpfulness of the Harpers and the chaos of the Other Party who contracts out dragon-slaying to the players. Their congeniality seems like it would have been very helpful for anyone who didn’t know anything about D&D going into the experience. They were also very attentive to one of my friends, who was playing for her birthday, singling her out for special attention.
The only downsides to the experience were largely down to practical limitations. The dungeon itself had an open ceiling, exposing the steel rafters of the space. It probably would have been prohibitively difficult/expensive to throw a “roof” over the whole space, but it still broke the immersion anytime I looked up.
The final battle against the dragon was also a bit rough, as it involves a lot of arm flailing, and there’s no in-universe tutorial (a Harper had to demonstrate to us). I don’t begrudge the simplicity of the “combat,” as it has to be easy enough for even the children to do, but the sensors intended to capture our gestures sometimes failed to do so.
But other than those small points, it was a fun experience, and a faithful translation of D&D fun and madness to Material Plane. It was also an example of how gaming mechanics can work for live entertainment experience and bring in those who don’t have any existing familiarity with the source material.