Honor Among Thieves Trailer Reveals A Big D&D Character Problem

Dungeons & Dragons is beloved for its variety of interesting player races, but Honor Among Thieves' main cast appear to be sadly lacking in that area.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is set to feature many references to the famed tabletop game; however, the movie is rather lacking when it comes to the D&D races of its main characters. D&D is often praised for its diversity of gameplay, as it allows one to imagine themselves as whatever they wish. While the film will depict as many things from the game as possible, like Dungeons & Dragons character classes, monsters, moral alignments, and certain magic/ability mechanics, a major aspect of the game isn’t present, especially with the main cast.

Contrary to how it sounds, race in the D&D world does not necessarily apply to one’s skin color, but refers to a playable mythical/fantastical creature type. There are many fascinating humanoid beings that players can choose from, whether it be a run-of-the-mill Lord Of The Rings race like Humans, Elves, and Dwarves, or more exotic and stranger races like Aarakocra (bird-folk), Loxodons (elephant-folk), or automatons called Warforged. Similar to Dungeons & Dragons classes, each race has specific traits that make them all unique from each other, giving players a new gaming experience with every new character they create. This level of variety is the reason why Dungeons & Dragons as a whole works so incredibly well.

While Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is set in a D&D universe and thus adheres to the fact that such races do exist within the film’s continuity, none of that is apparent from the main cast. From what is seen in the film’s trailer, the main cast is strictly Human (or perhaps Elf/Half-Elf). The only person out of the entire cast that does happen to be one of an exotic race is Sophia Lillis’ character, Doric, who is a human/demon hybrid creature called a Tiefling, as denoted by the horns sprouting from her head and the pointed tail protruding from her back. Even then, Doric is portrayed as human-like as possible, whereas most Tiefling in official D&D books and game guides have skin in shades of purple, blue, and red.

Why D&D: Honor Among Thieves Only Has Human & Elf Characters

This somewhat calls into question the authenticity of the Dungeons & Dragons movie experience that Honor Among Thieves is supposed to depict. Races, much like classes and other mechanics, are a crucial part of what makes D&D so popular. Without the extra races’ presence (and, in turn, its further representation of modern diversity), it seems to make the entire film a little less special. Be that as it may, though, there is a sound reason as to why the makers of the film decided to go in this direction. While the movie is indeed intended to attract an audience of D&D players, this film is not solely for their enjoyment alone. Most franchise-starter movies nowadays do their best to attract all kinds of people, not just the fanbase of the original source material.

By taking a broader audience into account, while they are doing their best to include enough magic and monsters to please the Dungeons & Dragons community, it seems fairly reasonable that the makers of the film would do their best not to overwhelm or confuse the non-D&D-fans with too much imagery from the game. That is why the main cast of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is so limited when it comes to their races. With the exception of Sophia Lillis’ Doric, they are all fantasy races that the average moviegoer would recognize, with Doric herself being the movie’s muted hat tip to the true enthusiasts in the room. This creative decision is truly is a prime example of inclusive filmmaking, as it shows that one does not have to be a fan to enjoy the movie. Much like player characters in Dungeons & Dragons, this movie is for all kinds.