Lego Group recently unveiled the LEGO Ideas Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon’s Tale set, a fan-designed brick representation of the table-top game.
This is the first time Lego has developed a Dungeons & Dragons set and to do so, the company turned to its fans to create the design, via a challenge on the its Ideas platform.
Based on a brief co-developed by the Wizards of the Coast team, over 600 fans submitted Dungeons & Dragons inspired designs, the winner being 32-year-old Lucas Bolt (known as BoltBuilds) from Amsterdam who created his version of the game in Lego bricks. Bolt then worked with Lego’s design team to develop the unique setting represented in the final set. In addition, the Wizards of the Coast team developed a bespoke adventure for the set.
“The Dungeons & Dragons theme combined with my love of history, fantasy and making games, inspired me to create a playable layout with different challenges and routes to explore. I had so much fun designing this piece, and it is a real privilege seeing my design developed into a detailed Lego set to celebrate 50 years of the iconic game,” said Bolt.
“Lucas’ design perfectly captured the storytelling excitement of any Dungeons & Dragons game. Working with the Wizards of the Coast team, we were able to build on his design to co-create a truly authentic Dungeons & Dragons experience full of details that will excite fans through the building process and beyond,” said Lego design manager Jordan Scott.
“Lego bricks and Dungeons & Dragons have been used by fans to generate stories and build adventures for so long that bringing these two creative brands together during our 50th Anniversary felt like a no-brainer,” said Dungeons & Dragons and RPGs global play lead Dan Rawson. “With the amazing Lego Ideas set designed by Lucas Bolt, the adventure package available on D&D Beyond, and the Lego Minifigure series coming this fall, fans will have so many new sparks of imagination available to enjoy creating fantasy stories together with friends and family.”
The 3,745-piece set is detailed, featuring a tavern with a removable roof, so you can see inside to the upper level. The set also features a dungeon and a tower. Also included are six Lego minifigures – Orc Rogue, Gnome Fighter, Elf Wizard and Dwarf Cleric, plus brick-built monsters, such as a beholder, an owlbear and a displacer beast. Also featured is the giant Cinderhowl red dragon that builders can wrap around the tower.
Lego also turned to its fan community on the Ideas platform, giving them a chance to design the cover of the set’s building instructions. The winning design by Chris Yu features an epic battle using techniques to create depth in the image while showcasing good against evil centred around the iconic 20-sided die that’s set to determine the outcome. Yu’s design was a celebration of the game’s core values of collaboration, creativity, and adventure.
In celebration of the new set, the LEGO Group invited well-known Dungeons & Dragons players to LEGO House for an epic game night. Anjali Bhimani took the chair as the Dungeon Master and was joined by Luis Carazo and Ginny Di, as well as fan designer Lucas and LEGO designer Jordan Scott, who all participated in an epic adventure on a very special custom-made LEGO Dungeons & Dragons table. Recorded live, fans can now watch all the action when the game premieres on their official website and the Dungeons & Dragons YouTube and Twitch channels on 6 April at 09:00 PDT / 12:00 EDT / 17:00 BST / 18:00 CEST / 00:00 CST.
Fans can also get a specially created Dungeons & Dragons adventure book, created in partnership by Wizards of the Coast and the LEGO Group, to offer a completely new and unique play experience. Available for LEGO Insiders as a free digital download, or as a paperback book for 2,700 Insider points (whilst stocks last). The book is also available at D&D Beyond along with character sheets, a digital dice and more.
The LEGO Ideas DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: Red Dragon’s Tale set is available for LEGO insiders from 1 April 2024 via LEGO Stores and LEGO website and for all from 4 April 2024 priced at $359.99 / €359.99 / £314.99. In addition, between 1-7 April all purchases of the LEGO Ideas Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon’s Tale set will receive a LEGO Dungeons & Dragons Mimic Dice Box as a free gift.
The Dungeons & Dragons adventure book will also be available from 1 April at LEGO website and D&D Beyond (along with character sheets, a digital dice and more). The LEGO Dungeons & Dragons Minifigure series will launch in September 2024.