Meet the Director of This Dungeon

Welcome to the Director's Dungeon podcast, where we pull back the curtain on the making of the upcoming documentary, Roll For Togetherness, formerly 50 Years of Fantasy. Hosted by Katie, this podcast takes you on a behind-the-scenes journey with the film’s director (and her husband), Chris Moreland. Together, they explore the creative process, the challenges of filmmaking, and the joyful community that has grown around Dungeons & Dragons over the past five decades.

In this episode, we discuss:

•The origins of the 50 Years of Fantasy documentary

•The joy of connecting with creators, fans, and innovators across the world

•How D&D’s mechanics and ethos have influenced modern gaming and pop culture

•The responsibility of authentically telling this story

Join us as we share stories from nearly 60,000 miles of travel, including visits to iconic locations like Lake Geneva, Wisconsin (the birthplace of D&D), Lucas Oil Stadium during GenCon, and even a 600-year-old castle in Northern England. Whether you’re a lifelong tabletop gamer or simply curious about the cultural phenomenon of D&D, you’ll gain a deeper appreciation for the people, art, and imagination behind this enduring legacy.

Want more exclusive content? Subscribe to our Patreon for full interviews, raw footage, and a peek into our post-production process. Whether you’re in the Insider Tier ($5/month) or Director’s Tier ($10/month), you’ll enjoy a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes insights.

Explore more about the film at www.50YearsOfFantasy.com and stay connected for updates. Join us in celebrating half a century of storytelling, creativity, and connection. 

Support the film at: https://www.50yearsoffantasy.com/fantasy-fund

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Produced by: Build Something Media

Transcript

Get somebody somewhere at some point Tell you there's no point It's better to keep it inside

(...)

Who made you think that you can't cry? I wanna see the real you Don't you wanna see them too?

(...)

You don't have to drink the Kool-Aid, baby It's cool, it's cool, it's cool You don't have to drink the Kool-Aid, baby It's cool,

Welcome to the 50 Years of Fantasy podcast. I'm your host Katie.(...) Today I'm interviewing my husband, Chris, who is also the director of this movie, who is also the director of the movie, 50 Years of Fantasy. So I've got some like documentary creation questions to ask you.

(...)

So we'll just get to it. Well, let's start with where is this going to go to?(...) This is to our Patreon.(...) So it'll go in our

Insider tier, which is $5 a month, where we're going to put full interviews, kind of raw video, behind the scenes,(...) anything like that. And then we also have a Director's tier, which is $10 a month, where you can get kind of post-production processes and stuff. So like you can see how Chris is coming up with the music. You can see how he edits things, like how do you sync up audio and video when you get it

in raw,(...) all those kinds of things. We've had a lot of questions and people want to know like how do you make a documentary? How do you make a film? So we wanted to give a tier that gives insight into that.(...) And that's what she did. She did

that. And I just said, here's some pictures. Here's some videos.

(...)

Help me out. And so she set up a Patreon. She's the person who's posting out of social media for us. And so I'm just grateful that she's excited about this project as much as, as, as excited about this project as I am, so much so that she's given some of her time away from everything else that she already does in her life that I'm so grateful for. So yeah, you got questions for me. I hear you have questions for me. Yes, I have questions.

(...)

What

inspired you to take on this documentary project? Well, I had a friend and he introduced me to this game and started going to, he went to a convention and interviewed some people, got invited. We got involved and now we've traveled almost 60,000 miles, gone to a different country, traveled all the way across the United States to Seattle. We've gone to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, Savannah, Georgia, Columbus, Ohio.

(...)

Going down to Jackson, Georgia this week to where Stranger Things is, is filmed. I went to London, England. We've gone to the, to Northern England, up to Newcastle and spent time in a 600 year old castle with folks at D&D in a castle. And so the inspiration that for the film itself now that I'm starting to see the story unfold really is that it's a joyful story. It's a story that enables people to connect with each other.

(...)

And it was because it was born from necessity. It was some people who loved storytelling so much and they needed an audience for it.

(...)

And they found one so much so that it's now somewhere

between 70 and 80 million people who play a version of Dungeons and Dragons or TTRPGs worldwide, which is incredible.(...) That's awesome.

(...)

Can you walk us through

the initial brainstorming and like storyboarding process?

(...)

So there isn't much initially. Initially you just kind of set out and you start asking questions and try to find, try to find a thread.

(...)

And once you find kind of a thread and the thread in this movie has been the people, you know, it's my, it's my game. It's my story. It's my campaign. It's the thing that I've been doing with my friends for 20 years. And so it really morphs from being Dungeons and Dragons to, to, to being your own game. And so finding that thread and the joy that people find in creating this world that belongs to them, that was the kind of thing that we realized. We're like, oh, Dungeons and Dragons isn't necessarily the game. It's the, it's the way that it's the thing that you call it. Right? Like your game is not the same as the game that Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson created, not even close in a lot of ways. And so the, the, the common thread and the, and the storyboarding that we, that we get from that is, okay, now that we've established that Dungeons and Dragons isn't, isn't an

entity that can be contained by any single like organization corporation brand or whatever. It's this idea that we can create stories and sit around the fire and tell them to each other and be part of it and add to it as independent members.(...) And Dungeons and Dragons is just the inspiration for that more than it is anything. And so, yeah, you know, going and looking at, at Gary and Dave, they didn't, they didn't, they didn't mean for this to happen.(...) Right? And so like a lot of the, a lot of, a lot of the notoriety that they gained because of this thing that was entirely beautifully accidental. Right?

(...)

It wasn't necessarily for them. It was for, for the idea that they created. They said, this is incredible. Come see it. And people came and saw it. They're like, it is incredible. And, you know, and then they, and then Gary was just the biggest cheerleader of anybody for this thing because he's like, this is amazing. I get to tell these stories and create these worlds that didn't exist before we started doing this. And he just said, come on, let's do this. And so now,

again, it's 80 million people. That's pretty incredible. That is incredible.

(...)

And so, and it's like people are all making their own stories and their own versions.

(...)

Yeah. Just like you. Yeah. And then, you know, like, so that's kind of,(...) you know, you're saying like so many people kind of take a base, which is Dungeons and Dragons,

and then they create something new or learn something about themselves or their characters. There's an evolution of what's happened. And so do you feel like that has also been a thread through your experience filming and meeting people as well, like as you've been exposed to the community? Sure. I think I was given a very monocular

view initially of what D&D was and what it could be and what people thought of it. And I think what we uncovered really fast

was that, no, people are born into different generations and they see the world through a slightly different lens. And as a result, they're going to want a game that fits that focal point, right? And so the 70s is dramatically different than right now. Right. We didn't have cell phones. We didn't have computers. People didn't grow up playing video games. You know, people grew up maybe watching TV. TV was still early then, right? And so you had a couple of channels and a handful of television shows. And if that wasn't your thing and you enjoyed fantasy, you turned to the novels. You turned to art. And that's exactly what Gary and Dave and these folks did, is they turned to that(...) to a different medium than was even popular in the 70s. Right. And so now that that that medium, the medium that they created has morphed into the mainstream and more mainstream formats have taken notice and put it in. I mean, we're making a movie about it. Right.

(...)

So I think that as the world shifts, so does the way that we tell those same stories. Right. And so Dungeons and Dragons is going to be different every single generation from table to table because I mean, we're not we didn't grow up the same way. The people are different. The people are different. They're going to be different. Bingo. And so, you know, naturally, the way that the people who come into the new organizations to Wizards of the Coast that has wrote, yes, there is a corporate and monetary incentive.(...) But I think that the people that they hire are people who are going to be able to speak most clearly to the next generation of people who are going to play Dungeons and Dragons. And whether we like it or not, like the numbers don't lie. Like there are a lot of there are a lot more people now that have been playing it in the past 10, 20 years because of the cultural phenomenon surrounding it.(...) And that was a business play from from Hasbro, from Wizards of the Coast to improve the effectiveness of selling the product. And it worked. 80 million people.

(...)

You can't you can't look at that and say that that's not impressive.

(...)

And, you know, but it rapidly expanded. You're talking about 50 years, something that started with with a wargaming convention with a couple of hundred people to now Gen Con,(...) you know, 60, 70,000 people show up to play board games on a over four days on a weekend in Indianapolis.

(...)

It's it's grown because it's a good idea and it will continue to grow because it's a good idea.

(...)

So, yeah, I but I think that it does have to shift because so does so does the world and so do the people in it.

(...)

Awesome.

(...)

Yeah, I think that kind of my my my next question had been how did you decide which aspect of the subject matter to focus

on in the film? And so I think you just kind of answered that in a little way. Do you want to expand on it? So so I the

the subject matter, I think, is about giving giving a little bit of respect and honor to to where it started and where it's where it's been and where it's going

(...)

because it's it's not it's not linear. I mean, there's so many different things that exist in the world now that that are like Dungeons and Dragons, but not necessarily called it.(...) But if you were the easiest way to explain it is Dungeons and Dragons. It's like calling a soda a coke.

Right. It's just the easiest thing to say. And it's the thing that people are

familiar with and they know what you mean when you say it.

(...)

And so.

(...)

You know, I'm not I think that I think that everybody deserves the respect that they're due. You know, I think Gary, Gary and Dave are owed the debt of gratitude for bringing this idea into the world.(...) I mean, a lot of people love this. It's a lot of people's favorite pastime. People spend lots of money and they go to work and they go on vacations because they enjoy this stuff.

(...)

And so.

(...)

I think it's really important to remember that this idea didn't have to exist. And the reason that it exists is because there were a couple of friends who were hanging out and came up and said, you know, what would be a great idea?

(...)

And then they and then they did something with it and, you know, started

in in a tiny little basement in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.(...) And now you can go anywhere in the world almost. And there it is. Yeah, it's pretty cool. And it's not just and it's not just a and it's it's been an inspiration. I think a lot of folks don't realize how much of an inspiration it is on the mainstream that you see now. I said stranger things, but it's like it's not just stranger things. Like you look at games like Diablo, you look at games like World of Warcraft, some of the artists that worked at TSR with Gary making Dungeons and Dragons also are responsible for some of the concept art that went into making some of the most famous games that people play all around the world right now. And so, you know, even these young people who are just now starting to play these games who are falling in love with these games that are very modern right now, they owe a debt of gratitude even to Gary Gygax and to some of the artists who worked with him to create Dungeons

and Dragons. Yeah, so it's kind of the game mechanics, right? Like the game mechanics are what you're seeing in these like Dungeons and Dragons, original game mechanics. It's not just the game mechanics. I mean, so that yes, you're seeing game mechanics introduced in things like Diablo and World of Warcraft. Those things are very, very seriously based, like, like not loosely based on game mechanics from from Dungeons and Dragons. Yes. Like the even chance, like the likelihood of a creature dropping like very

high quality loot or a lot of gold. Like those are probability like that that were written into some of the games that Gary and Dave created, like, and then were expanded upon and like made better throughout the years or worse, depending on who you

who you are and how you look at it, right? And how fast your character died. Right. You know, it's so it's so

like a lot of those game mechanics, but not just that. I mean, you look at figures like Braum. Braum work has worked on Diablo and World of Warcraft and he worked with Blizzard. And so a lot of those games that are enjoyed right now that are the most some of the most popular games in the world, the art that you saw in the Dark Sun campaign for, you know, as who from TSR, the guy who is responsible for that work is also responsible for a lot of the work that you see in some of these other video games. And that's incredible. You don't realize that. Like I didn't realize that because that was like I played Diablo Diablo 2 and all that stuff growing up. And it's just like this is so cool. I

love the art like it's right.(...) And to now have gone and been in Savannah, I hear that he watched

this silly thing that I had to perform in. That's kind of a neat feeling to know that someone of that caliber is just in the room. Right. And

had such a big impact without

like you didn't know this one person or these group of people are impacting all these little experiences that you've had in your life. And you had no idea. So like your hope maybe for the film is kind of connect those points just to let people know where it began and how how they're not maybe they're not a tabletop gamer. But that's okay because your life is touched by D&D history, significance, mechanisms, other things, pop culture,(...) whether you realize it or not. Yes. 100 percent you are. And I think that's that's it. When you start following the history down to the root,(...) I mean, it's incredible because all I mean, who was it?

(...)

I think it was Newton who said if I were to see further, it was because I stood on the shoulders of giants.(...) I mean, if you followed all the way down, I mean, you're going back to Jack Vance, you're going back to Tolkien, you're going back to all of these inspirations that helped them see the fantasy side of it applied to the war gaming side of this hobby they enjoyed of like simulating historical battles. They're like, well, what if this was elves?

(...)

They're like, what if it was elves, you know? Yeah. And what if it wasn't battle formations that we are already aware of? What if it was unique? What if we could cast invisibility shields or shoot fireballs? How would these armies think differently strategically?

(...)

You know, it's like suddenly you've introduced all of these dynamics and these new questions that you can ask out of curiosity. And now you get to build up this world around

what if that did happen. Right. And that's so cool. Or how else do you get to do that? Yeah, that's cool. So kind of building on the like what, you know, you don't know what's going to happen next and and things like that. You know, what challenges have you faced during the filming process and like how did you overcome them? Like, was there anything that person you were really nervous about or arrangements that got really hard or shots that were difficult or just, you know, any any challenges that you could speak about that you had no idea new challenges roll for one. You know, my

my my issue is that I always feel like I'm not doing enough. And so, you know, we have these opportunities to travel all around the world. And so I feel like if we're not using every moment of that opportunity to get as much quality out of it as we possibly can,(...) then it's going to be a hard time to make a really good movie. And so that part, for me, scaling it back and being in trying to be more personable when there's this really stressful piece that's like, I have to make this this movie look really great because I look at this as a huge responsibility to this community of people. You know, I look at it as a huge responsibility to the Guy Gacks family. I look at it as a huge responsibility to the artisan family and everyone who worked TSR and who has made art for Dungeons and Dragons and who loves this game. It is a big responsibility to take this seriously, but also to represent it with joy, because that is the thing that it gives gives out all the people who are involved in this.

It's such a joyful thing when you speak to people about it. And I think you'll see that when you start seeing some of the interviews in the film,(...) like that. Oh, man. Hi. It's like the it's like talking to someone about their favorite thing. It's it's I mean, I'm getting chills right now thinking about them because we had so many of those happen.

But yeah.(...) So I guess your challenge is like how authentic and genuine can you really represent these people the way they feel honestly about the game, how it impacts their lives. It's just that not not burden, but like heavy responsibility, like the challenge that. Well, it's a heavy responsibility. And then, you know, I'm a I'm a stickler for for not for for perfection, but knowing when when you have to go fast and you can and when you can slow down. And for me, when when you're working with when you have a limited amount of time to get everything that you need to get, that part can be stressful.(...) And and that's when I feel like it's go time, like give me all the caffeine, like the adrenaline is pumping like I'm this is the best thing that I could possibly be doing ever. But also, if I'm not doing it while I have that opportunity to be doing it, I've got a lot of anxious energy. And so that part can be really hard for me. What about challenges with like post production?

Because like I assume when you're out, you know, traveling, meeting people, talking to people, there's like and you're saying people are so joyful and energized. That energizes you to want to keep going. But if you're in like the post production, you're just sometimes alone in a room, staring at your computer, watching videos of these people that you had a really fun time with before.

(...)

I'm going to be real. No, it's pretty great because I'm sitting there on the edge of my seat. I know what's going to be said, but I'm sitting there on the edge of my seat and I and I catch myself sometimes listening to someone over and over be happy about a specific thing that I know I'm going to use. And I'm like, keep going back and forth. I'm like, where's the cut going to happen? And I'm there. I'm like leaned into it. I'm like smiling. I can feel myself smiling because I can feel the joy that they from that moment that they had. And I'm like, this is this is this is being used.

And so that part like that part is not how big or small do I make this? Like, I like you are like, I want to include all of this, but that won't work. OK, right. Yeah, I've got like 65, 70 minutes. Right. I don't want to I don't want to go go too long on this. But but yeah, no, like I do. I sit on the edge of my seat sometimes listening to some of the things that people are saying, because it's like it's interesting. Number one, it's interesting. You get to sit in front of someone who has created something so big that if you say three words out loud, they know what it is.

(...)

Right.(...) Most things you can't say that about. Right. Right. And that person is sitting in front of me and telling me this story.(...) That's incredible. Number one. Number two, like I'm a fan. Like it's I'm I get to a lot of this stuff. I'm not even being interested introduced into their art until I meet them. And I'm just like, this is like I get to be blown away for the first time and they get to see an authentic reaction from me about their about the thing that they do. And let me tell you, as someone who is an artist,(...) there's no better feeling than that first reaction that you get from someone who experiences your thing for the first time. That's the best reaction, you know, because they haven't had time to think about it. It's just pure emotion. Right. And that's the best.(...) So, oh,

awesome. This kind of leads into my next my next question, which was what has been the most rewarding part of working on this so far. And it sounds a lot like the people like I mean, it always

it's always people. People are always the best part if you listen to what they're saying.(...) You know, I so I get to I get to sit down and because I will listen to what someone is saying to me and I'll shut my mouth, even though this podcast doesn't seem like it, I'm sure. But I do. I'll sit and I'll listen with intent to understand what's being said so I can ask good questions and inform people because I think what I think everyone has a story to tell. And I think especially with the end being the kind of thing it is you're playing with other people and the stories have consequence for them, too,(...) that every person who has a D&D campaign, who has a D&D story, that their story is just as important as anyone else's, because it's your table. It's your world. You get to live there. And if anyone tells you that their world is more important to help them because it's not true. And so, yeah, that's that's been the most rewarding part is that I get to see people experiencing some of the most joyful moments of their life and then tell me about it.

(...)

That's that's pretty killer.

Oh, yeah. Wonderful. Well, those are all of my questions right now about the creative process. We'll cover more topics in other podcasts and other videos. So I'm excited to dive deeper into like behind the scenes stuff.

(...)

We should do an entire we can do an entire episode about

about England. We could do. I mean, there's all sorts of things. I'm sure if you want to talk to anybody specifically, I could give him a call and he'd probably be willing to do a video call where you could interview him.

(...)

So, yeah, we'll we'll we'll make some things happen for your five years. If you want to see podcasts. Yes. Well, you know, let's close out with release date.

(...)

We're looking at September twenty twenty five. The official release we plan on doing after a screening at Gen Con,(...) which is Gen Con's the beginning of August. OK, so a lot of work to get

done.(...) Yes, I think we'll get it done. Yeah. Wonderful. Thank you for being on the podcast.

(...)

Bye.(...)

You don't have to drink the Kool-Aid, baby It's cool, it's cool, it's cool(...) You don't have to drink the Kool-Aid, baby It's cool, it's cool, it's cool Let's get up Get somebody somewhere at some point Tell you there's no point It's better to keep it inside

(...)

Who made you think that you can't cry? I wanna see the real you Don't you wanna see them too?

(...)

You don't have to drink the Kool-Aid, baby It's cool, it's cool, it's cool You don't have to drink the Kool-Aid, baby It's cool, it's cool, it's cool Let's get up Ooh, aren't you tired of playing the part Of having a start all over with new friends Cause your old ones have started to understand And now you're kicking everybody out again

(...)

You don't have to drink the Kool-Aid, baby It's cool, it's cool, it's cool to care You don't have to drink the Kool-Aid, baby It's cool, I'm cooler, cooler, cooler, cooler We care

(...)

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