The Forgotten Realms are the perfect setting for any fantasy epic, with or without a D&D campaign, but players have to admit the standard setting for weekly dungeon-delving does get a little old hat after a while. Fortunately, the game allows for homebrewed campaigns to expand beyond the typical swords and sorcery settings.
For those looking to expand their adventures, the realm of film offers quite the extensive collection for inspiration. Have a look at these ten films before planning the next quest.
10 Excalibur (1981)
Excalibur is an extremely highly-romanticized retelling of the legend of King Arthur. Picture every stereotypical LARPer lampooned in various sitcoms given a better costume budget. Merlin and Mordred alone could model for '80s glam rock albums if they were able. Every frame is like something out of a Dragonlance novel, especially with the film's representation of Merlin. Why not go all the way with the game's fantasy elements? Live and fight like a king.
9 Alice in Wonderland (1955)
An odd choice on the list to be sure, but consider the following. Alice in Wonderland features a protagonist exploring a strange fantasy world, encountering different creatures, temperamental royalty, and various other encounters that would be perfectly at home in a tabletop adventure.
Since the realms of D&D take place in a multiverse, who's to say a Wonderland-inspired world wouldn't exist? It's certainly not that mad of an idea.
8 Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
While on the subject of other worlds, Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire has two elements going for it that would be absolutely stellar for an adventure-focused campaign. If the 1900s America is taken out of the picture, the film presents a steampunk-fantasy hybrid with more than enough elements to go around. With enchanted talismans, sunken civilizations, mechanical monsters, and a race of ancient people, it has all the makings of a traditional fantasy setting.
7 Onward (2019)
Moving from Disney to Pixar, Onward definitely has to go on the list, not just due to the brilliant and comical use of fantasy cliches to create a unique world of both magic and modern comforts.
Would a modernized dungeon raid be that hard to create? After all, who said magic spells and technological aids couldn't be used in the exploration of an ancient tomb or while slaying a massive dragon
6 Princess Mononoke (1997)
A great many tabletop fantasy games use western mythologies and fairytales for their inspiration, but why not take a page from the great Hayao Miyazaki and use some of the mystical elements from the East? Princess Mononoke is considered an anime masterpiece with its use of ancient spirits, historical Japanese elements, and provocative narrative. Why not send a party of adventurers into a similar environment and have an enlightening encounter?
5 Conan the Barbarian (1982)
The argument can certainly be made that many elements of the game already take a few things from old Conan, but the swords and sorcery epic definitely had a more God of War motif going for it than the normal high-fantasy as seen in normal campaigns.
Although a proper campaign inspired by the barbarian's movies or books would be less exploration and more mutilation, the action would be undeniably potent.
4 Lord of the Rings (1978)
Everyone and their hobbit will make comparisons to the world of D&D and the world of Middle Earth, namely the award-winning series of epic films by Peter Jackson. But it's the version by prolific animator Ralph Bakshi that fills many a player's heads with thoughts of elves, wizards, and the battle of good and evil. This adaptation of Tolkiens classic novel is an unfiltered fantasy perfect for a late-night session with a party of companions.
3 Labyrinth (1986)
What kind of magic spell to use? Goblin Kings, magical ruins, hideous creatures, and legions of traps, twists, turns, and magic spells, this certainly sounds like a typical D&D adventure. Throw on an album of David Bowie's greatest hits and that's pretty much the entirety of the film.
Pitting a team of adventurers against the glittering glory of Jareth the Goblin King would be worth its weight in gold, all it would take would be a little imagination.
2 The Dark Crystal
The Dark Crystal needs its own D&D campaign, enough said. With such an extensive collection of races, lore, and magic, a film, a Netflix series, and a comic book series couldn't contain it all. So, why not use its vast wealth of material to create its own roleplaying game? The union of the two worlds would be a marriage made in Thra, with more than enough environments, spells, and monsters to manipulate.
1 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
The only fantasy series to be considered on par with Tolkien's Lord of the Rings saga, this charming and endearing series by C.S. Lewis has everything one would need for a fantasy adventure and more. The land of Narnia has its elves, its dwarves, and its wizards, but it also has fauns, naiads, dryads, and a god-like lion to tie it all together. It's a wonder it hasn't gotten its own RPG in the decades the books and adaptations have been around.
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