Baldur’s Gate 3 is overshadowing the rest of Dungeons & Dragons
The announcement of an HBO series based on the hit game Baldur’s Gate 3 left me excited and perplexed. As a massive fan of Dungeons & Dragons and the Forgotten Realms, I can’t wait to see that world come to life, but did it need to be a Baldur’s Gate 3 show? With over 400 hours of playtime under my belt, I have nothing against the game, but its well-earned popularity feels like it’s starting to overshadow D&D’s vast mythos.
The trend is visible across products. Wizards of the Coast’s Roll for Initiative Secret Lair includes Shadowheart and Gale alongside Astarion’s Thirst and Karlach’s Rage, so four of seven origin characters from the game now have a Secret Lair. Recent Forgotten Realms releases lean on BG3 as well: the game’s characters appear on the cover of Heroes of Faerûn, Karlach is mentioned several times, and there’s Astarion’s Book of Hungers exploring Baldur’s Gate through the game’s vampire.
Presenting the HBO series as a sequel complicates matters.