Universal Studios' Fan Fest Night unleashes incredibly large dungeons and dragon dolls

Starting this Friday, Dungeons & Dragons fans will be able to experience the realm of Tabletop RPGs in new ways, along with Universal Studios Hollywood Fan Fest Nights. Fandom Celebrations will showcase new participatory entertainment at a post-dark theme park event that will give guests the opportunity to experience their own D&D adventures. Think of a Halloween horror night. But it's fantasy spin and scared. Join a group walkthrough in a scaled version of Dungeon & Dragon: Among the secrets of one piece, Star Trek, and other immersive experiences inspired by Back to the Future. On a recent behind-the-scenes tour of the media, IO9 witnessed the construction of fantasy forests and ruins within Waterdeep, along with Stephen Siercks, director of entertainment productions at Universal Studios Hollywood. The D&D Experience has a popular share of nerd talent on camera and interactive RPGs that are loaned to online campaigns with live employment shows like dungeon masters who have a wealth of costumes and props. However, this official collaboration between Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast aims to go on a different route. Here, the Pulse Group meets by joining the Heroic Spy Network, defeating the legendary watcher Zanasar and joining Harpers in one of the quests to save the city of Water Deep while incorporating elements of the gameplay. Participants can be identified by class designation. “We want to have experience in the role of the dice,” Siercks reveals, “We've added a twist on those plots and added how it works in that we can roll the next 20 and establish the final moments in this space. The last moment he's referring to is the final act plot twist that happens when he meets the big bad Zanatal the Beer of the Quest. And trust us, it's so great to see up close. “And this is a doll that is a very impressive creature and a great collaboration with the Henson Creature Shop. We previously were able to work together. This was a great collaboration between the Hollywood Entertainment Team at Universal Studios, the Coast Wizard, the Hasbro Team and the Jim Henson Creature Company. When fully lit, we were able to see firsthand the level of artistry the Henson Creature Shop put into the monster. © Universal Studios Hollywood. The iconic D&D antagonist sits on a pile of gold and is a towering giant. We are thinking about the final form of Audrey II in Little Shop of Horror or Horror Night Fan, Alien vs. Predator House alien Queen. “So you can see both Zanasar and his goldfish, Silgar, and more, and there's the fight afterwards,” Siaks said. “We've worked with Henson on several different occasions, so this is definitely one of those things that's been on top.” It's so cool that it brings not only pre-programmed animatronics but also an immersive game feel with the puppeteer performing. It adds to the film's magic of being in an event, a clearly universal studio. “Zanasar has mouth movements, eye movements and it's completely lit, so it's very impressive to work with them. There's something that obscure your vision here, so our focus all goes in that direction and goes to that moment of surprise. “We do an amazing job of setting up a moment when we can first introduce Zanasar (to our guests) as the person we want to see in the end. And the level of authentic details doesn't end for D&D fans. “The Easter eggs, characters, plot twists, story points actually speak to those fans and they get it much more from the experience,” Siercks said, “You can create that fan-first experience in the fantasy genre. What we knew we wanted to do with the guests too.” Universal Studios Fan Fest Night begins this Friday at Universal Studios Hollywood and will host Select Night until May 18th. Click here for more information on tickets and prices. Want more IO9 news? Check out everything you need to know about the latest Marvel, Star Wars, Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe in movies and TV, and the future of Doctor Who.