By: Sarah Beausejour
By: Philippe-Antoine Ménard
VIBRANT’s Blueprint for Immersive Experiences
VIBRANT Studios goal is to empower meaningful connections between brands and people. This philosophy has driven the creation of immersive experiences like DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: The Immersive Quest, where cutting-edge technology, compelling narratives and various artistic mediums converge.
Launched on December 4, 2024, this first Dungeons & Dragons touring immersive experience awed visitors from the get-go. The objective behind this experience was to bring the very essence of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS (D&D) to life in a way that’s never been done before. Every aspect was carefully crafted for authenticity to immerse both seasoned fans and newcomers alike in the D&D’s world.
Eighteen months after the first draft, our intentions not only became reality, the show also found its audience.
Special thanks to Culturespaces Studio as well as Tintinimaginatio for allowing us the opportunity to adapt their highly successful experience to the North American market.
The Foundation: Intentions and Emotions
Every VIBRANT Studios project begins with a fundamental question: How can we create something unforgettable? The answer lies in identifying the core creative intentions and desired emotional responses that will drive the entire experience.
For DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: The Immersive Quest, key experiential pillars included:
• The Power Fantasy: Giving participants the feeling of becoming powerful adventurers.
• Exploration: Encouraging discovery and interaction within a rich, detailed environment.
• Wonder: Evoking a sense of awe and amazement.
• Fantastic Hero’s Journey: Immersing participants in a classic adventure narrative.
These pillars are designed to elicit specific emotions:
• Fun: Ensuring an enjoyable and playful experience.
• Exaltation: Creating a sense of triumph and accomplishment.
• Trepidation: Adding an element of excitement and anticipation.
Building the World: From High-Level Vision to Granular Detail
VIBRANT Studios employs a structured framework to ensure that every element of the experience aligns with the foundational intentions and emotions. This involves a detailed breakdown of each area, ensuring that the high-level vision permeates every aspect of our narrative designs.
#1 Lobby
The experience’s point of entry and exit where participants buy or validate tickets, get RFID bracelets, and engage in photo ops with the room’s themed content. This is where we welcome and orient participants, set the stage for the adventure, and provide essential information.
• Intentions: Serve to entice participants and prime them for the immersive experience ahead.
• Emotions: Fascination, amusement, and excitement.
• How it comes to life
-Onboarding Panels: Explaining the D&D universe and the role of adventurers.
-Life-sized Cutouts: Playful interactions with iconic D&D characters.
#2. The Destiny Stones
A mystical place in between worlds where participants decide what kinds of adventurers they wish to become.
• Intentions: Immerse participants in the heroic fantasy and contribute to participants projecting themselves into the role of powerful adventurers.
• Emotions: Awe, excitement, and anticipation.
• How it comes to life:
– Dungeon Master: An actor who welcomes and theatrically walks participants through adventuring archetype selection.
– Books of Destiny: Interactive scanning stations where participants choose their archetype and difficulty level.
– Voice Over and Music: A narrator, accompanied by an immersive soundtrack of heroic music, describes each adventuring archetype in detail.
– Set design: Featuring striking, large-scale illustrations of powerful figures in action, each demonstrating their unique abilities and power. An empty costume is positioned for guests to step into and project themselves as these characters. Selecting a character triggers a lighting effect, and when everyone is ready, a grand door dramatically opens with lights and smoke, accompanied by an epic musical crescendo, revealing the fantastic world beyond.
#3. The Yawning Portal
A legendary tavern where storied characters come to life. It presents a vibrant fantasy world and engages participants in immersive theatre where drama unfolds, and the quest is given.
• Intentions: The Yawning Portal seeks to move participants emotionally and create a strong sense of concern to help and go on the quest together.
• Emotions: Warmth, joy, humor, sense of community, and a strong desire to help.
• How it comes to life:
– Themed Environment: A lively tavern setting with detailed props and set design.
– Storied Characters: Actors playing the roles of a wizard, rogue, and druid, who interact with the new adventurers and provide context for their quest.
– Magical Portal: An awe-inspiring portal that opens into the tavern’s goblin head fireplace, leading to adventures untold into the depths of the dragon’s dungeon.
– Immersive Video Design: Bay windows display scenes of city life and a dragon attack, enhancing immersion.
#4.The Dungeon
A tenebrous area filled with iconic creatures and challenges that create a sense of adventure, encouraging exploration and interaction.
• Intentions: Designed to have the adventurers live an authentic Dungeons & Dragons experience, while each adventuring archetype gets a unique opportunity to obtain a key power to help defeat the dragon in its lair.
• Emotions: Surprise, pride, and excitement.
• How it comes to life:
– Interactive Stations: 11 surprising and engaging encounters offer challenges, playful interactions and contemplative exploration of iconic creatures, each designed to provide different feedback based on the chosen archetype. Every station awards variable amounts of experience points (XPs) based on activation and performance.
• Harpers’ Agents and the Bard: Actors who guide participants, interact and provide side quests.
#5. The Dragon’s Lair
An epic confrontation against a dragon of legend where excitement meets a sense of urgency as the dragon makes threats and sweeping attacks.
• Intentions: To unite participants in an epic battle against one of the most powerful dragons of the Dungeons & Dragons worlds, creating tension and excitement.
• Emotions: Trepidation, adrenaline, joy of teamwork.
• How it comes to life:
– The Dragon Fight: A thrilling and interactive battle sequence on a 12’ screen where participants use combat moves to defeat the dragon.
#6. The Waterdeep Market
A celebratory fantasy marketplace whose various elements contribute to a shared sense of victory and accomplishment.
• Intentions: To celebrate the adventurers’ victory, offer refreshments and merchandise, and provide a space for sharing stories.
• Emotions: Joy, relief, and camaraderie.
• How it comes to life:
– Merchant: They cheer the adventurers triumphant return and show them the trapped, grumbling Dragon as it breathes out smouldering smoke. They reveal the character progress, roll the famous D&D Dice for a surprise and award collectible cards.
– Themed Food and Beverages: D&D-inspired snacks and drinks.
– Photo Opportunities: Props such as a dragon’s head to capture lasting memories.
The Creative Touch
Each creative decision is not only taken with our foundational intentions and emotions, but our team also pours their creative instincts, humour, and joy into crafting every experience down to the smallest element. This is evident in the numerous details, such as archetype-specific phrases spoken by the dungeon’s Talking Dead, the quirky interactions with the iconic Owlbear, and the themed names of the food and beverages in the Waterdeep Market.
VIBRANT Studios cherishes every aspect of creation at all levels. From the initial vision to the final execution, the focus remains on crafting immersive experiences that forge genuine connections between brands and audiences. By blending creative intentions with emotional resonance, VIBRANT Studios transforms ordinary spaces into unforgettable worlds, leaving a lasting impression on all who dare to enter.
Stick around! More creative passion projects will see the light of day in 2025!
Elevate your brand with immersive experiences. VIBRANT Studios delivers captivating narratives and innovative technology to drive engagement and revenue.
Contact us at contact@vibrantstudios.events to learn more.