My thanks to the community: a new free Dungeons and Dragons build
Posted by A_Brickset_user,
Hello! Lucas from @bolt.builds here, fan designer of 21348 Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon's Tale.
Having a design on LEGO Ideas being chosen out of many fantastic submissions back in 2022 was definitely an honour. Then, witnessing the process of its design at LEGO and seeing it out in the stores and people’s hands was also truly special.
Since the beginning, I’ve been thinking of giving something back to all the people who enjoyed and supported the set by voting or buying it. So, I hereby present to you Dungeon & Dragons: A Parallel Saga: instructions for an unofficial alternative model that can be downloaded from Rebrickable and built using only parts in 21348 A Red Dragons Tale.
Alternative models have always been a huge passion for me, I have a few listed on Rebrickable, but making this one free is my way to give thanks to you!
Many secrets and play features are hiding in this large keep on top of the dramatic rock formation. First of all, the rock with spiral staircases actually doubles as the shell of a giant Hermit crab! He has made his lair into the large cave underneath the keep to defend his treasure, but can also be detached from the rock to become a shell-less crab.
I had to design the cave around this feature and was super excited when it worked, because nothing gives it away if you don’t expect it!
Multiple ways will get you inside the castle, but the tower itself has a layout that lends itself well to a linear progression of challenges from room to room, fit for another D&D campaign.
Inside you’ll find a dining room, small armoury and a botanical shrine with a stained-glass window that can be shattered to escape or enter the keep. Up above are the living quarters with a bookshelf, laboratory, and a bed/trap-door that can eject you from the tower if you’re not careful!
New stories need new creatures, so while the dragon became a hermit crab, the beholder became a Couatl (celestial snake-bird), and the egg has hatched into a baby red dragon. Then there is a large chest mimic who is hiding among other crates in the storage room, an evil Flameskull and his gang of regular skeletons..
It can be built as a stand-alone set using only the parts from 21348 Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon's Tale, but also fits seamlessly next to that set, if you know someone that has the same set. The dungeons will seamlessly connect and so does the green courtyard.
The new model is made of 3311 pieces and the Red Dragon from the original has to be disassembled as well. The remaining parts like cloth wings and curved slopes were tricky to integrate in a pretty way so I preferred leaving them out.
Please check out the free instructions on Rebrickable, and I would love for this gift to reach as many fans as possible, so sharing the link or video below would be much appreciated!
21348 Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon's Tale is unfortunately retiring very soon, and I do wish I had finished this sooner, but hopefully you can still buy one wherever you are located.
Thank you again and happy adventuring!
Lucas Bolt
169 likes
35 comments on this article
What a lovely idea and a lovely gift! It was great seeing the model in person at the last Skærbæk, such a well thought out alt-build.
I like that. I've grown tired of BLDP ("Pay me for the privilege of buying my wonky MOC!") and Ideas ("The bot-army supported submissions for sets based on [singer I relentlessly stalk]/[painfully boring sitcom I relentlessly quote] will continue until morale improves"), but this is something else.
This is a designer who has already proven themselves capable of making a good build, without weird and borderline harmful techniques. Yeah man, I'll build your MOC, and I will thank you for it.
Wow. Awesome.
This is one of my favorite sets, maybe even nr 1. Great excuse to buy a second copy.
Thank you for designing this, and providing the free instructions!
Thank you. What a great gift you’ve given this community!
Fantasatic work, many thanks for that.
You might even have convinced me to get my hands on a second set (my wallet certainly doesn't thank you for that, though xD)
I have the set - although unbuilt as of now.
Praise for the thought, praise for the model itself, it's also very nice.
I was already regretting not having space for *one* copy of 21348, and now I have to regret not have space for two? At least I have the complete CMF series. Very nice MOC, though.
Just commenting to say this is awesome, thank you!
Absolutely incredible! You are truly a master at this stuff, this is amazing. I love the way you’ve managed to make the new tower look so distinct despite the similar aesthetics, especially in the way that it’s not as ruined as the base set. Thank you so much for the original idea, and for this!
Thanks, Lucas. Truly fantastic.
This is absolutely fantastic! I bought this set on release day even though I'm not a D&D fan. Unfortunately I don't really have the space for it so I never got around to building it and just resold it this week, but now I'm kind of regretting that decision. The rebuild alone is a fantastic idea and the model looks beautiful, but the way it seamlessly connects to the original makes it even cooler. Great job!!
A really nice gift, thank you! It's very tempting to pick up a 2nd copy to create the double set that you've made possible, although what I think would be even cooler is just to try an entirely new adventure with your alt build, especially if you've developed something along those lines in your head already. So if you decide to try your hand at creating a new one-shot campaign for it (or even just an outline) and posting it with the build on Rebrickable, I would gobble that up!
A really nice thing to do! And it looks great too!
This is seriously awesome. The giant hermit crab is so creative!
I just wish I could afford the set, or have space for it. But I'm still holding out hope that I might one day.
It's a really good set from what I've seen :D
Absolutely incredible! You are truly a master at this stuff, this is ama….oh, wait, already said.
I’ve really been struggling with this one on my Wish list. You are making it so hard to pass up! :o)
@yellowcastle: Not to distract from the discussion of the MOC, but why do you have a staff member's comment box now?
@TheOtherMike said:
" @yellowcastle : Not to distract from the discussion of the MOC, but why do you have a staff member's comment box now?"
I noticed the green text. I just thought he was feeling a bit under the weather, and that it would resolve on its own.
Thank you very much. I am not a Fan of Dungeons and Dragons. But I very much appreciate what a great Gift you have given our Community ! Many Thanks again and Greetings from Switzerland.
@TheOtherMike said:
" @yellowcastle: Not to distract from the discussion of the MOC, but why do you have a staff member's comment box now?"
“News Editor”, so apparently he needs to start cranking out articles or risk getting fired.
Spectacular job on both models, and thank you for the free instructions!
I just bought this set today from a friend, and was already planning to dismantle it so I could build it myself. Now I'm not sure which one I want to build! I must say I like the idea of combining it with someone else's set, as I love how they look together, but certainly don't have room or funds to buy another myself.
I would definitely be looking at getting a second copy to build this if it hadn’t already sold out in Australia, great build!
This set is out of my budget, but I love it so much it ticks all the boxes of a great set for me. And now this alt build that looks as polished as the original. Chapeau bas for the Master Builder!
That Couatl is excellent! I've been working on my own but at a slightly larger scale; I love the ingenuity of this one using parts from the Beholder.
Seen the alternate version at a convention and was looking forward to the building instructions. Recently got a second copy for this awesome set. Thanks for the instructions.
This design looks amazing. After I build it, I'm not sure which will be a stronger temptation for keeping the model intact: the wonderful design or the prospect of rebuilding 21348 on "hard mode" (with all the pieces mixed up).
A brilliant idea, Lucas. Very well done, and thank you. I’m admiring your work.
Thank you Lucas! I thought the set was a bit overpriced and I always missed out when it was on sale. But now that it is officially a 2-in-1 set, I rushed out to pick one up at full price (which I rarely do) while it was still in stock at my local store. Will likely try to piece together the required parts for another copy separately...
Good one. Cheers :O)
It’s a great alt build, but also such a lovely gesture. Well done on both!
@TheOtherMike said:
" @yellowcastle: Not to distract from the discussion of the MOC, but why do you have a staff member's comment box now?"
So the comments will match the castle, obviously!
¡Pero está a punto de descatalogarse!
What an ingenious marketing strategy.
Great idea! I don't have set but I appreciate kindness. Set looks great as stand alone and pairing with original.
Thanks @Huw and Brickset, since not everyone follow rebrickable news.
It makes me want to buy another one. Not sure I should thank you ahah.