Line #8 Film/OfDiceAndMen


1	[[quoteright:338:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/of_dice_and_men_350.jpg]]
2	A 2014 independent {{dramedy}} film produced by Cavegirl Productions, based on the 2011 play of the same title by Cameron [=McNary=]. Set in 2006, it concerns a group of thirtyish TabletopRPG gamers reacting to the announcement that one of them has enlisted in the Marines and is [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror going to Iraq]].
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4	The characters:
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6	* '''John Francis,''' the DungeonMaster and narrator.
7	* '''John Alex,''' his best friend since childhood. His PlayerCharacter is a 12th-level rogue named Spango Garnetkiller XVII (or Spango Garnetkiller XXII in the play).[[note]]Spango's movie introduction speech was modified to remove the reference to several Spangos who died in the TabletopGame/TombOfHorrors, as the movie did not have permission to mention copyrighted ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' material.[[/note]]
8	* '''Jason,''' who has been gaming with John Francis and John Alex since high school. He plays a [[ThePaladin paladin]] named Kester the Younger.
9	* '''Tara,''' who has played with the group for a few years. She plays a half-elf wizard[[note]]though she also describes her character as a sorceress[[/note]] named Alaya[[note]]--actually, the name's much longer than that, but you probably don't want to get into that right now[[/note]].
10	* '''Linda,''' who hosts the game at her and Brandon's house. She plays a dwarf [[CombatMedic cleric]] named Durak [=McMackMack=].
11	* '''Brandon,''' Linda's husband, who plays mostly as a social activity. His character is a [[BarbarianHero barbarian]] named Throg.
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13	Jason's announcement that he has enlisted throws the group into turmoil. John Alex picks a fight with Jason because he [[CannotSpitItOut can't express his concern any other way,]] and John Francis starts to question the point of gaming at all. They only have [[OneLastJob one last game session]] before Jason's deployment to heal the rift in the group.
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15	----
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17	!!''Of Dice and Men'' provides examples of the following tropes:
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19	* AmbiguousEnding: [[spoiler:Whether Jason is killed in Iraq is left uncertain, as he is still there when the story ends.]]
20	* ArcWords: "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now I see through a glass, darkly" (1 Corinthians 13:11-12). They reflect John Francis' dilemma about whether gaming is worth doing as an adult, or just childish play that should be forgotten when you grow up.
21	* ArtifactOfDoom: The ''Libris Mortis'' or Book of All Souls, which will cause, as Tara puts it, "massive, world-ending zombie badness" if not destroyed.
22	* AshesToCrashes: Brandon's story of how he threw the vase containing his grandmother's ashes at the wall when he was upset over a football game.
23	* AwesomeMcCoolname: "Spango Garnetkiller" was this to John Alex at the age of eight.
24	* {{Backstory}}: Alaya has loads of it, which she will be happy to reel off at the drop of a hat. The backstory contains its own set of tropes, including BloodOath, CainAndAbel, CircusBrat, DeathByOriginStory, DoorstopBaby, FirstLove, KidsAreCruel, MuggleFosterParents, ParentalAbandonment, and RoyalBlood.
25	* BasementDweller: Subverted. John Francis lives in his mom's basement, but he doesn't have any of the social problems normally associated with the trope, and he's about to move out in order to take a job offer in another town.
26	* BerserkButton: Jason is sensitive about being called stupid. It's implied that he dropped out of college.
27	* TheBerserker: Throg, during the final combat [[spoiler:as a result of seeing Durak get killed by the dragon.]]
28	* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:The group breaks up due to so many people leaving town, but they all remain on good terms. John Francis and Tara finally get together, and he decides gaming is worthwhile as an adult.]]
29	* BreakingTheFourthWall: All the PlayerCharacters introduce themselves directly to the audience, and John Francis serves as the narrator.
30	* CombatMedic: Durak, who has a warhammer and an arsenal of offensive spells in addition to healing abilities.
31	* DeepImmersionGaming: The characters introduce themselves to the audience as if they existed separately from their players, although they are portrayed by the same actors. During the final game sequence, the lines blur a bit, as the characters sometimes speak lines within the game world that are obviously being said by the players at the game table.
32	** The stage show also places the final game sequence midway between the game world and the real world. The actors wear the costumes of the players rather than the characters, but they carry the characters' weapons. The dialogue freely switches in and out of character.
33	* DoubleEntendre: Durak's introduction speech is full of them.
34	* {{Flashback}}: Much of the story is told this way.
35	* {{Foreshadowing}}: The dragon figure used in the final game session can be seen on John Francis' shelf in the first scene.
36	* FreezeFrameBonus: John Alex's drawings of the previous Spango Garnetkillers.
37	* FunetikAksent: Durak's "truly ludicrous Scottish accent" is spelled out phonetically in the stage script, and presumably in the screenplay as well.
38	-->'''Durak:''' It also allooz me the privilege of calling doon specTACKular divoine blessin’s upon moiself an’ moi compatriots, which primarily involves resoiting spoine-chillin’ theological incuntEEtions in this knee-wobblingly resOOnding bahritone which ye hear...
39	* GlassCannon: Alaya.
40	* GodwinsLaw: John Alex's rant about how Second Edition ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' got rid of demons and devils ends with him comparing Pat Robertson to Hitler looking for ''lebensraum.''
41	* GrapplingWithGrapplingRules: Averted. When asked to make a grapple check, John Alex just rolls and no one complains.
42	* HappyDance: John Alex does one when he rolls a CriticalHit.
43	* HeroicLineage: All of the Spangos.
44	* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Spango gives up his life for Kester, as John Alex's way of apologizing to Jason and expressing his concern.]]
45	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: John Alex.
46	* MomentKiller: Tara and John Francis almost have a moment just before the game, until John Alex barges in on it.
47	* NoSocialSkills: John Alex.
48	* OneSteveLimit: Averted. John Francis even mentions that he and John Alex have the same last name, though he doesn't say what it is.
49	* OverlyLongName: Alaya's full name has twenty-seven parts.
50	* ThePaladin: Kester.
51	* PardonMyKlingon: Alaya says some rude things in Elvish.
52	-->'''John Francis:''' Just because it’s a made-up language doesn’t mean I didn’t understand you.
53	* RepetitiveName: Durak [=McMackMack=] (son of Clendak [=McMackMack,=] son of Gorak [=McMackMack=], son of Gak [=McMack=], son of Mack the Mack).
54	* ShipperOnDeck: Linda, for Tara and John Francis.
55	* SirSwearsalot: John Alex. His swearing is not only profane but creative, sometimes managing to be filthy without using any of the classic four-letter words. It is also a lifelong habit, evidenced by the fact that his eight-year-old self uses words like "cowsucking" and "dumbsuckers."
56	* SkewedPriorities: In a {{Flashback}}, John Francis and Jason are angry at Edward for cheating on Tara because he broke her heart. John Alex is angry at Edward for cheating on Tara because now they have to decide which one to kick out of the gaming group. And he's genuinely conflicted about which one to keep: on the one hand, Edward is a complete {{Jerkass}}, but on the other hand, "he gives really good roleplay."
57	* SquishyWizard: Alaya. When Tara asks why she keeps dying so much, John Francis replies, "You're the party's wizard. It's kind of your job."
58	* TakeThat: Done in-universe to Edward, Tara's ex-boyfriend; John Francis [[WrittenInAbsence arranges for his character to exit the game]] in the most painful and humiliating way imaginable.
59	* TeamMom: Linda.
60	* TheyKilledKennyAgain: Alaya dies constantly. Justified in that she's a character in a roleplaying game where DeathIsCheap.
61	* TrueArtIsBoring: Mentioned in-universe by John Alex when John Francis is deciding which books to take along on his move.
62	-->'''John Alex:''' Nobody actually reads ''Literature/WutheringHeights.'' Except English majors. And even they don't enjoy it.
63	* {{UST}}: John Francis and Tara.
64	* UnrequitedLoveSwitcheroo: John Francis and Tara ... repeatedly. They are both interested in each other, but every few months, just as one of them is getting up the courage to make a LoveConfession, the other will announce excitedly that he/she has just met someone ''great...''
65	* WeHelpTheHelpless: Kester's stated philosophy; presumably the rest of the group is in on it as well.
66	* WrittenInAbsence: In-universe, John Francis creates one for Edward's character when Edward is kicked out of the group.

Context Film / OfDiceAndMen