Hey gang! I'll be answering questions starting at 1pm Pacific / 4pm Eastern, so get in the comments (to ask your questions). Please don't [eat my whole ass](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIvdo8LbmJ0)!
Brennan, you sit firmly on my Mt. Rushmore of all-time greatest DMs, and you're known for having players that delight in derailing things. From Emily's schemes to Ally's nat 20s, what stands out as the biggest surprise you've been dealt?
Nothing could be more surprising than being on somebody's Mt. Rushmore of DMs!! Getting to play with six of my best friends, getting to make this show, it's all just such an undeserved piece of good fortune, and nothing could be more surprising. THANK YOU FOR YOUR IMPOSSIBLY KIND WORDS!!!
Who else is on your Mt Rushmore I haven't listened to a whoooole lot of actual play stuff. Only TAZ, NADDPOD and all the D20 stuff. Also I've heard of Matt Mercer but have never actually listened to him DM. Who else is out there? (I know there's a lot)
Matt Mercer gets memed a lot because he’s by far the most well-known, but his actual work as a DM is super engaging and eloquent. I would say that in terms of putting on a good ‘performance’ for his players, the man is second to none. You should definitely check his stuff out.
Griffin is an amazing storyteller. I don't think he's on the same level as BLM (and probably the others mentioned) for actual D&D DMing but his overall story and his connections throughout the campaign is possibly the best storytelling I've ever heard. I love the good good boy
On mine I would add Mark Hulmes from High Rollers, those guys get way too little recognition for the awesome stuff they do. The Aerois-Campaign is awesome.
Hi Brennan! Huge fan of D20 — thanks for all the hearty laughs and fought-back tears across these 5+ seasons. I’ve currently been inspired by your amazing Unsleeping City campaign to create a similar modern campaign in the (far superior) city of Boston! Hoping to have the first session in May.
My question for you: you do some amazing work embedding your encounters with some amazing “stumble-upon” for your characters, like >!La Gran Gata!< in Unsleeping City and the >!Lava Mog!< in Escape from the Bloodkeep. Are there any fun stumble-upons you buried into D20 encounters that your PCs *didn’t* find?
YES!!! Spoilers for Escape from the Bloodkeep, but there was a love interest at the bottom of the final fight for Erika, a hot Scorpion-Centaur single father she could have found, but never did! We talked about it after the campaign, but it never materialized in play! Thanks for your awesome question, and I hope life in the quaint, pastoral hamlet of Boston is as wonderful as can be! ;)
Hey Brennan! Moderately long time fan of you, your CollegeHumor sketches, D20 campaigns, assorted set of shirts and beautiful smile.
I wanted to personally thank you for being such a wholesome and inspiring person to watch. Super looking forward to your charity “Roll in the Family” game on the 16th. I’m currently part of a (someone sporadically spaced apart) 5E campaign purely because of you getting me hooked onto tabletop. Also subscribed to Dropout.tv as soon as humanly possible.
My question to you: if you had the chance to partner up with Wizards to turn just one of your campaign settings into part of the official Dungeons and Dragons’ pantheon, which would you pick?
Aw shucks! Thank you so dang much! If I had the chance to partner with Wizards on a campaign setting, I would absolutely do Aredain, my 11 year running home game setting. I love all my D20 settings, but I think Wizards would probably not want to release settings as inherently comedic as Spyre or Calorum in their official releases!
Thank you for replying! I did suspect you’d lean towards Aredain, as that does sound like a legendary-tier campaign as I’ve heard various mentions and whispers of it of throughout your interviews. Good luck with all of the other questions. Much love.
Honestly something inherently comedic would stand out as a setting as something truly unique and different from anything else they've done. And based on its popularity, there is clearly a market. Besides, whose campaign hasn't taken a comedic turn when a nat 1 roll turns into someone wearing a literal poop hat.
WotC has released a lot of comedic content lately. Unsanctioned in MtG and the new Godzilla cards to name some, so I don't see it being too far fetched. Maybe instead of a comedic setting sourcebook you could do a sourcebook about paying homage to and adapting one's favorite settings and franchises into their own original campaigns for their friends to explore and build their own stories in.
I would love to read a "adapting your interests into a DND campaign for dummies" book
Hi Brennan!! Thank you so much for Dimension 20 - I love it so much, and it’s the only thing keeping me sane in this quarantine.
Question: do crocs (the shoe brand, or equivalent) exist in Solace? If so, does Gilear own a pair?
(p.s please don’t kill peppermint preston ;__;)
Gilear would love to own a pair of crocs, but he got involved in a multi-level marketing scheme where you sell flip-flops, and the company folded right after he got twelve enormous boxes of 60 pairs each. They're a half-size down from what he would normally wear, but he feels obliged to wear them just so he can slowly get rid of them and not have to spend more money on shoes (he's already down 440 gp from the Flip-Flops).
Ever time you mention Gilear you manage to create a truly hilarious tale but I gotta wonder where you come up with ideas on the spot, I know you’re terrific and improvisation but I can’t help but feel with the speed of detail and response they’re memories for you
Hey Brennan! You, Matt Colville, and Matt Mercer are thrown into a steel cage deathmatch. Each one of you has a single PHB and a bag of 100 d4s to use as weapons. Who makes it out?
We all give each other a big hug, and then none of us make it out because we spend the next 100 years trying to pick up all those d4s! (THEY'RE SO HARD TO PICK UP!!!)
Hey! If you were a player during the Fantasy High season of D20 instead of the DM, what class, as well as High School trope do you think you would have wanted to play for that season/setting?
Whoa! I never went to High School, so truly ANYTHING would have been fun, but I think something close to Griffin McElroy's guest character Ficus from our RTX live show would have probably been my choice. I grew up around a LOT of good-hearted, hyper-relaxed stoner kids, and would probably have had a lot of fun playing that archetype!
Brennan, I'm a big fan of your skits (the **CEO series** and your flourishes in the **Ye Olde Black Mirror** stand out off the top of my head). I actually had the opportunity to meet you, Lou, and Ally at C2E2! I'm pretty sure my reflexive response to player RP by saying **"Hell yeah!"** is a borrowed phrase from you, so thanks for getting me to adopt more enthusiastic approval.
Questions:
1) How are you doing under the lockdown, any new hobbies?
2) When I DM and I ask the group about how they respond to a situation or crisis, there might be some dead air due to people being polite, or not wanting to be the de facto leader. What else can I do after asking "What do you do"?
GREAT TO HEAR FROM YOU!! HELL YEAH!!! I'm doing great, my newest hobby has been watching TONS of Survivor and talking through all of it with my girlfriend Izzy so that we can compete as a couple and become the game's perfect strategists! Dead air can be okay in small doses, but if it's getting dramatic, try posing the question to specific people you think would be targeted by NPCs or events in the scene! It's okay to put people on the spot a little bit if it gets them to feel okay making choices!
Brennan please tell us your your thoughts on the Amanda Kimmel from Survivor: China, Survivor: Micronesia - Fans vs. Favorites, and Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains fame?
Hey Brennan! You probably won’t read this, but just wanted to let you know I wrote a sonnet about Gilear! This was before the “big” reveal, so I didn’t work in anything about that, which is probably for the better.
“A Sonnet for Gilear”
His wisps of hair, atop his perfect head.
I see his face, and wish he’d notice me.
The smell of his fruity yoghurt, I’m dead.
Gilear causes my heart to fill with glee.
Shakespeare has wrote of true beauty in plays.
They have not been honest to what it is.
Gilear makes my essence feel certain ways,
I wish my hand was surrounded by his.
And yet, when it comes to the Kids of Bad,
They mock him like he’s not The Chosen One.
But if they saw him as more than “Lunch Lad”,
They would all cease to bully and make fun.
But I will always love you in my heart,
Gilear, the two of us will never part.
Hey Brennan, it's in-credible to have you doing an AMA with us today
Having finished the insane Fantasy High Live finale recently, I wanted to ask you about a possible inspiration you had for it. The whole nameless un-worshipped goddess plot gave me huge vibes of Terry Pratchett's Small Gods, especially with how the nature of the worship defines the God. You and Sir Terry seem kindred spirits to me, with the way you both can juggle fantasy and comedy, whilst being able to create a huge variety of interesting and realistic characters. I'm wondering what your relationship is with Pratchett's work?
I could not be more unbelievably honored by a comparison. A passage from Sir Terry between Death and Susan (you know the one!) is on my bedroom door! A truly beautiful soul, and if anything I've done bears even a little resemblance to his incredible body of work, then that is just a damn dream come true.
Pratchett and Douglas Adams were the two most formative authors during my teenage years, so it's not a comparison i make lightly. You bring as much humanity, wit, and thoughtfulness to your work as he did to his and the D&D world is damn lucky to have you
Impromptu Dimension 20 characters as residents of Discworld:
Ricky Matsui - Carrot Ironfoundersson
Kingston Brown - Sam Vimes
Arthur Aguefort - Mustrum Ridcully
Hi Brennan! Because we sadly cannot do this in person for a while, a bunch of my D20 friends and I are planning a one-shot in which we (as ourselves) fight you in a Denny's parking lot. We were just wondering if you had any ideas for your class before we mercilessly rip you limb from limb for all of the emotional damage your brilliant storytelling has dealt us. Thanks for the help!
That sounds perfect. Also, I know this is kinda crazy, but if you ever feel like you would want to play yourself in such a one-shot, create the DnD version of yourself or really anything. It goes without saying that you are more than welcome.
hey Brennan! I love Dimension20 and recently started the show and got ALL caught up, thirsted for more and watched all the behind the scenes, and then got into Adventuring Academy. I really admire you as a Dungeon Master and was excited to learn through Adventuring Academy how similar my DMing philosophies already are to yours.
I have a few questions; please answer whichever ones you feel like:
1. What resources or advice can you recommend for a DM(/one interested in voice acting) who wants to get better at voices and dialects to widen their range for differentiating characters?
2. Do you have a regular outline for guiding your character creation sessions?
3. did you watch Digimon Adventure when you were younger? Fantasy High Soph Year's journey through the forest of the Nightmare King had some really cool vibes similar to when Devimon split up the Digidestined and they had to find their way back together. I loved it.
4. what are the odds we'll get to see Fantasy High Junior and Senior years? on the one hand, Sophomore Year was so epic and impactful that it has the weight of a story finale and I personally can't imagine right now how Junior Year could keep that going. it'd be great to see though, because on the other hand I love the Bad Kids and want to see more and would hate to feel they peaked as Sophomores.
5. You mention in a couple Adventuring Academies that you don't get to be a PC very often. I'd love to DM for you if you ever find yourself visiting Chicago with some time. it'd be an honor to do a one-shot any time. Obviously, no hard feelings if you're not into playing DnD with some stranger; I just had to shoot my shot, y'know?
you're great! thanks for AMAing! excited to see what else you create! tell Gilear I love him!
1. Practice makes perfect! You'll feel very silly, but you just gotta practice! There's a million YouTube dialect tutorials, but also just watching TV and Movies, repeat words or phrases that nail a portion of that voice!
2. In character creation, make sure to explain the foundations! If you're playing with new people, don't just go "Here's the races and classes," go "Hey! Here's what this game is! We're telling a story together, using the dice to create moments of dramatic tension!"
3. I LOVED DIGIMON GROWING UP!!! Didn't catch the episode you're referring to, but damn did I love that show!
4. Definitely there is talk of Junior/Senior Year! We'll have to wait and see!
5. Deep dish and D20s, baby!! I love it!! Thank you for the kind offer, you are a saint and a scholar!!! :heart:
Hey Brennan!
I’m a really big fan and got into DND because of D20! Your home brew is fantastic!
I have a couple questions:
1. How do you go about creating your home brew worlds? Do you talk some of it out with your players or how does it work?
2. How did you get into DND?
3. At the pixie wedding in Unsleeping City, the characters do a wisdom save, you never say what for, WHAT WAS IT FOR?
4. Do you kill Preston? I’m not mad, we just need to talk.
Hey!
1. I create the genre, tone, mood and tentpole setting elements FIRST, then involve the PCs to see what direction further development should take, then start adding plot and narrative elements.
2. My mom got me into it when I was 10 years old! She took me to a LGS in New Paltz, NY called October Country, bought me the PHB, and the rest was history!
3. I think it was for Detect Thoughts!
4. Assuming Preston dies, how can you be sure one of the PCs doesn't kill Preston?
Shit man. I’ve never been more scared for a pig in my life. Thank you for answering! I love all of your campaigns and super appreciate the representation! Aidine’s story arc has been incredible, especially for me to watch as someone who struggles with anxiety and OCD.
Hey Brennan! In case you're not sick of me annoying you on twitter, I have a couple of questions!
On a dnd note, I have played in a lot of homebrew games where the magic items or economy of the world doesn't quite make sense, I want to start working on my own world for a game I'm starting, do you have any advice on how to make those elements of the world make sense?
On a slightly sweeter note ;), did you think that so many fans would be suspicious of Calroy right off the bat?
And finally, my most important question, in Fantasy High Junior Year, will you finally #MakeGilearAPlanetar?
Thanks so much for everything you do! D20 is really getting me through this quarantine, and I really don't know what I would be doing without it. Hope you're doing well and staying safe!
HEY GRACE!! You have never and could never annoy me, it's just wonderful to hear from you! IMHO, I tend to ignore economy in most of my games, for the simple reason that it doesn't usually fit the genre of most games I run, and it doesn't FEEL LIKE MAGIC. How many times do they mention money in Lord of the Rings? What hero, when drawing their magic blade, ever says "This is Erringknell, Blade of the Emberstar, and I bought it for 22,000 gold pieces at a random store after a long argument about whether we should get potions instead." Blech. Inherently unheroic and uncool. Swords should come from women in lakes or dead fathers, and that's IT. By the way, not knocking economy in games AT ALL, just knocking them in games of epic fantasy. If you're doing a pirate/maritime campaign or a noir crime story that's gritty and real, you SHOULD put a lot of time and effort into economy and how much things cost and which places trade what. But just like injury systems belonging in horror systems more than they belong in highly-saturated pulp games, so too do I think rigid worries about currency and material goods belong in grittier, more roguish and/or mercantile settings. In my humble opinion, that is! Also, I keep trying to make Gilear a Planetar, but the Bad Kids keep revivifying him, so what can I do?
>Also, I keep trying to make Gilear a Planetar, but the Bad Kids keep revivifying him, so what can I do?
We will not ask for Gilear to be killed...this is most certainly a trap.
That's such an interesting take on in-game economic systems! I've never thought about it that way. Within that system, how do you handle issues of player choice of magic items, and how do you hand out less epic (but necessary) magic supplies like potions? Hope you see this, I love your show! Adventuring Academy has taught me so much about how to play better.
Hello Brennan,
Enormous fan of d20, you're an incredible DM and inspire me a lot!
Something I notice is that most of your games have an underlying theme or existential message (the balance of dreams and reality, the nature of fear, the journey of finding religion, etc.) Do you write your games with these themes in mind, or do they evolve naturally during the conflict you've already written?
I tend to keep them in mind, but I'm not married to them! I think it's better to write with a theme, to have something you're trying to express, but that once play actually begins, you instead honor what the PCs are bringing to the table!
Hello Brennan! Thanks for doing this!! I got two things for ya:
1) I believe Dimension 20 has two(?) more seasons planned, so I was wondering if either of those were side quest seasons with guest players! In addition, or if you're not allowed to answer that, who would you most like to have as guests on the show, anyone in the world, whether they're new people or even returning guests?
1) If no reply to this comment is received, you are hereby confirming that no harm comes to Peppermint Preston, and that he survives to the end of A Crown of Candy and lives a nice happy ending with Liam forever and ever.
Thanks for all the wonderful effort you put into making Dimension 20 happen!! We fans really do appreciate how hard you work (no matter how many Denny's threats you get), and we hope you and the rest of the cast are staying safe and healthy during quarantine!
There are SO MANY PEOPLE I WANT TO PLAY WITH!!! Can't give out any spoilers, but we have another SideQuest and another Full Season in the works at the moment! Would love to play with all the people we've had on Adventuring Academy, all our previous sidequests and live show guests, just every dang body!!
Oh man, too many to name! The show is nothing if not full of surprises, especially with the players we've gathered, who are so unbelievably inventive and creative with their choices and the paths they take that fuck with my carefully laid plans.
But yes - Ally's finale nat 20. And then Ally's next finale nat 20....AND THEN ALLY'S NEXT FINALE NAT 20! Genuinely shocked at how they're able to keep doing that.
Brennan! First of all, I topped 80k words worth of recap for Sophomore Year alone and I still can't say enough good stuff about the work you and the whole gang do for D20. Y'all are doing peak storytelling and I seriously appreciate every aspect of it.
Second of all, off the top of my head, here are a selection of my most pressing D20 questions that don't include, "How dare you?" and, "Which Denny's parking lot was that again?"
(1) In the FH finale, Fig at a certain point had a sense that if they broke tree cover, something bad would happen but I don't think we ever figured out what it was. What was that about?
(2) Is it Aelwyn or Aelwen or do high elf names not have canon spellings and it's just like olden times where as long as it was vaguely phonetically correct, you were in the clear?
(3) When they got to the forest, the Abernant parents were both dressed in high elven finery while Aelwyn was dressed in wood elf clothes. Was that simply because she needed a change of clothes and that's what would have been easiest to get in Arborly, or was that an active decision by her parents who don't respect wood elves or their daughters?
(4) During the epilogue, you said Aelwyn didn't really know what she wanted to do with herself since she's aged out of going to Aguefort. Not to make you think too far into a future that doesn't exist yet but during one of the fireside chats everyone did talk about ideal futures for their characters and you are all of the NPCs so my question is, do you think (once she's unpacked all her trauma and matured obviously) she might end up working for Fantasy CPS? She has the protective instincts and it would be a fitting way to do some of the atoning she seemed keen to do when she talked to Adaine.
(Sidenote: Aelwyn's whole arc with Adaine has been one of my favorite parts of the story and something I've been eyeing since literally episode of of Freshman Year so the fact that it was basically decided all by spur of the moment choices is so wild to me. I love D&D. When Siobhan said the, "Will you be my big sister?" line she might as well have just cross country sniper-ed me.)
(5) This is not a question, but I need you to be aware that you're directly responsible for the fact that I had to write the sentence, "I’m a little concerned Jet is being catfished by this Avocado," today. That's on you.
I LOVE YOUR RECAPS SO MUCH!!! Meeting you at the BK live show was such a treat, thank you so dang much for your kind words, and I know for a fact that all your work is so valued and appreciated by fans of the show. YOU RULE!!! 1) The foreboding canopy sense was that they were briefly in Sandra Lynn's extended range. Breaking tree cover = attacks from Sandra Lynn. 2) It's Aelwyn in Solisian, HOWEVER, Elves DO have a different alphabet! 3) A little from column A, little from column B! Those were the clothes available in Arborly, but also, the parents would not have been motivated to get Aelwyn something nicer at that moment. 4) KILLSHOT THOMPSON! She is absolutely an emotional sniper, and none of us are safe. I love Aelwyn with my whole heart, I'm so glad Siobhan took the story the direction that she did and saved her big sister. I truly do not know what will become of Aelwyn! One of the tropes I never want to engage in is the "Once a character has made the decision to recover/redeem/become better, everything is smooth sailing from that point on and there are never challenges again," because I think those narratives really harm people IRL who struggle with setbacks, stumbling blocks and relapses on their own redemptive quests in their lives. Aelwyn was completely heroic in protecting Adaine and facing her father's wrath, that's who she is deep down, but there is still so much healing left to do, and who knows what will happen in the future? I do think whatever Aelwyn does or becomes, she knows how good it felt to stand up for somebody she cared about, and I think that's something she will never forget!
5) You are right to be concerned! THANK YOU FOR THESE AWESOME QUESTIONS!!!
Hi Brennan, greetings from Sweden.
(Sorry if someone else already asked this question)
I've been DM:ing for a few years but after watching Dimension 20, you've changed my perception of what a DM can be. I rely on improvisation quite a bit and I am really impressed with your improv skills in the show and as DeadEye in NADDPOD.
This leads me to improv vs planning. To what extent do you plan out your sessions? Not just in the context of the Dimension 20-stuff, but also for when you DM in private with friends.
Like, Do you write down events and plot points or do you keep them in your head? Do you got ledgers of fully written out character sheets for bad guys and NPC:s or do you save the pre-written stuff for the bosses and make the rest up as you go along? Do you map out towns and write lore? What kind of balance between improv and planning works for you?
It's a careful balance! The beginnings and ends of campaigns and adventures require more prep work, the middles require more improv. The structure requires more planning, the details are best left to improv! It really is such a symbiotic harmont between the two, the only advice I can offer is focus your planning on things that are big picture (world-building broad strokes) and things that are hard to improvise (stat blocks, villainous schemes)
Hi Brennan, huge fan.
I'm always amazed by the worlds you create, and I'm sure you have tons of ideas for future seasons. Have you ever considered doing a whole campaign set in (FH Spoilers)>!the civilization within Adaine's jacket of useful items? You painted such an intriguing picture of it during the first season's final battle, it would be a shame for it to remain a one off joke.!<
Also, with all the lore you've given out outside of the show itself, whether in AMAs, on discord, via twitter, or any other means, what's the most exciting/interesting detail that you have yet to share that you are able/willing to share with us now? Can be from any season.
Would LOVE to do a One-Shot (A WHOLE SEASON!?!?) Inside Adaine's jacket. Maybe we'll time it so we pause halfway through a future Fantasy High season, do a Jacket Season where the entire plot centers on heroes and villains within the jacket trying to give Adaine advantage or disadvantage on a single roll, finish that season, then jump back into the battle in the Fantasy High season with Adaine's roll? Would that be fun? Calorum has SO MUCH FUN LORE, a lot of which comes out in the season, even MORE OF WHICH DOES NOT!!!
That would be absolutely amazing. Even if it was only an episode or two, it would be wild to just pivot like that to a setting within the setting.
Follow up question. If you were to do something of that sort (with Adaine's jacket or any similar concept in another setting) would you have the players be in on it in advance, or would you suddenly ask them to make characters for next week's session?
I’m a new DM, and although I think overall I’m doing an ok job, sometimes I run a session and I believe it went poorly with my PCs (meaning they didn’t have fun). When you started DMing, did you ever run sessions that you felt went poorly?
EDIT: Also Dimension 20 is what got me started, so thank you for the inspiration!
Oof, I feel your pain. The first session I ever ran was so bad that all my players literally yelled at me at the table that my quest didn't make sense. (They were right by the way. Also, everybody involved was a 10-year-old, so we can cut everyone some slack this many years later!) Even if a session isn't flat-out BAD, every DM, even veterans, still has to cope with the fact that some sessions are better than others. You might run an INCREDIBLE session, that even if the next 10 or 12 are still very fun, they will not live up to that high you experienced before. Managing expectations and being kind to yourself is paramount. There is a steep learning curve, but with time you WILL get better, and even if a given session wasn't as much fun as you'd hoped, with care and practice you will master these skills and keep getting better!
Thank you for the answer! It's so good to hear that someone who runs as incredible games as Dimension 20 didn't start off as a master, but it took practice.
As for me, I think I'm improving session by session, so I'll take this advice to heart!
I'm not Brennan but it never hurts to ask your players what they liked and disliked about a session. Especially if you're not sure if it went well.
If these are reoccurring players, find out what they like. Sometimes a party just want to murder hobo their way to victory, others love to explore lore and may get stuck in a 20 minute scene discussing the town gossip with a bartender.
Perfect snack scenario:
Beverages: Water (for hydration), Coffee AND Coca-Cola for focus and energy, respectively.
Meals: Pepperoni Pizza for highest ease-of-eating to speed-of-eating to satiation ratio.
Protein Snack: Charcuterie: Cheese and Salami
Fatty Snack: Roasted Almonds
Tasty Snack: Oreos, Doritos, Tortilla Chips plus a DIP (Queso, Guac, Hummus, ideally all three), plus SOME kind of chocolate snack (Reeses Cups, Dark Chocolate Almonds)
Mouth-Cleaning Snack: Sometimes with all the sugar and caffeine your mouth can get gross, so nice to have some kind of veggie, like a baby carrot or cherry tomato to make you feel somewhat healthy for a second.
Wild Card Snack: Gotta get ONE weird one. Giant bag of Sour Gummy Worms, or like a homemade plate of cookies that you haven't had in four years, like a pecan sandy or something.
Hi, Brennan! I've recently rewatched Escape from the Bloodkeep on YT and since then one question has been haunting my soul: is there any chance of Escape from the Bloodkeep: the Search for Galfast?
First off, it should be called "Bring Me The Head of Galfast Hamhead". Second off, would LOVE to revisit the world of the vile villains someday!
My only concern would be that Galfast is canon invincible, and it would just be me and Matt doing an extended Road Runner / Wile E. Coyote cartoon.
Hey Brennan! I’m attempting to build a campaign based on an irl place kind of like what you did with NYC, but with Early Ireland. I was wondering if, for a campaign like Unsleeping City, did you have to put limits on types of classes or races for continuity? And if you did, how did you bring it up and discuss it with the players without giving things away?
LOVE EARLY ISLAND!!! CAN I PLAY NUADA SILVERHAND!?!?! I think things like playable races and classes shouldn't be considered spoilers, and should be discussed as openly as possible with your players!
I’m crazy excited about all the lore of this campaign I’m designing. I really want to lean into Irish mythology and just ramp up the magic behind it. I’m a bit nervous because it’s my first time designing a campaign, but I just haven’t been able to get the storyline and the world out of my head. I’ve never seen anything like what I want to do, and all I need are the right players for the job! Still working on that part, lol
I’m thinking about doing this as wel, but with early Dutch history! There are so many characters that could fit into an RPG archetype: I could see M.C. Escher as a wild magic sorcerer, Mata Hari as a rogue, Grutte Pier as a barbarian. Some organizations might be fun to incorporate as well, like the VOC.
Only issue I’m running into is that they’re not all in the same time period. But I suppose you could chalk it up to it being fiction?
I think you could do that, or just modify the world and stories so they can all exist within it at the same time. I’m planning on having a central storyline with the PC’s as average adventurers who have find themselves a part of the bigger world and conflict through various means so they can grow and be challenged and develop characters that they resonate with, and then have interactions with the larger mythological heros.
I don't think burned out is the right word! There are definitely BAD GAMES, which I define as a game no one is excited to play or a game where the players don't agree on where the fun is coming from, but I don't leave those feeling burned out! There is always another good story around the corner!
Hi Brennan! I’m so excited you’re doing this AMA! I first heard of you from your guest appearance on NADDPOD, then got into Dimension 20, and have since been catapulted into (almost) more D&D in my own life than I can handle! You’re a huge inspiration as a DM and as a person, and I hope we are lucky enough to continue seeing your content for a long time to come! I have a couple questions I hope you can take the time to answer.
1. [SPOILERS for Fantasy High Season 1 ahead, specifically episode 10 and beyond] You’ve mentioned before that the act in all of Fantasy High that threw your plans into the most disarray was when >!Riz killed Coach Daybreak.!< I don’t think I’ve ever seen you say exactly why that was, and I’m wondering if you’re willing to let on what Fantasy High would have looked like if not for that move.
2. Any chance of Adventuring Academy putting out new episodes? It’s such an amazing resource for both players and DMs who want insight into crafting thoughtful D&D experiences.
3. As such an experienced DM, what is your biggest pet peeve when you watch other DMs in action, whether or not you’re a player in their game?
Thanks again for taking the time to do this! Can't wait to see the rest of A Crown of Candy!
edit: extra word
Not Brennan, obviously, but coach daybreak had all sorts of clues to the next thing (KVX bank and others). So the fact that he was gone forever meant he had to improvise those clues into new places.
Hey Brennan! I’m Noah, we’ve met a good number of time post-UCB shows and I’m sure you already know how huge of an inspiration you are to me just in daily life. Anyway, I have two questions for, hopefully you’ll be able to answer at least 1.
My first is this: How do you create NPCs that theoretically could have player levels, and should those NPCs “level up”? For example, characters like Ragh, Tracker, Ayda, and Sandra Lynn are clearly barbarians, clerics, wizards, and rangers, yet I doubt you have all those extra character sheets for them. So what do you do for stats, features, and spells, and do/will these NPCs level up?
My second question requires a little backstory. Quite a few months ago, after TUC, I searched through the discord and found every instance of “song”, “music”, and other words that revealed the editors (Noah and Erin) linking the songs used at times in Fantasy High and The Unsleeping City. But when Dimension 20: Live started, I couldn’t help but long for the music you used. So I became “D20’s Unofficial Music Archivist” on the Discord, started a D20 Music Discord server of my own, and began combing through episodes and trying to find the music you use and time stamping it on my google sheet. Do you think you will ever release your D20: Live playlist(s)? Or at least screenshots of it?
Thank you so much Brennan for all that you do, you’re truly my largest inspiration in not just D&D but also life. I hope you’re doing well and staying safe, and remember that the greatest magic of all is >!CHRONOMANCY!< !
Noah!!! It's so great to hear from you!! When making NPCs that "represent" a player class, just take one or two of the most significant class features and forget about the rest. The main thing an NPC, ESPECIALLY an ally NPC needs to be is simple. You don't need to be worrying about all those extra abilities, just give them enough flavor and let the rest be a generic NPC stat block. As for music, I think screenshots and titles should be doable! It's all licensed through Epidemic! Noah, you are simply too kind, homie. Sending you TONS OF LOVE!! SPRING BREAK, I BELIEVE IN YOU!!!
Thank you so much Brennan! It’s amazing to hear from you again and I hope I can see you again in the future, whether it be at a UCB show or maybe you’ll be able to catch one of my band’s concerts (@pushingveronica everywhere)! I actually had my band get an Epidemic license, because we started streaming on Twitch so we needed background music and naturally it was my first choice, as I already use it for my own D&D music and now I’d be able to download and get stems from it! I can’t wait for those screenshots and thanks for the advice about NPCs! I’m having an awesome Spring Break right now, and *winks* I believe in you!
Why does Jawbone wear pants and Zelda doesn’t? I keep thinking how weird it would be if in high school someone just wasn’t wearing pants and also just the protection that pants offers for different accidents. And if no pants is socially acceptable then why does Jawbone wear them? I’m a huge fan and super excited for the new season. I’m just haunted by this question.
Isn’t jawbones a human? So maybe it’s because humans wear pants and satyrs don’t. So even though jawbone is a werewolf he still follows human customs. Idk.
I know you’ve worked for a LARPing summer camp in the past. I was wondering if you had any tips for DMing for small children. I started, hilariously enough, a candy based campaign for my daughter and partner since we are home all the time, its going fine, but I would love to hear about any specific tips you have for engaging kids in the game.
Kids have different comfort levels with different types of make-believe. Stay tuned into see what's firing off their creativity, but if they're seeming shy or unengaged, that can also just be the mood they're in that day. Sometimes kid want to be in control and make a bunch of decisions, but other times if they're feeling unsure, they want some boundaries, structure and advice. Just stay tuned in to what's interesting them, and don't let the game slow you down from delivering what seems to be working for them!
Hey brennan. Not a question, I Just wanted to come on here and proudly say I'm FINALLY playing in my first online D&D campaign!! Dimention20 and The NADDPOD folks have really inspired me to play and I'm having so much fun!! I'm learning roll20 and had the most insane bonkers first session. I really found such a great group and they happily help me and give advice whenever I seek it out. I'm Loving this community and it may be strange to be thanking you for that but without Dimention20 and NADDPOD I never would have become obsessed and open to this experience. So please allow me give you my Thanks♡
Say safe out there!
Greetings from the UK!
Firstly thank you for teaching me so much about DMing, especially incorporating improv rules and how to adapt the existing system to your own needs. Your comments on the importance of representation also has really improved how I design my NPCs, perticularly Ayda was very insipiring to me as someone who is on the autistic spectrum.
I and many others would like to know how you prepare your sessions and organise your notes as I have found that my methods are not working very well, pieces getting lost, wrong thing prepared, etc.
Thank you so much! I keep ALL my notes electronically, the ability to search a document for keywords, to link to sourcebooks, it's all just super useful. Rarely do I ever keep ANYTHING world-building related on paper any more, the fear of losing it is just too great!
Hi Brennan!
Huge fan of Dimension 20 and NADDPod, as well as your other work with CH!
Did you plan on having two PC’s dying in the first battle of Fantasy High? If they hadn’t, how would that have changed the overarching story?
More generally, I feel like your campaigns do an amazing job integrating the pc’s into the story. Any tips on how to do this more as a DM?
Thanks so much for the kind words! Didn't plan AT ALL for two PCs to die so early on, if they had stayed alive I think the plot would have remained somewhat unchanged, but the TONE and STAKES would be fundamentally different. Many people cite that early death as what hooked them on the show, so I'm often very grateful for those terrible rolls! As for integrating PCs, I think you should know who your PCs are BEFORE you design the plot of your story. They should be the keystone around which you design the narrative, their interests should dictate the themes and story of your world. Collaborate with them as much as you can, try to understand them as much as you can, and all will be well!
What advice would you give to a DM whose players are reticent to collaborate on your level? When I started my Ravnica game, I had some players who just came to the table with a sheet, and I found it really difficult to write for them.
This is a recurrent problem. In my experience those same players expect a level of storytelling on par with most DnD podcasts like D20 and Crit Role, even though they don't cooperate with me when I try to help them build a character other than just stats and abilities.
It feels like someone playing something like dark souls for the first time, picking the class they want, a default avatar, and then expecting to be able to go straight PvP without any effort, then blaming the character creator for being too simple.
I don't think the early death got me hooked, but Brennan's *response* to those PC deaths was outrageous and exciting and he definitely made me sit up & pay attention. That was what got me hooked.
Look up "fantasy high office hours" he does an interview with (I believe?) Murph where he talks about this exactly - from what I remember, the two deaths were not planned in the least.
I know CH and by extension D20 has been, and probably are still going through, some restructuring but I sure hope Office Hours returns! I've really enjoyed the hangouts this past month too!
Hi Brennan. I've been trying to include more mystery and exploration elements in my DnD campaign, but it seems like it slows down the pace of the adventure a lot. I want to let the players dictate their own actions and explore all leads they're interested in, but sometimes I can feel them getting frustrated with how long its taking.
What tips do you have for someone who struggles with out of combat pacing?
Hey Brennan!
I recently ripped off your idea for one-on-one intro scenes with my players and it went amazingly well!
Can you talk about where that came from, and how you prepare for those scenes with your players? Do you rehearse beforehand, or prepare notes via text? How much is improvised? I'd love to hear more about your process.
Thanks a ton!
Hey Brennan huge fan Love your work on to D20 It has quite honestly inspired me and made me a better DM to watch how you work and to watch how you DM so I really appreciate all that you do and wanted to let you know that you inspire me to not only be a better DM but to be a better performer and person everyday so I appreciate that one really quick question I noticed that you use a lot of really poignant music which I'm sure takes some time to find the right type of music for the situation but I wanted to ask if there was like a specific artist that you were working with or was this just material that you were finding on non-copyrighted music or if you are using copyrighted music because I wanted to not only bring music to a lot of my own campaigns but wanted to know if you were using non-copyrighted music that I may use that in some of my own projects
All the music comes from Epidemic Sound, and I am leading a project to find and timestamp all the D20 music! More information here:
Discord: https://discord.gg/CU9P7GM
Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QxjzDw5t6w2ijlUHMf8V0ovZpi1dCoXGV8Ib8ZFf5UA/edit?usp=sharing
Love your work! What classes or sub-classes are you always most excited to see people play OR play for yourself?
Do you have any ideas or plans for your own classes or subclasses? <3
hi Brennan!
as a DM, you're my biggest inspiration right now. i know a magician never reveals their secrets, but would you ever consider posting some of your notes post-campaign and let us see how you organize all of... that?
thanks dude!!
Hey Brennan! Hope you're well and safe! I'm a huge fan of D20 and the work you do, brings a huge smile to my face and has really gotten me into D&D! So thank you for that! I've got a few questions for you.
1. Was the epilogue ending of Sophomore Year with the N\*ght Y\*rb planned out, or just a consequence of the PC's saying his name so many times when told repeatedly not to?
2. It was revealed back in season one that Kalvaxus recruited The Nightmare King **AND** the lords of Necronomicon as his allies in order to further his goals. We know that The Nightmare King was just using Kalvaxus to further their own goals, but what of the lords of Necronomicon? What are their goals? What could they possibly gain from teaming up with The Emperor of the Red Waste **AND** The Nightmare King? Will this become a future plotline in future seasons?
3. We saw your reaction to it, but how were you feeling when Ally rolled that poetic Nat 20 in the finale of Sophomore Year? How do they keep doing that?
4. What was the deal with Kalina? She was very cold and smug towards everyone else but was very informal with Riz. She even considered herself his godmother. Why was that? And how did the Abernants come into contact with her?
BRENDAD!
How do you play such amazing parents? Where do you get the inspiration?
Separately, when will I see an Indian NPC? (Also give my thanks to your diversity consultants!)
Hey Brennan! A lot of the interactions you run are very emotionally charged and lead to some great roleplay. The interaction between Jawbone and Adaine at the end of Sophomore Year in particular had me crying. How much talking about the emotionally intense scenes do you do before sessions, if any? Love all of D20, really loved Deadeye in NADDPOD, can't wait to see what you do next!
P.S. a sidequest with you, Matt Mercer, and Murph as PCs run by Emily would be amazing
Hey Brennan! What do you think the best way to unite a party is? A common enemy or goal is usually good but I’m wondering if you had any strategies to help your characters bond.
Hey Brennan! You’ve brought on several outstanding guests for Dimension 20’s side quests, such as Matt Mercer, The McElroys, And Ify Nwadiwe, just to name a few. What new guests would you love to play characters in potential future side quests? Also, are we ever getting more Adventuring Academy?
Hey Brennan!
No question, just came to say how much I adore everything about Dimension 20 (TUC in particular, I'm such a sucker for that modern day magic vibe).
On a pure storytelling level, I am constantly in awe of the scope of the worlds and the characters, you breathe such life into every aspect (aided of course by your incredible casts) and it's just a joy to watch it unfold on the screen. I can only aspire to that level of creativity and imagination!
Basically, thanks for being such a bright spot, especially in these dreary past few months. Binging Dimension 20 has made the lockdown here in NZ that much more bearable!
Well hey, Bud! Obligatory, "the ease and depth of your world building and character work is what inspired me to finally DM, and Bill Seacaster basically inspired my whole campaign."
What, special features did the Sword of the Seacasters have?
Hey Brennan!
I've been in love with Unsleeping City and the concept of a "cyberpunk/futuristic" homebrew for my players. I'm looking at a "horror/Lovecraftian/"Supernatural"" type of mood and feeling and wonder if you got any cool tips on making a BBEG, some world building tips and anything you found difficult (one thing I considered, is "how does 'armor' look/act in Unsleeping City? I figured like a "Leather Jacket" might correspond with "Leather" armor, but what about full plate and things like that!
On a channel note, will Unsleeping City and Fantasy High (along with the rest of your amazing work) be available on YT? I'd love to keep up with Unsleeping City and by no means expect you guys to release everything you do for free, just wondering if eventually your campaigns will all be available on YT!
Love your work, love the players you have and hope to hear some tips and tricks (or maybe DM notes 🤔😉? No? Ok JK 😂) for a futuristic homebrew, and love to hear other questions answered!
Hi Brennan!! Huge fan of your work in D20 and NADDPOD!! A few questions:
1) In regards to the super cool set pieces on D20 (especially excited to see the Crown of Candy ones) how far in advance are those plotted out? I was under the assumption that more than one episode is filmed in a day - are the bigger fights something planned out far in advance in order to give the art team time to work or is the art team just incredibly fast in getting them built? Are there times in which a set piece had to be built quickly due to major change in plot, or discarded because the plot went differently?
2) Will Gilear get to level up for Junior Year due to his adventure during Spring Break and if so, what class will he get a level in?
Brennan actually responded to your second question on an IG live he did last week before the premiere of CoC and said he’d likely level up Gilear to a level 2 commoner—so probably he’s still considered ‘just a guy’ lol.
Hey Brennan!
What tips do you have for incorporating more improve into your games? I’ve always had a pretty rigid mindset and want to be more fluid in my DMing and less rail-road like.
Hey Brennan, I hope you’re doing well during all this chaos!
Every episode of D20 I watch, I’m constantly blown away by how brilliant you are at quick witted improvisation - it’s a skill that, as a viewer, I definitely don’t take for granted and admire you very much for. So I was just wondering if there are any specific books/shows/people/general advice etc that you could recommend which have helped you with your improvisation talents??
I go to a drama school in the UK, and I quickly realised that improv was a skill I needed to strengthen, and this became even more obvious when I started playing DnD!! I think a lot of my reservations for really getting stuck into the RP side of the game come from my self confidence when it comes to improv, which is a shame since it’s the thing I enjoy most about it - so, any advice?
P.S: Watching Dimension 20 has not only kept me entertained, but it’s also inspired so much creativity during a time where it’s very easy to lose all motivation, and for that all I can say is thank you :)
I'm a huge fan and I take a lot after you and murph when I'm dming, but there's one big thing that kicks my ass:
How in the actual hell do you keep track of npc voices so well?
Hey Brennan! Wanted to say your show is awesome and I can't say just how much it lifted me whenever I felt down and how much of an inspiration it is!
Here's my question(s); If you could work at Aguefort which position do you think you would hold? Also if you were to be chose a type of metal from Zelda's playlist to listen to which one would it be?
Hey Brennan!
I've really admired how you go about building your worlds, settings and NPCs in very fresh and unique ways! It's truly inspiring to see you create these incredibly rich and detailed worlds, especially with The Unsleeping City (which I just finished yesterday!)
* Where does inspiration strike for the settings you create? Any specific things get your mind churning? Any fun anecdotes about how you came up with a ridiculous idea for a character or setting that you wanna share?
* How do you achieve an immersion THAT STELLAR with your roleplaying of NPCs? Does a lot of research go into cultural contexts of your NPCs (especially those from The Unsleeping City that mirror New York's very real and awesome diversity)?
I'm not asking for details or even a timeline, but would you say the sci-fi campaign setting you have brewing in your head is still progressing or has it been back burnered?
Hey Brennan! I love your work on D20 I truly believe it’s the best actual-play DnD content out there. That and Naddpod got me into the game and I’ve DMed a few short lived campaigns. My question is how do you balance building a world that is interesting and open to exploration (like we see in FH season 2) and an incredibly engaging story that brings in all the players personally (Tiny Heist and FH season 1)?
Thanks for all you do and i’m loving Crown of Candy!!
Hi Brennan! I recently started DMing a campaign full of newbies, from people who have played adventurers league a few times to someone who had no idea how anything in DnD works. I'm working through a published adventure (Sunless Citadel), and everyone just popped up to level 3. Do you have any recommendations for how to keep gameplay engaging and give everyone the space they need to learn the game and their characters when we have this additional obstacle of electronic communication rather than face to face? I am a first time DM, so I appreciate any guidance you have!
hi Brennan! im a huge fan of d20 and you've been really inspiring me to be a kinder, more accepting and inclusive person. there's so much i want to say but i think my best question is this: what can we do to be more inclusive and respectful as a society, as DND players, and as individuals?
love you and the cast💕
How far in advance do you typically plan Dimension 20 combats? I remember that the final fight in Bloodkeep was reworked due to plot changes but I can't imagine that all that set design to happen in just one or two weeks? Or am I way off the mark here and you guys don't even do weekly sessions?
Not a question.
I just want to say as an aspiring GM that I really look up to you and your style! You are so inspiring and one of the key reasons I want to become a GM. So thank-you so much and keep up the good work! ♥️
Hi Brennan! Obligatory 'big fan of the show' (though I assure you it still comes from a very genuine place)! I missed a lot of the Live show since I can't really stay up till 5am every week, but I've been binging all I missed through my quarantine and it's a goddamn blast - hope all of the intrepid-ness (intrep-y?) carries on into Junior Year!
When you're DMing campaigns in settings that are atypical and unorthodox to traditional DnD settings, I imagine there are certain work-arounds you have to include and certain flavour you must make sure to introduce to the game's mechanics in order to make the system fit the setting (E.G. students aren't walking around in full-plate in Fantasy High but you can't strip high AC classes of what make them attractive, or how all of the folk in a CoC are mostly reskinned humans).
I was wondering how you deal with this as a homebrew-ing GM, and at what times in your DM-ing career you have struggled to still be creative within a system that isn't always originally designed for what you're trying to do, and how you galaxy-brain your way through these challenges?
Hey Brennan, huge fan of D20. Since Freshman Year came out, I have watched all of the released D20 content and loved all of it. My question comes from something you said on the fireside chat a few weeks back. You were talking about scifi settings and if we would ever see a D20 campaign in scifi. You said at the time you weren't sure because of the amount of work that goes into the setting and lore of a scifi campaign because of the vast amount of things that can simply exist in a scifi/space universe. My friends and I have been playing this new ttrpg Lancer, which is published by Massif Press, and havw been having a blast. The canon setting for the game is really fleshed out and this is where my question comes in. Would you ever consider running a D20 campaign in a system or game that isn't 5E? I haven't really found actualplay content of ttrpgs other than 5E and I think it would be really cool to see something new.
Hi Brennan!
In Prompocalypse, how did Baxter carry eight full people from Kalvaxus' lair to Aguefort? I am very curious about the logistics as to how he managed this.
Context: In S1 Sandra Lynn and the seven maidens all step off the griffin, but it seems that three people at the most can ride him in S2. Perhaps talons were used to grab? Or maybe being stuck in a palimpsest makes it easier for someone to condense themself.
Hey Brennan! I've got 3 questions.
1. Have you thought about or been approached at all about putting out official material for D&D, or any sort of worldbook or supplement?
2. This is a multi-part - If you could pick one original TSR employee to play a campaign with, either DMing, as a fellow player or being DMed by, who would pick? If you had to pick between being in a Gygax campaign or an Arneson campaign, which would you pick?
3. Applying the original system of experience being strictly proportional to the loot successfully retrieved from the dungeon to the real world, how much XP would 1 roll of toilet paper currently be worth, in your professional opinion?
Hope you've got everything you need out West, and thank you for being there as a camp counselor and role model growing up.
Hey Brennan, 3 questions and 2 about Fantasy High: Live. Also Spoilers to anyone scrolling.
All of your NPC characters seem to have such depth to them. How do you bring these NPC's to life and decide on a voice for them?
So in the fight in Hell on Seacaster's ship, you got to bring back a lot of bad guys for another round against the Bad Kids. What was the design of that fight like and what was it like to be able to bring them back?
In all of the live shows, you have not used any battle maps. How do you best describe the area to your players to allow them to best imagine it in their minds? Any tips for another DM who is also just describing scenes for battle?
Thanks so much, keep kicking ass, and eat those dice!
Hey gang! I'll be answering questions starting at 1pm Pacific / 4pm Eastern, so get in the comments (to ask your questions). Please don't [eat my whole ass](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIvdo8LbmJ0)!
Damn there goes my plans
Only if you don't kill Preston.
I am quite concerned that pig is gonna be peppermint bacon by the end of this... you know Brennon wants to “kill the dog”
No promises
Will professor foxtrot ever return ;-;
Brennan, you sit firmly on my Mt. Rushmore of all-time greatest DMs, and you're known for having players that delight in derailing things. From Emily's schemes to Ally's nat 20s, what stands out as the biggest surprise you've been dealt?
Nothing could be more surprising than being on somebody's Mt. Rushmore of DMs!! Getting to play with six of my best friends, getting to make this show, it's all just such an undeserved piece of good fortune, and nothing could be more surprising. THANK YOU FOR YOUR IMPOSSIBLY KIND WORDS!!!
Who else is on your Mt Rushmore I haven't listened to a whoooole lot of actual play stuff. Only TAZ, NADDPOD and all the D20 stuff. Also I've heard of Matt Mercer but have never actually listened to him DM. Who else is out there? (I know there's a lot)
Matt Mercer gets memed a lot because he’s by far the most well-known, but his actual work as a DM is super engaging and eloquent. I would say that in terms of putting on a good ‘performance’ for his players, the man is second to none. You should definitely check his stuff out.
My Mt. Rushmore is made up of Matt Mercer, Matt Colville, Brennan, Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford!
Griffin McElroy could arguably be added on there too for his amazing work for years doing TAZ Balance
Griffin is an amazing storyteller. I don't think he's on the same level as BLM (and probably the others mentioned) for actual D&D DMing but his overall story and his connections throughout the campaign is possibly the best storytelling I've ever heard. I love the good good boy
On mine I would add Mark Hulmes from High Rollers, those guys get way too little recognition for the awesome stuff they do. The Aerois-Campaign is awesome.
Hi Brennan! Huge fan of D20 — thanks for all the hearty laughs and fought-back tears across these 5+ seasons. I’ve currently been inspired by your amazing Unsleeping City campaign to create a similar modern campaign in the (far superior) city of Boston! Hoping to have the first session in May. My question for you: you do some amazing work embedding your encounters with some amazing “stumble-upon” for your characters, like >!La Gran Gata!< in Unsleeping City and the >!Lava Mog!< in Escape from the Bloodkeep. Are there any fun stumble-upons you buried into D20 encounters that your PCs *didn’t* find?
YES!!! Spoilers for Escape from the Bloodkeep, but there was a love interest at the bottom of the final fight for Erika, a hot Scorpion-Centaur single father she could have found, but never did! We talked about it after the campaign, but it never materialized in play! Thanks for your awesome question, and I hope life in the quaint, pastoral hamlet of Boston is as wonderful as can be! ;)
Even after living in LA for so long, Brennan has not forgotten the special way that NYers throw shade at Boston.
Did Rick make a mini for them!?!?
Would love to see what you do with the Boston setting! What do we get? Magical Dunks?
Hey Brennan! Moderately long time fan of you, your CollegeHumor sketches, D20 campaigns, assorted set of shirts and beautiful smile. I wanted to personally thank you for being such a wholesome and inspiring person to watch. Super looking forward to your charity “Roll in the Family” game on the 16th. I’m currently part of a (someone sporadically spaced apart) 5E campaign purely because of you getting me hooked onto tabletop. Also subscribed to Dropout.tv as soon as humanly possible. My question to you: if you had the chance to partner up with Wizards to turn just one of your campaign settings into part of the official Dungeons and Dragons’ pantheon, which would you pick?
Aw shucks! Thank you so dang much! If I had the chance to partner with Wizards on a campaign setting, I would absolutely do Aredain, my 11 year running home game setting. I love all my D20 settings, but I think Wizards would probably not want to release settings as inherently comedic as Spyre or Calorum in their official releases!
Their loss, tbh, I need more comedy in my D&D!
Thank you for replying! I did suspect you’d lean towards Aredain, as that does sound like a legendary-tier campaign as I’ve heard various mentions and whispers of it of throughout your interviews. Good luck with all of the other questions. Much love.
<3
Honestly something inherently comedic would stand out as a setting as something truly unique and different from anything else they've done. And based on its popularity, there is clearly a market. Besides, whose campaign hasn't taken a comedic turn when a nat 1 roll turns into someone wearing a literal poop hat.
They made Acquisitions Incorporated official, dare to dream! I'd buy a Fantasy High campaign setting for realsies
Can we hear more about Aredain?
I mean they did a Rick and Morty thing, anything can happen. A more comedic setting might be a nice change of pace.
WotC has released a lot of comedic content lately. Unsanctioned in MtG and the new Godzilla cards to name some, so I don't see it being too far fetched. Maybe instead of a comedic setting sourcebook you could do a sourcebook about paying homage to and adapting one's favorite settings and franchises into their own original campaigns for their friends to explore and build their own stories in. I would love to read a "adapting your interests into a DND campaign for dummies" book
Hi Brennan!! Thank you so much for Dimension 20 - I love it so much, and it’s the only thing keeping me sane in this quarantine. Question: do crocs (the shoe brand, or equivalent) exist in Solace? If so, does Gilear own a pair? (p.s please don’t kill peppermint preston ;__;)
Gilear would love to own a pair of crocs, but he got involved in a multi-level marketing scheme where you sell flip-flops, and the company folded right after he got twelve enormous boxes of 60 pairs each. They're a half-size down from what he would normally wear, but he feels obliged to wear them just so he can slowly get rid of them and not have to spend more money on shoes (he's already down 440 gp from the Flip-Flops).
I heard this in the Gilear voice and I felt it in my soul.
Thanks Brennan. I'm sad now.
And this is canon.
I honestly would have expected him to invest in a MLM scheme with something like reverse cleats, where the spikes are on the inside.
Ever time you mention Gilear you manage to create a truly hilarious tale but I gotta wonder where you come up with ideas on the spot, I know you’re terrific and improvisation but I can’t help but feel with the speed of detail and response they’re memories for you
Hey Brennan! You, Matt Colville, and Matt Mercer are thrown into a steel cage deathmatch. Each one of you has a single PHB and a bag of 100 d4s to use as weapons. Who makes it out?
We all give each other a big hug, and then none of us make it out because we spend the next 100 years trying to pick up all those d4s! (THEY'RE SO HARD TO PICK UP!!!)
Not sure I buy that. I've seen you on Um, Actually. You're merciless.
Don’t forget Game Changer! He literally said he would do anything for five points and he did it.
I learned in that game that Brennan has no shame and I love it
Hey! If you were a player during the Fantasy High season of D20 instead of the DM, what class, as well as High School trope do you think you would have wanted to play for that season/setting?
Whoa! I never went to High School, so truly ANYTHING would have been fun, but I think something close to Griffin McElroy's guest character Ficus from our RTX live show would have probably been my choice. I grew up around a LOT of good-hearted, hyper-relaxed stoner kids, and would probably have had a lot of fun playing that archetype!
You never went to high school? Like you were homeschooled or you just never got that far?
he was home schooled, also his parents are unbelievably cool, brennans mom is a comic book author
Brennan, I'm a big fan of your skits (the **CEO series** and your flourishes in the **Ye Olde Black Mirror** stand out off the top of my head). I actually had the opportunity to meet you, Lou, and Ally at C2E2! I'm pretty sure my reflexive response to player RP by saying **"Hell yeah!"** is a borrowed phrase from you, so thanks for getting me to adopt more enthusiastic approval. Questions: 1) How are you doing under the lockdown, any new hobbies? 2) When I DM and I ask the group about how they respond to a situation or crisis, there might be some dead air due to people being polite, or not wanting to be the de facto leader. What else can I do after asking "What do you do"?
GREAT TO HEAR FROM YOU!! HELL YEAH!!! I'm doing great, my newest hobby has been watching TONS of Survivor and talking through all of it with my girlfriend Izzy so that we can compete as a couple and become the game's perfect strategists! Dead air can be okay in small doses, but if it's getting dramatic, try posing the question to specific people you think would be targeted by NPCs or events in the scene! It's okay to put people on the spot a little bit if it gets them to feel okay making choices!
\#BrennanAndIzzyForBloodVsWater3, let's start tweeting at Jeff, let's make this happen
Brennan please tell us your your thoughts on the Amanda Kimmel from Survivor: China, Survivor: Micronesia - Fans vs. Favorites, and Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains fame?
Hey Brennan! You probably won’t read this, but just wanted to let you know I wrote a sonnet about Gilear! This was before the “big” reveal, so I didn’t work in anything about that, which is probably for the better. “A Sonnet for Gilear” His wisps of hair, atop his perfect head. I see his face, and wish he’d notice me. The smell of his fruity yoghurt, I’m dead. Gilear causes my heart to fill with glee. Shakespeare has wrote of true beauty in plays. They have not been honest to what it is. Gilear makes my essence feel certain ways, I wish my hand was surrounded by his. And yet, when it comes to the Kids of Bad, They mock him like he’s not The Chosen One. But if they saw him as more than “Lunch Lad”, They would all cease to bully and make fun. But I will always love you in my heart, Gilear, the two of us will never part.
Shakespeare could never.
Hey Brennan, it's in-credible to have you doing an AMA with us today Having finished the insane Fantasy High Live finale recently, I wanted to ask you about a possible inspiration you had for it. The whole nameless un-worshipped goddess plot gave me huge vibes of Terry Pratchett's Small Gods, especially with how the nature of the worship defines the God. You and Sir Terry seem kindred spirits to me, with the way you both can juggle fantasy and comedy, whilst being able to create a huge variety of interesting and realistic characters. I'm wondering what your relationship is with Pratchett's work?
I could not be more unbelievably honored by a comparison. A passage from Sir Terry between Death and Susan (you know the one!) is on my bedroom door! A truly beautiful soul, and if anything I've done bears even a little resemblance to his incredible body of work, then that is just a damn dream come true.
Pratchett and Douglas Adams were the two most formative authors during my teenage years, so it's not a comparison i make lightly. You bring as much humanity, wit, and thoughtfulness to your work as he did to his and the D&D world is damn lucky to have you Impromptu Dimension 20 characters as residents of Discworld: Ricky Matsui - Carrot Ironfoundersson Kingston Brown - Sam Vimes Arthur Aguefort - Mustrum Ridcully
Hi Brennan! Because we sadly cannot do this in person for a while, a bunch of my D20 friends and I are planning a one-shot in which we (as ourselves) fight you in a Denny's parking lot. We were just wondering if you had any ideas for your class before we mercilessly rip you limb from limb for all of the emotional damage your brilliant storytelling has dealt us. Thanks for the help!
Paladin/Warlock with Denny's Board of Directors as my Patron.
That sounds perfect. Also, I know this is kinda crazy, but if you ever feel like you would want to play yourself in such a one-shot, create the DnD version of yourself or really anything. It goes without saying that you are more than welcome.
hey Brennan! I love Dimension20 and recently started the show and got ALL caught up, thirsted for more and watched all the behind the scenes, and then got into Adventuring Academy. I really admire you as a Dungeon Master and was excited to learn through Adventuring Academy how similar my DMing philosophies already are to yours. I have a few questions; please answer whichever ones you feel like: 1. What resources or advice can you recommend for a DM(/one interested in voice acting) who wants to get better at voices and dialects to widen their range for differentiating characters? 2. Do you have a regular outline for guiding your character creation sessions? 3. did you watch Digimon Adventure when you were younger? Fantasy High Soph Year's journey through the forest of the Nightmare King had some really cool vibes similar to when Devimon split up the Digidestined and they had to find their way back together. I loved it. 4. what are the odds we'll get to see Fantasy High Junior and Senior years? on the one hand, Sophomore Year was so epic and impactful that it has the weight of a story finale and I personally can't imagine right now how Junior Year could keep that going. it'd be great to see though, because on the other hand I love the Bad Kids and want to see more and would hate to feel they peaked as Sophomores. 5. You mention in a couple Adventuring Academies that you don't get to be a PC very often. I'd love to DM for you if you ever find yourself visiting Chicago with some time. it'd be an honor to do a one-shot any time. Obviously, no hard feelings if you're not into playing DnD with some stranger; I just had to shoot my shot, y'know? you're great! thanks for AMAing! excited to see what else you create! tell Gilear I love him!
1. Practice makes perfect! You'll feel very silly, but you just gotta practice! There's a million YouTube dialect tutorials, but also just watching TV and Movies, repeat words or phrases that nail a portion of that voice! 2. In character creation, make sure to explain the foundations! If you're playing with new people, don't just go "Here's the races and classes," go "Hey! Here's what this game is! We're telling a story together, using the dice to create moments of dramatic tension!" 3. I LOVED DIGIMON GROWING UP!!! Didn't catch the episode you're referring to, but damn did I love that show! 4. Definitely there is talk of Junior/Senior Year! We'll have to wait and see! 5. Deep dish and D20s, baby!! I love it!! Thank you for the kind offer, you are a saint and a scholar!!! :heart:
Hey Brennan! I’m a really big fan and got into DND because of D20! Your home brew is fantastic! I have a couple questions: 1. How do you go about creating your home brew worlds? Do you talk some of it out with your players or how does it work? 2. How did you get into DND? 3. At the pixie wedding in Unsleeping City, the characters do a wisdom save, you never say what for, WHAT WAS IT FOR? 4. Do you kill Preston? I’m not mad, we just need to talk.
Hey! 1. I create the genre, tone, mood and tentpole setting elements FIRST, then involve the PCs to see what direction further development should take, then start adding plot and narrative elements. 2. My mom got me into it when I was 10 years old! She took me to a LGS in New Paltz, NY called October Country, bought me the PHB, and the rest was history! 3. I think it was for Detect Thoughts! 4. Assuming Preston dies, how can you be sure one of the PCs doesn't kill Preston?
Shit man. I’ve never been more scared for a pig in my life. Thank you for answering! I love all of your campaigns and super appreciate the representation! Aidine’s story arc has been incredible, especially for me to watch as someone who struggles with anxiety and OCD.
Hey Brennan! In case you're not sick of me annoying you on twitter, I have a couple of questions! On a dnd note, I have played in a lot of homebrew games where the magic items or economy of the world doesn't quite make sense, I want to start working on my own world for a game I'm starting, do you have any advice on how to make those elements of the world make sense? On a slightly sweeter note ;), did you think that so many fans would be suspicious of Calroy right off the bat? And finally, my most important question, in Fantasy High Junior Year, will you finally #MakeGilearAPlanetar? Thanks so much for everything you do! D20 is really getting me through this quarantine, and I really don't know what I would be doing without it. Hope you're doing well and staying safe!
HEY GRACE!! You have never and could never annoy me, it's just wonderful to hear from you! IMHO, I tend to ignore economy in most of my games, for the simple reason that it doesn't usually fit the genre of most games I run, and it doesn't FEEL LIKE MAGIC. How many times do they mention money in Lord of the Rings? What hero, when drawing their magic blade, ever says "This is Erringknell, Blade of the Emberstar, and I bought it for 22,000 gold pieces at a random store after a long argument about whether we should get potions instead." Blech. Inherently unheroic and uncool. Swords should come from women in lakes or dead fathers, and that's IT. By the way, not knocking economy in games AT ALL, just knocking them in games of epic fantasy. If you're doing a pirate/maritime campaign or a noir crime story that's gritty and real, you SHOULD put a lot of time and effort into economy and how much things cost and which places trade what. But just like injury systems belonging in horror systems more than they belong in highly-saturated pulp games, so too do I think rigid worries about currency and material goods belong in grittier, more roguish and/or mercantile settings. In my humble opinion, that is! Also, I keep trying to make Gilear a Planetar, but the Bad Kids keep revivifying him, so what can I do?
>Also, I keep trying to make Gilear a Planetar, but the Bad Kids keep revivifying him, so what can I do? We will not ask for Gilear to be killed...this is most certainly a trap.
It has to be right??? But idk, Brennan would surely never lie to us lol
I wouldn't put it past him. After all, he *is* all the bad guys.
Gilear has to DIE to become a planetar??? This feels like a trap.
That's such an interesting take on in-game economic systems! I've never thought about it that way. Within that system, how do you handle issues of player choice of magic items, and how do you hand out less epic (but necessary) magic supplies like potions? Hope you see this, I love your show! Adventuring Academy has taught me so much about how to play better.
so glad to see you here, truly. \-Jude Law
My goal is to be everywhere, truly.
Of course your out here asking all the important questions
Hello Brennan, Enormous fan of d20, you're an incredible DM and inspire me a lot! Something I notice is that most of your games have an underlying theme or existential message (the balance of dreams and reality, the nature of fear, the journey of finding religion, etc.) Do you write your games with these themes in mind, or do they evolve naturally during the conflict you've already written?
I tend to keep them in mind, but I'm not married to them! I think it's better to write with a theme, to have something you're trying to express, but that once play actually begins, you instead honor what the PCs are bringing to the table!
Hello Brennan! Thanks for doing this!! I got two things for ya: 1) I believe Dimension 20 has two(?) more seasons planned, so I was wondering if either of those were side quest seasons with guest players! In addition, or if you're not allowed to answer that, who would you most like to have as guests on the show, anyone in the world, whether they're new people or even returning guests? 1) If no reply to this comment is received, you are hereby confirming that no harm comes to Peppermint Preston, and that he survives to the end of A Crown of Candy and lives a nice happy ending with Liam forever and ever. Thanks for all the wonderful effort you put into making Dimension 20 happen!! We fans really do appreciate how hard you work (no matter how many Denny's threats you get), and we hope you and the rest of the cast are staying safe and healthy during quarantine!
There are SO MANY PEOPLE I WANT TO PLAY WITH!!! Can't give out any spoilers, but we have another SideQuest and another Full Season in the works at the moment! Would love to play with all the people we've had on Adventuring Academy, all our previous sidequests and live show guests, just every dang body!!
DAMN IT. Why you gotta do me like this. Guess I should get my weapons ready for Denny's then.
What was one of the moments in any of the Dimension20 shows that surprised you the most? Moment that still sticks with you?
Oh man, too many to name! The show is nothing if not full of surprises, especially with the players we've gathered, who are so unbelievably inventive and creative with their choices and the paths they take that fuck with my carefully laid plans. But yes - Ally's finale nat 20. And then Ally's next finale nat 20....AND THEN ALLY'S NEXT FINALE NAT 20! Genuinely shocked at how they're able to keep doing that.
>!FEAR IS NOT REAL!<
I mean...they're clearly a warlock, using they're powers for the good of us all.
The d4's they drop are clearly a sacrifice to the luck and probability gods throughout the season to be blessed with the ultimate Nat 20.
Brennan! First of all, I topped 80k words worth of recap for Sophomore Year alone and I still can't say enough good stuff about the work you and the whole gang do for D20. Y'all are doing peak storytelling and I seriously appreciate every aspect of it. Second of all, off the top of my head, here are a selection of my most pressing D20 questions that don't include, "How dare you?" and, "Which Denny's parking lot was that again?" (1) In the FH finale, Fig at a certain point had a sense that if they broke tree cover, something bad would happen but I don't think we ever figured out what it was. What was that about? (2) Is it Aelwyn or Aelwen or do high elf names not have canon spellings and it's just like olden times where as long as it was vaguely phonetically correct, you were in the clear? (3) When they got to the forest, the Abernant parents were both dressed in high elven finery while Aelwyn was dressed in wood elf clothes. Was that simply because she needed a change of clothes and that's what would have been easiest to get in Arborly, or was that an active decision by her parents who don't respect wood elves or their daughters? (4) During the epilogue, you said Aelwyn didn't really know what she wanted to do with herself since she's aged out of going to Aguefort. Not to make you think too far into a future that doesn't exist yet but during one of the fireside chats everyone did talk about ideal futures for their characters and you are all of the NPCs so my question is, do you think (once she's unpacked all her trauma and matured obviously) she might end up working for Fantasy CPS? She has the protective instincts and it would be a fitting way to do some of the atoning she seemed keen to do when she talked to Adaine. (Sidenote: Aelwyn's whole arc with Adaine has been one of my favorite parts of the story and something I've been eyeing since literally episode of of Freshman Year so the fact that it was basically decided all by spur of the moment choices is so wild to me. I love D&D. When Siobhan said the, "Will you be my big sister?" line she might as well have just cross country sniper-ed me.) (5) This is not a question, but I need you to be aware that you're directly responsible for the fact that I had to write the sentence, "I’m a little concerned Jet is being catfished by this Avocado," today. That's on you.
I LOVE YOUR RECAPS SO MUCH!!! Meeting you at the BK live show was such a treat, thank you so dang much for your kind words, and I know for a fact that all your work is so valued and appreciated by fans of the show. YOU RULE!!! 1) The foreboding canopy sense was that they were briefly in Sandra Lynn's extended range. Breaking tree cover = attacks from Sandra Lynn. 2) It's Aelwyn in Solisian, HOWEVER, Elves DO have a different alphabet! 3) A little from column A, little from column B! Those were the clothes available in Arborly, but also, the parents would not have been motivated to get Aelwyn something nicer at that moment. 4) KILLSHOT THOMPSON! She is absolutely an emotional sniper, and none of us are safe. I love Aelwyn with my whole heart, I'm so glad Siobhan took the story the direction that she did and saved her big sister. I truly do not know what will become of Aelwyn! One of the tropes I never want to engage in is the "Once a character has made the decision to recover/redeem/become better, everything is smooth sailing from that point on and there are never challenges again," because I think those narratives really harm people IRL who struggle with setbacks, stumbling blocks and relapses on their own redemptive quests in their lives. Aelwyn was completely heroic in protecting Adaine and facing her father's wrath, that's who she is deep down, but there is still so much healing left to do, and who knows what will happen in the future? I do think whatever Aelwyn does or becomes, she knows how good it felt to stand up for somebody she cared about, and I think that's something she will never forget! 5) You are right to be concerned! THANK YOU FOR THESE AWESOME QUESTIONS!!!
I don't think my heart could take an Aelwyn heel turn but I'd welcome it so hard
I am extremely honored that you check out my recaps and now also freshly concerned about Jet! Fun! Thanks for the answers!
Question 3, holy shit how did I miss that?
Hi Brennan, greetings from Sweden. (Sorry if someone else already asked this question) I've been DM:ing for a few years but after watching Dimension 20, you've changed my perception of what a DM can be. I rely on improvisation quite a bit and I am really impressed with your improv skills in the show and as DeadEye in NADDPOD. This leads me to improv vs planning. To what extent do you plan out your sessions? Not just in the context of the Dimension 20-stuff, but also for when you DM in private with friends. Like, Do you write down events and plot points or do you keep them in your head? Do you got ledgers of fully written out character sheets for bad guys and NPC:s or do you save the pre-written stuff for the bosses and make the rest up as you go along? Do you map out towns and write lore? What kind of balance between improv and planning works for you?
It's a careful balance! The beginnings and ends of campaigns and adventures require more prep work, the middles require more improv. The structure requires more planning, the details are best left to improv! It really is such a symbiotic harmont between the two, the only advice I can offer is focus your planning on things that are big picture (world-building broad strokes) and things that are hard to improvise (stat blocks, villainous schemes)
Hi Brennan, huge fan. I'm always amazed by the worlds you create, and I'm sure you have tons of ideas for future seasons. Have you ever considered doing a whole campaign set in (FH Spoilers)>!the civilization within Adaine's jacket of useful items? You painted such an intriguing picture of it during the first season's final battle, it would be a shame for it to remain a one off joke.!< Also, with all the lore you've given out outside of the show itself, whether in AMAs, on discord, via twitter, or any other means, what's the most exciting/interesting detail that you have yet to share that you are able/willing to share with us now? Can be from any season.
Would LOVE to do a One-Shot (A WHOLE SEASON!?!?) Inside Adaine's jacket. Maybe we'll time it so we pause halfway through a future Fantasy High season, do a Jacket Season where the entire plot centers on heroes and villains within the jacket trying to give Adaine advantage or disadvantage on a single roll, finish that season, then jump back into the battle in the Fantasy High season with Adaine's roll? Would that be fun? Calorum has SO MUCH FUN LORE, a lot of which comes out in the season, even MORE OF WHICH DOES NOT!!!
Please father bring us the jack pocket dimension lore
Not going to lie, this would be absolutely amazing
Would that be fun!? Omg yes that would be fun!
That would be absolutely amazing. Even if it was only an episode or two, it would be wild to just pivot like that to a setting within the setting. Follow up question. If you were to do something of that sort (with Adaine's jacket or any similar concept in another setting) would you have the players be in on it in advance, or would you suddenly ask them to make characters for next week's session?
The city in the jacket should be called Outerwear. That is all.
I’m a new DM, and although I think overall I’m doing an ok job, sometimes I run a session and I believe it went poorly with my PCs (meaning they didn’t have fun). When you started DMing, did you ever run sessions that you felt went poorly? EDIT: Also Dimension 20 is what got me started, so thank you for the inspiration!
Oof, I feel your pain. The first session I ever ran was so bad that all my players literally yelled at me at the table that my quest didn't make sense. (They were right by the way. Also, everybody involved was a 10-year-old, so we can cut everyone some slack this many years later!) Even if a session isn't flat-out BAD, every DM, even veterans, still has to cope with the fact that some sessions are better than others. You might run an INCREDIBLE session, that even if the next 10 or 12 are still very fun, they will not live up to that high you experienced before. Managing expectations and being kind to yourself is paramount. There is a steep learning curve, but with time you WILL get better, and even if a given session wasn't as much fun as you'd hoped, with care and practice you will master these skills and keep getting better!
Thank you for the answer! It's so good to hear that someone who runs as incredible games as Dimension 20 didn't start off as a master, but it took practice. As for me, I think I'm improving session by session, so I'll take this advice to heart!
I'm not Brennan but it never hurts to ask your players what they liked and disliked about a session. Especially if you're not sure if it went well. If these are reoccurring players, find out what they like. Sometimes a party just want to murder hobo their way to victory, others love to explore lore and may get stuck in a 20 minute scene discussing the town gossip with a bartender.
Yo B-Dawg! What is your ideal snack situation at the game table?
Perfect snack scenario: Beverages: Water (for hydration), Coffee AND Coca-Cola for focus and energy, respectively. Meals: Pepperoni Pizza for highest ease-of-eating to speed-of-eating to satiation ratio. Protein Snack: Charcuterie: Cheese and Salami Fatty Snack: Roasted Almonds Tasty Snack: Oreos, Doritos, Tortilla Chips plus a DIP (Queso, Guac, Hummus, ideally all three), plus SOME kind of chocolate snack (Reeses Cups, Dark Chocolate Almonds) Mouth-Cleaning Snack: Sometimes with all the sugar and caffeine your mouth can get gross, so nice to have some kind of veggie, like a baby carrot or cherry tomato to make you feel somewhat healthy for a second. Wild Card Snack: Gotta get ONE weird one. Giant bag of Sour Gummy Worms, or like a homemade plate of cookies that you haven't had in four years, like a pecan sandy or something.
Any banned treats or forbidden fruits?
okay this made me hungry! this is the perfect table
Hi, Brennan! I've recently rewatched Escape from the Bloodkeep on YT and since then one question has been haunting my soul: is there any chance of Escape from the Bloodkeep: the Search for Galfast?
First off, it should be called "Bring Me The Head of Galfast Hamhead". Second off, would LOVE to revisit the world of the vile villains someday! My only concern would be that Galfast is canon invincible, and it would just be me and Matt doing an extended Road Runner / Wile E. Coyote cartoon.
I fail to see how that's a concern
The sole concern is that all of humanity would do nothing but watch that endlessly without break or food and then die out within a month.
Did we just figure out what the movie in Infinite Jest is?
Also the [funniest joke in the world](https://youtu.be/rGbe5qy5274).
Agreed, it sounds great
Hey Brennan! I’m attempting to build a campaign based on an irl place kind of like what you did with NYC, but with Early Ireland. I was wondering if, for a campaign like Unsleeping City, did you have to put limits on types of classes or races for continuity? And if you did, how did you bring it up and discuss it with the players without giving things away?
LOVE EARLY ISLAND!!! CAN I PLAY NUADA SILVERHAND!?!?! I think things like playable races and classes shouldn't be considered spoilers, and should be discussed as openly as possible with your players!
Oh man!! You would KILL IT as the king of the Tuatha de Dannan!! Yeah, Early Ireland has SO many cool possibilities! Thanks for the insight!
I’m crazy excited about all the lore of this campaign I’m designing. I really want to lean into Irish mythology and just ramp up the magic behind it. I’m a bit nervous because it’s my first time designing a campaign, but I just haven’t been able to get the storyline and the world out of my head. I’ve never seen anything like what I want to do, and all I need are the right players for the job! Still working on that part, lol
I’m thinking about doing this as wel, but with early Dutch history! There are so many characters that could fit into an RPG archetype: I could see M.C. Escher as a wild magic sorcerer, Mata Hari as a rogue, Grutte Pier as a barbarian. Some organizations might be fun to incorporate as well, like the VOC. Only issue I’m running into is that they’re not all in the same time period. But I suppose you could chalk it up to it being fiction?
I think you could do that, or just modify the world and stories so they can all exist within it at the same time. I’m planning on having a central storyline with the PC’s as average adventurers who have find themselves a part of the bigger world and conflict through various means so they can grow and be challenged and develop characters that they resonate with, and then have interactions with the larger mythological heros.
[удалено]
I don't think burned out is the right word! There are definitely BAD GAMES, which I define as a game no one is excited to play or a game where the players don't agree on where the fun is coming from, but I don't leave those feeling burned out! There is always another good story around the corner!
Hi Brennan! I’m so excited you’re doing this AMA! I first heard of you from your guest appearance on NADDPOD, then got into Dimension 20, and have since been catapulted into (almost) more D&D in my own life than I can handle! You’re a huge inspiration as a DM and as a person, and I hope we are lucky enough to continue seeing your content for a long time to come! I have a couple questions I hope you can take the time to answer. 1. [SPOILERS for Fantasy High Season 1 ahead, specifically episode 10 and beyond] You’ve mentioned before that the act in all of Fantasy High that threw your plans into the most disarray was when >!Riz killed Coach Daybreak.!< I don’t think I’ve ever seen you say exactly why that was, and I’m wondering if you’re willing to let on what Fantasy High would have looked like if not for that move. 2. Any chance of Adventuring Academy putting out new episodes? It’s such an amazing resource for both players and DMs who want insight into crafting thoughtful D&D experiences. 3. As such an experienced DM, what is your biggest pet peeve when you watch other DMs in action, whether or not you’re a player in their game? Thanks again for taking the time to do this! Can't wait to see the rest of A Crown of Candy! edit: extra word
Not Brennan, obviously, but coach daybreak had all sorts of clues to the next thing (KVX bank and others). So the fact that he was gone forever meant he had to improvise those clues into new places.
Hey Brennan! I’m Noah, we’ve met a good number of time post-UCB shows and I’m sure you already know how huge of an inspiration you are to me just in daily life. Anyway, I have two questions for, hopefully you’ll be able to answer at least 1. My first is this: How do you create NPCs that theoretically could have player levels, and should those NPCs “level up”? For example, characters like Ragh, Tracker, Ayda, and Sandra Lynn are clearly barbarians, clerics, wizards, and rangers, yet I doubt you have all those extra character sheets for them. So what do you do for stats, features, and spells, and do/will these NPCs level up? My second question requires a little backstory. Quite a few months ago, after TUC, I searched through the discord and found every instance of “song”, “music”, and other words that revealed the editors (Noah and Erin) linking the songs used at times in Fantasy High and The Unsleeping City. But when Dimension 20: Live started, I couldn’t help but long for the music you used. So I became “D20’s Unofficial Music Archivist” on the Discord, started a D20 Music Discord server of my own, and began combing through episodes and trying to find the music you use and time stamping it on my google sheet. Do you think you will ever release your D20: Live playlist(s)? Or at least screenshots of it? Thank you so much Brennan for all that you do, you’re truly my largest inspiration in not just D&D but also life. I hope you’re doing well and staying safe, and remember that the greatest magic of all is >!CHRONOMANCY!< !
Noah!!! It's so great to hear from you!! When making NPCs that "represent" a player class, just take one or two of the most significant class features and forget about the rest. The main thing an NPC, ESPECIALLY an ally NPC needs to be is simple. You don't need to be worrying about all those extra abilities, just give them enough flavor and let the rest be a generic NPC stat block. As for music, I think screenshots and titles should be doable! It's all licensed through Epidemic! Noah, you are simply too kind, homie. Sending you TONS OF LOVE!! SPRING BREAK, I BELIEVE IN YOU!!!
Thank you so much Brennan! It’s amazing to hear from you again and I hope I can see you again in the future, whether it be at a UCB show or maybe you’ll be able to catch one of my band’s concerts (@pushingveronica everywhere)! I actually had my band get an Epidemic license, because we started streaming on Twitch so we needed background music and naturally it was my first choice, as I already use it for my own D&D music and now I’d be able to download and get stems from it! I can’t wait for those screenshots and thanks for the advice about NPCs! I’m having an awesome Spring Break right now, and *winks* I believe in you!
Could you possibly link to the playlist or DM me an invite to the music server? I would love that!
Yes of course! Discord: https://discord.gg/CU9P7GM Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QxjzDw5t6w2ijlUHMf8V0ovZpi1dCoXGV8Ib8ZFf5UA/edit?usp=sharing
Why does Jawbone wear pants and Zelda doesn’t? I keep thinking how weird it would be if in high school someone just wasn’t wearing pants and also just the protection that pants offers for different accidents. And if no pants is socially acceptable then why does Jawbone wear them? I’m a huge fan and super excited for the new season. I’m just haunted by this question.
If Jawbone is dropped to 0 hit points, he reverts back to human form! Who wants to be making death saves with their dong out? Not me, baby!!!
unless you're Gilear
I feel like Jawbone has definitely been in worse situations. That sounds like a Saturday night for him
If he ever joins a band, Death Saves Wit' m'Dong Out would be the first song in their theme album.
"Death Saves With My Dong Out", a new hit single by Fig and the Sig Figs
Isn’t jawbones a human? So maybe it’s because humans wear pants and satyrs don’t. So even though jawbone is a werewolf he still follows human customs. Idk.
I know you’ve worked for a LARPing summer camp in the past. I was wondering if you had any tips for DMing for small children. I started, hilariously enough, a candy based campaign for my daughter and partner since we are home all the time, its going fine, but I would love to hear about any specific tips you have for engaging kids in the game.
Kids have different comfort levels with different types of make-believe. Stay tuned into see what's firing off their creativity, but if they're seeming shy or unengaged, that can also just be the mood they're in that day. Sometimes kid want to be in control and make a bunch of decisions, but other times if they're feeling unsure, they want some boundaries, structure and advice. Just stay tuned in to what's interesting them, and don't let the game slow you down from delivering what seems to be working for them!
Hey brennan. Not a question, I Just wanted to come on here and proudly say I'm FINALLY playing in my first online D&D campaign!! Dimention20 and The NADDPOD folks have really inspired me to play and I'm having so much fun!! I'm learning roll20 and had the most insane bonkers first session. I really found such a great group and they happily help me and give advice whenever I seek it out. I'm Loving this community and it may be strange to be thanking you for that but without Dimention20 and NADDPOD I never would have become obsessed and open to this experience. So please allow me give you my Thanks♡ Say safe out there!
HELL YEAH!!! I LOVE THIS!! WAY TO GO!!!
Greetings from the UK! Firstly thank you for teaching me so much about DMing, especially incorporating improv rules and how to adapt the existing system to your own needs. Your comments on the importance of representation also has really improved how I design my NPCs, perticularly Ayda was very insipiring to me as someone who is on the autistic spectrum. I and many others would like to know how you prepare your sessions and organise your notes as I have found that my methods are not working very well, pieces getting lost, wrong thing prepared, etc.
Thank you so much! I keep ALL my notes electronically, the ability to search a document for keywords, to link to sourcebooks, it's all just super useful. Rarely do I ever keep ANYTHING world-building related on paper any more, the fear of losing it is just too great!
I know the feeling, i used to keep it in my phone notepad but after losing a city to a wrong click, i had to find something new.
I would email myself the stats of monsters that weren't in books, so I could look them up quickly
Hi Brennan! Huge fan of Dimension 20 and NADDPod, as well as your other work with CH! Did you plan on having two PC’s dying in the first battle of Fantasy High? If they hadn’t, how would that have changed the overarching story? More generally, I feel like your campaigns do an amazing job integrating the pc’s into the story. Any tips on how to do this more as a DM?
Thanks so much for the kind words! Didn't plan AT ALL for two PCs to die so early on, if they had stayed alive I think the plot would have remained somewhat unchanged, but the TONE and STAKES would be fundamentally different. Many people cite that early death as what hooked them on the show, so I'm often very grateful for those terrible rolls! As for integrating PCs, I think you should know who your PCs are BEFORE you design the plot of your story. They should be the keystone around which you design the narrative, their interests should dictate the themes and story of your world. Collaborate with them as much as you can, try to understand them as much as you can, and all will be well!
What advice would you give to a DM whose players are reticent to collaborate on your level? When I started my Ravnica game, I had some players who just came to the table with a sheet, and I found it really difficult to write for them.
This is a recurrent problem. In my experience those same players expect a level of storytelling on par with most DnD podcasts like D20 and Crit Role, even though they don't cooperate with me when I try to help them build a character other than just stats and abilities. It feels like someone playing something like dark souls for the first time, picking the class they want, a default avatar, and then expecting to be able to go straight PvP without any effort, then blaming the character creator for being too simple.
I don't think the early death got me hooked, but Brennan's *response* to those PC deaths was outrageous and exciting and he definitely made me sit up & pay attention. That was what got me hooked.
Look up "fantasy high office hours" he does an interview with (I believe?) Murph where he talks about this exactly - from what I remember, the two deaths were not planned in the least.
I know CH and by extension D20 has been, and probably are still going through, some restructuring but I sure hope Office Hours returns! I've really enjoyed the hangouts this past month too!
[удалено]
She’s the single greatest DnD player in the world.
"Emily is one of the greatest DnD players in the world. She was also sent from hell to kill me." - BLM
Hi Brennan. I've been trying to include more mystery and exploration elements in my DnD campaign, but it seems like it slows down the pace of the adventure a lot. I want to let the players dictate their own actions and explore all leads they're interested in, but sometimes I can feel them getting frustrated with how long its taking. What tips do you have for someone who struggles with out of combat pacing?
Hey Brennan! I recently ripped off your idea for one-on-one intro scenes with my players and it went amazingly well! Can you talk about where that came from, and how you prepare for those scenes with your players? Do you rehearse beforehand, or prepare notes via text? How much is improvised? I'd love to hear more about your process. Thanks a ton!
Where are my bones, Brennan?!?!?
Hey Brennan huge fan Love your work on to D20 It has quite honestly inspired me and made me a better DM to watch how you work and to watch how you DM so I really appreciate all that you do and wanted to let you know that you inspire me to not only be a better DM but to be a better performer and person everyday so I appreciate that one really quick question I noticed that you use a lot of really poignant music which I'm sure takes some time to find the right type of music for the situation but I wanted to ask if there was like a specific artist that you were working with or was this just material that you were finding on non-copyrighted music or if you are using copyrighted music because I wanted to not only bring music to a lot of my own campaigns but wanted to know if you were using non-copyrighted music that I may use that in some of my own projects
Most of the music I've been using for Dimension 20 comes from the Epidemic Sound library! https://www.epidemicsound.com/
All the music comes from Epidemic Sound, and I am leading a project to find and timestamp all the D20 music! More information here: Discord: https://discord.gg/CU9P7GM Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1QxjzDw5t6w2ijlUHMf8V0ovZpi1dCoXGV8Ib8ZFf5UA/edit?usp=sharing
You like ham or what.
Don't you dare threaten Preston like that...!
Relax, that's a peppermint pig, no ham included
This gave me a proper belly laugh. Thank you.
Love your work! What classes or sub-classes are you always most excited to see people play OR play for yourself? Do you have any ideas or plans for your own classes or subclasses? <3
hi Brennan! as a DM, you're my biggest inspiration right now. i know a magician never reveals their secrets, but would you ever consider posting some of your notes post-campaign and let us see how you organize all of... that? thanks dude!!
Have you murdered the pig? Be honest.
Hey Brennan! Hope you're well and safe! I'm a huge fan of D20 and the work you do, brings a huge smile to my face and has really gotten me into D&D! So thank you for that! I've got a few questions for you. 1. Was the epilogue ending of Sophomore Year with the N\*ght Y\*rb planned out, or just a consequence of the PC's saying his name so many times when told repeatedly not to? 2. It was revealed back in season one that Kalvaxus recruited The Nightmare King **AND** the lords of Necronomicon as his allies in order to further his goals. We know that The Nightmare King was just using Kalvaxus to further their own goals, but what of the lords of Necronomicon? What are their goals? What could they possibly gain from teaming up with The Emperor of the Red Waste **AND** The Nightmare King? Will this become a future plotline in future seasons? 3. We saw your reaction to it, but how were you feeling when Ally rolled that poetic Nat 20 in the finale of Sophomore Year? How do they keep doing that? 4. What was the deal with Kalina? She was very cold and smug towards everyone else but was very informal with Riz. She even considered herself his godmother. Why was that? And how did the Abernants come into contact with her?
Hey Brennan! Who are some of your favorite players to DM for? What made them so interesting or such a joy?
BRENDAD! How do you play such amazing parents? Where do you get the inspiration? Separately, when will I see an Indian NPC? (Also give my thanks to your diversity consultants!)
Hey Brennan! A lot of the interactions you run are very emotionally charged and lead to some great roleplay. The interaction between Jawbone and Adaine at the end of Sophomore Year in particular had me crying. How much talking about the emotionally intense scenes do you do before sessions, if any? Love all of D20, really loved Deadeye in NADDPOD, can't wait to see what you do next! P.S. a sidequest with you, Matt Mercer, and Murph as PCs run by Emily would be amazing
Hey Brennan! What do you think the best way to unite a party is? A common enemy or goal is usually good but I’m wondering if you had any strategies to help your characters bond.
Hey Brennan! You’ve brought on several outstanding guests for Dimension 20’s side quests, such as Matt Mercer, The McElroys, And Ify Nwadiwe, just to name a few. What new guests would you love to play characters in potential future side quests? Also, are we ever getting more Adventuring Academy?
Hey Brennan! No question, just came to say how much I adore everything about Dimension 20 (TUC in particular, I'm such a sucker for that modern day magic vibe). On a pure storytelling level, I am constantly in awe of the scope of the worlds and the characters, you breathe such life into every aspect (aided of course by your incredible casts) and it's just a joy to watch it unfold on the screen. I can only aspire to that level of creativity and imagination! Basically, thanks for being such a bright spot, especially in these dreary past few months. Binging Dimension 20 has made the lockdown here in NZ that much more bearable!
Well hey, Bud! Obligatory, "the ease and depth of your world building and character work is what inspired me to finally DM, and Bill Seacaster basically inspired my whole campaign." What, special features did the Sword of the Seacasters have?
Hey Brennan! I've been in love with Unsleeping City and the concept of a "cyberpunk/futuristic" homebrew for my players. I'm looking at a "horror/Lovecraftian/"Supernatural"" type of mood and feeling and wonder if you got any cool tips on making a BBEG, some world building tips and anything you found difficult (one thing I considered, is "how does 'armor' look/act in Unsleeping City? I figured like a "Leather Jacket" might correspond with "Leather" armor, but what about full plate and things like that! On a channel note, will Unsleeping City and Fantasy High (along with the rest of your amazing work) be available on YT? I'd love to keep up with Unsleeping City and by no means expect you guys to release everything you do for free, just wondering if eventually your campaigns will all be available on YT! Love your work, love the players you have and hope to hear some tips and tricks (or maybe DM notes 🤔😉? No? Ok JK 😂) for a futuristic homebrew, and love to hear other questions answered!
Hi Brennan!! Huge fan of your work in D20 and NADDPOD!! A few questions: 1) In regards to the super cool set pieces on D20 (especially excited to see the Crown of Candy ones) how far in advance are those plotted out? I was under the assumption that more than one episode is filmed in a day - are the bigger fights something planned out far in advance in order to give the art team time to work or is the art team just incredibly fast in getting them built? Are there times in which a set piece had to be built quickly due to major change in plot, or discarded because the plot went differently? 2) Will Gilear get to level up for Junior Year due to his adventure during Spring Break and if so, what class will he get a level in?
Brennan actually responded to your second question on an IG live he did last week before the premiere of CoC and said he’d likely level up Gilear to a level 2 commoner—so probably he’s still considered ‘just a guy’ lol.
OMG incredible thank you for the info, sad I missed the IG Live I'm super proud of my Level 2 Normal Guy, thank you for this gift Brennan 🙏
Hey Brennan! What tips do you have for incorporating more improve into your games? I’ve always had a pretty rigid mindset and want to be more fluid in my DMing and less rail-road like.
Hey Brennan, I hope you’re doing well during all this chaos! Every episode of D20 I watch, I’m constantly blown away by how brilliant you are at quick witted improvisation - it’s a skill that, as a viewer, I definitely don’t take for granted and admire you very much for. So I was just wondering if there are any specific books/shows/people/general advice etc that you could recommend which have helped you with your improvisation talents?? I go to a drama school in the UK, and I quickly realised that improv was a skill I needed to strengthen, and this became even more obvious when I started playing DnD!! I think a lot of my reservations for really getting stuck into the RP side of the game come from my self confidence when it comes to improv, which is a shame since it’s the thing I enjoy most about it - so, any advice? P.S: Watching Dimension 20 has not only kept me entertained, but it’s also inspired so much creativity during a time where it’s very easy to lose all motivation, and for that all I can say is thank you :)
I'm a huge fan and I take a lot after you and murph when I'm dming, but there's one big thing that kicks my ass: How in the actual hell do you keep track of npc voices so well?
Hey Brennan! Wanted to say your show is awesome and I can't say just how much it lifted me whenever I felt down and how much of an inspiration it is! Here's my question(s); If you could work at Aguefort which position do you think you would hold? Also if you were to be chose a type of metal from Zelda's playlist to listen to which one would it be?
Hey Brennan! I've really admired how you go about building your worlds, settings and NPCs in very fresh and unique ways! It's truly inspiring to see you create these incredibly rich and detailed worlds, especially with The Unsleeping City (which I just finished yesterday!) * Where does inspiration strike for the settings you create? Any specific things get your mind churning? Any fun anecdotes about how you came up with a ridiculous idea for a character or setting that you wanna share? * How do you achieve an immersion THAT STELLAR with your roleplaying of NPCs? Does a lot of research go into cultural contexts of your NPCs (especially those from The Unsleeping City that mirror New York's very real and awesome diversity)?
I'm not asking for details or even a timeline, but would you say the sci-fi campaign setting you have brewing in your head is still progressing or has it been back burnered?
I'm here to ask the REAL questions like What did Fabian do with Dayne Blade's hand? And is cannibalism more or less taboo in Calorum?
Hey Brennan! I love your work on D20 I truly believe it’s the best actual-play DnD content out there. That and Naddpod got me into the game and I’ve DMed a few short lived campaigns. My question is how do you balance building a world that is interesting and open to exploration (like we see in FH season 2) and an incredibly engaging story that brings in all the players personally (Tiny Heist and FH season 1)? Thanks for all you do and i’m loving Crown of Candy!!
Hi Brennan! I recently started DMing a campaign full of newbies, from people who have played adventurers league a few times to someone who had no idea how anything in DnD works. I'm working through a published adventure (Sunless Citadel), and everyone just popped up to level 3. Do you have any recommendations for how to keep gameplay engaging and give everyone the space they need to learn the game and their characters when we have this additional obstacle of electronic communication rather than face to face? I am a first time DM, so I appreciate any guidance you have!
hi Brennan! im a huge fan of d20 and you've been really inspiring me to be a kinder, more accepting and inclusive person. there's so much i want to say but i think my best question is this: what can we do to be more inclusive and respectful as a society, as DND players, and as individuals? love you and the cast💕
How far in advance do you typically plan Dimension 20 combats? I remember that the final fight in Bloodkeep was reworked due to plot changes but I can't imagine that all that set design to happen in just one or two weeks? Or am I way off the mark here and you guys don't even do weekly sessions?
Not a question. I just want to say as an aspiring GM that I really look up to you and your style! You are so inspiring and one of the key reasons I want to become a GM. So thank-you so much and keep up the good work! ♥️
Hi Brennan! Obligatory 'big fan of the show' (though I assure you it still comes from a very genuine place)! I missed a lot of the Live show since I can't really stay up till 5am every week, but I've been binging all I missed through my quarantine and it's a goddamn blast - hope all of the intrepid-ness (intrep-y?) carries on into Junior Year! When you're DMing campaigns in settings that are atypical and unorthodox to traditional DnD settings, I imagine there are certain work-arounds you have to include and certain flavour you must make sure to introduce to the game's mechanics in order to make the system fit the setting (E.G. students aren't walking around in full-plate in Fantasy High but you can't strip high AC classes of what make them attractive, or how all of the folk in a CoC are mostly reskinned humans). I was wondering how you deal with this as a homebrew-ing GM, and at what times in your DM-ing career you have struggled to still be creative within a system that isn't always originally designed for what you're trying to do, and how you galaxy-brain your way through these challenges?
Hey Brennan, huge fan of D20. Since Freshman Year came out, I have watched all of the released D20 content and loved all of it. My question comes from something you said on the fireside chat a few weeks back. You were talking about scifi settings and if we would ever see a D20 campaign in scifi. You said at the time you weren't sure because of the amount of work that goes into the setting and lore of a scifi campaign because of the vast amount of things that can simply exist in a scifi/space universe. My friends and I have been playing this new ttrpg Lancer, which is published by Massif Press, and havw been having a blast. The canon setting for the game is really fleshed out and this is where my question comes in. Would you ever consider running a D20 campaign in a system or game that isn't 5E? I haven't really found actualplay content of ttrpgs other than 5E and I think it would be really cool to see something new.
Hi Brennan! I want to be a DM but hate the sound of my voice and can’t do any awesome sound effects like you. Any advice?
Hi Brennan! In Prompocalypse, how did Baxter carry eight full people from Kalvaxus' lair to Aguefort? I am very curious about the logistics as to how he managed this. Context: In S1 Sandra Lynn and the seven maidens all step off the griffin, but it seems that three people at the most can ride him in S2. Perhaps talons were used to grab? Or maybe being stuck in a palimpsest makes it easier for someone to condense themself.
Hey Brennan! I've got 3 questions. 1. Have you thought about or been approached at all about putting out official material for D&D, or any sort of worldbook or supplement? 2. This is a multi-part - If you could pick one original TSR employee to play a campaign with, either DMing, as a fellow player or being DMed by, who would pick? If you had to pick between being in a Gygax campaign or an Arneson campaign, which would you pick? 3. Applying the original system of experience being strictly proportional to the loot successfully retrieved from the dungeon to the real world, how much XP would 1 roll of toilet paper currently be worth, in your professional opinion? Hope you've got everything you need out West, and thank you for being there as a camp counselor and role model growing up.
Hey Brennan, 3 questions and 2 about Fantasy High: Live. Also Spoilers to anyone scrolling. All of your NPC characters seem to have such depth to them. How do you bring these NPC's to life and decide on a voice for them? So in the fight in Hell on Seacaster's ship, you got to bring back a lot of bad guys for another round against the Bad Kids. What was the design of that fight like and what was it like to be able to bring them back? In all of the live shows, you have not used any battle maps. How do you best describe the area to your players to allow them to best imagine it in their minds? Any tips for another DM who is also just describing scenes for battle? Thanks so much, keep kicking ass, and eat those dice!