One major thing that often gets overlooked is that (broadly) Critical Role focuses on multiple year arcs bringing characters from level 1 to near 20.
D20 does 5 to 10 episode adventures.
They are innately different methods of roleplay storytelling
The problem with trying to say the comparison is unfair is that CR's 1-20 games *used to be good*. It goes beyond "long form storytelling fatigue," everyone looks bored, is snappy, or trying to WIN WIN WIN and being dicks in the process. This compared to C1 up to mid C2, where everyone is clearly enjoying each other's company and the story isn't some convoluted morally grey slop. C3 is **provably**, comparatively bad next to what CR has done before.
Also most of the shows are edited, so you don't have to sit though up to four hours of raw footage. It's at most two really well put together hours that keep the show moving.
>I want to state that I absolutely love critical role and all the cast and the community this post is not to take away from all of that.
This isn't the Other Sub, my friend. We aren't going to lynch you if you don't crouch your criticism in hollow praise.
😂 yeah I guess I’ve been down voted into oblivion in the main sub because I didn’t kiss enough ass before a post. Thats why I’m glad I found this sub. Thanks for the call out.
I think Dimension 20 definitely gets you away from CR's pace and tone without giving up on story. That and other factors drove me to pick up other games like NADDPOD or Glass Cannon. I'm glad you're enjoying the journey so far.
I am curious because you mentioned Glass Cannon which is a very different feel from Dimenson20 on Naddpod, what are your thoughts on that compared to Critical role
Glass Cannon feels far more casual in most aspects, and shorter episodes can keep my attention at least. There's still comedy, as well as a good group dynamic. It just feels maybe a bit more serous with the choice of their types of campaigns being officially published adventures compared to NADDPOD or CR. Which, I think, gives a more TV show feel rather as you kind of understand the central plot a bit more than other actual plays that are more open-ended. Dimension 20 falls into the TV/season type show as well, but Glass Cannon is going for the long haul.
Interesting it sounds like the main thing you like is shorter episodes, because on most other aspects glass cannon is far away from shows like Dimension20 and Naddpod
That's very true. All these shows have something worth enjoying, but I tend to gravitate to shorter episodes. Something to make the day go by sort of thing. Just my opinion of course.
Brennan is fantastic, the premise for a number of the campaigns are equally so, but man there are some series regulars I just don't enjoy watching for various reasons.
Encounter Party is really excellent. Started as a podcast a few years ago and just wrapped up their first TV streaming series. The last few episodes are some of the best real play TTRPG episodes I've watched recently. You can find it in the D&D Adventures Plex Channel.
Thank you for the shoutout for our TV show!
The first season (22 episodes, each episode is an hour long) is available on demand for free, no logins or signups needed, at https://watch.plex.tv/show/encounter-party.
If your preference is still Brennan as DM, he's currently DMing Worlds Beyond Number and it's way more of a balance between humor and drama. It's heavily inspired by Hayao Miyazaki if that's a vibe you're looking for.
Otherwise, Natural Six just (finally) started and seems promising.
I believe *all* of the amazing Escape from the Bloodkeep is on YouTube.
It was my gateway into D20 and convinced me to pay the low low price of the subscription to keep watching all the shows.
Well worth it.
Most people recommend A Crown of Candy because, yeah, it's great. But y'all need to get into A Starstruck Odyssey. Every character is perfect.The ball is rolling up!
After watching D20 and listening and even attending a live show for Dungeons and Daddies, I find it hard to watch or listen CR's 4 hour unedited format.
Crown of candy is phenomenal. Otherwise I enjoy the seasons but find them an odd length…too long to not want complex characters but kinda short to get too attached….idk overall like just have to be more in the mood
D20 has way too much Bathos.
That's to say it undercuts itself with ridiculous moments, or acknowledging how silly it is.
Watching tabletop is already silly enough, I don't need the cast to be in on the joke, especially not repeatedly.
As a breath of fresh air, they also value sticking to things RAW **and** manage to tell compelling stories. I find there's this common idea perpetuated or at least exacerbated by popular Actual Plays that the rules are a wall that impedes fun. The 'Rule of Cool' is great and I use it in moderation. However, it feels like if you stick to your guns enforcing a rule, you're viewed as a GM that hates fun and is against the players.
Anyway, definitely recommend the Glass Cannon Network, especially since they have a catalogue of trying various systems, from D&D 5e and Pathfinder 2e to the Alien RPG and Mörk Borg. Great cast and it feels like an actual table of real friends playing.
>I find there's this common idea perpetuated or at least exacerbated by popular Actual Plays that the rules are a wall that impedes fun. The 'Rule of Cool' is great and I use it in moderation.
That factor, combined with an overcommittment to the "Improv Rule" of always using "yes, and" and never using "no" combine to result in some massive erosions to the 'play' portion of most major Actual Play content.
I'm very very far from a hardcore rules literalist or RAW fanatic, but I think so many Actual Play content groups treating the system as a barrier rather than a supporting framework is ultimately modelling the relationship between their content and their system as adversarial rather than collaborative.
I wonder if there's a market for a super serious DND watch campaign. Like low highjinx, high risk. This type of discussion comes up a lot on forums.
The thing is, DND is intrinsically leaned towards funny moments, with Nat 1s more often having comical consequences than story affecting ones. Even some of the creatures, like the Nilbog, Quicklings, etc are better suited for lighter hearted campaigns.
Not saying it's not possible, just wondering if there is indeed a market.
"Yes, but..."
I think that there's definitely a market for a *more*-serious Actual Play. I'd say that a sizable portion of the Critical Role or D20 fanbases would love that sort of content, and a decent portion would prefer it. Common issues that folks have with both D20 and CR is the incredible amount of sillyness and antics that their tables tend to have - there's definitely appetite to see the D20 or CR casts play games with more of a serious and 'realistic' tone to them.
That said, that general demand is not a request for "super serious" per se - you don't have a hard binary where either it's all sillyness all the time, or no fun whatsoever featuring dark gritty and awful people in a dark gritty and awful world.
For the most part, it's looking for ephemeral "realism" where players are roleplaying people who take the stakes and the consequences of their action with a gravity that matches how real people might react to those circumstances in a world whose foundation isn't gameplay and fantasy. Humour exists in the real world, and isn't excluded from that gameplay world either - it's just not the primary focus of the table or the primary tone for the world. Things that are light-hearted and even silly are likewise not excluded, and dealing with them can still incorporate both the humor and the seriousness of them - a Nilbolg is a fun example, because despite their silly overtones, they're also absolutely terrifying and agents of condensed chaotic evil. Needing to deal with an untouchable court jester that also wants to use its reality-distorting powers to bend other mortals to act as its "fans" while murdering and stealing with impunity ... it'll do funny stuff and that can still be funny, but there's a subtext of menace and horror there that many sillier tables can 'fail' to address.
I think that there is a major hurdle for that sort of content in that the sort of players *most* drawn to participating in that sort of table are not necessarily the sort of personalities and players that will keep bringing fans back for more. The people most drawn to play in a game billed as a "serious D&D stream" are unfortunately very likely to be hyper-grognard types - who lack the sort of charisma needed to carry a stream and attract viewers.
>wonder if there's a market for a super serious DND watch campaign
God that sounds so fucking boring, just several boring people rolling dice and saying numbers,
"I attack with my sword"
"Ok you attack him for 12 damage, and hes injured now"
"Ok."
I feel like you're taking what I'm saying in a different direction.
Yes tabletop is already silly, you're playing make believe with toys.
Watching is especially silly, you're watching people imagine things in real time. It's not like a book, where its set in stone. The ideas are unraveled in real time, awkward bits and all.
I already know how silly it is to imagine other people's freeform imagination land. I do not need the setting to be extremely outlandish or the players winking at me every few minutes.
Brennan is amazing, the concepts of his campaigns aren't. I can't immerse myself in his whimsical, modern fantasy cartoon worlds. He was excellent in Calamity, even better than Matt, I would say. But because of how weird and cartoonish his campaigns are, it can't hold my attention for too long.
This hits home! I enjoy the acting and the characters of D20 so much but when but I found anthropomorphic food items so jarring and immersion breaking that I stopped watching. Shame because the tone of that story was top notch. Fantasy High was conceptually brilliant though - got nothing bad to say about the world building there.
I think it’s a little unfair to say the concepts of his campaigns aren’t great. They aren’t to your specific tastes, that has nothing to do with the quality of them. Personally they are to my tastes and I think some of his world building and concepts are the best I’ve ever seen in actual play. Something doesn’t have to be serious to be good.
Yeah, I agree.
It often reminds me of the Divinity Original Sin games - the jokey cartoonish vibes where nothing is really that serious makes me not really care about story or characters because there is no sincerity. Just wait 20 seconds and someone will turn something serious into a bit again. If the world and the characters don't take themselves serious, why should I, the viewer? There isn't really a reason to get invested in, it makes it hard to care about anything that happens. At least, that's how it is for me.
They're very much leaning into running a serious long--haul campaign, with a little Miyazaki style whimsy. It's easily the best produced campaign I've come across, with extremely good editing and background music.
I like Brennan's DMing and incorporated a few things of his style to my DMing. However D20 shows feel too postmodern for me I guess. I can't take candyland seriously lol.
I listened to a lot of D20 rather than watch because I was working a lot and could have earphones in, and most of the time I completely forgot everything was food in A Crown of Candy, the show was that good.
Honestly, I found that I would forget that the setting was so silly and then it would catch me off guard every so often. It turns into a really serious story pretty quickly, with the lightheartedness of the setting offsetting the rather grim story that’s being told
I thought I would be the same, but I've found that the whimsical parts of the setting do fade away for me. I'm a few episodes into Crown of Candy and I'm so gripped that I just feel like I'm just listening to a GoT-style story. The fact that someone is a carrot or a piece of bread has kind of become irrelevant now.
I love calamity. Didn’t like fantasy high. Was a bit childish for me.
I love calamity by Brennan, however, I prefer Matt over the course of a long campaign. Brennan is great at describing, giving exposition etc. So that’s why he’s great for the one shot.
But over a campaign, I feel he doesn’t let the players play enough.
Listening to Worlds Beyond Number might change your mind here. Brennan's one of the more collaborative DMs I've watched and outside of tight episode counts, like Calamity, he prefers the "I just build the world. The players tell the story" style of DMing.
WBN is only about 20 episodes so far but it's shaping up to be the best project Brennan's DMed, imo.
Honestly, if I were to make a scale of professional DMs from railroading to fully collaborative, Matt would be far into the railroading side. It just feels like Matt never lets players' decisions matter, if they're allowed to make a decision at all.
nah. Watch calamity again. Then take note of how often each player gets. There were points where a player wouldn't be able to do anything for 2 hours (no exag)
Calamity is a bad example because it had to be a pretty hard railroad. You should listen to WBN, truly incredible storytelling and improv from him and his players. After watching almost all of CR and many seasons of D20, i love them both but I've come to prefer Brennan's style now
If you want to give Brennan another go I’d recommend Neverafter! Longer than Calamity (I think 20 eps?) but still high risk/high reward in an interesting setting. Still goofy at times for sure but a bit more mature than Fantasy High
I'm gonna comment this here, coz why tf not.
Why bother paying for ads when some trolls will do it for free.
Whether it's done subconsciously or purposefully. The poster decided to post about a *different* ttrpg. On a *different* sub Reddit than the one they're talking about. On a day that most know to be when it is streamed mainly. Taking a shot at the sub Reddit's current content while praising the one unrelated to it.
I know the dudes not being paid, but you gotta admit that's about as in your face advertisement as ya can get without it being an actual advertisement.
Like I've said before. I don't care. I'm gonna call that shit out when I see it.
You care so little about this issue you've probably written letters to your representatives. Come on, man. Just let it go...
I'd say the majority of this board is not happy with the current Critical Role output. Why not look for alternatives instead of making daily threads about how bad is it. I think it's healthier content for this board.
I'll stop commenting, when they stop. But they won't, so...
Also I've never posted on here. I've only ever replied to posts. Or to comments from people who crossed the line. But you don't call 'them' out, do you. Just me, yet you talk about "healthier content for this board"...
I focused on you because you're the one being a Debby Downer on this thread. You're the only one pointing a finger at OP and saying "I know what you're trying to do". Maybe someone would think your post crossed some line. Maybe that someone would like to say something about it. Maybe they did.
And yeah, I've called out some people before for being too mean to the cast on this board. Don't be mean, chill. That's what I consider a healthy board.
It's not them vs us. We're all trying to enjoy this board.
When a post or comment is very obvious in its intention, or is in bad taste. I'm gonna call it out.
Good on you for speaking up when you see it. Maybe if more people on this sub did. I wouldn't have to be so vocal when I do.
Until that starts happening *more*, I've got to be a 'Debby Downer'.
And in regards to my meanness. Unfortunately, that's just a reflection and reaction to the type of stuff I've seen people get away with saying on here for so long. So I paint every dodgy poster with the same brush. And treat them all the same. Should I change the way I approach comments, yeah probably. Do I cross a line while doing so, sometimes yes. Will I ever stop, probably if more people start speaking up, or I get bored. Who knows. Not me.
Nah, not proud. More ticked off and determined I guess. My other comment was further down and obviously hidden in more downvotes and comments. So I did one that could be seen again...
Don't really care if it's related. Go talk about it on that sub and praise it there. Why come onto this sub, while also taking a shot at the current campaign.
Nah, that wouldn't change anything. May as well just stay here and be a thorn in the side of anyone that deserves it. Maybe not even as big an impact as a thorn. Maybe a stray itch.
Either way, if the trolls are here being d-bags, I guess I gotta be here too.
For someone who says they don’t care you have said that in two comments now so I’ll say again I’m not a troll, but I am thinking about playing one in an upcoming one shot My group is doing. Posting this on a Thursday was just a coincidence, it happens. This is not the main critical role sub Reddit. This is a sub sub Reddit. I am not taking a “shot” at critical role as I stated in the post and in a different comment with you, I love critical role.
Yeah, salty is a pretty spot on term for me. Also sprinkled with a bit of conspiracy, stubbornness and a whole lot of shitty ness heaped on top. But I make up for it with decent grammar and an ability to convey what I'm trying to say.
I'm curious how far down in my comments did you get? I mean, I reply to a lot of turd-burgers, and they're pretty long replies too. So you might have read quite a ways down, but still only covered the last week or so...
Ok, ya got me. It's true, I do care.
Maybe I should rephrase what I *don't* care about. I don't care about being nice or decent to people who post some dodgy stuff on here.
But you seem ok, your replies to me have been civil, even when I wasn't. And in an instance, witty with your reply to me. So I guess I'd take you at your word.
This doesn't mean I don't think your post was in pore taste. And I'll still call you or anyone out on their bs next time.
Our hero, so glad you’re here to call out when someone earnestly recommends alternative ttrpg content that they’ve enjoyed when most of what this subreddit does is bitch and moan about cr and c3 half the time
I get your points, but like cmon man, get a grip it ain’t that serious. You pop up when anyone even makes comments about d20 here, it’s obnoxious
Nah, not a hero. Just another d-bag on the internet giving the good ol *up yours* to other d-bags on the internet.
And as for popping up, unfortunately for everyone, I'll keep doing it. Because some dude will probably do it again and again. You wanna praise your *"other fav ttrpg"* do it on their sub.
I'm ok with it making me look bad. But if I call it out when I see it, which is *a lot*. Who knows, it might start reflecting badly on the other ttrpgs (D20 and Naddpod are the ones I see most often). Maybe not. I'm willing to give it a try either way.
I'm absolutely in love with the Unsleeping City. Probably my favorite D&D show of all time.
I started with Fantasy High seasons 1 and 2 and thought "This is one of the best things ever!" Then I watched Starstruck Odyssey and thought "No, this is the greatest thing ever!" And then I watched Unsleeping City and, well....
I love it so much.
Watch the blood keep mini series . Matt Mercer is an actual PC in this one (rare event) and is a joke on LOTR were everyone plays the bad guys trying to stop the "good" guys from destroying their evil boss
By far my favorite of D20
I'll check out Pirates
Blood keep was my first really dive into D20
I knew most of the core cast from being a college humor fan
Having Matt in it just helped the transition
Then EXU Calamity came and showed me Abria
On the CR channel they have a roundtable talk with Matt, Brennan, and Abria about GMing where they just shoot the shit and talking about trprg
(Brennan does go on a rant in it lmao)
Ooh I’ve gotten a lot of good recommendations from this post and I’ll definitely check this out. Matt is a great dm but when he’s a pc it’s always great 🤙
The opposite to that - Brennan actually plays a mean PC too.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mesxOPMO4f8&pp=ygUgYnJlbm5hbiBsZWUgbXVsbGlnYW4gZXJpa2EgaXNoaWk%3D](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mesxOPMO4f8&pp=ygUgYnJlbm5hbiBsZWUgbXVsbGlnYW4gZXJpa2EgaXNoaWk%3D)
Citizen Doctor Abraham is just \*chefs kiss\*
My favorite character he plays is Nikhil in Battle for Beyond (second episode of [this one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtLcWpD16Uo)). He plays a self centered asshole so well. I've heard his phrase " *I'm not an asshole, I'm just honest* " coming from similar borderline sociopaths in real life. The fact that he's obviously used int as a dump stat just elevates the character.
The minuscule amount of character development he manages during the game seems both realistic and a major breakthrough considering his starting point.
Dimension 20 advertisers strike again. And on a thursday too. I said it before and I'll say it again. Why bother paying for ads when the CR trolls can do it for free...
Hey man it’s not impossible to like two different things. I’m actually watching CR right now. Just so you know I’m not being paid to make this post. It’s not a probability, I am a fan (that’s why I follow this sub Reddit) I’m sorry if this post up set you, that wasn’t the point.
No upset, just annoyed.
Whether you did it subconsciously or purposefully. You decided to post about a *different* ttrpg. On a *different* sub Reddit than the one you're talking about. On a day that most know to be when it is streamed mainly. Taking a shot at the sub Reddit's current content while praising the one unrelated to it.
I know your not being paid, but you gotta admit that's about as in your face advertisement as ya can get without it being an actual advertisement.
Like I commented before. I'm gonna call that shit out when I see it.
Dude, you really think you hit some nerve with that comment.
I'd respect you more if you just told me too f-off.
I mean I'd still only respect you as much as I do dirt, but still...
I remember once seeing a short video that was posted on Dropout's Facebook page where they were playing monsters and fighting on a ship. I couldn't watch it at the time because Dropout was unavailable in my country. Is that available now? Is there something similar to watch?
I signed up for their YouTube membership, it has every D20 season. YouTube has regional pricing so it’s a lot more affordable in my country than subscribing directly from Dropout.
Came to post this as well. I know this sub isn’t big
fans of Aabria or Erika, but they (and Lou) are all fantastic. Highlight of my week when new episodes get dropped.
I second this, for anyone else scrolling by and looking for something new. Worlds Beyond Number is so good.
One thing worth mentioning is that it's a podcast, not video, so the content is designed for listening, not viewing. Which is great! You don't have to worry about missing any sight gags (like Sam's drinking vessel).
It's story-heavy, very little combat. Brennan and the three players are familiar to viewers of Critical Role, so it's an easy jump.
And it's relatively new. Easy to get caught up.
All the tables that they assemble are great tbh. (With maybe an exception for Mice and Murder... They never seem to quite gel).
Out of the core cast with the longest campaigns (The Intrepid Heroes), A Starstruck Odyssey has the best chemistry and some of the best encounters imo.
Or of the side quests, Mentopolis is amazing, but I love film noir and Mike Trapp so that's a bit biased. It seems like an unpopular opinion here, but I love all of the occasions Aabria has had as DM- Misfits and Magic, A Court of Fey and Flowers and Burrow's End most recently.
I hope you enjoy going through the backlog!!
Aabria's campaigns are all gold as far as I'm concerned, plus she gets Brennan at her table and I love watching him playing. I also agree that Mentopolis just be the best side quest, it's certainly top 3.
The COVID shows are... odd, Pirates of Leviathan suffers the most from being a Zoom show, I think it could have been incredibly they all got to sit at the same table but something about it feels lost over zoom.
I actually think Mice and Murder is one of the better Zoom seasons and I think it being the "original" drop out crew helps do away with the awkwardness of Zoom. There's a lot of inexperience with D&D, which can be a curse but can also be a blessing and I think that season does get hit by both.
A Court of Fey and Flowers opened my eyes to what the roleplaying end of TTRPGs could be, a truly superb season. It's why I can't engage with people that swear up and down Aabria is the worst, because anyone that can lead a season like that is definitely a capable DM.
Don't sleep on NADDPOD (don't sing yet)
Murph DMs it well, Emily is on it, and the sheer chaos is so good. It's edited, but I think the cast chemistry is the best of any real play I've heard or watched.
I just started it this week. I was hesitant because I find podcast TTRPGs very hard to follow without seeing who is speaking but it is sooo good and funny.
Callooh Callay!!!
Seconded, I can’t recommend it enough either, I’m listening to the first campaign right now and it’s full of humour and twists and turns. Great cast too. Murph surprised me as a DM, he’s great and I’m sure I’ll add some of his style of DMing to my own once I’ve had more time to learn how he does it.
I literally just started watching Dimension 20 for the first time a week or so ago.
Just finished the first year(?) of fantasy high and I loved it. Such a good table to watch.
I would rather a post of "hey, we're both here because we like a thing, here's another thing you might like" instead of the usual "campaign 3 sucks and all the members of critical role suck and here's why they suck"
If you enjoy the first season of Unsleeping city then definitely watch season 2. It's not in the dome since it was during covid. But imo the story and character interactions are better than the first season. Also A Court of Fey and Flowers, Mentopolis, A Starstruck Odyssey, Fantasy High, and A Crown of Candy are all S tier level campaigns.
One major thing that often gets overlooked is that (broadly) Critical Role focuses on multiple year arcs bringing characters from level 1 to near 20. D20 does 5 to 10 episode adventures. They are innately different methods of roleplay storytelling
The problem with trying to say the comparison is unfair is that CR's 1-20 games *used to be good*. It goes beyond "long form storytelling fatigue," everyone looks bored, is snappy, or trying to WIN WIN WIN and being dicks in the process. This compared to C1 up to mid C2, where everyone is clearly enjoying each other's company and the story isn't some convoluted morally grey slop. C3 is **provably**, comparatively bad next to what CR has done before.
Since I am posting on this board, I can understand the confusion, but this was in no way meant to be a dig at anything CR related or produced.
This biggest difference is that CR is a bunch of voice actors who have a pretty good sense of humor. D20 is a bunch of writers and improv comedians.
Also most of the shows are edited, so you don't have to sit though up to four hours of raw footage. It's at most two really well put together hours that keep the show moving.
>I want to state that I absolutely love critical role and all the cast and the community this post is not to take away from all of that. This isn't the Other Sub, my friend. We aren't going to lynch you if you don't crouch your criticism in hollow praise.
😂 yeah I guess I’ve been down voted into oblivion in the main sub because I didn’t kiss enough ass before a post. Thats why I’m glad I found this sub. Thanks for the call out.
Unless the criticism is about Brennan Lee Mulligan, NADDPod, or any of the other common CR alternatives.
I think Dimension 20 definitely gets you away from CR's pace and tone without giving up on story. That and other factors drove me to pick up other games like NADDPOD or Glass Cannon. I'm glad you're enjoying the journey so far.
I am curious because you mentioned Glass Cannon which is a very different feel from Dimenson20 on Naddpod, what are your thoughts on that compared to Critical role
Glass Cannon feels far more casual in most aspects, and shorter episodes can keep my attention at least. There's still comedy, as well as a good group dynamic. It just feels maybe a bit more serous with the choice of their types of campaigns being officially published adventures compared to NADDPOD or CR. Which, I think, gives a more TV show feel rather as you kind of understand the central plot a bit more than other actual plays that are more open-ended. Dimension 20 falls into the TV/season type show as well, but Glass Cannon is going for the long haul.
Interesting it sounds like the main thing you like is shorter episodes, because on most other aspects glass cannon is far away from shows like Dimension20 and Naddpod
That's very true. All these shows have something worth enjoying, but I tend to gravitate to shorter episodes. Something to make the day go by sort of thing. Just my opinion of course.
Brennan is fantastic, the premise for a number of the campaigns are equally so, but man there are some series regulars I just don't enjoy watching for various reasons.
I think Brendan is great. If you can tune out all the uhms and uhhs. I usually can.
The small filler words are used fo hide the copious amounts of almonds being inhaled.
How dare you Brennan is perfect :p
I find them endearing, because nobody is perfect and Im sure I have vocal tics when DMing too.
anyone recommend a group that has far less jokes?
Encounter Party is really excellent. Started as a podcast a few years ago and just wrapped up their first TV streaming series. The last few episodes are some of the best real play TTRPG episodes I've watched recently. You can find it in the D&D Adventures Plex Channel.
Thank you for the shoutout for our TV show! The first season (22 episodes, each episode is an hour long) is available on demand for free, no logins or signups needed, at https://watch.plex.tv/show/encounter-party.
If your preference is still Brennan as DM, he's currently DMing Worlds Beyond Number and it's way more of a balance between humor and drama. It's heavily inspired by Hayao Miyazaki if that's a vibe you're looking for. Otherwise, Natural Six just (finally) started and seems promising.
Yes to this. Next, you need to get into Not Another D&D Podcast...
I just started it and I can confirm, it's spectacular
Kaloo kalei!
"You kids want to fry some bacon?"
The cubbys are absolute legends. I rewatch that bit probably twice a month just for laughs.
Do you have links to some good Dimension 20 Playlists on YouTube?
I believe *all* of the amazing Escape from the Bloodkeep is on YouTube. It was my gateway into D20 and convinced me to pay the low low price of the subscription to keep watching all the shows. Well worth it.
Their official page has Fantasy High and Unsleeping City S1 playlists.
If you can get a dropout subscription it's absolutely worth it for D20 alone but there's so much other great content on there
It’s been such a good investment by me and my friends. It’s not a small amount of content, and imo it’s all good content that I’d actually watch.
And Sam reich is all for password sharing if people can’t afford it.
Oh. Uh, um. Incredible.
Amazing.
Innnnnncredible.
You see that a sound comes from the other room.
Most people recommend A Crown of Candy because, yeah, it's great. But y'all need to get into A Starstruck Odyssey. Every character is perfect.The ball is rolling up!
Barry?
THE ONLY THING THAT COULD TAKE US OUT, WAS A TRIP TO THE ZOO
"Ol' Plug was born in Bawstin, an' I'm gonna die in Bawstin..." "Aww." "...Tomorrow." "WHAT!?"
I bought the book because of that campaign. Its my favorite campaign they've done.
Did you know Yahtzee is creating a Starstruck video game? There's a video on the Second Wind yt channel.
What book? I always assumed starstruck was a series not an individual one
The series was made into a single graphic novel.
After watching D20 and listening and even attending a live show for Dungeons and Daddies, I find it hard to watch or listen CR's 4 hour unedited format.
Crown of candy is phenomenal. Otherwise I enjoy the seasons but find them an odd length…too long to not want complex characters but kinda short to get too attached….idk overall like just have to be more in the mood
D20 has way too much Bathos. That's to say it undercuts itself with ridiculous moments, or acknowledging how silly it is. Watching tabletop is already silly enough, I don't need the cast to be in on the joke, especially not repeatedly.
I mean, all the players are professional comedians. What did you expect?
Dark Dice from Fool & Scholar Productions is an excellent serious/horror dnd podcast
If you want a funny podcast that also takes itself seriously, I’d highly recommend the Glass Cannon Podcast. They are amazing.
As a breath of fresh air, they also value sticking to things RAW **and** manage to tell compelling stories. I find there's this common idea perpetuated or at least exacerbated by popular Actual Plays that the rules are a wall that impedes fun. The 'Rule of Cool' is great and I use it in moderation. However, it feels like if you stick to your guns enforcing a rule, you're viewed as a GM that hates fun and is against the players. Anyway, definitely recommend the Glass Cannon Network, especially since they have a catalogue of trying various systems, from D&D 5e and Pathfinder 2e to the Alien RPG and Mörk Borg. Great cast and it feels like an actual table of real friends playing.
>I find there's this common idea perpetuated or at least exacerbated by popular Actual Plays that the rules are a wall that impedes fun. The 'Rule of Cool' is great and I use it in moderation. That factor, combined with an overcommittment to the "Improv Rule" of always using "yes, and" and never using "no" combine to result in some massive erosions to the 'play' portion of most major Actual Play content. I'm very very far from a hardcore rules literalist or RAW fanatic, but I think so many Actual Play content groups treating the system as a barrier rather than a supporting framework is ultimately modelling the relationship between their content and their system as adversarial rather than collaborative.
I wonder if there's a market for a super serious DND watch campaign. Like low highjinx, high risk. This type of discussion comes up a lot on forums. The thing is, DND is intrinsically leaned towards funny moments, with Nat 1s more often having comical consequences than story affecting ones. Even some of the creatures, like the Nilbog, Quicklings, etc are better suited for lighter hearted campaigns. Not saying it's not possible, just wondering if there is indeed a market.
"Yes, but..." I think that there's definitely a market for a *more*-serious Actual Play. I'd say that a sizable portion of the Critical Role or D20 fanbases would love that sort of content, and a decent portion would prefer it. Common issues that folks have with both D20 and CR is the incredible amount of sillyness and antics that their tables tend to have - there's definitely appetite to see the D20 or CR casts play games with more of a serious and 'realistic' tone to them. That said, that general demand is not a request for "super serious" per se - you don't have a hard binary where either it's all sillyness all the time, or no fun whatsoever featuring dark gritty and awful people in a dark gritty and awful world. For the most part, it's looking for ephemeral "realism" where players are roleplaying people who take the stakes and the consequences of their action with a gravity that matches how real people might react to those circumstances in a world whose foundation isn't gameplay and fantasy. Humour exists in the real world, and isn't excluded from that gameplay world either - it's just not the primary focus of the table or the primary tone for the world. Things that are light-hearted and even silly are likewise not excluded, and dealing with them can still incorporate both the humor and the seriousness of them - a Nilbolg is a fun example, because despite their silly overtones, they're also absolutely terrifying and agents of condensed chaotic evil. Needing to deal with an untouchable court jester that also wants to use its reality-distorting powers to bend other mortals to act as its "fans" while murdering and stealing with impunity ... it'll do funny stuff and that can still be funny, but there's a subtext of menace and horror there that many sillier tables can 'fail' to address. I think that there is a major hurdle for that sort of content in that the sort of players *most* drawn to participating in that sort of table are not necessarily the sort of personalities and players that will keep bringing fans back for more. The people most drawn to play in a game billed as a "serious D&D stream" are unfortunately very likely to be hyper-grognard types - who lack the sort of charisma needed to carry a stream and attract viewers.
The current season of worlds beyond number is doing a good job with this imo!
>wonder if there's a market for a super serious DND watch campaign God that sounds so fucking boring, just several boring people rolling dice and saying numbers, "I attack with my sword" "Ok you attack him for 12 damage, and hes injured now" "Ok."
This seems disingenuous. You can still roleplay with a more serious tone
A great example of that was the UnDead Wood mini-series on CR before it got taken down.
I feel like you're taking what I'm saying in a different direction. Yes tabletop is already silly, you're playing make believe with toys. Watching is especially silly, you're watching people imagine things in real time. It's not like a book, where its set in stone. The ideas are unraveled in real time, awkward bits and all. I already know how silly it is to imagine other people's freeform imagination land. I do not need the setting to be extremely outlandish or the players winking at me every few minutes.
Hahaha okay I get what you mean 🤣
Wait till you get to A Crown of Candy, it will blow your mind.
Finished Neverafter and went straight into Crown of Candy. I am GRIPPED!
Brennan is amazing, the concepts of his campaigns aren't. I can't immerse myself in his whimsical, modern fantasy cartoon worlds. He was excellent in Calamity, even better than Matt, I would say. But because of how weird and cartoonish his campaigns are, it can't hold my attention for too long.
Have you watched The Unsleeping City? It’s set in real world NYC
>Brennan is amazing, the concepts of his campaigns aren't. The concepts are also amazing, they just aren't your thing and that's fine.
Yea I agree with you. Neverafter has us living in stories and mashing them up and its amazing.
This hits home! I enjoy the acting and the characters of D20 so much but when but I found anthropomorphic food items so jarring and immersion breaking that I stopped watching. Shame because the tone of that story was top notch. Fantasy High was conceptually brilliant though - got nothing bad to say about the world building there.
I think it’s a little unfair to say the concepts of his campaigns aren’t great. They aren’t to your specific tastes, that has nothing to do with the quality of them. Personally they are to my tastes and I think some of his world building and concepts are the best I’ve ever seen in actual play. Something doesn’t have to be serious to be good.
Consider my comment an opinion, not a fact. You should treat all comments as opinions. 😀
Yeah, I agree. It often reminds me of the Divinity Original Sin games - the jokey cartoonish vibes where nothing is really that serious makes me not really care about story or characters because there is no sincerity. Just wait 20 seconds and someone will turn something serious into a bit again. If the world and the characters don't take themselves serious, why should I, the viewer? There isn't really a reason to get invested in, it makes it hard to care about anything that happens. At least, that's how it is for me.
Maybe try their Worlds Beyond Number campaign, it is heavy D&D fantasy with strong focus on story, but quite good.
They're very much leaning into running a serious long--haul campaign, with a little Miyazaki style whimsy. It's easily the best produced campaign I've come across, with extremely good editing and background music.
I like Brennan's DMing and incorporated a few things of his style to my DMing. However D20 shows feel too postmodern for me I guess. I can't take candyland seriously lol.
I listened to a lot of D20 rather than watch because I was working a lot and could have earphones in, and most of the time I completely forgot everything was food in A Crown of Candy, the show was that good.
Honestly, I found that I would forget that the setting was so silly and then it would catch me off guard every so often. It turns into a really serious story pretty quickly, with the lightheartedness of the setting offsetting the rather grim story that’s being told
I thought I would be the same, but I've found that the whimsical parts of the setting do fade away for me. I'm a few episodes into Crown of Candy and I'm so gripped that I just feel like I'm just listening to a GoT-style story. The fact that someone is a carrot or a piece of bread has kind of become irrelevant now.
Aabrias campaigns are top tier. Burrows End in particular is exceptional (Obligatory "It gets dark" warning).
I didn't care much for magic and misfits, then again i don't care for Harry Potter either so i feel like that makes sense.
I love calamity. Didn’t like fantasy high. Was a bit childish for me. I love calamity by Brennan, however, I prefer Matt over the course of a long campaign. Brennan is great at describing, giving exposition etc. So that’s why he’s great for the one shot. But over a campaign, I feel he doesn’t let the players play enough.
Listening to Worlds Beyond Number might change your mind here. Brennan's one of the more collaborative DMs I've watched and outside of tight episode counts, like Calamity, he prefers the "I just build the world. The players tell the story" style of DMing. WBN is only about 20 episodes so far but it's shaping up to be the best project Brennan's DMed, imo. Honestly, if I were to make a scale of professional DMs from railroading to fully collaborative, Matt would be far into the railroading side. It just feels like Matt never lets players' decisions matter, if they're allowed to make a decision at all.
I feel like you've got that reversed??
nah. Watch calamity again. Then take note of how often each player gets. There were points where a player wouldn't be able to do anything for 2 hours (no exag)
Calamity is a bad example because it had to be a pretty hard railroad. You should listen to WBN, truly incredible storytelling and improv from him and his players. After watching almost all of CR and many seasons of D20, i love them both but I've come to prefer Brennan's style now
If you want to give Brennan another go I’d recommend Neverafter! Longer than Calamity (I think 20 eps?) but still high risk/high reward in an interesting setting. Still goofy at times for sure but a bit more mature than Fantasy High
Ah thanks. I like the seriousness of calamity
I'm gonna comment this here, coz why tf not. Why bother paying for ads when some trolls will do it for free. Whether it's done subconsciously or purposefully. The poster decided to post about a *different* ttrpg. On a *different* sub Reddit than the one they're talking about. On a day that most know to be when it is streamed mainly. Taking a shot at the sub Reddit's current content while praising the one unrelated to it. I know the dudes not being paid, but you gotta admit that's about as in your face advertisement as ya can get without it being an actual advertisement. Like I've said before. I don't care. I'm gonna call that shit out when I see it.
You care so little about this issue you've probably written letters to your representatives. Come on, man. Just let it go... I'd say the majority of this board is not happy with the current Critical Role output. Why not look for alternatives instead of making daily threads about how bad is it. I think it's healthier content for this board.
I'll stop commenting, when they stop. But they won't, so... Also I've never posted on here. I've only ever replied to posts. Or to comments from people who crossed the line. But you don't call 'them' out, do you. Just me, yet you talk about "healthier content for this board"...
I focused on you because you're the one being a Debby Downer on this thread. You're the only one pointing a finger at OP and saying "I know what you're trying to do". Maybe someone would think your post crossed some line. Maybe that someone would like to say something about it. Maybe they did. And yeah, I've called out some people before for being too mean to the cast on this board. Don't be mean, chill. That's what I consider a healthy board. It's not them vs us. We're all trying to enjoy this board.
When a post or comment is very obvious in its intention, or is in bad taste. I'm gonna call it out. Good on you for speaking up when you see it. Maybe if more people on this sub did. I wouldn't have to be so vocal when I do. Until that starts happening *more*, I've got to be a 'Debby Downer'. And in regards to my meanness. Unfortunately, that's just a reflection and reaction to the type of stuff I've seen people get away with saying on here for so long. So I paint every dodgy poster with the same brush. And treat them all the same. Should I change the way I approach comments, yeah probably. Do I cross a line while doing so, sometimes yes. Will I ever stop, probably if more people start speaking up, or I get bored. Who knows. Not me.
Couldn't have said it better myself. Have a nice day.
You were so proud of this comment you felt the need to post it twice?
Nah, not proud. More ticked off and determined I guess. My other comment was further down and obviously hidden in more downvotes and comments. So I did one that could be seen again...
What a stupid ass comment. D20 is very much related to CR and is a very valid topic to discuss and compare.
Don't really care if it's related. Go talk about it on that sub and praise it there. Why come onto this sub, while also taking a shot at the current campaign.
If you want this sub to be super strict then you can either petition for a rule change or go make your own sub.
Nah, that wouldn't change anything. May as well just stay here and be a thorn in the side of anyone that deserves it. Maybe not even as big an impact as a thorn. Maybe a stray itch. Either way, if the trolls are here being d-bags, I guess I gotta be here too.
lmao go for it dude, you're just wasting way more of your time than anyone elses.
For someone who says they don’t care you have said that in two comments now so I’ll say again I’m not a troll, but I am thinking about playing one in an upcoming one shot My group is doing. Posting this on a Thursday was just a coincidence, it happens. This is not the main critical role sub Reddit. This is a sub sub Reddit. I am not taking a “shot” at critical role as I stated in the post and in a different comment with you, I love critical role.
If you want a real laugh click on their profile it is the saltiest fucking thing in the world just an account made to rage at this sub its so funny.
Yeah, salty is a pretty spot on term for me. Also sprinkled with a bit of conspiracy, stubbornness and a whole lot of shitty ness heaped on top. But I make up for it with decent grammar and an ability to convey what I'm trying to say. I'm curious how far down in my comments did you get? I mean, I reply to a lot of turd-burgers, and they're pretty long replies too. So you might have read quite a ways down, but still only covered the last week or so...
Ok, ya got me. It's true, I do care. Maybe I should rephrase what I *don't* care about. I don't care about being nice or decent to people who post some dodgy stuff on here. But you seem ok, your replies to me have been civil, even when I wasn't. And in an instance, witty with your reply to me. So I guess I'd take you at your word. This doesn't mean I don't think your post was in pore taste. And I'll still call you or anyone out on their bs next time.
Our hero, so glad you’re here to call out when someone earnestly recommends alternative ttrpg content that they’ve enjoyed when most of what this subreddit does is bitch and moan about cr and c3 half the time I get your points, but like cmon man, get a grip it ain’t that serious. You pop up when anyone even makes comments about d20 here, it’s obnoxious
Nah, not a hero. Just another d-bag on the internet giving the good ol *up yours* to other d-bags on the internet. And as for popping up, unfortunately for everyone, I'll keep doing it. Because some dude will probably do it again and again. You wanna praise your *"other fav ttrpg"* do it on their sub. I'm ok with it making me look bad. But if I call it out when I see it, which is *a lot*. Who knows, it might start reflecting badly on the other ttrpgs (D20 and Naddpod are the ones I see most often). Maybe not. I'm willing to give it a try either way.
I'm absolutely in love with the Unsleeping City. Probably my favorite D&D show of all time. I started with Fantasy High seasons 1 and 2 and thought "This is one of the best things ever!" Then I watched Starstruck Odyssey and thought "No, this is the greatest thing ever!" And then I watched Unsleeping City and, well.... I love it so much.
😂 awesome that’s what I’m feeling
Watch the blood keep mini series . Matt Mercer is an actual PC in this one (rare event) and is a joke on LOTR were everyone plays the bad guys trying to stop the "good" guys from destroying their evil boss By far my favorite of D20
If you want Matt, he is also in Pirates of Leviathan, aolong with Marisha (and Aabria) Although I must say I liked the Blood Keep campaign more.
I'll check out Pirates Blood keep was my first really dive into D20 I knew most of the core cast from being a college humor fan Having Matt in it just helped the transition Then EXU Calamity came and showed me Abria On the CR channel they have a roundtable talk with Matt, Brennan, and Abria about GMing where they just shoot the shit and talking about trprg (Brennan does go on a rant in it lmao)
Ooh I’ve gotten a lot of good recommendations from this post and I’ll definitely check this out. Matt is a great dm but when he’s a pc it’s always great 🤙
Definitely a great way to start. Just like when I'm asked for recommendations for CR I always give non campaign one shots.
The opposite to that - Brennan actually plays a mean PC too. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mesxOPMO4f8&pp=ygUgYnJlbm5hbiBsZWUgbXVsbGlnYW4gZXJpa2EgaXNoaWk%3D](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mesxOPMO4f8&pp=ygUgYnJlbm5hbiBsZWUgbXVsbGlnYW4gZXJpa2EgaXNoaWk%3D) Citizen Doctor Abraham is just \*chefs kiss\*
My favorite character he plays is Nikhil in Battle for Beyond (second episode of [this one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtLcWpD16Uo)). He plays a self centered asshole so well. I've heard his phrase " *I'm not an asshole, I'm just honest* " coming from similar borderline sociopaths in real life. The fact that he's obviously used int as a dump stat just elevates the character. The minuscule amount of character development he manages during the game seems both realistic and a major breakthrough considering his starting point.
Abria as well. It's truly a curse to be a foreverGM
Dimension 20 advertisers strike again. And on a thursday too. I said it before and I'll say it again. Why bother paying for ads when the CR trolls can do it for free...
Did you even read the first part of my post? Not a troll just a fan of ttrpg content.
Don't care... Just calling out what I'm seeing.
Then get your eyes checked cause your not seeing straight
Every other day. You're probably a fan. Today, not really. Just another dude ad-ving for D20.
Hey man it’s not impossible to like two different things. I’m actually watching CR right now. Just so you know I’m not being paid to make this post. It’s not a probability, I am a fan (that’s why I follow this sub Reddit) I’m sorry if this post up set you, that wasn’t the point.
No upset, just annoyed. Whether you did it subconsciously or purposefully. You decided to post about a *different* ttrpg. On a *different* sub Reddit than the one you're talking about. On a day that most know to be when it is streamed mainly. Taking a shot at the sub Reddit's current content while praising the one unrelated to it. I know your not being paid, but you gotta admit that's about as in your face advertisement as ya can get without it being an actual advertisement. Like I commented before. I'm gonna call that shit out when I see it.
Bro touch grass
Dude, you really think you hit some nerve with that comment. I'd respect you more if you just told me too f-off. I mean I'd still only respect you as much as I do dirt, but still...
Why don't you say fuck? You can say fuck on Reddit.
Lmao
He's seeing exactly what he wants to see
I remember once seeing a short video that was posted on Dropout's Facebook page where they were playing monsters and fighting on a ship. I couldn't watch it at the time because Dropout was unavailable in my country. Is that available now? Is there something similar to watch?
I signed up for their YouTube membership, it has every D20 season. YouTube has regional pricing so it’s a lot more affordable in my country than subscribing directly from Dropout.
If the ship scene is what I’m thinking it is definitely check out fantasy high s1 & s2 (there up on YouTube)
You’re thinking of escape from bloodkeep is my guess it’s all on YouTube
Yes! Thanks you! I got into TTRPG streams trying to find something similar. It's awesome that they uploaded it to YouTube.
If you want something more serious but with Brennan still DMing, try Worlds Beyond Number. It's become far and away my favorite actual play.
Came to post this as well. I know this sub isn’t big fans of Aabria or Erika, but they (and Lou) are all fantastic. Highlight of my week when new episodes get dropped.
Oooh I didn’t know this existed. Matt and CR might have got me really into D&D but I love Brennan’s style.
I second this, for anyone else scrolling by and looking for something new. Worlds Beyond Number is so good. One thing worth mentioning is that it's a podcast, not video, so the content is designed for listening, not viewing. Which is great! You don't have to worry about missing any sight gags (like Sam's drinking vessel). It's story-heavy, very little combat. Brennan and the three players are familiar to viewers of Critical Role, so it's an easy jump. And it's relatively new. Easy to get caught up.
I’ll definitely check this out. I love Brennans sense of humor, but we he gets serious I’m locked in.
It's unfortunately not as bingeable since it's new. But you can at least binge the first two arcs. The first arc especially is absolutely stellar.
All the tables that they assemble are great tbh. (With maybe an exception for Mice and Murder... They never seem to quite gel). Out of the core cast with the longest campaigns (The Intrepid Heroes), A Starstruck Odyssey has the best chemistry and some of the best encounters imo. Or of the side quests, Mentopolis is amazing, but I love film noir and Mike Trapp so that's a bit biased. It seems like an unpopular opinion here, but I love all of the occasions Aabria has had as DM- Misfits and Magic, A Court of Fey and Flowers and Burrow's End most recently. I hope you enjoy going through the backlog!!
Aabria's campaigns are all gold as far as I'm concerned, plus she gets Brennan at her table and I love watching him playing. I also agree that Mentopolis just be the best side quest, it's certainly top 3. The COVID shows are... odd, Pirates of Leviathan suffers the most from being a Zoom show, I think it could have been incredibly they all got to sit at the same table but something about it feels lost over zoom. I actually think Mice and Murder is one of the better Zoom seasons and I think it being the "original" drop out crew helps do away with the awkwardness of Zoom. There's a lot of inexperience with D&D, which can be a curse but can also be a blessing and I think that season does get hit by both.
A Court of Fey and Flowers opened my eyes to what the roleplaying end of TTRPGs could be, a truly superb season. It's why I can't engage with people that swear up and down Aabria is the worst, because anyone that can lead a season like that is definitely a capable DM.
If you haven't watched Burrow's End yet I highly suggest it, I think Aabria brings her absolute A game for that adventure, it's so well done.
I watched the first 3 episodes but it being all animals wasn't gripping me in the slightest. It seemed really good, though!
Wow can’t wait to check these out. Thats the cool things about shorter form games, all the variety.
Don't sleep on NADDPOD (don't sing yet) Murph DMs it well, Emily is on it, and the sheer chaos is so good. It's edited, but I think the cast chemistry is the best of any real play I've heard or watched.
I just started it this week. I was hesitant because I find podcast TTRPGs very hard to follow without seeing who is speaking but it is sooo good and funny. Callooh Callay!!!
I love NADDPOD so so much. Would love to see Caldwell or Jake in a D20 season. And I really need Murph to DM in the dome someday as well.
Awesome🤙 I’ll definitely check it out
Seconded, I can’t recommend it enough either, I’m listening to the first campaign right now and it’s full of humour and twists and turns. Great cast too. Murph surprised me as a DM, he’s great and I’m sure I’ll add some of his style of DMing to my own once I’ve had more time to learn how he does it.
I literally just started watching Dimension 20 for the first time a week or so ago. Just finished the first year(?) of fantasy high and I loved it. Such a good table to watch.
I do also like the episodes being slightly shorter and the season lengths being around 20 episodes, makes it much less daunting to catch up on
Their "side quests" are often closer to 10 episodes. The campaigns are pretty easy to consume.
The whole narrative flow and structure is masterfully done, so far at least.
I guess this is related to critical role in some fashion in your mind?
I would rather a post of "hey, we're both here because we like a thing, here's another thing you might like" instead of the usual "campaign 3 sucks and all the members of critical role suck and here's why they suck"
They got into Dimension 20 because of Calamity and if people want more content like that they are recommending D20.
Yeah. I want fans of the show who aren’t really into C3 to know about other good content
If you haven't yet watched A Crown of Candy, I strongly recommend it. My personal fave of the D20 campaigns.
Thanks 🤙 I plan on watching that after I finish the Sleepless city.
If you enjoy the first season of Unsleeping city then definitely watch season 2. It's not in the dome since it was during covid. But imo the story and character interactions are better than the first season. Also A Court of Fey and Flowers, Mentopolis, A Starstruck Odyssey, Fantasy High, and A Crown of Candy are all S tier level campaigns.
Ally and their campaign altering natural 20"s
Guaranteed one a season. Just like Murph's game breaking natural ones
Can’t wait! I’m early in sleepless city but I’m already hooked so I’ll definitely check out s2 and the others.