I have no ideal where this thread is supposed to be at. But I may as well put it in Streams and Videos for now.
The Adventure Zone is a D&D podcast made by the Mc.Elroy brothers from MBMBAM fame. I'm sure that there's a ton of people here that may know who I am talking about, but for those who aren't familiar you can listen to their podcast from the Maximum Fun website or the Apple Podcast app.
This thread is meant for discussion about the show and other things. Remember the rules from the general rules list and to put all spoilers in spoiler tags like this
I love the Adventure Zone! Griffin does a fantastic job at telling the story while keeping balance with the crazy stuff the other brothers come up with.
Taako Taaco is my favorite wizard of all time. He just has so much personality. I one day dream of having a player that can rollplay 1/20th as well as him.
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Hell yeah I am going to Polymorph the boss into a Rabbit. I have always wanted a being a pure evil stuffed into a ball of fluff.
For people wondering how The Adventure Zone (TAZ) stands out among other D&D podcasts, is definitely through character interaction. It has a smaller cast than most other D&D podcasts (At least the ones I have listened to). But the players and DM are all family which makes them all super comfortable roll-playing with each other. Every interaction between characters just feels so natural, that it literally sounds like you are listening in on a conversation between best friends. It also shines for it's homebrewed story. The story is super well thought out and developed by the DM. It has some amazing plot twists that I would never have expected from a podcast. But because the group are professional podcasters, the DM and the players can invest a lot of effort into making the wonderful story that is "The Adventure Zone"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Hell yeah I am going to Polymorph the boss into a Rabbit. I have always wanted a being a pure evil stuffed into a ball of fluff.
For people wondering how The Adventure Zone (TAZ) stands out among other D&D podcasts, is definitely through character interaction. It has a smaller cast than most other D&D podcasts (At least the ones I have listened to). But the players and DM are all family which makes them all super comfortable roll-playing with each other. Every interaction between characters just feels so natural, that it literally sounds like you are listening in on a conversation between best friends. It also shines for it's homebrewed story. The story is super well thought out and developed by the DM. It has some amazing plot twists that I would never have expected from a podcast. But because the group are professional podcasters, the DM and the players can invest a lot of effort into making the wonderful story that is "The Adventure Zone"
I frequently describe TAZ to people as a radio play with D&D elements. Griffin plays fast and loose with the rules in order to get the (AMAZING) story across, so it's something that I'd be fine using as an introduction for people who are intimidated by the rules and dice rolls of D&D.
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I think that Clint's contributions to Adventure Zone are subtle but great. It's so interesting to listen to a father play a game like this with his grown sons.
What I like about TAZ is that, although it's a D&D podcast, it's a lot more like MBMBaM in that it's just a great comedy podcast in general. It's really accessible and fun for just about anyone, making it easy to recommend to both people who are interested in D&D and those who aren't as much. Perfect for showing friends what D&D is all about and perhaps convincing them to join in on the fun. Also, the McElroy's are just really good podcasters in general and just about everything Griffin produces never fails to crack me up. So, for those who are interested in listening to a great comedy/D&D podcast, I add another hearty recommendation to this thread!
I also love how Griffin balances story-telling and no-hold-barred combat! It never feels like the story is getting bogged down by too much fighting or like they spend too much time on the exploration stuff either. He's a Spec-tac-u-lar DM and I can't wait to see what else he does one they're done with the current campaign!
The Adventure Zone is hella rad. Been listening to it for a while now and doing the occasional Taaco cosplay. I definitely agree that its characters and stories are what drive it forward. It is a great D&D session to listen to. My significant other makes Bureau of Balance bracers to order on Etsy, I important certain NPCs into my own DMing (lookin' at you Angis and Garfield), and in general I'm just a big fan of the show. That being said, I've been thinking about Griffin's style and how I can use that for my own game. While I've found many of the great aspects of his DMing and cannibalized them, it also revealed to me a few things I don't like about his sessions. Would I want to listen to it? As much as I can, as often as I can- tragically I am caught up. Would I want to play in it? Most likely not. For the sake of a cohesive plot and an interesting tale to tell, the game is very much set on specifically chosen rails. The combat is infrequent and skimmed over when used, more often favoring creative use of spells/tactics over actual rules. Which is fine to a degree, but you get to the point where you no longer need a good half your skills, since you can usually just like... Drop a tree on some leeches or something. This is a good approach to combat and should never be punished, but shouldn't always be overly rewarded either. Feels like Merle gets the short end of the stick often, both in RP and combat scenes, possibly because he's the fall guy for the jokes, possibly because of personal bias. Hard to say. I also feel like the world, aside from the conflict in which they reside and their personal story bubbles, is left largely undeveloped. That's a personal issue though. All that being said, Griffin is creating a masterful story that is mighty fun to listen to. So I give The Adventure Zone a 5/5 for pod casting entertainment. Just figured I'd toss in my two cents on his DMing style, as I've been thinking about it for a bit.
Congratulations on solving my thread posting puzzle!
I'm only a recent subscriber to The Adventure Zone, but the McElboy's presentation and style of play had me hooked right away. Having spent the last few months DMing Lost Mine of Phandelver, I was delighted to see their adventure start with that particular module and then rapidly go off the rails into something even more spectacular. I'm only 22 episodes in, but it's replaced everything else in my podcast rotation until I get caught up. I'm looking forward to being up-to-date so I can speculate and await the next episode with everyone else.
I think my favorite thing about Griffin as a DM is that he takes the Rule of Cool very seriously. If the boys want to do something really cool, he lets them do it (typically within reason). For example, casting Phantom Steed. I've known DMs that would make you cast Phantom Steed, ride it for an hour, then get off and wait ten minutes to cast it again instead of just casting it from your horse. Rituals are a very weird set of spells, in terms of how they work, but I think they should be allowed with some flexibility. Nobody wants to spend an exorbitant amount of time casting Detect Magic.
More key to Griffin's story telling, though, is the way he keeps them on task without necessarily railroading them. I deeply appreciate the fact that they haven't audibly questioned where they're going or why they're doing it; they felt compelled to follow the story. Sure, some of that may be due to the nature of the show (and it being a show), but I felt no doubt that their characters were at least somewhat invested in following their task through.
I just wanted to mention that I had never played D&D before listening to their podcast. I was hooked after the first episode and two weeks later started playing. They are amazing to listen to, and have taken over my car rides no matter how long the ride is. One bad thing is that they my expectations way to high in regards to the DM and getting away with cool shit without having to roll. Keep it up.
Hail and Well Met My Dudes
I have no ideal where this thread is supposed to be at. But I may as well put it in Streams and Videos for now.
The Adventure Zone is a D&D podcast made by the Mc.Elroy brothers from MBMBAM fame. I'm sure that there's a ton of people here that may know who I am talking about, but for those who aren't familiar you can listen to their podcast from the Maximum Fun website or the Apple Podcast app.
This thread is meant for discussion about the show and other things. Remember the rules from the general rules list and to put all spoilers in spoiler tags like this
The 7th Relic is really Love
Other than that have fun my dudes.
I love the Adventure Zone! Griffin does a fantastic job at telling the story while keeping balance with the crazy stuff the other brothers come up with.
I highly recommend giving it a listen!
Taako Taaco is my favorite wizard of all time. He just has so much personality. I one day dream of having a player that can rollplay 1/20th as well as him.
Hell yeah I am going to Polymorph the boss into a Rabbit. I have always wanted a being a pure evil stuffed into a ball of fluff.
For people wondering how The Adventure Zone (TAZ) stands out among other D&D podcasts, is definitely through character interaction. It has a smaller cast than most other D&D podcasts (At least the ones I have listened to). But the players and DM are all family which makes them all super comfortable roll-playing with each other. Every interaction between characters just feels so natural, that it literally sounds like you are listening in on a conversation between best friends. It also shines for it's homebrewed story. The story is super well thought out and developed by the DM. It has some amazing plot twists that I would never have expected from a podcast. But because the group are professional podcasters, the DM and the players can invest a lot of effort into making the wonderful story that is "The Adventure Zone"
Hell yeah I am going to Polymorph the boss into a Rabbit. I have always wanted a being a pure evil stuffed into a ball of fluff.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Community Manager
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I've commented on here just to say that we just got 69 views...
nice
I think that Clint's contributions to Adventure Zone are subtle but great. It's so interesting to listen to a father play a game like this with his grown sons.
Love those sweet sweet boys
DM: The Cult of the Crystal Spider (Currently playing Storm King's Thunder)
Player: The Knuckles of Arth - Lemire (Tiefling Rogue 5/Fighter 1)
What I like about TAZ is that, although it's a D&D podcast, it's a lot more like MBMBaM in that it's just a great comedy podcast in general. It's really accessible and fun for just about anyone, making it easy to recommend to both people who are interested in D&D and those who aren't as much. Perfect for showing friends what D&D is all about and perhaps convincing them to join in on the fun. Also, the McElroy's are just really good podcasters in general and just about everything Griffin produces never fails to crack me up. So, for those who are interested in listening to a great comedy/D&D podcast, I add another hearty recommendation to this thread!
I also love how Griffin balances story-telling and no-hold-barred combat! It never feels like the story is getting bogged down by too much fighting or like they spend too much time on the exploration stuff either. He's a Spec-tac-u-lar DM and I can't wait to see what else he does one they're done with the current campaign!
The Adventure Zone is hella rad. Been listening to it for a while now and doing the occasional Taaco cosplay. I definitely agree that its characters and stories are what drive it forward. It is a great D&D session to listen to. My significant other makes Bureau of Balance bracers to order on Etsy, I important certain NPCs into my own DMing (lookin' at you Angis and Garfield), and in general I'm just a big fan of the show. That being said, I've been thinking about Griffin's style and how I can use that for my own game. While I've found many of the great aspects of his DMing and cannibalized them, it also revealed to me a few things I don't like about his sessions. Would I want to listen to it? As much as I can, as often as I can- tragically I am caught up. Would I want to play in it? Most likely not. For the sake of a cohesive plot and an interesting tale to tell, the game is very much set on specifically chosen rails. The combat is infrequent and skimmed over when used, more often favoring creative use of spells/tactics over actual rules. Which is fine to a degree, but you get to the point where you no longer need a good half your skills, since you can usually just like... Drop a tree on some leeches or something. This is a good approach to combat and should never be punished, but shouldn't always be overly rewarded either. Feels like Merle gets the short end of the stick often, both in RP and combat scenes, possibly because he's the fall guy for the jokes, possibly because of personal bias. Hard to say. I also feel like the world, aside from the conflict in which they reside and their personal story bubbles, is left largely undeveloped. That's a personal issue though. All that being said, Griffin is creating a masterful story that is mighty fun to listen to. So I give The Adventure Zone a 5/5 for pod casting entertainment. Just figured I'd toss in my two cents on his DMing style, as I've been thinking about it for a bit.
Congratulations on solving my thread posting puzzle!
I'm only a recent subscriber to The Adventure Zone, but the McElboy's presentation and style of play had me hooked right away. Having spent the last few months DMing Lost Mine of Phandelver, I was delighted to see their adventure start with that particular module and then rapidly go off the rails into something even more spectacular. I'm only 22 episodes in, but it's replaced everything else in my podcast rotation until I get caught up. I'm looking forward to being up-to-date so I can speculate and await the next episode with everyone else.
I think my favorite thing about Griffin as a DM is that he takes the Rule of Cool very seriously. If the boys want to do something really cool, he lets them do it (typically within reason). For example, casting Phantom Steed. I've known DMs that would make you cast Phantom Steed, ride it for an hour, then get off and wait ten minutes to cast it again instead of just casting it from your horse. Rituals are a very weird set of spells, in terms of how they work, but I think they should be allowed with some flexibility. Nobody wants to spend an exorbitant amount of time casting Detect Magic.
More key to Griffin's story telling, though, is the way he keeps them on task without necessarily railroading them. I deeply appreciate the fact that they haven't audibly questioned where they're going or why they're doing it; they felt compelled to follow the story. Sure, some of that may be due to the nature of the show (and it being a show), but I felt no doubt that their characters were at least somewhat invested in following their task through.
Heh i was wondering when AZ was going to gets it's own thread
I just wanted to mention that I had never played D&D before listening to their podcast. I was hooked after the first episode and two weeks later started playing. They are amazing to listen to, and have taken over my car rides no matter how long the ride is. One bad thing is that they my expectations way to high in regards to the DM and getting away with cool shit without having to roll. Keep it up.
Oh, if anyone is planning on going to GenCon this year, I am planning a Kravitz cosplay!
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For those who are wondering...
The Newest Adventure Zone episode is said to be their longest yet...
Guys...
I got a bad feeling about this.
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FANTASY COSTCO!!!!!!