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B. Dave Walters and Brennan talk about making twists more twisty and manifesting character traits.
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D20 is a series from CollegeHumor and DROPOUT.TV, created and DM'd by Brennan Lee Mulligan. It includes includes Fantasy High, Escape from the Bloodkeep and The Unsleeping City.
Brennan: "Watch on dropout for a week early!" Me watching 2 years later with my KZhead feed full of dimension20: "interesting."
We beat the system
Here I am 3 years later. "....go on." *Bing watches it all anyway*
@@Nimoot Same
Me 4 years later...
I feel like this whole show just exists so Brennan can find people willing to DM for him :P
The man has limited time. Good for him for multitasking 🤣
Hey, the struggle is real. Plus he's friends with these great DMs. Of course he'd want to see if one of them would DM for him.
Someone please DM for him lol. I know he got to play on Misfits and Magic, but let’s see him play more
Brennan: "please I'm desperate"
ILL DO IT PLEASE
Anyone: Brennan: Hell yeah.
in_credible_ .
100%
I love his enthusiastic energy so much.
I.Love.This.SO.Much.
Also Ally Beardsley
The way Brennan speaks, especially the way he curses, is so deliberate. H really thinks about what he's saying and what it means to him. I don't even play D&D, but I love Brennan.
Two other ways to roleplay a high intelligence character: 1. Take detailed notes. You might need some pieces of information later 2. Make up jargon/lingo. I have a chart of scientific/mystical terms full of things like "Azabad's postulate of non-linear evocation". It's useful to make a character appear learned, since they know so many technical terms
"You're effectively a god" I have one word for you, Mr. Mulligan. Goldfish
Everything dies from fall damage
@@michaelbrucato7180 interestingly enough (to me at least) Grog would have or at least could have actually survived that fall.
@@Blasted2Oblivion if grog took levels in druid he could have been a raging goldfish
Oh now I absolutely need to see B. Dave Walters run a VTM game for the D20 crew with Brennan as a player.
Going along with the high stat role play question it reminds me of Liam O'Brian with his character Caleb having the photographic memory feat and leans into the whole I Liam have know idea about this but Caleb would know so tell me what Caleb knows Mr. DM.
Also Caduceus acting like he generally knows what other characters want and are thinking even if Talesin doesn't because of his high WIS.
In regard to playing high stats that don't match your irl abilities, I struggle with that in my 20 CHA warlock. I spent quite a lot of time figuring out how I would play her in away that was natural to me. Finally decided she would control how people thought about her by controlling how they felt about themselves. She would just try to make everyone around her feel good about themselves (whether she actually liked them or not) since you're likely to look favorably on someone who makes you feel good. But if she wanted to really crush or intimidate someone, she would do the opposite and make them feel like trash. She goes around acting like the common peoples' best friend and making lords and royalty think she respects them
Dang that’s a great take
This is such a great interview. It's like listening to a college lecture on ethics and social responsibility.
But fun which is a rare combo
Brennan talking about the 17th Level Characters, Superman and what type of stories you can still tell with someone to powerful is a good insight into the Webcomic he made with Molly Ostertag ("Strong Female Protagonist")
B. Dave Walters strikes me as sharp as hell.
this was a fantastic episode. B. Dave Walters is such a well spoken guest
These videos are some of the best conversations on Roleplaying I have found. Thank you for this content.
Them talking about Superman at the beginning kept reminding me of how great One Punch Man is
Actually a great example of what they're talking about. All the tension in that show is derived from human relations, not physical power struggles
Or fucking Superman
I'm 10 minutes in and this is my favorite episode, could watch these two talk for hours
All hail the undisputed king of the Valley!
Charcter idea: Legend and adventure story fan who gets to experience all of the tropes they have read about while out on their own adventure. "Oh my gods! I get to hear a real villain monologue! This is so amazing!"
Does anyone know where/how one could watch the Theogony of Kairos now ?
As a DM, to help with the intelligence 20 thing (when a player is not as "smart" as their character), I often will have the player roll an intelligence check to give them a clue/idea that I just thought of. If the party is stuck at a riddle, i might give a nudge to the intellectual of the group to instigate that player having the answer. I also typically allow other players to input ideas to the intellectual even when they're separated from the party (or more precisely, I simply dont discourage it, rather than declaring it okay and encouraging it). I think the DM has to help stress the character's stats to some degree. The responsibility is primarily on the player, but as a DM, you can give the players a little help stressing what stat they're good at. The same is true for any stat really (especially the bottom stats: Int, Wis, Cha)
A good closed captioning is really helping out here.
It sure is pulling its weight ahaha.
There was some magnificent advice given here and this is one of the episodes I will rewatch in the future :) Really paradigm shift-worthy.
This podcast has been so phenomenal, thank you!!!
I love applying so many of the things I learn from you guys to the game I'm running for my son .
Hey thanks for putting captions on this video
I always thought B. Dave was an actor because he was so good at it on LABN, but looking back all of his really great strategic and creative thinking was a big giveaway that he's a writer by trade! Love this idea of Theogony a lot, great analysis of Superman as well.
Never seen Brennan blush more... Super DMs Unite!!!
Such a fascinating discussion of morality in narrative
Best high charisma character in any show was Cal from Undergrads. A great example of why you don't need to be well spoken to be well liked.
24:38 You actually do this, pull of the villains gloves to reveal the hand of Vecna
I'm just here geeking about Brennan mentioning Evanston, IL
*i didnt know dave was so tall i was introduced to him while he was playing a halfling and my brain assumed he was shorter???*
"It's a nursery. What you gonna do?" [Goblin Slayer intensifies]
I really like this guest! Going to watch that show now
It's kinda hard to find now, DM me on Twitter and I'll hook you up!
To speak on the whole tropes thing and when and when not to subvert them; I'm a forever DM who rarely gets to play as well and in a recent mini campaign, I decided on playing a Half Orc Barbarian. My friend who was also playing, who I've DMed for a bunch of times, looked at me and asked why I'd play something that basic. Fair question, most of my NPCs are wierd and have strange multiclasses and race mixes and stuff like that. I just kinda had to look and him and say "I haven't played one yet, though". Wasn't a huge worldbreaking moment for him but I could see that it dawned on him that I just straight up haven't been playing the same game he was. I haven't gotten the fun moments of banter and RP that he had. I have to bounce around to everything and make stuff up and can't overshadow the PCs with anyone because that'd be a jerk move. When I get to actually play, it's literally a whole new world. Every trope is fun, every conversation means something, every mat 20 matters to me and I get to experience a story from a truly different perspective. I love Grack and I enjoyed playin him. To sum it up, give me a story, and I'll give you a character, no matter if I can see the twist.
Love this, watched it twice now. Delicious.
Unfortunately I don't have Twitter so I can't ask that way... I can't seem to find it on KZhead so can anyone tell me where it is? Twitch maybe? I would love to watch Theogony of Kairos
I've got Discord, and still didn't watch this til after seeing Escape from Blood Keep- and glad that was the case. Brennan, Blood Keep beats tropes over the head with the bloody severed limbs of a whole lot of tropes, in a way that's absolutely delicious.
In terms of handing out information on a nat 20, one GM hack that I love is to use that opportunity to create a *new* threat that you didn't even have planned and then tell the players about it. Because As far as the players know you had that threat planned all along, and from their perspective they just got foreknowledge of something that could have totally blindsided them and really messed up their plans.
The Star Wars example had me wondering what would happen have if they found out about the tracking device on the Falcon in that scenario...
In regards to the first audience question, it's not about where you're going it's how you get there. Even if your players guess the "twist" and where the story is going, doesn't mean that they will know every single step along the way and it's those steps along the way that can change how your players view the story
Dave's insight on 'torture porn' in games (though I might ultimately use more nuanced terminology to describe the subject) is right on the money and precisely what I come to these videos for.
An interesting thing on the charisma commentary. My satyr bard has high charisma (playing right into stereotypes, I know) but he is NOT charming, whatsoever. He’s actually kind of a total sleazeball. So where does that charisma come in? He’s got a plus 7 in intimidation but also, for other charisma, he’s got this gorgeous drag persona that is actually a LOT more likable than his regular self! He doesn’t see it that way, he thinks he’s hot shit just the way he is, but he’s crafted that persona so carefully as a way to help him get out of scrapes that she intentionally acts in a way he knows people will react favorably to. It’s actually a very fun switch to make, trying to figure out this sleazeball’s idea of a charming person that actually somehow works.
Werewolf: the Apocalypse is SO UNDERRATED ffs.
5:00 while I agree video games won’t “completely” replace tabletop, you have to admit there are many games that give a player agency in their world. Not many nearly approach the potential complexity of tabletop, but some “world simulators” like Dwarf Fortress get close.
Lots of Nat 20s in Star Wars.
I want Brennan to be my dad
I didn't know that Uncle Phil was so into TTRPG's. Undisputed Baron of Bel Air.
35:59 Playing cute to explain a 20 CHA works very well until you roll for an intimidation check XD. Reconciling how that works out will be incredible
What I do with multiclassing is that I make my own XP requirements and Proficiency bonuses up to 40th level, so you can multiclass 2 classes up to lvl 20. or 4 to 10th.
Come hang with Brennan on our Discord! Sign up for DROPOUT: bit.ly/2KOHLyr Download the INTERNATIONAL app here: bit.ly/2OiNNoP
Hi im the first liker
that campaign sounds sick with lvl20 characters. couldn't find beyond a single live show?
I guess you mutter out of the side of your eyes when you blink in Morse code.
I grew up with a open ended nat 20 or 1. 1 is a -20 and 20 is 20 and you roll again and add it together. One night my buddy rolled a natural 213
how many times do things fall in this show? the shackles in Erica Ishii episode too
*Enters nursery of baby goblins.* oh man, im about to become darth vader arent I?
I always felt the Tzimisce were the stereotypical Stoker vampires.
‘It’s a joy to get run over!’ -Brennan 2019
So I would love to take a class on morality, but i don't agree that good=selfless bad=selfish, if thats the case thanos is a good guy and any mercenary that works for him is inherently worse
That feels like more of a question of where someone's personal morality stands. Thanos meant well, but his methods were morally ambiguous and not everyone would agree that his methods were really selfless. In that same sense you couldn't call him either good or evil.
@@ABD-42 how could you argue that he wasn't acting selflessly by creating what he beleives is a perfect universe, for others to live in, and not himself, thats fairly pure selflessness
I would argue that morality isn't just the one dimension of selfish-to-selfless, but also a second dimension of protection-to-destruction. So on one extreme, you have those prone to selfish destruction, which we'd call evil, and the other extreme is those prone to selfless protection, which we'd call good. Thanos would be in a third corner, one of selfless destruction, which I don't think I would call evil, just dangerous. A sort of "the road to hell is paved with good intentions" situation. (Can we call it "hell-paved", just because that sounds cool? Thanks.) The fourth and final corner of this 2D plane would be selfish protection, which would be basically not hurting anyone unnecessarily, but only protecting yourself and letting other people get hurt by others. So kind of a "complacent inaction" situation. Again, not really evil, but not great, either. So I guess I'd say the four extremes of this 2D morality grid are Good (selfless protection), Evil (selfish destruction), Hell-Paved (selfless destruction), and Complacent (selfish protection). Thanos is just hell-paved. To give some real-world examples: Hitler was evil, Ghandi was good, many militias and their members are hell-paved, and a very large number of people are complacent.
I would argue that Thanos' motives weren't actually selfless. The way that he refuses to engage with any of the obvious logical shortcomings of his plan suggests that there are some ulterior motives going on. Someone who was honestly and fully motivated by a desire to prevent catastrophe and save the universe would be willing to listen to reason. This becomes more obvious with Endgame Thanos, who just straight up decides to wipe everyone out and remake the universe in his image. It was always about him to begin with, on some level.
murdering half the population of the universe is not selfless, no matter what your motives are
Have puffin forest on.
Neat
Game of Thrones went off the rails when Lady Stoneheart didn't show up at the end of season 4, but the torture porn was bad, too.
What happened to Theogony of Kairos? These 2 really sold me on it, but I can't find any episodes anywhere except a live show at gencon.
So it seems like the series was privated except for that gencon episode. Haven’t found a reason why yet
How did they get Brennan to interview Brennan
anyone have a link to Theogony of Kairos? i cant seem to find it!
11:13 Alfonse doesnt like spoilers
49:52 Um, actually; Darth Vader never says "Luke, I am your father"
B. Dave Walters said the Theogony of Kairos episodes are on KZhead, but I'm having trouble finding them, could someone help or link them? Is it just the one GenCon episode? That doesn't seem right... Maybe they were taken down? Are they somewhere else available free?
America has LARP camps for kids? With whole ass writers and shit? GODDAMN
Vampire Shirley Temple. New LA by night npc?
I wonder what the significance of the mic colors are, I am assuming Brennan allows his guest first choice then he picks secondary?
Where can I watch Theogony of Kairos?
Damsel in distress, maybe there's a reason she's chained up
Where can you find Theogeny of Kairos?
It looks like it was made private on the youtube channel (Maze Arcana) but it is seems to be on twitch
@@anotherperson2627 The whole thing? And thanks!
@@duncanharrison4994 I didn't check if it has the entire series
@@anotherperson2627 Gotcha. Thank you!
Where can I watch Theogany of Kairos?! Can’t find it anywhere 😢
So it seems like the series was privated except for that gencon episode. Haven’t found a reason why yet
Brennen Please let me DM for you
Hhhell yeahhhh
with them talking about superman not liking to be superman and people not wanting to see it, i think they need to go watch the guardians of justice will save you. where superman not only hates being superman, but hates the people he's protecting as superman, to the point where he kills himself on live tv. and the bulk of the show is the rest of the heroes and the world coping in the aftermath.
This will be semi unpopular, I DM for my kiddos. We had a previous group. If the kids are playing characters of age 18 or older, and they generally play that character to what they created, i give them pretty much free reign with their actions with the exceptions of erotic situations. What i didn't expect, is that one of them would remember a description i told them in game zero of a witch that was presented in a dark scenario. Brutally defeating the prodigy that was the player character. They come upon this figure fighting another witch in the woods. That resembles a target they were sent to hunt down. They suspect this witch is a bad guy that eradicated a town. So remembering this, i hear him whisper in mostly character. "What the actual F..k is going on here. This person is a monster. so who is the real monster here." The witch in question dodges an attack and gets the group into her blindsight of 30 feet. Notices the group and casually asks the group why they are here. The kiddo pounces in an attack and winds up unconscious with the rest of the group unsure of what to do. As they thought they had it figured out until this scenario. Revealing the truth about the situation with the truth of what happened that day his eyes are just bulged and wide. To this day it was one of the most predicted yet not predictable situations we have had. As the witch wasn't the bad guy. The situation just wasn't known completely due to the way the players character was written with their backstory. They didn't roll well enough to remember everything so the little details left a surprise that they thought they figured out yet still managed to get a lot of enjoyment from.
THERE SHOULD'VE BEEN A SPOILER WARNING FOR STAR WARS
A "nat 20" and a "nat 1" both have the same 5% chance of occurring. In real life, if this this were how skills worked, I'm sorry to say my "nat 20" chances are probably closer to a -5% and the "nat 1" is closer to 50%. What die would make that possible?
Flip a coin heads is 1 Tails is 1 Rolling on the edge is a 20 😃
@@kenwillison9731 I just tried this and can confirm this checks out! 😁
Bucking off Brennan's comment a little bit. Divinity as morality is Christian. Pre-Christian pantheons in Europe dealt with divinity as superhuman/supernatural. Ethics is still new, though.
You know, I don't mind Nat 20 being crits in a fight, but it's not as improbable as most gamers seem to make it out to be. Like, there's a 5% chance of a 20 showing up.
Death Saves - That company ripped me off $100 as a package went missing and they refused to ship the items to me. They were supposed to be presents.
That’s Joe Mangianellos company I believe. I mean he is Arkhan The Cruel
3:09 5
First liker
And first commenter
Wie
Wow
I really REALLY dislike dnd cosmology and in general fantasy worlds thst do ",no good and evil literally exist thus ALL interesting and complex moralny Grey characters are literally out the w8ndow as potentially savable, nope ur bad. Like, no, pls let me say that maybe from my perspektywę the jedi sre evil without someone being like "no actually i can cast detektyw evil on him" thats childish and also i dont think thats fun xd. But hey.
While i love brennan unconditionally (whwnever he does not spew leftist agenda but even when he does i forgive him cause he is so great ♡) but im totally not with his with the whole Superman thing. Superman is a shitty protagonist on so many levels (as an idea, i dont care about actual Superman) and yeah. No.