The Adventure Zone: Graduation Ep. 3 "Pursued By Bear"
December 5, 2019 5:22 AM - Subscribe

A pleasant sleep is interrupted by an unsettling messenger, but leads to a delicious meal. Then, the fellas get some fake real world experience.  Welcome back! Please enjoy!

"I'm going to do a Dungeons and Dragons move; step back everyone, I'm rolling some dice."
...
"I'll do an Investigation check of three."
posted by EndsOfInvention (18 comments total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
Loving how much Bud cracks up the other players.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 5:42 AM on December 5, 2019 [1 favorite]


"The Firbolg" seems to be the preferred nomenclature.

Have only listened to a bit while having breakfast and on my commute, but I'm loving this - lots of laugh out loud moments. Also making a bet that one of the big reveals of the season will be that Goodcastle is an actual place.
posted by nubs at 7:58 AM on December 5, 2019


Still listening. Was worried about Fitz’s crêpe for a second there but thankfully it landed safely on a squirrel corpse.
posted by Navelgazer at 8:24 AM on December 5, 2019


This was delightful. I like Travis's DM style a lot. The whole thing with Firlbog and the Fence was so fun to listen to the two of them trying to trip each other up. I like this setting too cuz if it's just going to be them playing party games in a funny way I'm more than ok with that.
posted by bleep at 11:16 PM on December 5, 2019 [3 favorites]


I can see conceptually a lot of benefits to this setting and structure as opposed to how they handled Amnesty, but in practice I'm bouncing off of this season more often than not so far. I'm not really sure why and it bums me out. I typically love all things McElroy and Justin's firbolg is still a lot of fun, so I'll keep giving it chances to hook me.
posted by Kybard at 10:16 AM on December 6, 2019 [2 favorites]


I was thinking that we've had a lot of setting but we don't really have a strong plot hook yet. I am waiting for the metaphorical drop. Where a villain attacks the school or they're expelled for a crime they didn't commit.
Time for a call to action.
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 10:42 AM on December 6, 2019


Yeah, there really aren't any stakes so far. The hints at Argo's backstory are interesting, but since it doesn't seem to be affecting Clint's play so for, it doesn't really mean much yet.

Travis is clearly a big fan of worldbuilding, and he is great at it, but it's not enough to carry a story. The plot has got to kick in soon.
posted by Rock Steady at 10:51 AM on December 6, 2019


Travis is clearly a big fan of worldbuilding, and he is great at it, but it's not enough to carry a story.

Travis has said he spent months worldbuilding. That, and the fact that he clearly hates killing his darlings, shows so hard.

(No judgement, really; I have the same unfortunate GM tendencies.)
posted by supercres at 11:13 AM on December 6, 2019 [3 favorites]


I really doubt there's going to be no plot. I think we need to go easier on them. They're just some guys.
posted by bleep at 11:58 AM on December 6, 2019


Travis said next week they're doing their "real world mission" I think that's when we'll get the plot hook that shows us where things are heading.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 12:18 PM on December 6, 2019 [1 favorite]


I have a sense that there's a plot coming; now that they've hit level 3 which means the subclasses kick in for all of them, its becomes easier to really get an adventure rolling with some stakes. PCs are very delicate at early levels.

Speaking of hitting level 3, we know Fitz is Path of the Wild Soul, but I haven't caught subclasses for Argo and Firbolg yet - I'm guessing Argo is going Burglar, but do we have any indication of what Circle the druid took?
posted by nubs at 12:23 PM on December 6, 2019 [1 favorite]


> Yeah, there really aren't any stakes so far. The hints at Argo's backstory are interesting, but since it doesn't seem to be affecting Clint's play so for, it doesn't really mean much yet.

The exchanges they've had with Fitzroy about Goodcastle make it sound to me like there's a subplot already planned there too. It's the Firbolg who doesn't seem to have anything going on, despite also being the most interesting character.

Since they're at school to be adventurers, that means they aren't really adventurers yet so the current proceedings don't bother me. I'm perfectly happy with a season of mostly just good goofs. This is the first episode of the current arc that's had me laughing in public, I count that as a win for them.
posted by ardgedee at 5:58 AM on December 7, 2019


The first two episodes seemed to make sense as introduction but this was where I felt like Travis was laying it on super thick about how there are no stakes, it's all WWE fighting, no real good guys or bad guys, etc. For me at least it's leading to real tension as I'm expecting the other shoe to drop and the peaceful fiction to fall apart. It's possible that Travis is attempting an experiment in creating a goof based nonviolent D&D campaign but it sure seems like he's setting it up for the facade to fall down soon.
posted by range at 11:41 AM on December 7, 2019 [1 favorite]


It's the Firbolg who doesn't seem to have anything going on, despite also being the most interesting character.

There is going to be something about why he left/was exiled from his clan
posted by nubs at 11:49 AM on December 7, 2019


There was also the foreshadowing about the headmaster of the school and the younger brother and the dog... I think Travis has a ton of possible plot lined up and I’m happy to listen to them get around to it at a leisurely pace. So far this season is a delight.
posted by beandip at 3:35 PM on December 7, 2019 [4 favorites]




same person has done a stupendous Sir Fitzroy plus crab,
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 1:52 AM on December 12, 2019 [3 favorites]


Listen, Amnesty took 6 episodes to get even remotely interesting and it didn’t even have a cool setting or interesting characters (at that point) to carry it. If I didn’t have a bunch of friends begging me to watch it I would have given up. Travis gets at least three more episodes to just goof around and build character and it’ll still be an improvement on how Amnesty began. I’m here for it.
posted by brook horse at 5:24 PM on December 16, 2019 [1 favorite]


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