Hey folks! If you liked this video, you might like the other videos I did about the Intrepid Heroes! th-cam.com/video/U9WTkFaD9k4/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=CastleCaster
I love how Aabria is literally saying shes going to keep asking for more things from the d20 crew until they tell her she needs to stop. They havent told her to stop yet, but they have begged for her to send out content warnings.
This isn't entirely accurate, Rick Perry told her she couldn't cut a hole in the table for Burrows End and the reactor battle set, though Brennan also mentioned that Rick also told him the same no.
I told my DND group recently that she's become my favorite dm/gm. I fully take inspiration from her as I'm still new at being behind the screen. I also love how she does cute and beautiful things then can be utterly terrifying. As someone labeled as "grim dark" by a member of my group, I loved Burrow's End so much.
@@WolfLuvsSushi I'm excited to see more of her, I've heard enough that I know she must be really good, I was just not impressed at all by EXU Prime. I'm slowly working my way through D20.
Burrows End was truly on another level. And in Misfits and Magic when she did that bit of "you dont see this but YOU the audience does" and Brennan looked so fucking shocked at that storytelling is still one of my favorite dnd moments ever😂
Not only did he *look* shocked, but much later during a Critical Role discussion he admitted he *was* shocked. And he was amazed that, in his words: "YoU cAn DOOOOO THAT?!" 😂 That shock was the face of a man learning that something which had never even crossed a single neuron in his brain was actually possible *and* effective... and that he could steal it for himself 😂
"Here's what you don't see" changed my fucking life. The idea that you can tell narration *outside* of what the players are seeing?! Madness! But it works so well. I'm currently running Keys from the Golden Vault, and rather than trying to tie all the players into an overarching plot, I'm just doing "here's what you don't see" narration; so that my players know there's a wider conspiracy even if their characters don't.
@@KBRoller "You don't know that." is a simple way of stopping them. But yeah, I think with all DMing techniques there's no magic bullet or secret method; the key is to use the techniques that suit the players at the table.
I know i saw Jerry Holkins do that in Acquisitions Inc The 'C' Team and it blew my mind, I'm glad to see more people using that technique it's so great.
I think another element that Aabria has done with her DM work that works well: the visual elements are for her *players* first, the audience second. She does things that help her party feel excited and immersed in the world, things that enhance the Theater of The Mind. We are watching and feeling their energy alongside them, and even during moments like "the audience knows, but YOU don't", the party AND us are feeling unease. It's awesome.
This. My favorite thing about her GM style is when she goes into a perception or insight check and includes "here's what you DON'T see..." It's such a great storytelling element.
@@kamigreen455The first time she did a 'you don't hear...' moment, I think during Misfits, you could genuinely *see* Brennan, like, shift. He's been DMing basically forever, but you could still see him go 'You can DO that!?! I could have BEEN DOING THAT!?!' It's amazing, and it really demonstrates Aabria's brilliant and unique play style.
Yes actually, this is a solid point! The silhouette on the dome was for, and did make, the players absolutely shit themselves for a second, and then ramp that excited and surprise up when the antlers appeared above her. Ditto for the burrows end audio, it's played to the players, and as Brennan says, "thats too fucking scary", again, it's for the players.
I love how Aabria and Brennan (and other DMs frankly), see someone do something cool (like "here is what you don't see") and immediately go: "You can do that?! I WILL DO THAT!" And Aabria is truly a pioneer in the field!
Matt, Brennan & Aabria chatted about this on one of the adventuring party episodes from Ravening War, about how they take inspiration from each others styles. It was so wholesome as they were just gassing each other up.
I agree, I think Aabria really has ushered in a new era at D20. But, the reason it worked at D20 and not on other shows was because it was the right soil for those ideas to grow in (if you know what I mean). Before Aabria, D20 already had the most amazing battle maps in actual play, bar none. So when Aabria wanted props and projections etc, the talent was already in place to make that happen. Even more fundamentally, D20 has always been an edited show (except for Sophomore year, which is really the exception that proves the rule). They’ve always used different camera angles to allow for focus on individual characters, or small groups of characters (as well as allowing for editing that’s not jump cuts). They’ve always had sound effects and music. Aabria upped the game, but those improvements would never have been possible anywhere other than D20.
Full respect to live play shows, but editing is what puts that extra polish on D20 shows. I did enjoy the pandemic-contingency live seasons of D20 but you can tell there's a different (not necessarily better) vibe when you're able to add sound effects, camera cuts, and removal of dead air.
@@zachgaskins3731 Agreed. There's a lot of room for live actual play, but one of the unspoken but incredibly important pillars of D20 is their editing. CR has the production but not inherent comedic vibe. TaZ has the vibe but production only extends to audio since it's primarily a podcast. D20 has both production and vibe- Aabria's GM happy place.
@zachgaskins3731 @AlleliHull Absolutely. And then of course Worlds Beyond Number takes that editing and sound design polish into the stratosphere. Seriously, between all the amazing seasons of D20 and the launch of WBN, 2023 really was a preposterously good year.
@@zachgaskins3731 D20 absolutely nails the balance between edited and improvisational aspects of their show, and I think that's in no small part because that is really The Core of what Dropout is: Creating the best possible scripted material for their teams of star-studded improvisers to make magic with. That ideology permeates every great show that Dropout has. Aabria definitely was a central figure in this movement for D20 specifically, but I am so happy that she was really handed the best material to craft her master work from.
Aabria is actually how I was introduced to TTRPG with Misfits and Magic. Still one of my favourite D20 seasons. I love her so much. She has this way of telling stories that makes it feel like you're a part of the world and you can vividly see it. She's beyond inspiring❤️
Brennan is the DM we can all aspire to be. He has perfect fundamentals: Story telling, characterization, crowd control, vividness, etc. Aabria works on a different level. She might not be as good as Brennan on said fundamentals, but her creativity and style go above and beyond what you expect from DMing. Now I'm not saying one of the two is overall better than the other, but working with each other and learning from one another they both become even better than they were.
It's been so cool to see Brennan picking up some of Aabria's style and to see her picking up some of his! Actually, let's be fair - those two plus Matt Mercer form a triangle of differing DM strengths, and they're all learning from each other and stepping up their games! I've learned so much as a DM by watching those three over the years!
Honestly she’s kind of the perfect evidence as to why diversity is important. It’s the power you get when you bring in new ideas from people with different backgrounds. She’s talked before about her cultural touchstones are so much different than Matt and Brennan and how that effects the design of her worlds, for example I can’t think of anyone else who would make watership down a dnd campaign. Ugh I just love her
Hope everyone doing good and staying safe. If you need to talk to someone or need help, there are people who care. Sending support and hearts. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤️❤️❤️❤❤
One of my favourite parts of Aabrias’ storytelling style is the whole you DON’T see and her best introduction into D20, where she lets the player choose between persuasion and deception without them telling her.
As an actual play journalist and critic myself, I have to commend you. This is an absolutely incredible breakdown of Aabria's work, but also the medium of actual play itself and what make it unique. Absolutely incredible work.
I agree completely that Aabria is one of if not the best in the game (haha) at this point and she is bringing something really special into the space. I will also say though that crediting D20's newfound success to her alone overlooks all the amazing people behind the scenes who help make it happen (Carlos Luna and Rick Perry are the obvious ones but there are so many behind the scenes working with Aabria to make her campaigns what they are). It does not diminish Aabria's greatness to acknowledge that any endeavor, especially one with the ethos of D20, happens from people working together and each bringing a piece of themselves to it, rather than it flowing from an individual alone. It was true when Brennan was doing it, and it's true now. Also the player selection helps too!
100%! The folks behind the scenes make the show happen! Never meant to imply she's the main reason for D20's success. Mostly wanted to highlight the creative and stylistic influence she's had on the show
Misfits and Magic is what I use to introduce new people to Dimension 20. I think it's a great place to start. Four episodes, great characters, an approachable setting. Wonderful first season!
I was actually the person who brought props and color changes to the dome. I also co-wrote Misfits and Magic with Aabria. I believe that projections were David Kern's brainchild. Everyone involved, including Aabria of course, iterated on these ideas. Like the snowfall of the holiday special was 100% Aabria. But, just as with Brennan, it feels like people give the DM credit for most of the season's quality when there are a lot of people behind the scenes who make this stuff happen. D20 puts the whole team front and center at the end of each season for that reason, and I suggest watching those to demystify this concept of a singular genius who carries seasons on their back alone. Aabria and Brennan are both brilliant and I love them, but they are a part of a team of equally brilliant people. @@castlecaster
@@OrionDBlack2 Thank you for the corrections! Not talking about the crew and creative team was a massive oversight on my part. I was focused on the stylistic changes to the show that aligned with Aabria's appearance as GM and assumed they were all her influence. That's my mistake, and I intend to correct that in future videos. Would it be possible for you to post this as a comment? I would like to pin it if that's ok with you, but I can't pin a reply.
I always think it's funny that I think xXDreamXx's wand tassel is supposed to be like a bike streamer and be on the base of the wand, but she keeps using it upside down with the streamers flowing with the casting.
It drove my housemates and I *crazy*. They are at the base of the wand, not the tip. I figured that was why Aabria hit her with the water cus her wand was backwards. 😉
Aabria's character conflict is the one thing that leaves me uneasy. To explain myself, I'm really just talking about when she plays particularly arrogant or confrontational characters like in The Ravening War and Worlds Beyond Number. But honestly, the fact that she can evoke such a sense of unease from me during her roleplay only shows how good she is. Even as a player she excels. She's definitely one of the best in the game and it's awesome to see the improvements she inspires wherever she goes.
This comes through on her DMing too. She jokes she will "fight you". But one of her favourite things to do is highlight a PC's cruel choice through a beloved NPC. From Luvvy to Bennett to Nurse Stitchknit, she has absolutely no problem calling PCs out and challenging players to consider their actions in the world building. As someone who really dislikes murder hobo playing styles I adore it. Her PCs are often the same. She likes a cynic. She likes to see what other players are made of and what the DM has the guts for. To quote her from Dirty Laundry "If I have to stand the whole way up, we got a problem."
In one of her talkbacks in the Seven she joked about how she went a bit hard in her ‘villain era’ after seeing stuff on social media, but everyone else didn’t go in as intensely. It was really nice to see players all saying how they felt comfortable with their character conflicts so if you are uncomfortable with other instances you might enjoy that one.
She's definitely not afraid to be the bad guy and I LOVE it! None of this "But they're a really good person, promise!" crap you get on shows like Crit Role, actually fully rounded characters with flaws that are unapologetically on display
Brennan has even mentioned how her going against the grain and Blighting EXU Calamity’s tree was such an absolute baller move. Like it was THE WRONG choice to make and she did it with her whole chest
I think Critical Role credited Taliesin Jaffe with the idea for projection. They put out a video where they were talking about their new set and mentioned that he had tried using it when they played Call of Cthulhu, but it didn't really work with the studio they had at the time, so they built their new studio with that concept in mind. (It's been a while since I saw that video so I might be getting some details wrong). Either way, Aabria is incredible and deserves her flowers for pushing actual play forward, and this is a great video.
You're spot-on, the CoC actual play is still on their channel and the projections worked really well considering the set wasn't built for it. Jaffe also made INCREDIBLE use of props during that one-shot, probably still the gold standard. I think what really pushed APs forward is all these wonderful GMs sharing ideas and the insane work of the crews supporting them, who rarely get a mention.
And then just to be contrary Brennan would just get new copies of the same shirts (unless he had a good story reason to go to something else - note that in Mentopolis he wore a shirt really fitting with the setting...)
After seeing Battle for Beyond, I personally think Jasmine Bhullar also belongs in that category. Actual plays have a DM Holy Quartet 😁 (Side note for those who have seen Battle for Beyond: Polodio remains my favorite NPC in any actual play ever.)
I'm so gald we've all collectively recognized that these three are the prime examples of GM's in actual play because their styles are all so different! Matt is excellent at building lore that has a consistent internal logic that really makes his world and NPCs feel so real and true to the setting (as well as being phenomenal with voices obviously). Brennan is so good at focusing in on a narrative that makes his games feel so rewarding and like there has been a pay off for the characters and the story. Aabria, along with everything here, knows how to hone in on the PCs and how they feel within the story to put a spotlight on them, and also bring the audience along for the ride. The thing is they can all do the things that each other do, It's like 3 people in the same degree program but all with different specializations in their feild. We're living in a pretty awesome time for TTRPGs and actual play with these three at the helm!
@@rokeYouuer I like Anthony, though I haven't listened to all of Dungeons and Daddies, and I'm unfamiliar with Rob.. but I firmly believe that Murph deserves a spot on the list. Granted I've listened to NADDpod far more than anything else (C1 twice, C2 twice, will likely listen to C3 again once it's finished as I feel like it's their best work so far.. plus all the Patreon content up to the Mixed Bag tier.. and gone to see them live twice). Personally, I think he's on the same level as Brennan, it's just a different tone a lot of the time because of the absolute chaos goblins that are Emily/Caldwell/Jake. He's so good at switching from goofy "yes and" shenanigans straight into the jaw dropping and/or heart breaking. Also, his encounter design is absolutely top notch. they all feel fresh and unique from one another.
@@comadose25 Rob is a skilled actor and improviser, which I think is also true of all the other DMs mentioned. Maybe a knock against him is that his campaigns are a lot more grounded and classic fantasy trope than most of the others, but he's excellent at keeping the campaign on track, despite having a bunch of chaotic gremlins who don't know what's going on half the time and just want to punch stuff.
Talisen Jaffe actually came up with the projector thing a while before during his Cthulu themed campaign. Critical role I think talked about it in a video discussing their campaign 3 set as an explanation of where the inspiration came from. Talisen had been wanting to fully impliment, improve and expand on that for years.
I absolutely ADORE Aabria! She’s a phenomenal storyteller (whether gming or playing (calamity still destroys me to this day)) and ACoFaF was so charming compared to the horrors of Burrow’s End. It’s like getting whiplashed without actually FEELING whiplashed, if that makes sense. Anyway, great video! Great haircut! Happy new year! :)
Burrow's End is by FAR my favorite Dimension 20 campaign thus far. Of course I have to credit the incredible cast, but Aabria truly elevated EVERYTHING with that campaign. From storyline to minis to humor to makeup and costume, I am so so so excited for what's next!
Thank you for doing this video. It's nice to know that I am not the only one that see's Aabria's contribution to D20 and how every game that comes after hers follows suit.
Unleashed mention! It's so good to see a highlight reel of the ways Aabria has incorporated visual storytelling into D20, and it reminds me that one of things I love about her is her artistry. From the custom makeup looks (PoL and Battle for Beyond are two of my personal faves, as well as the anti-surveillance look for BE) to the idea for the snow projection and the flowers, to her dice down to the use of cinematic language in her narration (a set of which I own) she's so good at visuals!
It seems like Aabria views roleplaying like I do, in that it's basically improv theater, with the GM as the director, and the players as the actors. You give them a basic script structure, and then let them improv what happens, with some dice rolls and stats in for some genuine randomization of results. Given how she's introduced so many theatric elements like props, lighting, costumes, etc. And I love that.
So amazed to see her take all of the lessons that KO||OK taught her and just constantly push the envelope as far as what TTRPG performances are allowed to be. Thanks to Zac and Malika Lim Eubank for giving her that springboard. KO||OK was the standard-bearer in the last decade of the AP space for the "if they're comfortable, they're falling asleep, if they've seen it they're switching channels" design mentality, and D20/Dropout has the infrastructure and the attitude to support that.
yeah for sure. i had seen several clips of d20 online before but nothing convinced to finally get behind the paywall until A Court Of Fey & Flowers. I just thought all the flowers everywhere, the fabulous makeup everyone had on - it just drew me in. And i'm glad I finally took the plundge. so thanks aabria!
Point of order. Critical Role's 2018 Shadow of the Crystal Palace (the cast of which includes d20's Erika Ichii) used projections, costumes and props to great effect, when Aabriya was just appearing. This is not too throw shade on her influence, but the style had been applied successfully well before it appeared on d20. An alternative hypothesis might be that dimension 20 decided to up it's game with visual effects, different game systems. and also game masters, where Aabriya was a natural choice. While I'm sure she's had a lot of creative input then/since, let's not forget there is a creative team of designers, prop and costume departments behind these productions.
Gosh. There was a live play series a long time ago where the DM used hats and construction paper costumes so he could quickly switch to indicate the npc he was portraying in the moment. It worked amazingly and it’s something I’m gonna try if I can get my home game off the ground. Edit: It was Saving Throws! I think they’re still active and produced great content back in the day. Check them out if you haven’t already.
LA by night by geek and sundry was the first id ever see where they mixed tabletop and scripted scenes and I really enjoyed it. Their whole production always felt like a theatre performance. Improv during tabletop games is always a little scripted anyway because theres a GM, obviously theres a story they’re trying to guide you to tell.
I feel LA by Night did scripted scenes right. They were either giving more info about events around the characters, short scenes that would have eaten time but were important to the narrative, or little bonuses for fans (like the radio broadcasts)
@@itwasidio1736 Brennan as Adrian was the first time i had seenn him in anything and he had me gripped from start to finish. That character was absolutely terrifying.
Kollok 1991 season 2 by HyperRPG is the real starting point for Aabria, yes the Kollok series you talk about is season 3. That season was more toned down from Kollok but is where the scripted segments from The Unleashed come from, Kollok itself is my favourite AP, I love all the weird things they do, like having a villain represented by someone coming out in costume and stalking the players
All the credit to Aabria. Love her. But, how you couldn't mention Rick Perry's team in every other sentence is beyond me. Especially since there is so much from the recent D20 documentary you could pull. Yeah, Aabria's creative ideas are great, but the team - being able to bring all of them to life (especially for so many styles and DMs) - is unbelievable! The playground they enable for each DM is just a dream.
I actually didn't get into Critical Role whatsoever until I saw Aabria GM Exandria Unlimited - I had never seen a Black DM! I fell in love with her approach to storytelling and got me interested in the universe of CR. I love love love her voice, her attitude, her inclusivity, and her viciousness!
I love the attention the Aabria has been getting. She is such a talented DM and Table Top Game producer, constantly thinking outside the box and elevating her games. I’m so proud of her!! ❤❤
personally, Aabria's blending of scripted and improv is one of the most interesting things I've ever seen in roleplaying. GMs put so much behind the scenes work into their sessions. it was cool to see a group open that up more to players, too. players aren't passive receivers of the story. they are part of creating it, too!
I haven't seen the 'scripted scene' stuff they're referring to yet, but I plan to check it out. The idea however, I love. It comes across as 'Bluebooking' at a tabletop, which started where players had these blue notebooks that would normally be used for college exam answering but they were using it to write character moments. Anything that stemmed from the RP at the table, or things that may not have worked well at the table. The idea has since been adapted to any storytelling that happens outside the table. I've seen online games with a dedicated channel that players have posted well written solo scenes of them justifying things, slice-of-life interactions, them talking to NPCs to try and work things out, letters to family and so forth. Sometimes it could even just be seeing another side of a character as the hard crass fighter goes on a date and is sweet or that quiet, controlled PC has a rage out because they've just had enough and are done with all the crap... but can't let the party see their nice controlled rock explode.
Aabria Iyengar supremacy!!! ❤ Little nitpick, Taliesin Jaffe ran shadow projections behind him during a Call or Cthulhu oneshot, to be pedantic about the timeline. But I completely agree, Aabria's incredible creativity, fresh perspective and storytelling style has made her a force of change and wonder that has unequivocally changed the actual play world ❤
Pirates of Salt Bay on Saving Throw Show is what caught me and she was the star (the players in that game were really fun, too). Her playful way of interacting with players, extraordinary intelligence, and mischievous wit made it must see TH-cam for me. I've watched her career with interest ever since.
I think this is the most glowing review of the artistic vision of a DM by anyone on TH-cam. Brennan always gets praise for his improv and story focus. Matt gets praise for his worldbuilding and deep game intuition. And even though I've believed she deserved her praise, I've always struggled to put why she's so great into words, but you've hit the nail on the head. You should send it to her on socials or something.
I think LA by Night did the scripted scenes thing before The Unleashed did, and they did it much better. The scenes were stingers at the end of each episode to tease the audience with things the PCs didn't know. (Which reminds me I need to finish watching that)
I really wish Geek and Sundry would release their Sagas of Sundry: Madness. It was an exclusive on the terrible idea that was Alpha, but it was a WILD ride of experimental roll playing. I'm really glad D20 is getting to do weird and wild stuff now.
One of my favourite things about watching Brennan play dnd, is watching him see another gm do something that never even occurred to him. And it’s so magic, cause he’s such a talent he and the audience assume tis all occurred to him, and so genuinely wonderful and exciting when that assumption is proved wrong. You see it best with Aabria because Brennan is so focused on character and world and traditional tone (ie music or voices or battle maps) that he doesn’t think of it being a visual medium for everyone at home. Aabria gets this SO well! But she also gets it’s a specific medium for the players: it’s a game. And in games it’s fun to have tokens to collect, to have prizes to earn, to see the world you imagine reflected in your surroundings, and for the game play to be that little bit easier because the tone is set from the moment you enter. She’s so good!
I just rewatched all of misfits and magic simply because I love Aabria’s DMing style, but damn realizing that she’s had this much of a wider impact just makes me appreciate her more
I didn’t know who Aabria was, and when I saw that EXU wasn’t gonna be DMed by Matt, I pretty much bounced off it. Then I watched Misfits and Magic and was 100% sold on her as a DM. And dedicated myself to finding everything Brennan gets to play in. Also Lou became an instant favorite. Goddamn, M&M was so good.
I mean, if you like Aabria, Lou, and Brennan, you should probably check out their actual play podcast with Erika "Worlds Beyond Number" if you haven't already, it's really good! No visuals, but they do great things kind of like what he talked about with the visuals with audio.
I'd disagree a little on the input of the scripted scenes. It didn't work there. But on NY by Night on the World of Darkness channel they improved its use. They were glimpses broken from the main play. Other characters or independent moments that tempted speculation and interest.
I would argue that her appearance on Pirates of Leviathan is another crucial puzzle piece to her contributions. You had mentioned that costuming and makeup of the players (and GM) are part of her signature style...and that initial piratey appearance in PoL raised the bar for player costuming going forward.
Fills my heart will SO much joy to see Aabria getting the respect she deserves, she fucking rules. Re: critical role being behind the curve on production, I feel like as long as they're uploading full streams without edits it's pretty much always going to be that way? Even though they're not live anymore their format is fundamentally different to d20's and prob stifles them visually, but at this point I feel like it's a pepsi and coke situation - people go to cr for the long-form improv (which often lets them be a whole lot more flexible w their narratives than d20, if we're being honest) and the community atmosphere on twitch, and they go to d20 for the visuals and snappier storytelling. Tbh while we're still coming off the era of Every TV Show Trying To Be Game of Thrones, it makes me happy to see how much diversity of formats we're getting within the medium of actual play.
The adventuring party episodes for Aabrias seasons are always so wholesome. They just spend the time gushing over each other talking about much they love everything and each other
I think t was the combination of Aabria IN D20 that made this era. Usually, D20's art budget goes to the minis, the maps and the reenactments of the scenes with the minis, but since Aabria uses a lot more theater of the mind, she asked for props and decorations. D20 already had a great foundation as what an actual play show should be (the use of the dramatic scenes with the minis), but Aabria elevated it.
Aabria is the only DM I've seen who can take a story driven campaign like A Court of Fey and Flowers and make it riveting entertainment. There was what, three combats in the whole thing?? I think the scripted parts could work as intros to episodes based on what happened last time.
A Court of Fey and Flowers literally changed my life for the better, because of her and the way she structured that campaign. She's a mastermind. I can't wait to watch Misfits & Magic and Burrow's End!
Misfits and Magic is one of my most favorite actual plays as a whole, Brennan's Evan Kelmp is the funniest characters ever, he and and Lou play off of each other perfectly, Erika is great in it as well all of it helmed by Aabria's masterful game mastering.
I think the projection thing started in CR when they did that C'thulu one shot, and then everyone just figured out that 'Oh yeah that's cool' and Aabria is just a master of space.
I struggle to jell with her DM style (atleast from what I've seen with CR, not a slight on her I just don't think it's for me) but I love her as a player. As a player, she never fails to get me intrested in her characters.
CR isnt her best work as a gm imo. But you're absolutely right about her being an incredible player! I love her as a GM, but I might like her even more when she's in front of the screen
Aabria also ran and played in a lot of the HyperRPG Twitch channel one shots having to deal with the stuff that the Chat added to the games! Kollok was such a great series!
I never had the attention span for actual plays until my friends showed me Court of Fae & Flowers, it was such a visually beautiful show and Aabria's character-driven storylines / focus on dialogue over battle scenes made it so much easier to get and stay invested. It led to me watching more D20 so I could see more of her and the players from ACOFAF, and I'm so happy it did. Finally caught up on sophomore year recently to watch Junior Year live and I'm glad her style & influence is still going strong there (cough cough Vulture Dimension cough.) Her creativity and D20's high production value was a match made to be.
it's incredible to think how almost everything that was needed for the mega reveal in Junior Year was put there by Aabria. lighting tiles separately from one another - Aabria. story beat being projected on the wall - Aabria. full-on high-res animated projections - Aabria. diegetic recording synced to the projection - Aabria.
I started watching d20 because of these videos and now I'm watching you talk about it now that its one of my favorite shows!! Thank you SO MUCH you brought this show into my life and it genuinely changed me so much.
The 3rd sezon of Candela Obscura with Aabria as the DM is EVERYTHING. The camera work, the drama, the light manipulation, the costumes! It was like watching an AAA movie.
See finding new channels like this is the good part of the YT algorithm change When I first experienced Aabria on EXU, I was actually not a fan. I found her live and structural DMing styles to be too loose and frustrating for my tastes. However, as she's settled in to D20 and been allowed to show her unique strengths I've really come to appreciate her. Her ideas and flourishes are phenomenal (when they're allowed to be the focus) and, importantly, I think she's really pushed Brennan to up his game in the presentation of the dome.
I love using props in D&D. One of my favorites was having the characters destroy a cursed stone so I bought a geode for them to literally smash open with a hammer!
With regards to projection, Critical Role used (fairly subtle) projections (and props) in the Call of Cthulhu: Shadow of the Crystal Palace one shot that happened before the Misfits and Magic Holiday special. Talesin Jaffe said that he came up with a bunch of asks, went to the production team, and asked them to implement as many of them as they could. However, these guys are all friends and dreamers, so I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't cross-pollinate ideas.
Btw, yeah there was an actual play show doing gameplay with live action traditional scenes as sort of end-of-episode stingers... "Vampire The Masquerade - LA By Night" which ran from 2018 to 2021. Aabria was a main cast member of the first season of the follow up series "Vampire The Masquerade - NY By Night" in 2022, and in their Q&A after show "Club Auspex", she talked about being a fan of LA by Night first. Perhaps she was inspired for "The Unleashed"?
A court of fey and flowers was my intro to her and I adored every second of it. Misfits and magic was wonderful but as soon as I saw burrowers end those previous campaigns where blown out of the water in my eyes. It was marvelous and I am still in awe thinking about the bear :O!!! And the clip in the "next episode" segment where they said "is this why you emailed a trigger earning?!!" XD it got me so hyped fr
You should totally make a video about Burrow's End, the last Aabria campaign... It's really blowing my mind, the production, the props, everything is excellent.
I have honestly barely touched the non-Brennan DM D20 seasons because I didn’t like Aabria’s (and others she’s not the only one but this video is about her) DM style when I first saw it. Seeing this timeline of D20’s evolution though and realizing her impact makes me need to go back and rewatch her seasons fully instead of the clips. I always knew how skilled of a DM she was but I never realized how she can fully revolutionize the game in her own way through every genre lens. Thank you so much for this video it was an awesome retrospective! (Am taking advice for what season to watch next though).
I think part of what makes all of these props and projections work so much better than the other experiments that you mentioned, is the fact that these elements not only elevate the experience for the audience but also for the players. That is how such a high production value remains feeling like an authentic TTRPG
What a great commentary! I fell in love with A's dm-ing style a couple years ago but haven't seen half as much of her work as I'd like to. Thanks to your retrospective, now I know where else to go looking. Thanks!
you did good here but allot of what your talking about, goes further back you should check out the VPM (vampire the masquerade) stuff and the Acquisitions Incorporated: The Series.
YES! THANK YOU FOR GIVING AABRIA HER FLOWERS!!! Aabria is truly one of the best things to ever happen to D20 and im so happy this is the timeline we're living in she's utterly phenomenal and just like d20 ill never be the same. thanks for shining such a beautiful spotlight on her, she deserves even more!!
I LOOOOOOVE AABRIA!!! She’s such an inspirational DM ❤ she is kind, she is funny, she’s a wonderful yes-and person. The way she DMed A Court of Fey and Flowers changed me and my love for TTRPG forever. The chaotic lords of the wing helped ofc, but she did not only weave the dumbass throwaway Green Hunter into the actual plot line - Lou also got an actual Green Hunter book/dice tray custom made in a short amount of days. Who tf even thought that was possible? And aside from the birdshit crazy cousins ALL OTHER PCs COUPLED UP!? I’ve never seen that before!
I love Aabria's work so far. The first time I ever saw her DMing was Exandria Unlimited. I knew she had something special. Her storytelling style was completely different than anything I'd seen before. It was captivating. And I think her willingness to try new things and make mistakes, really drives home the innovation that she is capable of bringing to the table. I feel like she will be the reason actual play will stay strong in our culture.
It also helped that when dimension 20 rebuilt their dome from the original, they changed it from an actual curved dome to curved appearing separated walls that allowed for more technical effects!
A small addition that I have noticed. She has learnt how to use Brennan's PCs as an actual weapon. Which bearing in mind how much he optimises his characters is a problem for other players. Both in Burrow's End and A Court of Fey and Flowers she has dropped a mind control power and he's failed his check. He needs to watch himself in her campaigns.
Her handing out character props as gifts per episode in A Court of Fae and Flowers getting the whole table excited and Brennan sweating because it ramps up the DMing prep work
This is so true! A court of fey and flowers has always been my favorite as well as one of the few campaigns that actually made me cry! I always get excited when I hear she’s doing a campaign on D20
Would love to see a sequel to this video talking about multiclassing. Crown of Candy had two great examples of multiclassing that moved the trend from making jokes about emily dipping into warlock. by the time you reach hob in fey and flowers or the pcs in ravening war, multiclassing has become a staple of dimension 20 and part of what makes their combat feel so unique.
yeah personally I liked Magic and Misfits, but it wasn't my favorite. But Fey and Flowers and Burrow's End were absolutely phenomenal, and Mentopolis is one of my favorite seasons. I can't wait to see where the show goes from here, and I'm eagerly awaiting Aabria's next appearance
This is not to discredit Aabria or say she didnt come up with these ideas, but the tone of the video kind of removes the involvement of the massive talented team that works behind the scenes on D20. The people who are really raising the bar and increasing the production values are the crew! The miniature painters, set and graphic designers, art team, costume, make-up and hair, lighting team, camera team, editors ect ect ect. Dropout does an amazing job of making obvious that its never just a singular persons vision by shouting them all out every week in Adventuring Party after each episode is released.
The visual effect at 5:33 is most likely anaglyph 3D, but it could also be deliberately induced chromatic aberration. Oversimplified explanations: Anaglyph 3D filters an image into two colors (usually red and cyan) so that it produces a 3D effect when viewed with anaglyph glasses (a.k.a. "3D glasses"); Chromatic aberration, also called chromatic distortion and spherochromatism, is a generally unwanted effect caused by the failure of a lens to focus all colors on a single point, though it's sometimes done on purpose for artistic reasons.
These are such good points, and kind of explain why I’m a little worried for fantasy high junior year. Don’t get me wrong, I’m hyped to see that story continue, and see the world with a much bigger production value, but I feel like a lot of the projections seen in the trailer are too detailed in a way that might be distracting. I’m sure they’ll strike a good balance but right now I have my fingers crossed that it won’t look too messy given all the detail
Hey folks! If you liked this video, you might like the other videos I did about the Intrepid Heroes!
th-cam.com/video/U9WTkFaD9k4/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=CastleCaster
How you watched any VLDL DnD? It's also very different from standard format. Would interested to know what you think of it!
I love how Aabria is literally saying shes going to keep asking for more things from the d20 crew until they tell her she needs to stop. They havent told her to stop yet, but they have begged for her to send out content warnings.
This isn't entirely accurate, Rick Perry told her she couldn't cut a hole in the table for Burrows End and the reactor battle set, though Brennan also mentioned that Rick also told him the same no.
I love that every time she has gone into the dome, she's asked "how can I do something new that no one will expect" and she has been KILLING it!
I told my DND group recently that she's become my favorite dm/gm. I fully take inspiration from her as I'm still new at being behind the screen. I also love how she does cute and beautiful things then can be utterly terrifying. As someone labeled as "grim dark" by a member of my group, I loved Burrow's End so much.
@@raymondwunder7107that's because they can't just put the table back afterwards. They would have to get a new one.
@@WolfLuvsSushi I'm excited to see more of her, I've heard enough that I know she must be really good, I was just not impressed at all by EXU Prime. I'm slowly working my way through D20.
Burrows End was truly on another level. And in Misfits and Magic when she did that bit of "you dont see this but YOU the audience does" and Brennan looked so fucking shocked at that storytelling is still one of my favorite dnd moments ever😂
Not only did he *look* shocked, but much later during a Critical Role discussion he admitted he *was* shocked. And he was amazed that, in his words: "YoU cAn DOOOOO THAT?!" 😂 That shock was the face of a man learning that something which had never even crossed a single neuron in his brain was actually possible *and* effective... and that he could steal it for himself 😂
"Here's what you don't see" changed my fucking life. The idea that you can tell narration *outside* of what the players are seeing?! Madness! But it works so well.
I'm currently running Keys from the Golden Vault, and rather than trying to tie all the players into an overarching plot, I'm just doing "here's what you don't see" narration; so that my players know there's a wider conspiracy even if their characters don't.
@@Deiwos0 Gotta be careful with that, though. You have to really trust all of your players that none of them will metagame.
@@KBRoller "You don't know that." is a simple way of stopping them.
But yeah, I think with all DMing techniques there's no magic bullet or secret method; the key is to use the techniques that suit the players at the table.
I know i saw Jerry Holkins do that in Acquisitions Inc The 'C' Team and it blew my mind, I'm glad to see more people using that technique it's so great.
I think another element that Aabria has done with her DM work that works well: the visual elements are for her *players* first, the audience second. She does things that help her party feel excited and immersed in the world, things that enhance the Theater of The Mind. We are watching and feeling their energy alongside them, and even during moments like "the audience knows, but YOU don't", the party AND us are feeling unease. It's awesome.
Thats a great point!
This. My favorite thing about her GM style is when she goes into a perception or insight check and includes "here's what you DON'T see..." It's such a great storytelling element.
@@kamigreen455The first time she did a 'you don't hear...' moment, I think during Misfits, you could genuinely *see* Brennan, like, shift. He's been DMing basically forever, but you could still see him go 'You can DO that!?! I could have BEEN DOING THAT!?!' It's amazing, and it really demonstrates Aabria's brilliant and unique play style.
@@totalweirdo8538 ngl, that was my reaction too!
Yes actually, this is a solid point! The silhouette on the dome was for, and did make, the players absolutely shit themselves for a second, and then ramp that excited and surprise up when the antlers appeared above her. Ditto for the burrows end audio, it's played to the players, and as Brennan says, "thats too fucking scary", again, it's for the players.
I love how Aabria and Brennan (and other DMs frankly), see someone do something cool (like "here is what you don't see") and immediately go:
"You can do that?! I WILL DO THAT!"
And Aabria is truly a pioneer in the field!
the comradery and community with the dm's is great
Matt, Brennan & Aabria chatted about this on one of the adventuring party episodes from Ravening War, about how they take inspiration from each others styles. It was so wholesome as they were just gassing each other up.
Aabria is absolutely insanely good
Big props to Rick Perry! He’s been stepping it up too- making any idea that Aabría has come to life.
especially that dead bear in burrows end it was magnificent
I agree, I think Aabria really has ushered in a new era at D20. But, the reason it worked at D20 and not on other shows was because it was the right soil for those ideas to grow in (if you know what I mean).
Before Aabria, D20 already had the most amazing battle maps in actual play, bar none. So when Aabria wanted props and projections etc, the talent was already in place to make that happen.
Even more fundamentally, D20 has always been an edited show (except for Sophomore year, which is really the exception that proves the rule). They’ve always used different camera angles to allow for focus on individual characters, or small groups of characters (as well as allowing for editing that’s not jump cuts). They’ve always had sound effects and music.
Aabria upped the game, but those improvements would never have been possible anywhere other than D20.
Full respect to live play shows, but editing is what puts that extra polish on D20 shows. I did enjoy the pandemic-contingency live seasons of D20 but you can tell there's a different (not necessarily better) vibe when you're able to add sound effects, camera cuts, and removal of dead air.
@@zachgaskins3731 Agreed. There's a lot of room for live actual play, but one of the unspoken but incredibly important pillars of D20 is their editing.
CR has the production but not inherent comedic vibe. TaZ has the vibe but production only extends to audio since it's primarily a podcast. D20 has both production and vibe- Aabria's GM happy place.
@zachgaskins3731 @AlleliHull Absolutely. And then of course Worlds Beyond Number takes that editing and sound design polish into the stratosphere. Seriously, between all the amazing seasons of D20 and the launch of WBN, 2023 really was a preposterously good year.
@zachgaskins3731 None of the lockdown-era seasons were live, FYI. Even the last two episodes of Sophmore Year were pre-recorded over zoom.
@@zachgaskins3731 D20 absolutely nails the balance between edited and improvisational aspects of their show, and I think that's in no small part because that is really The Core of what Dropout is: Creating the best possible scripted material for their teams of star-studded improvisers to make magic with. That ideology permeates every great show that Dropout has. Aabria definitely was a central figure in this movement for D20 specifically, but I am so happy that she was really handed the best material to craft her master work from.
Aabria is actually how I was introduced to TTRPG with Misfits and Magic. Still one of my favourite D20 seasons. I love her so much. She has this way of telling stories that makes it feel like you're a part of the world and you can vividly see it. She's beyond inspiring❤️
Thats such a great place to be introduced!
Brennan is the DM we can all aspire to be. He has perfect fundamentals: Story telling, characterization, crowd control, vividness, etc. Aabria works on a different level. She might not be as good as Brennan on said fundamentals, but her creativity and style go above and beyond what you expect from DMing.
Now I'm not saying one of the two is overall better than the other, but working with each other and learning from one another they both become even better than they were.
It's been so cool to see Brennan picking up some of Aabria's style and to see her picking up some of his! Actually, let's be fair - those two plus Matt Mercer form a triangle of differing DM strengths, and they're all learning from each other and stepping up their games! I've learned so much as a DM by watching those three over the years!
Honestly she’s kind of the perfect evidence as to why diversity is important. It’s the power you get when you bring in new ideas from people with different backgrounds. She’s talked before about her cultural touchstones are so much different than Matt and Brennan and how that effects the design of her worlds, for example I can’t think of anyone else who would make watership down a dnd campaign. Ugh I just love her
Bathroom Voices Buddies
Hope everyone doing good and staying safe. If you need to talk to someone or need help, there are people who care. Sending support and hearts. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤️❤️❤️❤❤
Brennan as a DM is writing a fantasy novel.
Aabria as a DM is directing a movie.
One of my favourite parts of Aabrias’ storytelling style is the whole you DON’T see and her best introduction into D20, where she lets the player choose between persuasion and deception without them telling her.
As an actual play journalist and critic myself, I have to commend you. This is an absolutely incredible breakdown of Aabria's work, but also the medium of actual play itself and what make it unique. Absolutely incredible work.
Wow, thank you!
I agree completely that Aabria is one of if not the best in the game (haha) at this point and she is bringing something really special into the space. I will also say though that crediting D20's newfound success to her alone overlooks all the amazing people behind the scenes who help make it happen (Carlos Luna and Rick Perry are the obvious ones but there are so many behind the scenes working with Aabria to make her campaigns what they are). It does not diminish Aabria's greatness to acknowledge that any endeavor, especially one with the ethos of D20, happens from people working together and each bringing a piece of themselves to it, rather than it flowing from an individual alone. It was true when Brennan was doing it, and it's true now.
Also the player selection helps too!
100%! The folks behind the scenes make the show happen! Never meant to imply she's the main reason for D20's success. Mostly wanted to highlight the creative and stylistic influence she's had on the show
Misfits and Magic is what I use to introduce new people to Dimension 20. I think it's a great place to start. Four episodes, great characters, an approachable setting. Wonderful first season!
Carlos’ performance in Burrows End deserves an Emmy
I was actually the person who brought props and color changes to the dome. I also co-wrote Misfits and Magic with Aabria. I believe that projections were David Kern's brainchild. Everyone involved, including Aabria of course, iterated on these ideas. Like the snowfall of the holiday special was 100% Aabria. But, just as with Brennan, it feels like people give the DM credit for most of the season's quality when there are a lot of people behind the scenes who make this stuff happen. D20 puts the whole team front and center at the end of each season for that reason, and I suggest watching those to demystify this concept of a singular genius who carries seasons on their back alone. Aabria and Brennan are both brilliant and I love them, but they are a part of a team of equally brilliant people. @@castlecaster
@@OrionDBlack2 Thank you for the corrections! Not talking about the crew and creative team was a massive oversight on my part. I was focused on the stylistic changes to the show that aligned with Aabria's appearance as GM and assumed they were all her influence. That's my mistake, and I intend to correct that in future videos.
Would it be possible for you to post this as a comment? I would like to pin it if that's ok with you, but I can't pin a reply.
The “bad trip” effect you refer to is called chromatic aberration!
I always think it's funny that I think xXDreamXx's wand tassel is supposed to be like a bike streamer and be on the base of the wand, but she keeps using it upside down with the streamers flowing with the casting.
It drove my housemates and I *crazy*. They are at the base of the wand, not the tip.
I figured that was why Aabria hit her with the water cus her wand was backwards. 😉
Aabria's character conflict is the one thing that leaves me uneasy. To explain myself, I'm really just talking about when she plays particularly arrogant or confrontational characters like in The Ravening War and Worlds Beyond Number. But honestly, the fact that she can evoke such a sense of unease from me during her roleplay only shows how good she is. Even as a player she excels. She's definitely one of the best in the game and it's awesome to see the improvements she inspires wherever she goes.
This comes through on her DMing too. She jokes she will "fight you". But one of her favourite things to do is highlight a PC's cruel choice through a beloved NPC. From Luvvy to Bennett to Nurse Stitchknit, she has absolutely no problem calling PCs out and challenging players to consider their actions in the world building. As someone who really dislikes murder hobo playing styles I adore it. Her PCs are often the same. She likes a cynic. She likes to see what other players are made of and what the DM has the guts for.
To quote her from Dirty Laundry "If I have to stand the whole way up, we got a problem."
In one of her talkbacks in the Seven she joked about how she went a bit hard in her ‘villain era’ after seeing stuff on social media, but everyone else didn’t go in as intensely.
It was really nice to see players all saying how they felt comfortable with their character conflicts so if you are uncomfortable with other instances you might enjoy that one.
She's definitely not afraid to be the bad guy and I LOVE it! None of this "But they're a really good person, promise!" crap you get on shows like Crit Role, actually fully rounded characters with flaws that are unapologetically on display
Brennan has even mentioned how her going against the grain and Blighting EXU Calamity’s tree was such an absolute baller move. Like it was THE WRONG choice to make and she did it with her whole chest
I think Critical Role credited Taliesin Jaffe with the idea for projection. They put out a video where they were talking about their new set and mentioned that he had tried using it when they played Call of Cthulhu, but it didn't really work with the studio they had at the time, so they built their new studio with that concept in mind. (It's been a while since I saw that video so I might be getting some details wrong).
Either way, Aabria is incredible and deserves her flowers for pushing actual play forward, and this is a great video.
You're spot-on, the CoC actual play is still on their channel and the projections worked really well considering the set wasn't built for it. Jaffe also made INCREDIBLE use of props during that one-shot, probably still the gold standard. I think what really pushed APs forward is all these wonderful GMs sharing ideas and the insane work of the crews supporting them, who rarely get a mention.
Petition for Dropout to add a Brennan shirt expense to D20’s budget
And then just to be contrary Brennan would just get new copies of the same shirts (unless he had a good story reason to go to something else - note that in Mentopolis he wore a shirt really fitting with the setting...)
This is absolutely something that I feel like he would refuse but the production/costuming budget would probably allow.
Yo court of fey and flowers is like my favorite seasons so far and I have to agree with you I think she totally has been a boon to Dimension 20 crew.
Aabria is a phenomenal storyteller, and she has well earned her place in the DM holy trinity (her, Matt, and Brennan)
After seeing Battle for Beyond, I personally think Jasmine Bhullar also belongs in that category. Actual plays have a DM Holy Quartet 😁 (Side note for those who have seen Battle for Beyond: Polodio remains my favorite NPC in any actual play ever.)
I'm so gald we've all collectively recognized that these three are the prime examples of GM's in actual play because their styles are all so different! Matt is excellent at building lore that has a consistent internal logic that really makes his world and NPCs feel so real and true to the setting (as well as being phenomenal with voices obviously). Brennan is so good at focusing in on a narrative that makes his games feel so rewarding and like there has been a pay off for the characters and the story. Aabria, along with everything here, knows how to hone in on the PCs and how they feel within the story to put a spotlight on them, and also bring the audience along for the ride.
The thing is they can all do the things that each other do, It's like 3 people in the same degree program but all with different specializations in their feild. We're living in a pretty awesome time for TTRPGs and actual play with these three at the helm!
That's a pretty fair top 3, although I would honorable mention Murph from NADDpod, Anthony from Dungeons and Daddies, and Rob from VLDL D&D.
@@rokeYouuer I like Anthony, though I haven't listened to all of Dungeons and Daddies, and I'm unfamiliar with Rob.. but I firmly believe that Murph deserves a spot on the list. Granted I've listened to NADDpod far more than anything else (C1 twice, C2 twice, will likely listen to C3 again once it's finished as I feel like it's their best work so far.. plus all the Patreon content up to the Mixed Bag tier.. and gone to see them live twice). Personally, I think he's on the same level as Brennan, it's just a different tone a lot of the time because of the absolute chaos goblins that are Emily/Caldwell/Jake.
He's so good at switching from goofy "yes and" shenanigans straight into the jaw dropping and/or heart breaking. Also, his encounter design is absolutely top notch. they all feel fresh and unique from one another.
@@comadose25 Rob is a skilled actor and improviser, which I think is also true of all the other DMs mentioned. Maybe a knock against him is that his campaigns are a lot more grounded and classic fantasy trope than most of the others, but he's excellent at keeping the campaign on track, despite having a bunch of chaotic gremlins who don't know what's going on half the time and just want to punch stuff.
Talisen Jaffe actually came up with the projector thing a while before during his Cthulu themed campaign. Critical role I think talked about it in a video discussing their campaign 3 set as an explanation of where the inspiration came from. Talisen had been wanting to fully impliment, improve and expand on that for years.
I absolutely ADORE Aabria! She’s a phenomenal storyteller (whether gming or playing (calamity still destroys me to this day)) and ACoFaF was so charming compared to the horrors of Burrow’s End. It’s like getting whiplashed without actually FEELING whiplashed, if that makes sense.
Anyway, great video! Great haircut! Happy new year! :)
Burrow's End is by FAR my favorite Dimension 20 campaign thus far. Of course I have to credit the incredible cast, but Aabria truly elevated EVERYTHING with that campaign. From storyline to minis to humor to makeup and costume, I am so so so excited for what's next!
Thank you for doing this video. It's nice to know that I am not the only one that see's Aabria's contribution to D20 and how every game that comes after hers follows suit.
Unleashed mention! It's so good to see a highlight reel of the ways Aabria has incorporated visual storytelling into D20, and it reminds me that one of things I love about her is her artistry. From the custom makeup looks (PoL and Battle for Beyond are two of my personal faves, as well as the anti-surveillance look for BE) to the idea for the snow projection and the flowers, to her dice down to the use of cinematic language in her narration (a set of which I own) she's so good at visuals!
It seems like Aabria views roleplaying like I do, in that it's basically improv theater, with the GM as the director, and the players as the actors. You give them a basic script structure, and then let them improv what happens, with some dice rolls and stats in for some genuine randomization of results. Given how she's introduced so many theatric elements like props, lighting, costumes, etc. And I love that.
So amazed to see her take all of the lessons that KO||OK taught her and just constantly push the envelope as far as what TTRPG performances are allowed to be. Thanks to Zac and Malika Lim Eubank for giving her that springboard. KO||OK was the standard-bearer in the last decade of the AP space for the "if they're comfortable, they're falling asleep, if they've seen it they're switching channels" design mentality, and D20/Dropout has the infrastructure and the attitude to support that.
Pretty sure this is more of a Production Team improvement rather than one person improving everything
And shes ONLY GOTTEN better! Better as a player, as a GM, as a performer. She rivals Robbie as D&Ds fastest rising star.
Far better I'd say
yeah for sure. i had seen several clips of d20 online before but nothing convinced to finally get behind the paywall until A Court Of Fey & Flowers. I just thought all the flowers everywhere, the fabulous makeup everyone had on - it just drew me in. And i'm glad I finally took the plundge. so thanks aabria!
This makes me just that much more excited for what D20 does with Fantasy High Junior Year.
Point of order. Critical Role's 2018 Shadow of the Crystal Palace (the cast of which includes d20's Erika Ichii) used projections, costumes and props to great effect, when Aabriya was just appearing. This is not too throw shade on her influence, but the style had been applied successfully well before it appeared on d20.
An alternative hypothesis might be that dimension 20 decided to up it's game with visual effects, different game systems. and also game masters, where Aabriya was a natural choice. While I'm sure she's had a lot of creative input then/since, let's not forget there is a creative team of designers, prop and costume departments behind these productions.
Pretty sure that effect is Chromatic Aberration, but I like bad trip too.
Gosh. There was a live play series a long time ago where the DM used hats and construction paper costumes so he could quickly switch to indicate the npc he was portraying in the moment. It worked amazingly and it’s something I’m gonna try if I can get my home game off the ground.
Edit: It was Saving Throws! I think they’re still active and produced great content back in the day. Check them out if you haven’t already.
I feel so thrilled to be alive at this time and age to see Aabria creating these things!
LA by night by geek and sundry was the first id ever see where they mixed tabletop and scripted scenes and I really enjoyed it. Their whole production always felt like a theatre performance. Improv during tabletop games is always a little scripted anyway because theres a GM, obviously theres a story they’re trying to guide you to tell.
I feel LA by Night did scripted scenes right. They were either giving more info about events around the characters, short scenes that would have eaten time but were important to the narrative, or little bonuses for fans (like the radio broadcasts)
Was gonna point out LA By Night too but decided to see if someone had said it already. Thumbs up!
@@Cthulhuvong The scene that introduced Adrian is easily in the top 5 pieces of World of Darkness media ever.
@@itwasidio1736 Brennan as Adrian was the first time i had seenn him in anything and he had me gripped from start to finish. That character was absolutely terrifying.
Yeah! Everyone’s favourite substitute dm! But seriously she is very good and you can feel her impact on Brennan and Mat
Kollok 1991 season 2 by HyperRPG is the real starting point for Aabria, yes the Kollok series you talk about is season 3. That season was more toned down from Kollok but is where the scripted segments from The Unleashed come from, Kollok itself is my favourite AP, I love all the weird things they do, like having a villain represented by someone coming out in costume and stalking the players
All the credit to Aabria. Love her. But, how you couldn't mention Rick Perry's team in every other sentence is beyond me. Especially since there is so much from the recent D20 documentary you could pull. Yeah, Aabria's creative ideas are great, but the team - being able to bring all of them to life (especially for so many styles and DMs) - is unbelievable! The playground they enable for each DM is just a dream.
I don’t think we should skip over her Pirates appearance either. Her makeup every episode was art ^_^
I actually didn't get into Critical Role whatsoever until I saw Aabria GM Exandria Unlimited - I had never seen a Black DM! I fell in love with her approach to storytelling and got me interested in the universe of CR. I love love love her voice, her attitude, her inclusivity, and her viciousness!
Yes, yes she did! The D20 would not be what it is without her. Also, happy new year CC!
Happy new year!
I love the attention the Aabria has been getting. She is such a talented DM and Table Top Game producer, constantly thinking outside the box and elevating her games. I’m so proud of her!! ❤❤
personally, Aabria's blending of scripted and improv is one of the most interesting things I've ever seen in roleplaying. GMs put so much behind the scenes work into their sessions. it was cool to see a group open that up more to players, too. players aren't passive receivers of the story. they are part of creating it, too!
I haven't seen the 'scripted scene' stuff they're referring to yet, but I plan to check it out. The idea however, I love. It comes across as 'Bluebooking' at a tabletop, which started where players had these blue notebooks that would normally be used for college exam answering but they were using it to write character moments. Anything that stemmed from the RP at the table, or things that may not have worked well at the table.
The idea has since been adapted to any storytelling that happens outside the table. I've seen online games with a dedicated channel that players have posted well written solo scenes of them justifying things, slice-of-life interactions, them talking to NPCs to try and work things out, letters to family and so forth. Sometimes it could even just be seeing another side of a character as the hard crass fighter goes on a date and is sweet or that quiet, controlled PC has a rage out because they've just had enough and are done with all the crap... but can't let the party see their nice controlled rock explode.
Aabria Iyengar supremacy!!! ❤ Little nitpick, Taliesin Jaffe ran shadow projections behind him during a Call or Cthulhu oneshot, to be pedantic about the timeline.
But I completely agree, Aabria's incredible creativity, fresh perspective and storytelling style has made her a force of change and wonder that has unequivocally changed the actual play world ❤
Pirates of Salt Bay on Saving Throw Show is what caught me and she was the star (the players in that game were really fun, too). Her playful way of interacting with players, extraordinary intelligence, and mischievous wit made it must see TH-cam for me. I've watched her career with interest ever since.
I think this is the most glowing review of the artistic vision of a DM by anyone on TH-cam. Brennan always gets praise for his improv and story focus. Matt gets praise for his worldbuilding and deep game intuition. And even though I've believed she deserved her praise, I've always struggled to put why she's so great into words, but you've hit the nail on the head. You should send it to her on socials or something.
I think LA by Night did the scripted scenes thing before The Unleashed did, and they did it much better. The scenes were stingers at the end of each episode to tease the audience with things the PCs didn't know. (Which reminds me I need to finish watching that)
Took a bit to find mention of LA or NY by night which she was a part of NY by night. She is why I watch some of dimension 20.
You absolutely do. The final season is straight fire. Brennan as a guest player steals the show in every scene hes in too
I would love to hear a detailed look into Aabria's D20 campaign A Court of Fey and Flowers!
THIS!
I really wish Geek and Sundry would release their Sagas of Sundry: Madness. It was an exclusive on the terrible idea that was Alpha, but it was a WILD ride of experimental roll playing.
I'm really glad D20 is getting to do weird and wild stuff now.
yes! youve perfectly summarized i think a huge reason why my visual focused brain has such a deep love for both dimension 20 and Aabrias dm style
One of my favourite things about watching Brennan play dnd, is watching him see another gm do something that never even occurred to him. And it’s so magic, cause he’s such a talent he and the audience assume tis all occurred to him, and so genuinely wonderful and exciting when that assumption is proved wrong.
You see it best with Aabria because Brennan is so focused on character and world and traditional tone (ie music or voices or battle maps) that he doesn’t think of it being a visual medium for everyone at home. Aabria gets this SO well! But she also gets it’s a specific medium for the players: it’s a game. And in games it’s fun to have tokens to collect, to have prizes to earn, to see the world you imagine reflected in your surroundings, and for the game play to be that little bit easier because the tone is set from the moment you enter. She’s so good!
I just rewatched all of misfits and magic simply because I love Aabria’s DMing style, but damn realizing that she’s had this much of a wider impact just makes me appreciate her more
I didn’t know who Aabria was, and when I saw that EXU wasn’t gonna be DMed by Matt, I pretty much bounced off it. Then I watched Misfits and Magic and was 100% sold on her as a DM. And dedicated myself to finding everything Brennan gets to play in. Also Lou became an instant favorite.
Goddamn, M&M was so good.
I mean, if you like Aabria, Lou, and Brennan, you should probably check out their actual play podcast with Erika "Worlds Beyond Number" if you haven't already, it's really good! No visuals, but they do great things kind of like what he talked about with the visuals with audio.
@TMSlovacek Aabria, Brennan, Lou, and Erika vibe so hard together and Worlds Beyond Number is just amazing.
Editing actual plays is so much fun!
I'd disagree a little on the input of the scripted scenes. It didn't work there. But on NY by Night on the World of Darkness channel they improved its use. They were glimpses broken from the main play. Other characters or independent moments that tempted speculation and interest.
I would argue that her appearance on Pirates of Leviathan is another crucial puzzle piece to her contributions. You had mentioned that costuming and makeup of the players (and GM) are part of her signature style...and that initial piratey appearance in PoL raised the bar for player costuming going forward.
Fills my heart will SO much joy to see Aabria getting the respect she deserves, she fucking rules. Re: critical role being behind the curve on production, I feel like as long as they're uploading full streams without edits it's pretty much always going to be that way? Even though they're not live anymore their format is fundamentally different to d20's and prob stifles them visually, but at this point I feel like it's a pepsi and coke situation - people go to cr for the long-form improv (which often lets them be a whole lot more flexible w their narratives than d20, if we're being honest) and the community atmosphere on twitch, and they go to d20 for the visuals and snappier storytelling. Tbh while we're still coming off the era of Every TV Show Trying To Be Game of Thrones, it makes me happy to see how much diversity of formats we're getting within the medium of actual play.
The adventuring party episodes for Aabrias seasons are always so wholesome. They just spend the time gushing over each other talking about much they love everything and each other
Please don’t forget the production crew in this!!! It’s not a one person team! They’re saying yes and then going wild producing things.
Absolutely! I talked about them in the follow up stream, and will likely do a vide on them in the future!
Burrow’s End is lowkey the best D20 season. Its insane how good it is
I think t was the combination of Aabria IN D20 that made this era. Usually, D20's art budget goes to the minis, the maps and the reenactments of the scenes with the minis, but since Aabria uses a lot more theater of the mind, she asked for props and decorations. D20 already had a great foundation as what an actual play show should be (the use of the dramatic scenes with the minis), but Aabria elevated it.
Aabria is the only DM I've seen who can take a story driven campaign like A Court of Fey and Flowers and make it riveting entertainment. There was what, three combats in the whole thing??
I think the scripted parts could work as intros to episodes based on what happened last time.
A Court of Fey and Flowers literally changed my life for the better, because of her and the way she structured that campaign. She's a mastermind. I can't wait to watch Misfits & Magic and Burrow's End!
i love misfits and magic but the sequel holiday episode is just perfect wonderful makes me weep ah
Misfits and Magic is one of my most favorite actual plays as a whole, Brennan's Evan Kelmp is the funniest characters ever, he and and Lou play off of each other perfectly, Erika is great in it as well all of it helmed by Aabria's masterful game mastering.
I think the projection thing started in CR when they did that C'thulu one shot, and then everyone just figured out that 'Oh yeah that's cool' and Aabria is just a master of space.
I struggle to jell with her DM style (atleast from what I've seen with CR, not a slight on her I just don't think it's for me) but I love her as a player.
As a player, she never fails to get me intrested in her characters.
CR isnt her best work as a gm imo. But you're absolutely right about her being an incredible player! I love her as a GM, but I might like her even more when she's in front of the screen
she's sooooo good at setting a mood in a story. love listening to her cook!
Aabria also ran and played in a lot of the HyperRPG Twitch channel one shots having to deal with the stuff that the Chat added to the games! Kollok was such a great series!
This is why Im so excited for the next season of fantasy high! It can be so much cooler in terms of production than the previous ones!
I never had the attention span for actual plays until my friends showed me Court of Fae & Flowers, it was such a visually beautiful show and Aabria's character-driven storylines / focus on dialogue over battle scenes made it so much easier to get and stay invested. It led to me watching more D20 so I could see more of her and the players from ACOFAF, and I'm so happy it did. Finally caught up on sophomore year recently to watch Junior Year live and I'm glad her style & influence is still going strong there (cough cough Vulture Dimension cough.) Her creativity and D20's high production value was a match made to be.
it's incredible to think how almost everything that was needed for the mega reveal in Junior Year was put there by Aabria.
lighting tiles separately from one another - Aabria.
story beat being projected on the wall - Aabria.
full-on high-res animated projections - Aabria.
diegetic recording synced to the projection - Aabria.
I started watching d20 because of these videos and now I'm watching you talk about it now that its one of my favorite shows!! Thank you SO MUCH you brought this show into my life and it genuinely changed me so much.
Dimension 20 has brought me so much joy, I just have to share that haha. I'm so glad you like it!
The 3rd sezon of Candela Obscura with Aabria as the DM is EVERYTHING. The camera work, the drama, the light manipulation, the costumes! It was like watching an AAA movie.
See finding new channels like this is the good part of the YT algorithm change
When I first experienced Aabria on EXU, I was actually not a fan. I found her live and structural DMing styles to be too loose and frustrating for my tastes. However, as she's settled in to D20 and been allowed to show her unique strengths I've really come to appreciate her. Her ideas and flourishes are phenomenal (when they're allowed to be the focus) and, importantly, I think she's really pushed Brennan to up his game in the presentation of the dome.
I think Dimension 20 is much more suited to her style than Critical Role. I like EXU, but its not nearly as good as her D20 campaigns
@@castlecaster Agreed, I think it's a good example of her having to stay more within the style of the series she joined
CR is too structured for Aabria, and why I think it's gotten so stale.
You really should check out Deborah Ann Woll's Relics and Rarities, which predates most of the stuff you mentioned here.
I love using props in D&D. One of my favorites was having the characters destroy a cursed stone so I bought a geode for them to literally smash open with a hammer!
With regards to projection, Critical Role used (fairly subtle) projections (and props) in the Call of Cthulhu: Shadow of the Crystal Palace one shot that happened before the Misfits and Magic Holiday special. Talesin Jaffe said that he came up with a bunch of asks, went to the production team, and asked them to implement as many of them as they could. However, these guys are all friends and dreamers, so I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't cross-pollinate ideas.
Btw, yeah there was an actual play show doing gameplay with live action traditional scenes as sort of end-of-episode stingers... "Vampire The Masquerade - LA By Night" which ran from 2018 to 2021. Aabria was a main cast member of the first season of the follow up series "Vampire The Masquerade - NY By Night" in 2022, and in their Q&A after show "Club Auspex", she talked about being a fan of LA by Night first. Perhaps she was inspired for "The Unleashed"?
This recap trailer of the series shows examples: th-cam.com/video/HIhDlKGbLns/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=WorldofDarkness
A court of fey and flowers was my intro to her and I adored every second of it. Misfits and magic was wonderful but as soon as I saw burrowers end those previous campaigns where blown out of the water in my eyes. It was marvelous and I am still in awe thinking about the bear :O!!! And the clip in the "next episode" segment where they said "is this why you emailed a trigger earning?!!" XD it got me so hyped fr
You should totally make a video about Burrow's End, the last Aabria campaign... It's really blowing my mind, the production, the props, everything is excellent.
I have honestly barely touched the non-Brennan DM D20 seasons because I didn’t like Aabria’s (and others she’s not the only one but this video is about her) DM style when I first saw it. Seeing this timeline of D20’s evolution though and realizing her impact makes me need to go back and rewatch her seasons fully instead of the clips. I always knew how skilled of a DM she was but I never realized how she can fully revolutionize the game in her own way through every genre lens. Thank you so much for this video it was an awesome retrospective! (Am taking advice for what season to watch next though).
I think part of what makes all of these props and projections work so much better than the other experiments that you mentioned, is the fact that these elements not only elevate the experience for the audience but also for the players. That is how such a high production value remains feeling like an authentic TTRPG
La by night did cutscenes to
I came here to say this.
LA by night is one of those series I've never gotten around to watching. Good to know!
@@castlecaster its good and abria is in Ny by dark and ita freckin great
What a great commentary! I fell in love with A's dm-ing style a couple years ago but haven't seen half as much of her work as I'd like to. Thanks to your retrospective, now I know where else to go looking. Thanks!
Wow..wasnt expecting to see a video like this today..🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿 great job
you did good here but allot of what your talking about, goes further back you should check out the VPM (vampire the masquerade) stuff and the Acquisitions Incorporated: The Series.
I hope your channel goes viral.
You’re video, music, edits and everything are so well done.
Please keep making these videos
YES! THANK YOU FOR GIVING AABRIA HER FLOWERS!!! Aabria is truly one of the best things to ever happen to D20 and im so happy this is the timeline we're living in she's utterly phenomenal and just like d20 ill never be the same. thanks for shining such a beautiful spotlight on her, she deserves even more!!
I LOOOOOOVE AABRIA!!! She’s such an inspirational DM ❤ she is kind, she is funny, she’s a wonderful yes-and person. The way she DMed A Court of Fey and Flowers changed me and my love for TTRPG forever. The chaotic lords of the wing helped ofc, but she did not only weave the dumbass throwaway Green Hunter into the actual plot line - Lou also got an actual Green Hunter book/dice tray custom made in a short amount of days. Who tf even thought that was possible? And aside from the birdshit crazy cousins ALL OTHER PCs COUPLED UP!? I’ve never seen that before!
I love Aabria's work so far. The first time I ever saw her DMing was Exandria Unlimited. I knew she had something special. Her storytelling style was completely different than anything I'd seen before. It was captivating. And I think her willingness to try new things and make mistakes, really drives home the innovation that she is capable of bringing to the table. I feel like she will be the reason actual play will stay strong in our culture.
It also helped that when dimension 20 rebuilt their dome from the original, they changed it from an actual curved dome to curved appearing separated walls that allowed for more technical effects!
A small addition that I have noticed. She has learnt how to use Brennan's PCs as an actual weapon. Which bearing in mind how much he optimises his characters is a problem for other players. Both in Burrow's End and A Court of Fey and Flowers she has dropped a mind control power and he's failed his check. He needs to watch himself in her campaigns.
Another example of her influence at Dimension 20 is Jasmine use the dome and props in Coffin Run.
The vampire wings behind Jasmine was very cool.
Fantastic video! I'm on the fence about starting dimension 20. I didn't know where to start. These are good suggestions. I will look into it. Thanks
Her handing out character props as gifts per episode in A Court of Fae and Flowers getting the whole table excited and Brennan sweating because it ramps up the DMing prep work
This is so true! A court of fey and flowers has always been my favorite as well as one of the few campaigns that actually made me cry! I always get excited when I hear she’s doing a campaign on D20
Would love to see a sequel to this video talking about multiclassing. Crown of Candy had two great examples of multiclassing that moved the trend from making jokes about emily dipping into warlock. by the time you reach hob in fey and flowers or the pcs in ravening war, multiclassing has become a staple of dimension 20 and part of what makes their combat feel so unique.
yeah personally I liked Magic and Misfits, but it wasn't my favorite. But Fey and Flowers and Burrow's End were absolutely phenomenal, and Mentopolis is one of my favorite seasons.
I can't wait to see where the show goes from here, and I'm eagerly awaiting Aabria's next appearance
This is not to discredit Aabria or say she didnt come up with these ideas, but the tone of the video kind of removes the involvement of the massive talented team that works behind the scenes on D20.
The people who are really raising the bar and increasing the production values are the crew! The miniature painters, set and graphic designers, art team, costume, make-up and hair, lighting team, camera team, editors ect ect ect.
Dropout does an amazing job of making obvious that its never just a singular persons vision by shouting them all out every week in Adventuring Party after each episode is released.
The visual effect at 5:33 is most likely anaglyph 3D, but it could also be deliberately induced chromatic aberration. Oversimplified explanations: Anaglyph 3D filters an image into two colors (usually red and cyan) so that it produces a 3D effect when viewed with anaglyph glasses (a.k.a. "3D glasses"); Chromatic aberration, also called chromatic distortion and spherochromatism, is a generally unwanted effect caused by the failure of a lens to focus all colors on a single point, though it's sometimes done on purpose for artistic reasons.
These are such good points, and kind of explain why I’m a little worried for fantasy high junior year. Don’t get me wrong, I’m hyped to see that story continue, and see the world with a much bigger production value, but I feel like a lot of the projections seen in the trailer are too detailed in a way that might be distracting. I’m sure they’ll strike a good balance but right now I have my fingers crossed that it won’t look too messy given all the detail