Big Uncle Energy | DesiQuest Episode 1

[@pUnPoetic]

As someone outside of Desi culture I really appreciate that all the terms are explained or visually represented with a pop up in the bottom corner. I'm learning and having a great time!

[@spellbreakerunbound]

Seeing desi culture so casually represented in an actual play like this is genuinely euphoric, I'm such a fan

[@effinfunny]

this comment right here is everything as to why i wanted to produce this show

[@lanapagnier8998]

"You have one foot in two worlds, and you feel like you belong in neither, but you belong in both" I love this show so much already!

[@effinfunny]

This exploded my heart when I first heard this from Jasmine

[@herebyaccident5174]

Ah the bi racial experience in a nut shell

[@Vospader21]

Oh my god, that is the summation of the desi immigrant kids life in a nutshell.

[@therainbewavy]

Im freaking OBSESSED. When a culture is richly represented we ALL win. And this is so deeply healing for me as intersectional minority who then moved abroad to a white monoculture. Plus the entire cast is talented, amazing and gorgeous!? Freaking obsessed, you dont even understand.

[@SikhiJedi]

You saying “if you feel disconnected from your roots welcome home” made me start to cry in an extremely wholesome way. Thank you for mixing our culture into the amazing game of dnd and thank you for helping me connect more with aspects of the great Punjabi culture. Sat Sri Akal

[@Werewolf_dr]

OMG. Between "Roll for gaslighting" and "I will arrange love for you", nearly fell out of my chair.

[@BeesAndButtercups]

I was rewatching A Court of Fey and Flowers the other day and was thinking that I wanted to see more of Omar and the gods of the Algorithm provided! The rest of the cast is absolutely fantastic too!

[@effinfunny]

Oh Gods of the Algorithm I beseech you to Provide the Light of our Show to All those in Need of More Omar in their Eye Holes. May the Likes and Shares Flow Freely from the Fingertips like this Ganga River. Victory to Lord Algorithm

[@LiesieM]

Every line from Laddoo Auntie is a banger. I can't wait to see her Rage.

[@northernwitch3626]

Sitara: "How much?" Porter: "40" Sitara: "Here's 10. Go." I loved that!

[@luckynumberme3188]

THIS CAST IS STACKED?? And it's such a delight to see them all in the same place playing together. I'm already obsessed with ALL of these characters and the story they're building (also Murkha's aggressively American accent is sending me 🤣)

[@lsid4747]

as a punjabi who has been playing D&D since 2nd Edition. To see something like. To see such representation is amazing. In 30 years of playing, never imagined that a game would be played in a subcontinent inspired setting.

[@nowthenzen]

I really like the DM's style of allowing the players to contribute to the story "how many times do you think your character has been here" etc.

[@strawberrysoupiii4801]

I'm East Asian myself, but having grown up in a very multicultural area with a lot of South/Southeast Asians (especially from India, Vietnam, and the Philippines) and being somewhat familiar with/very appreciative of those cultures (and their food!), this is really cool to see more diverse representations of Asian culture in actual play (especially when East Asian mythology tends to obscure S/SE Asian mythology in fiction, if it appears at all- and *very* rarely in tabletop, which draws heavily on European history as part of the classic fantasy genre.) The universally Asian descriptions of multiculturalism, busy airports and relatives of relatives of relatives (especially meddling old "aunties" that you're not sure you're even actually related to) felt so familiar and just brought a huge smile to my face. I'm almost embarassed to not have known about this until now, but I'm already super invested, and really excited to see how this project goes forward!

[@jills1472]

Cannot stop thinking about the line "You can take care of yourself, you need someone to love you" Jasmine singlehandedly rewrote my entire brain with that ooooof

[@ThatBronzeGirl]

I like to go for the jugular.

[@crouchingmarker]

Player: I have this adorable robot red panda DM: Here is a nightmare automaton from hell.

[@abracabadass]

DISCLAIMER watching will hurt your face because I did not stop smiling the entire time. everyone involved is a genius and I love it here xo

[@Idontgiveaduck]

I stumbled in here because I put on a lot of dnd actual plays while I am cleaning and doing mom things. I thought at first oooo getting into a new live play but there is something about this that feels a little like I am eavesdropping on a table of friends just playing a beautiful home game, playing in a world one friend lovingly created specifically for them. This is beautiful, the characters are fun and very compelling. I can not wait to learn more about this world and by extension your culture through this. I am glad the algorithm led me here.

[@l337dta]

Came here to say essentially this, except i'm not a mom. What a beautiful show, i was smiling the entire time.

[@bboppybbopplin]

I’m a 1st time Mama to a 4.5 mo and I haven’t had time to game much recently between Mommy duties and college, and I just found this, too ❤ Thank you for sharing this 😊

[@polerin]

Basically same.

[@kielytalksalot]

Everytime Baacha says something in his inhuman monotone I fall more in love with him. ❤❤❤ truly the worlds best lil dude

[@ThatBronzeGirl]

Excited to go on this journey with y'all 🎉

[@10musicalfreak]

You once again created magic and I can’t wait to see where you and this amazing cast will lead us ❤️

[@A_T216]

Thank you for leading this journey!!

[@scorpiusjones5436]

I'm not even the world's biggest tabletop fan, but I'm totally hooked. The stories, acting, outfits and set are all top notch. Congrats cast, crew and backers. Well done!👏🏻

[@effinfunny]

Ahhhhh amazing. This means the world!

[@shadowpsykie]

I’m not Desi, I’m Latino, but a lot of this hits HARD

[@kiwisvideos0]

Same!

[@xtinaisninja]

Ditto!

[@bananafish58]

Me three!

[@pemberliegh]

The raw charisma if this table should probably be illegal. But it's not so here we are. Living our best lives.

[@hkarsch]

Baccha is an instant favorite 🤩

[@SagarKhushalani]

I’ve not known any other desi D&D players (obviously my world is small), but watching y’all made me really really REALLY happy! Having lived in India half my life, your descriptions reminded me of home. Can’t wait for future episodes!

[@ThatBronzeGirl]

That's what I was aiming for. Happy I could take y'all back home, even if only for 2 hours.

[@mbeard6]

Came for Rekha and stayed for the hilarious chaos that purused!

[@Fafhrd42]

The Inspiration Hourglass is such a cool twist on Inspiration as a mechanic.

[@isabelpelkey177]

I’m adopted from New Delhi and don’t have much connection to the culture but I always love seeing representation in nerdy things like this. I feel more seen

[@Peter_Cordes]

This is fantastic and joyful, thank you for showcasing your culture for the world in such a fun way. Jasmine's Battle for Beyond gave me a taste of some Desi flavour in a D&D actual-play, so the thumbnail for this made me curious what it would be like to have some more, plus I recognized some of the cast from D20 and CR. I don't know much about Desi culture so I wasn't sure if I'd miss stuff as an outsider, but I felt included in the fun the cast were having at the table with their Desi roots. The caption bubbles for Hindi words are a perfect way to welcome people into what you're doing here and make it accessible; that extra production effort is 1000% worth it for viewers like myself who would find it frustrating not to know what people are talking about. But with a caption, it's fun and interesting when the cast plays with language. I assume that was the intent; just wanted to let you know it worked. (Omar's face was most recognizable in the small thumbnail; I thought I recognized maybe Anjali, but I clicked before looking closely enough to identify Jasmine and Rekha, so it was a pleasant surprise to see them. Having watched all D20 and Critical Role seasons and one-shots (and Relics & Rarities), I've seen great things from all of those folks. I don't think I'd seen Sandeep before, but he seems great. I love a table of smart players using D&D mechanics creatively while telling a cool story. And seeing Michael Schaubach running around in the opening part of the show raised my hopes even further that it would also be well-produced, which indeed it was.) KZbin put this in the sidebar of a Candela Obscura video. I assume they chipped in some cash for the ad at the break, so that's awesome. It's great that Critical Role supports their friends making cool stuff. (And I see D20 got a shoutout in the end credits.) Coming out of the gate really strong on this with some great story hooks mixed in with the fun, and I know you guys can do serious, too.

[@pirahna]

Thanks NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour for recommending this wonderful adventure starring some of my favorite performers from D20!

[@effinfunny]

Ahhh thank you for the mention!!!

[@chiproush7480]

mechanical red panda...giant rainbow squirrel...and the most amazing humans around the table

[@TransplanarRPG]

This was so excellent, thanks so much for sharing this with all of us! The culture sidebars were amazing and the chemistry between the cast and deeply evocative GMing were spectacular. Can't wait to tune in to more!

[@MulberryDays]

oh shit it's TransPlanar! now i feel guilty, like i started a delightful new book and then turned the page to find an excerpt from the delightful old book i haven't gone back to read in a while 😓

[@Qu4resma]

When I helped fund this project, I already knew it was gonna be excellent. But I am not surprised to see it's so much better than any expectations I could have! This episode was so good it went by so fast and I cannot wait for the next ones! I said many words, but no amount of them would be enough to describe how GOOD this work is!

[@effinfunny]

Wow, thank you!

[@SunDragon1221]

55:22 I nearly choked on a glass of water cause I was laughing so hard at this 10/10 Probably the best intro episode i've seen of an actual play in a while. This show is amazing.

[@beardedbardbarian580]

I am already so in love with this show. Auntie Waddle. "We have at home" all these little touches that show how accurately represented this culture is, and the amount of love you all are sharing with us. Thank you SO much.

[@MegaSamsand]

Ive been a ttrpg player for 20 years and have only met one other south Asian player …… this makes my culturally disassociated self very happy and represented.

[@effinfunny]

That is great to hear that we could bring you delight! We were thinking of you when we made this, so its nice to hear that it connected with you.

[@pixelmaws8151]

This is some dimension 20 level stuff. Can't wait for the next one

[@zosoknight]

It's got Michael Schaubach, Ash Minnick, Molly Maloney, Lalo Guzman, Tyler Hart, and Kate Elliott on the crew and I think Sandeep is the only one who hasn't been a cast member on a Dimension 20 season. I got curious when I saw Shaubach in the opening sequence and noticed Molly's name in the credits so I cross referenced. Super excited for this show!

[@TasteofMarigolds]

The energy, the dynamics, the creativity-This is going to be (and already is) fantastic! Attention Grabbed. Wonderful work👏

[@inevra4053]

Omg Anjali, Omar & Rekha?? Alright, instant sub

[@pebblepabble554]

Yes!! So excited for more (Also, this just validated my belief that Rekha is one of the best RPG players ever)

[@czulus3498]

I backed this on Kickstarter because I was curious as to what a South Asian DnD show would be like. I am so glad I did. This was so amazing and I can't wait for the next episode.

[@effinfunny]

Thank you for investing in us. Your delight is what we've been hoping to deliver. And appreciate the comment as well!

[@thisiskc]

Congrats from a proud backer! I'm 20 mins in and loving the intros. Well done. I wish there was a dice camera (yes, I'm that nerdy) but I also recognize and appreciate the straightforward and lovely set. Really cool how the miniatures were revealed. Very sweet.

[@effinfunny]

We too wish there was a dice camera. In having a budget that is typically half of what Dimension20 spends, we couldn't include all the extras. Perhaps we'll make it a stretch goal for season 2!

[@gkurl]

As a punjabi dnd player/aspiring DM, this fills me with so much joy to see my folk representing and being represented in this format! Often find I'm usually the only desi in my groups so to see a full ensemble of apneh is fantastic! The hinduism religion/culture inclusion is so good to see too!

[@ryogabbat]

When I saw in the opening credits that Rekha is playing an auntie, I got really excited because I knew she would rock it, but she was actually even more perfect, brillant and funny than I anticipated!

[@jayhendrick834]

It is cool to recognize the behind the scenes folks too. Very fun, well done all. Tons of comments and likes!

[@effinfunny]

there are no scenes without the behind the scenes!

[@AnilSaulnier]

Immediate favorite new series. Speaking as a half desi DnD nerd with a tollywood addiction, I couldn't ask for a better premise or a better cast. Lots of love, looking forward eagerly to the next episode!

[@davidtrainor9569]

A seperate room that the players can see is such a simple yet amazing innovation.

[@batwomanbeyond7901]

I've tried for like, ten minutes to type out a comment that encompasses how I feel about this show and still came up short. All I can say is I will be here, watching every. single. second. This show is a masterpiece already, and I CANNOT wait to see the rest of it.

[@RiskPig]

THIS WAS INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!! IS IT WEDNESDAY YET?????

[@smarshall4733]

seeing everybody's work in past projects meant that i had complete faith that this would rule, and it's even better than anticipated. i'm really feeling the love everybody has put into this. congratulations on a wonderful release!

[@DragonSkul19]

Been following this project for a while and so excited that it's finally out! Was not disappointed; a fantastic first episode! 🥳

[@effinfunny]

Thank you for the kind comment. Really appreciate your feedback!

[@ourabouras]

Love this! Love seeing more diversity in D&D, love all the little definitions and factoids that pop up on screen for us non-Desi folks. And love all of the artwork, maps, and minis😁 Can’t wait to see more of this campaign

[@morningrose428]

I am learning so much right now, it's a joy. And I would die for this little robot. Baccha is too cute! "Papa!" SO STINKING CUTE.

[@GT3443]

This is great the Indian setting is so believable the most realistic NPC and characters are so real. Instant subscribe

[@treydaddyman]

Wow what a great idea for a show! I am really enjoying it so far. I look forward to more episodes. My only issue are the audible voices of the other players as the two were in the tea room. Thanks again!

[@abjaaksm]

Me too, I just decided to think of it like the teakettle just had ambient whispers of ages long past and that helped me concentrate

[@Cabbage-dk6nu]

Team Baccha plushie line up here

[@baboo9736]

This is the greatest dnd show ever. I have never fallen in love with characters this hard and laughed this much. I didnt even realise this was 2 hours long because of how fun it was to watch and the editing pace! I loved how many different shots and visuals you’ve got in the final shoot and edit. I initially found out about the show because of Rekha and im so excited to get to know the cast. Truly blessed to see this, i love how much world building we’ve got in the first episode alone. Can’t wait for the next episode

[@dnd_jamaica5542]

So I'm Caribbean and Indian culture is such a HUUUGE part of Jamaican culture that this felt VERY cathartic. At 48:40 The second the merchant was like '40' and Sitara was like 'Here's 10, Go!' I FELT like I was home. I also love the robot Panda and literally every line that Rheka utters. Its wild that I usually love the combat in these actual plays but i didnt even notice that there was none here it was so entertaining.

[@wookieesden3133]

Great first episode! Love the pop-ups! And everyone on this show is fantastic! So excited for all of the episodes!

[@SvenTSexgore]

Such amazing work from everyone, cast and crew, in making this incredible work of art. We live, and die, for Baccha!

[@rosesleeps]

Holy moly, this is an amazing cast! I didnt know how much I needed this before today.

[@mattbriddell9246]

Laughing waiting for Sandeep to do the full Spaceballs line every time he inquires "Are you my cousin's sister's brother's...?"

[@BustedHeart]

"He likes the views" "You notice he's just staring straightforward not even looking out the window." Every time I'm in a middle seat on an airplane, I am the person staring over the other person into the window as we lift off while they ignore it all. THE VIEW!

[@polerin]

"oh no I'm really going to do this, I'm an evil dm" had me grinning so hard

[@saskiascott8181]

This is AMAZIIIIIIIIING!! It's such great DMing and DnD overall but the setting is such a loveletter to your culture that I feel such privilege getting to watch you all play in it and learn some things about Desi culture along the way. Thank you!

[@craftedkh42]

Baccha instantly reminded me of Dmitri from Coffin Run. Instantly obsessed. 🥺🖤

[@Vospader21]

I've been running a dnd campaign set in my own homebrew desi setting four 4 years now. It's been really hard finding material for inspiration because there isn't a lot of modern desi inspired fantasy material out there. This will be a great resource for my own game. Thank you.

[@Vospader21]

Ahhh! Jasmine Didi noticed me!

[@maiacostea3624]

So much love went into this show, I appreciate seeing everyone commitment and joy on screen, just 10/10

[@Vaidin]

Only 1 episode in and I love all the characters! Can't wait for the rest...

[@Firegen1]

This is absolutely perfect. I love Jasmine's Dm-ing style and it's such a nice way to learn about Desi culture. Can't wait for Episode 2

[@Casey2007]

I love everything about this so much! I'm very eager to dive more into the setting and world. And I'm even more eager to see all of these characters! Everyone is so amazing, and the story is already hitting some pretty interesting backstory beats. I love that I'm getting to learn more of Desi culture too. Thank you all so much for doing this! Looking forward to more!

[@thatwitchxoxo4069]

How did I not come across this till now! It is so brilliant and hillarious! Omg the desi aunties bartering and that coolie thief's character! Ek dum super!

[@bakablast]

Jasmine rocks and this whole cast is great

[@Vospader21]

Honestly on the one hand, I'm jealous because I've been running a Desi style fantasy game with a similar design philosophy as this setting and I'm jealous that someone broke out into the public first. But on the other hand I'm so glad I'm not working on this kind of thing on my own anymore. There is so much rich mythology in Hindu lore that hasn't been tapped for the western market yet. That represents both an opportunity and an obstacle. The infrastructure of tropes that writers working in western style fantasy from the tradition of Tolkien is old and well established. Western style fantasy authors have a centuries worth of material to draw from that desi writers don't. However, this also means the reading public isn't washed out and tired on the same old things yet which means there's opportunity to find an audience.

[@effinfunny]

if there's room for Armageddon and Deep Impact, there's room for both of us :) Love that you're doing it too, let there be thousands of us!!! A rising air current lifts all flying havelis

[@Xanderrific]

Such a fun and fantastic episode!! Absolutely hilarious and heartfelt, I loved getting to learn along with the laughs!

[@A_T216]

Very obviously a labour of love right from the start, so happy I get to keep following this story ❤️❤️

[@brugglife]

Great vibe combined with vibrant story telling! I love it and can't wait for more!

[@effinfunny]

More to come!

[@Nehalruns]

I have waited years for this, all my South Asian inspired characters would be feel soo a home here. Thank you ❤🎉

[@lanestovall1715]

I discovered Jasmine through Dimension 20. I have been CRAVING watching her DM again! I'm so excited (even if I'm late) to start this journey!!

[@SunnySoothesayer]

I kinda love that Ash's tail literally has a mind of its own.

[@SuperMouthyDave]

Came across this on my front page, was already interested, but after seeing Rekha I was locked in

[@DarthKazimov]

this was dope. well done everyone, you crushed it!

[@ryancowell9382]

OH. MY. GOSH. I could feel the energy and the investment of EVERY cast member through the ENTIRE episode and it was infectious, I'm smiling from ear to ear. The atmosphere, the player characters and NPC's, the setting: absolutely phenomenal. I am SO invested and am now chomping at the bit for the next episode. I CANNOT wait to share this with all my TTRPG friends, thank you all for your hard work and sharing this incredible Live Play! 🤩🤩🤩🎲🎲🎲

[@Djshadow9837]

Torn between absolutely loving this and being fully triggered by how accurate the auntie speak is

[@effinfunny]

We hear you. We had to have on-set counselors. Unfortunately they were also Aunties, so it did not help :)

[@Djshadow9837]

@@effinfunny "Have you tried just...putting it out of your head?"

[@ljc5277]

Thank you for the pop-up cultural info!

[@wiseathena97]

1:37:32 Damn Bacha really went for the jugular huh 😂😂

[@sarahbettany7546]

What a joy! This is so much fun and it's so great to see D&D being used outside the usual tropes.And there are some just inspired ideas, like the hourglass and the business card. We spend so much time on this international forum, and yet somehow it's so rarely multicultural. Liked, subscribed and I can't wait for the next episode!

[@effinfunny]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Blaed13]

all-star cast and an iconic dm! loved this so much!

[@Katinthekingdom]

One of my favorite things about ttrpg is the creative freedom there is to take the core rules and apply them to a variety of worlds and settings. This past year, I played with a group of Cambodians where our Khmer DM married the fantasy concepts of D&D to the cultural setting of Southeast Asia. It was fantastic.

[@Nerdahedron]

I am loving this world and these characters! Thank you for inviting us into this beautiful place!

[@X.y.Zephyr]

This show is a delight

[@nataliebland3078]

I made it through the credits to the title screen and started clapping my feet together like a seal's flippers in joy

[@nlm2nd]

Sandeep is the only one I didn't already know but I'm enjoying this so far! I appreciate the little bubbles for terms we might not know.

[@GingerRootss]

SO excited to go on the journey!!! The first episode was FANTASTIC!!!

[@da31133]

This is my first time watching a dnd game on youtube. Excited 😊

[@knoway35951]

The algorithm suggested this to me yesterday and I am beyond pleased. I have a new obsession now and it’s DesiQuest

[@effinfunny]

yesssssss. thank you Lord Algo :P

[@jamesmorrison239]

Great first episode, can't wait for the rest of the season!

[@dylzim]

This is just charming as hell, I love it.

[@legomojo]

PRETTY sure the Artificer’s Eldritch Cannon needs to be told what to do every 6 seconds and can’t drive a cart. 😂 But OKAY… anyways this looks like a fun series I will watch the rest!

[@thaliawhisperwind4013]

This is amazing!! I’m learning so much about desk culture and this is the BEST cast!!!!! Anjali, Omar, and Rekha we’re already favorites of mine from various critical role and dropout ttrpgs, but Jasmine is SUCH an amazing dm and sandeep has such an interesting character! I’m so glad I found this and that all your hard work paid off, I can’t wait to see how this story unfolds!!

[@Awkward_Ramble]

Far too excited! Everyone looks amazing, everything looks awesome… (dreamy sigh)