I Can't Get Over How Good EXU: Calamity Was (SPOILERS!)

Critical Role's series DM'd by Brennan Lee Mulligan was some of the best DnD storytelling I've ever seen
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[@robertfisher3307]

EXU: Calamity was the pinnacle of D&D. Mercer's incredible world and lore (the thing he's the best at) with Brennan running a short campaign (the thing he's the best at) and a cast who understood the assignment, made magic that will be hard to ever top.

[@candyh4284]

And, honestly I feel like people don't talk about this enough, at a certain point, we've all seen about a bajillion "several level 8's tell a good story," seeing the "endgame" of the type of fantasy these stories are told around is very fulfilling. Like, level 20 wizards, the closest humans ever got to godhood (except for that one time but that doesn't count), and the stories you can tell from that vantage point are so surreally large that they decontextualize everything around it. The most memorable moment of Calamity for me was Patia at the tree of names. (spoilers, duh). The innate human curiosity that drives this wizardry is fully on display, she just can't help but be confounded and amazed, because that's what being a human is. A monkey that learned to cognize stuff. You can't sate that primal drive, and that's why you get Laeryn Coromar-Seelie's. It's not malignance, it's perfectly good-intentioned, we just wanna *know* stuff. And then the imagery of "Where are you most weak -- the shoulder, or the elbow?" is such a visceral reality to immediately follow that. This is the price of curiosity, and this is the lesson in itself. But, do you have to learn lessons if you're that powerful? Why should you? She gets resurrected and restored to fighting shape within the span of less than 30 seconds. Because that level of power makes it such that there is no consequence you can't avoid except for the one you can't, and the one you can't is too horrid to even consider. But the way we grow in our knowledge, as humans, isn't just through blind curiosity. We come to know through failed curiosity. Oxygen was only theorized as the catalyst for combustion reactions in the wake of "Phlogiston," a substance that does not exist, being theorized. If you want to build something, you need to level the ground first. Fucking up is the first stage of growing up. If Avalir did somehow survive, and the Calamity was somehow averted, what lesson would the septarion learn besides "wizards rule, we're the best, i'm never gonna die"? Except for the people who can't actually BE there to testify that it was their own arrogance and their own, perfectly benevolent and kind dreams that would destroy everything they built. Laeryn wouldn't do it again. But she doesn't get a say in whether everyone else who lived on without her has to.

[@Polar87]

How do we know the cast of the Calamity was in Suspense, Lou did it perfectly for everyone all the time saying " Brennan HAS IT BEEN 1 SEC YET?! " like 5-10 times lol

[@crispymartyr]

The other metric is Marisha's furniture position. Sitting normally, she's fine. Book on head, she's freaking out. Perched on chair, she's having trouble dealing with the immensity of it all. On the table, she's losing her dang mind. UNDER the table, Marisha isn't here right now, please try again later!

[@dehro]

Aabrya embraced being the villain of the day completely, whilst keeping a human side alive...and it was a fun ride to see

[@happyclam1266]

Aabria is the exact opposite of the character she played--a consummate team player, putting the story before all other considerations.

[@codycarney2311]

It's fun at first, but the novelty of that trope can wear thin. It can easily "overstay its welcome " and possibly it can affect the way you play other characters at the table in the future.

[@candyh4284]

@@codycarney2311 A sympathetic villain evoking strange and mildly upsetting emotions in me? Surely that can't be. Say it ain't so, Marcel Marceau!

[@GeldarionTFS]

All it takes is for me to remember Brennan saying "I didn't do anything wrong" to get chills.

[@communismenjoyer1858]

One thing that I keep on coming back to is how in the CR dm roundtable thing Brennan talked about the time Aabria used "and here's what you don't see". It's a simple way to flesh out ideas and plot while talking to the audience more than the characters.

[@Wagbag0]

YOU CAN DO THAT?!?! so good

[@lx-icon]

100% agree! Aabria is obviously an excellent GM in general, but I think her shining quality in running broadcast games is how effortlessly she brings the audience to the table. On top of Brennan's example, she also makes eye contact with the camera, reacts to player decisions as if she was their biggest fan, and adds cinematic descriptions that make you feel like you're sat in the room with them.

[@ferrous719]

Someone found that clip and paired the two, and you can see he really does go "DING DING DING I AM DOING THIS ITS AMAZING"

[@arcols]

“I don’t hear that?!!”

[@communismenjoyer1858]

Ik this is dumb to say but thanks for the 100 likes, was kinda having a shitty day and it made me smile :)

[@eddiekalista3222]

I think Luis is the real MVP on the player side. The lead up to the heel turn of Brennan/Asmodeus “I did nothing wrong” was so heartbreaking and emotional, and then Brennan turns and Luis is still challenging him at every step.

[@candyh4284]

I will admit I was not super fond of Luis in my first run-through, I can't even put my finger on it something about his performance was just rubbing me the wrong way. Maybe it was just the emotion the character was getting out of me, but it felt like... cringe-inducing. But the second and third watched I liked his performance more and more.

[@UncleTrog]

I though Matt had elevated D&D to an art form. Then I watched Calamity. Now I'm in a corner sobbing, knowing I'll never run a game this good. I've watched it four times and keep seeing new layers to it. Blown away doesn't cover it.

[@happyclam1266]

I think it's not just a dnd game, although dice rolls are used. It's more like the best long form improv that I've seen at places like Second City and Improv Olympic, which I believe is where Brennan trained (?) Upright Citizens Brigrade came out of IO. It's where the "yes and" comes from, and there's a premise and a goal for the story. In the hands of talent, it's a magical art form. It influences all of D20 and CR too, but the long campaigns meander more, less focused, and the dice can take them almost anywhere. (Bolo is probably the best examples of "yes and-ing" that you'll see anywhere.)

[@batisinsane]

Good, train your eyes so you know how to improve. The rest is time and practice.

[@StevenJQuinlan]

"I am traumatised...... In the best way". Kind of nailed the Calamity vibe right out of the gate there didn't you

[@GingePlaysMinecraft]

This was the first piece of Critical Role I'd seen, watching purely of the back of Brennan, Lou, and Aabria's involvement. Despite having literally none of the backstory or knowledge of the world, this is still by far my favorite campaign as well, and I appreciate how well you've put so much of what I loved about it into words!

[@lunatickgeo]

My favorite example of story decision that was a poor gameplay decision was Laerryn giving Loquatius her arcane ball that had one spell slot in it. Gameplay it would have made sense for her to keep it or to give it to Patia, but like Aabria said, Laerryn worried over Loquatius and wanted to give him every advantage she could. But I love how it worked out in the end because that same ball was able to be used by Xerxes to revive Patia! It was as if it was scripted! So good!

[@CitanulsPumpkin]

Anyone who watched Escape from the Bloodkeep knows Brennan excels at telling the type of story you need to tell when you're running a game set in the moment when the world ends.

[@hoodiesticks]

Anyone who watched Bloodkeep also knows how difficult it is to communicate a theme through DnD. Brennan had a clear theme in mind, and the players took the campaign in the exact opposite direction.

[@icymoons]

@@hoodiesticks I know there are many infamous moments in which the players took apart Brennan's plans without realizing but nothing truly gets over Bloodkeep meant to be a villain campaign ending in a PvP, turning into a story of friendship and camaraderie ending with everyone working together and becoming something like a family.

[@ashleyhoughton8592]

I didn't really rate bloodkeep to be honest, unsleeping city is Brennan's best work outside of calamity in my opinion.

[@cowheaddoe2544]

Travis had the best reaction to the tone being set. "I think I'm in the wrong class. I feel so--sorry I thought this was Freshmen Biology."

[@britnicox3929]

Asmodeus’s monologue is one of the best moments in D&D content history I think I’ve ever seen

[@ant_on_orbit]

EXU: Calamity is the greatest bit of story telling I have EVER encountered. Books, all the classics, movies, videogames... forget it. Calamity stands on the shoulders of these giants. These incredible artists, so passionate about of these different mediums, have been able to draw from all this past material and create something truly special. The production is incredible, the acting superb, the casts ability to bring such depths to their characters in 4 episodes amazing. And it's funny, it's scary, and throughout the episodes Calamity manages a real tour de force in providing a feeling of ineluctability. And I cannot stress how important that is. Because it is the very premise of the series (the end of the world), but the way in which each character hits their beats perfectly ("he is not beyond redemtion"; "i cast blight"; etc) is just masterful. And that is just it, to me, and as stated in the video, it's not even close: Calamity is the best. It's a Masterpiece.

[@SleepySigh]

I think it speaks to the skill and professionalism of the entertainers that, even though the story they're telling is being told through a game, they were able to really hone in and nail the themes and characterization so poignantly in so few episodes.

[@Sootielove]

Out of any dnd content I've seen, this would make an incredible film. Despite liking critical role, I only recently started with the start of C3 so I didn't know much about the calamity at all. It completely didn't matter for me and I loved EXU calamity massively

[@kathrynrowland5165]

To be fair, all of us who have seen all of CR's campaigns don't really know anything about the Calamity either, other than the *very* broadest of strokes (it happened, lots of people died)

[@123owly]

Critical Role will eventually have 2 distinct periods: Pre Calamity and Post Calamity.

[@Anurahm_Kycor]

I've never seen you before. But all be damned if Walmart Tom Hiddleston wasn't absolutely correct in every point he brought up.

[@castlecaster]

Walmart Tom Hiddleston is my favourite way I've ever been described lol

[@clellieirwin2155]

After Calamity ended, it was all I could think about for the next 24 hours. Episodes 1 and 3 especially are some of the best actual play D&D I've ever seen. Every single person at the table was incredibly talented and at the top of their game. The main thing that blows me away is just how difficult it is to pull off a story like that and how they all worked together to make it happen.

[@federrpg3778]

Totally agree. It is such a great example and inspiration of a story with drive and purpose. It gives the faceless events of the calamity faces and stories. And I love it. I am still recovering from this series, but I can't wait to watch it again. Thanks for your thoughts. I feel the same.

[@castlecaster]

Glad you enjoyed! I'm in Calamity recovery too lol

[@federrpg3778]

@@castlecaster Totally understandable. It was emotional damage xD

[@spaceman9599]

Erm, faceless, given the ingress? :D Seriously, looking forward to it.

[@logicaloverdrive8197]

@@castlecaster We all got rocked so hard we might need to consider a therapy group. Holy shit.

[@superguy183828]

I'm so glad someone is talking about this, because it totally blew me away also. As I was watching, I wanted to look around my room, like, "is anyone else seeing how good this is???"

[@blazerheata6479]

It should also be noted (though it's probably common knowledge by now lol) that Brennan still threw a curveball to Luis' way with the direct interaction with Asmodeus, cause he just thought they'd be in battle or something, not expecting what actually went down lol

[@herbertkraft7379]

"They didn't have to worry about long term consequences" The long term consequences: THE FRICKIN CALAMITY!

[@garrettmckinnon46]

Also, Brennan's intro and it's callback is one of the greatest hooks I've heard ever.

[@johnallegood4469]

I watched all 4 Calamity episodes over one night. The immediate tone-setting and the incredible imagery of Xerxus's vision sucked me into the world and did not let me go until I heard the whole story. The story is filled with meaning, tragedy and hope, loss and beauty, death and enduring life. This short series of only 4 parts is a wonderful condensation of everything Dungeons and Dragons means to me.

[@loser_geek_weebever2807]

It is genuinely my favorite thing ever. I keep coming back to it I'm addicted. Matt's world + Brennan's Storytelling/DMing + players who are incredible actors, storytellers, and DNDers = a MASTERPIECE like, seriously. How can this be topped???

[@blookwitch8973]

something i remember every time i think about calamity is tumblr user djpaige's post about brennan changing the perspective of the story from "how are they gonna mess up and *kill 2/3* of the world" to "how are they gonna *save 1/3* of the world" the last parts of the finale are also ones i come back to often for similar reasons. shit makes me cry in the best way. i love how Brennan and the cast gave the tragedy the slightest bit of hope in the end

[@ESPHMacD]

It was a "causing the apocalypse" story set with less than 24 hours till D-Day. The only question was HOW, not IF. And I'm so glad that these master role-players took the time to make it the most suspenseful and fraught story they could, while still making all choices believable and creating such diverse and deep character development despite having so little time both in game and at the table. To say nothing for how well their dice rolling played into it too. Some of that storytelling can't be accounted for normally, because you can't truly predict how the dice will land when using them to predict your action/direction.

[@AgentBishopFD]

My intro to CR was Calamity, because I saw a compilation about Brennan and it included some of the more powerful moments from Calamity and so I had to find it. Kind of bittersweet, because it was so, so good that I don't know that any other series will live up to it. I really hope more stories are done like this, everyone did such a fantastic job.

[@samce9]

A year late to comment on this but wanted to add that while you're right to signal that Aabria, Travis and Luis must have been godsends for Brennan in terms of moving the plot forward I think credit also has to be given to Sam, Lou and Marisha for being godsends in terms of worldbuilding and making Avalir feel real and like a city with a population you should care about so that it's extra devastating when the Calamity happens and achieved that in 4 episodes. Like every one of Sam's broadcasts you visualise not only Loquatius Seelie but also the people of Avalir watching him, just incredible character decisions all round.

[@greeninferno1339]

When you said the theme is Hubris, it clicked. Every single PC had strong Hubris. The proud. The librarian who thought they alone could collect all knowledge The scientist who thought they alone could create a new science in spite of all warning signs The newscaster who thought they alone could lie about anything and keep those lies under wrap The spymaster who thought they alone could somehow raise two kids while being the spymaster of an entire city The merchant who thought they alone had won the market and all its complexities And the biggest hubris. The mortal man who thought they alone could reach down to help a god out of pity

[@mickeystix]

I have played DnD for a long time, and I consume a lot of DnD media, including numerous podcasts big and small. I fully agree, Calamity is, without a doubt, the best. It is perfectly paced, amazingly thoughtful, holds a very solid throughline on plot, and most of all delivers an insane amount of emotion. I was driving home from a vacation listening to the last episode (I listened to it all, it was incredible even without seeing everyone else). I had to pull over because I kept crying. Never had that happen before from any media.

[@nobodyd.i.d.6659]

The thing for me is that Brennan had to adhere to Mercer's lore and such which fit and became cannon so well Matt was so happy how Brennan did his realm and backstop without knowing how would play out was amazing and was glad to watch this

[@apocalypso3427]

I absolutely LOVED EXU: Calamity! I haven't stopped raving about it since I watched it. I'm the type of person that can't hold still for more than 10 minutes of a show or movie without getting up and doing stuff and I found myself glued to this show and binge watching it. It was just amazing storytelling and playing!

[@stephencarmickle]

In order to play great D&D the players have to be as passionate as the dm. For the average home game I’d say it’s people with 9-5’s that just show up and want to slash bad guys. Which is fine, but someday I would love to play in a game where I had players all working closely with me to develop rich characters deeply entrenched in the world and as invested as I am.

[@danieljanecka9492]

I feel you on so many levels. Think the best players are those who have at least baseline XP with DMing... It's harder to step on the DM if you know what they're going thru.

[@Liz_For_Short]

If you look down and see the stars...what will you see when you look up? CHILLS

[@allyzxc]

Hey man, this was a great review of it! I loved it and shared a lot of the same thoughts! I don't think we'll see anything as impactful in 4 episodes anytime soon

[@castlecaster]

Thanks! It was so good

[@allyzxc]

@@castlecaster I think, as you mentioned, one of the reasons it was so very good was because it was a contained story where we already knew ultimately what was going to happen. That and the stellar cast and Brennan bringing his absolutely A-game of course!

[@castlecaster]

Brennan is so good. I plan on making a video about his DMing style soon

[@ferrous719]

@@castlecaster I remember thinking that compared to some of the voice actors, he doesn't have a lot of sounds or voices, but is a grandmaster at using them to their absolute fullest extent in service of the story.

[@garrettmckinnon46]

Calamity was mind boggling. It's so helpful as a dm to rip techniques from. Love it

[@mog1755]

You make no metion of Bolo? Bolo will... destroy.

[@castlecaster]

Lol! I had a Bolo joke in the original cut, but it didn't fit with the vibe of the video

[@spambaconeggspamspam]

About introducing Themes into DnD games. One way you could do that is through the "Zeitgeist" of the societies the players interact with or hail from. This could be part of your introduction of the world to your players.

[@castlecaster]

Awesome idea!

[@zixari13]

I just finished my first rewatch since it came out and it really is one of the most perfect pieces of media I've ever had the pleasure of watching.

[@spacedgawd2826]

I've always been interested in D&D even though I haven't played yet but I think this made me fall in love with it.

[@castlecaster]

I've been in your shoes! I was interested in dnd for years before I played. Finding a group was one of the best choices I ever made!

[@voland6846]

Find a group of people to play with who you wouldn't mind spending a four hour car journey alongside ;)

[@castlecaster]

@@voland6846 Great way of putting it!

[@bostonblizzards]

Calamity is what got me into watching DnD (thanks TikTok) and it’s been a slippery slope ever since. Iv watch calamity 3-4 times. Every once in a while, between watching the CR campaigns I go back. I hope there will be more short campaigns as dark and emotional like calamity

[@Nathanael_Forlorn]

Agreed. Now all I need is players of this caliber with a similar level of commitment. That includes myself, first and foremost.

[@NateSwoofy]

Really well presented video! Looking forward to more from you!

[@castlecaster]

Thank you so much!

[@blumelodiez]

Im glad to say that EXU: Calamity was my very exposure to full on dnd game play (I haven't gotten around to watching the CR campaigns fully due to time). Nothing ever compares to it. It was the start of my journey to playing dnd myself. I could only dream of being in a campaign like that

[@silashartung4334]

Nice Video and good wrap up. But i do recomend you to get better lighting, it always looks like you have a black eye or so.

[@CephusW33]

Amazing video!

[@castlecaster]

Thank you!

[@ButtonsandBookends]

This and Worlds Beyond Number are the pinnacle of ttrpgs 😭

[@castlecaster]

My next video is about World's Beyond Number! I love it so far!

[@benulicnik2884]

Nice video! You have a good voice. Hope to see more!

[@castlecaster]

Thanks!

[@povodos]

My English is very bad. And I can't watch long videos of the guys from CR or D20. But I am very grateful to you for your videos. Your thoughts and your emotions are very inspiring. Thank you.

[@CorwinTheOneAndOnly]

They were given an assignment and ended up dictating the curriculum.

[@chaoticwhenever1457]

Talon 2 to Wingspan will forever tug on my heartstrings and Bolo will always make me laugh

[@an7630]

as someone who (like a lot of recent cr fans) started with dimension 20, i am simutaneously eternally and extremely grateful for clamity and completely apprehensive for its consequences on the fanbases and communities surrounding both. d20's fanbase has consistently and continuously prided itself on an openly gay, pro poc and pretty much universally anti-capitalist - i think this is due to the fact that it is pretty difficult to watch these shows as someone who would have a problem with any of those stances, as they are so often embodied in the characters, npcs, and the casts themselves. cr, whilst being beloved (by me as well) doesn't have the same past - and has had to do a lot of work to distance the cast from the serious issues of toxicity and specifically misogyny within the fanbase. and while on a whole we lothe to admit the lack of diversity in early cr, its something that is undeniable. they've done a lot to correct this, and i believe they have, however the space for toxic, ignorant and problematic fans was something that existed at the start of cr and still exists. in relation to calamity, seeing brennan being able to dig is teeth into a classic, fully serious campaign is something that a lot of us have been wanting to see. however, i think that brennan really held himself back with his usual social commentary (though he did not do the same with his thematic, or emotional commentary) - in a lot of his interviews he seemed to express a lot of hesitation around world choices so maybe this is an explanation for that. this isn't a negative - i think brennan pulling a "capitalism bad" such as in TUC season 1 would have cheapened the series severly. however, i posit that because the show wasn't as "blatantly" moral as brennan's work usually is, i fear that a lot of the more toxic parts of the cr community are now turning to dimension 20. all this to say, i am incredibly selfish and have very much enjoyed the extremely positive nature of the d20 community, and amslightly terrified that the same community that hated on marisha ray just for existing / made transphobic comments towards the cis women on the cast are now looking at shows who have pocs/queer people on the cast. this was a great video! amazing commentary :)

[@TannerWeinberg]

I still argue with people about them not understanding the separation between Marisha and Keyleth, but also that Keyleth as a character makes sense and is what she is meant to be, regardless of their opinion of Keyleth's personality/actions.

[@Marpaws]

great video.

[@shinankoku2]

Dude!! It’s Young Loki!!

[@castlecaster]

Lol! You're not the first person to compare me to Loki. Is it the hair?

[@elbruces]

At Dimension20, Brennan has had quite a bit of practice with themes - mainly because they typically do limited campaigns. I think the most sessions he's done in any campaign is 12.

[@shawn-raymulder9049]

I agree. Calamity is leagues above the weekly CR campaigns, and even the other two EXU series and really gives me hope that if the rumors are true about C4 (with some of the main cast sitting out of lead roles for the campaign) that it'll still be just as great as everything before.

[@drokangel]

Agree with all of the assessments here. I would like to recommend The Dark Dominion on Five Percent Chance here on KZbin and on Twitch.

[@castlecaster]

I'll add that to my list!

[@drokangel]

Also, Sam’s choice of character type, even if it was quintessentially Sam, was absolutely what the show needed.

[@ashleyhoughton8592]

For me the whole understanding the assignment thing... And taking these big, often bad, swings narratively that drove the story I'd say Luis blew me away the most. Aabryia, yeah totally, she knew she was driving off the cliff. I'd rank Travis and Sam equally after that, they were the more hopeful of the two, but both set out to tell those stories about having connections like a wife (ex) or kids to be attached to in the apocalypse. That leaves Lou and Marisha, who were great, they had great moments... They had *fantastic* death scenes. But I feel like if we had 6 patias and Nydas's we wouldn't have gone so hard, so deep, and so emotional. I think everyone was great, and perhaps not everyone needs to be extra, Luis and and Aabryia were *Extra* extra. And they really killed it. And Sam and Travis put us through the ringer.

[@castlecaster]

I'd never seen Luis in anything before, and he was fantastic!

[@voland6846]

@@castlecaster he's great in LA by Night. (Which Brennen is also in, playing an absolutely _incredible_ antagonist)

[@castlecaster]

@@voland6846 Oooooo that sounds cool

[@ashleyhoughton8592]

Yeah, that's something that floats through my algorithm from time to time, that maybe I should watch now. I think, like if this was a sport critical role has to be the big leagues, and despite it being an intimate and immersive set, structured to ensure everyone can get in the zone etc (as if to say, it's not comparable to stepping into a baseball stadium, surrounded by crowd) But people still must certainly feel pressure coming into it, knowing that it's weirdly gone from tabletop night to such a big platform. Seeing Luis and Brennan talk about it, about how he was dropped straight in at the deep end with the opener, and then give him these plot hooks that were... Huge leaps of faith, Luis didn't just roll with it he sucked it up like a vacuum, literally dragging the narrative into existence from the gates of hell

[@alexgreen3203]

Have you listened to dungeons and daddies? not quite mechanics heavy but makes up in some wild creativity

[@vefafox]

Cool vid, liked the take

[@castlecaster]

Thanks!

[@danieljanecka9492]

You should rename the video to "Loki can't get over how good EXU is..." lololo

[@danieljanecka9492]

Also, cool video, actually! Liked!

[@castlecaster]

Lol! Thank you!

[@Lionbug]

I can’t either! It was some of the best content I‘ve ever Seen in ANY medium!

[@andr8451]

Same boat and completely agree

[@Dachusttin]

Theme.

[@kongeethegod]

Sometimes people are selfish in the worst possible times and that makes the fantasy real even for just a moment

[@RuviGaPo]

Art that makes you feel lije it matters... y e p . That's it

[@alexitrinune1460]

If anything this is like the best of CR and D20 players merged

[@DWN-Infinity]

Fire.

[@chrisbennett9048]

Off topic, but is it just me or does this fellow sound like Anthony Jeselnik

[@MyUnoriginalLife]

i will never forget brennan asking marisha "do you think youre weaker at the elbow or shoulder?"

[@castlecaster]

That will haunt me til the day I die

[@StevenIrwin1985]

Do you listen to Friends at the Table?

[@castlecaster]

I haven't. Heard it's really good, but only so many hours in the day

[@StevenIrwin1985]

@@castlecaster they don’t play D&D, mostly PBTA systems. But they have some of the best collaborative storytelling I’ve ever encountered. If you just want to dip your toes in, check out the Merielda arch. It stands well alone and will give you a good idea of what they are all about. Jack in particular is especially good at putting his characters in peril for the sake of the story. Also, I really wish we could fix the amount of hours in the day problem. It’s annoying not being able to listen/watch all of the things.

[@castlecaster]

@@StevenIrwin1985 Thanks for the recommendation! I want to check it out for sure, but yeah there's so much art I want to experience, but time is an annoying constraint lol

[@happyclam1266]

Calamity might be my favorite media anything. I've enjoyed many movies but this was better. It was in fact a very long form improv--something we know Brennan is intimately familiar with, and probably everyone at the table to some extent.

[@DaveTh3Ninja]

Yep. Yep. Yep. Me too. Oh, hey but what about Dungeons & Daddies? You should listen to Dungeons & Daddies. It's great.

[@castlecaster]

I've heard! Never listened to it myself, but its been recommended a lot so I may need to make some time for it

[@DaveTh3Ninja]

You should. It's great.

[@Donbro]

yup finally the cr people came through with a banger, first season of cr was a banger but for me they fell off somewhere midway through season2 , they needed brendan to change up the pace and tone, matt is fantastic dont get me wrong...but it has become somewhat formulaic...i'd like to see more curve balls from this production company like calamity justr my opinions i understand some of yall like everything they do..i just dont no hate

[@BaneLoki]

I got stuck at episode 1…

[@rpmfla]

I really enjoyed this short "spin off" series but to me it was like the difference between playing an old school RPG and playing a Visual Novel where there are few choices of consequence since the end is mostly pre-determined. In the 3 main campaigns, the story is primarily written by the players. Matt has often commented that where he thought things would go is not where they ended up going. Here, like a VN, we all know beforehand pretty much how it was going to end. Of course there are many fun moments along the way due to the creativity of Brennen and the players, but I prefer the haphazardness of the 3 main campaigns which has resulted in astonishing moments (such as the "cupcake solution"). It was my first time watching Brennen for more than a few highlights and he was impressive as a storyteller. I found him less effective during combat sequences as he used the same sound effects over and over and complimented the players with "incredible" and "amazing" incessantly. I also much preferred the first 3 segments far more than the last segment. The ending segment had far too many "funnel" moments where I could tell Brennen wanted (or needed) events and combat elements to play out a certain way and even when players were not going in the intended direction or getting the rolls that allowed certain combat outcomes he manipulated it so that things worked out the way he wanted (or the story required) anyway. Also, in an RPG, when death means nothing it becomes a bit of a farce. How many player deaths did we get in the beginning of the 4th act?...yet the game just went on and on for hours more. In the 3 main campaigns, while they do sometimes bring players back from the dead it is a serious, lengthy, difficult process with much more gravitas and emotion. None of these comments are intended as serious criticisms of Calamity as I did really enjoy it. I enjoy old school RPGs where there are many paths, choices, and possible outcomes, but I also enjoy a good Visual Novel where I know I'm more just along for the ride in a fun narrative.

[@TheJerbol]

Calamity is even more impressive compared to the first EXU season

[@eran5005]

So basically, it was so good because it was directed (don't confuse directed with scripted). This was a D&D show, more than it was a D&D game. Don't get me wrong, i enjoyed watching it a lot, but it all worked way too perfectly for it to be spontaneous. It WAS a railroad, the players were just in on it.

[@wolloify]

If you watch the wrapup you will realize how many branches where left unexplored, the opposite of a railroad. Yes they had agreed motivations and story beats but that doesn't make it a railroad. They all know what the goal is, they are characters making mistakes that lead to the end of the world and they commit to that.

[@edanridge3023]

Well sort of, someone else pointed this out in another comment section the player knew the beginning and ending but got to fill in the middle, and there’s 1000 things they could’ve done in that space it actually kind of a dope it’s like role-playing up to the assassination France Ferdinand

[@castlecaster]

It was definitely more linear than your average dnd game, but Brennan never infringed on player agency, so I wouldn't call it a railroad

[@eran5005]

@@castlecaster Oh he didn't infringe on their agency at all, but as you said, they worked long and hard on making characters that will make the choices the show needed to be made. I'm not some puritan that thinks everyone needs to go in blind and have chaos reign, especially in a story in which the ending is a foregone conclusion, literally canon. It's just that (like i said), it was less of a game, and more of a show, due to these factors.

[@castlecaster]

@@eran5005 Fair enough!

[@gobbluth6617]

I can't stand critical role. It's overrated

[@marcoboscarol2420]

It really isnt

[@gobbluth6617]

But it is. You saying it isn't shows how much it really is

[@marcoboscarol2420]

@@gobbluth6617 But you saying that it is twice and once in reply to a comment that says it really isnt shows how much it really is not

[@gobbluth6617]

@@marcoboscarol2420 maybe I just don't like it cause it's too long, there's too many people talking at once, it's wokeish and I can't stand woke crap. I prefer NPC DND cause they cut it down to like 30 minute long episodes, and there's only 4 players so it's not as noisy.

[@whattheflyingfuck...]

this was the RAILROADIEST CR ever was please don't take Brennan again