Jane Douglas Talks D&D and Oxventure

Jane Douglas is a presenter/writer on youtube with @outsidexboxofficial and playing d&d with #oxventure

[@littlefurnace]

I would add to Jane's explanation of why to watch Oxventure: She can't say it herself, but the six of them are all incredibly intelligent and talented writers, along with being close colleagues and friends. Because of that they come up with some of the best improvised and off the cuff work i have ever seen. Particularly if you enjoy "British" style humour, every episode will make you laugh for days. Best moments of improv include Green Geoffrey Lord of Marrows and Merilwen's meatgrinder. Oh and Cedric Albright and the bee balloon.

[@angstbringer2992]

And the chemistry between players and characters. I think that's one of my favorite Oxventure things

[@Oblivionblade]

I personally love the moment in MIND YOUR MANORS! when they're in the house that's secretly made of meat and viscera and come across some cockroaches playing cards as a passing detail, and Dob just goes "He's got 5 aces, that's not right!" and then they start fighting.

[@littlefurnace]

@@Oblivionblade Oh yeah, that's a great one! That whole episode is pure gold. I hope they do another Halloween ep this year.

[@elwood750]

Chauncy. The entire Chauncy bit. Him and "Poor Dunnican. Vile Dunnican." live in my brain rent free

[@kristalcornwell]

it's the charisma for me

[@Frozenskulltube]

My favorite Prudence moment is a tie between discovering her book babies, or actually becoming a baby and eldritch blasting around a museum

[@thewingedporpoise]

I love Frisky and The Darkness

[@Noble_One]

We forgot the orb baby.orby

[@WildfireMagni]

Am Baby! YES PRUDENCE, WE CAN SEE THAT!

[@HewieSux]

ELDWICH BWAAAST 👶

[@arshith3733]

Many have already said it here, but prudence is the gold standard for an evil alignment without being a jerk or breaking the enjoyment of others around the table. Considering how the oxventure started out as an experiment, jane and her colleagues has created an amazing lore and dimensions to the game in the most fun way possible. These people are genius story tellers especially the dungeon master, Johnny.

[@awmperry]

I think the line that for me most exemplifies Prudence’s version of playing an evil character without disrupting the party is “It says ‘full of treasure, please open’”. Evil, gleeful, funny, and disruptive in a way that didn’t actually put anyone out in any real way.

[@arshith3733]

@@awmperry she's like an adorable evil gremlin.

[@marhawkman303]

@@awmperry yeah the trick is that you're evil... to the people who oppose you.

[@Steelmage99]

Worth remembering that Jane played an "evil" character on the regular OutsideXbox channel for years, before they started playing D& D - always being the subject of jokes about wanting world domination and stuff in that cartoonish villain way.

[@Paldasan]

I wonder what happened to all the victims in the basement under the couch during the year of lockdown.

[@JohnZ117]

@@Paldasan Don't worry, I'm pretty sure that's been cleaned up.

[@dubbingsync]

@@Paldasan well they’ve been back in the studio since so I guess it took a lot of time to get rid of the smell.

[@SixShooter14]

​@@Paldasan pretty sure she has a robot minion down there providing just enough sustenance to keep them working towards her ultimate goal

[@samstreet101]

Eldwitch Bwast!

[@JasonCorfman]

Jane made the comment along the lines of people saying they were inspired to play D&D by watching them as "If they can do it, I can do it." I'm one of the ones inspired to play D&D by the Oxventurers, but I can honestly say that has never crossed my mind. There is no shortage of D&D groups online, but as a viewer, I don't know what their experience level is (or in some cases, I'm very much aware that they are extremely experienced with thousands of hours of posted videos of them playing D&D). The Oxventurers made very clear that we were watching their first session. Not just the first session online, but the first session ever. And because of that, they asked questions, had prompts up on the screen like "DEXTERITY CHECK" and so forth. They weren't trying to teach D&D, but never the less, they taught D&D. I learned so much about how to play D&D just from those first few videos. I mean, I've heard of D&D all my life. I vaguely remember the D&D/satanist scare from the 80s (although I never believed it). But I didn't know anything about it, how to get started, or even what it was about. The Oxventurers changed that in a way that was easily accessible. From there, it was just a matter of finding someone to play with. Heck, even in college I never heard of anyone talk about playing D&D. But last year (as a kind of New Year's Resolution) I joined a group at the local comic book store and have been playing ever since. Even got my wife involved with it until her work schedule changed.

[@MySerpentine]

I just love when Cthulhu gives Prudence sandwiches, it's hilarious.

[@OptimusSledge]

Just don't ask what the filling is.

[@l0stndamned]

Fun interview. I hold Prudence up as the gold standard for how to play an evil character without being a jerk to the other players or the DM.

[@liamross340]

YES! Jane went into it with prudence as of anything a little cold to the characters but quickly grew attached and even at the beginning she wasn’t needlessly cruel. and she’s so amazing because they got together because of a common goal and then bonded and now really sees them as her family considering on her backstory she’s never really had anyone treat her that kindly before. it’s especially shown in the moment where she hugs the egbert statue when no one is looking it’s so cute

[@marhawkman303]

Yeah, Lawful evil characters follow certain rules, and are only dicks when it benefits them. Even Chaotic evil characters need to be a benefit to the party.

[@ts25679]

@@liamross340 Apart from Cthulhu dad. (I was going to say "Daddy Cthulhu" but it seems wrong)

[@liamross340]

@@ts25679 haha rewatching this video and just saw this. that’s true but she’s still in a deal with him and seems to be trying to prover herself to him. she has nothing to prove to the rest of the guild they all love her as she is

[@oriolgonzalez9328]

I hope all the other Oxventurers do the same kind of interview.

[@Amaritudine]

Corazon's apparently being added to Idle Champions too, so another interview seems like a real possibility.

[@thewingedporpoise]

@@Amaritudine oh, of course, his big thing has to be grease

[@Amaritudine]

@@thewingedporpoise ...and immediately hiding.

[@SantoAtheos]

As someone who once turned my nose up at DnD, what I love best about the Oxventurers is how they turn the genre on it's head. Imagine rolling dice to see how effective you are at mundane tasks like helping someone pack and move to a new cave or try to feed and entertain a bachelor party of 50 monks.

[@angstbringer2992]

Also billiards!

[@generatoralignmentdevalue]

If you think that's turning DnD on its head, DnD has been undersold to you.

[@raven-4]

49

[@thewingedporpoise]

@@raven-4 yes, but also a correction to the original comment it is 30 (now 29) members of that order

[@rhylin26]

Lads, lads, lads, lads…

[@ts25679]

I've not seen any other D&D shows where the players are trying to entertain the audience first and play the game second. Add on their talent, humour and charm and you have the only D&D show I still watch.

[@MonkeySimius]

I'll give your game a chance just because I love Oxventure so much. I'm absolutely delighted that you reached out to Jane and got her involved.

[@kyokonightstorm5844]

Jane: "Scrappy Adventurers just trying to improvise" Me: Immediately thinks of Merliwen's Meat Grinder (Which was aided by a Grease spell from Corazon) and says "Yeah, that tracks."

[@MrSquark]

Prudence isn't evil just for the sake of it, and she secretly has grown to mercifully tolerate the others. I like her nuance

[@AFLoneWolf]

If shows like Critical Role are the Citizen Kane of D&D, I would say Oxventure is like the Saturday morning cartoon of D&D. When they started, they didn't know the rules, so they didn't even try. They weren't actors, so they didn't even try. They only did it to have a laugh. And watching them, you certainly will too.

[@dubbingsync]

As a fan of both, I can’t even compare them. Because it all comes down to a bunch of friends playing together, though I can say I do prefer the fast paced fun of Oxventure compared to Critical Role at times. But then the story of Critical Role is what keeps me coming back to them whereas the story for Oxventure is always fast and loose with plot. But that comes down to how Johnny preps their sessions and how they make them work.

[@DrZaius3141]

CR: Doctor Who - So much content to go through, rabid fan base, solid and trendsetting but not the most entertaining. OxV: Simpsons - Self-referential, not too serious, fun. TAZ: South Park - Puts substance over polish, at times cringily misses in the tonal department. Dim20: Better Call Saul - You think it's just funny (and it is extremely funny), but the production value and quality of content is staggering.

[@VivaLaDnDLogs]

They still don't know the rules 😂 Egbert doesn't even realize he can heal.

[@brockmarie]

So excited to see Oxventure getting the recognition they deserve! A couple years back I was struggling to find a D&D show on KZbin that I wanted to get into... Jane is so right that you can start on any episode and immediately feel at home! The KZbin algorithm offered me "Out of Order: Part 2 of 3" and I knew I had found the campaign I wanted to watch. Eventually I went back to episode one and worked my way forward, and have been invested ever since. Oxventure (their D&D campaign, their Lasers & Feelings space campaign, and Blades in the Dark) and Critical Role Campaign 2 kept me great company during lockdown. I love both groups equally, probably for the simple reason that these are groups of true friends with excellent chemistry and fun theatrical flair!

[@TknoelTellsStories]

I got started with Quiet Riot and it remains one of my favorite all-time Oxventure campaigns. It was my first introduction to the idea that you really can do *anything* in a game of d&d. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched it since, but I don’t think I’ll ever get bored!

[@MrGhostTheBigRoast]

i was gonna say, prudence isn't really evil, but then i remembered she spiralized a npc for the lulz in corn ultimatum iirc.

[@gadgez_]

Are you thinking of Bone to Pick? IIRC she was hoping it would be horrible enough to placate the Skeletons.

[@ringosis]

14:25 As soon as he asks about her favourite Prudence moment I immediately thought of "Prudence rises from the cart"

[@AFLoneWolf]

Mine's "I'm baby!"

[@oxfanblink4115]

Mine that just came to mind has to be when she goes Mike with trying to sneak upstairs during Hunter Pressure because of Jane fudging up her throw 🤣😂🤣😂🤣

[@ringosis]

@@oxfanblink4115 "Room service?" I just randomly watched that episode last night because I was looking for something to fall asleep to and ended up staying up to watch the whole thing because it was so fucking funny. The bit where dob uses message to spend 5 minutes trying to charm the actress, then fudges the roll and Prudence goes "Dob hand me the phone...give it, give it...I take the mystical phone....YOU'LL DIE LAST! SO YOU CAN WATCH EVERYONE ELSE." is another strong contenders for best Prudence moments.

[@claretravels783]

Oxventure is such a joy to watch, I've spent so much time rewatching my favourite episodes during this long old year. My personal favourite Prudence moment is when she spiralised Bryce!

[@lightningrod1063]

Jane Douglas might be the most lovely person in the world. She's probably the funniest Woman on youtube, and the sound of her laughter is certainly why Andy and Mike are the luckiest guys in the world - playing video games with Jane and laughing and having a blast together every day. I love these Brits.

[@angstbringer2992]

Prudence: our fun, lovely, bloodthirsty tiefling warlock 😌

[@kristalcornwell]

out of all the great live play dnd streams ive watched. Oxventures is the one I play on repeat

[@DevilboyScooby]

Jane says she's the least ethical of the guild, but there aren't any tshirts in Geth with "Prudence's Meat Grinder" on them... 🤔

[@jocosesonata]

Astonishingly, far as I remember, the bard and the druid has committed or caused more atrocities than the obviously evil tiefling Cthulhu-worshipping warlock.

[@TheHortoncrow]

She also didn't repeatedly hit a man with a cursed mace until he turned into a seal.

[@benjohnson7793]

All of the oxventures have committed atrocities

[@TheHortoncrow]

@@benjohnson7793 They all thought the Beeples were a good idea. The gods made a special 10th hell for them that day.

[@marhawkman303]

@@TheHortoncrow is it the one where you get turned into Justin Beiber and forced to stare into the mirror as you sing?

[@coyoteartist]

The drawing of Frisky on the web site is so squee! He looks totally like I imagined him.

[@gremlin4304]

The whole Outside XBox/Xtra crew is awesome. Very cool and funny nerds

[@LuckyLucyHi]

@@IdleChampions Egbert or we riot

[@TransGuyShane]

What a great insight into Jane and Prudence ♡

[@shasshybear9222]

Always love watching Overlord Jane

[@D.J.Berryman]

"Sometimes someone's got to explode the elf!" You stay away from Merilwen, Prudence!!

[@jsloanhpi]

Been looking for this forever but MISSED it, so glad I caught it this second time around. I can’t WAIT to hear her and Andy describe this process.

[@Paldasan]

For those who remember the introduction of 4th Ed of DnD, Prudence gives me vibes of the Tiefling AND the Gnome from the animated shorts. Evil, and Uncaring and somewhat Oblivious. But no minion!

[@benjohnson7793]

One of my characters is a subconscious combination of the rogue elements of corzan, the chaotic half-orc nature of dob and the gleeful evil of prudence combined into gell the half-orc Assassin

[@benjohnson7793]

Who I should say serves a tyrant

[@shadowedpokefan331]

Oxventure got me started on dnd and gave me the courage to play it for the first time at a convention I go to yearly it was fantastic and like how she loves prudence I love my first character just as much

[@mathsalot8099]

Prudence in a nutshell: "You're my favorite, I'll kill you last."

[@ScottishWharff]

So proud of you Jane!

[@Ruskinses]

Such a cool lady

[@m.edwardmcnally6802]

I'd know that Tiefling anywhere!

[@viperion_nz]

Jane Douglas is a goddamn treasure to humanity

[@angstbringer2992]

(btw great interview, the questions were really interesting!)

[@Jack91790]

Never heard of the show. Always surprises me when I discover another D&D actual play that's been around for years and has a big fanbase.

[@billybotany]

I have three words for you: "Take that, widow!"

[@tommyclark3722]

Jane Douglas 2 questions please. Question 1: Does your ICotFR character have "spider climb"? Question 2: [killed to show question 1]

[@richardterrell140]

it only took 40 minutes for jane to talk about her space boyfriend

[@jerryharris876]

They should do interviews with the rest of the cast like they are doing with Jane. They also should put their characters into the game.

[@ronb792]

Thanks for the code!

[@PhantomJokerX]

The Diss on Binbag is real!

[@VivaLaDnDLogs]

Prudence is the Chaotic Evil friend everyone wishes they had. Also, is Jane technically the first CE player to go into space? I think she might be...?

[@Belforhir]

I thought it looked very much like Prue!! Discussed it with my GF and we both saw it!

[@ShaenMOGaming]

"Where's the guard?" "Up there, down there and over there."

[@Ganesha6661]

Thank my like, I see Jane and outside xbox.

[@Parialated]

interesting insight in pru! Cool vid

[@bryangibbs7191]

My games, I introduce a Gandalf type, pc tries making fun of him, the archmage turns the character into a frog. Everyone laughs

[@otherwisedm7027]

More Jane Douglas content pleeease

[@myrojyn]

Could you imagine a Oxventure / Critical Role cross over

[@CodaBlairLucarioEmperor]

I agree on the thing about playing good vs evil in video games. Personally I tend to get a bit murdery in my eternal dialogue while playing games. And I mean turn based dogs like Pokemon and stuff.

[@IrvineTheHunter]

I just saw an add for Idle Champions and was thinking I watched too much Oxventure, lol.

[@zap4th368]

huh. here i thought prudence and corazon were added months ago. any plans for the other 3 oxventurers?

[@CodaBlairLucarioEmperor]

Who says that Prudence isn't ethical. She absolutely hates things such as insurance and tax fraud.

[@davidlee1852]

Been waiting for her to borrow a bomb from Egbert and go "oh god, run i dropped it at our feet".

[@sharkcopter6021]

Dang it missed the code! Oh well i dont need more games to play anyways.

[@kcollier2192]

Least ethical Jane? Corazon feels slighted no doubt. Prudence is no doubt the least deadly- I'm sure Dob and Merilwen have higher body counts than Prudence.

[@trueblade39]

Merilwen without a doubt, thanks to the infamous "meat grinder"

[@thewingedporpoise]

Dob probably has less kills, he actively avoids lethal action, Egbert on the road to "Atonement" is probably pretty high up there, he throws bombs! as for cruelty, Egbert made Seal Gaiman! honestly Corazon often goes non-lethal, Merilwen can definitely be violent though

[@kcollier2192]

@@thewingedporpoise perhaps but Dob is responsible for the orphanage being built, so all the orphans that went into making it are on him. Not premeditated homicide but still, it's a bit murder-y

[@thewingedporpoise]

@@kcollier2192 if every murdery action were to be counted they'd all be incredibly unethical dob tries his best, his incompetence doesn't make him unethical

[@kcollier2192]

@@thewingedporpoise Oh, I'm not talking about ethics in Dob's case- I'm just going by his body count, that's all

[@DaDoctor42]

Talking about horrible character decisions that seemed good in the moment. I once made a crazy old man trap, smoke out with poison gas, and then flash boil a bunch of intelligent apes. Horrified both myself and the whole party.

[@LuckyLucyHi]

Really annoyed that Prudence is an alternative for Calliope. I downloaded the game for Prudence but she's a bad exchange. Also annoyed that Corazon is going to be an alternative for Delina for the same reason.