I Forced My Friends To Play the TOMB OF HORRORS | Dungeon Delve

[@XPtoLevel3]

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[@cameronmeyer8192]

Even at the discount, pass on that pricepoint for one pair.

[@LonelyMinnesotan1]

been a fan for a few years now, and just wanted to say that this video format is amazing fun, and I really enjoyed listening to and watching everyone's reactions in the character asides. hope to see more of this!

[@PsykraM]

Identify does not reveal curses, just fyi

[@sambro6657]

Do a three part vid of this series for undermountain. Also when it comes out in 5.5 do the update to keep on the borderlands because the original is the one of gods amongst modules.

[@HighEffortUsername]

Fun fact: The book version of Ready Player One has the characters visit an identical copy of the 1e tomb of horrors

[@Skip6235]

As much as I love an unedited 8-hour liveplay; I absolutely loved this “annotated” format with the documentary-style commentary from the players. I know this must be a nightmare to edit, but I would 100% watch an entire campaign edited in this style for sure

[@velkonemriam1935]

Same here!

[@dollarestoreoffbrand5545]

Try uranium cheff by stumpt. They do the character asides the entire campaign

[@cavanspence4892]

Yeah this is awesome, I got sucked in way too soon.

[@doopthedude]

And indeed, I would listen to an audio version of this…. *@‘s Jacob furiously*

[@PerfectionHunter]

Yes! Let's hope they do more, this was awesome!

[@sunbleachedangel]

When Emma gave her first "Oh no" I remembered that she is, indeed, Jacob's sister

[@Chatedh]

I saw the whole video suspecting something along those lines!!

[@iivin4233]

They are the same person. The show's production value is just outstanding.

[@Driftingsiax]

She looks like if He was hit with “the feminizer.”

[@norandomnumbers]

1:56:51 was the most Jacob impression I've ever seen, it's uncanny.

[@Anon26535]

My headcanon is that they're identical twins but one of them is trans. My money's on the boy. That sad beard just screams cheap, bathtub T.

[@TheWeirdlyenough]

"That was hard for me to watch. She put her whole body in, and then my rope was gone". Tragic really. That rope will be missed

[@marathuzula9024]

That was a great line!

[@martianinvaderr]

Spencer felt like the least talkative player in this one, but everything out of her mouth was gold.

[@sp0nge1337]

It'd be hilarious to run this with low-level characters but they're stuck in a time loop, every time they die they come back and have gained a level.

[@mileswelch5136]

Ooooooh.... ideas....might allow partial imported memories too

[@jangelaclough5457]

Not just "anytime they die" but maybe "after they make progress and die", otherwise you'll have them just dying in the first hallway. But yea, I always found this dungeon would work well as a "time looper" type of thing so that these "random instant death" moments really do become "a thinking man's dungeon"

[@Blitzwaffen]

I know a story where the people were basically making new characters each time they died. And they made their dead bodies as a trial to follow to know what is safe and what isn't.

[@CircusFoxxo]

@jangelaclough5457 this module was written for AD&D and is intended to be completed with AD&D's racial traits and the minion system where you have 15-20 regular dudes along with you. It -is- a thinking man's dungeon because it relies on knowledge of racial traits and class features over random OP multiclass to deal 697 damage per turn

[@TheRashy2]

Basically Fear and Hunger

[@zachthebold]

This may be one of the most digestible and entertaining formats of an actual play I have ever seen. The confessionals and the cuts to you explaining different rules and aspects of the module adds SO MUCH. The work shows and makes it so enjoyable!

[@DJVevyVevs]

I'm not going to lie, I read this in your heated podcast ranting tone and was like "Why is it so succinct? This isn't how this is supposed to go. Where's the 20 paragraph tangent about the stunned condition?" for like half a second.

[@andyx0487]

I know this was done as a joke, but this format legitimately rocks for watching a playthrough. I would watch an entire module done in this format. It is so amazing to see all the characters internal monologue

[@cwispygiraffe]

@@andyx0487 I totally agree. The best part is that he cuts out most of the checks and saves and just cuts to what happens

[@tickytickytango5634]

Dosie becoming Donatello implies that if Rosie had survived that deep into the dungeon, she would have become Ronatello.

[@Schlaym]

Counterpoint: Raphael

[@AnarchicArachnid]

​@@SchlaymMosie : Michealango & Losie: Leonardo

[@tickytickytango5634]

@@AnarchicArachnid Teenage Mutant Fighter Halflings

[@apjapki]

Ronatella

[@TheDimir]

Rawnutella

[@NewWarhammerNerd8881]

Once ran a tomb of horrors campaign with new (started at 5e) players and one veteran (1e guy), I let him use meta knowledge and he role-played as a tour guide for the dungeon. It was hilarious

[@somik-i3x]

"Here we have the face. If you go in there you die. We will continue your tour to the fog wall."

[@NewWarhammerNerd8881]

@@somik-i3x actual thing he said, ironically enough.

[@BeholdTheLeviathan]

"Before we begin, did everyone sign their death and dismemberment waivers?"

[@nathanwilkins6107]

Willie Wonka and the Tomb of Horrors

[@CasualLoLAddict]

I imagine them sounding like Rhys Darby, just compelling story telling of lore and excitement in his voice, yet the party is constantly let down by a lot of the crappy / odd choices Gary did for the OG tomb.

[@TighearnachCathan]

12 minutes in, and these "The Office" cutaways are gold. I LOVE this format. I'm sure it takes more editing, but I just want to say thank you and it's awesome.

[@coalcreekdefense8106]

Agreed, I'm super into it. I hope this becomes a series!

[@larkohiya]

always fun to see what people recognize from a style/form of art and what other art they mention. They usually reference their first experience with the form which gives insight into their life and experiences. what a small joy. I remember when this format was brand new. survivor probably the biggest popularizer of it. funtimes.

[@davidgolfspro]

“The Office format” is such a good way of describing it. This is so good!!!

[@wrathisme4693]

I'm so glad that we've moved far enough beyond the era of reality TV that The only cultural reference kids have to this kind of stuff is the office

[@jdarokhajiit9153]

​@@davidgolfspro as someone who loathes reality TV, I love it was described as "the office" cutaways

[@logans.7932]

I love how Gygax always called this one a “thinking man’s dungeon” when the answer to most of the puzzles and rooms is “take a closer look at literally every tile of the marble floor” and “if you do this you die instantly”

[@bye1551]

"I think we should split up and LOOK for clues, gang" the dungeon. But also you die instantly.

[@l33tninja1]

I think he meant it is more thinking than how the game was normally run back than since I think it was very combat focused at the start.

[@paulchavez3039]

It seems like it was meant to fuck with the "thinking man" 😂

[@TonklinFallen]

My most hated thing was the map of traps which would only reveal itself if a character stares at a nondescript floor tile for 10 minutes. There is no indication this is the floor tile that you need to stare at. There is no indication that staring at stuff does anything special, and there are no hints that this map exists. Yet the players are supposed to say "I will stand in the hallway and stare at this specific place for 10 minutes.

[@princealigorna7468]

Let's be honest: this was written to punish Gygax's main table for muderhoboing their way through the higher levels. This was him intentionally writing a dungeon that requires everything but combat, that punishes you for brute forcing your way through it. It's a literal "fuck you" dungeon

[@cosmic_poet7326]

Rosie: “I’m gonna be on top of it!” Smashcut to: “You are utterly and forever destroyed”

[@carso1500]

That entire interaction was hilarious

[@bad-people6510]

It still impresses me how that thing manages to get somebody every time.

[@thomaswillems6384]

If you ask me Jacob didn’t really run it right though. When her hand went in, and she pulls it out, her hand should be gone. If she doesn’t pull out any of her limbs before climbing in, at least as soon as her head goes in her body should fall to the ground limply. It destroys everything in it as soon as it enters, not just once the creature is fully inside

[@TheManyVoicesVA]

​@@thomaswillems6384 this is the correct way to run it. Characters should start to crawl in, then convulse and fall out without a head.

[@FloatingOer]

"I wish my whole family was alive." "Wish granted." Rosie appears in the room, delighting everyone, then an old woman. "Grandma!" Rosie shouts happily. Then one figure after another appear, in the growing crowd you hear Rosie's grandma shout: "Pa? Ma? Great grandpa?", and other voices saying similar things. People fall endlessly from the ceiling and everyone is crushed to death. Genie: "Should have put a cap on how many generations you wanted to come back to life..."

[@sarahmellinger3335]

granted they were alive now they are not

[@EncontheCrow]

I really thought about something like this would happen being that genie's are notorious for wordplay. Heck I even thought hey all those dead folks are alive now so just spawned a horde of undead relatives they now have to fight.

[@FloatingOer]

@@EncontheCrow undead relatives could have been a fun encounter, but not really "alive" though

[@FloatingOer]

@@sarahmellinger3335 Plot twist the character was never supposed to exist because their parents died before they had her, but the Djinn could see all the alternative timelines and made sure her relatives were alive for her to be born in this one so she could make that wish. What a bro.

[@snowyimp333]

@@EncontheCrow "I wish my whole family was alive" Nothing changes, due to using past tense

[@RogueInBlue]

"Detect magic." "Dispel Magic." "I love playing wizards." SHE GETS ME

[@dillpickle987]

Fun Fact: The crown/scepter combo being used on Acererak was done by a party at an official competition and Gary Gygax approved of that solution... He then also edited that version of the adventure so that the crown and scepter could not go much further than the obsidian throne and stairway beyond.

[@XPtoLevel3]

interesting!

[@soundsofmassproduction]

allowed it once then closed the loophole. very gygaxian.

[@professorhaystacks6606]

Was it him that edited it? I was under the impression the 5e version had that patch too... Did the DM here not notice that, or is there a version that doesn't have that?

[@TheSightOfTheStars]

​@@professorhaystacks6606 The module was first written to be run en masse at a convention, Gygax heard of a party that used that solution, and wrote that note into the more widely published, commercially printed version of the dungeon that was published as a pre written module for home games. Hence, the 5e version based on the "original" Tomb of Horrors OG fans remember still having that, the version that most people remember would have been the one published for home games, not the very earliest version of the dungeon that only people who attended a convention in the 80s experienced. 👍

[@JacksonJinn]

Thinking about it, this would *also* close the softlock problem this very party ran into. If the crown/scepter combo can't leave the room, they can't accidentally seal themselves out using summons/familiars.

[@grimsladeleviathan3958]

28:38 This moment made me imagine a SWAT team breaching open a door, throwing in a smoke bomb, followed by a flashbang, followed by a rat, followed by another flashbang, before entering trough another door anyways lmao I dunno, it's just a really fuckin funny visual

[@Xrahke]

This by far the most superior dnd watch along format iv ever seen, the cutaway explanations, fast forwards through boring or irrelevant moments, and character confessionals adds SO MUCH to the entertainment value, i absolutely wish the majority of dnd streams and what not were of this vain, truly awesome cant wait for more!

[@ConnorSinclairCavin]

In the original manual for the tomb Gygax states that this module is to be run with no mercy, love, or care for your players, this dungeon is Meant to hit them unaware, to take as many lives as possible, and to make players who felt like gods remember the meaning of mortality... so, likely he intended silent snakes. However, he was also a DM who was known to reward people thinking of ways to beat things he hadn’t or lucking into things, so, maybe he would have allowed that in the end

[@nickm9102]

I probably wouldn't have let them hear it but with maybe a DC 20 let them feel movement in the chest.

[@ConnorSinclairCavin]

@@nickm9102 i think there was even a “standard unlabeled DCs table” which more or less started at 35… but its been a lot of years, and that was for even standard actions, as there was magic in place to reduce the reliability of abilities.

[@nickm9102]

@@ConnorSinclairCavin sadly I wouldn't know. while I'm only 6 months older than Matt Mercer, my family was much more inclined to believe the Satanic panic so I didn't get to do much more than see the random AD&D module my dad bought. I didn't realize until about 2017 what they were years after they had been tossed in the trash. Now it's more the issue that everyone I game with leans heavily into 5e so I might be able to use them for inspiration if I choose to run but It's unlikely I will ever play them.

[@ConnorSinclairCavin]

@@nickm9102 the old stuff is definitely a gold mine for inspiration, even if a few parts do not age well in mixed company. Totally fair not to fully play the original, but still worth looking at, its pretty cool to play, but, definitely a whole different world than modern stuff. Sorry that you didnt know at the time in order to save it. And yeah, i too face the constant battle of trying to convince folks to go back to better versions, but, people just want the newest thing, and/or the easiest one to play (at the cost of everything else) •sigh• would be nice if the resources we used to have for earlier editions didnt all go poof, used to be there were hundreds of helpful apps and sites and pdfs for the older versions, but, at some point, dang near every last one disappeared.

[@imasspeons]

​@@ConnorSinclairCavinyou can look into OSRIC. I run it and 2e all the time.

[@bryanstrahm9961]

"She answers all my questions with other questions, she might've been a theatre kid" SENT ME.

[@greystorm9974]

Me too... I cackled in the street

[@paulchavez3039]

Why do we DO THAT?! Lol I feel called out.

[@LilDeuceDeuce]

I love this video. Every D&D session should have a reality TV confessional in the corner where you can wander over to complain and comment in full view of the DM and other players

[@connorcook6813]

I ran this version a few years ago for my group, it went okay but one thing I learned while preparing for it was actually a fun fact about the Siren in the mist room. In this version she's just sort of there and it's kind of weird, but I actually looked up the original version and apparently WotC decided to leave out a super cool feature for no goddamn reason as far as I can tell. The mist in the room magically makes you an idiot (int 1, cha 1) until you leave the dungeon, but the Siren used to have the special ability to cure that condition. So if you saved her you got rewarded and any of your party who failed the save could be fixed which is super cool, and in this version she just kind of walks around being pointless. This makes the 'joke' by Acerak make sense, at least a bit. She's trapped in the room forced to watch potential rescuers become stupid with her having the power to fix them but being unable to.

[@theposhdinosaur7276]

Thank you so much for that. It seems strange that they removed this, as it's basically the same effect as "Feeblemind".

[@bad-people6510]

Yeah there's a bunch of different versions of this thing. The most difficult thing for me is I've run some many versions I remember to incorrect details half the time.

[@connorcook6813]

@@bad-people6510 I think the thing that stood out to me about this particular change is how little it would have taken to include it. Literally just a sentence saying, she can cure the condition caused by the fog by touch. It takes so little effort and dramatically changes the situation, it explains the joke, it rewards players for role play, It implies a whole backstory of previous adventurers getting caught in the mist with the cure just out of reach. And it's just not there anymore.

[@cowpercoles1194]

Yes, it irked me watching the playthrough that the DM was running the "module as written", but he's stuck using WOTC's Yawning Portal rewrite. It makes some changes that nerf parts of the tomb (I guess to be kinder to 5e players), doesn't clean up the text (in some cases, makes it longer and harder to run quickly at the table), doesn't give 5e DMs advice on how the older game was played (say with 10 minute "turns" and specific rules for exploring a dungeon that the players were expected to know), and leaves out a number of interesting things *especially* the evocative illustration booklet that came with the original module. A full color remake of that would be awesome. Too bad he didn't compare it with the 1st Ed. version.

[@connorcook6813]

@@cowpercoles1194 Well, I mean, to be fair. Running it exactly as written is the joke of the video. It would sort of defeat the point to take any sort of liberties with the text he's got in front of him. Using the Yawning portal is also kind of the only option since having to learn first edition sounds like a huge slog both for the players and the audience.

[@Jarakin]

I do love that it’s the sphere of annihilation that got the first kill. A lovely continuation of an old and horrible tradition

[@evanmeacham2395]

My favorite part was when the dungeon delvers said "we're gonna delve into this dungeon!" And then it sucked

[@faytleingod1851]

I believe the dungeon delver said " it's delving time!" Then proceeded to delve all over everyone.

[@GumshoeClassic]

It's a small detail, but the microphone coming out of the wall portal was such a nice touch. In general, this edited style was a lot of fun!

[@cozycatsncoffee]

Even better when his arm just disappears into it for half the confessionals

[@stevendorries]

9:16 those reality show confessional interview style character reveals are amazing.

[@jek5436]

I've always struggled so much to watch actual play D&D, but the cutaways to everyone talking and making combat short did wonders for my ability to pay attention! I enjoyed it and I would love to see more.

[@TheEnglishDutchGuys]

What is this, KZbin premium? I fucking love these documentary-style videos, it's like watching The Office, but for D&D. Absolute gold, can't wait for the next one!

[@jackiecat1761]

This format is honestly the innovation on the ttrpg live play format I’ve been wanting for years.

[@Yattatt]

My thoughts exactly. I love actual play, but sometimes the sheer length of uninterrupted footage can get to me, so brief breaks to explain things and interview the players is a great way to keep myself and other watchers invested all the way through without distracting from the game.

[@pluralkumquat]

Fun Fact. In the 3.5 updated version of Tomb of Horrors there is a blurb about the interior features of the dungeon. "The stonework throughout the dungeon is mostly granite unless the description states differently. The floors, walls, and ceilings are smooth. Unless otherwise noted, the corridor width remains a constant 5 or 10 feet as shown on the map. Height varies where indicated, but the ceilings are usually 10 feet high in 5-foot-wide halls and 12 feet high in 10-foot-wide halls. The interior doors are constructed of metal-bound oak unless the description says otherwise."

[@esuriolitum9169]

Interesting. Oak makes sense for sure but a part of me thought our favorite demilich would install fancier doors. Like that mithral one

[@tdarassp]

That's pretty funny (unless otherwise noted)

[@Kingnothing7x]

"Unless otherwise noted" sounds critically important

[@aaronbourque5494]

@@esuriolitum9169 It's to prevent hordes of adventurers from dismounting the mithral door and making off with unbelievable mass of one of the most valuable metals in the setting.

[@apjapki]

​​​@@aaronbourque5494I WAS THINKING THIS THE WHOLE TIME with the Adamantibe door.

[@aaronimp4966]

To think the party came this close to "We were just standing outside the Tomb of Horrors, and Chuckie TPK'ed us with a Nuke."

[@yellowdaffodil7251]

Would that destroy the Tomb as well?

[@Kevbo2040]

Absolutely fantastic video. It's the perfect length: an hour for each day/session lets enough stay in to follow the progression of the module/session/whatever, but it's still brief enough to not have to spend an entire day watching it. I *really* hope XP to Level 3 does more videos like this, I am a huge fan of Dungeon Delve.

[@flaccidpancake5186]

the bit with the baboons made me laugh so fucking hard, this was such a great video im so excited for another episode of dungeon delve. I also love how they were interviewed like they were on a reality tv show but rping as their character

[@MiloW456]

Fun fact - in the original Ready Player One book, the first key is won by beating the Tomb of Horrors and playing the Joust arcade game against Acererak

[@boomfanfic-a-latta8996]

YES SOMEONE MENTIONS

[@gastonschmugge9245]

Freakin love that book

[@AngryBoozer]

@@gastonschmugge9245Anyone who unironically loves Ready Player One should be banned from operating heavy machinery, having kids, and voting…

[@deejorno]

​@@AngryBoozerdid you look up the wikipedia page for what normal people do on their freetime or did your bigotry blind you from the fact nobody gives a shit about Ready Player One that much

[@AlphaOmega1237]

​@@AngryBoozer I don't like the book either, but seriously? There's nothing wrong with enjoying a dumb story.

[@bensteiger9284]

A thing that gets missed about this module is that it was written to be played as a tournament at a convention- so you'd have groups try to get as far as possible in a time frame, and rack up points for getting to certain areas, solving certain puzzles, etc. A lot of bits of the module are intentionally obtuse because it's meant to be more of a speed bump to eat time up, like the sandy hill face to even get in the Tomb taking a bunch of time. For anyone who wants to run this module, I think it's fun when the players know they're creating characters for this specifically, and the DM runs things more like Jacob did here, as the judge of how the rules work, and less of a story-teller. I think it's probably also best for characters more like 10-15th level though if you want the combats or trap damage to have any threat to them, outside of the insta-kill traps. It's a cool badge of honor as a D&D player to say you've played the Tomb regardless though, however people choose to run it.

[@bencitak3124]

Yeah, as a module to run to evaluate the quality of pre-written modules in general, this one is not going to be helpful. It's not meant to be won, but lost.

[@bad-people6510]

It's a dungeon that feels unfair because it understands the game and how to play the players. That's what's brilliant about it. It knows the learned behaviors of experienced players, accounts for them, and punishes them. It also punishes them in ways their not accustomed to. So they constantly have to adapt and readapt as they go. It forces creativity by attacking the conventional.

[@cowpercoles1194]

@@bad-people6510 It also tests player knowledge and skill. There are a lot of things in the module that a player who understands the game system (spells, creative use of equipment, etc), can use to circumvent the traps and progress, but it punishes players who frontally assault everything, and don't play skillfully. For example, in this playthrough, one of the players figures out he can summon rats to trigger traps and explore things, so the PCs don't have to. That's a classic way to get through the pit traps in the entryway.

[@bad-people6510]

@@Andrew-hu4bf That's just not correct. For one thing why wouldn't you check everything in any dungeon? Everything could be trapped anyway. Here it doesn't always work because the trap is different from what your experiences tell you to expect.

[@Canadian_Zac]

In that case the start is double bullshit to me There's no skill to finding the way in Its just getting lucky in picking what part of the hill you dig at Could easilly eat up 20 minutes just with players going "I dig here for an hour. Nothing. I move over 5 ft and do it again"

[@bocatadeclavos1274]

Turning Acererak's magic instakill bullshit against him is the greatest d&d move Ive ever seen. I love that your players got that idea and that you let them do it. Also the mockumentary style works great

[@bad-people6510]

That's actually a known strat for this dungeon.

[@digitaldude22]

I never knew I needed these Survivor style player interviews for a DnD game but now I absolutely need more. I can imagine a nightmare to edit and record but 100% cool as hell

[@Shelby_Arr]

This is an incredible group, and you knocked it out of the park as DM. Everyone brings something different, but equally enjoyable, to their performance, and I would absolutely watch a web series or listen to a podcast of you all going through various modules (whether infamous or simply appealing). This literally helped reignite my love of D&D.

[@FacelessPorcelain]

Regarding the whole poke everything gameplay, yeah, that is more or less what old D&D was like. The expected playstyle was that everyone would have ten foot poles that they would just kind of poke or whack things with to see if anything would happen. Most traps weren't discovered by careful investigation, but by just really hitting the shit out of stuff (okay, more nervous poking, really) and seeing if anything triggered. Also, poison used to instantly kill you (to my recollection). So just be aware that every instance of poison damage in this dungeon used to be a literal save or die.

[@JazzyBassy]

Part of the fun of that gameplay style is that there was a different procedure expected from the DM in OD&D, AD&D 1e, and B/X. Time mattered, not only in torches but also wandering encounters. Actions were done through 10-minute dungeon turn procedure, meaning everyone got a chance to do something different every 10 minutes, which makes the beginning search make more sense. Yes, you are avoiding a trap by spending time, but you are risking the chance of a wandering encounter, and poking stuff with poles and a battering ram would alert nearby encounters, prompting assessment of risk and reward in exploration decisions. That said, ToH doesn't have many of those, the big thing is the traps. A lot of convention modules like Tomb of Horrors and Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth didn't have wandering encounters due to trying to make it "Fair and equal" since they had a competitive scoring sheet for each party, wandering encounters as well as monsters that could be negotiated with instead of attacking immediately would affect the scoring "fairness". IMO Tomb of Horrors and all convention modules of that day would be noticeably improved by disregarding that and adding a table of wandering encounters, you can see how some of the players here were wishing for more challenging fights.

[@iandakariann]

​@JazzyBassy that explains why there were so many empty rooms and why everything seemed to be slowing you down. Having random creatures attack regularly would set a clock on you as you slowly lose all your resources if you don't hurry up. But the dungeon punishes for hurrying up. I can see a 5e adjustment where the instant death turns into damage or a strong malady and removing all of the ways out. You are draining out with each trap, can't rest because of the fighting and KNOW you have a legendary boss at the end that wants to TPK you.

[@JazzyBassy]

@@iandakariann yup! There was a lot of risk and reward assesment and exploration decisions, and a lot of that stuff is pretty system neutral stuff that could still be used in 5e, some systems just make the player facing abilities work differently which makes that playstyle more attractive to grittier games like OSE or Shadowdark, but as a DM you can choose whatever procedure you want. For 5e I think the main things are light not mattering for players. To make lights matter more I’s just enforce a verbal component audible distance check for spellcasting in general, give fear/stress checks whenever your immediate surroundings are lightly obscured and something pops out, and have more situations were the monsters or the environment attacks the light. Empty rooms are also there to space out encounters with negative space, it means that when you fight an encounter in one room there is some buffer room between them and more negative space to make traversal decisions and go around dangers, and ofc as a potential room for those wandering encounters to take place in. You will see a lot of these in old school modules and while the encounter and time-keeping reasons for them do make them more important, even without them they do a lot to increase tension of anticipation in the dungeon. In both OD&D and the basic/expert Dungeon Master sections they actually suggest for a third of the rooms in a dungeon to be empty, another third with monsters, and another third with special memorable or magical features or with traps. For 5e while I think adding wandering encounters to the tomb of horrors would give it more life, I can see the rationale of the death traps being so deadly that wandering encounters would also die and thus be rare, but even two checks an hour for creatures that are likely to survive them (ghosts and any fliers or climbers) would be nice. The combat encounters aren’t very challenging for the level they decided to put them in for 5e, so really they can be done by any level, preferably 7 and up, but one could scale up added wandering encounters to challenge the parties of the chosen level so that they can matter more. A version of tomb of horrors without instant death and massive damage traps would be neat, but I think that aspect is part of the appeal tbh! In those days it was expected to have some adventuring hirelings to take with you as well as some backup characters, so it balances out in the same way that this party used conjure animals to step into the deadly traps. Instead of removing the instant death aspects, I would give a limited amount of “extra” lives, as if you were playing mario, granted by a magical patron like genie Nafas or as part of Acererak’s twisted joke.

[@imasspeons]

​@@JazzyBassythis guy understands old school D&D.

[@imasspeons]

​@@JazzyBassy another way to make light matter in 5e is through the use of colour-relevant dungeon elements, similar to how infravision didn't do much for noticing an image on a wall in older editions.

[@xslashsdas]

This is quite possibly the best format for a DnD youtube series I've ever seen. The DM explaining things along, bringing in the highlights with the players' commentary, "reality show" style, is very fun to watch.

[@d.ag.b1135]

Yeah, I love this! It's a great, fresh take on the 'real play' format, I hope they keep it up!

[@theinterneditor945]

To me there is a magic in running a campaign from a module, in the sense that as the player it feels like “HOLY CRAP THEY ACCOUNTED FOR EVERYTHING ITS ALL CONNECTED” And as the dm it’s more like “OH FUCK OH SHIT QUICK MAKE SOMETHING UP, UMMM DOFLENSHITZ FROM THE FIRST TAVERN IS HERE NOW”

[@masongoodyear9258]

I LOVE DOFLENSHITZ AS A NAME LMAO

[@Lich-x2g]

i thought that said doofenshmirtz the first tiems i read it lmao

[@madflam3192]

"A lich ?" *puts on hat* "*gasp* PERRY THE LICH"

[@ALJ9000]

@@madflam3192 *bone rattling*

[@LightSkyflyer]

I love love love this format!! It’s so much fun watching the session and then cutting to the talking heads 😂 I can’t wait for the next video in the series!!

[@SonoranValkyrie]

Once I started watching this I couldn’t put it down! This style was really engaging, not to mention all the cool little sound effects you added (both for the environment and for goofs), and your group had such great energy. This was so incredibly fun, and I’m excited for any other Delves in the future!! 💞

[@odarkeq]

38:00 the giant skeleton, from my perception of the original module, was meant not to be a threat due to its hit points and weapon, but because it was a 20' skeleton in a 20' room and now everyone's pinned by cramped bones, no space to really move or act. Every modern run I see of this module the skeleton is treated as merely a normal combat encounter.

[@cowpercoles1194]

Yeah, they don't really run it as well as they could. I'm not 100% sure of this, but if it's say, a hill giant skeleton, then it's about 8' tall, and the room is 30'x30' then it might not fill the room. It did do 2 attacks for 2-12 damage each, and typically a 10th level fighter might have 50-70 hp, so it would pick away at a high level 1e character. The big thing is that edged weapons only do 1 hp of damage, so they might resort to firing spells at it...*but* it's immune to magic, so the party would waste spells on the thing. This is designed to wear em down, and use up resources.

[@NoriMori1992]

Then the module should have specified that.

[@arcaneJolt]

Editing this behemoth of a video its INSANE, great job, i love the "office style" cuts of the party and jacob talking about the moments, great format.

[@FacelessOne01]

Yeah I havent seen this format before, I am loving it!

[@mikebliss3153]

I'm not a fan. Loses momentum.

[@davidsmith7752]

When I ran ToA, I had the canon be that along with harvesting souls the traditional way, he also has a contract with an entertainment syndicate in the Hells to allow Devils to watch people struggle their way through his tombs, providing running commentary on how best to ensnare and confound adventurers in return for a salary of Soulcoins he would use if there was a dry spell. When they went to the Hells in a followup adventure, they were able to rent their box set at an infernal hotel, and watch themselves and several other adventuring groups go through the Tomb of the Nine Gods, including commentary from Acererak over some memorable moments from their time in the tomb.

[@MythicMachina]

Wait, so Acererack just hired a bunch of devils to turn the thing into a killer game show? That's fucking awesome actually

[@davidsmith7752]

@@MythicMachina It was a back-and-forth sort of thing. Acererak was the producer and presenter, and then had the Infernal camera crew hiding in the Plane Ethereal recording with magic cameras. He didn't directly interact with the party outside of the final room, but in party canon he spent the entire time from entering Omu to them leaving the tomb watching and commentating.

[@HimitsuYami]

Be advised, I am probably going to steal this idea. And no, I will not remember your name to be able to credit you for it XD

[@davidsmith7752]

@@HimitsuYami Have fun with it!

[@sharlockshacolmes9381]

"maybe this dungeon is... good? Maybe if you run it a certain way it... works" just after one party member was totally and completely erased from all existence for walking into a hole in the second room with no indications or warning is a funny thing to say.

[@LostAzrael]

LOVE this format. Love the Big Brother/Survivor style confessionals, cutting back and forth. You knocked it out of the park with this one!

[@TheMuseForge]

I think you just tapped into the next meta of tabletop gaming media. Keep at it and lead the pack. It's very fun and engaging as a viewer and I really enjoyed the commentary from your players and yourself throughout the delving of the tomb. It was almost like watching a reality show that follows adventurers as they try to complete difficult dungeons.

[@Psykolord1989]

"I forced my friends to play the TOMB OF HORRORS" Ah, so looking for new friends then I take it.

[@roguejoe]

*pushes glasses up* Remember kids, you only gain XP equal to the money you find in 1e.

[@esuriolitum9169]

I learned this recently and wow a lot of things suddenly make sense. It's a good context to have when looking back at the classic books

[@LordZeebee]

@@esuriolitum9169 In one of the 3 earliest books, "The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures", it's also stated that each second that goes by out of game is supposed to also go by in-game. So if you end the session in a dungeon and can't get the group together until next month you're shit outta luck, your characters will most likely be dead.

[@esuriolitum9169]

@@LordZeebee That's pretty cool actually. It could make things interesting

[@LordDany]

Player barrowmaze from most part of 1 year and the hold for xp is a thing there😊

[@clintfell7668]

One of the other 1e gotchas that don't translate well to 5e is that almost everything during delving took 10 minutes and timekeeping was very important for delving (especially for the DM). So the gas trap and crushomatic juggernauts basically trigger every time the party tries to search anything - making what seems like a senseless and not very dangerous trap into a hero crusher.

[@Randomhiker]

Okay I finally finished the whole video. I absolutely loved the editing you did, both with the content of running the game and the "confession booth" style commentary. It was like watching a show. I know that had to have taken forever to edit alone. Kudos to your and your friends/family.

[@MaKs2K5]

I really like the job you put behind this. - Players reacting to what's happening in a personal apostrophes. - The fact is lasts 2 hours out of the 8 you played. This is what I wish everyone would do on their 'let's play' Keep going, it was interesting to watch.

[@NoriMori1992]

"personal apostrophes"…?

[@MaKs2K5]

@@NoriMori1992 when they go alone in front of the camera to talk about what's happening / happened.

[@bodypiercingbytom]

I'm 54 and received the D&D boxed set for my 10th bithday in 1980; I didn't really have any idea how to play, but was intensely interested. In 81, I and some Jr high school friends went to a local library, and ran into some high schoolers who invited us to play AD&D with them... OMG! How cool! Yes! We'll play! AD&D (1st ed, mind you) was what the older, more experienced kids played, and we were all thrilled to be invited. Their pcs were all between 8th and 10th level, and ours were 1st level- we essentially played the high level pc's hirelings and henchmen. THIS was the adventure, the Tomb of Horrors, lol. I didn't have a clue what we were in for! I can honestly say this single adventure influenced the rest of my gaming life, from then to this moment! ToH is one of my FAVORITE old school adventures... Looks like you all had as much fun as we did! Good gaming!!

[@ilp5118]

Really liked this format, especially when Jacob is commenting on players impressions of the game: "Oh Jack, you were right... That key is the key to everything."

[@kenanureeves2693]

This video is seriously 10/10. The reality TV style confessionals are peak. Great job guys hope to see more

[@deadwhip1077]

This is the only time I've ever been able to enjoy a live play. The editing makes it so watchable. I hope this becomes a trend

[@ZachC-130]

Dudes, this format is the way forward for your channel. It's so unique and super entertaining. I've now watched the released episodes at least 2 times each. This has to be a ton of editing work but its so worth it.

[@alex_pier]

I really love the devils mouth eating Jack's arm

[@esuriolitum9169]

I second this

[@victoriousf.i.g.3311]

As a fellow DM, can confirm that using a module at all and/or the decision of how much of a pre written module to use is absolutely tied to current motivation levels. I prefer to write my own adventures but modules can be life savers if planning sessions keep getting interrupted by life. Even if you don't plan to use them, reading through them is an awesome way to get ideas you might be able to personally expand on.

[@Various_forms_of_Doormamu]

1:13:45 Ahhh man. The return of the classic arcane arcade bit of Piss. Get this man a Pisscaster right now.

[@singe_malt9609]

Absolutely loved the "annotated" format. Please continue. I would certainly watch episodes like this, even if they are several hours. Great work. Please keep going with this style. Also, allow me to make a couple suggestions on the next modules for your team to use which, I believe, were also tournament modules from back in the day... 1) The Ghost Tower of inverness or 2) The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan.

[@RobertScrivener570]

Watching long form content is very difficult for me, since keeping my focus is a feat in itself. With this more narrative driven approach with asides with the players, Makes it so much easier to digest and watch to completion. Please keep this series going, Jacob! I'd love to watch more modules like this!!

[@walterlangendorf8517]

"But this one does nothing...GaMe DeSiGn" at 43:41 is a spectacular vibe.

[@johndoyer]

Long video - Yes! Great editing - Yes! Live reactions - Yes! Overall absolutely glorious, the world will be better if you y'all can continue with this!

[@zplazma5557]

I think a main difference with the first hallway here vs last time is that magic item. 1e assumes that professional grave robbers would carry a 10 ft pole, a shovel, a folding ladder, a battering ram, and tons of rope. Modern players aren’t used to doing that usually. I believe with properly equipped players of the right classes the dungeon is doable

[@cowpercoles1194]

Yeah, playing this with a "Rod of Lordly Might" and with 20th Level 5e demigods is pretty much playing on 'easy mode'. No wonder they kept remarking how easy and disappointing the encounters are.

[@cydude5856]

I can't easily watch the full vods and episodes on arcane arcade, but all the unique things about this video, especially the talking heads, made me sit down and actually watch this whole thing rather than listen to it. I cannot wait for any future installments in this series, and I for one would love to see you guys run through the Death House completely by the rules.

[@SylasTheShadow]

I absolutely loved this video. This is what I've wanted and looked for and nothing really felt like it was something I wanted to stick with. I watched this entire video in one sitting and loved every second of it. I don't necessarily need a long campaign that runs for 25 episodes, just mini dungeons that are beaten in a few hours with some cutting around the boring stuff. This is perfect content especially from you XP as you are truly an amazing DM.

[@TheGolux]

You probably know this, but the solution to TPKing in the original tomb of horrors was... bring multiple characters, and have those characters bring hirelings.

[@CyFr]

Hirelings, the original familiar and pet rats.

[@TallDarknGruesome]

Actually the original pre published tomb of horrors was a convention module based on gygax's personal campaign notes. The players got pre made characters and were scored on which group survived the longest.

[@vonnegutfrey8714]

Tome Horrors is definitely a very old-school dungeon designed for a game where high mortality is to be expected. People were not meant to get attached to their characters. Some original D&D modules assumed players had backup character sheets. For this reason, I think the best way to run the Tomb of Horrors is as a peasant grinder where everyone plays LV0-1 characters and throughs new character after new character at the dungeon in hilarious fashion, with the surviving PC's gaining a level and becoming the new main PC's for a campaign.

[@andrewlyon4495]

And thus the great hero Borger Mett LXXI was born, commuted to living to make up for his dearly departed identical 70 siblings

[@somik-i3x]

So you play it as a funnel for Dungeon Crawl Classic lol.

[@anomaloushedidntdoit]

Yeah I have no clue why it’s recommended to play this at high level in 5e. There’s so many insane abilities that PCs get that just turn some of the scary traps into boring time wasters. Also, I’m pretty sure some of these poisons are supposed to be save or die, not whatever damage they deal in 5e

[@FirstLast-wk3kc]

But monsters in this dungeon are too strong for peasants. Including the boss

[@dndelver]

I think it would actually be really cool to play it in the way that you start at level 1 (could be 3 if you find first 2 boring), and you level up everytime you die. The challenge is to finish the adventure with level as low as possible (fewest deaths).

[@LithNeo]

To me, them hard locking the dungeon to not being able to finish it seems fitting. "This is supposed to be a challenging for even experienced players." Nothing more challenging than the old kinds of video games where you can actually lose if you didnt do things right. Who else remembers old Sierra games?

[@TheSLashera]

Oh God. These were awful. I used to have PTSD for a very long time, even when they stopped making games like this. xD

[@cowpercoles1194]

Hey, they could've undone the hard lock -- just use the glowing orange gem to make a wish...

[@Slackker_]

Wow, i could see this reality show edited rpg format catching on. Its very well made!

[@NeonPandaLyrics]

I throughly enjoyed this style of video SO MUCH! I know it's a lot of work but getting you and the other players to do a play by play commentator style bit while also highlighting the most important bits of a campaign that most people want to know all the detail and little funny bits but would not find it worth it to sit through 8+ hours of content really highlights your skills, your story telling and makes this more accessible to more fans. I was very interested in your Tomb of Horros playthrough because I watched your video on it like last week randomly haha. But I'm so swamped with school I can't dedicate to watching more than 3 hours max a video esp if I need to really pay attention to get the content. This was just perfect fro me because your previous Tomb of Horrors playthrough was literally on my mind the whole week and I wished I had the time for it. I'd love more of this sprinkled in with your other content

[@Sunny_Haven]

I really enjoyed this, especially the mockumentary style a la The Office and Arrested Development. The fact that you edited 8 hours of content into 2 hours definitely makes this much more watchable. Watched this with a friend who doesn't play D&D but likes to send me lots of stuff about it and we had a great time. Hope to see more of Dungeon Delve in the future! :3

[@apersonwhomayormaynotexist9868]

Idk why people are comparing this to a mockumentary when the confessionals here are nothing like the way confessionals are used for those. Confessionals aren't the mockumentary style, the mockumentary style is fictional characters interacting with the cameras of a movie or show as if they know they're there. This is the reality tv show style of confessional

[@Sunny_Haven]

@@apersonwhomayormaynotexist9868 Ah, sorry! That makes more sense, I should've known.

[@isaac_buckley]

"I don't know why we weren't using monkeys from the start!" -Emma "I thought that it'd be a fun puzzle; it wasn't a fun puzzle. I just had to look around and touch the wall until we found a secret entrance." -Spencer "I'm gonna miss out on all the cool traps and die to like the beginner ones! That's not gonna happen!" -Jack "The Tomb of Horrors: Efficiently Stupid." -Pepper The intrigue, the heart, the dance of serendipity and suffering, the sound effects, the Interstellar references, the Kevin MacLeod music Dungeon Masters all know and love, the hilarious cut to interviews, the sheer amount of editing, the ghost of Gary Gygax pranking us beyond the grave, the MONKEYS... This is brilliant. My brother and I had a blast coming along for this adventure, and we're watching every episode of this. Okay, theory time, everybody! Buckle up, jump in a hole, and hear me out: While, from our perspective, it may seem that Jacob bent the rules just a tiny bit allowing our heroes to "load from their previous save", we're overlooking two very important pieces of information: The key is the key to everything; and there is a literal, wish-granting jinn just hanging out right outside the final room of the dungeon. Remember, prior to our heroes finding themselves unable to progress farther in the game due to baboon bamboozlement, Chucky had already reconnected the two halves of Acererak's key. By the time the players reach the magic room, this demilich is already an active force in the game; even though he's yet to be completely restored to his full power, it's established that he would have been able to communicate his thoughts (or, at least, very basic desires) to the ghost to control it, had it been able to gain enough energy. To our knowledge, Acererak has not (or, at least, certainly not in this life) disturbed the jinn's urn in any way, which is the sole criteria for whether or not he will grant you three wishes. Here's the thing: Although Acererak is a villain, he needs our plucky adventurers to get to the final room to bring him back to his full power. Therefore, when he realizes that his plan has been thwarted because a baboon has teleported the crown and scepter into his lair (a failsafe that seemed like a good idea at the time he built this asinine dungeon, when he didn't need heroes to happen upon his tomb to make him powerful enough to directly interact with the physical world; or, you know, maybe just another one of his many terrible design decisions for this tomb), he realizes he needs to use what power he has to reach out to the jinn. He has three wishes, so he spends his first for the characters to all have their Groundhog Day moment, sending in them a few minutes into the past; he spends his second wish to give the baboon the idea to hit the crown on its head with the scepter, removing it from the baboon (thereby also removing the baboon from existence, so it can't make the same stupid mistake again); and uses his last wish for Donatello to have the insight about how to properly complete the puzzle in the Throne Room. True, Acererak grossly miscalculated our heroes, and the baboon's noble sacrifice unintentionally communicated exactly how he would be defeated; but, judging by the other elements in his dungeon, it's not the first time the demilich has made a series of stupid decisions. Okay, Internet, now please explain all the ways I'm wrong.

[@alittar8062]

The Jinn would teleport away after having its 3 wishes used, and be unusable by the players later.

[@firby7341]

@@alittar8062 but the time resets, back to when the djinn was still trapped

[@RWalk97]

My first DM ran Tomb of Horrors as a graduation present for my first DnD group - closest to a TPK I've ever been

[@FisherWilliams4]

Honestly I got mad respect for dungeon delver campaigns & I’ve made my own dungeon delver campaign & the basic idea is that it’s a giant multi levelled maze that’s secretly a giant golem

[@FenetikSpeler]

I loved this! A let's play, meets reality show with commentary is a wonderfully refreshing take on typical D&D videos. Definitely keep doing this!!

[@fatalfury66]

The thing you have to keep in mind about this dungeon is that Gary at the time he wrote this was extremely DM versus the players, he got tired of them "winning" so he wrote this to be as hard as humanly possible so that they couldn't win. He loved traps and poisons and making things as hard as possible for his players. Unfortunately it's also very poorly written, and it's literally impossible to play if you do it as written. You even had to improvise several times because of extremely poor writing. Loved watching you guys play though! YOur very entertaining!

[@cowpercoles1194]

I dunno. The whole point of being a DM back then was to create scenarios with fun challenges for the players to "beat". It wasn't DM vs the players, it was Players vs. the DM's scenario. I'd read his advice on game balance in the 1st Ed. DMG, and it's pretty fair--he calls for striking a balance between too hard and too easy, so the players have fun, and don't quit out of frustration, or get bored cos the game is too easy. The ToH is a special exception, made for a paid tournament module at Origins, with teams of players competing for cash prizes. Just like in a videogame you set the game to easy, medium or hard, this module is designed to be on "hard" mode, and the DM is supposed to tell players this before they play (and it's best played as a one-shot with pregens).

[@atoucangirl]

it feels like the main way to beat this dungeon that instead of saying "i walk" you say "i walk slowly poking everything with a stick and looking at everything really hard"

[@cowpercoles1194]

Yeah, in the original game there were no automatic passive perception checks, or even skill rolls. It was pretty free-form too, with the DM and players talking back and forth, interacting with the environment and describing what they do. It was a test of the players' skill--you had to use your wits and describe what you were doing. There's a whole methodology you used in 1e that's different in 5e. It wasn't supposed to be a game of "20 questions" to get the basic info out of the DM, or have the players go into ridiculous detail about what they were poking. You wouldn't say "I look at a door harder" -- it was the DMs job to tell you what you see at first glance, and drop hints about things they might check out. Once that's done, the players took turns describing what they wanted to zero in on, and describe how they were doing it. It was important to give just the right amount of info, but not keep basic info hidden from the players, forcing them to ask "20 questions". I think the DM in the video gets stuck a few times, since they're experienced with 5e, and not 1e dungeon delving play, and aren't used to describing things with the right amount of info to test the players and keep the pacing going (it just takes practice to get this right). If the DM described stuff, and you ignored him and just started poking things recklessly (or sticking your arm into a sphere of annihilation), and your PC got mangled, that was pretty much on you. The ToH is this kind of play, but on High Difficulty setting.

[@TheBiomedZed]

I think a Rime of the Frostmaiden in-depth review would be cool, now that you fully run and finished the Arcane Arcade campaign. Parts you liked, parts you think can be run wholesale without requiring and changes, and stuff in the book you didn’t like and needed tweaking to run properly.

[@francisweller839]

This was so much fun to watch. It’s the perfect mix between long-form content and edited videos. Thank you, Jacob, and double thank you to all the people who suffered for this video.

[@BishopWake]

"What are the doors made out of, Gary?!" deserves to be a common quote. I should be hearing this quote daily.

[@Various_forms_of_Doormamu]

52:55 Acerack is clearly just the multiversal avatar of Sam Reich.

[@Skip6235]

“The only way to begin is by beginning!”

[@Paige_Dyer_productions]

He’s been here THE WHOLE TIME

[@TheUncannyDani]

Acererak is, in fact, from Cambridge, Massachusetts.

[@anomaloushedidntdoit]

I don’t think people understand that D&D 5e is so fundamentally different from Old School editions (basic, a d&d etc) that it’s really hard to emulate the old experience with these rules. The fights and traps probably have a lot more bite without the massive amounts of hp and random abilities modern PCs get. A lot of the searching and trap detection was more par for the course in a time when the game was 90% dungeon. Hell it’s arguable that it’s not even the same game at all by this point. This format is good though hope they do more of these classic dungeons from Yawning Portal. Sunless Citadel and Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan are a very good time.

[@jpdixon]

Yep. Finding every other Secret Door/Trap just with their passive perception removes some of the tension. Also, having the GM roll for the "perception" or "investigation" checks would be more fun, as the characters wouldn't know if they just failed the roll or if there's actually nothing there.

[@LilDeuceDeuce]

I played first edition a couple years ago with a group who had only ever played that, and it feels more like a horror movie where your hapless PCs get picked off one by one, whereas modern D&D feels more like a superhero fantasy where there's quips and cool powers, and death is just a temporary setback. The whole money=XP thing really threw me off because if you made an alliance with an NPC you'd get nothing, but if you arbitrarily betrayed them and stole all their stuff you'd get XP. If you come up with a plan to push the bad guy off a cliff you get nothing, because you weren't able to loot the corpse

[@jpdixon]

@@LilDeuceDeuce That's by design. In 5e, whenever you encounter a group of monsters, they are only there for the party to fight them. In the Older editions, you are not meant to fight everything. In fact, if you reach the point where you are rolling initiative, you're already failing. At lower levels, one hit is almost certainly death, so the party is encouraged to negotiate with monsters, plan ahead in case there is an inescapable fight (prepare oil, traps, etc), that's why there are reaction rolls, sometimes monsters are neutral, or helpful, a few times they'll also be hostile automatically.

[@MythicMachina]

I understand it, I just think it's a little boring. The whole dungeon is just a bunch of "gotcha!" moments will not that much payoff. I know that 1e's ruleset also makes this WAY more dangerous... but still. At the very least, I was the traps were more interesting across the board. Like, if the dungeon was just like a Saw movie that got more and more ridiculous and elaborate, I think that would be fun.

[@EncontheCrow]

I've run Sunless Citadel now several times. It doesnt seem fun to play or run there's so many rooms, most of which are nothing. There's only one relatively good path the whole other third of the dungeon is time waster for side stuff. I really wanted to make a campaign out of Tales from the Yawning Portal, but it's just a slog. Older gen players it suits more as that's what they're used to but these retellings don't square up very well to now. Idk maybe IM just a bad Dm, and at this point given up entirely on Dnd. But most of this comment was to tell you Yawning Portal haunts me to this day and I've never seen the end of Forge of Fury mostly because of how long it is. Or when somehow your players luckily know exactly where and how to beeline through something. All I learned from it is I hate modules and have faired far better when I'm making the encounters and story myself.

[@Dev1n7]

the documentary style commentary from the players spliced in has made this so fun to watch and provided some important like 'heres how the players felt in this moment' which is super cool.

[@roleinc7204]

Seems like there were a lot of disappointing moments for everyone, DM and players included. While the 'insta-death' traps add an element of fear for the players, none of the monsters offered any challenge and the traps/puzzles weren't thinking traps or puzzles, they were gotcha traps and senseless puzzles. It's curious that this module is so renowned even today despite this. Loved the way you recapped and edited the playthrough. It made it very enjoyable to watch. I know how much time and effort is involved in doing that, so thank you and congrats, you've done a fantastic job! Also kudos to all your players who found the fun! (The baboons was my favourite!)

[@ChuckBoss123]

Just made it to the end and YES I LOVE this format!!! The editing, the docu-style cutaways, making an 8 hour video into two hours, giving DM perspective, it's all AWESOME!!! PLEASE make more of these!!!!

[@indigoblacksteel1176]

Several family members wanted me to run it for them right before the movie Ready Player One came out. I ran the original one as written using the old school rules. I gave them no hints at any point except right at the very end in the BBEG fight because there are some weird things that can harm him that I wanted them to be able to use if they wanted. We had only one naked character, and nobody died. And we all had fun.

[@Albatross0913]

...and then you woke up, right?

[@Squinket]

Absolutely loved this. Not at all bothered by the length- I honestly got to 50 minutes without even realising and it was such an enjoyable video to watch through. Very excited to see more like this!

[@Grimgariano]

Imagine being able to play RPGs 9AM on a Thursday... Oh, lord.

[@u.v.s.5583]

Roll perception. Ok, with this you hear your boss arriving at the office. Roll constitution save. You get fire damage. How much? Dunno, but you are fired and on fire.

[@darkavenger95UK]

Absolutely loved this format!! Amazing guys, you all must be so proud for sticking to it and beating it! Also, Editor(s), thank you. Putting in crazy work to keep these sessions short but also completely understandable, weaving tonnes of those interview shots into the sessions is so effective to watch and also must have been so much work. 10/10 production value. And a lesson that I will probably never run Tomb of Horrors for my table!

[@JohnCena-fd5yw]

I think 2 hours is great for a format like this, because its long enough that you dont have to leave half the adventure on the cutting room floor, but its also not so long that it feels like a major 12-hour VOD or 50 part series commitment. I can sit down and watch this like a movie and know that I'll get all (or most of) the good parts. As others have said, the office/survivor style cutaways were a great addition. Would watch more of these for sure

[@esuriolitum9169]

I love so many of your videos but this one is definitely my favorite. The quality is insane! The interview-like check ins throughout the video were awesome. Everyone, DM and players, were great. I was laughing enough to make my cheeks hurt. It started when Emma fed herself to the devil face and was completely and forever destroyed lol. I was fully absorbed in watching this to its full length. Great job!

[@MrMaster16]

No Fricken way when I got the notification I thought it was an old video but it's not THIS IS AWESOME

[@Soapy-chan]

same lol

[@TheRookCrows]

Man, 2 hours flew by with this. Loved the reality tv show confessional style segments, the abject horror in your narration and just the over all vibes. Can’t wait for a sequel!

[@enochofmi]

1) Love this format. I always need good content to listen to during work. 2) I'm glad you've come to an understanding with this dungeon now

[@MxSlyRedFox]

I adored this style of video! Sometimes i find it difficult to watch dnd games all the way through but the interview style format was a delight. Please keep up this style of gameplay video because that was so fun i didn't even notice the time going by.

[@theincarnationofsin]

I'm so glad to have seen Jacob letting this dungeon grow on him over these few years. I've always thought it was a funny haha troll dungeon and it makes me really happy to see someone who once didn't really get it understand.

[@snowzley2389]

I loved the “The Office” style of commentary, please do more of these. Love you Jacob

[@johnd3185]

Jack is adorable. He's obviously the Fred of the group. More of this style video, please.

[@GM_Zeppelin]

The Tomb of Horrors is a result of the arms race between a DM writing adventures to challenge their players and a bunch of war-gaming, super strategic players with powerful characters. It's supposed to be ridiculous. That's what it was written to be. This was a fantastic watch, thank you for sharing it. I've been a long time "non subbed" viewer. I fixed that today! I'd challenge you to run this as it was first written, using the 1st or 2nd edition rules and appropriately leveled characters someday. The 2nd edition rules would probably make more sense, as they were streamlined and made more accessible, especially the combat, but are not very different from 1st edition. Then, you'd see how the adventure was truly meant to be (no skill checks or automatic secret door detecting, no familiars being abused, etc.). Great stuff and I look forward to other classics that truly demonstrate the wonder of the old modules.