(Illustrated Campaign diary) Cold Road part 5

[@zeebashew]

OK general answers: WHO ARE NPCs\PCs? so here we go - Forrest - Sweet William & Poke twitter.com/StabbyGM Sang Yup (often called James) - Quintas Pete - Wades www.twitch.tv/vaporlocke81 Francis (often called dave) - Daveh twitter.com/Raisins Everyone else is an NPC or an NPC follower (skittles) who's fight actions are determined by the players during battle. On our current sunday stream www.twitch.tv/zeebashew we're all still playing together WHAT PROGRAM DID YOU USE TO ANIMATE? I used toonboom Harmony Premium for the 2d animation and Blender for the 3d stuff. WHY DON'T YOU DO THESE OFTEN? They are pretty labor intensive to get right tonally, VO recording and writing wise, unfortunately they also don't usually get very many views compared to other stuff I make. MUSIC: Retribution by David Morton Finding a conclusion by Max H Black Cat Soiree by Bob Hart Rio by ANBR Remove the skin from the body by Max H

[@ryanfakename251]

I'm honestly digging the style for the animated bit, I'd love to see more like that in the future

[@BLOODKINGbro]

Well you can look at it as you wasted time or you can look at it that you have assets for the future already programmed

[@videogollumer]

Thank you for finally pinning this comment. I don't feel the need to inform anyone here of what you said anymore when they can just see it for themselves now. :)

[@kaetea3939]

I CANNOT believe this gets less views than your other content, this series is so good I’m considering making my own voice acted campaign diary. Already shared this with my own D&D group because this deserves infinite attention

[@misamismedcenRolando]

Oh my! Zee the first minutes were great! I know how time investing animation can get, but the buildings, the wind blowing, the camera movement, everything. Much much appreciated. Any kind of video you put together I will happily cherish!

[@Frenetiquement]

I'm here to let the algorithm know we need part 6.

[@Perfict1]

Yo, algorithm, this be cool.

[@mickeyboy90]

True me too 😊

[@redundantqwail9088]

Yo algorithm, boost this!

[@politicalanti-venom1384]

Stone ocean?

[@enhinrichs5695]

OMG!!! Y IZ DER NO PART 6!!!! AUGHHHHHH!!!!!!! ... to the Patreon!! Sometimes you can solve a problem by throwing money at it!!

[@vincentlance]

"I accidentally modeled" is an amazing statement.

[@Eddie42023]

I bet that's the happiest accident an animator can have.

[@Bakamoichigei]

"I accidentally modeled" is a legitimate phenomenon which I have decades of experience with. 🤣

[@Bluecho4]

"I accidentally a whole tavern."

[@Load_the_ducks]

It's happened to me numerous times lol

[@DreadnoughtFiend]

Man I know this feeling. Not modeling but yeah no i get

[@schonnj]

When the goblin said "I poke", I thought it was an announcement of intent.

[@sylph8005]

Same

[@kismethappel7811]

So did Wades.

[@CodfishJoe]

Or an explanation that he had poked Quintas with an arrow

[@serotonin.scavenger]

It took me far too long to realise "poke" is the goblin's name

[@justsomejerseydevilwithint4606]

Ye

[@duncanreeves225]

It's unfortunate that The Cold Road doesn't get as many views as other things on your channel. It's the best campaign diary I've ever seen, and the reason I subscribed to your channel. Great work

[@dallindespain4093]

Yeah When is part 6

[@Cragified]

@@dallindespain4093 Never likely. This video has half the views that a Animated Spellbook he just put out this week has already. And I don't know why, perhaps youtube pushes longer running series in their suggested algorithm more or sponsored ones. Cold Road imho is the best content on this channel both animation and story yet.. somehow it doesn't get the views alas.

[@russellperry9902]

Ahhhhh, just found this peril.. and I'm a long subscriber, lol. Glad one through four were all rolled in, I'm freaking hooked hickied hooked. And the entire range of styles visual and audios was ten outta twn

[@tigercrush2253]

Honestly, it's crazy. I go back and watch this series semi regularly and every time, I want to start a new campaign. It's so, so good. Sad that it doesn't get the love it deserves

[@sirchancellor4235]

@@tigercrush2253 I just thought about all of these cause I’m getting ready for a winter setting campaign. Definitely some cool ideas I’m going to take from this for sure.

[@scottmiller2873]

Z: "...and it twitched." Wades: "Ah fuck!" We have all experienced this moment too many times.

[@wolfyrewolfswift1566]

Ever caught a lizard in your back yard and it detaches it's tail? Made me drop the lizard when that happened. Not scared of reptiles at all mind you, I was the one holding it, but I did not expect it's tail to fall off and have a seizure.

[@stewartsimons6920]

@@wolfyrewolfswift1566 That's why it works so well. Nobody expects zombie seizure tail, especially practically anything that might want to eat the lizard.

[@lobokujo7825]

"'...Ï modeled a whole fucken Tavern" The amount of pain in the way he says that line has me laughing so much harder than it has any right to.

[@thedreadedscythe4606]

I was thinking the same thing

[@4saken404]

Almost as much as, and I quote: "... coughed up a ghost lady". 😂

[@fredchallenger5278]

Zee: *wakes up surrounded by Rulebooks and unnecessarily well-done animation* "Pelor, what have I done?"

[@kronos1794]

Pelor: Who said you were "done?"

[@videogollumer]

@@kronos1794 I'm guessing Pelor is punishing him for leading his worshipers to their deaths as well as for just being a Chaotic Evil Necromancer in general, right?

[@kronos1794]

@@videogollumer Pelor: "You dare attempt to interpret the word of the gods?!"

[@videogollumer]

@@kronos1794 What? Gods have interpreters. Besides, did not the Wizard, Skenk McGenk, impersonate Pelor; telling all of the people in Helmswater to leave their town, resulting in two thirds of them dying over the course of three days and the rest to be taken as slave laborers by Skenk and the rest of Team Funsize? And is he not a Necromancer; who killed everyone in Red Larch and rose them up as undead to get revenge on Trevor, the Twice King, Paladin of Hoar who hailed from Red Larch, for killing Skenk once before out revenge for killing his childhood friends? Did not Skenk and his brother burn down a tavern just to harvest bones and corpses for their undead armies? Are not undead blasphemous to Pelor, Oerthian god of the sun and healing? And is not impersonating a god blasphemy in general?

[@kronos1794]

@@videogollumer Pelor: "...no?"

[@harperreese264]

Still waiting, a year later, for part 6... one of the best D&D series on KZbin. Even if the beginning animation was a bit janky it still looked awesome.

[@romanwesterhof4912]

same here it's so good please do more

[@Zedrinbot]

oh snap, been a while since the last one time to get comfy

[@lukelblitz3627]

Spoods is goods

[@akaicedtea6236]

So happy for another one

[@theHedgex1]

shit, it's you. ^.^ send dense hero to save them.

[@redeye7500]

()•~•)🍿

[@Iamthesuperest]

Didn’t expect to see you here, we all know large content creators aren’t real humans.

[@campernocamping1]

This is the definition of: “ We commissioned you for a single poster, not an entire press kit.” Hey, I ain’t complaining though.

[@thedootlord]

699

[@tatersalad76]

Next episode: "Welp, Wick's dead. Guess it's time to hit the old ro-" "We're killing every last one of them. They stole our kill."

[@jackielinde7568]

Remember the lesson from the first two episodes? "Do we leave Wick's to his fate, or do we go save him?" I think we've proven it's long past, "We leave Wick's to his fate." Sadly, it sounds like they have a new Big Bad to deal with... The former owner of that speartil.

[@MrSilvUr]

@@jackielinde7568 Yeah, but I know Dave(h). Ge doesn't learn lessons! XD

[@SeanBoyce-gp]

@@jackielinde7568 Also the undead aboleth that the wraiths are trying to sacrifice people to unfreeze.

[@videogollumer]

@@SeanBoyce-gp Are you sure the Aboleth is undead?

[@lokij6058]

@@jackielinde7568 most likely the tavernkeep is the bad guy since he 1 knew the priest had the amulet, 2 knew what it was, 3 vanished this entire episode

[@kriswithadagger]

I know I'm late to the party, but I've burned through this, and I want part 6.

[@MrsNegative1]

We all do 🥲🥲🥲

[@bowenpalengat6158]

Fr Where is part 6?😢😢

[@hamishm9213]

get comfy friend.

[@Potoaster]

Man even if the animation at the beginning was unsustainable it was absolutely stunning

[@allanroberts7129]

Agreed! For someone just learning? That's really amazing!

[@nekoali2]

Indeed, the animation was awesome. And the story riveting as usual.

[@dotspot3667]

I know some of that looked off, but even then it still just looked great. The way the cape was moving as we moved up was great. It really had this fantastic look with the back ground.

[@thomaspetrucka]

Amen!

[@akashchindam5647]

what the fuck this animation style is phenomenal. the 3d/2d paper mario effect, with such realistic ice and blowing cloth is amazing

[@Bluecho4]

_And it was an accident._

[@benkayvfalsifier3817]

Ikr? And he said putting 3d cloth on a 2d character looked bad. I thought it looked phenomenally good.

[@dennydravis8758]

@@benkayvfalsifier3817 yeah, it's honestly a great distinctive look

[@1Ring42]

Yeah I was fucking impressed

[@allanroberts7129]

The paper feel actually feels right. Especially for a D&D story. Also, put this next to that 3D Berzerker animation and think about how many people worked on that.

[@katze316]

"The Newly-formed Fellowship of Disgruntled Marksmen" is a fantastic name for a group XD

[@muninrob]

@Garrick Lyng *Shoots orc in the left eye* "I'M A FUCKING DROW ON THE LOLTH BE DAMNED SURFACE WORLD!!" *shoots a different orc in the right eye* "now, where is the Tengu thief, I'm going to pluck him, skin him alive, vivisect him, then have my Mistress heal him so I can start over. While I'm doing that, Mistress will be finding the thief's owner, and, my next target."

[@tuckerbird7514]

I am here to beg for a part 6 because I forgot how kick-ass this was!

[@shawneldridge3244]

This doesn’t even need animation. The dialogue is astounding and the story is so entrapping. I cannot wait to see the ending of this

[@an8strengthkobold360]

Honestly I was just going to listen to it anyway

[@sasukeuchiha998]

he could just snuggle up in a blanket bring out a mug of hot chocolate and do this live with beard alone.

[@Xenibalt]

but but hasgehagsdajda viewer.exe has stopped working

[@nicholasgibson7532]

I don’t disagree with the factual statement that this episode doesn’t “need” animation, but I disagree with any implication that Zee shouldn’t animate. It greatly enhances the nigh perfect dialogue. I really enjoyed the improvements in the animation on this episode

[@christianlecroy980]

The animation is a bonus

[@Ahrimas]

Honestly the story alone would keep me watching this series. The animation is the cherry on the cake.

[@issacwhittaker3687]

I liked Quintus. Also anyone else think it’s suspicious the bartender is gone?

[@grayanotoxin6131]

Especially since he knew so much about the gray orcs and the aboleth before redirecting them to Brum. Exciting stuff!

[@MaxRavenclaw]

So many bloody questions! I want to know mooore!

[@kingtreedede7303]

I thought he was only knocked unconscious, not dead

[@rabidtangerine]

Oh yeah. Gotta love hiding persons of interest in plain sight.

[@endel12]

I wonder if the person playing Quintus wanted to play something else

[@psychowaffle4478]

I know ots been over two years; but this adventure keeps me up at night. If i may divine a possible outcome, I belive that Clearun the Barkeep is the one who wanter the amulet of the Frostfather. He knew about the cult of pale orcs, he also had associations with Father Brum, possibly he studied the cult with Father Brum and wanted the power for himself. We need part 6 Zee, please 😢

[@dynasty_01]

didn't Clearun also have a pet bird? that would explain the tracks on the windowsill in Father Brum's room.

[@Heavenlyhounds96]

"I Poke" I Love....Poke already. "Fake Shaman. Fake King. Stupid Face."

[@1Ring42]

All hail poke and bite bite

[@videogollumer]

Poke: I hit button!

[@gideonclark8629]

his voice and speech reminds me of stitch from lilo and stitch

[@wobblysauce]

I Poke, has an I Win button.

[@videogollumer]

@@gideonclark8629 His voice is a lot more gruff than Stitch's, but I see what you mean.

[@zeronotemo]

"he was the best damn driver this side of the spine, and he put on a show" I shuddered

[@pandemisis3017]

Same though. It's the small details that really make this story sing

[@bigbone5039]

That stuff is the shit I live for in D&D, just watching a flood of badassery run through the game table is the best

[@gamr693]

Damn! The scene with Quintus pushing wades over the cliff and then him blink arrowing back was so sick!

[@justsomejerseydevilwithint4606]

That tiny noise when quintus gets possessed and unpossessed; such attention to detail!

[@duncanreeves225]

Can you include timestamps for that? I'm not noticing it

[@justsomejerseydevilwithint4606]

@@duncanreeves225 2:20 for the first

[@mekikoromanova2324]

"I accidently modeled stuff... a whole fucking tavern!~" is now my favorite line ever... XD

[@trentbjorkman3688]

What a Chad, coming back years later to tie up the story

[@johs1876]

Awfully optimistic of you: pretty sure the madness had just begun! And gotta say, wish I could come up with something half this awesome!

[@tylercoon1791]

Has it really been years?

[@mr.berardine1694]

@@tylercoon1791 the last one was released 11 months ago. I don't know what this guy is talking about.

[@magiccamel4782]

You call that rapping up the story?! It is a cliff hanger! Literally, a kenku corpse hanging off a cliff!

[@hanshansomahammau]

That's anything but a tie up of the story. Obvious spoilers for the vid below . . . . . . Is shitwic the kenku really dead? Who's the mysterious spear thruster? Who killed priest longface? What happened to quentis? (No really, did the player drop of the campaign or smth? I thought he was pretty neat) So many questions and I believe there's enough reason and certainly demand for it, if zee wishes to continue. Dingo doodles fools gold campaign has now 19 episodes, so great quality animation and storytelling are always greatly appreciated

[@lunacron]

You don't have to explain the sudden shift in art styles, the workload was getting too much and you wanted to finish up, that's completely understandable.

[@anthonynorman7545]

You wouldn't know that if he didn't explain it...

[@lunacron]

@@anthonynorman7545 Of course you would know It's obvious, because changing the art style is a conscious decision. He either ran out of time or he decided it was too much work or there was some kind of effect he wanted to do and he didn't know how to implement it at the time and gave up at the moment.

[@felixap9286]

@@lunacron I thought the explanation was funny and insightful. It would have been quite jarring too if he suddenly shifted art styles without explaining. I understand the genuine kindness behind your message, but as someone who doesn't animate or knows little about it, I would have not made that assumption.

[@lunacron]

@@felixap9286 I liked the explanation too and I appreciate the effort, I'm just saying he shouldn't be so self-conscious about deciding to switch to something else. It's not like he's done anything wrong if he didn't explaining it.

[@anthonynorman7545]

@@lunacron we can't conclude why the change occured just that it did. Saying not to be self-conscious isn't the same as the explanation not being warranted.

[@LoneWolffanwriter]

The fact that this doesn't get more views is a tragedy and a travesty. I've re-watched the whole series twice so far! Fan-freaking-tastic! I do hope you keep making these. It's truly an awesome story.

[@darkone4794]

There is nothing like in DND going to look at dead body and your DM saying: "You see a twitch." You never shit your pants fast enough. Or when they say you here clicking sound when you open a chest. Same thing.

[@jhorn2855]

That shot of Jim thundering through the snow on the cart is amazing

[@MrChoco409]

It gives off such badass vibes

[@videogollumer]

He's probably glad to hit the "Cold Road" again.

[@WeGeekTogether]

People are saying, "the story is so good it doesn't even need animation!" Which is true and supposed to be a complaint, but kinda takes away from the astounding work done on animation. Sometimes its insane to see what 1 person who is passionate about their craft can make. Well done.

[@stevenyoung9738]

Did you mean complement?

[@WeGeekTogether]

@@stevenyoung9738 ya

[@jammerr9464]

Those first 3 minutes were honestly a real treat. That blend of 2d and 3d animation is fuckin rad and I hope you get to experiment and have more fun with it more in the future!

[@DrakeAurum]

When your mission is to go and kill wraiths in the basement, you know you've graduated past the beginner-level quests.

[@pyrokar1990]

"Dear YT Algorithm, I really enjoyed Zee Bashew's work. Sincerely, me." Weeeeell.... that got dark fast...

[@GabrielDesmond]

I love how attacking Poke quickly went from a gag to a literal gag.

[@videogollumer]

To bad Daveh didn't run out horrified while retching; then it would have been a literal RUNNING gag.

[@thedootlord]

@@videogollumer he probably did when he first saw it

[@videogollumer]

@@thedootlord I'm pretty sure he was more disgusted than spooked.

[@thedootlord]

@@videogollumer maybe he tried running to not puvk in the house Likely not but funny if he did

[@videogollumer]

@@thedootlord *shrug*

[@DainnGreywall]

I'm here to do my part and let the algorithm know that we absolutely NEED a part 6

[@Juneberryknight]

The animation at the beginning was impeccable and 3 minutes of animation in 3 weeks isn’t bad for a single person :edit as this gets more traction I feel the need to clarify something I am not asking zee to continue with this style if that’s not what he wants I am saying that what is here is something to be proud of

[@mitchellslate1249]

Oh no. I am just saying his TV series has been awesome and will be awesome. His skills are amazing.

[@pauldeddens5349]

From the beginning, I was like "Hot damn dude did you discover Blender?" Then during the intermission, I knew 100% you discovered Blender.

[@icarusty6481]

Idk if you watch Drawfee, but "did you discover Blender?" is a familiar question to Drawfee fans

[@pauldeddens5349]

@@icarusty6481 I watch Drawfee occasionally, not anytime recently. I would love to see any videos where they discover Blender.

[@icarusty6481]

@@pauldeddens5349 It's the episode where they draw themselves as anime characters.

[@olorin6494]

@@icarusty6481 OH man did he accidently channel his inner julia!

[@kindoflame]

"And that children is how the 1,000 Years of Endless Winter started, dooming all life to eternal servitude and death."

[@ericocordeiro5715]

The plot thickens... Amazing story, fun voice acting and damn, that animation. That being said, I wouldn't mind keeping the simpler less animated style you had been using before, I'd rather get more episodes without costing Zee Bashew's kidneys and months' worth of sleep. Stay awesome, you crazy animator you.

[@jpereda97]

I don't know sh*t about animation but as soon as I saw the first part's style I was like "he's either got a team now or hasn't slept in months"

[@Xenibalt]

LOL awesome

[@octoflex]

Omfg I almost died "I accidentally modeled a whole tavern" ahahahahaha

[@cheese_and_pear]

As a software developer, I am going to use "I accidentally modeled stuff!" as my default answer to "What did you do over the weekend?" from now on.

[@pretsal4955]

big RIP to shifty wick, what a legend

[@mitchellslate1249]

Now I need a nemesis to cut my legs off. And cost so much gold that the reward is not worth it.

[@LEGObowserYT]

This is truely incredible, and I would absolutely adore to see this whole campaign as a show animated in the manner of the first half-ish of this video

[@cieranallard6163]

"Accidentally modeled" sounds like some modern version of erratic hammer

[@Binary79]

"He was the best damn driver this side of the spine...and he put on a show"

[@MrSubejio]

"The figure was obscured" Man, if only we knew of someone who had had unusual knowledge of the amulet, had tried to quietly take the amulet from the party, and was weirdly missing today.

[@videogollumer]

Unusual knowledge? No, we know that Arnold learned it from Brum; he said he gleaned it from the texts. Unusual Interest? Sure, because why WOULD a simple tavern owner be interested in primordial knowledge?

[@justsomejerseydevilwithint4606]

Also, did you not see brum's head in episode 4.

[@videogollumer]

@@justsomejerseydevilwithint4606 Wait! Who are you talking to, and what does that have to do with this?

[@justsomejerseydevilwithint4606]

@@videogollumer mr subejio. I meant to say that pike mentioned a priest, and brum was dead episode 4

[@videogollumer]

@@justsomejerseydevilwithint4606 I doubt that Brum is DropKnuckles.

[@ke2075]

Dear algorithm, this story is brilliant. It's wonderfully animated and the story is so rich and so beautifully told. 3 years later I still keep watching it and hoping for more. It's great work Zee, you're a fantastic storyteller.

[@StarshadowMelody]

Me: "I think you overshot the production value" You: "I accidentally overshot the production value" This is as someone who preeeeeeeetty much doesn't stop with the watching.

[@TapDat52K]

Such an incredible 3 minutes. Incredible work.

[@PowerfulSniff]

The Cold Road leads straight into my heart, just like the wraith's spear into Wick's

[@PatCatzz]

Woa, spoilers

[@brettonalwood4173]

@@PatCatzz Too soon.

[@ClokworkGremlin]

It's funny how something that started as kind of an "off-week" for the channel became one of my favorite series on the channel. I honestly can't get enough.

[@brandond2768]

3 years later, still here for the best campaign diary on the internet. Closure, oh Great Bashew?

[@MisterSmith00]

That fight with Wades-in-Shadow was thrilling.

[@DatAznNextDoor]

"I accidentally modeled a a whole fuckin tavern" Damn son how long where you using Erratic Hammering.

[@foxheadl169]

About a month.

[@LittleAcoustic_YT]

I laughed so hard at that. My wife didnt understand how that was possible, I told her it is very possible lol.

[@dwreanchinotan]

ALGORITHM, HEED MY CALL that transition from from that epic animation was hilarious. like "damn he's going all out" to "yeah, he went all out XD"

[@Grimspear05]

Dude, we love you and all your hard work, thank you so much for these amazing stories. I can not wait for episodes 6-100. Your wife and buddy have been doing an amazing job voicing the characters and monsters. Thank you thank you thank you!

[@ltrigga219]

Dude... Your art style (styles?), narration, and structure....shit, all your content is just phenomenal. Thank you for existing on this platform, Zee. I hope you know that you provide a truly wonderful introductory bridge to the DND community for us that are getting back into the game after a long hiatus of...life and adulting and whatnot. All your hard work and skills are much appreciated.

[@isaachelton1091]

My thoughts exactly. Zee is an artisan. I appreciate his work so much and I am deeply inspired by him

[@kdubs6130]

amazing episode: YES YES YES! ends on cliffhanger: NO NO NO!

[@lokij6058]

most likely the tavernkeep is the bad guy since he 1 knew the priest had the amulet, 2 knew what it was, 3 vanished this entire episode

[@OddNumber1524]

@@lokij6058 three he was Waterdavian and they found the coin

[@lokij6058]

@@OddNumber1524 the coin?

[@OddNumber1524]

@@lokij6058 The clean waterdavian coin they found on the blood at 07:50

[@lokij6058]

@@OddNumber1524 oh right, forgot about that

[@AnchorJG]

I find it ironic that the original Cold Road art style was to make animating a longer-form storytelling video easier. And now he's accidentally modeled a tavern that wasn't even in the video! Keep up the good work, Zee, we appreciate the effort you put into these things.

[@DrDeltaboss]

The OG cold road style is really charming (player and npc tokens moving occasionally during speech or actions) Please make more cold road entries! They are very enjoyable

[@JonDunham]

This is easily one of the most entertaining D&D stories online that I've had the pleasure to listen to AND watch.

[@blastingskull4395]

THE VIDEO IS GOOD STOP BEING SELFCONSIOUS, THE first part was really good and actually i really enjoyed it

[@superjamoose]

"Fellowship of Disgruntled Marksmen" would be an incredible cover band name.

[@videogollumer]

Wades in Shadows on Guitar Poke on Keyboard Lt. Vincent Skittles on Drums

[@ScribblenautMaxwell]

@@videogollumer this makes me want to figure out how to refit a kick pedal for a peg leg

[@videogollumer]

@@ScribblenautMaxwell Lol

[@nickski007]

That music choice at the end was chilling and really sold the building tension of the cliffhanger(haha) ending.

[@nuclearattackwombat8390]

"I initially wasn't even trying to animate... but... you know..." Me and my sleep debt understand your pain.

[@koollikesnow3069]

This is probably my favorite series on KZbin. Zee, your animation is phenomenal, but honestly I think most of us come for your unparalleled narrative. You’re a wordsmith, and you’ve mastered your craft.

[@susurrus7383]

Throwing out my theory while the story is still being told: the innkeeper is totally the antagonist, since he has gone mysteriously missing, only acquired the tavern because a bunch of berserk frost goblins killed the previous owner, and also knows a startling amount about the old god underneath the town.

[@marcelomeirelles6039]

To me the decisive clue are the bird tracks. The innkeeper had a bird upon the counter on a previous episode.

[@videogollumer]

There's no mystery surrounding how he knows about it; he said he gleaned it from Brum Brum's texts. Why he took interest in it? Now that IS a mystery.

[@Griffith-qw8zc]

In addition, he also made them waterdhavian breakfast and they found a whaterdavian gold coin shed with Brom's blood

[@duncanreeves225]

@@marcelomeirelles6039 I would have never noticed that, thanks for pointing it out

[@felixluna4184]

Shifty wick is also a bird?

[@youtubewatcher6719]

Please Zee, we need part 6 so bad, this story is amazing and you make it look so good!

[@chubbs373]

It always seems like he's at the end of his rope about animating. I sure hope he really enjoys animating, cause I know we all love the animations.

[@enixxe]

I'm pretty sure enjoying animation is exactly why he sounds like he's at the end of his rope. When you do a creative project in some medium you like, it can be very easy to get wrapped up in trying to perfect minor details nobody else is going to notice or care about anyway. Someone who doesn't enjoy what they're going to do will more easily maintain a focus on what's important to the project and do as little as possible to get themselves to that finish line.

[@JohnDoe-rl9pp]

I suspect animating is one of those "I love it but I hate it so much" tasks. It just takes so long and so takes so much work to get anything out.

[@WeirdFaden]

The best thing about this is that its here, the worst part is that now we must wait for episode 6. It was such a long wait but omg so worth it I love this series

[@Onuppan]

Algorithm, let the masses know of this man's suffering, and his awesome animated story.

[@Xenibalt]

i dunno if zee is exactly suffering more than anyone else is ... but it's true that the content creators all suffer here so you are not wrong

[@TheZetaKai]

All hail the Algorithm, in the witches' circle, so mote it be.

[@j.b.8852]

I just watched all parts of this and it's a cool adventure. I would really like to follow it to the very end, please do continue.

[@ice8433]

At this point I think most of us are watching this series for the story. The animation is just an extra chocolate bar

[@kingtreedede7303]

An extra chocolate cake you must mean

[@justsomejerseydevilwithint4606]

And who DOESN'T want an extra chocolate bar Because I'll take yours, if you're out there.

[@kiruppert]

“(The first four minutes) took three weeks to animate” It looks like it, too! Great Work!

[@TheHawkhead1HunterK]

My only regret is that I have but one like to give. Honestly Zee, I love this series so much, and in the first 5 minutes alone I could already tell how much work you put into it. I loved every second of it. I know you're going to get the attention you deserve soon, man, good things are coming your way.

[@narcoleptic8982]

Laughs in 430k subscribers

[@jacobbalensiefer3846]

I love the way this campaign starts of with the expectation of Murphy’s Law and just leans in the whole way through. Players feel strong and capable but they only ever just get enough of a break to barely survive everything and typically it’s at a cost. Anyone looking to to DM needs to listen to this and break down how prep for this game must have went and how you were able to change things on the fly to keep the game going.

[@javierpatag3609]

Holy cow. What a twist. It's gotten way bigger than getting back at an annoying flightless bird. Way to go, Zee. WELL DONE. I

[@thecactusman17]

"That took... 3 weeks to animate" And it looks like you took 6 months. Holy crap that was amazing

[@links-gut-versifftergrunme1809]

4:02 _"Can I get dynamic cloth to work over a 2D character? _*_Sort of not..."_* What? Sort of *did!* It looked amazing! Not only the cloth! Preety much everything of those first 3:34 minutes of this video were absolutly stunning and you should be proud of what you accomplished!

[@aronestone100]

I gotta disagree it didn’t work much at all.

[@TheRABIDdude]

1:30 begs to differ. It was weird-looking enough that I watched it over a couple times and said to myself "he's clearly trying out 3D for the first time and I bet he laughs each time he rewatches this scene because it's clearly a 'fuck-it-that's-good-enough-I-can't-be-bothered-to-redo-this' scene." And then I reached his announcement at 3:34 and it confirmed everything aha. Everything else, including the cloak, looked very nice I agree.

[@dndoodles2291]

Sorry but I gotta disagree it looked kinda wrong

[@taterthepenguin]

It was weird but in a great way, I loved it.

[@grimbobagman4133]

I come back to the Cold Road videos a lot more regularly than I thought I would. I think they're my favorite videos on your channel, which is saying something because they're all great. These are always worth the wait, I'll be hopeful and patient for the next entry!

[@videogollumer]

IKR? Zee's great at narrating, and getting to know just about any D&D adventuring party is exciting. I really like the Cold Road myself. I also liked the Goblins Who Stole a Deck of Many Things video; It was exciting and ended with room for speculation. Too bad it's not here anymore, along with most of Zee's videos sadly. It's on his Twitter; but it's divided into minute long parts, which is inconvenient. Still, I guess it's better than nothing.

[@ASquared544]

"Uugh, that took 3 weeks to animate." *ONLY 3 WEEKS!?*

[@AnchorJG]

That might be total accumulated time and not "few hours a day for 21 days". It's hard to tell. This is the guy who pounded out 7 animations in 7 days, after all.

[@otakon17]

Wait, this is the Snow Goblin that travels with Wades later! EDIT: POKE AND BITE-BITE! Man that was great, can't wait till the next one man.

[@singingcrow439]

What video are talking about?

[@otakon17]

@@singingcrow439 The counting down room puzzle video when they were trying to get back Mother Night's essence in the Curse of Strahd(spelling?) campaign.

[@singingcrow439]

@@otakon17 thanks

[@videogollumer]

@@singingcrow439 The Count Down Puzzle video, Wades and Poke were both in that video.

[@7rhymes599]

God, I want more of this party. We've been seeing their adventures for some time now, didn't realize it!

[@garrettrobinson3826]

The sheer escalation of The Cold Road is so good.

[@dranorter]

Your little interlude about the production is so well done. It's unusual to see a video like this, actually taking a step back 5 minutes in and reducing the production values to something feasible. Usually a video either makes it onto youtube, stubbornly maintaining its production values, or gets stuck in limbo. Props for making the right decision!

[@adampersons5211]

I never "stopped watching" When Magic master Bashew is schooling us small time spell slingers.

[@Obscurity-me]

Hey, Algorithm, I like this, tell people about it alright? What do you mean you don't like animations? This man modelled an entire tavern! you put some goddamned respect on his video. * The two of them would spend the next few months fighting, wrestling and sometimes performing interpretive dance violently towards each other. Their crusade was bloody and largely fruitless but luckily, as by some strange twist of fate, one good thing came from it. The comment really helped the video's engagement and much ad revenue and impressions were enjoyed by all *

[@oldsoldier4209]

Accidentally? No, this was exactly what was intended to happen. Somebody sniffed out your inner gnome, and handed him a shiny new toy. 🤣😂🤣

[@videogollumer]

It probably wasn't hard, considering that we already know what his inner gnome looks like. lo

[@kaitou88]

(4:20) as a DM and someone has dabbled in 3D modeling & animation, I'm very aware of the rabbit hole you dived into this video. LOL Your narration is genuinely amazing and slight 2D animations work great with it. but it is really easy to get lost in cool animation tools.

[@OrangeDragon04]

I tried the same. Although I need a lot more practice in Blender modeling and making my Campaign good. So far, I just mix music and different sounds. I always start sessions like this. A small recap, describing the atmosphere, time of day and such things. Then I transition into what the players did last, wether it's resting near a crackling bonfire, drinking in a tavern, practicing their skills or even in the middle of battle, I love to see the player's faces glow when I say what their character is up to. Before they can take over the scene again. Anyways, sorry for this wall of text. I see, you're subscribed to Vivziepop. That's a great source of inspiration for art and storytelling. Have a nice day, stranger.

[@davidwilde9474]

"Fires into the sky like a drunk cowboy" was fantastic

[@GogglesVonAwesome]

"I accidentally modeled a whole tavern." Relatable.

[@randysmith4964]

The animation at the beginning and the story telling was so good. I was hooked

[@MetalFlameV]

The animation in the first half there was amazing. It really made this episode feel like shit was getting real. I'd say those were 3 weeks well spent!

[@sahanavica.5574]

Arnold the Barkeep is the BBEG, calling it now. He's spent this whole time biding his time for the right moment to strike. Loving this series! I wish I could come up with a campaign as cool as this.

[@oz_jones]

He definitely is sus,

[@TlalocTemporal]

Not to mention that bird that's always perched on the bar.

[@LordThomasPassion]

He is sus, but...I don't think there is only one bbeg...

[@sahanavica.5574]

@@TlalocTemporal Oh man, I didn't even notice the bird! Good eye.

[@ethansexton2590]

Now THAT is a dope, “See you next session” closing line!

[@willandersen3695]

This was amazing. I would love to see part 6.

[@erikasilva4183]

"I accidentally modeled stuff" oof, if that isn't an animation mood

[@Jack-is-here]

Totally get it man, sometimes you just get distracted and “ooooo this would work nicely”, and I’m just glad that this great story gets to continue, thanks for all of the effort you put in

[@BluWoolify]

I am letting the algorithm know I enjoyed this video very much

[@JimThaAlmighty]

Damn, you can really harness emotion in your story telling. This has inspired me. Great art style and amazing DM'ing!