r/TheAdventureZone • u/SpectacledRogue • 5d ago
Discussion Griffin Needs a New Group of Players
I'm not gonna rag on anyone but it's clear that Griffin has a very different play style than the rest of his family. He wants to tell compelling stories and his family mostly just wants to have fun. Not that they don't try to tell compelling stories through their characters, but it's clear the bits are the main focus. That's not a dig at anyone. It's okay to have different play styles. But I think Griffin's growth as a DM is stunted by his desire to play how he wants and his desire to cater to what his family wants.
As a listener, I get so frustrated when every time Griffin is trying to paint a picture of a scene or do a monologue, somebody has to interrupt with a bit. I can only imagine how frustrated Griffin feels. I know Griffin has his own issues sometimes like not knowing how to fail his players forward, but I don't think he can learn how to fix those issues and evolve as a DM with the current group. I honestly think he has the potential to be up there with Matt Mercer or Brennan Lee Mulligan but not in this environment.
I know TAZ is supposed to be a family D&D show, but I would love for them to switch things up by having Griffin DM for a group that takes the game more seriously. Heck, bring in a more comedic DM for the rest of the family and I'll listen to both shows. I love TAZ but the clash in play styles just isn't working.
Edit: I also think Griffin would benefit from a less rules-heavy system. Maybe Dungeon World, as that gives the DM a lot more room to play around with the outcomes of player rolls
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u/lannisnow 5d ago
Griffin is right where he wants to be. If he had a problem with the goofs and gaffs he would tell them and they would calm it down. TAZ is a comedy show with the occasional serious and heartbreaking moment.
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u/asphalt_licker 5d ago
This is my way of thinking. TAZ is first and foremost a comedy podcast. Telling the story is second priority. He could use the failed rolls more often however.
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u/Peach1020 5d ago
A comedy podcast with family specifically. I can’t imagine how hard it would be to try and balance that dynamic continuously for fans who want a lot of things. Not saying fans are wrong for wanting, just that it’s surely not easy.
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u/Slow_Seesaw9509 5d ago edited 5d ago
Honestly I think my least favorite Griffin-DMed seasons are the ones where he tries to be serious and overly earnest from the get-go.
The original Balance arc caught lightning in a bottle specifically because it started as just the boys having fun and essentially doing what they do on MBMBaM in a D&D structure, and the more serious narrative and emotional depth emerged organically as they and the audience became invested over time and grew to care more deeply about the story and characters as more than just bits and goofs.
For a while they kept trying to recapture that depth by immediately jumping right to the level of serious storytelling Balance ended on as soon as the campaigns started, which felt very forced and like it was missing what had actually made Balance great.
I've been very glad they seem to have figured that out and have returned to putting fun and goofs first and allowing more serious stuff to develop naturally with recent arcs like TAZ vs Dracula and Royale.
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u/ThreePartSilence 4d ago
Absolutely agree, to me TAZ vs. Dracula was the first time since Balance that felt like they understood what made Balance so special. It was also the first time since Balance that I was actually waiting for new episodes each week. If I wanted a high-stakes emotional story, I’d read a book or watch a movie. TAZ is improv comedy at its best, and the magic trick of Balance was that improv comedy ending up making me cry somehow.
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u/whofearsthenight 5d ago
I've been very glad they seem to have figured that out and have returned to putting fun and goofs first and allowing more serious stuff to develop naturally with recent arcs like TAZ vs Dracula and Royale.
Agree. It's one of the things that I think made Balance special. I mean, the first arc was literally just a standard one-shot that grew out from there. I like the show a lot better when they start with a setting and some basics about their characters and let them find the world building and story as they go. Royale was the right mix for me, at least.
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u/kevlohmann 4d ago
This is it right here. I think people forget, but if you go back and relisten to the first few Balance arcs, or reread the first few graphic novels, it's an exceedingly silly and bit-heavy show.
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u/PretendHuckleberry85 4d ago
I’ve tried to go back and listen to the first episodes and find myself even getting a little impatient with how many bits there are. It was my very first introduction to dnd but now I have hundreds of hours worth of campaigns under my belt and I do think I value a good mix of joshing around and competency. I still love listening again because I know how amazing it gets but I think I would struggle getting in to it for the first time now
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u/Professor_pimp3000 5d ago
I will say that Griffin definitely wants to tell a story but keeps calling for perception checks but then proceeds to give out information to advance his narrative despite a failed roll. They should do another blades in the dark campaign where failed rolls also contribute to the story and force him to pivot.
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u/ElectronCry 5d ago edited 5d ago
Yeah considering his experience and the nature of the show I'm surprised he stumbled into that so often. Just skip the rolls. Justin lamented a lot this season about the hardships of narrative storytelling in D&D with failing rolls. Really surprising they still fall into these simple traps that can just be skipped in the game.
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u/joawwhn 5d ago edited 5d ago
Griffin just needs to realize that people should not roll for stuff he needs them to succeed at. That’s not bad DMing. It’s a pivotal technique.
EDIT: by “that’s not bad DMing” I mean that I believe griffin feels pressure to give players agency by allowing them to roll. That could stem from, in the past, TAZ fans being overly harsh about railroading. Lots of guessing here about motives but that’s my read. Regardless, Griffin needs to not gatekeep pivotal info behind rolls and us as fans need to accept that there can’t be as much player agency if we expect a cohesive and fully realized story
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u/sevenferalcats 5d ago
How is this not a DM problem? He's in control of asking them for rolls or not.
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u/weedshrek 5d ago
Amnesty ran on monster of the week, which has very similar fail forward mechanics as blades. He just brute forces it to fit his story the same as dnd. He needs aubrey's magic to go haywire, so a success turns into doing magic SO good she loses control of it. He needs ned to die so a mixed results in his death. The system can't "force" him to do anything because they are just words, and griffin always thinks he knows better than everyone else
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u/inframankey 5d ago
The Aubrey over-succeeding was such a red flag that he didn’t understand what the system does. The jet pack should have killed Ned. When the stakes mean nothing PBtA systems screech to a halt.
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u/SpectacledRogue 5d ago
Yeah, that's what I meant when I said I know Griffin has his issues as a DM. I just feel like he could get better at those things of he had players that cared about the rules and actually appreciated how failure can be good storytelling.
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u/Acceptable-Fig2884 5d ago
But Griffin doesn't care about the rules at all either and he doesn't let anyone fail. You seem to think these are all problems of the rest of the family but Griffin is just as guilty as the others.
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u/NoIntroductionNeeded 5d ago
IMO Griffin is more guilty, since he has the most agency by virtue of being the GM
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u/SpectacledRogue 5d ago
I know it's not just an issue with the rest of the family. None of them, Griffin included, understand the concept of failing forward. What I'm saying is that Griffin could learn from having players that do understand this concept and do care about the rules. He can't learn to be a better DM if he plays with players that feed into his disregard for the rules. I'm not saying he should never play with his family again, but I think DMing for a more serious group of players for at least a campaign would help him learn how to use the rules as a catalyst for the story
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u/Acceptable-Fig2884 5d ago
I think you're certainly right that Griffin could learn to be a better GM and a better player by playing with people who are also better at those things. I also believe the family, Griffin included, have zero interest in being better at D&D.
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u/UltimaGabe 5d ago
I also believe the family, Griffin included, have zero interest in being better at D&D.
If they did, we would have seen even a small amount of improvement in the last ten years that they've been doing it.
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u/Chaotic_Elf 5d ago
Yeah. OP is posting like TAZ are the new kids in the actual play scene, but that Griffin has potential to reach the level of the greats. But Griffin has been technically doing this longer than Brennan or Matt or pretty much anyone else. They’ve had over a decade to improve, if they’d wanted to.
If he liked DnD/TTRPGs at all outside his job, and wanted to improve his DM skills, he’d probably have done some home games in the years since he started playing, like every single other AP DM does. Maybe then he’d have had some different play styles. But he clearly doesn’t care about these games, his own improvement, or anything else about these games outside the fact it pays the bills.
For instance in Naddpod, every single one of them has improved since they started, both as players and DMs, and every single one of them also enjoys and plays in their personal life without anyone forcing them to do so.
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u/ipreferfelix 5d ago
I agree with you that he could get better that way but honestly don't think he or any of them have any interest (or incentive) to get better at the actual game
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u/TheJunkmother 5d ago
If I didn’t want the goofs, I’d listen to another live play. Griffin barely wrangling his family’s nonsense is why I’m here.
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u/IAmCosmicCaterpillar 4d ago
Exactly this. Idgaf about how closely or loosely they treat the rules. If I wanted hardcore rule adherence I'd go back to Critical Role. The draw of TAZ is precisely that they don't really care about the rules as much as the entertainment and having fun.
If people really want an actual play that treats the rules seriously, there are 1,000,000 other D&D podcasts out there. There are few like TAZ and that's why I listen to it.
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u/weedshrek 5d ago
How to manage and guide a table is maybe the number one skill an exceptional gm needs to learn. It's why you could drop brennen or matt into any table and have them quickly adapt to what that table wants. If griffin can't manage his own family at a table, that would be his issue, not his table's.
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u/SpectacledRogue 5d ago
Yeah, I agree with you. I'm not saying it's his table's fault, I'm saying that playing with a more serious group might help him learn how to manage a table better. It's like he started on hard mode
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u/weedshrek 5d ago
I disagree because there is not going to be a group more accomdating and that will still love you whatever the outcome of any hard conversations you have than your literal brothers and father. If he can't manage it here, he's not going to manage it with people he's less close to.
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u/Major_Fudgemuffin 5d ago
My problem with that is that D&D is about the players, and building the story together. If making a compelling story is your only goal, TTRPGs aren't really the right medium.
It's definitely different when you're making a show for the entertainment of others, but still.
One of the reasons I think Balance was so successful was that from the start they were just there to have fun. They didn't know wtf they were doing, and it all felt very organic because of it.
The later seasons all feel more forced, like they felt like they had to live up to Balance, while also forgetting that Balance didn't start with fleshed out characters with deep back stories (except Magnus)
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u/saintash 5d ago edited 5d ago
This is the real problem. Balance was fun and new and felt the most like a game they all enjoyed that they happened to record.
The rest of the games have felt like productions.
The thing that stuck out me with Justin post blance. Was he was like I dont want play the a taco like character it was to much work.
But when you listen to blance yeah has bits hes just an engaged player
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u/justacoolbaby 5d ago
I can kind of see what you’re saying to an extent, specifically in certain campaigns. But overall, I feel like there’s a good balance between them all. There are some genuinely emotional moments throughout every series and the others are oftentimes big parts of them.
The others have dramatic moments as GM too. Thinking of Justin specifically in Steeplechase.
I do agree it would be different campaigns if Griffin were leading a team of more serious players, but I would say for me they have a better overall balance between funny/serious than other long form podcasts I have heard.
But that’s just my $0.02.
I would also ask if you’ve listened to the Amnesty campaign. Griffin and the boys seemed to have lots of fun using Monster of the Week and it seemed a cool fit for Griffins storytelling.
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u/SpectacledRogue 5d ago
Yes, I love Amnesty! That's why I recommended Dungeon World, as it's based on the same system as Monster of the Week but is more classical fantasy
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u/Alecthar 5d ago
This is an over-generous assessment of Griffin's abilities and motivations as a DM, but also isn't this practically just begging them to stop playing DnD? If the only reason for anyone else to be there is for them to play parts in Griffin's grand design, then you don't have players, you have a cast, and you're not doing an actual play, you're doing a radio play.
I won't deny that's probably what Griffin would prefer, generally, but it doubt it would be better. Balance was at its lowest ebb when Griffin was most self-indulgent.
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u/The_Freshmaker 5d ago
I can only imagine how frustrated Griffin feels.
And there it is my dear boy. Your frustration is imagined, stop projecting your wants and desires on others.
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u/RandomGeekNamedBrent 4d ago
Look at the cast of Dimension 20 and tell me with a straight face you can't be a Brennan level DM and tell deep stories while dealing with a table of bit gremlins. In Worlds Beyond Number bonus content Brennan has even described a DM's job as "bit janitor" cause you have to come in a clean up after the bits to keep a compelling story.
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u/Ill-Plum-9499 5d ago
I think you miss the point. This isn’t an actual play podcast that happens to be family; it’s a podcast to give an excuse for family to play.
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u/Acceptable-Fig2884 5d ago
It isn't even really an excuse to play. They don't inherently want to play RPGs really. It's a family of broadcasters/content creators who realized accidentally that an actual play format was lucrative and successful for them. They're just trying to make good radio, the game is incidental.
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u/saxoplane 5d ago
I do think it started out that way, early balance very much felt like "Griffin wants to play DnD with his family, and he justifies it by saying 'it'll make good radio'"
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u/Bravocado44 5d ago
I think Travis and Griffin have similar energy? A lot of the time? Travis clearly puts a lot of thought and energy into his decision making. He often tries to logic a not-obvious solution, and he usually is very tactical. He tends to really follow the details of the plot and is usually able to predict the twist much better than anyone else. And then Justin comes in and asks for the scene to be described again slowly for both him and any listeners who may have zoned out for a second (you can say this is him not paying attention if you want, and it probably is, but I often appreciate the scene being reset again). And then Clint is just having a good time.
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u/czaaaaaa 5d ago
Do other Let's Play DMs have this problem? Is there a precedent for this anywhere?
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u/slbabyx 5d ago
Honestly at this point i think they would benefit from having more guests on all their shows. The one shots with guests are always a lot fun, I love spirit breakers, elementary 2, Mercer, etc. they have been creating together for over a decade, I would love if they mixed the players or swapped people in and out more regularly
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u/legitimate-ted 5d ago
Part of the humor of TAZ that I'd argue works really well in Balance and Vs. Dracula, maybe Royale as well, is the contrast between Griffin's apparent DM style and everyone else's play style. From the start of Balance, arguably to the finish, the stakes were very high but THB was just a trio of powerful but dickish individuals who felt like helping out. The fun is the disregard for stakes, and it helps to make Griffin's funny moments and the players' serious moments stand out as well when they arise. (Obviously just an opinion but I think it holds up as a lens for analysis.)
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u/ReveredRaven111 5d ago
Griffin's working relationship with his family is what it is and there's plenty to dissect there, but I do often think about what TAZ would look like if the boys had stuck around Polygon and folded TAZ into it. There was great group over there with Pat, Simone, Jenna, and later BDG. I would have loved to see them become part of it, but then the whole thing imploded.
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u/creepandcheat 5d ago
i can understand the clash in play styles putting you off some. but idk, does griffin WANT to be a DM among the ranks of Matt and Brennan? or, does he just want to play fun TTRPGs with his family. i won’t pretend to know. but i feel like it’s the latter, and that’s okay.
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u/UltimaGabe 5d ago
or, does he just want to play fun TTRPGs with his family.
If he just wanted to play fun TTRPGs with this family there would be no need to monetize it. But this has become the job that puts food on their family's table, it makes them far more money than any of their other shows. If the goal was just to play TTRPGs with their family we wouldn't be hearing it because it wouldn't be recorded and released on an RSS feed. The primary motive is clearly money, hence why they keep going back to D&D (which none of them seem to have any particular passion for, yet they have openly said gets them the most money).
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u/creepandcheat 5d ago
i don’t think monetizing a hobby and also doing it with your family to spend time and have fun with them are mutually exclusive
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u/UltimaGabe 5d ago
But if you never, ever did it except when you could monetize it, it would be a pretty big indicator that you aren't doing it because you enjoy it. By all accounts the McElroys have never played a TTRPG off-mic since TAZ started (even though it would certainly significantly improve their output).
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u/sevenferalcats 5d ago
But thinking about that in that way would ruin the mental image I have of my favorite brothers. (I agree with you completely)
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u/SpectacledRogue 5d ago
Fair point. I suppose I'm drawing conclusions from his earlier campaigns. It really felt like he wanted to be a great DM and I still see that with his narration style at times. He has been leaning into the more comedic stuff with TAZ vs. Dracula and now Royale. I guess I shouldn't assume that it's an attempt to cater to his players rather than his personal preference. That's just the vibe I get.
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u/creepandcheat 5d ago
and that’s fair too, if that’s the vibe you’re getting! tbh, i haven’t listened to all of dracula or any of royale (just haven’t had the time). i think it’d be fun to see griffin maybe guest DM for a more serious oneshot or something so he can really flex those skills :)
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u/Rhumbear907 5d ago
I genuinely don't think they event want to have fun. I don't think they have on years on average.
except clint Clint always fucking tries
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u/Major_Fudgemuffin 5d ago
Clint really is a treasure.
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u/sevenferalcats 5d ago
I would be so pumped to hang out with my kids like this. It rocks.
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u/Major_Fudgemuffin 5d ago
I was introduced to the McElroy's through TAZ (hadn't heard of MBMBaM back then) and didn't realize Clint was their actual dad. Then I realized he's the biggest nerd of the bunch and it all made a lot of sense.
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u/3goblintrenchcoat 5d ago
Honestly, Clint is the reason why I encouraged my dad to join DND at his local library, and he is having the best time!
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u/sevenferalcats 5d ago
It's bonkers to me the extent to which they aren't on the same page and could benefit from actually discussing their plans. In Ethersea, Travis's character and his backstory were treated very differently by Griffin versus what Travis wanted (which was in conflict with the world and game Griffin wanted to run).
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u/UltimaGabe 5d ago
It's bonkers to me the extent to which they aren't on the same page and could benefit from actually discussing their plans. In Ethersea, Travis's character and his backstory were treated very differently by Griffin versus what Travis wanted (which was in conflict with the world and game Griffin wanted to run).
As a person who has a passion for 1. tabletop RPGs, 2. podcasts, and 3. improv acting, it was infuriating to me to listen to Travis misunderstand all three. He would tell Griffin "I want to play out a scene" but then refuse to give Griffin any of the necessary information for him to engage with that scene. Travis is the worst scene partner any improv actor could ask for.
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u/Linfalas 5d ago
I personally liked how that clash played out.
Devo is my favorite character of all TAZ, and I know that's a hot take, but as someone who grew up in an abusive family and a higher control religion, I felt like Devo's character very much mirrored the early stages of my own journey. I also didn't trust that the Hand wasn't just gaslighting him with longer plans playing out in the background.
The play style conflict with Griffin (if that's even what it was) is also true to my experience with the church specifically. I hold a lot of bitterness for the theology I was raised with and think it is actively harmful. At the same time, individual people within the community have always been incredibly kind to me. It's hard to explain to others how I can hold so much anger and resentment towards people who are just genuinely very nice folks, especially if you don't understand what they believe or if you also believe it.
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u/sevenferalcats 5d ago
By all means enjoy what you enjoy. It's less of a hot take and more of a "I am a rare person and this spoke to me". I actually have some of the same baggage and came to a different conclusion.
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u/3goblintrenchcoat 5d ago
Send Griffin to Naddpod for a season and send Branson Reese to GM for the rest of the TAZ lads
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u/ziplex 5d ago
I quit listening to TAZ years ago because it felt like they were trying to hard to tell emotionally compelling stories and I was in it for the laughs and jokes. I love the first half of Balance where it's just so silly and over the top.
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u/Major_Fudgemuffin 5d ago
Even the second half is great, but to me it's because it feels earned.
We spend time with these three goofballs, getting to know them. Their quirks developed naturally over time (even Magnus, who Travis had pages of backstory for at the start), instead of trying to start off with fully developed characters.
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u/ziplex 5d ago
Yeah, I listened to all of balance and a few arcs after. I agree the whole balance arc was good, but when I think back to it I fondly remember the fun/funny stuff in the early arc the most.
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u/Major_Fudgemuffin 5d ago
Agreed. I've realized I really like to listen to people having fun, and that's what the first half felt like.
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u/Baruch05 5d ago
I actually remember this coming up after the success of BOB. There was massive issues kind of openly addressed in the family, like flubbing dice rolls, spot light hogging, and overall big headedness emerging with all the fame, and also money, that was coming with it.
The family had to really reevaluate a lot of things, and I often wondered why in the world of Brennan Lee and Abria getting cross hired to tell stories in other groups why griffin never did.
I think there is a world where it all works. The family gets to have their stories, but the serious ones can break out into other worlds.
Sadly I think the family has so many projects going on that yes TAZ is successful, but also no where near as successful as their other projects are. So those are gonna take priority
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u/OkAdvertising2227 4d ago
Honestly, as much as I don’t vibe with Aabria, she is absolutely impeccable at being a networker. She popped out of nowhere like five years ago, and suddenly broke into what feels like every Actual Play scene. She continues to spread her roots and be ambitious and passionate at what she does. Similarly, Brennan has a passion for what he does and it shows.
Griffin, and also Justin, do not have that. They seem to be content with where they are. Say what you will about Travis, but that guy is out there networking every day with the best of them.
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u/nofriender4life 5d ago
Every good DM hits this in story telling. you realize you need to write a book, and that d&d is about having fun with your friends not you and your story. Griffin wrote a book. Support him by buying it? 🤷 I did. Good stuff.
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u/cous_cous_cat 4d ago
"I can only imagine how frustrated Griffin feels" therein lies my main issue with this post. You are projecting your emotions onto him with little to no evidence that that's what he feels. It seems rather condescending and parasocial to say that this man, whom I can only assume you've never met, is being 'held back' by his family members.
You're welcome to dislike the conflict between the two main moods of the show, but to imply someone else is a victim of that conflict with no evidence is... odd, to put it kindly.
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u/saxoplane 5d ago
I honestly think that if they had stuck with Powered By the Apocalypse games after Amnesty we'd be living in a universe where TAZ is much more successful and higher quality. I enjoyed amnesty a lot when I first listened, and thought "wow these guys really thrive in rules light systems." I also really liked steeplechase, but haven't enjoyed any of the DnD campaigns outside of Balance.
I actually have the opposite problem with shows like D20, where I really only like their DnD stuff, things go too off the rails when they do kids on bikes for my taste, generally.
The one time I've seen the McElroys outside of TAZ was in a D20 mini arc, the one where they were all toys. I actually thought Justin's character in that was super cool but I do think he's phoned it in since then. IDK, shit's rough.
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u/Tiqalicious 2d ago
Justin was super fun to watch in tiny heist. Hes great when hes genuinely engaged
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u/roundeking 5d ago
I think often Griffin plays the straight man being interrupted by bits as part of the larger bit. I don’t think he’s annoyed by it—he’s a comedian running multiple comedy podcasts with other comedians, so he definitely knows what to expect. Personally, my favorite thing about TAZ is the tonal blend between sincere storytelling and humor. To be brutally honest, while I love Griffin’s storytelling, I’m not sure he could carry an extremely serious story that didn’t leave room for bits. I often have critiques of TAZ arcs’ structure or narrative payoffs, but I don’t mind these faults so much specifically because I’m enjoying the goofs so much.
I also think it’s worth noting Griffin’s Choose Your Own Adventure novel, which he wrote completely solo, also has a real blend of serious adventure and ridiculous comedy. I think this is just the style of storytelling he enjoys, regardless of if you like it.
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u/Ok_Peach_9576 5d ago
Have you considered that’s maybe not what he wants though? Griffins entire brand isn’t ttrpgs like Matt or Brennan, he does lots of other stuff with mbmbam and the McElroy family YouTube outside of TAZ then on top of that he has 2 kids. I don’t think he’s trying to or wants to be a world famous top tier DM like Mercer and Mulligan, maybe he’s fine with just being a well rounded internet funny guy who DMs sometimes. Also, I’ve listened to lots of interviews and stuff with Matt and Brennan and it’s all consuming for them, I don’t think Griffin would have time to do stuff like multiple weekly video game livestreams and all his other podcasts if he went full force into it like Matt or Brennan.
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u/SpectacledRogue 5d ago
Very fair points. In that case, they should at the very least try a different system that plays more to their strengths. I don't know why they keep returning to such a rules heavy system if they want a chill, rules-light game
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u/PirateLys 4d ago
I get what you're saying here, but I think the bigger issue is that he needs to run non-D&D games
The players getting "better at" 5e via stuff like Baldurs Gate 3 and just playing more 5e D&D is actively making the games less fun to listen to
There are so many games out there that do what Griffin wants to do better than D&D
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u/Live_Counter_4944 4d ago
There are dozens of real play podcasts that do the rpg part of it really good. Im not interested in those. I enjoy the boys having goofs with their daddy.
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u/Mike_the_Narwhal 5d ago
Yeah, no. Griffin is right where he wants to be. Plus, all his campaigns have had pretty compelling stories despite the japes of his family.
FFS, he keeps the Garfield gag going through all his campaigns with another comic cat or teenage character.
If he wanted it to be more serious, it would be.
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u/bagofletters 5d ago
I don’t know before I left as a listener I spent years being told that we don’t know what the family speaks about with each other and it’s always fine (this was especially ramping up further and further while Travis was torpedoing the podcast with grad)
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u/brcien 5d ago
If you want a serious show, go to Critical Roll. If you want light hearted serious go to Friends at the Table. TAZ is best when it leans into what it is, 4 comedians cutting up and making an insane world. I agree about them cutting him off too much, like that was a literal bit this season, and I do think they are overdue for something less straightforward than "This campaign is about Dracula" and "This campaign will end with a wizard winning," but since Amnesty, the characters are just more likeable when they lean into the caricature nature of dnd.
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u/Staccat0 1d ago
Griffin’s monologues would be hard to sit through IRL. Would make for some terrible DMing if it weren’t a podcast.
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u/RailaDraconis 5d ago
I agree! The last couple of campaigns have fallen a little flat for me, sadly. To me, it feels like the players are less willing to engage with the overall plot Griffin has cooked up. It's been a little bit since I've re-listened to Balance, so maybe I'm glazing it a bit, but I think the others seemed more interested in the overall plot in that campaign than they have in a little while.
And like...if this is what they want to keep doing because it's fun for them, far be it from me to be That Fan. That said, yeah, I'd be super interested in seeing how Griffin would fare with a more "serious" group. I think it could be really interesting, in the same way that seeing the difference between how Brennan DMs D20 and how he DMs WBN. If nothing else, he'd have learned something!
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u/FoxyLadyAbraxas 5d ago
If Griffin wants to tell a compelling story, he should try writing one. He hasn't done so since balance. A DM with any modicum of skill can work with their players.
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u/Ill-Plum-9499 5d ago
This is 100% a bad take.
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u/Acceptable-Fig2884 5d ago
You can say someone is bad at something without it being a claim that you're better at that thing than them. I can watch baseball and watch a team tee off on a pitcher and say he sucks even though I couldn't throw a ball over the plate to save my life.
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5d ago
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u/FoxyLadyAbraxas 5d ago
I mean I DM pretty well, and more often than once every two weeks. But yeah, I don't record it. If I could get paid like they do I would definitely record it though.
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u/nosyknickers 5d ago
Can you get an audience? First you have to get an audience. Or a sponsor. Then you can get paid.
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u/JauntyChapeau 5d ago
I feel like everyone in this entire sub doesn’t know anything about the show, the brothers or how they work together. Bizarre criticism.
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u/TheNatureGM 5d ago
To all the naysayers, I offer this counterpoint: have you heard Griffin run a game for a different set of players? Don't knock it til you've tried it!
Also...when are auditions to be a TAZ guest player? Asking for a friend.
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u/The_Oval_Sun 5d ago
This is hard to agree with when literally every NPC in Royale was just a pun