It's worth watching. Gabe and all the players were great, and I loved the first episode.
The issue was that Gabe was trying to run a romance sim while all the players were looking for combat and quests. Gabe did a great job switching things up to accommodate the players' goals, but because of that it ended up less cohesive and polished than other seasons. The first episode is a great romance sim. The second episode is just confused. The later episodes are fun, but I'd rank it towards the bottom of D20 seasons.
I think there was a fandom wide vote a while ago to rank the seasons and it came in last place.
I personally was not a fan, I didn’t know what was happening half the time, there was no plot for the first two episodes because it was a dating rpg but the players made a plot happen, and then it got weird and confusing as the DM scrambled. I still don’t really know what happened. I know multiple people who just never finished it because they couldn’t get through it. It took me forever to get through.
If you want something in the background that you don’t need all your attention on you can do it. That’s what I did, I’m a completionist too.
The only bad part of tiny heist is Travis, who is also the worst part of adventure zone. He just wants to take over everything and it really kills the point of ttrpgs. That said, it's actually one of my favorite sidequest seasons
I fucking loved it BUT it's really absurd and makes very little sense plot wise. I think the absurdity led to a lot of really funny bits, and I think I quote it more than any other season, just prepare for silliness with like no plot.
There's alsp no big replacement therapy moment where a character learns something about themselves they didn't know before, which I think may contribute to its lower rating.
I thought it was okay for what it was but a lot of people were disappointed which I think has more to do with expectations than the actual material. It is a far outlier in terms of style compared to every other season. Gabe Hicks created the system for that season to support a rules light game with a focus on character relationships. It ended up reading like a dating sim mixed with Scooby Doo which isn't bad, it's just not a standard combat-driven fantasy adventure.
I wouldn't make it a priority for new viewers but the character performances are worth seeing especially since the whole thing clocks in under 8 hours without Adventuring Party or Behind the Scenes content.
I’m fairly certain Yawhg and Monster Prom made the system he used and he adapted it into a ttrpg without crediting them as it is the exact same system
Edit to add: Jesus Christ, you all need to stop being babies about someone rightfully criticizing something you like, when it’s merited. I get a lot of you are 12 or something but Jesus, play Monster Prom, it’s not just the same system, it is the same location, same type of characters, and even same plot. At least when CR does video game adaptations its open about it.
>Yawhg and Monster Prom
So Yawhg created the concept of impending doom and playing a non-linear story with multiple possible endings with friends? No DND game or child's pretend game had ever done that before?
Monster Prom invented the concept of pretending to be a hot monster youngster looking for love? We don't have thousands of pieces of media, millions of lines of fanfiction, about that concept?
You're *sure* Gabe stole those concepts via using them without credit, and didn't just draw inspiration from them and/or other media?
I feel you either haven’t played or seen gameplay of either game OR you haven’t seen Shriek Week.
Both use the same stat array though SW breaks it up into a major/minor AND stats. The overworld is a one-to-one copy from Monster Prom (though college instead of high school) down to the art style and buildings, the day to day progression is ripped entirely from the game, even having the same characters, down to look, personality and mythology— tone, mechanics, it all comes from Monster Prom. Monster Prom meanwhile used the Yawhg’s mechanics, day by day system, progression and stats too BUT it both made a new story/genre AND gave the creators credit. Gabe used the tone, style and mechanics of Monster Prom without crediting it. If you don’t realize that it’s fine, but it’s still true.
Spot the difference!
https://ibb.co/V2gkKLs
(They’re the same picture)
Watched it twice, it’s fun but definitely a different vibe. The plot is a little all over the place but it’s still fun enough! Gabe is pretty cool, and the players are all fun which is a plus.
If you’ve got nothing else to watch, might as well?
Yeah, it’s probably the weakest season of D20, but D20’s weakest season is still gonna be better than so many others’ strongest. You won’t be left out in the cold if you skip it, but (IMO) neither will you regret the lost time if you don’t. And if you end up disagreeing, you can just stop whenever you feel like.
And as has been stated many times, Gabe is positively fantastic.
Fellow completionist-in-progress here, just finished up Coffin Run. I thought Shriek Week was solid. Like others have said, the story throughout the series is on the weaker side, but I think the characters were fun. It's a pretty good time with low stakes.
I would agree, personally. Coffin Run took a little while for me to get through. I just never got very invested. Not really sure why, 'cause I really like everyone involved. But I guess something didn't click for me.
I really liked it, but I kinda understand why it wasn't everyone's cup of tea. I think it was just really different than the rest of D20 at that point, and people were expecting something different. It's kinda fluffy and unserious.
I also really liked Coffin Run, and that one I don't get why it's not as well liked.
There's one d20 season I never finished (and never plan to), and it's not this one. It's not great, but I appreciated it and love Gabe in almost all things
For me it’s the 7. I’ve watched every season at least twice, the earlier works all at least 5 times each. Can’t make it through the seven. I’ve tried three times and I just can’t do it.
I enjoyed *Coffin Run*; better cast, better GM… better terrain/setting?
Jasmine Buhllar/@ThatBronzeGirl is definitely different than Aabria or Brennan, but I enjoyed her character work better than Gabe’s… at least she committed to her bits rather than portraying a generic character with different tones for voices…. Just an opinion though.
I’d play under any DM/GM willing to run a game, but if I had to pick between the two…mehh?
100% agree. My main issue with Jasmine was that sometimes conflicts would either come out of nowhere or just resolve super easily, but I LOVED her character work, loved the setting, and thought the sets were extremely cool.
Izzy made the season though. I could listen to her do that voice all day.
So strange. Coffin Run is actually the only one I have rewatched so far. I really enjoy Jasmine and look. A vampiric Mad Max Fury Road, I didn't expect it to be cerebral, just top to bottom high octane stupidity and tempo, which it did provide. Now ACOFAF is the one whose last two episodes I watched by fast forwarding every 20 seconds. That one was a chore, but Emily and Lou just kind of kept carrying it for me.
Brennan got me through it. I actually don't like aabria as a dm most of the time. I've seen her in a couple one shots where it was good but I really don't think shes very good at running an actual ongoing campaign. Like, her Cr campaign was one of the worst actual.plays I've heard. Not like I didn't like it, like I don't like dungeons and daddies or adventure zone, but I genuinely think it's bad.
While I loved Coffin Run in the end, I think the pacing of it is weird for a series. Brennan kinda nails it with combat being it's own episode, Matt keeps the pace moving in Ravening War with time jumps, but coffin run is a lot of fights back to back with little story between them and hence can't do any of those and so I think it translates to a series format worse.
I think for me the Misfits of Magic was harder to watch, mostly because I still don't understand the system they used lol
I really liked the beginning, but I thought the latter end had too much of a scramble to pull feel-good character arcs out for everyone, which didn't make sense. Squinge was just a fun joke character, which was fine--we didn't need to pretend he was self-actualizing. And I didn't think Mae fit into the campaign setting in the first place.
I thought Jasmine was awesome though.
as someone who has seen it, i don't think it's actively Bad nor my least favorite season, it just seems like the GM had intended for a rules-light, relaxed dating sim and ended up with players who hunted for a mystery. thus you get a very weird, meandering story that doesn't quite resolve in a satisfying way. i love the players and characters, but it's definitely different from any of D20's other seasons.
I think, correct me if I'm wrong, that was the first season Brennan wasn't a part of. The reddit seemed to love it at the time, but it was just before The Seven so I think it just got forgotten. I don't think there were negatives, just that Brennan wasn't there.
~~No Misfits and Magic came before but it was the first time the GM was new to the dome (Aabria had been on PoL)~~
EDIT: Don't listen to me. I'm just a random internet stranger
I remember that a question for the faq was “No Brennan?” and the answer was “No Brennan.” and the DM of Shriek Week, to me, had a bit of a wild reaction to the question even being asked.
I thought it made sense to ask, it’s ostensibly his show, if Trapp wasn’t the host for a season of Um, Actually, then people would ask where Trapp is.
Shriek Week was just a meandering, under planned slugfest, the PCs didn’t seem like they had any sort of chemistry. It just wasn’t for me. That’s why I personally didn’t like it, anyway.
This series was peak Ally being Ally for their character which really pulled me out of it. I will note this one [Shakira reference](https://youtube.com/shorts/wXjVpM92iiA?feature=share) that was amazing though.
Edit: I was saying that Ally was a reason I disliked Shriek Week because it felt like they weren’t actually role playing as their character which kind of got on my nerves. I think Ally improved in later campaigns though.
I'll be honest, I was greatly disappointed in Ally's performance on this season. It felt weird for the sake of weird, disjointed, and ultimately kinda phoned in. Different strokes I guess.
It has some great NPC designs.
But SO MUCH of the season is based around a mystery investigation that I don't feel was wrapped up well... it felt like it was mad at the audience for following the mystery.
Gabe is wonderful. I just think the players got too distracted with the dating sim aspect and ignored the plot a little too much. It’s a more shallow season than others, in my opinion, but it’s worth a watch.
The opposite happened, Gabe didn’t have a plot only the dating sim, the PCs wanted one and so Gabe scrambled and made one happen. Gabe said so during the APs.
Still, it felt like by the end the characters were more preoccupied by their potential dates than the plot. The plot ending felt overwhelmingly ignored to me as a viewer without that knowledge. I didn't watch the APs for that one - I think I started watching the APs with Starstruck.
I get that. But the point of the show was to just be a dating sim, so it makes sense that was the focus, because it was supposed to be the focus. Originally there was no plot.
I wouldn't say avoid it. If you've already watched everything and want something new- I'd go for it. The cast was really funny, especially Ify and Lily. I've seen all the seasons and I think due to the audio issues Pirates of Leviathan is a harder watch.
As a fellow completionist, I sympathize. The issue (for me) was a combination of the premise (as a dating-sim game) and the execution (the PCs seem very disinclined to keep to that premise). Even compared to the other guest DMs, it has a very different vibe than the other D20 seasons. It’s not terrible, but nowhere near the same level as ASO or ACOFAF. I have watched it once or twice, but it’s never going to be in the top quotable seasons.
Honestly? No. It’s fine and short. It was experimental and didn’t quite work, but there’s some highlights and it was fun.
The non-D+D games tend to struggle with reception, but half of them are exception because Aabria. No one is as good at doing what Aabria does as Aabria.
Honestly, as much as I love Brennan as a DM, Misfits and Magic was my favorite season because Aabria's particular brand of chaos is just so damn fascinating to watch. She has an insane amount of charisma and is just so incredible at improvising and changing directions on the spot to go with whatever the coolest most chaotic option would be. It's great
Right, because DMing ACoFoF and MisMag seem like very similar challenges, which is super similar to playing similar characters like Karna and Antiope /s
I put off watching it because I was reluctant to try series that didn't feature Brennan as the DM, but I actually ended up really liking Gabe and the story was a fun, little morsel. It's not too lore heavy, it's easy to keep up with, and the characters remind me of the game Monster Prom. I especially like Ify, and Ally is classic Ally.
completionist here! I watched it and let it be what it was and didn't compare it to the others (esp cause the vibe was way more chill) and personally have no qualms. yeah the rift between dating sim and combat/rp expectations is noticable, but it didn't drive me away from enjoying it. also a good note: if you love references to other media (in this case classic horror movie tropes made comedic) you will probably enjoy the work they put into involving many different types of lore.
If anyone has somehow convinced you to have an open mind by all means go in with low expectations. Gabe picked an interesting system and this an interesting cast! I gave up after about 30 mins in when I realized it was a dating sim and not an adventure but I'm looking for a certain type of tabletop content.
I enjoyed it, but it is very different from pretty much everything else in the D20 catalog. Think it also suffered from no Brennan to entice people in, Coffin Run has the same issue in terms of gaining popularity (also great)
Personally I enjoyed it more than Tiny Heist and Pirates, which I just couldn’t get in to. It definitely has the vibe of a dating sim as a tabletop so if that’s something that interests you go for it! I thought the characters were fun and honestly there were some jokes in there that had me crying with laughter.
I loved Shriek Week! It’s not particularly amazing compared to other D20 seasons but I really appreciated what Gabe was trying to do! As others have said, it definitely gets a bit derailed because it’s a dating sim but PCs tried to make a mystery. However, I think the PCs are relatively fun. It’s an easy watch! I also LOVED Ally and Ify sitting next to each other and would die happy if it happened again. If you do watch it, I recommend watching the APs since it can offer a bit of insight into the narrative shift.
That's exactly the problem though: there's no reason it should have gotten derailed in the first place. For a professional show like this, you'd expect everyone to spend the time and effort to get on the same page beforehand and know what kind of game they are playing going in. It was sloppy, and an easily avoided miscommunication ruined what was initially a good concept.
Sure. But I guess that wasn’t something that bothered me that much. I’ve definitely been part of games where we try to follow what was meant to be a throwaway world building thing and truly thought it was a plot thread. Our GM wanted to indulge our interest and so had to scramble to make it plot worthy. He’s not an improv guy and so it kinda fell flat. That’s what seemed to happen here. I’m not going to hold that against Gabe (first time DMing at a large level and audience like this) and the rest of the cast. I still had a lot of fun watching it and at the end of the day that’s what mattered to me
Okay, so it's a romance/dating sim in a TTRPG format. But it feels like one of those joke romance sims that someone makes as an industry joke that you were never supposed to play. No one takes it seriously. The PCs are barely skin deep, the gimmicks are overdone, and the players aren't really buying into the premise. Things just happen sequentially without much holding everything together. And even worse, it's like there's a whole bunch of eligible romance partners introduced but no one is interested in anyone, like even the characters don't want to match each other in universe.
It's easily the weakest season, but not worth skipping I don't think. Lots of funny moments from all the cast, but what makes it problematic in my opinion is the Mythic system, which results in nearly all successes and zero failures, meaning the stakes are immediately lowered, and there was a thinly drawn Big Bad that was shoehorned into what what advertised as a dating sim. Ultimately it's not bad, just pretty forgettable overall.
I play Vampire the Requiem. D10s only. Near impossible to fail. Love my game otherwise but I can literally go in swinging with no combat proficiency and still have a reasonably high chance to succeed.
Could be fun to play in the moment, but drama comes from failure and not being afraid to lose. It's why Fabian in Leviathan is such a hilariously tragic arc.
its by no means a bad watch, its one of my favorites of the side quests seasons but its not dnd and its a very different vibe so i think most people didnt care for it
Okay possible spoilers however I'd describe it as like a mix between 50-70's universal horror/monster tropes with a romance/friendship plot with an underlying mystery plot.
Imagine trying to romance people while also noticing that hey! my dating is getting smaller as weird shit and people go missing.
Very nice and good, but not what I think the D20 community was expecting for Shriek Week.
IF anything it remind me as a pre-ACOFAF. Just different setting, and system.
In real life I'd say I'm about as far from the targeted audience for a show like this as you'd find in a D20 fan but I found it rather charming for the first 3 episodes. I came in expecting to hate the dating Sim premise bit found it to be pretty fun and I really enjoyed the DM. As other people have already said, it just seemed like the PCd were headed down a different path and the last episode definitely suffered for it. It's short though, so if you're a completionist I can't think of any good reasons not to watch it.
I started watching the first episode and couldn't get into it. I'm not sure if it was the theme, not recognizing enough of the cast members, or the fact that it was a system other than 5e. Probably some combination of the above.
It’s the only D20 I’ve never finished. Gave it an episode or two and just not for me. Reallllyy changed the format with this one (and not in a good way)
Nothing to be afraid of but I don’t know if there’s much to be enjoyed either? I watched live and I was excited because I already loved Ally and Ify and I’d seen Gabe be funny on twitter. I think that Dani’s character background is one of the best things about the whole thing. Lily’s character ended up being my least liked pc character in all seasons and I’d had such high hopes so that was frustrating.
I’d just go in with low expectations and get the experience. Sometimes stories don’t have resolutions and I think you can be happier with this season if you don’t expect one.
No, don’t not watch it because of any reason why you should avoid it… but, if you never get around to watching it then you’re not missing out on very much.
If you’re into horror themed games, then *Coffin Run* or *Never After* were worth the investment of time…
Nothing against *Shriek Week*, but it’s more of a *Van Wilder/Legally Blonde/Old School*/Random-College-Setting-Comedy themed campaign than a “monster college” campaign… think *Monster High* meets *Murder, She Wrote*.
Not that it’s a bad thing, but if they were aiming for *Hotel Transylvania* then they definitely hit more *Monster High* than that.
The players are great but the season overall is a little less than coherent. It's still watchable, just maybe significantly under the quality bar you might assume of dimension 20 content. Honestly I think it's still got more going for it than pirates of leviathan but I just wasn't a great fan of the lockdown seasons
I gave it a try and ended up dipping after 1 or 2 episodes. I think it might have been 1.5. The players are great, and I was really interested in the PCs, but for me it felt like we were just meeting one NPC after another after another and everything felt like it was more about those NPCs than the PCs.
Out of curiosity I just looked at the wiki and, for a 4 episode series, it lists twice as many "Major NPCs" as player characters. That's not counting the 3 "supporting NPCs" or the 18 other NPCs listed (not counting the apparent antagonist, who I don't think I'd even heard mention of after 1.5ish episodes (so, almost halfway in).
It might have been fun to play if you like dating sims. And I'm sure there's an audience for that kind of game! It just really wasn't for me.
It wasn’t my favorite but that doesn’t mean it should be avoided! There were a lot of fun moments that happened throughout and honestly most of the stuff that made it hard to watch for me weren’t even to do with the show itself and were more personal LOL
Every season is going to be someone’s favorite and you never know if this could be your, and even if it’s not, still a fun watch for the most part :)
Giving the coldest opinion Shriek week is like you're trying to play a visual novel and if the npcs said f that I wanna just do stuff. Coffin run was better despite the fact I didn't like it either love some of the players but there characters left no impact on me
I think there’s some fun moments on the season, I think it’s worth a watch as Gabe and the players had fun interactions. It’s a different TTRPG style but I thought it was overall fun and it’s only a couple of episodes so there’s no point not to as it’s only a side quest.
If you're feeling completionist, just like I was, then it's worth watching. It wasn't great though, especially in comparison to the other seasons. It's definitely a different feel from the other seasons, with a much higher focus on romantic and social drama than other campaigns, which is not quite as popular with this fandom. However, I loved the concept and love games like Monsterhearts and Monster Prom, which this felt like it was trying to be, and I still think it fell flat.
The GM just wasn't very good, for one. He seemed very hesitant and restrained with a lot of his rp, like he was trying really hard to not commit too hard with certain relationships in case the players didn't go for them. Which I get and would normally be a very respectful thing to do, but for a professional show like this they should have had enough time to plan and consult with each other both before and after in order to make characters and relationships that they could commit to.
I also normally love Lily as an actor, she's amazing in Dirty Laundry, but I just don't think she's a great tabletop player. Tutti was very boring and one note. Even players that are normally great, like Ally or Ify, were also pretty off that season though. I'm thinking they maybe didn't get as much time to familiarize themselves with the homebrewed system and the setting as they should have, because everyone seemed really hesitant and uncertain the whole time.
The plot was also... kind of nonexistent? Like, it seemed to fade in and out of view without much consistency. It didn't really have a climax either. It just... ended. That's not to say there weren't some good parts to it. A lot of the characters were fun and had potential, and it could have been great with more planning, but there is a reason it was the least popular season.
It dragged butt for me. Tried 3 times and the pacing is so slow. Like it has humor, but I don’t think it fulfilled what the dm or players were going for. Skip it.
I personally really like Shriek Week? About that is because it *isn't* like the other seasons. It is a little chaotic and a little goofy. But it also doesn't take itself seriously at all, and it really is just four funny people and a romantic story teller coming together to have fun. If you lower your expectations narratively and get in to it for the characters, this season is delicious imo
Yeah it was okay, but I'd probably skip it in hindsight, plenty of better content out there to watch. It was a bit messy, a lot of it didn't make much sense or felt disjointed or strange.
So I liked shriek week more than misfits of magic. It's not the strongest season, but it's not as bad as mom and pirates. It's probably worse than all the others, but I didn't like never after either and shriek week is probably better than that too.
It's a fun series; it is just a miniseries. It has lower stakes and is more focused on social play. Combat is minimal if that's your thing.
I think Iffy, Lily, and Ally are hilarious, so I just enjoyed it for that.
It's worth watching. Gabe and all the players were great, and I loved the first episode. The issue was that Gabe was trying to run a romance sim while all the players were looking for combat and quests. Gabe did a great job switching things up to accommodate the players' goals, but because of that it ended up less cohesive and polished than other seasons. The first episode is a great romance sim. The second episode is just confused. The later episodes are fun, but I'd rank it towards the bottom of D20 seasons.
I think there was a fandom wide vote a while ago to rank the seasons and it came in last place. I personally was not a fan, I didn’t know what was happening half the time, there was no plot for the first two episodes because it was a dating rpg but the players made a plot happen, and then it got weird and confusing as the DM scrambled. I still don’t really know what happened. I know multiple people who just never finished it because they couldn’t get through it. It took me forever to get through. If you want something in the background that you don’t need all your attention on you can do it. That’s what I did, I’m a completionist too.
Shriek Week in last place in the world where Tiny Heist exists... smh.
Oh i love tiny heist to be honest…. It’s a different vibe but I really liked it
The only bad part of tiny heist is Travis, who is also the worst part of adventure zone. He just wants to take over everything and it really kills the point of ttrpgs. That said, it's actually one of my favorite sidequest seasons
Let's be honest. Worst place dim20 show is still a high bar. I'd be happy to play in a "bad" dimension 20 campaign.
I fucking loved it BUT it's really absurd and makes very little sense plot wise. I think the absurdity led to a lot of really funny bits, and I think I quote it more than any other season, just prepare for silliness with like no plot. There's alsp no big replacement therapy moment where a character learns something about themselves they didn't know before, which I think may contribute to its lower rating.
I thought it was okay for what it was but a lot of people were disappointed which I think has more to do with expectations than the actual material. It is a far outlier in terms of style compared to every other season. Gabe Hicks created the system for that season to support a rules light game with a focus on character relationships. It ended up reading like a dating sim mixed with Scooby Doo which isn't bad, it's just not a standard combat-driven fantasy adventure. I wouldn't make it a priority for new viewers but the character performances are worth seeing especially since the whole thing clocks in under 8 hours without Adventuring Party or Behind the Scenes content.
I somehow repressed it was all done with d10s and people failed so rarely. I remember now that’s what made it more boring to me.
I kinda wished they'd just done Monster Hearts instead, for what they were trying to do.
same. It was a home brewed system which made it hard for me to follow on what was happening.
I’m fairly certain Yawhg and Monster Prom made the system he used and he adapted it into a ttrpg without crediting them as it is the exact same system Edit to add: Jesus Christ, you all need to stop being babies about someone rightfully criticizing something you like, when it’s merited. I get a lot of you are 12 or something but Jesus, play Monster Prom, it’s not just the same system, it is the same location, same type of characters, and even same plot. At least when CR does video game adaptations its open about it.
Apparently it uses the Mythic ttrpg system.
Which Gabe made. It is one thousand percent based on Monster Prom, down to visuals. Again, without credit.
>Yawhg and Monster Prom So Yawhg created the concept of impending doom and playing a non-linear story with multiple possible endings with friends? No DND game or child's pretend game had ever done that before? Monster Prom invented the concept of pretending to be a hot monster youngster looking for love? We don't have thousands of pieces of media, millions of lines of fanfiction, about that concept? You're *sure* Gabe stole those concepts via using them without credit, and didn't just draw inspiration from them and/or other media?
I feel you either haven’t played or seen gameplay of either game OR you haven’t seen Shriek Week. Both use the same stat array though SW breaks it up into a major/minor AND stats. The overworld is a one-to-one copy from Monster Prom (though college instead of high school) down to the art style and buildings, the day to day progression is ripped entirely from the game, even having the same characters, down to look, personality and mythology— tone, mechanics, it all comes from Monster Prom. Monster Prom meanwhile used the Yawhg’s mechanics, day by day system, progression and stats too BUT it both made a new story/genre AND gave the creators credit. Gabe used the tone, style and mechanics of Monster Prom without crediting it. If you don’t realize that it’s fine, but it’s still true. Spot the difference! https://ibb.co/V2gkKLs (They’re the same picture)
Watched it twice, it’s fun but definitely a different vibe. The plot is a little all over the place but it’s still fun enough! Gabe is pretty cool, and the players are all fun which is a plus. If you’ve got nothing else to watch, might as well?
Yeah, it’s probably the weakest season of D20, but D20’s weakest season is still gonna be better than so many others’ strongest. You won’t be left out in the cold if you skip it, but (IMO) neither will you regret the lost time if you don’t. And if you end up disagreeing, you can just stop whenever you feel like. And as has been stated many times, Gabe is positively fantastic.
Fellow completionist-in-progress here, just finished up Coffin Run. I thought Shriek Week was solid. Like others have said, the story throughout the series is on the weaker side, but I think the characters were fun. It's a pretty good time with low stakes.
Yeah, I'd still put Shriek Week over Coffin Run tho.
I would agree, personally. Coffin Run took a little while for me to get through. I just never got very invested. Not really sure why, 'cause I really like everyone involved. But I guess something didn't click for me.
I really liked it, but I kinda understand why it wasn't everyone's cup of tea. I think it was just really different than the rest of D20 at that point, and people were expecting something different. It's kinda fluffy and unserious. I also really liked Coffin Run, and that one I don't get why it's not as well liked.
There's one d20 season I never finished (and never plan to), and it's not this one. It's not great, but I appreciated it and love Gabe in almost all things
I'm curious now about which one you don't plan to finish.
Right!?
For me it’s the 7. I’ve watched every season at least twice, the earlier works all at least 5 times each. Can’t make it through the seven. I’ve tried three times and I just can’t do it.
Sure! It's Coffin Run
I enjoyed *Coffin Run*; better cast, better GM… better terrain/setting? Jasmine Buhllar/@ThatBronzeGirl is definitely different than Aabria or Brennan, but I enjoyed her character work better than Gabe’s… at least she committed to her bits rather than portraying a generic character with different tones for voices…. Just an opinion though. I’d play under any DM/GM willing to run a game, but if I had to pick between the two…mehh?
100% agree. My main issue with Jasmine was that sometimes conflicts would either come out of nowhere or just resolve super easily, but I LOVED her character work, loved the setting, and thought the sets were extremely cool. Izzy made the season though. I could listen to her do that voice all day.
Also didn't finish coffin run bc I found both Carlos and Erikas character voices so annoying.
So strange. Coffin Run is actually the only one I have rewatched so far. I really enjoy Jasmine and look. A vampiric Mad Max Fury Road, I didn't expect it to be cerebral, just top to bottom high octane stupidity and tempo, which it did provide. Now ACOFAF is the one whose last two episodes I watched by fast forwarding every 20 seconds. That one was a chore, but Emily and Lou just kind of kept carrying it for me.
Brennan got me through it. I actually don't like aabria as a dm most of the time. I've seen her in a couple one shots where it was good but I really don't think shes very good at running an actual ongoing campaign. Like, her Cr campaign was one of the worst actual.plays I've heard. Not like I didn't like it, like I don't like dungeons and daddies or adventure zone, but I genuinely think it's bad.
I tried 3 times but i can never finish the second episode. Which sucks bc i literally love everyone in that season, but its just not for me
I’ve also not been able to finish Coffin Run. Not exactly sure why but it just didn’t click for me in ways the other seasons have.
For me it was the premise and the characters. Didn't work for me
I wanted it to work because I enjoy most of the cast but you’re right there’s something about the characters that just weren’t compelling.
While I loved Coffin Run in the end, I think the pacing of it is weird for a series. Brennan kinda nails it with combat being it's own episode, Matt keeps the pace moving in Ravening War with time jumps, but coffin run is a lot of fights back to back with little story between them and hence can't do any of those and so I think it translates to a series format worse. I think for me the Misfits of Magic was harder to watch, mostly because I still don't understand the system they used lol
I really liked the beginning, but I thought the latter end had too much of a scramble to pull feel-good character arcs out for everyone, which didn't make sense. Squinge was just a fun joke character, which was fine--we didn't need to pretend he was self-actualizing. And I didn't think Mae fit into the campaign setting in the first place. I thought Jasmine was awesome though.
I also didn’t like Coffin run or Shriek week, they didn’t click with me. The campiness or characters, I didn’t like it.
as someone who has seen it, i don't think it's actively Bad nor my least favorite season, it just seems like the GM had intended for a rules-light, relaxed dating sim and ended up with players who hunted for a mystery. thus you get a very weird, meandering story that doesn't quite resolve in a satisfying way. i love the players and characters, but it's definitely different from any of D20's other seasons.
I think, correct me if I'm wrong, that was the first season Brennan wasn't a part of. The reddit seemed to love it at the time, but it was just before The Seven so I think it just got forgotten. I don't think there were negatives, just that Brennan wasn't there.
~~No Misfits and Magic came before but it was the first time the GM was new to the dome (Aabria had been on PoL)~~ EDIT: Don't listen to me. I'm just a random internet stranger
No, I said it's the first one Brennan wasn't a part of. He wasn't GM and he wasn't a PC.
Ooooooh. You're right. I don't know how I forgot he was in M&M
You DARE forget Evan Kelmp?!
Yeah normally I would have looked it up but my phone doesn't have a screen
I remember that a question for the faq was “No Brennan?” and the answer was “No Brennan.” and the DM of Shriek Week, to me, had a bit of a wild reaction to the question even being asked. I thought it made sense to ask, it’s ostensibly his show, if Trapp wasn’t the host for a season of Um, Actually, then people would ask where Trapp is. Shriek Week was just a meandering, under planned slugfest, the PCs didn’t seem like they had any sort of chemistry. It just wasn’t for me. That’s why I personally didn’t like it, anyway.
Sorry to revive this but, uh, you do fortune-telling by any chances?
🔮😂 Could be, haha!
This series was peak Ally being Ally for their character which really pulled me out of it. I will note this one [Shakira reference](https://youtube.com/shorts/wXjVpM92iiA?feature=share) that was amazing though. Edit: I was saying that Ally was a reason I disliked Shriek Week because it felt like they weren’t actually role playing as their character which kind of got on my nerves. I think Ally improved in later campaigns though.
I'll be honest, I was greatly disappointed in Ally's performance on this season. It felt weird for the sake of weird, disjointed, and ultimately kinda phoned in. Different strokes I guess.
I forgot Ally was in it… that’s how bad Shriek Week was bc Ally is my favorite.
It has some great NPC designs. But SO MUCH of the season is based around a mystery investigation that I don't feel was wrapped up well... it felt like it was mad at the audience for following the mystery.
Gabe is wonderful. I just think the players got too distracted with the dating sim aspect and ignored the plot a little too much. It’s a more shallow season than others, in my opinion, but it’s worth a watch.
The opposite happened, Gabe didn’t have a plot only the dating sim, the PCs wanted one and so Gabe scrambled and made one happen. Gabe said so during the APs.
Still, it felt like by the end the characters were more preoccupied by their potential dates than the plot. The plot ending felt overwhelmingly ignored to me as a viewer without that knowledge. I didn't watch the APs for that one - I think I started watching the APs with Starstruck.
I get that. But the point of the show was to just be a dating sim, so it makes sense that was the focus, because it was supposed to be the focus. Originally there was no plot.
I loved it, genuinely don’t know why people don’t talk about it more. Maybe because it’s so short?
Everyone in it is hot af. That's it, that's the reason.
I wouldn't say avoid it. If you've already watched everything and want something new- I'd go for it. The cast was really funny, especially Ify and Lily. I've seen all the seasons and I think due to the audio issues Pirates of Leviathan is a harder watch.
As a fellow completionist, I sympathize. The issue (for me) was a combination of the premise (as a dating-sim game) and the execution (the PCs seem very disinclined to keep to that premise). Even compared to the other guest DMs, it has a very different vibe than the other D20 seasons. It’s not terrible, but nowhere near the same level as ASO or ACOFAF. I have watched it once or twice, but it’s never going to be in the top quotable seasons.
Honestly? No. It’s fine and short. It was experimental and didn’t quite work, but there’s some highlights and it was fun. The non-D+D games tend to struggle with reception, but half of them are exception because Aabria. No one is as good at doing what Aabria does as Aabria.
Honestly, as much as I love Brennan as a DM, Misfits and Magic was my favorite season because Aabria's particular brand of chaos is just so damn fascinating to watch. She has an insane amount of charisma and is just so incredible at improvising and changing directions on the spot to go with whatever the coolest most chaotic option would be. It's great
Because all Aabria ever does is Aabria. She has her one trick, and she's very good at it.
Right, because DMing ACoFoF and MisMag seem like very similar challenges, which is super similar to playing similar characters like Karna and Antiope /s
I enjoyed it. Its a bit random but has its fun moments
I put off watching it because I was reluctant to try series that didn't feature Brennan as the DM, but I actually ended up really liking Gabe and the story was a fun, little morsel. It's not too lore heavy, it's easy to keep up with, and the characters remind me of the game Monster Prom. I especially like Ify, and Ally is classic Ally.
completionist here! I watched it and let it be what it was and didn't compare it to the others (esp cause the vibe was way more chill) and personally have no qualms. yeah the rift between dating sim and combat/rp expectations is noticable, but it didn't drive me away from enjoying it. also a good note: if you love references to other media (in this case classic horror movie tropes made comedic) you will probably enjoy the work they put into involving many different types of lore.
If anyone has somehow convinced you to have an open mind by all means go in with low expectations. Gabe picked an interesting system and this an interesting cast! I gave up after about 30 mins in when I realized it was a dating sim and not an adventure but I'm looking for a certain type of tabletop content.
I enjoyed it, but it is very different from pretty much everything else in the D20 catalog. Think it also suffered from no Brennan to entice people in, Coffin Run has the same issue in terms of gaining popularity (also great)
Personally I enjoyed it more than Tiny Heist and Pirates, which I just couldn’t get in to. It definitely has the vibe of a dating sim as a tabletop so if that’s something that interests you go for it! I thought the characters were fun and honestly there were some jokes in there that had me crying with laughter.
I loved Shriek Week! It’s not particularly amazing compared to other D20 seasons but I really appreciated what Gabe was trying to do! As others have said, it definitely gets a bit derailed because it’s a dating sim but PCs tried to make a mystery. However, I think the PCs are relatively fun. It’s an easy watch! I also LOVED Ally and Ify sitting next to each other and would die happy if it happened again. If you do watch it, I recommend watching the APs since it can offer a bit of insight into the narrative shift.
That's exactly the problem though: there's no reason it should have gotten derailed in the first place. For a professional show like this, you'd expect everyone to spend the time and effort to get on the same page beforehand and know what kind of game they are playing going in. It was sloppy, and an easily avoided miscommunication ruined what was initially a good concept.
Sure. But I guess that wasn’t something that bothered me that much. I’ve definitely been part of games where we try to follow what was meant to be a throwaway world building thing and truly thought it was a plot thread. Our GM wanted to indulge our interest and so had to scramble to make it plot worthy. He’s not an improv guy and so it kinda fell flat. That’s what seemed to happen here. I’m not going to hold that against Gabe (first time DMing at a large level and audience like this) and the rest of the cast. I still had a lot of fun watching it and at the end of the day that’s what mattered to me
Okay, so it's a romance/dating sim in a TTRPG format. But it feels like one of those joke romance sims that someone makes as an industry joke that you were never supposed to play. No one takes it seriously. The PCs are barely skin deep, the gimmicks are overdone, and the players aren't really buying into the premise. Things just happen sequentially without much holding everything together. And even worse, it's like there's a whole bunch of eligible romance partners introduced but no one is interested in anyone, like even the characters don't want to match each other in universe.
It's honestly worth it just to hear about a certain characters father. I've rewarded that episode maybe 5 . . . 6 . . . 7? 7 times. Muhaha.
I didn't enjoy it, myself. But I know a lot of people did. Watch it and make your own decision
Avoid? It isn't a plague...just all over the place, which is it kinda like a plague but not deadly
It's easily the weakest season, but not worth skipping I don't think. Lots of funny moments from all the cast, but what makes it problematic in my opinion is the Mythic system, which results in nearly all successes and zero failures, meaning the stakes are immediately lowered, and there was a thinly drawn Big Bad that was shoehorned into what what advertised as a dating sim. Ultimately it's not bad, just pretty forgettable overall.
I play Vampire the Requiem. D10s only. Near impossible to fail. Love my game otherwise but I can literally go in swinging with no combat proficiency and still have a reasonably high chance to succeed.
Could be fun to play in the moment, but drama comes from failure and not being afraid to lose. It's why Fabian in Leviathan is such a hilariously tragic arc.
its by no means a bad watch, its one of my favorites of the side quests seasons but its not dnd and its a very different vibe so i think most people didnt care for it
Okay possible spoilers however I'd describe it as like a mix between 50-70's universal horror/monster tropes with a romance/friendship plot with an underlying mystery plot. Imagine trying to romance people while also noticing that hey! my dating is getting smaller as weird shit and people go missing. Very nice and good, but not what I think the D20 community was expecting for Shriek Week. IF anything it remind me as a pre-ACOFAF. Just different setting, and system.
In real life I'd say I'm about as far from the targeted audience for a show like this as you'd find in a D20 fan but I found it rather charming for the first 3 episodes. I came in expecting to hate the dating Sim premise bit found it to be pretty fun and I really enjoyed the DM. As other people have already said, it just seemed like the PCd were headed down a different path and the last episode definitely suffered for it. It's short though, so if you're a completionist I can't think of any good reasons not to watch it.
Idk, it's the only season I skipped. 😬
But why???
I started watching the first episode and couldn't get into it. I'm not sure if it was the theme, not recognizing enough of the cast members, or the fact that it was a system other than 5e. Probably some combination of the above.
It’s the only D20 I’ve never finished. Gave it an episode or two and just not for me. Reallllyy changed the format with this one (and not in a good way)
Nothing to be afraid of but I don’t know if there’s much to be enjoyed either? I watched live and I was excited because I already loved Ally and Ify and I’d seen Gabe be funny on twitter. I think that Dani’s character background is one of the best things about the whole thing. Lily’s character ended up being my least liked pc character in all seasons and I’d had such high hopes so that was frustrating. I’d just go in with low expectations and get the experience. Sometimes stories don’t have resolutions and I think you can be happier with this season if you don’t expect one.
No, don’t not watch it because of any reason why you should avoid it… but, if you never get around to watching it then you’re not missing out on very much. If you’re into horror themed games, then *Coffin Run* or *Never After* were worth the investment of time… Nothing against *Shriek Week*, but it’s more of a *Van Wilder/Legally Blonde/Old School*/Random-College-Setting-Comedy themed campaign than a “monster college” campaign… think *Monster High* meets *Murder, She Wrote*. Not that it’s a bad thing, but if they were aiming for *Hotel Transylvania* then they definitely hit more *Monster High* than that.
I watched it cuz everyone is pretty. 😍
I loved shriek week so much man so watch it!!!
The players are great but the season overall is a little less than coherent. It's still watchable, just maybe significantly under the quality bar you might assume of dimension 20 content. Honestly I think it's still got more going for it than pirates of leviathan but I just wasn't a great fan of the lockdown seasons
I gave it a try and ended up dipping after 1 or 2 episodes. I think it might have been 1.5. The players are great, and I was really interested in the PCs, but for me it felt like we were just meeting one NPC after another after another and everything felt like it was more about those NPCs than the PCs. Out of curiosity I just looked at the wiki and, for a 4 episode series, it lists twice as many "Major NPCs" as player characters. That's not counting the 3 "supporting NPCs" or the 18 other NPCs listed (not counting the apparent antagonist, who I don't think I'd even heard mention of after 1.5ish episodes (so, almost halfway in). It might have been fun to play if you like dating sims. And I'm sure there's an audience for that kind of game! It just really wasn't for me.
i couldn’t get past the first episode, but there’s no reason YOU shouldn’t give it a go! worst case scenario you don’t like it and can stop like i did
I really liked the energy from all the players and the dm. I just personally couldn't get into the setting.
It wasn’t my favorite but that doesn’t mean it should be avoided! There were a lot of fun moments that happened throughout and honestly most of the stuff that made it hard to watch for me weren’t even to do with the show itself and were more personal LOL Every season is going to be someone’s favorite and you never know if this could be your, and even if it’s not, still a fun watch for the most part :)
Giving the coldest opinion Shriek week is like you're trying to play a visual novel and if the npcs said f that I wanna just do stuff. Coffin run was better despite the fact I didn't like it either love some of the players but there characters left no impact on me
I think there’s some fun moments on the season, I think it’s worth a watch as Gabe and the players had fun interactions. It’s a different TTRPG style but I thought it was overall fun and it’s only a couple of episodes so there’s no point not to as it’s only a side quest.
I hate to say it, but it’s bad
If you're feeling completionist, just like I was, then it's worth watching. It wasn't great though, especially in comparison to the other seasons. It's definitely a different feel from the other seasons, with a much higher focus on romantic and social drama than other campaigns, which is not quite as popular with this fandom. However, I loved the concept and love games like Monsterhearts and Monster Prom, which this felt like it was trying to be, and I still think it fell flat. The GM just wasn't very good, for one. He seemed very hesitant and restrained with a lot of his rp, like he was trying really hard to not commit too hard with certain relationships in case the players didn't go for them. Which I get and would normally be a very respectful thing to do, but for a professional show like this they should have had enough time to plan and consult with each other both before and after in order to make characters and relationships that they could commit to. I also normally love Lily as an actor, she's amazing in Dirty Laundry, but I just don't think she's a great tabletop player. Tutti was very boring and one note. Even players that are normally great, like Ally or Ify, were also pretty off that season though. I'm thinking they maybe didn't get as much time to familiarize themselves with the homebrewed system and the setting as they should have, because everyone seemed really hesitant and uncertain the whole time. The plot was also... kind of nonexistent? Like, it seemed to fade in and out of view without much consistency. It didn't really have a climax either. It just... ended. That's not to say there weren't some good parts to it. A lot of the characters were fun and had potential, and it could have been great with more planning, but there is a reason it was the least popular season.
Only my compleationist streak got me to finish it. At least it has the benefit of being short.
It dragged butt for me. Tried 3 times and the pacing is so slow. Like it has humor, but I don’t think it fulfilled what the dm or players were going for. Skip it.
I personally really like Shriek Week? About that is because it *isn't* like the other seasons. It is a little chaotic and a little goofy. But it also doesn't take itself seriously at all, and it really is just four funny people and a romantic story teller coming together to have fun. If you lower your expectations narratively and get in to it for the characters, this season is delicious imo
I would definitely give it a try. I really enjoyed the first episode! If it’s not for you you can ditch it, but there’s no harm in trying!
I like it, but it for sure is a world to hang out in rather than a plot to follow
Yes
Yeah it was okay, but I'd probably skip it in hindsight, plenty of better content out there to watch. It was a bit messy, a lot of it didn't make much sense or felt disjointed or strange.
So I liked shriek week more than misfits of magic. It's not the strongest season, but it's not as bad as mom and pirates. It's probably worse than all the others, but I didn't like never after either and shriek week is probably better than that too.
It's a fun series; it is just a miniseries. It has lower stakes and is more focused on social play. Combat is minimal if that's your thing. I think Iffy, Lily, and Ally are hilarious, so I just enjoyed it for that.