if I were going to start a D&D podcast, should I pick Critical Role or The Adventure Zone?
it comes down to taste, tbh! yeah, they’re both D&D podcasts (I mean part of critical role’s Thing™️ is they have a livestream but it also comes in podcast format) but they’re both very different kind of D&D podcasts.
on the whole—obviously there are exceptions—Critical Role is a bit more straight-laced and by the books I mean literally by the book they all have Player’s Handbooks and Monster Guides on hand and whip em out all the time and Matt Mercer knows more about Dungeons and Dragons than I think I know about anything he’s also the best fucking storyteller of this age and you can fight me over that. there are maps (lord are there maps) and minis and while I wouldn’t say anyone on that show could ever be accused of being unfair, players are held to the rules. things are typically fairly serious and have the potential to get horrifically sad and emotional (I cried a lot watching Critical Role) but there’s definitely fun, goofy segments as well. kinda depends at what point in the story you’re dropping in. the drawback of CR in my opinion is the length (episodes average like 4-5 hours and their first campaign is a whopping 115 episodes) so like if you’re in it, you’re in for the long haul. or you could start their new campaign but like the first one is so excellent. the story flows very smoothly, Mercer and the cast know how to balance things, and they are the closest thing to professional D&D’ers I think you can get. also percy de rolo’s character arc is my favorite fictional narrative story in history don’t fucking @ me.
The Adventure Zone (speaking exclusively about the Balance Arc) is a bit more casual. there’s no visual element, so the environment kind of unfolds around them, if that makes sense? like, you don’t know any more about anything than the players do at any given time, and that kind of makes it fun and exciting. the McElory brothers are not experts, and it’s clear they’re learning to play as they go, which doesn’t hamper anything per se, but you just—like all forms of media—have to give them the chance to work out the kinks. if Critical Role leans towards the serious, TAZ absolutely leans the other way. they are here to make you laugh and you’re going to be doing a fucking lot of it. but after they realize this is like, A Thing and not a goofy one-off, Griffin McElroy buckles the fuck in and delivers an incredible story and things get serious and heavy in a hurry. I’ve cried over a show that has a character called Garfield the Deals Warlock. this is a fact. a lot of the charm with TAZ for me is the relationship they all have with each other. it’s literally a dad and his three sons sitting around, fucking with dice. it’s heartwarming and heroic and at times absolute fucking lunacy.
at the end of the day, I’d say go for either because you can’t go wrong, but if I had to draw a line in the sand, The Adventure Zone is a bit better suited for people who know, like, absolutely jack shit about D&D. but if you know some stuff and are in for a wild fucking ride, check out Critical Role. again, no wrong choice!
fuck it do both they’re so excellent
this ask kinda talks about the same thing if you wanted to give it a look?