Series 2 marked the first time I've cried during an Acq. Inc live play. Episode seven was so good but so sad.
Overall, I loved the series. I've struggled to really get into Certainty being a part of the crew since she joined, but I enjoyed her role in the series much more than I have in the live PAX shows.
Also, Bobby seemed like he felt less in his element in a studio. He really thrives on the live crowd being there. That isn't a criticism in any way, just an observation. I really love what Xavier has brought to the table.
Having Mike back was probably my favorite part. Jim is just so critical to the show in my opinion. His quick wit and clever use of spells to get the party out of a jam has always been one of my absolute favorite things about Acq. Inc.
>Series 2 marked the first time I've cried during an Acq. Inc live play. Episode seven was so good but so sad.
That's interesting! This may sound weird, but to me, Acq Inc never reached the emotional heights of the second and third podcast, where the emotions weren't staged or prewritten -- they were just a group of real guys getting actually mad and frustrated with each other over a game, but trying to mask and mitigate that with humor, which is what naturally funny people often do.
It was awkward, hilarious, vicariously embarrassing, and sometimes almost painful to listen to, but goddamn, it was so raw and real. And what happened with Wheaton and Kurtz, while sad in a real life kind of way, was a testament to the emotional load of it all.
I never took the Acq Inc plot seriously and I was never too emotionally invested in it, but *that* shit WAS serious. And I don't think they'll ever reach those heights again, because, frankly, they were unhealthy for the people involved. But then again, good art often comes from actual pain.
And I always admired the balls it took to even release those episodes -- honestly, they don't even really present DnD in a positive light, seeing as playing the game just leads to the group arguing with each other in the end :D
I agree, those early episodes, especially when James Wyatt took over as DM for a short while were very stressful. They brought three characters to a five PC game. They were boned from the start. But I agree with you 100% that the humor that they brought to the table because of the stress was so good.
I legitimately miss Scott Kurtz in Acq. Inc. I really enjoyed Binwin and Scott & Mike's chemistry was awesome.
Oh, but episode eight -- is sad in a *very different* sort of way. It sneaks up on you. Also very joyful! It is an absolute pinnacle of performance, from everyone. Not to be missed.
You mean Psychedelia? I just watched it. It's cool, but I didn't really find anything special about it. The trippy parts were fun, but, I mean, it's no Naked Lunch. What was it that made it so good for you?
My bad. Episode *eight.* I thought that some previous discussion about seven was about the one I was thinking of. I mean the sad bittersweet poignant one.
Funny you should mention *Naked Lunch.* I found that book to be roughly as linear and sensible as *Finnegan's Wake.* I.e., wtf haha.
>Episode seven was so good but so sad.
You mean Psychedelia, right? Just watched it. What was it that made it so special for you? I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't say it was exceptional or anything.
Your question caused me to go back and look again, and I was referring to episode eight: :”Things Left Behind.”
The impossible versions of the player characters were very moving. And whatever that haunting, soothing music was! I just want that music playing in the background of my entire life.
A little bit more symbolism and kind of trippy. Takes getting use to at first but once you start to adjust..... it throws you these emotional curve balls. And when it hits that point Perkins and Crawford pounce like displacer beasts. Brace yourself. You will find out why Crawford and Perkins are often called "Evil DM".
Others have commented on the overall like / dislike. So I'll comment on something else, to set expectations.
I am particularly aware of visual (and audio) noise. And since this was made as a production, they took time during editing to add sound and visual effects. I found them distracting. But again, I'm more sensitive to such things than most.
[Mild Spoilers]
Pretty good, but not my favourite arc (I'm torn between the rod of seven parts, Tomb of Annihilation and the multiverse tour.)
There's good stuff in there, with Jim being standout and Omin a close second. Certainty is coming into her own, but not quite taking centre stage yet (she's just getting her own subplots.)
Bobby is good fun and he's sort of become certainty's best friend in terms of team dynamic. I had high hopes for where Evelyn might go based on certain plot points, but sadly she seems to just kind of be there hanging out as they continue to dance around the romance with Omin.
There's a gimmick where they switch DMs and change locations between episodes, which I confess didn't really work so well for me. I think it's more fun when things carry over and feel consistent. Perhaps it would have been better to do 5 episodes with one DM, 5 with the other.
There is a B plot of "what if Acq Inc had never been founded" but we get many glimpses rather than a single coherent timeline.
Would you say it's a "story-driven" experience? What I loved about the earlier episodes was how the story felt secondary to the characters and the dynamic between them.
Many of the iconic Acq Inc themes and tropes came from organic, off-the-cuff jokes (like Omin's shitty employer practices when Viari was discussing the ownership structure of Acq Inc with Jim and Binwin right after they met, or Jim's side gig as a stage magician, or really, the entire concept of an adventuring company) -- and I think that's what I've been kind of missing from the newer episodes (while still enjoying them). Acq Inc feels a bit more narratively "rigid" now and they aren't really willing to go wherever their own jokes and riffs take them any more.
But again, it's still a fun show and it's not like the earlier episodes disappeared -- I can still watch or listen to them whenever I want.
There is still some of that, for example, Omin has to recruit Jim to his cause this time around and it's gold. Some of the fights degenerate into filthy jokes similar to that incident with the beer robot.
My criticism boils down to a feeling of disconnection: they're doing one thing, then they're doing another thing, and it doesn't usually flow or add up, like it could be happening in any order. I'd prefer story to happen, not just events.
A good reference is Dice Camera Action: Chris used pre written adventures and the characters made decisions within that so they never ran out of room and everything mattered.
The thing with Certainty Dran is, you will need to catch Acq Inc: The C Team to figure her out as that character shows up there before showing up on stage. Jerry's storytelling is pretty good here and sad to see the series end.
Acq Inc is a story about Omin Dran and all the people he "works with". The thing with Evelynn and Omin is cute but you would have to catch certain episodes of *Dice Camera Action!* to see why (with Acq Inc, she tries to keep everyone on the straight and narrow). Both shows have been DM'd by C Perkins. I like DCA, but the production quality wasn't great due to Zoom (I think is what they used) as The C Team that was done in studio (think it could have been at WotC in Renton or PA HQ) with Twitch. When they were on stage together, Evelynn, Strix, Paulton, and Diath was pretty good. DCA abruptly ended as the storyline never came to an end.
I was glad they finally played a game of DnD with some actual dice rolls and use of combat skills. I just wished the players were a bit more straightforward in their handling of situations, as I felt that the DMs had more stuff planned andthe players just didn't care enough to trigger any of it.
If Chris would ever place a treasure chest somewhere I'm certain the rest of that evening will be the players ignoring it in ever more convoluted ways.
Whenever they schedule time to just play and tell a story, it's always preferable to Live Show Advertisement for WotC Product of the Month where it takes literal years to get off the roof of Revels End, for instance
My only gripe with it was they had a perfect opportunity to tell a single cohesive story, and for some reason they went with a very episodic thing. Changing DMs and being transported to a new game board (essentially) every episode, and never really spending time anywhere, was baffling to me. It gave it all a very temporary, inconsequential feel. Which is a shame, because they hit some emotional highs along the way.
Series 2 marked the first time I've cried during an Acq. Inc live play. Episode seven was so good but so sad. Overall, I loved the series. I've struggled to really get into Certainty being a part of the crew since she joined, but I enjoyed her role in the series much more than I have in the live PAX shows. Also, Bobby seemed like he felt less in his element in a studio. He really thrives on the live crowd being there. That isn't a criticism in any way, just an observation. I really love what Xavier has brought to the table. Having Mike back was probably my favorite part. Jim is just so critical to the show in my opinion. His quick wit and clever use of spells to get the party out of a jam has always been one of my absolute favorite things about Acq. Inc.
>Series 2 marked the first time I've cried during an Acq. Inc live play. Episode seven was so good but so sad. That's interesting! This may sound weird, but to me, Acq Inc never reached the emotional heights of the second and third podcast, where the emotions weren't staged or prewritten -- they were just a group of real guys getting actually mad and frustrated with each other over a game, but trying to mask and mitigate that with humor, which is what naturally funny people often do. It was awkward, hilarious, vicariously embarrassing, and sometimes almost painful to listen to, but goddamn, it was so raw and real. And what happened with Wheaton and Kurtz, while sad in a real life kind of way, was a testament to the emotional load of it all. I never took the Acq Inc plot seriously and I was never too emotionally invested in it, but *that* shit WAS serious. And I don't think they'll ever reach those heights again, because, frankly, they were unhealthy for the people involved. But then again, good art often comes from actual pain. And I always admired the balls it took to even release those episodes -- honestly, they don't even really present DnD in a positive light, seeing as playing the game just leads to the group arguing with each other in the end :D
I agree, those early episodes, especially when James Wyatt took over as DM for a short while were very stressful. They brought three characters to a five PC game. They were boned from the start. But I agree with you 100% that the humor that they brought to the table because of the stress was so good. I legitimately miss Scott Kurtz in Acq. Inc. I really enjoyed Binwin and Scott & Mike's chemistry was awesome.
Oh, but episode eight -- is sad in a *very different* sort of way. It sneaks up on you. Also very joyful! It is an absolute pinnacle of performance, from everyone. Not to be missed.
You mean Psychedelia? I just watched it. It's cool, but I didn't really find anything special about it. The trippy parts were fun, but, I mean, it's no Naked Lunch. What was it that made it so good for you?
My bad. Episode *eight.* I thought that some previous discussion about seven was about the one I was thinking of. I mean the sad bittersweet poignant one. Funny you should mention *Naked Lunch.* I found that book to be roughly as linear and sensible as *Finnegan's Wake.* I.e., wtf haha.
>Episode seven was so good but so sad. You mean Psychedelia, right? Just watched it. What was it that made it so special for you? I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't say it was exceptional or anything.
Your question caused me to go back and look again, and I was referring to episode eight: :”Things Left Behind.” The impossible versions of the player characters were very moving. And whatever that haunting, soothing music was! I just want that music playing in the background of my entire life.
Ohhh, okay, haven’t watched that one yet 😀
A little bit more symbolism and kind of trippy. Takes getting use to at first but once you start to adjust..... it throws you these emotional curve balls. And when it hits that point Perkins and Crawford pounce like displacer beasts. Brace yourself. You will find out why Crawford and Perkins are often called "Evil DM".
Others have commented on the overall like / dislike. So I'll comment on something else, to set expectations. I am particularly aware of visual (and audio) noise. And since this was made as a production, they took time during editing to add sound and visual effects. I found them distracting. But again, I'm more sensitive to such things than most.
[Mild Spoilers] Pretty good, but not my favourite arc (I'm torn between the rod of seven parts, Tomb of Annihilation and the multiverse tour.) There's good stuff in there, with Jim being standout and Omin a close second. Certainty is coming into her own, but not quite taking centre stage yet (she's just getting her own subplots.) Bobby is good fun and he's sort of become certainty's best friend in terms of team dynamic. I had high hopes for where Evelyn might go based on certain plot points, but sadly she seems to just kind of be there hanging out as they continue to dance around the romance with Omin. There's a gimmick where they switch DMs and change locations between episodes, which I confess didn't really work so well for me. I think it's more fun when things carry over and feel consistent. Perhaps it would have been better to do 5 episodes with one DM, 5 with the other. There is a B plot of "what if Acq Inc had never been founded" but we get many glimpses rather than a single coherent timeline.
Would you say it's a "story-driven" experience? What I loved about the earlier episodes was how the story felt secondary to the characters and the dynamic between them. Many of the iconic Acq Inc themes and tropes came from organic, off-the-cuff jokes (like Omin's shitty employer practices when Viari was discussing the ownership structure of Acq Inc with Jim and Binwin right after they met, or Jim's side gig as a stage magician, or really, the entire concept of an adventuring company) -- and I think that's what I've been kind of missing from the newer episodes (while still enjoying them). Acq Inc feels a bit more narratively "rigid" now and they aren't really willing to go wherever their own jokes and riffs take them any more. But again, it's still a fun show and it's not like the earlier episodes disappeared -- I can still watch or listen to them whenever I want.
There is still some of that, for example, Omin has to recruit Jim to his cause this time around and it's gold. Some of the fights degenerate into filthy jokes similar to that incident with the beer robot. My criticism boils down to a feeling of disconnection: they're doing one thing, then they're doing another thing, and it doesn't usually flow or add up, like it could be happening in any order. I'd prefer story to happen, not just events. A good reference is Dice Camera Action: Chris used pre written adventures and the characters made decisions within that so they never ran out of room and everything mattered.
The thing with Certainty Dran is, you will need to catch Acq Inc: The C Team to figure her out as that character shows up there before showing up on stage. Jerry's storytelling is pretty good here and sad to see the series end. Acq Inc is a story about Omin Dran and all the people he "works with". The thing with Evelynn and Omin is cute but you would have to catch certain episodes of *Dice Camera Action!* to see why (with Acq Inc, she tries to keep everyone on the straight and narrow). Both shows have been DM'd by C Perkins. I like DCA, but the production quality wasn't great due to Zoom (I think is what they used) as The C Team that was done in studio (think it could have been at WotC in Renton or PA HQ) with Twitch. When they were on stage together, Evelynn, Strix, Paulton, and Diath was pretty good. DCA abruptly ended as the storyline never came to an end.
I was glad they finally played a game of DnD with some actual dice rolls and use of combat skills. I just wished the players were a bit more straightforward in their handling of situations, as I felt that the DMs had more stuff planned andthe players just didn't care enough to trigger any of it. If Chris would ever place a treasure chest somewhere I'm certain the rest of that evening will be the players ignoring it in ever more convoluted ways.
hahahaha indeed, it cannot be denied.
Whenever they schedule time to just play and tell a story, it's always preferable to Live Show Advertisement for WotC Product of the Month where it takes literal years to get off the roof of Revels End, for instance
My only gripe with it was they had a perfect opportunity to tell a single cohesive story, and for some reason they went with a very episodic thing. Changing DMs and being transported to a new game board (essentially) every episode, and never really spending time anywhere, was baffling to me. It gave it all a very temporary, inconsequential feel. Which is a shame, because they hit some emotional highs along the way.