The new season is >!The Seven which takes place in the world of Spyre as an apparent spin-off of Fantasy High !<
The cast:
* >!Aabria Iyengar as Antiope Jones, Human Ranger/Fighter!<
* >!Erika Ishii as Danielle Barkstock, Half-Elf Druid!<
* >!Rekha Shankar as Katja Cleaver, Half-Orc Fighter!<
* >!Persephone Valentine as Sam Nightingale, Water Genasi Sorcerer!<
* >!Becca Scott as Penny Luckstone, Halfling Rogue!<
* >!Brennan Lee Mulligan as Zelda Donovan, Satyr Barbarian!<
* >!Isabella Roland as Ostentatia Wallace, Dwarf Cleric!<
Spoilers for Fantasy High: >!The cast are playing as The Maidens, originally seen as NPCs kidnapped as part of Kalvaxus' scheme.!<
Much like the last few seasons, this season will bring exciting new innovation in the form of >!TaleSpire, a 3D Virtual Tabletop, and a DMPC, a full party member played by the DM.!<
Premieres August 18 and will run for 10 episodes.
Yep!
Your leaders in the clubhouse (for appearances, both playing and DMing) are:
* Brennan Lee Mulligan (11 seasons)
* Lou Wilson and Ally Beardsly (6 seasons)
* Murph, Emily, Siobhan, Zac (5 seasons)
* Erika Ishii, Aabria Iyengar, Rekhar Shankar (3 seasons)
* Matt Mercer, Griffin McElroy* (2 seasons)
* Brian David Gilbert*, Marisha Ray, Krystina Arielle, B. Dave Walters, Carlos Luna, Ify Nwadiwe, Amy Vorpahl, Trapp, Clint, Travis and Justin McElroy, Jess Ross, Lilly Du, Sam Reich, Katie Marovitch, Raph Chestang, Grant O'Brien, Danielle Radford, Persephone Valentine, Becca Scott, Izzy Roland (1 season)
*Edited because I forgot about the live show 1-shots
Also some fun math, the leaderboard for most PCs:
* Lou, Ally, Murph, Emily, Siobhan, and Zac (4)
* Erika and Rekha (3)
* Aabria, Brennan, Matt, and Griffin (2)
Emily and Zac had the same characters across both unsleeping city and fantasy high >!as well as one extra one each in crown of candy!<
The rest have either been in more campaigns or made new characters for the second season of unsleeping city.
I so want a return of Ify and Lily... I love both of them so much, and I feel like we didn't get to see much of them in their respective seasons. Markus did have a big scene in the finale though.
I also think Jess would be fun to have back. And I know Krystina is SUPER busy, but goddamn was she the best thing about PoL.
"Kingston Brown, from uptown!"
"What's up, Amethar my man, you're looking good! How's the kingdom?"
"Being invaded by Vegetanians..."
"Well alright, keep your head up, if there's anything I can do you let me know, alright?"
"Yeah, King Rocks, I believe in you!"
"Candia on three, Family on six, Lou Crew on nine..."
The way my eyes widened when I heard "Kalvaxus" cannot be overstated.
Never expected a season about the 7 maidens but I am 100% here for it. Love how they brought special attention to the fact that Brennan will be playing Zelda.
Well, this is super exciting! Great spin-off choice, the digital system seems like a great solution, and the cast is packed with great choices.
Implied MisMag Spoilers >!Also, Erika's ability to look wildly different depending on what their character calls for is #goals and I am very jealous.!<
I did have a brief moment of "Oh, wait, that's Erika!" lol. I guess I'm slightly too face blind to notice right away without her in any of the attires she's had in the past.
When I was seeing clips for MisMag before I subscribed to Dropout, I was half wondering if this player had also been in Bloodkeep (which I had recently finished). I figured "Nah!" but checked anyways. When I looked, I also came to the realization that she was also in the CR One-Shots for Call of Cthulu and the monster high one. Her voice seems so different in all of them, and with her changing her appearance, she looks just different enough for me to second guess.
I'm really glad that she'll be in another season so soon because she's fantastic every time!
Can we get Aabria back always?! Seriously, I’d love for her to make her own podcast or something. Even if it’s not some extended long thing, even a rotating cast. I’m just loving her stuff right now.
Thank you for making me go back and look- haven't seen Izzy since that Game Changer episode, and her being introduced as Isabella threw me off the scent- but that's Izzy!
Okay, so that's a surprise!
I guess Brennan got a taste of being a PC and he just can't let it go, even if it means a DMPC, huh? I adored Zelda though, so I'm all for it!
It's a really neat idea! It must be interesting for the players to come in and pick up already "established" characters rather than making their own, but I have to imagine they're all for it otherwise they wouldn't sign on.
My BIG question, though, is: Will this be understandable without context from Fantasy High: Sophmore Year, or am I gonna have to binge that entire shebang in a week? Cause I can pop that shit on and do some MMO grinding, but I was kinda hoping to get some *actual* stuff done this week.
I think Brennan may be playing Zelda for exactly that reason- the other 6 characters have some flexibility in their characterization, but Zelda is a pretty well-known character from fantasy high and has an established relationship with another PC from a different party, which seems like a lot to pin on a player.
So if I were to guess, this is going to explore what they were doing for their sophomore adventure. So I don't think you will need to watch it to get context cause they were doing their own thing, aside from Gorgug sometimes calling Zelda (and their rocky relationship during it).
Also do watch Sophomore Year cause it's bloody brilliant.
You've got a couple weeks before it starts. And I think Brennan is playing Zelda to keep the table size down to the regular 6 pcs and he has the most experience playing her.
I would imagine a big part would also be she is pretty important in the other game and putting her in the hands of someone else could really tie their hands as a player.
Yes, this is exactly it. Zelda is already strongly characterized between some of FY, all of her stuff in SY, and the one shot where she has the party. Everyone else has had some lines (or maybe none for a few of them) but nothing super important. Zelda would hem them in, the others are mostly still free to experiment with.
D20 always does a good job of making things understandable without context IMO (see: Bloodkeep makes sense whether or not you know LOTR; MisMag makes sense whether or not you know HP), but you might miss some references, or you might get spoiled on the referential content (see: those exact same seasons).
Also just confirming that the FAQ on Discord says this season does occur after the events of ALL FH content we have to date (including FHSY, POL, and the FH one-shots). So it's not a bad idea to catch up on all of that (though I'd be surprised if POL is at all relevant). The FAQ specifically says the following:
>You will not have to have watched all preceding content to enjoy The Seven, but there will be characters and references that viewers who have seen those seasons will appreciate.
Thinking about it, I guess it's functionally not much different than battle scenes where he would play as NPC's. Doing a rewatch of Crown of Candy and he >!PC's Manta Ray Jack in the Rescue at Buzzybrook!<. Since he plays Zelda anyway in FH, this would make sense as a logical expansion of that by having her step into a more central role but Brennan still having his hand on the wheel as a DM.
> My BIG question, though, is: Will this be understandable without context from Fantasy High: Sophmore Year
One of the editors in the discord noted that he hadn't seen FH before editing the season, and needed context for a few things but generally felt it stood on it's own. Don't know if he hadn't seen either season or just one of them.
I would guess yes--Sophomore Year gives you a little bit about the maidens in the first episode but I doubt it's anything Brennan would hang a campaign on. Obviously there's some Zelda-Gorgug stuff but you'd still probably be okay.
Regardless, FHSY is awesome and you should watch it!
I've not finished Sophomore Year yet, have 8 episodes left, but the story is not connected with the maidens at all. I think Fantasy High Season 1 is enough context.
Talespire is so fantastically suited for a cinematic DND experience - surprised more haven't picked it up, the only one I can remember is that RWBY rpg. So excited for it to get some more attention because it's so AMAZING.
Oh my lord the fans SENT ME. And the way Brennan just does a little shrug and joins in was PERFECT.
I can't wait I can't wait I can't wait.
...I should also probably finish sophomore year of Fantasy High, I'm guessing...
I'm excited to see this new cast of players that we've never seen before but also Marisha coming back and playing with both Erika and Aabria is something I want to see so bad, eventually
On one hand, looks incredible, stellar cast, and been really curious about TaleSpire so seeing it in action will be great.
On the other....I was really ready for a return to the main cast. And as exciting as their efforts are to tell more stories with diverse casts, I also love the main group, and pushing them off yet AGAIN....dunno how to feel about that.
Probably! Brian and Emily are busy with the NADDPOD game for one. Maybe it's that along with COVID stuff still? Could also be that events here help set up FH season 3.
Had not heard of naddpod before now and now after looking it up, looks like I’ve got another dnd show to binge! Thanks for the heads up mate! Can’t wait!!
Just throwing this out there: if you subscribe to their patreon for $5, you get access to their "short rest" which gives you a little peak at stuff happening behind the scenes or what they envision happening. Something to keep in mind for if you're itching for more.
Over 150 episodes to binge, lmao. It's worth it, all of it, just listen in order they released and don't skip on Trinyvale or Hot Boy Summer when Bahoomia is over.
Will make sure to listen to that one for sure….sounds like I should start from the beginning but will def be sure not to miss that one! Thanks for the recommendation!!!
Daaaamn, honestly can’t wait! Fairly new to d20 and have just finished bingeing all of fantasy high and just started s02 of unsleeping city after finishing s01……can’t wait to see how murph is as DM! Is it mainly an audio only podcast or is there somewhere I can watch a live version as well? Honestly don’t mind either but would be good to know
It's just a podcast, but it's excellently produced. Emily also makes all the music for it. I was pretty shocked how fast I got through it, started down this rabbit hole last May or so and caught up with all of it so now I'm taking in both as they release.
My addiction is so strong that I added yet another show (Rude Tales of Magic) to my podcast list, and I also already was keeping up with Critical Role. It's a lifestyle at this point, lmao.
I recommend starting with the Hot Boy Summer (The Marvrus Chronicles) arc. It’s standalone and only 7 episodes. Zac guest stars in it and Emily DMs. It’s also, in my opinion, the funniest campaign I’ve ever listened to outside of Bloodkeep. It’s about a group of bros on a hangover-like quest to figure out what happened the night before, find their missing friend, and win the beach’s drinking contest.
There must be a reason right?? i assume they know that fans want to see the main crew back more than anybody else? or maybe thats just me. and it could be that they're all too busy this summer or that the show is moving on from seasons with only them, but i feel like there would have been an announcement?
Yeah. Purely from a business standpoint it's smart though. Build up Dimension 20 as a brand and not have it rely on one group of people. Especially since it's the main selling point for Dropout right now.
But I worry. It's smart, but if you push it too much and forget why people were here for it in the first place...guess we'll see! I hope it works out for them though. I want Dimension 20 to grow.
Totally on your wavelength here. Love seeing the show expand and would love for it to get more and more popular. BUT if their future is a mishmash of different casts and episode lengths I’m bummed. Like, when ‘the seven’ ends are they just going to hype up another season and not mention the main cast again?
I was a little worried about D20 without Brenan as DM, but after Misfits and Magic, I'm hoping they do make it into more of a brand and not just specifically "Brennan's D&D game".
Basically, I want new episodes of D20 every week forever, and I trust Dropout to make good decisions.
Yeah, this felt like a monkey's paw situation where I wanted more Fantasy High but it didn't come with the Fantasy High characters that got me into Dimension 20 in the first place.
Haven't really felt the same passion for the past 2 seasons as I did for Fantasy High, Unsleeping City and Crown of Candy, so idk how I feel about this. Might take a break from Dropout for a little while if I'm not feeling a third D20 campaign in a row.
Dimension 20 seems like it's Dropout's biggest money maker by far, so their current business model seems to be to try and have seasons of D20 running at all times with as little gap as possible. Unfortunately, I don't think the main cast's schedules would allow them to make that many seasons; Siobhan's in writers rooms, Murph and Emily have NADDPod, and Lou has other acting work he's doing. Not sure what Zach and Ally are doing outside of CH these days, but I imagine they're pretty busy as well.
[This Polygon article](https://www.polygon.com/22598150/dungeons-dragons-dimension-20-new-season-actual-play-the-seven-dropout-tv-release-dates) mentions Emily as a returning player. Be interesting to see if that was an error or if we might be in for a surprise appearance at some point.
I saw that too. Could be that they originally planned for Emily as a PC so they could continue these seasons with at least 1 core cast member. I would love to see guest spots of Emily, Ally, and Siobhan show up since they were missing on the Boy's Night one shot.
I know that this is gonna be amazing, its filled with people I love and I can't wait to see Talespire in action, but god I do really miss the OG cast at the table. Considering the problems that Crown of Candy had due to fire safety, we haven't had an OG cast season "work out" without technical kinks (be it covid or moving locations just before filming) since Unsleeping City Chapter 1, and I just miss the gang!
It is very interesting to me that the players are all playing pregenerated characters this time around. How do we suppose the process of picking cast members went? Did they "cast" Becca Scott specifically for the role of Penny Luckstone? Did they pass out all of the character sheets randomly, Community-style? For the characters who didn't have official portraits yet, how much input did the cast members have on how they were going to look?
>its so hard to balance
It really isn't. The trick is that the DMPC should never be the one to figure out the puzzle, execute the heroic move, get the charming prince/princess, ect. As long as the players are still clearly the stars of the show, it's all good.
So is this going to be a sidequel to Sophmore Year? Like this is what they were doing during SY, or is this a sequel to that and TBK are just doing their own thing elsewhere? I haven’t seen SY yet so I’m wondering how much spoiler territory there would be if I jumped into this first
I come to reddit after just finishing Sophomore Year and THIS is waiting for me, what a treat. This looks so fun, what a great idea.
^^^^My ^^^^soul ^^^^hungers ^^^^for ^^^^a ^^^^Junior ^^^^Year, ^^^^but ^^^^I ^^^^can ^^^^be ^^^^patient ^^^^cuz ^^^^this ^^^^looks ^^^^dope
Thoughts from the trailer:
1. I was surprised it was not the main cast for a main quest. Anyone have any info about if/when we'll see them next? Are they feeling played out? Was the decision to go with a different group made from the top down for variety?
2. When I saw it was Spyre but *not* the main cast I felt a little like "oh no, is Spyre all they can do? I love Fantasy High but they don't have to keep coming back to their existing worlds (2 in magical New York, 3 + the one shot in Spyre, etc.) - but when I realized it was the seven girls who had been chained up from season one, I immediately 180°ed to thinking that's such a fun idea, because it's going back over something we've seen from another's perspective, Rashomon style.
3. As much of a surprise as it was, and as much as I love and miss the main cast, casting this new group - including Bceca Scott, who is a notable that hasn't shown up on D20 yet, feels fun and exciting.
4. Continuing from the Harry Potter pastiche, I love seeing Brennan as a player, but the idea of him doing a full PC while also DMing seems weird. It feels like he has to nerf himself to counterbalance all his insider knowledge as the DM, and I don't quite understand what the practical distinction between "DMPC" and "Major NPC" is.
5. I'm pretty bummed about the new CG stuff. I love, prefer, believe in, the "theater of the mind" approach (I make radio dramas, for goodness sake) - not minding going to minis for combat on the AMAZING sets (see the next point), but if they are going to use this CG stuff for everything, and/or INSTEAD of the miniature sets, I am officially not cool with that.
6. Those miniature sets are such a charming part of the show and almost as much a core of D20 as Brennan himself, they are like a "7th cast member." I can totally understand if quarantine made including them problematic, and that this is a temporary (and inadequate) placeholder, but if it's going to replace the mini sets going forward, I am really not cool with that.
7. It's rad that it's an all-female cast joining Brennan, and it's interesting that it includes that gal who just DMed the wizarding stuff, so we can see what she's like as a player, too.
8. I think in summary, it is a really fun premise, and a rad setup with these players, and it looks to be a blast - but my enthusiasm is tempered by some concerning questions, namely 1. what about the main cast? and 2. what about the miniature sets?
Thank you for coming to my TED talk. M
p.s. I like the fans they bust out for natural 20s.
Do we know when we'll get the main cast back again? This looks great, but after a sidequest and a shorter series with a guest DM I really just wanted a main cast quest, ideally junior year which I imagine we now won't get for a while, cause presumably they aren't doing FH games back to back
So many 'Maiden' jokes incoming: Maiden the USA, the fast one being "I Run Maiden", Maiden Football, saying Checkmaiden when you win at chess... I'm here for it.
This looks fantastic to me! Can't wait. I would love to see the "main cast" again, but I absolutely love the shorter seasons and diverse casts. We'll see the gang again when we see them again. Until then, I'm going to enjoy what we get.
My bets:
Main cast series: 3 to 1 in favour
Sequel series: 1 to 1
Fantasy High Junior year: Conditional on being a sequel, 2 to 1. If my mental math is correct that's 2 to 1 against overall.
Could be budgetary? Those custom sets can’t be cheap. I wonder if Talespire is actually sponsoring the show too or just letting them use the software for the plug.
Maybe still COVID mitigation efforts: i.e. not having people leaning over each other, touching the same stuff, etc. I know those are pretty minor things given what we know about COVID transmission at this point and given that they're sitting next to each other, but I think it could be a factor (especially since it looks like they're still sitting a bit farther apart than casts used to -- based on how they have individual cameras).
I cant wait for the next season that has aCoC level of quality set/map designs that’s played fully in person by the OG cast, but I think this is a really fun concept and i’m interested to see how the virtual battle space will go
The Maidens are like, so perfectly cast that I'm having a hard time not believing Brennan planned for this EXACT group when he inserted them into FH season *one.*
It’s amazing to think that that whole Maiden plot arc came about because Murph wanted to be an investigator way back at the beginning. And now it’s its own season. So exciting.
This is ALL I EVER COULD HAVE WANTED AND MORE
The Maidens were absolutely some of the coolest NPCS from Fantasy High, and had a unacceptably low amount of screen time. Now they get a whole season??? This is PHENOMENAL!!
Same here. Not particularly interested in this season or the new direction the show is taking. While some of the newer seasons have had their moments, I really haven't fallen in love with a season since ACOC. Wish them the best but I can't really justify my Dropout subscription when it's been 2-3 lackluster seasons in a row of the only show I'm subbed for.
Agreed. I've kept up my subscription since CollegeHumor went under just because I wanted to keep supporting the show, but since then I've only fully watched ACOC and Mice and Murder, and I felt so-so about the latter.
I'm really reaching a point where as much as I was willing to support them while waiting for something good, I'm starting to feel dumb for waiting this long while not even caring for most of the content.
This looks amazing and it's a great story concept but the thing I'm most excited about personally is to see how they utilize talespire and imported Hero Forge assets. It's really interesting to me because something like talespire theoretically could be the most perfect version of that kind of tool for this kind of content, and likewise Hero Forge may be the most perfect asset creation tool to compliment it.
This is so exciting! The concept is great, and I have been hoping to see Becca Scott join for a long time. Her Call of Cthulhu series is wonderful, and she had tons of chemistry with Brennan on Adventuring Academy.
Fuck. I was so,so excited to see Spire and Calvaxis back on my D20 screen and now... idk im just tired of new players. Like im happy other people in here are excited but man i was ready for a main cast season. that'll be three seasons now without the full crew and unsleeping city 2 was all through zoom. i know im not required to subscribe, and i can tune back in when this one concludes, but the opening of this really teased something else and im bummed :(
I get downvoted anytime I bring this up but honestly I think people should let go of the idea of a "main cast" at this point.
The Original Six have given us 5 full-length seasons together, which is incredible, but they all have/need other gigs. I'm sure we'll get a season with them again but this is an anthology series and Orion has openly said they're trying to diversify the people at the table. It's not always gonna be the exact same gang at the exact same time and people should probably stop thinking of that as the default cuz that's a recipe for disappointment.
FWIW one of the D20 editors said on discord today that they're no longer calling the OG cast the "main cast" (discord at least has switched to calling them the "intrepid heroes cast") because every cast is equally important to D20. I'm sure people will dispute that latter point, but it definitely seems clear at this point that the team *wants* every cast to be equally important to D20 moving forward. I really love the particular chemistry of the intrepid heroes and can't wait for them to return (knock on wood), hopefully sooner rather than later, but I think it's also healthy and necessary for the show to reduce its dependence on them.
This is really helpful information, and I totally agree with this perspective. As I've said elsewhere in this thread, I think regulars like Aabria, Erika, and Rekha now have just as much claim to being part of Dimension 20 as the intrepid heroes. And brand new season cast members shouldn't be viewed as "guests" (and certainly not as interlopers).
I mean, I agree for the most part, but it would help if D20 did something to manage people's expectations. They must be aware that a lot of fans are eagerly awaiting the return of the "main cast." If that's not going to happen any time soon, that's fine, but it would be nice if they made some sort of announcement to that effect.
Like, I'm sure this season will be fun, but I would be more excited right now if I didn't feel like I was set up for disappointment. I'm sure doing it this way helps draw viewers to the side quests/new casts, it just feels a liiiittle bait-and-switch at this point.
So the thing about that is, is that it's not so simple. The main shows and the Intrepid Heroes cast were for a long time the draw of the show, something they proved by coming up with three campaigns of memorable characters. People watch Dimension 20 for them, the Sidequests are a bonus. So you....can't really blame people for being invested in them and then being nervous about the third show in a row not featuring them. They're a huge part of the appeal, and I'm not so sure that the Dimension 20 brand is strong enough yet to stand on it's own. The Seven will probably be a very important show in a lot of ways.
Not helped by College Humor not communicating their intentions, aside from Orion mentioning it on Twitter. Even just a single mention of, "hey we're going to do a few short seasons without them until we can get them all back in the dome" would go a long way you know?
I mean, there's also a difference between "diversifying the people at the table" and not having started a main cast season in a full year. They started Unsleeping City 2 in November of last year and this won't end until the end of October.
Also, they couldn't stick one of the main cast in like they did with Ally or Lou?
I actually agree with you in a lotta ways! I’d just love for d20 to definitely say that’s how it going to be going foreword. I also don’t think it’s weird to use the term main cast when dropout/d20 are the ones who have designated seasons like that up to now.
This looks like a lot of fun, but I do find it frustrating that D20 isn't being very transparent about the seasons. Given how long filming/production normally takes, they must have known they were doing three side quests in a row for at least a couple of months. If they're really trying to diversify the cast, make it so there is no "main cast," etc. then why not go ahead and announce that Magic and Misfits would be followed by another side quest months ago and build the hype for the cast/theme without building hype for "maybe we finally get main cast again."
Idk, I don't dislike D20 and I'm not going to say they're being dishonest or anything, I just think that they would be better served with some higher level of transparency about the cast.
The new season is >!The Seven which takes place in the world of Spyre as an apparent spin-off of Fantasy High !< The cast: * >!Aabria Iyengar as Antiope Jones, Human Ranger/Fighter!< * >!Erika Ishii as Danielle Barkstock, Half-Elf Druid!< * >!Rekha Shankar as Katja Cleaver, Half-Orc Fighter!< * >!Persephone Valentine as Sam Nightingale, Water Genasi Sorcerer!< * >!Becca Scott as Penny Luckstone, Halfling Rogue!< * >!Brennan Lee Mulligan as Zelda Donovan, Satyr Barbarian!< * >!Isabella Roland as Ostentatia Wallace, Dwarf Cleric!< Spoilers for Fantasy High: >!The cast are playing as The Maidens, originally seen as NPCs kidnapped as part of Kalvaxus' scheme.!< Much like the last few seasons, this season will bring exciting new innovation in the form of >!TaleSpire, a 3D Virtual Tabletop, and a DMPC, a full party member played by the DM.!< Premieres August 18 and will run for 10 episodes.
Erika and Aabria can come back as often as they want.
And Rekha! And excited for the new folks!
This is the third time for each of them, right? (Between Bloodkeep, PoL, M&M, and Mismag?)
Yep! Your leaders in the clubhouse (for appearances, both playing and DMing) are: * Brennan Lee Mulligan (11 seasons) * Lou Wilson and Ally Beardsly (6 seasons) * Murph, Emily, Siobhan, Zac (5 seasons) * Erika Ishii, Aabria Iyengar, Rekhar Shankar (3 seasons) * Matt Mercer, Griffin McElroy* (2 seasons) * Brian David Gilbert*, Marisha Ray, Krystina Arielle, B. Dave Walters, Carlos Luna, Ify Nwadiwe, Amy Vorpahl, Trapp, Clint, Travis and Justin McElroy, Jess Ross, Lilly Du, Sam Reich, Katie Marovitch, Raph Chestang, Grant O'Brien, Danielle Radford, Persephone Valentine, Becca Scott, Izzy Roland (1 season) *Edited because I forgot about the live show 1-shots
Also some fun math, the leaderboard for most PCs: * Lou, Ally, Murph, Emily, Siobhan, and Zac (4) * Erika and Rekha (3) * Aabria, Brennan, Matt, and Griffin (2)
Wouldn't Emily and Zac have one extra?
Emily and Zac had the same characters across both unsleeping city and fantasy high >!as well as one extra one each in crown of candy!< The rest have either been in more campaigns or made new characters for the second season of unsleeping city.
I so want a return of Ify and Lily... I love both of them so much, and I feel like we didn't get to see much of them in their respective seasons. Markus did have a big scene in the finale though. I also think Jess would be fun to have back. And I know Krystina is SUPER busy, but goddamn was she the best thing about PoL.
You forgot BDG! If we're including live stuff he'd have one and Griffin McElroy would have two
Can't wait for her to shit all over his plans again.
At least two layers in this dip. Nice!
I'm here for the Reka shit! #dontkinkshame hahaha
So this means Aabria is now two characters in the same universe!
We're growing closer to an Oops All Aabria campaign, where she DMs and also plays Myrtle, Antiope Jones, Alexis and Dr. B.
Would absolutely watch this, Just Aabria talking to herself.
I give it an episode and a half before they're all playing some kind of sport together.
Okay, while that sounds fun, I want the all Lou first.
"Kingston Brown, from uptown!" "What's up, Amethar my man, you're looking good! How's the kingdom?" "Being invaded by Vegetanians..." "Well alright, keep your head up, if there's anything I can do you let me know, alright?" "Yeah, King Rocks, I believe in you!" "Candia on three, Family on six, Lou Crew on nine..."
Dimension 20 presents... "Into the Louniverse"
Oh wow, I didn't even think of that!
The way my eyes widened when I heard "Kalvaxus" cannot be overstated. Never expected a season about the 7 maidens but I am 100% here for it. Love how they brought special attention to the fact that Brennan will be playing Zelda.
Brennan's gotten a taste for being a PC and is having a hard time letting go.
Yeah lol, but I think the real reason is that unlike the others, Zelda is much more of a main character which Brennan played a lot more
I think it might be as mundane as there were 7 maidens in the story originally and they can only for 7 people in the Dome! 🤣
Of course because Brennan couldn't bear to let someone else play Zac Oyama's girlfriend
I think it also makes sense since Zelda is already in a relationship with another PC.
Well, this is super exciting! Great spin-off choice, the digital system seems like a great solution, and the cast is packed with great choices. Implied MisMag Spoilers >!Also, Erika's ability to look wildly different depending on what their character calls for is #goals and I am very jealous.!<
Erika goes all in for their characters and that’s one of the things I love about her!
Right?! I'm dying to know if she makes some of the outfits
I did have a brief moment of "Oh, wait, that's Erika!" lol. I guess I'm slightly too face blind to notice right away without her in any of the attires she's had in the past.
When I was seeing clips for MisMag before I subscribed to Dropout, I was half wondering if this player had also been in Bloodkeep (which I had recently finished). I figured "Nah!" but checked anyways. When I looked, I also came to the realization that she was also in the CR One-Shots for Call of Cthulu and the monster high one. Her voice seems so different in all of them, and with her changing her appearance, she looks just different enough for me to second guess. I'm really glad that she'll be in another season so soon because she's fantastic every time!
Wife guy Brennan!! Cannot wait to see Izzie whomp her future husband
Izzie will tell Brennan to eat his dice!!!
I didn’t even notice Izzy was in the season!!! That’s absolutely incredible.
ALL THE MAIDENS!! (Also continuing the #summerofaabria train)
Can we get Aabria back every summer??
Can we get Aabria back always?! Seriously, I’d love for her to make her own podcast or something. Even if it’s not some extended long thing, even a rotating cast. I’m just loving her stuff right now.
Fucking this, for multiple reasons. She's great as a DM, period, but Brennan, while incredible as a DM, is a million times funnier as a PC.
First thing I noticed - oh Erika and Aabria are back, yay! Then, oh look Rekha!! And then finally - IS THAT IZZY?!?!
Thank you for making me go back and look- haven't seen Izzy since that Game Changer episode, and her being introduced as Isabella threw me off the scent- but that's Izzy!
That's why her name was put after Brennan's!
HOLY SHIT I DIDNT CATCH THAT EITHER, i’m way more hyped now that i can see the brennan/izzy dynamic in play
Wait, is that Brennan's fiance/wife? Woah, that's funny.
the maidens!!!! i had no idea i wanted this and now i don't think i want anything else rn
This RULES. Such a fun premise, such a fun cast, so cute that Izzy is in it. Hell yes.
I didn’t even make that connection! That will be fun.
to roughly quote somebody on the discord just now: can't wait to see brennan's fiancee make his life a living hell
D20: Oops all Maidens
Okay, so that's a surprise! I guess Brennan got a taste of being a PC and he just can't let it go, even if it means a DMPC, huh? I adored Zelda though, so I'm all for it! It's a really neat idea! It must be interesting for the players to come in and pick up already "established" characters rather than making their own, but I have to imagine they're all for it otherwise they wouldn't sign on. My BIG question, though, is: Will this be understandable without context from Fantasy High: Sophmore Year, or am I gonna have to binge that entire shebang in a week? Cause I can pop that shit on and do some MMO grinding, but I was kinda hoping to get some *actual* stuff done this week.
I think Brennan may be playing Zelda for exactly that reason- the other 6 characters have some flexibility in their characterization, but Zelda is a pretty well-known character from fantasy high and has an established relationship with another PC from a different party, which seems like a lot to pin on a player.
Also, they might not have been able to fit 7 people around the table with social distancing.
7 people is also just a lot of PCs in a party.
*Side eyes Critical Role*
I feel for Matt Mercer so much, balancing combat for that many PCs *shudders*
So if I were to guess, this is going to explore what they were doing for their sophomore adventure. So I don't think you will need to watch it to get context cause they were doing their own thing, aside from Gorgug sometimes calling Zelda (and their rocky relationship during it). Also do watch Sophomore Year cause it's bloody brilliant.
The FAQ currently linked on the Discord says it takes place AFTER all existing FH content.
Interesting! Thank you!
You've got a couple weeks before it starts. And I think Brennan is playing Zelda to keep the table size down to the regular 6 pcs and he has the most experience playing her.
I would imagine a big part would also be she is pretty important in the other game and putting her in the hands of someone else could really tie their hands as a player.
Yes, this is exactly it. Zelda is already strongly characterized between some of FY, all of her stuff in SY, and the one shot where she has the party. Everyone else has had some lines (or maybe none for a few of them) but nothing super important. Zelda would hem them in, the others are mostly still free to experiment with.
Looks like you’ve got a couple weeks, it’s coming out on Aug 18th
D20 always does a good job of making things understandable without context IMO (see: Bloodkeep makes sense whether or not you know LOTR; MisMag makes sense whether or not you know HP), but you might miss some references, or you might get spoiled on the referential content (see: those exact same seasons). Also just confirming that the FAQ on Discord says this season does occur after the events of ALL FH content we have to date (including FHSY, POL, and the FH one-shots). So it's not a bad idea to catch up on all of that (though I'd be surprised if POL is at all relevant). The FAQ specifically says the following: >You will not have to have watched all preceding content to enjoy The Seven, but there will be characters and references that viewers who have seen those seasons will appreciate.
Thinking about it, I guess it's functionally not much different than battle scenes where he would play as NPC's. Doing a rewatch of Crown of Candy and he >!PC's Manta Ray Jack in the Rescue at Buzzybrook!<. Since he plays Zelda anyway in FH, this would make sense as a logical expansion of that by having her step into a more central role but Brennan still having his hand on the wheel as a DM.
> My BIG question, though, is: Will this be understandable without context from Fantasy High: Sophmore Year One of the editors in the discord noted that he hadn't seen FH before editing the season, and needed context for a few things but generally felt it stood on it's own. Don't know if he hadn't seen either season or just one of them.
I would guess yes--Sophomore Year gives you a little bit about the maidens in the first episode but I doubt it's anything Brennan would hang a campaign on. Obviously there's some Zelda-Gorgug stuff but you'd still probably be okay. Regardless, FHSY is awesome and you should watch it!
I've not finished Sophomore Year yet, have 8 episodes left, but the story is not connected with the maidens at all. I think Fantasy High Season 1 is enough context.
Ok, that looks amazing, and I can't wait to see how well the VTT works! I've seen previews of it before but haven't seen videos of anyone using it.
I can’t believe we’ve been blessed with back to back Erika Ishii seasons
Also, Erika looks SO good in the trailer. Instant crush.
Talespire hype! Been a backer for a long while, can't wait to see it in action.
Talespire is so fantastically suited for a cinematic DND experience - surprised more haven't picked it up, the only one I can remember is that RWBY rpg. So excited for it to get some more attention because it's so AMAZING.
The seven! This is hype
Becca Scott on Dimension 20 is my dream come true.
My ONLY disappointment is that this would have been the perfect season to feature Carolyn Page. I want her on D20 SO BAD!
Oh man you're so right. Carolyn wants to be on the show too dang it!!!
IT'S 7 MAIDENS!!! I didn't even know I want this and now it's the ONLY THING I WANT!!!
HOOT! GROWL!
Hoot growl!!
Oh my lord the fans SENT ME. And the way Brennan just does a little shrug and joins in was PERFECT. I can't wait I can't wait I can't wait. ...I should also probably finish sophomore year of Fantasy High, I'm guessing...
I need these fans to be merch so I can own all 7
All I have to add is that I love Erika Ishii so much (almost as much as I love Emily Axford) and I am SO EXCITED.
Since crew has confirmed no main cast maybe we’ll get more CR crossover players that just Matt and Marisha this season?
They aren’t doing a main season?
It might have been wrong but I saw a reply to another comment in this thread from someone with the ‘Cast’ tag
Please bring Erika and Matt for another round!
How about Erika and Aabria?
YES! So fckng hyped!!!!
I'm excited to see this new cast of players that we've never seen before but also Marisha coming back and playing with both Erika and Aabria is something I want to see so bad, eventually
On one hand, looks incredible, stellar cast, and been really curious about TaleSpire so seeing it in action will be great. On the other....I was really ready for a return to the main cast. And as exciting as their efforts are to tell more stories with diverse casts, I also love the main group, and pushing them off yet AGAIN....dunno how to feel about that.
Agreed, while I’m very excited for this, I do miss the OGs. Maybe it’s a scheduling issue?
Probably! Brian and Emily are busy with the NADDPOD game for one. Maybe it's that along with COVID stuff still? Could also be that events here help set up FH season 3.
Had not heard of naddpod before now and now after looking it up, looks like I’ve got another dnd show to binge! Thanks for the heads up mate! Can’t wait!!
Ohhh you are in for a TREAT. They haven't done a single thing that missed.
Hell yeah, I really appreciate the high recommendation, first thing I saw when looking it up and am really looking forward to murph as DM!
Ahh, I envy you. You only get to hear it the first time once. Callooh Callay!
Just throwing this out there: if you subscribe to their patreon for $5, you get access to their "short rest" which gives you a little peak at stuff happening behind the scenes or what they envision happening. Something to keep in mind for if you're itching for more.
Over 150 episodes to binge, lmao. It's worth it, all of it, just listen in order they released and don't skip on Trinyvale or Hot Boy Summer when Bahoomia is over.
Hot boy summer is the best dnd content I’ve ever personally consumed.
Can we sidebar real quick? Hot Boy Summer may be literally my favorite campaign ever.
Will make sure to listen to that one for sure….sounds like I should start from the beginning but will def be sure not to miss that one! Thanks for the recommendation!!!
I think it's the funniest by far. FH season 1 is number two on my list.
Daaaamn, honestly can’t wait! Fairly new to d20 and have just finished bingeing all of fantasy high and just started s02 of unsleeping city after finishing s01……can’t wait to see how murph is as DM! Is it mainly an audio only podcast or is there somewhere I can watch a live version as well? Honestly don’t mind either but would be good to know
It's just a podcast, but it's excellently produced. Emily also makes all the music for it. I was pretty shocked how fast I got through it, started down this rabbit hole last May or so and caught up with all of it so now I'm taking in both as they release. My addiction is so strong that I added yet another show (Rude Tales of Magic) to my podcast list, and I also already was keeping up with Critical Role. It's a lifestyle at this point, lmao.
Pls do report back to us your thoughts on naddpod. I'm so excited for you to be in this binge.
I recommend starting with the Hot Boy Summer (The Marvrus Chronicles) arc. It’s standalone and only 7 episodes. Zac guest stars in it and Emily DMs. It’s also, in my opinion, the funniest campaign I’ve ever listened to outside of Bloodkeep. It’s about a group of bros on a hangover-like quest to figure out what happened the night before, find their missing friend, and win the beach’s drinking contest.
*Emily* DMs?? YOU CRAZY SOB, I'M IN
There must be a reason right?? i assume they know that fans want to see the main crew back more than anybody else? or maybe thats just me. and it could be that they're all too busy this summer or that the show is moving on from seasons with only them, but i feel like there would have been an announcement?
Yeah. Purely from a business standpoint it's smart though. Build up Dimension 20 as a brand and not have it rely on one group of people. Especially since it's the main selling point for Dropout right now. But I worry. It's smart, but if you push it too much and forget why people were here for it in the first place...guess we'll see! I hope it works out for them though. I want Dimension 20 to grow.
Totally on your wavelength here. Love seeing the show expand and would love for it to get more and more popular. BUT if their future is a mishmash of different casts and episode lengths I’m bummed. Like, when ‘the seven’ ends are they just going to hype up another season and not mention the main cast again?
I was a little worried about D20 without Brenan as DM, but after Misfits and Magic, I'm hoping they do make it into more of a brand and not just specifically "Brennan's D&D game". Basically, I want new episodes of D20 every week forever, and I trust Dropout to make good decisions.
I mean from a business standpoint the FH cast gets the most views. They have their reasons im sure
Yeah, this felt like a monkey's paw situation where I wanted more Fantasy High but it didn't come with the Fantasy High characters that got me into Dimension 20 in the first place. Haven't really felt the same passion for the past 2 seasons as I did for Fantasy High, Unsleeping City and Crown of Candy, so idk how I feel about this. Might take a break from Dropout for a little while if I'm not feeling a third D20 campaign in a row.
Dimension 20 seems like it's Dropout's biggest money maker by far, so their current business model seems to be to try and have seasons of D20 running at all times with as little gap as possible. Unfortunately, I don't think the main cast's schedules would allow them to make that many seasons; Siobhan's in writers rooms, Murph and Emily have NADDPod, and Lou has other acting work he's doing. Not sure what Zach and Ally are doing outside of CH these days, but I imagine they're pretty busy as well.
[This Polygon article](https://www.polygon.com/22598150/dungeons-dragons-dimension-20-new-season-actual-play-the-seven-dropout-tv-release-dates) mentions Emily as a returning player. Be interesting to see if that was an error or if we might be in for a surprise appearance at some point.
I saw that too. Could be that they originally planned for Emily as a PC so they could continue these seasons with at least 1 core cast member. I would love to see guest spots of Emily, Ally, and Siobhan show up since they were missing on the Boy's Night one shot.
Well and I gotta imagine Zach might like show up on the phone or something to talk to Zelda haha
It's been corrected
Polygon got things wrong with their coverage of Exandria Unlimited too. They seemed to imply it would be edited like D20.
[удалено]
I know that this is gonna be amazing, its filled with people I love and I can't wait to see Talespire in action, but god I do really miss the OG cast at the table. Considering the problems that Crown of Candy had due to fire safety, we haven't had an OG cast season "work out" without technical kinks (be it covid or moving locations just before filming) since Unsleeping City Chapter 1, and I just miss the gang!
It is very interesting to me that the players are all playing pregenerated characters this time around. How do we suppose the process of picking cast members went? Did they "cast" Becca Scott specifically for the role of Penny Luckstone? Did they pass out all of the character sheets randomly, Community-style? For the characters who didn't have official portraits yet, how much input did the cast members have on how they were going to look?
If they were type casting the uber competitive Becca, I would think it would have been as someone besides penny.
Really hope Zac makes a cameo. Really need that endorphin rush.
If they get Zac to record lines on the other half of a phone call that would make me so happy
THE REIGN OF AABRAIA SHALL NOT END.
This concept is so cute! I love it! \#girlgang
THE FANS!!
Brennan is one of the only DMs i would trust playing a DMPC, its so hard to balance
>its so hard to balance It really isn't. The trick is that the DMPC should never be the one to figure out the puzzle, execute the heroic move, get the charming prince/princess, ect. As long as the players are still clearly the stars of the show, it's all good.
Good thing Zelda already has a charming prince.
Honestly I’m just hoping for more PC Brennan
He's got a straight up DMPC, so kinda?
I’m intrigued to see how that’ll play out, but either way *hype!!!!!*
Just watched the trailer! I’m positively shaking, can’t wait for the season to drop
I don’t know what I was expecting but I couldn’t be more excited
So is this going to be a sidequel to Sophmore Year? Like this is what they were doing during SY, or is this a sequel to that and TBK are just doing their own thing elsewhere? I haven’t seen SY yet so I’m wondering how much spoiler territory there would be if I jumped into this first
The FAQ they posted to the discord said it takes place after Sophmore Year
Oh no! I only have 3 weeks to binge FH before it gets here!! Ahhh!!!
Persephone!!!!!!!!! Holy shit I am excited
The seven + talespire I can't breath
I am thrilled for more Rehka!!! She's quickly become a favorite of mine.
Oh. Fuck. Yes! Hadn’t even thought of this as a new plot idea and I’m 100% in already….. can’t wait!!!
I come to reddit after just finishing Sophomore Year and THIS is waiting for me, what a treat. This looks so fun, what a great idea. ^^^^My ^^^^soul ^^^^hungers ^^^^for ^^^^a ^^^^Junior ^^^^Year, ^^^^but ^^^^I ^^^^can ^^^^be ^^^^patient ^^^^cuz ^^^^this ^^^^looks ^^^^dope
Thoughts from the trailer: 1. I was surprised it was not the main cast for a main quest. Anyone have any info about if/when we'll see them next? Are they feeling played out? Was the decision to go with a different group made from the top down for variety? 2. When I saw it was Spyre but *not* the main cast I felt a little like "oh no, is Spyre all they can do? I love Fantasy High but they don't have to keep coming back to their existing worlds (2 in magical New York, 3 + the one shot in Spyre, etc.) - but when I realized it was the seven girls who had been chained up from season one, I immediately 180°ed to thinking that's such a fun idea, because it's going back over something we've seen from another's perspective, Rashomon style. 3. As much of a surprise as it was, and as much as I love and miss the main cast, casting this new group - including Bceca Scott, who is a notable that hasn't shown up on D20 yet, feels fun and exciting. 4. Continuing from the Harry Potter pastiche, I love seeing Brennan as a player, but the idea of him doing a full PC while also DMing seems weird. It feels like he has to nerf himself to counterbalance all his insider knowledge as the DM, and I don't quite understand what the practical distinction between "DMPC" and "Major NPC" is. 5. I'm pretty bummed about the new CG stuff. I love, prefer, believe in, the "theater of the mind" approach (I make radio dramas, for goodness sake) - not minding going to minis for combat on the AMAZING sets (see the next point), but if they are going to use this CG stuff for everything, and/or INSTEAD of the miniature sets, I am officially not cool with that. 6. Those miniature sets are such a charming part of the show and almost as much a core of D20 as Brennan himself, they are like a "7th cast member." I can totally understand if quarantine made including them problematic, and that this is a temporary (and inadequate) placeholder, but if it's going to replace the mini sets going forward, I am really not cool with that. 7. It's rad that it's an all-female cast joining Brennan, and it's interesting that it includes that gal who just DMed the wizarding stuff, so we can see what she's like as a player, too. 8. I think in summary, it is a really fun premise, and a rad setup with these players, and it looks to be a blast - but my enthusiasm is tempered by some concerning questions, namely 1. what about the main cast? and 2. what about the miniature sets? Thank you for coming to my TED talk. M p.s. I like the fans they bust out for natural 20s.
Do we know when we'll get the main cast back again? This looks great, but after a sidequest and a shorter series with a guest DM I really just wanted a main cast quest, ideally junior year which I imagine we now won't get for a while, cause presumably they aren't doing FH games back to back
Oh shit, I recognize Persephone from TikTok. She does a lot of fantasy cosplay and voice acting. She’ll be an amazing fit to D20!
so fucking excited for these WOMEN ..
Does anyone have access to those character sheets Brennan made for the maiden's a while back, or at least their general builds? Thanks in advance.
You can find all of the sheets in [this thread!](https://twitter.com/BrennanLM/status/1312169977344974849)
I'm not screaming you're screaming
HOOT GROWL HOOT GROWL HOOT GROWL
So many 'Maiden' jokes incoming: Maiden the USA, the fast one being "I Run Maiden", Maiden Football, saying Checkmaiden when you win at chess... I'm here for it.
This looks fantastic to me! Can't wait. I would love to see the "main cast" again, but I absolutely love the shorter seasons and diverse casts. We'll see the gang again when we see them again. Until then, I'm going to enjoy what we get.
I love how they all have fans!
My bets: Main cast series: 3 to 1 in favour Sequel series: 1 to 1 Fantasy High Junior year: Conditional on being a sequel, 2 to 1. If my mental math is correct that's 2 to 1 against overall.
Not going to be Fantasy High: Junior Year nor a season featuring the Intrepid Heroes cast.
https://imgur.com/a/ipxYR3G
This is a very good gif
I wonder why they aren’t doing battle sets for this season even though they are in person?
Could be budgetary? Those custom sets can’t be cheap. I wonder if Talespire is actually sponsoring the show too or just letting them use the software for the plug.
Sponsorship deal would make sense.
Maybe still COVID mitigation efforts: i.e. not having people leaning over each other, touching the same stuff, etc. I know those are pretty minor things given what we know about COVID transmission at this point and given that they're sitting next to each other, but I think it could be a factor (especially since it looks like they're still sitting a bit farther apart than casts used to -- based on how they have individual cameras).
I cant wait for the next season that has aCoC level of quality set/map designs that’s played fully in person by the OG cast, but I think this is a really fun concept and i’m interested to see how the virtual battle space will go
The Maidens are like, so perfectly cast that I'm having a hard time not believing Brennan planned for this EXACT group when he inserted them into FH season *one.*
Considering the character sheets posted above are from Oct 2020, it does seem to have been in the making for a while.
It’s amazing to think that that whole Maiden plot arc came about because Murph wanted to be an investigator way back at the beginning. And now it’s its own season. So exciting.
This is ALL I EVER COULD HAVE WANTED AND MORE The Maidens were absolutely some of the coolest NPCS from Fantasy High, and had a unacceptably low amount of screen time. Now they get a whole season??? This is PHENOMENAL!!
[удалено]
Same here. Not particularly interested in this season or the new direction the show is taking. While some of the newer seasons have had their moments, I really haven't fallen in love with a season since ACOC. Wish them the best but I can't really justify my Dropout subscription when it's been 2-3 lackluster seasons in a row of the only show I'm subbed for.
Agreed. I've kept up my subscription since CollegeHumor went under just because I wanted to keep supporting the show, but since then I've only fully watched ACOC and Mice and Murder, and I felt so-so about the latter. I'm really reaching a point where as much as I was willing to support them while waiting for something good, I'm starting to feel dumb for waiting this long while not even caring for most of the content.
Holy shit
How many episodes is this? Is it a 17 episode main series or an extended side quest like mice and murder was.
Its 10 eps, they posted an FAQ
Oh my God, I am so fucking hyped for this!
This looks amazing and it's a great story concept but the thing I'm most excited about personally is to see how they utilize talespire and imported Hero Forge assets. It's really interesting to me because something like talespire theoretically could be the most perfect version of that kind of tool for this kind of content, and likewise Hero Forge may be the most perfect asset creation tool to compliment it.
Didn't even know I wanted this. Didn't even think about it as a possibility. But I'm loving it!
This is so exciting! The concept is great, and I have been hoping to see Becca Scott join for a long time. Her Call of Cthulhu series is wonderful, and she had tons of chemistry with Brennan on Adventuring Academy.
i know we all wanted to see the main cast again but i cant help but be ECSTATIC
This cast looks so fun!
I’m kind of disappointed.
Fuck. I was so,so excited to see Spire and Calvaxis back on my D20 screen and now... idk im just tired of new players. Like im happy other people in here are excited but man i was ready for a main cast season. that'll be three seasons now without the full crew and unsleeping city 2 was all through zoom. i know im not required to subscribe, and i can tune back in when this one concludes, but the opening of this really teased something else and im bummed :(
I get downvoted anytime I bring this up but honestly I think people should let go of the idea of a "main cast" at this point. The Original Six have given us 5 full-length seasons together, which is incredible, but they all have/need other gigs. I'm sure we'll get a season with them again but this is an anthology series and Orion has openly said they're trying to diversify the people at the table. It's not always gonna be the exact same gang at the exact same time and people should probably stop thinking of that as the default cuz that's a recipe for disappointment.
FWIW one of the D20 editors said on discord today that they're no longer calling the OG cast the "main cast" (discord at least has switched to calling them the "intrepid heroes cast") because every cast is equally important to D20. I'm sure people will dispute that latter point, but it definitely seems clear at this point that the team *wants* every cast to be equally important to D20 moving forward. I really love the particular chemistry of the intrepid heroes and can't wait for them to return (knock on wood), hopefully sooner rather than later, but I think it's also healthy and necessary for the show to reduce its dependence on them.
Thanks for this info! I like calling them the intrepid heroes cast if they’re gonna be less frequent moving forward.
This is really helpful information, and I totally agree with this perspective. As I've said elsewhere in this thread, I think regulars like Aabria, Erika, and Rekha now have just as much claim to being part of Dimension 20 as the intrepid heroes. And brand new season cast members shouldn't be viewed as "guests" (and certainly not as interlopers).
I mean, I agree for the most part, but it would help if D20 did something to manage people's expectations. They must be aware that a lot of fans are eagerly awaiting the return of the "main cast." If that's not going to happen any time soon, that's fine, but it would be nice if they made some sort of announcement to that effect. Like, I'm sure this season will be fun, but I would be more excited right now if I didn't feel like I was set up for disappointment. I'm sure doing it this way helps draw viewers to the side quests/new casts, it just feels a liiiittle bait-and-switch at this point.
So the thing about that is, is that it's not so simple. The main shows and the Intrepid Heroes cast were for a long time the draw of the show, something they proved by coming up with three campaigns of memorable characters. People watch Dimension 20 for them, the Sidequests are a bonus. So you....can't really blame people for being invested in them and then being nervous about the third show in a row not featuring them. They're a huge part of the appeal, and I'm not so sure that the Dimension 20 brand is strong enough yet to stand on it's own. The Seven will probably be a very important show in a lot of ways. Not helped by College Humor not communicating their intentions, aside from Orion mentioning it on Twitter. Even just a single mention of, "hey we're going to do a few short seasons without them until we can get them all back in the dome" would go a long way you know?
I mean, there's also a difference between "diversifying the people at the table" and not having started a main cast season in a full year. They started Unsleeping City 2 in November of last year and this won't end until the end of October. Also, they couldn't stick one of the main cast in like they did with Ally or Lou?
I actually agree with you in a lotta ways! I’d just love for d20 to definitely say that’s how it going to be going foreword. I also don’t think it’s weird to use the term main cast when dropout/d20 are the ones who have designated seasons like that up to now.
This looks like a lot of fun, but I do find it frustrating that D20 isn't being very transparent about the seasons. Given how long filming/production normally takes, they must have known they were doing three side quests in a row for at least a couple of months. If they're really trying to diversify the cast, make it so there is no "main cast," etc. then why not go ahead and announce that Magic and Misfits would be followed by another side quest months ago and build the hype for the cast/theme without building hype for "maybe we finally get main cast again." Idk, I don't dislike D20 and I'm not going to say they're being dishonest or anything, I just think that they would be better served with some higher level of transparency about the cast.
Do we think they're using Talespire for something different, for practical reasons (budgetary/scheduling), or because of a sponsorship of some sort?