The Adventure Zone Full Review

I just finished the Adventure Zone, Arc 1? The tale of Magnus, Taako and Mearle. It was a very cinematic and epic tale done very masterfully by Griffon McCelroy, his brothers and father. The McCelroys, known for podcasting, started this D&D podcast back in 2015 and I am late to the show, but what a show! 

All the chapters were a gripping, maybe not completely subservient to D&D,  adventure. Most great campaigns, that people talk about, are not usually centered around D&D core anyways. They usually use elements but rarely stick to the books whole sale. Chris Perkins show Camera Dice Action, I would guess, is the closest to stick to the core. I have not heard of enough that dispute this but I am sure there is a counter point.  

This is a podcasting D&D campaign, and I realize that to truly entertain some of the chaff was cut from the show to preserve speed and time. However, I think, in the progress of the story there were some elements of over railroading the story, but again, this was a story the McCelroys wanted to complete and not drag on for decades. And they did just that in flashy style. And the build up leads to great reveals in the final arc concluding the 3 years of gaming.

You would not be wasting a month or more, but opening a wealth of podcasting entertainment with the ADVENTURE ZONE!

SPOILERS HO!

Here I break down the sub-sections and what I liked and disliked about each section. I finished the whole show while working in about a month. 20 days give or take. They have several more arcs that follow The Adventure Zone, but are in different game worlds. I guess you could call the "seasons" or adventures, within each arc as different arcs withing arcs. 

The First Arc: BALANCE

Episodes 1-6: Here there be Gerblins:

Personally, this is one of my favorite "arcs" of the series. I loved this Gerblins so much because it was raw and untapped and fun for fun sake. And as much as Griffin grits his teeth at the originals in comparison with the later arcs, I think the Gerblins had the some of the funniest moments. Listening to new people, funny people, work their way around a D&D game, is one of the most enjoyable things in my life. Yes, the story is loosely based on the D&D starter set, but I really enjoyed the alterations on the whim that were made. And the core humorous creation of the characters that we would take so much more seriously later on. The humor established in this first adventure planted the seed of humor for later on shows. And of course the introduction of Barry Bluejeans. But my personal favorite was the giant spider and Travis, the dark elf wizard. 

Episodes 7-9: Moonlighting

This one setup Griffon's overall plot line by introducing the Bureau of Balance. Which gave the heroes a starting and ending point to all the adventures. It also revealed some of the main NPCs that would populate the universe such as The Director and the Void Fish. At this point I believe the plot's main points were more or less determined with room for adaption. The main story line being the recovery of the seven weapons of mass destruction. Magic items capable of destroying entire towns/communities. They also create my favorite magic item distribution with this egg machine that I definitely want to steal but modify (Baba Yaga chicken in a box that gives magic eggs?)

Episodes 10-16 Murder on the Rockport Limited 

THE TRAIN! Reminds me of the old Cthulhu adventure the Horror on the Orient Express. There's a old school trope of murder on a train and it just works. A moving vehicle, murder and a mystery. This has all those and introduces ANGUS MCDONALD, boy detective, a fan favorite npc. The characters abilities are getting more and more fleshed out, but the morals of the characters have not quite cemented yet at this point. Very entertaining with the different voice acting and characters. And a fun conclusion that really ignites the imagination. The butler being the favorite for me and the interaction between Angus. 

Episodes 18–27 Petals to the Metal 

The adventure's pace really picks up both figuratively and literally. A Mad Max Fury Road like romp through the desert. The establishment of technology in this alternate D&D world is a little jarring if you are used to pure medieval fantasy, but it's easy to get over when you realize it's about world building, not following every rule. Which for me, is sometimes hard for me to let go of. The players really become very involved emotionally at this point and you feel this energy. Interesting listening to this show made in 2016, when D&D Descent is so similar with the crazy fantasy Cannonball Run car chase.

Episodes 29–39 The Crystal Kingdom 

This is the point where the music not only gets greatly improved, but becomes part of the very story. The characters solve some puzzles and meet death. I didn't love the story of this one, but what was really special to me about this one was the spark of inspiration this whole episode arc gave me. I really wanted to learn how Griffon created the music and synthetic voices. So after some research I discovered how light tech the process was. He used Garage Band, a midi keyboard and a voice modulation program called a Vocaloid. Really inspiring all around.

Episodes 41–49 The Eleventh Hour 

A Ground Hog's Day adventure where the party gets stuck in a time loop to save a town. This arc has some really cool beast and characters introduced. One of my favorite bad guys off all time, more of an act of nature, is the PURPLE WORM. And Grif puts a mecha huge one in this adventure. A fan favorite, I believe, is also the golem/bird magic knight, Roswell. Good story and a cool gimmick.

 Episodes 51–57 The Suffering Game

A carnival of horrors adventure. A game show version of Tomb of Horrors essentially. The characters are put through great suffering and are placed in situation dealing with both physical and mental trauma. Magnus seems to be star of this adventure as we discover more about his past and his body is literally stolen by one of two liches that dominate this circus. And the red robe figure makes us question his role. Good story, very parted from traditional medieval world. 

Episodes 60–66 The Stolen Century 

If you've gotten this far, you are pretty invested in these characters. You have to be when you jump to this adventure because it is a definite different flavor. Griffon takes us to the past where the characters create their own narrative back to the present day where they were left fighting the "Hunger". This change of pace is even gamed with a altered set of game rules. Little hard to get used to and not my favorite, but it does help complete the narration. If we needed the completion of that...I am not sure. I think in the end the characters have a more complete story but the drop in energy I think was almost fatal to my interest. 

Episodes 67–69 Story and Song 

Ah, the finale. We return to our previously scheduled D&D adventure. The battle with the "Hunger" is taken to final boss battle status and we conclude the adventure in a grandiose style.  Suffice it to say, the origin of tacos is discovered and I get a little weepy at Magnus and his reuniting of his wife.  Great job all around. A month of my life well met with adventure and comedy. My favorite two things. 

Lunar Interludes 

All of the Lunar encounters are delightful also with some character building, unique treasures, Fantasy Cosco (with jingle) and story links. 

ON TO THE NEXT ADVENTURE!

Now on to the next adventure...