Popular Reviews of Dungeons & Randomness

For some context, I started listening to D&R probably two years ago and began with Arc 2. Now I've caught up with Arc 4 to the point that I keep running out of episodes to listen to, so I've been listening to Arc 1 at the same time.Although the first few episodes were rough, Arc 1 Group 1 is by far the best group out of all of the arcs. They had a proper objective (a book worthy plot), the players were likeable and had great chemistry, there was a lot of humour, the arguing gave sessions some drama and made the group feel more realistic, and the characters were well thought out. Unfortunately, once Group 2 and 3 came along in Arc 1, they barely did any sessions. Then later on in Arc 1, it sounds like some of them left and got replaced as well, which I'm not looking forward to because the other groups in Arc 1 don't even come close. I frankly can't stand Group 3. For example, one of the players constantly repeated 'okie dokie' in their first episode, and I don't like Izzy/Una.That leads me on to one of the biggest problems with this show; namely, if you're like me, then you will like certain groups significantly more than others. For instance, there are certain players that you will find annoying rather than entertaining, which ruins that group completely, especially when those annoying players want the spotlight. Then some groups have much better plots/missions/objectives than others, which again limits the entertainment you can get from specific groups.I think the show would be better with fewer groups, but scheduling would obviously be more difficult. Instead, there are now more groups in Arc 4, and everything feels like a downgrade despite the improved production quality, especially after listening to Arc 1 Group 1. The current cast are likeable, but the episodes are much shorter, the groups are smaller, the stories aren't as good, some characters need more work, and things just feel lost and over the top. Again, some groups are better than others. The Gray seem to have no real objective, Susan does an annoying voice for Yalna from Vanguard for some reason, the Overseers have become silly after doing some challenges, and the Firebrand concept isn't believable when there are already guards to handle crime.Of course, that's not the only problem with the show. People have been brought back from death way too many times as if it's nothing. I get that people are attached to their characters, but it means there are no consequences, which is something Jason originally complained about in Arc 1 I believe, only to completely flip about later on. The combat is also extremely boring and slow. I dread every portion of combat because it feels like it takes up half the episode when the characters and story are what really matters like in GOT. Some players talk in the third person with weird pronouns. There are now ads on each episode that are impossible to skip on mobile without missing part of the beginning. Most of the time, the ads are exactly the same over and over again, with the same ads used multiple times in one episode. There are also lots of repetitive announcements at the beginning and end of every episode surrounded by these ads like 'stick around after the ads' sort of thing, only for nothing important to be said, which is misleading. There have been times when things have got political when they shouldn't have. GMT should never have been put in with D&R; it should have either never been started in the first place because it comes across as unprofessional or at least been a separate podcast so that it didn't reduce the number of actual D&R episodes. Then there's quite a lot of swearing in many episodes and some gay jokes early on that some people might not like, although I don't have a problem with either.In sum, besides some over the top and unrealistic mechanics, the world of Theria is brilliant. Jason is also a solid DM and has the ideal voice and upbeat attitude to do a podcast. However, the groups and players vary in quality, and the latest arc feels somewhat lost. Although D&R is the only podcast I listen to and probably will ever listen to, it's far from perfect. It arguably deserves 4/5, but the fact that I can't bring myself to listen to certain groups and struggled to listen to specific groups in Arc 2 suggests that the quality discrepancy is real.

A fantastic and immersive podcast with a wide array of characters, plot lines, and most importantly, a realistic take on the life of an adventurer. Things are not easy out in the world and this podcast pulls no punches.

My favorite actual-play podcast of all time. Funny, smart and deeply immersive.