I have never listened to The Last Podcast on the Left despite its popularity. The sheer amount of episodes to catch up on is intimidating, to say the least. With that said, it may come as a surprise that I started watching a show produced by Last Podcast Network (LPN), their podcast network. LPN launched their Vampire: The Masquerade live play titled LPN RPG: Bloodbath. Without having any knowledge of The Last Podcast on the Left, I wasn’t expecting to love this series as much as I did. I’ve finished the first season and am now impatiently waiting for the second season.

LPN RPG: Bloodbath takes place in New York City in 2012. It follows our three vampires, Mel (played by Henry Zebrowski), Janine (played by Jackie Zebrowski), and Wes (played by Ross Bryant) as they navigate vampire society. Both Henry and Jackie are new to Vampire: The Masquerade as a system, while Ross has played TTRPGs in the past. The vampires uncover a political conspiracy that leads to a final and bloody confrontation in the tenth and final episode of the season.

Every episode in this series was entertaining to watch. I found myself trying to find any free time I could to watch twenty minutes of the episodes at a time. I think that while all three of the vampires were great, I think Mel stole the show. I don’t know Henry, or I haven’t watched Henry in anything, but it seemed like he genuinely was having a fun time. He seemed to like drawing on animalism to command his rats to do things. There was one pet rat that Mel sent into a warehouse, which the storyteller, Jared Logan, revealed was killed in the final battle. Am I crying over a dead rat? I guess so. Mel was so sweet, and he talked about giving him a proper burial. With that said, Janine and Wes both had their own story moments where they shone. Wes, in particular, showed how evil vampires can be in this game, which was entertaining to watch. There were various cameos from what I could only assume were the other cast members on the LPN network, but because I don’t watch any of their other shows, I wouldn’t be able to confirm.

Speaking of, Jared Logan was a fabulous storyteller for this series. I have not seen him in any other live play yet, but now I’m actively seeking out anything else he has done. He brought a certain levity to the series, but also kept the darker nature of the game.

As I was watching the show, I would read the comments as one does. I saw a common theme of several comments saying they have never heard of Vampire: The Masquerade, but wanted to play, or those who loved the series despite not thinking that TTRPGs were for them. I like reading those comments because I love this game, so it’s been great to see different content creators take on Vampire: The Masquerade, because that helps bring new players to the game.

I have no idea when the next season of LPNRPG Bloodbath will premiere, but I hope it’s soon.

I did not have on my bingo card this year that Dimension 20 would be playing Vampire: The Masquerade. I am only on the first season of Fantasy High, and while I love it, I can’t picture the cast taking on horror. I believe that Dimension 20 has done darker live plays, but I haven’t watched them yet. I think there can and should be a place for all Vampire: The Masquerade live plays, even if those live plays might not be as dark.

I was reading the comments for Council of Darkness, and someone chimed in that this had What We Do In the Shadows vibes to it. I completely agree. What We Do In The Shadows is a hilarious show, and I feel this series will be similar to that. Since this series is taking on Vampire: The Masquerade in a completely different way, I can understand and respect why some may not be interested in watching this. That’s okay! I think there’s something out there for everyone, depending on what you’re looking for.

One Vampire: The Masquerade podcast that I love is Canada By Night. Canada By Night is produced by Dumb-Dumbs & Dice, and whenever I read critiques of this podcast online, most of the critiques can be summarized with how this podcast doesn’t feel like Vampire: The Masquerade. The core of the show is the player vampires living in a town with vampires, and there doesn’t seem to be as much emphasis on the masquerade. I think this is a valid take on the show, but that’s also why I like Canada By Night. It does something different, even though it may not work for everyone. One player in my current Vampire: The Masquerade game cites Canada By Night as one of the reasons why she wanted to play Vampire. She’s been an integral part of our group, all thanks to this podcast.

I am curious to watch what Dimension 20 does with the game. It could be silly, and the tone could be jarring compared to other live plays, but if it gets more players into the game, I think that would always be a good thing.

It’s been five months since Aramán began. In that time, there were four Overture episodes introducing the world and the characters along with two table wrap ups, Soldiers and Seekers. The Schemers first episode is set to air this Thursday. This West Marches style campaign is different from anything that Critical Role has done and I’m enjoying it thus far. Since it’s been a while since I talked about Aramán, I wanted to share my thoughts about the episodes and the campaign thus far.

Aramán is Lore Heavy

Do we really expect anything less from Brennan Lee Mulligan though? I am listening to Worlds Beyond Number, his TTRPG podcast and that podcast is also heavy on the lore of the world. One thing I did a few weeks ago was expanding on my Aramán Google Doc. I have several tabs that help consolidate the information from the episodes. This has helped prevent me from getting lost and keeping everything straight. I have a list of all the characters, their relatives or NPCs that are big to their journey along with a tab of NPCs and important terms. One other thing that’s helped me with the lore is reading Dani Carr’s recaps and watching Luboffin‘s video recaps. She takes a three and half or four hour episode of Critical Role and summarizes it within twenty to thirty minutes on average. That’s impressive. This has helped me become more immersed in Aramán without getting lost.

The Soldiers Table Started Off With a Bang

The Soldiers Table was the best table to start off with. Their goals were clear: Thimble (played by Laura Bailey) wanted revenge on Casimir after he betrayed Thjazi leading to his execution. Teor (played by Travis Willingham) wants to find his brother, Cyd. Wick (played by Sam Riegel) is grappling with learning the truth about his family, House Halovar. Tyranny (played by Whitney Moore) tries to support Wick where she can. Then there’s Kattigan (played by Robbie Daymond). There’s a lot more to Kattigan that we don’t know yet and I like the element of mystery. I’m curious to see what Kattigan is all about. The episode where Thimble absolutely crushes Casimir, it was savage. It’s fun as a viewer to see the dice rolling in favor of the story and that’s what happened when Thimble confronted Casmir. Also, the Soldiers find Cyd, but not in the outcome they expected. It leaves intrigue, so when we revisit the Soldiers table, there’s still a lot to explore which I think is needed for this style of campaign.

The Seekers – Bring the Popcorn

When I say bring the pocorn, I meant it. The Seekers, arguably have had the most conflict thus far. As a side note, let’s talk about conflict in TTRPGs. I find it hard to believe that when you bring characters together in a campaign, they will magically get along. Everyone has different motivations and wants that may clash depending on what the other characters have going on. With that said, conflict in TTRPGs should always be a topic for a session zero. Some players may not want conflict in their games, and that’s okay! I love conflict because I think it can be an interesting story to tell. I feel fortunate that at my current table we are able to handle conflict maturely and we don’t hold it against the players playing as the characters. Getting back on topic, I think what makes this table interesting is how at odds everyone is. Julien’s (played by Matt Mercer) father was killed by Occtis’s (played by Alex Ward) family. Julien isn’t going to get over that and why should he? However, there was a moment in one of the last episodes where Julien sticks up for Occtis when the group comes after him. That shows growth in Julien for being able to separate Occtis from his horrible family. Thaisha (played by Aabria Iyengar) has had tough conversations with Vaelus (played by Ashley Johnson) as it’s unclear if Vaelus wants to resurrect her god. If she could, should she be able to? There was another conversation between Thaisha and Occtis that as a viewer, I enjoyed watching. Thaisha is on the defensive when it comes to a theory Occtis brings up and Occtis rebutts with feeling attacked by Thaisha at every turn and how he isn’t his family. Both characters are right and have valid reasons why they feel the way they do.

I think that if the Seekers can get through their personal conflict, they will come out as stronger allies for it. It will take time to get there.

The Schemers – Predictions

The Schemers table hasn’t started yet, but my prediction is that Bolaire (played by Taliesin Jaffe) will be my favorite out of the four. Bolaire’s story is fascinating to me with the association with the mask on his face. We have seen bits and pieces of the other three and I hope that Azune (played by Luis Carazo) will be spotlighted as I feel like I know the least about his character. With that said, Azune was featured in some of the intros before the episodes which has helped provide more back story as to why he is who he is.

Aramán has been such a delight to watch. I mentioned this before, but I genuinely look forward to new episodes every week. There’s so much to unpack with the world and the characters. I feel like I have so much more that I could say, so I might save that for a blog post to write in the future.

I have talked about Private Nightmares in various blog posts, but I haven’t dedicated an entire post to talking about this live play. It’s about time I write about Private Nightmares because it’s one of my favorite TTRPG live plays I have watched. I found out about Private Nightmares last year through an announcement by Alexander Ward, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite players and now storytellers to watch. In partnership with Joey Rassool, a player on NY By Night, they launched Project Ghostlight, a home for Vampire: The Masquerade live streams, specifically Private Nightmares. Private Nightmares is so unsettling and perfectly captures the horror of Vampire: The Masquerade.

Private Nightmares follows a thin-blood coterie. Naomi (played by Mayanna Berrin), Katie (played by Aabria Iyengar), Gable (played by Xander Jeanneret), Eddie (played by Luis Carazo), and Jade (played by Gina DeVivo) are a thin-blood coterie who are trying to discover what that actually means in LA, and establish their place in vampire society. For those who aren’t sure what I mean when I say thin-blood, thin-bloods are Kindred who have diluted vampire blood, so they aren’t seen as full vampires. As such, they are often looked down upon. It makes for an interesting story to see how these characters view the Camarilla and vampire society as a whole.

The whole cast is amazing at what they do. It’s hard to choose a favorite character, because everyone has their own story. I think it’s easy to say Jade is a standout. The way she approaches situations with this innocence is realistic in finding out what she’s capable of as a vampire. I was reading some comments online about how her sire may be Malkavian, and that fits. Katie and Naomi have had a ton of great moments together. Another thing I like about this actual play is how they navigate missing players at the table. For example, Naomi wasn’t around for several episodes, but when she came back, she stated how she owed the Camarilla because of the catastrophe at the museum. It keeps the story moving and still keeps the cast engaged if they can’t film every episode together.

Alexander Ward, as the storyteller, is easily another strength of the series. The way that this is filmed is unlike any actual play I watched. I appreciate the way Alexander portrays the beast in the characters. He will sit on the back of the player’s chairs or lean down close to them to whisper dialogue. It’s unsettling, which is how it should be. I’m not sure where they film this series, but I like how the players can get up and walk around, too. It feels like I’m watching a theater production in addition to a TTRPG being played.

Private Nightmares is one of my favorite Vampire: The Masquerade live plays I have ever watched. I’m curious to see how long this coterie will go for and if they will do more live plays in the future. If you haven’t checked it out, you need to, or if you have always been interested in Vampire: The Masquerade, this is a great live play to watch to dip your feet into all things World of Darkness.

One of my friends tagged me on Discord to let me know that several cast members of Critical Role were appearing in a comedy sketch called Dirty Laundry. Dirty Laundry is a show on Dropout where various comedians submit their stories. The guests need to guess who submitted it, and if they do, they receive a point. If the comedian tricks everyone and it’s their story and no one guesses them, they get three points. I have been wanting to watch Dimension 20 for a while, so I decided to try the free trial to watch this particular episode of Dirty Laundry. I ended up subscribing for a full year since it was 20% off, which I felt was a good deal considering all the content I have access to. For the amount of content I get to watch for the price, it’s been well worth it so far.

I mentioned Dimension 20 earlier. Dimension 20 is Dropout’s TTRPG streaming show. The first series, I believe, is Fantasy High and features Brennan Lee Mulligan as the DM with Murph and Emily Axford as players. If that sounds familiar, it’s because both Murph and Emily are on NADDPOD. I don’t know much more than that, but I like how it’s not as huge a commitment as Critical Role is. There are multiple seasons, but they also stream shorter series, which I think complements the longer campaigns that I watch with Critical Role. If you aren’t feeling that campaign, another one should start soon that might fit what you’re looking for. I will probably love Dimension 20, and I’m hoping to start it officially sometime next year.

I haven’t had my subscription for very long, as the only show I have watched so far is Dirty Laundry. It’s so funny. The Critical Role one was hilarious. There was a story someone shared about how they rode on a drug dealer’s horse. I won’t spoil whose story that was, but the one Matt shared, where he was at an orgy and didn’t even know it. It didn’t surprise me at all that it was Matt’s story. I watch Dirty Laundry at night after work because it’s a show I don’t have to pay much attention to after a long day. I also watched Dirty Laundry while I walked on my walking pad. With it being winter, it’s not ideal for walking outdoors, so I use my walking pad much more in the icky months. I watched two episodes while I walked, and the time flew by.

I’m looking forward to using my Dropout subscription. I think it will be something I use fairly often, and I can’t wait to start watching Dimension 20 next year.

The Mighty Nein has premiered on Amazon Prime with new episodes releasing on Wednesday. The Mighty Nein chronicles Critical Role’s second campaign, and arguably the campaign that Critical Role is known for. I have introduced my husband to both The Legend of Vox Machina and The Mighty Nein, even though my husband has never watched a full episode of Critical Role before. I am loving The Mighty Nein, and I think the show streamlines the campaign in a way that’s easy to follow.

There will be spoilers for both the show and the campaign.

The Mighty Nein follows seven characters, with six being introduced in the first four episodes. Caleb Widogast (played by Liam O’Brien), Nott The Brave (played by Sam Riegel), Beauregard Lionett (played by Marisha Ray), Jester Lavorre (played by Laura Bailey), Fjord (played by Travis Willingham), and Mollymauk Tealeaf (played by Taliesin Jaffe). Yasha (played by Ashley Johnson) makes an appearance, but doesn’t say much and isn’t connected with the group at this moment. Caleb and Nott meet after Nott steals Caleb’s spell components. Beau is investigating an attack with the Cobalt Soul, and Jester has a run-in with Fjord after his ship is wrecked in a storm. Mollymauk is helping Gustav prepare for the carnival. After the carnival is ransacked by a devil toad, the characters team up to prove their innocence and that they were not behind the attack on the carnival.

My favorite characters in the campaign were Fjord and Caduceus, who have not been introduced yet. From the show, I like Beau and Molly. It’s interesting because, during the campaign, I disliked Molly, which I would say is a somewhat unconventional take considering how much the fandom loves Molly as a character. I liked how Molly was portrayed in the show. They were less pompous, and I like how there was more emphasis on the Tarot cards. Beau’s story with The Cobalt Soul is one of the major plot points in the show, as it should be. I also liked how the earlier episodes emphasized how all the characters met. In the campaign, they meet, but the show ties everything together in a nice way, so it provides more emphasis on Caleb and Nott’s friendship before meeting the others.

Focusing on the NPCs, I liked how Trent Ikithon is a major focus right away. One thing I wish from watching the campaign is more emphasis on Trent and how evil he was. He would appear every now and then, but was more of a background character. In the show, that’s not the case. He is ICKY. He is a major player in the upcoming war, and he experiments on people, which is again, really gross. Trent’s early appearance helps establish his eventual downfall, and I look forward to it. Another notable NPC is Dairon, Beau’s mentor. Dairon is voiced by Ming-Na Wen, who also plays Melinda May in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I thought that was a perfect casting for the character. Dairon was one of my favorite NPCs from the campaign, and I love how she’s voiced by another one of my favorite actors.

With most of Critical Role’s campaign adaptations, there are changes from the campaign to the animated show. The first notable change was Yasha. In the campaign, Yasha knew Molly from episode one, whereas in the animated show, Yasha is nowhere to be seen. I think this change may have been necessary, considering Ashley Johnson was still filming Blindspot during the campaign. I think it could have been more difficult to explain narratively why Yasha disappears. If I had to guess, I think the group will meet Yasha when she’s under Obann’s influence, and they will have to free her. I wonder if this will happen in the first season of the show or a lot later. Another change was the death of Gustav. In the campaign, Gustav survives the attack, whereas in the show, Molly is forced to kill him when he’s turned. I think this provides Molly more direction as a character. It gives more meaning to the scimitars that he carries.

I’m curious to see if Avantika will appear this season or if she will be saved for later on. The Mighty Nein is an enjoyable rendition of Critical Role’s beloved campaign. The Mighty Nein can be streamed on Amazon Prime.

In between watching Bells Hells, I have also been watching Aramán, Critical Role’s fourth campaign. The campaign recently completed the Overture, comprising four episodes designed to introduce the characters and establish three individual tables: Soldiers, Schemers, and Seekers. Everyone was waiting anxiously to see how this campaign would be. There’s a lot of change, with a new DM and a new world. I’m happy to say that this campaign has been interesting to watch. I wanted to share what I’m really enjoying about this new campaign.

There may be spoilers for Campaign #4 below. I will try to keep spoilers to a minimum.

The Campaign Feels Fresh

I like how this campaign takes place in a new world. I loved Exandria, but it’s nice to have a break. As I listen to Bells Hells, it hasn’t gripped me as much as other Critical Role campaigns and one-shots have. When I compare Bells Hells to Aramán, it feels different. I’m genuinely looking forward to Aramán each week. With Bells Hells, I can go days without watching an episode because I know the episodes will be waiting for me; however, I also don’t feel compelled to do so. With Aramán, I don’t want to be spoiled, so I watch the episode the next day, which has worked for me.

Matt as a Player

Matt is popping off, especially in the fourth episode. There’s a combat sequence, and Matt completely tanks. It’s nice to see him as a player and also being knowledgeable about what his character does. He understands the mechanics, and it makes him a powerful ally for the players to have at the table. Matt has played as a player character in Exandria Unlimited, but I felt his character was a dud. Dariax was around, but he didn’t have a personality. Sir Julien Davinos is making waves. Matt has taken to being more combative with the other players, as Julien and I am here for the drama.

All the Characters are Intriguing in their Own Way

There isn’t a character that I have been introduced to that I haven’t liked. With there being thirteen characters to follow, it seems obvious that someone would show up whom I forget about. That hasn’t been the case. With Taliesin, his characters are a hit or a miss for me. Bolaire has been a hit for me. I think it’s a nice blend between the characters that Taliesin wants to play and setting Bolaire up for success in this world. The cursed mask is fascinating, and as someone who has had cursed masks pop up in the campaigns I play in, they can have major consequences for a story. Other favorites have been Occtis (played by Alexander Ward), Julien, Tyranny (played by Whitney Moore), and Wicander (played by Sam Riegel).

The New Cast

I mentioned earlier about how this campaign feels fresh, and I think the new cast is one of the reasons why. I watched Private Nightmares with Alex, Aabria, and Luis, and if you haven’t watched it yet, you need to. I knew these three would be great. Robbie Daymond is back, and I think he brings this excitement to Critical Role that is fun to watch. Whitney Moore, I had no idea who she was before she was a cast member. I knew she narrated a few of their panels at comic book conventions, but that’s about it. I mentioned Tyranny already, but I think her chemistry with Sam has been great. Their stories are linked together, and I’m curious to see how that develops in later episodes.

Aramán has been a blast to watch. I am curious to see how things develop in later episodes. If you have any theories or thoughts, I’d love to hear them.

I first started watching Bells Hells, Critical Role’s third campaign, at the end of 2021 when it first aired. I was trying to watch both The Mighty Nein and Bells Hells at the same time, and it was a lot. With most episodes being three and a half to four hours long or longer, it’s a lot to try and watch both campaigns. Towards the beginning of 2023, I decided to drop Bells Hells and focus on The Mighty Nein. Now that I have finished The Mighty Nein, and Bells Hells has finished, I feel like I missed something. Overwhelmingly in fandom spaces, Bells Hells was not as well-received as the other campaigns, so what happened?

I don’t have facts or numbers to back this up; this is simply based on what I have read online from other fans. I stopped watching Bells Hells at episode #40, and I’m on episode #10 of my rewatch. When I first started watching, I remember loving Laudna as a character. Laudna inspired one of my first Dungeons & Dragons characters at the time. I thought Bertrand Bell’s death was surprising, and Chetney’s quick introduction a few episodes later brought chaos to the party. There was a lot of potential to explore every character, their back story, and whatever plot Matt was planning behind the scenes.

It sounds like the campaign took a turn regarding the gods of Exandria and the gods of Dungeons & Dragons lore. I know bits and pieces that were spoiled for me before watching, but not enough to explain what happened without watching it for myself. However, from what I learned, I’m not sure if I love the direction that Bells Hells or Critical Role took in that regard. I don’t want to say much more about it until I have seen it myself and can form my own opinions.

I think it’s important to note that you can still be a fan of something and not love everything from that fandom. For example, fans of Game of Thrones can still be fans even though they hated the last season. You can be a fan of Critical Role without loving Bells Hells. Sometimes I find that people take things personally when someone critiques something they love. A year or two ago, one of my friends was reading a book I loved. When she finished the book, she said she didn’t like it. I remember feeling defensive about it. It’s so silly when I think about this now because who cares? If she didn’t like something, it doesn’t change how I feel about it. She isn’t wrong, nor am I right. We both are allowed to like or dislike something, and it doesn’t change how the other views it. All of this to say, it’s okay if there are fans who liked Bells Hells or who didn’t like Bells Hells.

Getting back on topic, I am looking forward to Bells Hells and being fully caught up on all things Critical Role. I’m curious as to how I will feel about the campaign and the direction it took.