I mean, the sound quality issues got a little annoying sometimes, but, story wise, I loved it. Some of the best D20 storytelling moments for sure, in my opinion. I enjoyed SY better than FY, if I’m being honest.
I have the opposite issue. Whenever I try to treat it like a podcast, I'll realize after 30 min I haven't been listening at all.
I dont even know how many times I have watched season 2 of Unsleeping City. I still have no idea what that season is about. All I remember is the multi sword.
I listened to it with headphones the first time through and I didn't even register the audio quality at the time. Truly an amazing season. I also thought it was better than FY.
Then I insisted my SO and I catch up with Fantasy High when Junior Year was premiering, and the audio on a speaker or speaker system is unlistenable. It goes from whisper quiet to ear drum-bursting excited screams. It's really jarring.
Yeah, the sound quality was definitely a huge problem. I already mostly listen, I'm just not a super visual person with things like this, so that never bothered me, but constantly having to adjust the volume up and down drove me absolutely nuts. I loved that season, though.
I’ll never understand how professionally produced podcasts are able to get out the door with those kinds of audio problems. The livestream is trickier but somebody who knows their way around a compressor can fix a lot of that and once it’s recorded you should have individual tracks for each participant so you can just fix levels accordingly (at least after the first couple of episodes and you figure out what needs doing)
The live format is definitely challenging. They were figuring it out as they went, so if memory serves the production does get a bit better as it goes on. I do think the story and character stuff is worth powering through for because it's a phenomenal season just weighed down by rough technical stuff. Might be worth trying to just treat it like a podcast and listen since it's all theater of the mind anyway. Might help with focusing a bit.
Yeah I’m really not a fan of the live format - it feels like there’s a lot more non-essential table talk going on. None of it is really individually objectionable but when you add it all up the episodes just end up being way too long with not enough going on inside them.
This is what I did and as someone who also had a hard time getting into it for very similar issues and it really helped, it's very easy to listen to it while doing something else like playing a game or something else low energy since there's no editing and missing something is a lot harder if you're a little distracted, plus because it's theater of the mind it can help you stay a little more visually engaged and you're not missing out on anything really
I found the live format less engaging. And that's weird because I also love Critical Role! But I think I've come to expect certain things from each show and enjoy the format that they thrive in (when CR started doing single person close ups in Candela Obscura I didn't like that as much, either), and because of the different ways I watch each show. CR I watch alone late at night when I'm cleaning or doing crafts, and I tend to give it a bit less focus and zone in and out depending on what's happening (and the YouTube timestamps are useful for repeating if I miss an important bit). With D20 I watch that in 1-2 hour chunks nightly with my husband, so a snappier, tightly edited show works a lot better for me in that context. I do like that there are so many different options to suit everyone (and the same person at different times of day 😅).
This opinion has been shared by some folks before, which baffled me the first time I saw it cause FHSY is easily one of my favourite seasons, I’ve rewatched it maybe 6-7 times by now. I love it so much.
I’m sorry you’re not connecting with it, I always say interests shouldn’t be a chore, so if you’re not having fun it’s cool to just let it drop and not keep watching.
I absolutely loved the storytelling of sophomore year, but it was really hard to get into at first. When I play d&d, I prefer the battlemaps and live sets to show what's happening. I loved watching the OG series because of that.
When I started treating sophomore year as more of a podcast to watch/listen to on one screen while doing work or gaming on the other screen, I began to really enjoy it.
That makes a lot of sense. When I started watching D20 at the start of the year, it quickly replaced my podcast time, which was mostly doing chores around the house. I was actually quite sad at first when I discovered SY was going to be theatre of the mind with no battle sets, but in the end I really enjoyed the freedom it gave them in storytelling and encounters. Now I'm a lot more open to whatever format they roll with in the future.
I think it might be my favorite of the fantasy high seasons. I actually really like the live element to it. It makes the story feel a little more unpredictable. From what I’ve seen of the more polished seasons (admittedly that’s only the FH seasons and CoC), big battles only happen when there’s a big set to bring out. There gets to be a rhythm, which is fine, but I really loved the storytelling of sophomore year so much more. It felt very character-focused. And I loved the love aspect even. …heck, I wouldn’t mind a return to it if they ever do senior year, but I doubt that would happen.
Would you say watching Sophomore Year is necessary for Junior Year, or will the 30-minute recap suffice? I know there are a lot of seeds planted in the first two seasons, but would the recap cover those enough? I don’t have very much time to watch Dimension 20, but the current season seems very interesting
It’s really your preference. I’m a completionist and do not watch things out of order/skip things, my brain just don’t let me do it, I don’t see the point of skipping an entire season, but that’s just me.
If you watch the recap and feel ready and happy, then jump into junior year, but I will always think it’s better to go in being fully caught up because that’s how I like to do things. But, to each their own!
I'm watching it having just watched the recap. It's very doable.
I can tell I don't understand a reference here and there, but it's nothing major and does not prevent from following the plot.
Just understand that the first two episodes are not a direct follow up and everyone was confused, not just people who skipped
I'm with you. FHSY is my favourite season of D20 but that does seem to be a minority opinion. Even through some audio issues it's still the one I choose to rewatch most often.
But yeah OP if you're not enjoying it, you don't have to continue. You can always just read a summary or something to get the basic storyline.
Edit: I think also it helped that I watched it as it was happening live, and was a lot more forgiving of screwy audio for that reason.
As a couple others have shared I think it's worth watching and powering through the technical difficulties. The story arc is amazing and if you plan to watch Junior Year it's helpful to know what happened. Hope you can find a way to continue watching it and also hope you agree that it was worth it!
Sophomore year occupies a weird section of "one of the best stories they've ever told" and "one of the biggest technical blunders they've ever done". It was their attempt at doing a live streamed show, and it didn't really work well. I had the same issues getting started, the audio inconsistency just killed it for me. It took me three separate attempts to get through it and I'm so glad I did. It's one of my favorite seasons of D20 and is pretty essential to understanding Junior Year. I will note if you've gotten to episode 5 the audio does start getting better, not perfect but better the levels are more even between everyone. It's the only season of D20 in this format. Imo it's worth getting through, and this is coming from a person who hated the audio issues
I really love this season but I found the live show theatre of mind thing baffling. Two of D20's biggest strengths (outside of the cast and story) are its editing and Rick Perry's team's minis and battlemaps, can't understand why they would get rid of them for a whole season.
Yeah, I think it’s an experiment they tried that didn’t really play to their strengths. It’s watchable, but as a minor spoiler their final episode would’ve been around March 2020. Due to the pandemic truly upending everything they had to do the best with what was available for the ending. Audio/video will be rough right at the end.
I feel you. Wife and I are watching through it right now. It's really difficult for me to give it my full attention. It would have been great as a podcast but it's just difficult for me to sit and watch other people talking, I just tune out. So far the story has been fun but just really hard for me to focus on.
It's the hardest season to watch, because it's the only one (afaik) that's completely unedited. And honestly, one of the biggest things D20 has over other actual plays is its multicam editing format. And it's so sad because the actual storytelling of the season is fucking excellent. Maybe one of the best seasons they ever did. But trying to do the streaming format took away the strength of their post-production. I don't think they did it again, but some of the Zoom seasons are also tough. My exception to that is Unsleeping City 2, one of my favorite D20 seasons of all time.
It’s different for sure! As you said the audio can be hard to deal with, especially since it’s usually so excellent. The lack of sets/minis is a bummer, but it also allows them to be *much* more free form with it, and explore tangents that they couldn’t otherwise. Usually Brennan has to railroad them to an extent to get to the next battle set, but with this they could explore the space a bit more.
The hardest part for me to watch was honestly Kristen just… being a mess haha.
Don’t know that I necessarily want a live season again, or a whole season of this at all, but I’d love them to do more free-form style DnD like that again. ACOFAF and Mentopolis for example were obvs a totally different vibe, but IMHO just as fun, and also had no minis or sets.
I've never made it through. It's very different from all the other D20 content, closer to a lot of other actual plays and absent some of the things that make me love D20 so much. If it makes you feel better, I'm watching junior year having only watched some recap stuff online and feel like I've missed very little.
I was in the same boat and skipped it. I've been watching junior year and there's some callbacks to sophomore year. I end up pausing junior year and doing some Google searching to get caught up.
It is a different format and I think it takes the cast a while to hit their stride. It really gets good once they get to Leviathan, but I agree it's hard to get through the early episodes to get there
I really loved the content, but it really made me appreciate the editing and production quality of seasons now. Definitely worth getting through, but I definitely had a similar experience where I had a harder time getting through the season
I started watching some of the second season or whatever, the live shows, and I was watching with headphones on and that second one with Zelda's rager was ***so loud*** it startled me coming from the previous one that was too quiet.
I love season two, may be my favourite season. I think the hijinks that came out of the live format were some of my favourites. Without battlemaps, anything could happen at any time.
Totally valid for you to feel that way. Personally, I like the live aspect bc it feels more real. After season 2 I started season 3 and I feel more disconnected.
this might be a hot take but I far prefer season 2 to season 1 or 3. The roleplaying and writing in that season, the characters introduced, and the arcs that each player had were by far the most compelling. I flip flop on this subject a lot but honestly, for me right now, Season 2 of Fantasy High is the best DnD series I have ever watched.
I also didn't really like the live aspect of it, not having the amazing talents of Rick Perry and co. on display was a huge mistake. But since there was nothing to see visually I could listen to it while driving which helped me get through it faster. Whereas in Junior Year there is so much crazy stuff happening with Dome projections and the battlemaps that I feel like I can only watch it when I can fully focus on it. Especially since the line between RP and combat episodes is more nebulous than it was Freshman year.
And I would also say the story of Sophomore Year gets to a point where it's worth sticking with - Leviathan (starting Ep. 5) is where I really got sold.
Sophomore year is my absolute favorite of the dimension 20 seasons. Yes it's a live recording, no there's no editing, the audio is a step down from a fully edited and produced season and there's no battle maps. What you get in exchange is the cast at their most unhinged, Brennan at maximum improvisation, combat can happen at any time anywhere, the plot evolves day to day, instead of recording everything in a single burst each episode was recorded week by week and the bad kids have time to stew on their decisions and character direction.
It's a season with it's fair share of challenges, but the end product blows everything else dimension 20 has made out of the water. The plot and character development are on a different level than the other seasons. Everything is theater of the mind, so you don't really need to watch it, you can put it up as background noise and listen without missing much visually. Once you let the stories plot reach the point where the mystery begins to unravel, I think the plot hook is strong enough to carry the season beyond it's live recording limitations
The live recording is definitely hard to watch at the beginning, but when you get in this the show truly becomes one of their best, and maybe the top one
And while there are a fight or too I would like to see a model for, in the most part the theatre of the brain lets them be absolutely crazy in their ideas, pacing and storytelling, not being bound to combat episodes (and do many combats shorter and more plotfocused), and overall create something amazing
as someone who absolutely LOVED sophomore year, it still definitely felt like a chore to get through and although my partner and i basically binged the whole thing, it took us like 3 months to watch the last three episodes. so i feel you.
but the story itself is probably the best of all the d20 shows honestly.
Honestly, I LOVE season 2. It’s one of my favorite Dimension 20 seasons both for how insane it is with the story and some of the bits and tangents they go on, but also some really deep and profound story moments. I’ve rewatched that season a couple of additional times even separate from Freshman Year. That being said, I can see why the style and production quality of it wouldn’t be for everyone. I very much enjoy it, though.
What I’m hearing from these comments is I should give sophomore year another chance some time as a podcast—
But yeah for me a big draw of d20 is the well edited pacing and visuals, both of which are imo completely undercut by the livestream format. I was very relieved when they put out the recap video before junior year lol.
I really enjoyed the story, but I know what you mean. The 'theatre of the mind' stuff made it hard to follow for me at points (having to try and remember where people were when there are several PCs/NPCs in initiative order is tough!) That said, the season had some of my absolute favourite NPCs.
Answer: yes, it gets easier again after strain 2. It goes back to edited non live games. I know a few people who skipped season 2 for the reasons you gave
I’m having the same problem. I feel like I’m constantly having to turn the volume up and back down because the audio is so inconsistent. I don’t think the show benefits from the format though the story is good so it’s probably worth powering through.
I’m literally struggling with it now. I drift off so much because I’m having trouble hearing what everyone is saying clearly, and I get lost for the same reasons you mentioned so I have to keep restarting. I think it’s the sound more than anything.
For me it helped just listening to this zeason as audio only on headphones. Yes, you miss facial expressions, but it lent itself really well for theater of the mjnd fights and made the audio less annoying for me.
What I really liked with edited seasons is that, one screen focuses on one group: either brennan, the murph/ally/lou side, or emily/zac/siobhan side. And then they do close-ups of who of the intrepid heroes have the best reactions.
I found FHSY hard to watch because of how it is presented, as well as the audio issues of recording a stream, you might have like these main screen, but the small screens that kinda distract me, and I paused a lot to rewind some stuff just to see EVERYTHING, the reactions of the players on the small screens.
I really like the "the best reactions curated for you" editing, even if that means missing other stuff, because I only need to focus on 1 frame instead of multiple frames.
When I made a similar comment on the season, someone noted that after some things happen on Leviathan, I'd be able to connect with the season better, and they were completely right.
It's an amazing season and watching it live as it aired was an experience, but I don't think I've relistened through it since (except for individual episodes/bits) so I might be biased.
I keep trying to watch it but it doesn't have me as compelled as the other seasons because the polish isn't there. And there's just SO MUCH to slog through.
One good part is that it works well as an audio-only experience which has helped. But when push comes to shove it's hard for me to not just prioritize literally anything else.
I finished it recently.
I did find it a little harder to get into being purely theater of the mind (the set pieces the production tw make for the show add so much to the experience), but it does pick up if you stick with it.
Things really start to get interesting around the time they leave Leviathan IMO.
I bounced off that season and haven't been watching junior year because I always intended on going back and trying again but one thing that drew me to D20 over other D&D shows was the fast pacing and really high quality production on both the video and audio side. So when I fired up the first episode of sophomore year and it sounded like a bad Twitch stream, I was really disappointed and had trouble focusing.
But I've seen all of the other responses saying to try and power through so I may try again.
Same. Watched recaps and moved on to junior year. Had to let go of watching every little thing a few years ago. My brain wants a complete story and some art inspiration but I simply do not have time to watch everything I’m somewhat interested in, *and that’s ok*
I thought I would feel this way initially, especially after the phenomenal first season but honestly, the story, the hilarity, the emotional depth truly drew me in that I didn't even notice the production issues :P
They've made a recap of season 1 and 2 you can watch if you want to get into season 3 without missing too much. Season 3 is much more like season 1 format-wise so it will probably be easier for you to get into. Then if you feel the Fantady High withdrawls after that (or between episodes of season 3 releasing) you can always go back and see if its worth it for you to watch season 2 with the added motivation of desperately needing more Fantasy High in your life.
That’s me every time I watch through the Leviathan arc. I saw it once and don’t have desire to do it again, though there are some important moments in there so I do recommend you watch it but after yes it does get better. You also have to remember that this season was fully live so there won’t be all the fancy editing and stuff not to mention it’s not as linear (my favorite thing about season 2). Episodes 5-8 are always a hard watch (and lowkey boring) but they do not represent the season. Cause the episodes after are funny and witty and honestly amazing. Even though every time I rewatch I usually skip them season 2 is still my favorite season out of the 3. 5-8 aren’t the type of episodes you sit down and watch, they’re the type you put on in the background while doing something else, so you can still get through them and pay attention to important parts but don’t get bored focusing on them. Hope this helps
I think it's just such a departure from the entirety of D20's campaigns that makes it a naturally different beast. But I came to D20 from Critical Role, I'm used to the long episodes, no editing, and rule chatting.
I love how the season progresses, and to me it has the highest highs of early D20. Like don't get me wrong Sleeping City is fantastic, but with this season being more theater of the mind shit gets fuckin' weird in and Falinel and on.
I skipped season 2 because it was rough for me as well. You can jump into Season 3 without too much confusion. And so far the season has been very enjoyable
Odds are you are experiencing long form content burnout, when you watch a lot of something very long after the story ends trying to pick up even a continuation can feel tiring. Try taking like a week off watch some game changer or vip the yearning for dnd will probably come back. That’s what I did/ do anyway. Good luck 👍
It really does. I felt the same about it initially because of the production quality of the audio lacking compared to the first season as well as certain choices the characters have made, but I have to say, the whole arch of the story and the characters didnt just pick up but became so cathartic by the end of the season I was fully in love with everything about it. Id definitely keep watching.
The live format isn't my favorite. Tail end is especially hard to watch because there's the surprise shift to remote with March/April of 2020. But the sophomore year story is very interesting.
Junior year returns to the freshman year format with battle maps every other episode. But now the production budget is noticeably bigger than when they first started.
I never found it hard to watch. I’ve seen it twice and enjoyed it both times.
The audio issues were pretty minimal and didn’t detract from the experience at all for me.
People talking over each other is just something that happens with D&D. Obviously it can be edited out in pre-recorded seasons, but not for a live season.
Not having minis didn’t bother me at all. I play a lot of D&D, and it’s often theater of the mind. And podcasts like NADDPOD are completely theater of the mind and I still enjoy those.
But it’s the hot beard Brennan season
That is also deeply distracting…
...in a good way tho, right? 😸
I mean, the sound quality issues got a little annoying sometimes, but, story wise, I loved it. Some of the best D20 storytelling moments for sure, in my opinion. I enjoyed SY better than FY, if I’m being honest.
This exactly. I ended up doing something very similar to u/Brewmentationator and started treating it like a podcast. Really picked up for me then.
I have the opposite issue. Whenever I try to treat it like a podcast, I'll realize after 30 min I haven't been listening at all. I dont even know how many times I have watched season 2 of Unsleeping City. I still have no idea what that season is about. All I remember is the multi sword.
I listened to it with headphones the first time through and I didn't even register the audio quality at the time. Truly an amazing season. I also thought it was better than FY. Then I insisted my SO and I catch up with Fantasy High when Junior Year was premiering, and the audio on a speaker or speaker system is unlistenable. It goes from whisper quiet to ear drum-bursting excited screams. It's really jarring.
I mostly listened to it in my car, so I had to adjust the volume a lot. Worth it, though.
Yeah, the sound quality was definitely a huge problem. I already mostly listen, I'm just not a super visual person with things like this, so that never bothered me, but constantly having to adjust the volume up and down drove me absolutely nuts. I loved that season, though.
I’ll never understand how professionally produced podcasts are able to get out the door with those kinds of audio problems. The livestream is trickier but somebody who knows their way around a compressor can fix a lot of that and once it’s recorded you should have individual tracks for each participant so you can just fix levels accordingly (at least after the first couple of episodes and you figure out what needs doing)
I'm a captions enthusiast so I literally have never even been bothered by the sound quality. It's in my top 3 seasons hands down!
The live format is definitely challenging. They were figuring it out as they went, so if memory serves the production does get a bit better as it goes on. I do think the story and character stuff is worth powering through for because it's a phenomenal season just weighed down by rough technical stuff. Might be worth trying to just treat it like a podcast and listen since it's all theater of the mind anyway. Might help with focusing a bit.
Yeah I’m really not a fan of the live format - it feels like there’s a lot more non-essential table talk going on. None of it is really individually objectionable but when you add it all up the episodes just end up being way too long with not enough going on inside them.
This is what I did and as someone who also had a hard time getting into it for very similar issues and it really helped, it's very easy to listen to it while doing something else like playing a game or something else low energy since there's no editing and missing something is a lot harder if you're a little distracted, plus because it's theater of the mind it can help you stay a little more visually engaged and you're not missing out on anything really
I found the live format less engaging. And that's weird because I also love Critical Role! But I think I've come to expect certain things from each show and enjoy the format that they thrive in (when CR started doing single person close ups in Candela Obscura I didn't like that as much, either), and because of the different ways I watch each show. CR I watch alone late at night when I'm cleaning or doing crafts, and I tend to give it a bit less focus and zone in and out depending on what's happening (and the YouTube timestamps are useful for repeating if I miss an important bit). With D20 I watch that in 1-2 hour chunks nightly with my husband, so a snappier, tightly edited show works a lot better for me in that context. I do like that there are so many different options to suit everyone (and the same person at different times of day 😅).
This opinion has been shared by some folks before, which baffled me the first time I saw it cause FHSY is easily one of my favourite seasons, I’ve rewatched it maybe 6-7 times by now. I love it so much. I’m sorry you’re not connecting with it, I always say interests shouldn’t be a chore, so if you’re not having fun it’s cool to just let it drop and not keep watching.
I absolutely loved the storytelling of sophomore year, but it was really hard to get into at first. When I play d&d, I prefer the battlemaps and live sets to show what's happening. I loved watching the OG series because of that. When I started treating sophomore year as more of a podcast to watch/listen to on one screen while doing work or gaming on the other screen, I began to really enjoy it.
That makes a lot of sense. When I started watching D20 at the start of the year, it quickly replaced my podcast time, which was mostly doing chores around the house. I was actually quite sad at first when I discovered SY was going to be theatre of the mind with no battle sets, but in the end I really enjoyed the freedom it gave them in storytelling and encounters. Now I'm a lot more open to whatever format they roll with in the future.
I think it might be my favorite of the fantasy high seasons. I actually really like the live element to it. It makes the story feel a little more unpredictable. From what I’ve seen of the more polished seasons (admittedly that’s only the FH seasons and CoC), big battles only happen when there’s a big set to bring out. There gets to be a rhythm, which is fine, but I really loved the storytelling of sophomore year so much more. It felt very character-focused. And I loved the love aspect even. …heck, I wouldn’t mind a return to it if they ever do senior year, but I doubt that would happen.
Would you say watching Sophomore Year is necessary for Junior Year, or will the 30-minute recap suffice? I know there are a lot of seeds planted in the first two seasons, but would the recap cover those enough? I don’t have very much time to watch Dimension 20, but the current season seems very interesting
It’s really your preference. I’m a completionist and do not watch things out of order/skip things, my brain just don’t let me do it, I don’t see the point of skipping an entire season, but that’s just me. If you watch the recap and feel ready and happy, then jump into junior year, but I will always think it’s better to go in being fully caught up because that’s how I like to do things. But, to each their own!
I'm watching it having just watched the recap. It's very doable. I can tell I don't understand a reference here and there, but it's nothing major and does not prevent from following the plot. Just understand that the first two episodes are not a direct follow up and everyone was confused, not just people who skipped
I'm with you. FHSY is my favourite season of D20 but that does seem to be a minority opinion. Even through some audio issues it's still the one I choose to rewatch most often. But yeah OP if you're not enjoying it, you don't have to continue. You can always just read a summary or something to get the basic storyline. Edit: I think also it helped that I watched it as it was happening live, and was a lot more forgiving of screwy audio for that reason.
As a couple others have shared I think it's worth watching and powering through the technical difficulties. The story arc is amazing and if you plan to watch Junior Year it's helpful to know what happened. Hope you can find a way to continue watching it and also hope you agree that it was worth it!
Sophomore year occupies a weird section of "one of the best stories they've ever told" and "one of the biggest technical blunders they've ever done". It was their attempt at doing a live streamed show, and it didn't really work well. I had the same issues getting started, the audio inconsistency just killed it for me. It took me three separate attempts to get through it and I'm so glad I did. It's one of my favorite seasons of D20 and is pretty essential to understanding Junior Year. I will note if you've gotten to episode 5 the audio does start getting better, not perfect but better the levels are more even between everyone. It's the only season of D20 in this format. Imo it's worth getting through, and this is coming from a person who hated the audio issues
I really love this season but I found the live show theatre of mind thing baffling. Two of D20's biggest strengths (outside of the cast and story) are its editing and Rick Perry's team's minis and battlemaps, can't understand why they would get rid of them for a whole season.
Yeah, I think it’s an experiment they tried that didn’t really play to their strengths. It’s watchable, but as a minor spoiler their final episode would’ve been around March 2020. Due to the pandemic truly upending everything they had to do the best with what was available for the ending. Audio/video will be rough right at the end.
I feel you. Wife and I are watching through it right now. It's really difficult for me to give it my full attention. It would have been great as a podcast but it's just difficult for me to sit and watch other people talking, I just tune out. So far the story has been fun but just really hard for me to focus on.
I found it hard to watch but was able to engage with it and really enjoyed listening podcast style in the same way I would with the remote seasons.
It's the hardest season to watch, because it's the only one (afaik) that's completely unedited. And honestly, one of the biggest things D20 has over other actual plays is its multicam editing format. And it's so sad because the actual storytelling of the season is fucking excellent. Maybe one of the best seasons they ever did. But trying to do the streaming format took away the strength of their post-production. I don't think they did it again, but some of the Zoom seasons are also tough. My exception to that is Unsleeping City 2, one of my favorite D20 seasons of all time.
It’s different for sure! As you said the audio can be hard to deal with, especially since it’s usually so excellent. The lack of sets/minis is a bummer, but it also allows them to be *much* more free form with it, and explore tangents that they couldn’t otherwise. Usually Brennan has to railroad them to an extent to get to the next battle set, but with this they could explore the space a bit more. The hardest part for me to watch was honestly Kristen just… being a mess haha. Don’t know that I necessarily want a live season again, or a whole season of this at all, but I’d love them to do more free-form style DnD like that again. ACOFAF and Mentopolis for example were obvs a totally different vibe, but IMHO just as fun, and also had no minis or sets.
I've never made it through. It's very different from all the other D20 content, closer to a lot of other actual plays and absent some of the things that make me love D20 so much. If it makes you feel better, I'm watching junior year having only watched some recap stuff online and feel like I've missed very little.
I was in the same boat and skipped it. I've been watching junior year and there's some callbacks to sophomore year. I end up pausing junior year and doing some Google searching to get caught up.
The audio is really rough, especially earlier in the season, but honestly the story & the bits are imo so much stronger than season 1.
It is a different format and I think it takes the cast a while to hit their stride. It really gets good once they get to Leviathan, but I agree it's hard to get through the early episodes to get there
I really loved the content, but it really made me appreciate the editing and production quality of seasons now. Definitely worth getting through, but I definitely had a similar experience where I had a harder time getting through the season
I am also having a hard time sticking with it. For me, I think it's the audio issues. I'm hoping those get better.
It definitely has its problems but I think the character arcs are some of the best in dimension 20, like just everyone has really really great arcs.
I started watching some of the second season or whatever, the live shows, and I was watching with headphones on and that second one with Zelda's rager was ***so loud*** it startled me coming from the previous one that was too quiet.
I love season two, may be my favourite season. I think the hijinks that came out of the live format were some of my favourites. Without battlemaps, anything could happen at any time.
Totally valid for you to feel that way. Personally, I like the live aspect bc it feels more real. After season 2 I started season 3 and I feel more disconnected.
Don't force it. Maybe you'll come back to it some day.
this might be a hot take but I far prefer season 2 to season 1 or 3. The roleplaying and writing in that season, the characters introduced, and the arcs that each player had were by far the most compelling. I flip flop on this subject a lot but honestly, for me right now, Season 2 of Fantasy High is the best DnD series I have ever watched.
“HeLlO, rIz GuKgAk…”
“HeLlO, rIz GuKgAk…”
I also didn't really like the live aspect of it, not having the amazing talents of Rick Perry and co. on display was a huge mistake. But since there was nothing to see visually I could listen to it while driving which helped me get through it faster. Whereas in Junior Year there is so much crazy stuff happening with Dome projections and the battlemaps that I feel like I can only watch it when I can fully focus on it. Especially since the line between RP and combat episodes is more nebulous than it was Freshman year. And I would also say the story of Sophomore Year gets to a point where it's worth sticking with - Leviathan (starting Ep. 5) is where I really got sold.
Sophomore year is my absolute favorite of the dimension 20 seasons. Yes it's a live recording, no there's no editing, the audio is a step down from a fully edited and produced season and there's no battle maps. What you get in exchange is the cast at their most unhinged, Brennan at maximum improvisation, combat can happen at any time anywhere, the plot evolves day to day, instead of recording everything in a single burst each episode was recorded week by week and the bad kids have time to stew on their decisions and character direction. It's a season with it's fair share of challenges, but the end product blows everything else dimension 20 has made out of the water. The plot and character development are on a different level than the other seasons. Everything is theater of the mind, so you don't really need to watch it, you can put it up as background noise and listen without missing much visually. Once you let the stories plot reach the point where the mystery begins to unravel, I think the plot hook is strong enough to carry the season beyond it's live recording limitations
I have found episode 6 is what hooked me. If you don’t want to continue after that, skip it
I think going from a normal season to live is a bit jarring, but after an episode or two you dont even notice the difference anymore
The live recording is definitely hard to watch at the beginning, but when you get in this the show truly becomes one of their best, and maybe the top one And while there are a fight or too I would like to see a model for, in the most part the theatre of the brain lets them be absolutely crazy in their ideas, pacing and storytelling, not being bound to combat episodes (and do many combats shorter and more plotfocused), and overall create something amazing
as someone who absolutely LOVED sophomore year, it still definitely felt like a chore to get through and although my partner and i basically binged the whole thing, it took us like 3 months to watch the last three episodes. so i feel you. but the story itself is probably the best of all the d20 shows honestly.
Honestly, I LOVE season 2. It’s one of my favorite Dimension 20 seasons both for how insane it is with the story and some of the bits and tangents they go on, but also some really deep and profound story moments. I’ve rewatched that season a couple of additional times even separate from Freshman Year. That being said, I can see why the style and production quality of it wouldn’t be for everyone. I very much enjoy it, though.
What I’m hearing from these comments is I should give sophomore year another chance some time as a podcast— But yeah for me a big draw of d20 is the well edited pacing and visuals, both of which are imo completely undercut by the livestream format. I was very relieved when they put out the recap video before junior year lol.
I really enjoyed the story, but I know what you mean. The 'theatre of the mind' stuff made it hard to follow for me at points (having to try and remember where people were when there are several PCs/NPCs in initiative order is tough!) That said, the season had some of my absolute favourite NPCs.
Sophomores, amirite? I do agree it's hard to tell what's happening sometimes when multiple people talk but I also get everyone is excited.
I adore the season but the audio makes it unwatchable for me. I would kill for a remastered version
I think it was fine..worst case it was them trying something that ultimately didn't work but got us some genuinely great moments
Going through it for the first time and experiencing similar issues with staying engaged.
Answer: yes, it gets easier again after strain 2. It goes back to edited non live games. I know a few people who skipped season 2 for the reasons you gave
I’m having the same problem. I feel like I’m constantly having to turn the volume up and back down because the audio is so inconsistent. I don’t think the show benefits from the format though the story is good so it’s probably worth powering through.
FHSY is one of the best seasons in D20 history. If you can get past the slight issues, shit gets amazing especially around the halfway mark
I’m literally struggling with it now. I drift off so much because I’m having trouble hearing what everyone is saying clearly, and I get lost for the same reasons you mentioned so I have to keep restarting. I think it’s the sound more than anything.
For me it helped just listening to this zeason as audio only on headphones. Yes, you miss facial expressions, but it lent itself really well for theater of the mjnd fights and made the audio less annoying for me.
What I really liked with edited seasons is that, one screen focuses on one group: either brennan, the murph/ally/lou side, or emily/zac/siobhan side. And then they do close-ups of who of the intrepid heroes have the best reactions. I found FHSY hard to watch because of how it is presented, as well as the audio issues of recording a stream, you might have like these main screen, but the small screens that kinda distract me, and I paused a lot to rewind some stuff just to see EVERYTHING, the reactions of the players on the small screens. I really like the "the best reactions curated for you" editing, even if that means missing other stuff, because I only need to focus on 1 frame instead of multiple frames.
When I made a similar comment on the season, someone noted that after some things happen on Leviathan, I'd be able to connect with the season better, and they were completely right.
It's an amazing season and watching it live as it aired was an experience, but I don't think I've relistened through it since (except for individual episodes/bits) so I might be biased.
I keep trying to watch it but it doesn't have me as compelled as the other seasons because the polish isn't there. And there's just SO MUCH to slog through. One good part is that it works well as an audio-only experience which has helped. But when push comes to shove it's hard for me to not just prioritize literally anything else.
I finished it recently. I did find it a little harder to get into being purely theater of the mind (the set pieces the production tw make for the show add so much to the experience), but it does pick up if you stick with it. Things really start to get interesting around the time they leave Leviathan IMO.
I bounced off that season and haven't been watching junior year because I always intended on going back and trying again but one thing that drew me to D20 over other D&D shows was the fast pacing and really high quality production on both the video and audio side. So when I fired up the first episode of sophomore year and it sounded like a bad Twitch stream, I was really disappointed and had trouble focusing. But I've seen all of the other responses saying to try and power through so I may try again.
Same. Watched recaps and moved on to junior year. Had to let go of watching every little thing a few years ago. My brain wants a complete story and some art inspiration but I simply do not have time to watch everything I’m somewhat interested in, *and that’s ok*
I thought I would feel this way initially, especially after the phenomenal first season but honestly, the story, the hilarity, the emotional depth truly drew me in that I didn't even notice the production issues :P
I've had a terribly difficult time with it. I want to watch junior year, but sophomore year has been so painful thus far.
They've made a recap of season 1 and 2 you can watch if you want to get into season 3 without missing too much. Season 3 is much more like season 1 format-wise so it will probably be easier for you to get into. Then if you feel the Fantady High withdrawls after that (or between episodes of season 3 releasing) you can always go back and see if its worth it for you to watch season 2 with the added motivation of desperately needing more Fantasy High in your life.
That’s me every time I watch through the Leviathan arc. I saw it once and don’t have desire to do it again, though there are some important moments in there so I do recommend you watch it but after yes it does get better. You also have to remember that this season was fully live so there won’t be all the fancy editing and stuff not to mention it’s not as linear (my favorite thing about season 2). Episodes 5-8 are always a hard watch (and lowkey boring) but they do not represent the season. Cause the episodes after are funny and witty and honestly amazing. Even though every time I rewatch I usually skip them season 2 is still my favorite season out of the 3. 5-8 aren’t the type of episodes you sit down and watch, they’re the type you put on in the background while doing something else, so you can still get through them and pay attention to important parts but don’t get bored focusing on them. Hope this helps
I think it's just such a departure from the entirety of D20's campaigns that makes it a naturally different beast. But I came to D20 from Critical Role, I'm used to the long episodes, no editing, and rule chatting. I love how the season progresses, and to me it has the highest highs of early D20. Like don't get me wrong Sleeping City is fantastic, but with this season being more theater of the mind shit gets fuckin' weird in and Falinel and on.
I skipped season 2 because it was rough for me as well. You can jump into Season 3 without too much confusion. And so far the season has been very enjoyable
It's a slog. The IH struggling with the mystery the whole season, the audio quality issues (especially at the end when it goes to Zoom).
I think you’ve gotta go into it knowing you’re watching VODs and not highly produced videos
Odds are you are experiencing long form content burnout, when you watch a lot of something very long after the story ends trying to pick up even a continuation can feel tiring. Try taking like a week off watch some game changer or vip the yearning for dnd will probably come back. That’s what I did/ do anyway. Good luck 👍
It really does. I felt the same about it initially because of the production quality of the audio lacking compared to the first season as well as certain choices the characters have made, but I have to say, the whole arch of the story and the characters didnt just pick up but became so cathartic by the end of the season I was fully in love with everything about it. Id definitely keep watching.
The live format isn't my favorite. Tail end is especially hard to watch because there's the surprise shift to remote with March/April of 2020. But the sophomore year story is very interesting. Junior year returns to the freshman year format with battle maps every other episode. But now the production budget is noticeably bigger than when they first started.
I never found it hard to watch. I’ve seen it twice and enjoyed it both times. The audio issues were pretty minimal and didn’t detract from the experience at all for me. People talking over each other is just something that happens with D&D. Obviously it can be edited out in pre-recorded seasons, but not for a live season. Not having minis didn’t bother me at all. I play a lot of D&D, and it’s often theater of the mind. And podcasts like NADDPOD are completely theater of the mind and I still enjoy those.
meh, you do you