Here is another D&D web series that follows a band of low level
adventurers into the wild forests on the outskirts of civilization. The
heroes are introduced over the first 3 episodes. There is Edda the
happy-go-lucky barbarian elf maiden who has just broken up with her
effeminate human wizard boyfriend. There is Martin the abrasive, hay
fever-suffering druid who has been tossed out of his last party. Next
is Fernando the ever-cheerful bard who likes to charge into battle armed
only with a bold and noble monologue. Oddly, he is a half-Halfling,
which explains why he is so tall. Lastly is Gwenevere (aka Wendy) the
image-conscious sorceress who is constantly concerned that her party
will embarrass her.
The plot, such as it is, has Fernando and Wendy escaping from a band of hobgoblins and seeking new party members to help rescue the two they lost. The hapless party heads back into the woods where they face a variety of goofy dangers before finally facing the hobgoblins and their human allies.
The setting is standard D&D with a few quirks. Halflings are only a bit shorter than a human. The Half-Ogre just looked like a big human with a beard. Martin's badger familiar, Snuffles, is represented as a piled of dirt or, in one battle, as a stuffed animal. Weak. Then there was a French Mime as a villain! Beyond the overly-comical oddities, there was the problem that most of the battles take place off screen, our characters either awakening after defeat or gasping as they stop to hide. Not until the last couple episodes do you see a choreographed fight, and those are subpar. Still, the story is sufficiently engaging - especially for a gamer - to keep one's attention and even dare to watch the next episode.
The series runs 14 episodes and, unlike some web series, comes to a conclusion. That is probably its greatest strength. I didn't just waste three hours to come to the middle when a sequel is not likely to be made. There is clearly room to carry on but this adventure has finished. Another awesome bit was how the heroes pillaged. Oh, how they pillage! Yes, these are PCs who know that they are supposed to plunder their fallen enemies. The ultimate bit was what elf barbarian did with the captured enemy leader at the end of the series. Outstanding! You are so PC, Edda!
The plot, such as it is, has Fernando and Wendy escaping from a band of hobgoblins and seeking new party members to help rescue the two they lost. The hapless party heads back into the woods where they face a variety of goofy dangers before finally facing the hobgoblins and their human allies.
The setting is standard D&D with a few quirks. Halflings are only a bit shorter than a human. The Half-Ogre just looked like a big human with a beard. Martin's badger familiar, Snuffles, is represented as a piled of dirt or, in one battle, as a stuffed animal. Weak. Then there was a French Mime as a villain! Beyond the overly-comical oddities, there was the problem that most of the battles take place off screen, our characters either awakening after defeat or gasping as they stop to hide. Not until the last couple episodes do you see a choreographed fight, and those are subpar. Still, the story is sufficiently engaging - especially for a gamer - to keep one's attention and even dare to watch the next episode.
The series runs 14 episodes and, unlike some web series, comes to a conclusion. That is probably its greatest strength. I didn't just waste three hours to come to the middle when a sequel is not likely to be made. There is clearly room to carry on but this adventure has finished. Another awesome bit was how the heroes pillaged. Oh, how they pillage! Yes, these are PCs who know that they are supposed to plunder their fallen enemies. The ultimate bit was what elf barbarian did with the captured enemy leader at the end of the series. Outstanding! You are so PC, Edda!
Since I wrote this (May 2012), two more seasons worth of Standard Action have been produced. It isn't great but it manages to be entertaining. The show just couldn't resist the urge of putting the characters in the modern world for a while. It does have a bad habit of descending beyond campy by including talking spoons, paper mache monsters, evil clowns, etc. Very silly. Even so, I've watched it all.
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