Encounter Party is a Dungeons & Dragons actual play show, meaning that it shows people playing D&D, but it carves a unique identity for itself within that landscape. Where most actual plays (like Critical Role, for example) are more or less documentaries of people playing RPGs geared towards communicating the experience of playing the game, this show is focused on the story being made through the game of D&D and is tightly edited to tell that story in 1 hour episodes instead of multiple hour episodes. This focus on the story instead of playing mechanics makes the show appealing to both experienced players of tabletop RPGs and people who have no knowledge of them.
And the story is well constructed, both in the prepared work of Dungeon Master Brian David Judkins and the collaborative performance between him and the players. Judkins has crafted great scenarios that continually build on each other and has ingeniously woven the characters' stories together along with great setups and payoffs. He also makes great use of physical props and models to immerse the players and audience in the world, and is able to distinctly voice the different characters encountered along the way. The editing does a great job of making coherent episodes from long play sessions.
The characters featured are shown to meet for the first time in more than one way, with the players themselves not privy to each others' characters prior to the start of the show. This gives a sense of discovery, seeing the characters react more authentically as new information comes to light. The players are united in purpose of storytelling, having great chemistry and complimentary strengths. They have crafted interesting and developed characters.
The characters featured as of season 1 are: consummate professional fighter and prominent member of a respected mercenary group Vinh (David Lee Huynh), proud and talented if somewhat abrasive sorceress Asher (Landree Fleming), young pacifist with a love of all living things Ulavina (Sarah Babe), brash but caring magical barbarian teen Tolo (Khary Peyton), thief-for-hire with a strong moral code and cheerful disposition Flik (Ned Donovan), and stoic country elf who is less talkative than the rest Dryddian (Andrew Krug).
Additional attention must go to other aspects of the production handled by people who aren't on camera. The set design, models, sound design, lighting, cinematography, and editing all come together to perfectly support what's already there. (the models and lighting in particular have impressed me)
The players and DM are able to work together to allow everyone to shine, all having great instincts as to when to back off, when to step forward, and what kind of story beat they are performing. Able to go between being tense, emotional, funny, mysterious, and wondrous, Encounter Party is a phenomenonal TV show that deserves a bigger audience and more seasons to continue crafting stories.
The only thing I can see holding it back is that its channel, Dungeons and Dragons Adventures, is currently available exclusively on two lesser-known services, Plex and Freevee. This is no fault of the show, just a barrier to entry, especially for international audiences to whom the show is entirely unavailable.
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