It’s Titansgrave Tuesday!
https://youtu.be/qDe72rJrSig
Chapter Nine isn’t in the book, it wasn’t in the schedule, and it wasn’t something any of us thought about until the day before. If you want to know more details, keep reading. I recommend that you don’t continue this post until you’ve seen the episode, though I avoid any specific or direct spoilers.
This was originally part of Chapter Ten, and in the book it’s pretty much something like, “the PCs endure nightmarish visions and have to make a save roll”. I was ready to do that, but my son and co-creator, Ryan, realized that I had inadvertently paid off some important character moments and goals way back in Chapter 5 when they got the Staff. I didn’t see what he was talking about until we got to the end of Chapter 8 (we filmed 7, 8 and the original 9 on the same day) and that’s when I knew I had messed up some really important stuff that affected the narrative character arcs for most of the players.
“What am I going to do?” I asked him. “It’s too late to change anything, and now all this very important character stuff — the most important thing to me in the whole season — isn’t going to pay off.”
“I’m going to stay up all night and write you something that will accomplish what you wanted to accomplish,” he told me. He has a degree in writing, and is an accomplished storyteller, so I trusted him.
“You sure you want to stay up all night?” I said.
“Let me try. I’m young, and I have coffee and ideas.”
“Okay. Good luck.”
The following morning, I texted Ryan when I got out of bed. At the same time, he was e-mailing me the script he’d written. I won’t discuss specifics because spoilers, obviously, but it was exactly what I needed: a final test for the characters. A final test they needed to endure, to coalesce into the family they needed to be in order to have a chance at taking on The Prophet Dahwan.
The result is nearly 50 minutes of narrative, with some extremely emotional and intense decisions being made by the players about their characters. The players did an amazing job with this, and when we got to the end of this section, most of the crew and all of our observers were wiping their eyes.
If you’re not connected to the characters and want a lot of RPG action, this is going to leave you cold. But if I’ve accomplished what I always wanted to accomplish, you’re invested in the characters at this point. If I’ve done what I wanted to do, you may not even notice that this is a story-heavy episode without a single die roll. If I’ve gotten you to come along on this journey with us the way I wanted to, this will be an emotional episode for you like it was for us
So I expected that this would be a polarizing episode, but after four days at GenCon where I talked to hundreds of people who are watching this show, I’m hopeful that the vast majority of the audience will be glad they watched it.
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That was an absolutely fantastic episode. The writing was great, your delivery fit the situations perfectly, the players gave just the right weight to the events, and this came at the best moment during the game.
Everything came together very well. Thanks so much for this!
Perfectly put.
Really fantastic episode. Ryan is uber talented, the ART is amazing, I literally cried several times, and ughh it was just sooo good.
Some people seem to be missing that this was NOT a scripted sequence imposed irrespective of who the characters were and how they had developed over the previous sessions. This was four “nightmare” sequences SPECIFICALLY crafted just before hand fore each character entirely on the basis of what had gone before. The script simply says ‘Feel free to add experiences tailored to the characters based on what has happened in the campaign so far.” (And then gives some smart advice – and damn, I wanted to read the rest of that page… but didn’t yet!)
Has everything about Titansgrave been exactly how I would run a game? No, not at all. Has Titansgrave managed to communicate the amazing, constantly varying, combination of serious story and character, goofy verbal playfulness and simply fun mucking about with friends that tabletop RPGs do uniquely well and which have kept me playing RPGS for 35+ years?
Yes, it has. Everyone involved should be very proud. It’s a great story, in a fascinating world, with compelling characters, in a fun system and as a piece moving image drama, very intelligently presented. I will confess I was skeptical it could be done, but I’ve loved every episode and and delighted it’s getting a second season.
Iv never played a DnD style game but everything about this makes me want to. I think you are an awesome GM and well done to Ryan for basically creating a short story overnight which en-captured so many people, very talented. I’m really looking forward to the culmination of the whole series, I hope in the future you can do it again so that once this ends I have something to look forward to.
Also all 4 of the players are pretty much perfect, I’m very attached to each of their stories and I think you are all doling a great job.
This episode beautifully shows the amount of time and effort and skill you and your team have put into making this show. It was incredibly moving and I did have tears in my eyes watching it. Your delivery was perfect and I could tell that the players were 100% invested in what was happening. Fantastic episode. You and your team should be proud of what you’ve created here.
Molly
It made me cry!!
This was an amazing piece of storytelling, and very inspiring. As a DM, I hope one day I can tell such stories that leave my players with that kind of emotion.
Awesome episode.
I was practically transfixed as I watched this episode. I wanted to compliment you for the delivery, but Ryan takes the award for the writing. I had trouble following some of the descriptions (which I found fitting for the context of nightmares), but they were so vivid and elaborate, and the events themselves, the characterizations (of the creature of shadow in particular), were all captivating.
I bow to your combined prowess and thank you for the experience.
So maybe, there will be some pay-off from this episode in Chapter 10, but I think it was a bit over my head. While I can fully appreciate and enjoy Dream-Sequence RPG story telling, I was looking for some revelation about the characters and if it was in there, I missed it. Other than perhaps a suggestion that maybe Sslesk was familiar with the Staff of Forlorn Hope prior to his adventures with the Five Gold Party, I did not get a sense that I learned anything new about the characters or that they learned anything new about themselves. They made some decisions, but I had no reference point for what those decisions meant or how they may impact the characters long-term.
This, exactly. I would have loved a little shorter on the nightmare script and a little one-two minute cutaway with each player on what they took away from the nightmare. If they were sniffling a little, that’d be good video, too, and would sell the emotional impact.
As it was, I felt it was just Wil reading a very dark story about these characters to the players about their characters, without allowing them to really choose anything.
That was amazing, but I think I heard that there is only one more episode 🙁 I know it can’t go on forever (maybe it can)… but I love this show so much and you are such a great storyteller (I cried so many times while watching the show, lol).
Thank you Ryan for putting in so many hours to please the players and us fans, and thank you Wil for giving us this candid behind the scenes moment, that was really appreciated.
This was the sort of episode that I don’t like. I don’t like them when playing RPGs, don’t like them when I’m running RPGs, and I don’t like them as an audience.
I can connect better to the characters when I hear them saying & doing stuff.
I understand that a lot of fans liked this episode and I’m glad for them, I’m glad Wil’s and Ryan’s hard work paid off.
I just can’t say the same for myself.
Good luck with season 2, guys!
I’m so confused: there are two versions of “Episode 9”! Is it safe to assume that the earlier one, which is now locked, has been superceded by the later one which has been added to the Playlist? Do I need to watch both versions?
So, you basically had me cursing at you the entire episode for putting your heroes through such a gut-wrenching experience… which paid off beautifully in the end. When I started Episode 10 last night, my wife said to me “that again, eh?”.
To which I said “Absolutely!”
Bravo, sir… Bravo. Bravo to you for being able to bring the whole thing to life, and bravo to Ryan for such an amazing narrative.
This episode was such a gift- not only to the historical arc of role playing, but as a testament to non-gamers as to what RPGs have to offer. Wil, you and Ryan achieved something very special here. Bravo.
Thoroughly enjoyed not just this ep but all ten. I wasn’t so much attached to the characters, more so the people playing them who all got into the spirit of their characters. Great job DM’ing also. Haven’t played an RPG in many years but want to introduce my kids now. Perhaps Mice & Mystics.
I have thoroughly enjoed Titansgrave. I will not mention the screaming fit I had watching episode ten. I also did a ridiculous dance after hearing about season two. As a fan nervous aside I hope that the Runsible poster made it to you for Critmas! So excited for Titansgrave!
Dream sequences in any show/movie/book are always the worst. I get what you were trying to do, but watching with my kids (who are really into rpg) we were all just bored. We didn’t get the connection to any story arc, barely understood what was going on most of the time, and felt like Wil was just telling a story while the characters listened.
Looking forward to some more actual, you know, role playing next ep.
I am sure you probably don’t care and I wouldn’t say anything, but I have been thinking about this for over a week and feel like I have to say something because I would want to know. As added background: I have played RPGs for over 25 years.
I just recently finished watching all 10 episodes. I really liked this whole season except for this episode. I really wanted to like it because I love character development. It’s actually one of the things I get annoyed with in various plays or books, etc. But I just couldn’t follow what the heck was happening for most of it. I think maybe for S’Lethkk it was semi-clear but really I struggled * a lot*. This was definitely my least favorite episode but I honestly don’t think it had to do with the lack of combat, etc. I think it was just because I had a heck of a time following the implications and what the point was. Again, I really liked the series. I just didn’t find this episode very good. I actually found parts of it to be abrupt – maybe that’s what I am having the largest problem with; it didn’t feel like it developed and felt more like it just happened.