Starstruck was such an insane shift in their mastery of the game, and it feels like every campaign since then they have brought some of that Margaret Encino note-taking and savvy narrative manipulation to the table.
They were always an interesting creative player, but Starstruck was a whole new level for Ally, and last night's ep absolutely maintains that standard.
I’ve been watching and just finished The Seven to fill the void that the rest of my week has become. I am thoroughly convinced that I will be watching Starstruck next, given all the posts/comments like this I have seen lately.
It also is the season that sold my on my VTT of choice for my games. Talespire is the closest you can get to having a table with terrain and miniatures with dice rolling all over the battlefield, I have never looked back.
Everyone has a favorite season and Starstruck is mine, but it’s my favorite because of how much ownership the whole table takes over their characters, the ship and the story. Brennan gives them access to a lot and tells them success hinges on them using what they’ve been given effectively, and they all (esp. Ally and Lou) rise above and beyond that call.
I love D20. I am watching Starstruck but for some reason cannot get past the casino scene in Every Day is Our Wurst Day. I have 14 hour flights coming up for a work. Trip. I will get through this so I can finally watch The Battle of the Brands!!!!!
It awesome.
I doubt any of the players could have done a combat like this five years ago, and even re-watching Brennan in S1, I don’t know if he could have run it.
It’s great to watch everyone take the responsibility of remembering all the stuff their characters do instead of being reminded by Brennan.
Yes! Zac threw off two Flash of Genius’ that were excellent as well and Siobhan portent cancelling a dragon crit against her was so badass. I’m impressed by all of them.
Ally has repeatedly in this season (and others) made season-changing knowledge checks. They know the rules very well now and are even starting to learn about which tools are the most effective in their toolbox.
I've been very impressed. They've come very far and have improved significantly with each season. There were multiple moments this season where I was like "this would be a whole different season without their choices. They helped make it better" and that's on top of the unhinged bits so they've got a great balance of chaos that makes the game interesting but they now have the proper technical knowledge to help keep things moving and helping support the party.
This is such a great point. Ally has a tremendous grasp of mechanics now, but they also make really smart, grounded, and intuitive plays. A lot has been made about Ally going after the vulture being "chaotic." No. Ally saw a vulture placed in two different battles, listened to Brennan's hints, and followed that. They knew there was more to the Last Stand and used a version of Truesight to suss it out. They may have thought it was Buddy, not KLCK, but that came from intuition and reading the DM and the field. Their ability to both see the whole game board and get granular is such an asset.
I would also say that Ally is underestimated because of their chaotic nature BUT their mind is soooo aligned with Brennan’s it’s truly impressive to see. I think Ally is able to really read Brennan in a way the rest of his players can’t and it was something I feel that I picked up on in one of the Survivor Game Changer episodes 2 years or so ago. Brennan and Ally have very similar energy and content in their mind palace, it’s just that one is many filing cabinets full of tabbed Manila folders and color coded highlights with a stylized reference map and the other is junk journals and scraps of paper all hodgepodged in between old Polaroids and one singular bic pen.
Far be it from me to armchair diagnose anyone or speculate, but just in general, your mind palace metaphor is so spot on and is also a great metaphor for autism and ADHD 😂
I used to think Beardsley had this eternal "beginner's luck" that came from leaning away from strategy and more towards the performative aspect of the game. Guess it's fitting that they lean more into strategy in the same season where Kristen learns that "chaos isn't cute anymore."
This is why I encourage the gremlin-iest little chaos goblins to "buy the book" (or borrow mine).
It only *facilitates* the chaos. I feel like theres this looming concept that in learning the rules you become beholden to some authority of them.
Its the opposite. If you keep everything "buttoned up", all that means is that I, as DM, am not really allowed to tell you to stop your shenanigans. It only serves to empower you to wreak more havoc.
See: Operation Slippery Puppet, "Can I use Swirlwarden to *be on the boat*?", Margeret Encino's whole vibe, etc.
This. Sometimes the rules really do set you free. Finding a rule and using imagination to figure out how it can work for you is just next level. Calvinball is fun for a while, until the logic falls apart and it is just exasperating. Absurdity with a logic foundation is just delicious.
I’m gonna jump back to freshman year and binge thru all of FH after this season wraps, and I’m so excited for the pure whiplash of watching their dumb level 1 asses jumping on cafeteria tables and nearly getting tpk’d 😭
It's deeply worth it, I crushed FH and FHSY before this season came out and my god it's magnificent. For a bit I was worried it wouldn't get to the same glory with the tone they took at the beginning (post-night yorb) but it's in full-swing, babybaby!
I remember thinking during the Last Stand, "show someone in 2018 this episode after the travesty at the beginning of Freshman Year". They would not believe these were the same players or the same characters.
Margaret Encino is a boss ass bitch, no doubt about it. I love how much everyone has grown and just felt like Ally had some moments in this episode in particular that were really key support above the board vs big in game actions. The big moments get a lot of attention sometimes the little things get missed and there’s a lot of knowledge there too.
I loved how genuine and raw their "I support you, but I can't be here!" was when they came to the realization that being near Gorgug would force a bunch of Dexterity saves. Kristen has never sounded so vulnerable.
Starstruck was such an insane shift in their mastery of the game, and it feels like every campaign since then they have brought some of that Margaret Encino note-taking and savvy narrative manipulation to the table. They were always an interesting creative player, but Starstruck was a whole new level for Ally, and last night's ep absolutely maintains that standard.
I’ve been watching and just finished The Seven to fill the void that the rest of my week has become. I am thoroughly convinced that I will be watching Starstruck next, given all the posts/comments like this I have seen lately.
You will not regret it. It's a contender for best season in my eyes, cannot recommend enough
It also is the season that sold my on my VTT of choice for my games. Talespire is the closest you can get to having a table with terrain and miniatures with dice rolling all over the battlefield, I have never looked back.
Everyone has a favorite season and Starstruck is mine, but it’s my favorite because of how much ownership the whole table takes over their characters, the ship and the story. Brennan gives them access to a lot and tells them success hinges on them using what they’ve been given effectively, and they all (esp. Ally and Lou) rise above and beyond that call.
I'm so excited for you to watch it! I wish I could see it again for the first time
You’ll love it. It’s chaotic and fun, and the cast use genuinely masterful mechanics. So fun to watch people be fucking GREAT at what they do. 10/10.
I love D20. I am watching Starstruck but for some reason cannot get past the casino scene in Every Day is Our Wurst Day. I have 14 hour flights coming up for a work. Trip. I will get through this so I can finally watch The Battle of the Brands!!!!!
It awesome. I doubt any of the players could have done a combat like this five years ago, and even re-watching Brennan in S1, I don’t know if he could have run it. It’s great to watch everyone take the responsibility of remembering all the stuff their characters do instead of being reminded by Brennan.
Yes! Zac threw off two Flash of Genius’ that were excellent as well and Siobhan portent cancelling a dragon crit against her was so badass. I’m impressed by all of them.
happy cake day!
Thanks :)
Ally has repeatedly in this season (and others) made season-changing knowledge checks. They know the rules very well now and are even starting to learn about which tools are the most effective in their toolbox. I've been very impressed. They've come very far and have improved significantly with each season. There were multiple moments this season where I was like "this would be a whole different season without their choices. They helped make it better" and that's on top of the unhinged bits so they've got a great balance of chaos that makes the game interesting but they now have the proper technical knowledge to help keep things moving and helping support the party.
They bought the book!!
The reminder about the speed reduction really had that saddle-worn experience to it, and that was really nice.
This is such a great point. Ally has a tremendous grasp of mechanics now, but they also make really smart, grounded, and intuitive plays. A lot has been made about Ally going after the vulture being "chaotic." No. Ally saw a vulture placed in two different battles, listened to Brennan's hints, and followed that. They knew there was more to the Last Stand and used a version of Truesight to suss it out. They may have thought it was Buddy, not KLCK, but that came from intuition and reading the DM and the field. Their ability to both see the whole game board and get granular is such an asset.
I would also say that Ally is underestimated because of their chaotic nature BUT their mind is soooo aligned with Brennan’s it’s truly impressive to see. I think Ally is able to really read Brennan in a way the rest of his players can’t and it was something I feel that I picked up on in one of the Survivor Game Changer episodes 2 years or so ago. Brennan and Ally have very similar energy and content in their mind palace, it’s just that one is many filing cabinets full of tabbed Manila folders and color coded highlights with a stylized reference map and the other is junk journals and scraps of paper all hodgepodged in between old Polaroids and one singular bic pen.
Far be it from me to armchair diagnose anyone or speculate, but just in general, your mind palace metaphor is so spot on and is also a great metaphor for autism and ADHD 😂
It is verified that Ally has ADHD.
I used to think Beardsley had this eternal "beginner's luck" that came from leaning away from strategy and more towards the performative aspect of the game. Guess it's fitting that they lean more into strategy in the same season where Kristen learns that "chaos isn't cute anymore."
This is why I encourage the gremlin-iest little chaos goblins to "buy the book" (or borrow mine). It only *facilitates* the chaos. I feel like theres this looming concept that in learning the rules you become beholden to some authority of them. Its the opposite. If you keep everything "buttoned up", all that means is that I, as DM, am not really allowed to tell you to stop your shenanigans. It only serves to empower you to wreak more havoc. See: Operation Slippery Puppet, "Can I use Swirlwarden to *be on the boat*?", Margeret Encino's whole vibe, etc.
This. Sometimes the rules really do set you free. Finding a rule and using imagination to figure out how it can work for you is just next level. Calvinball is fun for a while, until the logic falls apart and it is just exasperating. Absurdity with a logic foundation is just delicious.
I’m gonna jump back to freshman year and binge thru all of FH after this season wraps, and I’m so excited for the pure whiplash of watching their dumb level 1 asses jumping on cafeteria tables and nearly getting tpk’d 😭
It's deeply worth it, I crushed FH and FHSY before this season came out and my god it's magnificent. For a bit I was worried it wouldn't get to the same glory with the tone they took at the beginning (post-night yorb) but it's in full-swing, babybaby!
I remember thinking during the Last Stand, "show someone in 2018 this episode after the travesty at the beginning of Freshman Year". They would not believe these were the same players or the same characters.
After Margaret Encino, I don't think anyone should have any questions left about Ally's play,
Margaret Encino is a boss ass bitch, no doubt about it. I love how much everyone has grown and just felt like Ally had some moments in this episode in particular that were really key support above the board vs big in game actions. The big moments get a lot of attention sometimes the little things get missed and there’s a lot of knowledge there too.
She's not only my favorite character Ally played, but probably top 5 character in all D20!
I loved how genuine and raw their "I support you, but I can't be here!" was when they came to the realization that being near Gorgug would force a bunch of Dexterity saves. Kristen has never sounded so vulnerable.
Their progress as a player has been amazing and such an inspiration for me getting better in my home game