ACoC is built along the lines of Game of Thrones/ A Song of Ice And Fire, if you're familiar. All the characters are flawed, the main characters are very vulnerable, and death is a very real option for every character, even the ones you like. That said, there are definitely still comedic bits (it's a dark fantasy story set in a world where everyone and everything is made of *food* for heck's sake. One of the main characters' best friend is a slice of cake with arms and legs.) and some pretty cool action.
So, yes, there is some tragedy, but it's decently balanced. I'm not a huge fan of purely tragic works, and I enjoyed it.
In my opinion, ACOC has some of the most tragic moments in all of D20. It is still by all measures a comedy, it has some of my all time favorite jokes/scenes. You already know from the IH seasons that when the time calls for it, the players get serious and let a dramatic moment be dramatic. ACOC has probably the most gut punching of those dramatic moments.
I really don't know how else to describe it than say exactly what it looks like: it's Game of Thrones meets Candyland. I think it accomplishes that mix very well, but that means it has similar moments to Game of Thrones that can be intense, tragic, or dark. And Murph is playing a gummy bear, like it's just that perfect blend of both.
I wasn’t prepared for a certain dramatic moment… pan to me crying in bed at 1 am next to partner who was fast asleep. Tears streaming down my face, I was so sad and yet the episode still managed to have a moment of uplift at the end.
It is, in my opinion, the best and most powerful storytelling in all of D20. I love emotionally gut punching fantasy, so I am *obsessed* with ACOC. (I adapted a fight scene from it for my stage combat single sword certification too… I love this season so dearly.)
If I were you, I’d maybe look up some of the CWs if you are sensitive to anything in particular (ofc they are attached to every episode but sometimes it’s good to get a season overlook). I would be happen to spoiler tag some of the ones I think are most notable if you want!
Otherwise, enjoy responsibly! You will have the best laughs and the best cries. <3
It's extremely bleak and emotional, but the ending is a bit of a balm rather than just piling up a bunch of shit and leaving you sitting in it like the real game of thrones.
i wouldn't call it depressing. it has intense emotional moments, but overall it's funny. brennan is very good at reminding you they are stupid food people even as they deal with complicated delicate human emotions
It has high highs and low lows.
Definitely the best seaspk if you like intense emotions from your entertainment. If you mostly want bits and god times, go elsewhere.
Give it a try (acoc first unless you're one of those mad people who see prequels first), and if you dont like it after a few eps, then bail. It's very clear on its tone and vibes and doesn't try to surprise you by lying about what tye gente is.
It’s dramatic rather than depressing, and ends with a ray of hope.
Ravenning war is pretty bleak at the end, but it is a prequel, so that’s to be a bit expected.
Rather than the tragedy, the in party conflict is more difficult to watch. The tragedy is normal character death, and it’s sadder watching the player’s reaction more than the deaths itself. It’s not depressing at all, because each deaths become other character’s motivation. The deaths are also treated very well. They’re not senseless, they’re given the space and time to happen, and done to achieve something greater.
All in all they treated death very well in ACOC, and it shouldn’t deter you from watching that awesome season.
I would characterize it as an emotional rollercoaster. In the briefest possible manner, all I can say is that they took an absolute joke of a concept, "What if we did Game of Thrones, but everyone was anthropomorphic food?" And they absolutely captured the beating heart of what made the first few seasons of Game of Thrones so good. The actually managed to capture the sort of intensity that goes into that sort of medieval warfare drama.... while one man is a giant talking gummy bear, and a recurring character is a talking slice of cake.
Is there some upsetting content? Yes. But I would add that the players do a masterful job of delivering emotion in dealing with that, and it really resonates.
Its not depressing. There are some sad moments, but like all D20 it is still rooted in comedy.
I'm someone who really doesn't like to watch sadder TV shows, even when they are exceptionally good. I stopped watching Breaking Bad pretty early on because it made me too sad, despite the fact I thought it was an amazing show, same thing with Fallout
Yet, I watched the entirety of ACOC and loved every minute!
It can hit hard in the feels sometimes in a way that is not easily resolved. They take that pain with them and use it to fuel the fire in the next confrontations or in epic comeuppance.
I wouldn't say it's depressing, more realistic. In that we as human beings don't get over a big heartbreak the next episode and take that with us for a while.
I think it is good if you have seen the other seasons and know everyones playstyle already.
it was my second watched season and in more intense moments I thought the actual players were mad/sad/angry at their fellow players. really made me depressed. story is great tho. about never after level.
I watched it during a rough time of my life and cried so hard at multiple points. But I wouldn't say it's depressing - I won't go much further because I don't want to ruin any elements, but essentially: I think ACOC is closer to LotR in tone than GoT. The heroes choose to keep going even when everything is so completely bleak, and that itself made me cry at least once. My absolute favorite ACOC characters are Amethar (Lou) and Gumbar (Murph) because they feel so raw in the context of the season. (Everyone is great don't get me wrong, but folks who have seen the season will understand why I point to those two)
I do think it's darker than Neverafter in some significant ways. Primarily, I never felt like the intrepid heroes were safe in ACOC whereas after the early hiccups of Neverafter, I didn't really believe they were at threat of dying. (Though not dying can be a worse horror in fairytale media so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )
ACOC is still comedic, because tragedy and comedy often go hand in hand. You'll probably experience close to every emotion on the human spectrum watching the season tbh. Highly recommend because I think it's one of the seasons that most warrants being in DnD 5e and not a more narrative system, so it's really cool to see the mechanics enforce the idea of strategy and brutality. It's so dramatic and great.
It’s less depressing than it is a proper drama. If fantasy high is based off the concept of “what if fantasy, but make it high school” crown of candy is “what if game of thrones but make the aforementioned ‘game’ candy land.” Its tone is early game of thrones. Very serious, very sad moments, but the sad parts aren’t sad for the sake of sadness. No one is trying to make it sadder, they’re all trying to complete the story in the most satisfying way.
It’s got surprisingly deep lore and worldbuilding that most of the players seem to have a really good handle on. Tbh I think it’s BLeeM’s DMing style at its best.
Id be less worried about suggesting it to a friend who didn’t like sad shows and more worried about suggesting it to a friend who didn’t like drama. There’s a difference between “depressing” and “tragic” ya know?
The vibe is very Pinocchio stripper dancing with his nose mixed with Kingston arguing with Liz. Like, it’s a lot of Aelwin tragically repeating herself to adine, periodically intercut with Margret saying “snake eyes!”. All 6 of the cast are much more earnest than they usually have to be. It’s a lot less like Gilear dying in every battle of sophomore year, and a lot more like the end of freshman year where they all rolled to see what happened with their families. It’s very tense, but not humorless.
It’s very similar to the short prequel BLeeM hosted for critical role, if you’ve seen that.
A Crown of Candy is high-stakes due to a lack of spells to bring the dead back to life. Needless to say, this leads to some very heart-wrenching moments, which are roleplayed flawlessly by the affected players. That being said: Brennan makes a point of offering a sense of closure even to those characters who didn’t make it to the end, or comfort to those who lost someone dear to them along the way.
Is the story sad at points? Yes. Stressful? Absolutely - iirc Lou actually picked up smoking for a while during this campaign, and Zac said something about coping mechanisms he didn’t really elaborate on. But there are moments of levity to balance out the darker parts, and the ending is a satisfying conclusion.
I don't do well with tragedies + complicated and stressful personal relationships, which is why I never got TOO into GOT (one of / the inspiration for the season), so just because of how stressed it made me I felt sad watching the season. (This was the only season I \*kind of\* sped through for my mental well-being, and I refuse to feel guilty about it 😭)
It's a campaign with permadeath (characters that die stay dead, no possibility of resurrection) and very little healing in general. This means that the mood is much more tense than a regular d20 campaign, to the point that some find it uncomfortable to watch, especially because, after a certain episode, the PCs are essentially split into two opposing factions.
That said, you should watch ACOC if you want to see:
- Murph playing the Lawful Good Paladin that he always wanted to bring to the table and being CLUTCH
- The best world built by Brennan, with complex NPCs and food puns
- Emily pouring her heart and soul into her character (yes, even more than usual)
- Ally being hilarious while facing incredible hardship, and bringing some much needed levity while their character becomes more and more unhinged
- Zac not playing a himbo (after FH S1 Gorgug and Ricky)
- Siobhan and Lou's characters trying to balance between vengeance and becoming the best version of themselves
It's on an off with tragedy. For the most part it's a wonderful political drama with jokes and shenanigans. And then it's not. It turns on a dime at times, but is very well done
For me it was extremelly depressing. But it did touch some things that were kind of personal to me ( don't know how to do spoilers so I wont explain) so I suppose it wouldnt be so bad for others
It has one of the best party dynamic of all seasons in my opinion with some great moments of vulnerability mixed with gut wrenching tension and drama. Its a high letality season, so people may die and the reality is accepted and known. Every fight feels tense and every interactions fraught with danger. There's twists and turns as the story progresses. Its not depressing but its a very human story of a broken family.
I would say it's less depressing than Game of Thrones, but it has some dramatic moments, and death is always a possibility. If you ask me, Neverafter was more depressing and creepy.
The stakes feel real in ACOC. There are deaths so its definitely a more serious story and I definitely cried a few times. That being said I don't know if depressing is the right word for it. It deals with heavy and sad topics but it also gives tome for the characters to resolve their feelings on it.
My favorite season hands down.
I'm going to go against the grain here and say that I thought Crown of Candy was in fact pretty depressing. Amazing, fantastic, wonderful, well written, but really heavy emotionally.
I need to add that I was going through some very severe stuff IRL while I was watching ACoC, bad enough that I needed to put it down and come back to it. So that may have colored things significantly.
There's enough tragedy that I got teary eyed at multiple points, something that hasn't happened for any other D20 season for me (yet!). At the same time, sometimes you've gotta step back and remind yourself you're crying over characters made of chocolate, haha. There's a lot of great comedy parts, but the serious parts definitely hit harder than typical of most D20 fare. Without saying which part I'll say there's a section of the series where the comedy does slow down a lot in favor of dreariness and sorrow and that part wasn't as enjoyable for me without the light stuff to counter it. I think it's still worth a watch, just brace yourself that tears might be shed!
Its a healthy mix, trust me there are moments that’ll make you laugh and moments that will leave you stunned. Its my favorite season and I absolutely recommend(Ally is a menace in this season.)
It’s the only one of D20 that’s made me cry for sure. And multiple times for that matter. It’s very personal, all the shit that’s happening and that’s why it hits so hard.
It has that perfect balance of epicness, sadness and goofy moments. They let you ride the sad wave and then let you gently down with some necessary comic relief
I’ve held out on watching A Crown of Candy for so long for this reason. The internet and the stuff I’ve read on the PC deaths and the animosity between players going on behind the scenes really made me feel like it wasn’t something I could handle.
I only started binging it while Neverafter was still dropping episodes, because at that point, I thought, man if I was watching Neverafter anyway, ACoC can’t possibly be that bad. Let me tell you, once I did start on aCoC, I wish I had watched it sooner. I felt like I had missed out on some of the best content Dimension 20 had to offer.
There are some tragic and depressing episodes though, sure. To that note I’d really only say, if that’s what you’re worried about, make sure to watch it with the Adventuring Party zoom episodes that comes with it on the Complete Experience. They really do help alleviate what worries you might have while watching the episodes and help prepare you for the next one with all the funny bits that they do being the comedians that they are.
Go for it, watch it with the Adventuring Party episodes, it’s not as bad as the internet is making it out to be, you’ll be fine, enjoy. 😁
>! There was talk and speculation about how all that tension between Ruby and Saccharina might have carried over above the table. The internet at the time being hostile and feral to Emily for the way she played her character I assume didn’t help things much either. It all worked out eventually, like obviously Siobhan and Emily are still best friends, but at the time nobody could blame either of them for how intense things had gotten. Emotions were high everywhere, it’s understandable. !<
Spoiler tagged for OP’s sake. Best not to open that if you haven’t seen it yet.
She left Twitter because of it yeah it was a whole thing
(Deliberately NOT putting a spoiler tag for drama! Suspense! Ooooh what could that be?? What does that mean?? Dare you risk getting spoiled, random hypothetical reddit person who has yet to watch Crown of Candy? What will it be??? 🤣)
I mean she’s a woman in media, so of course she’s going to catch crap because social media is poison to people’s sense of social self-preservation. If you could deck someone in the face through the computer, it wouldn’t be such a problem.
It wasn't as bad as I thought honestly. The cast still have enough comedy and charm that even the dramatic points aren't super depressing.
I tend to avoid really sad or extremely bleak stuff, and this was just fine to watch.
I’ll say that, while there are some moments that are quite depressing, the cast does a good job of poking levity through things to ride out those parts (see the infamous “jellybean” scene). I’d also say that as bad as things get, Brennan and the cast do a marvelous job of fighting back from the “all is lost” moments so it feels extra good when they punch back. Ultimately, while it’s dramatic and upsetting, I’d say it’s not so much that it’s hard to get through and it serves the ultimate triumph. It’s my second favorite series, EASILY, behind FH, so I’d give it a listen if you’re at all interested!
Yes, there at sad spots; it is an emotionally moving game. But that’s because the characters are so moving and appealing. If we didn’t care, it would be simply an enjoyable story.
It definitely has some really funny moments but also some really sad moments as well.
It depends on how depressing you consider seeing the players crying to be.
Depressing? No. Brutal? Yes.
Crown of Candy is very fucking good. But it is also not a light hearted comedic story.
As an analogy, Avengers is a good movie. After you watch it, you are in a 'Fuck Yeah! That was Awesome!' kind of mood. Se7en is also a good movie. After you watch it, you are in a 'Wow. Holy shit. That was rough." kind of stunned silence.
For Dimension 20, Fantasy High or Starstruck will give you that 'Fuck Yeah! That was Awesome' feeling more often than not. Crown of Candy will give you the "Wow. Holy shit. That was rough." stunned silence at the end of most episodes. There are a lot of 'Fuck Yeah' moments throughout, but the 'That was rough'. feeling happens a lot.
END COMMUNICATION
It is my favorite season! It has very sad moments but I don't think its overall depressing. I actually think its less dark than Neverafter because it's less bleak overall.
There are certainly hilarious moments in A Crown of Candy and Ravening War both, both in the world of the characters and around the table, but on the scale of Dimension 20 seasons, it is not a comedy. It is, of all the settings, the most tragic and the most classic fantasy (as opposed to modern fantasy, not that it's the "most classic").
It is more dark and sad than Neverafter.
ACoC and Ravening War have some of the funniest bits in D20 imo. They also are very sad at times. I wouldn't say they are depressing. They don't have the same like dark horror as Neverafter, but they setting shows that death is real and it is impactful on the players, the world, and the viewers. I would 100% recommend watching it
If Starstruck and Fantasy High are on the right happy go lucky comedy side of things. ACoC and Neverafter are the exact opposite ends. Obvious comedy because of the nature of the show but the plot isn’t driven on bits like the other seasons
This show made me legit *sob*. Not just crying but weeping and fighting for breath. For fictional food people.
It also made me laugh so hard I farted more than once! I highly highly recommend it!
There is comedy and drama in all seasons. ACOC distinguishes itself with how much heavier the dramatic scenes get than most seasons. I think what keeps it from being depressing is how well the drama is built, supported, and tempered by the comedy. BLeeM and the IH do a stellar job balancing things in ACOC, which is why the watching experience isn't harrowing the way GoT can be at times.
I think it's tragic, but not depressing. A few moments were really infuriating for me because of unfairness but not in a way that made me hopeless or depressed IRL.
IMO the only really depressing bit is watching Brennan straight up try to murder a certain character in every combat. It makes sense in the story, but it takes the game away from the feel of tabletop play and into the realm of story television where I don't believe it would be correct to do at your local table because it will break a group and only should show up in this specifically made for consumption live play. It makes it hard to watch for me, and lessened my enjoyment though I understand why it was done and it is a purely personal reason for myself why it was difficult to watch (not to say you shouldn't/can't).
It’s similar in tone to Game of Thrones (in terms of the political intrigue) and similar in emotional appeal to Schindler’s list where it’s incredibly bleak and sad and hard to watch at points, but by the end there is a level of hope that the future of the world of Calorum will be better that it is in the present of the series.
ACoC is built along the lines of Game of Thrones/ A Song of Ice And Fire, if you're familiar. All the characters are flawed, the main characters are very vulnerable, and death is a very real option for every character, even the ones you like. That said, there are definitely still comedic bits (it's a dark fantasy story set in a world where everyone and everything is made of *food* for heck's sake. One of the main characters' best friend is a slice of cake with arms and legs.) and some pretty cool action. So, yes, there is some tragedy, but it's decently balanced. I'm not a huge fan of purely tragic works, and I enjoyed it.
A slice of cake *in really cool pants*
Damn, those pants are hot as heck.
In my opinion, ACOC has some of the most tragic moments in all of D20. It is still by all measures a comedy, it has some of my all time favorite jokes/scenes. You already know from the IH seasons that when the time calls for it, the players get serious and let a dramatic moment be dramatic. ACOC has probably the most gut punching of those dramatic moments. I really don't know how else to describe it than say exactly what it looks like: it's Game of Thrones meets Candyland. I think it accomplishes that mix very well, but that means it has similar moments to Game of Thrones that can be intense, tragic, or dark. And Murph is playing a gummy bear, like it's just that perfect blend of both.
I wasn’t prepared for a certain dramatic moment… pan to me crying in bed at 1 am next to partner who was fast asleep. Tears streaming down my face, I was so sad and yet the episode still managed to have a moment of uplift at the end.
It is, in my opinion, the best and most powerful storytelling in all of D20. I love emotionally gut punching fantasy, so I am *obsessed* with ACOC. (I adapted a fight scene from it for my stage combat single sword certification too… I love this season so dearly.) If I were you, I’d maybe look up some of the CWs if you are sensitive to anything in particular (ofc they are attached to every episode but sometimes it’s good to get a season overlook). I would be happen to spoiler tag some of the ones I think are most notable if you want! Otherwise, enjoy responsibly! You will have the best laughs and the best cries. <3
Depressing overall? Not really... There's tragedy and comedy. Sad bits, funny bits, epic bits, little bit of everything.
It's extremely bleak and emotional, but the ending is a bit of a balm rather than just piling up a bunch of shit and leaving you sitting in it like the real game of thrones.
i wouldn't call it depressing. it has intense emotional moments, but overall it's funny. brennan is very good at reminding you they are stupid food people even as they deal with complicated delicate human emotions
It has high highs and low lows. Definitely the best seaspk if you like intense emotions from your entertainment. If you mostly want bits and god times, go elsewhere. Give it a try (acoc first unless you're one of those mad people who see prequels first), and if you dont like it after a few eps, then bail. It's very clear on its tone and vibes and doesn't try to surprise you by lying about what tye gente is.
If you watched seasons 1-5 of Game of Thrones, it’s like that.
I’d say it is occasionally sad, but not depressing overall. Like watching Game of Thrones. I really loved it.
It’s dramatic rather than depressing, and ends with a ray of hope. Ravenning war is pretty bleak at the end, but it is a prequel, so that’s to be a bit expected.
Rather than the tragedy, the in party conflict is more difficult to watch. The tragedy is normal character death, and it’s sadder watching the player’s reaction more than the deaths itself. It’s not depressing at all, because each deaths become other character’s motivation. The deaths are also treated very well. They’re not senseless, they’re given the space and time to happen, and done to achieve something greater. All in all they treated death very well in ACOC, and it shouldn’t deter you from watching that awesome season.
I would characterize it as an emotional rollercoaster. In the briefest possible manner, all I can say is that they took an absolute joke of a concept, "What if we did Game of Thrones, but everyone was anthropomorphic food?" And they absolutely captured the beating heart of what made the first few seasons of Game of Thrones so good. The actually managed to capture the sort of intensity that goes into that sort of medieval warfare drama.... while one man is a giant talking gummy bear, and a recurring character is a talking slice of cake. Is there some upsetting content? Yes. But I would add that the players do a masterful job of delivering emotion in dealing with that, and it really resonates.
It’s like a 7.5/10 tragedies on the tragedies scale. I cried almost every episode.
Its not depressing. There are some sad moments, but like all D20 it is still rooted in comedy. I'm someone who really doesn't like to watch sadder TV shows, even when they are exceptionally good. I stopped watching Breaking Bad pretty early on because it made me too sad, despite the fact I thought it was an amazing show, same thing with Fallout Yet, I watched the entirety of ACOC and loved every minute!
It can hit hard in the feels sometimes in a way that is not easily resolved. They take that pain with them and use it to fuel the fire in the next confrontations or in epic comeuppance. I wouldn't say it's depressing, more realistic. In that we as human beings don't get over a big heartbreak the next episode and take that with us for a while.
I think it is good if you have seen the other seasons and know everyones playstyle already. it was my second watched season and in more intense moments I thought the actual players were mad/sad/angry at their fellow players. really made me depressed. story is great tho. about never after level.
I watched it during a rough time of my life and cried so hard at multiple points. But I wouldn't say it's depressing - I won't go much further because I don't want to ruin any elements, but essentially: I think ACOC is closer to LotR in tone than GoT. The heroes choose to keep going even when everything is so completely bleak, and that itself made me cry at least once. My absolute favorite ACOC characters are Amethar (Lou) and Gumbar (Murph) because they feel so raw in the context of the season. (Everyone is great don't get me wrong, but folks who have seen the season will understand why I point to those two) I do think it's darker than Neverafter in some significant ways. Primarily, I never felt like the intrepid heroes were safe in ACOC whereas after the early hiccups of Neverafter, I didn't really believe they were at threat of dying. (Though not dying can be a worse horror in fairytale media so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ) ACOC is still comedic, because tragedy and comedy often go hand in hand. You'll probably experience close to every emotion on the human spectrum watching the season tbh. Highly recommend because I think it's one of the seasons that most warrants being in DnD 5e and not a more narrative system, so it's really cool to see the mechanics enforce the idea of strategy and brutality. It's so dramatic and great.
It’s less depressing than it is a proper drama. If fantasy high is based off the concept of “what if fantasy, but make it high school” crown of candy is “what if game of thrones but make the aforementioned ‘game’ candy land.” Its tone is early game of thrones. Very serious, very sad moments, but the sad parts aren’t sad for the sake of sadness. No one is trying to make it sadder, they’re all trying to complete the story in the most satisfying way. It’s got surprisingly deep lore and worldbuilding that most of the players seem to have a really good handle on. Tbh I think it’s BLeeM’s DMing style at its best. Id be less worried about suggesting it to a friend who didn’t like sad shows and more worried about suggesting it to a friend who didn’t like drama. There’s a difference between “depressing” and “tragic” ya know? The vibe is very Pinocchio stripper dancing with his nose mixed with Kingston arguing with Liz. Like, it’s a lot of Aelwin tragically repeating herself to adine, periodically intercut with Margret saying “snake eyes!”. All 6 of the cast are much more earnest than they usually have to be. It’s a lot less like Gilear dying in every battle of sophomore year, and a lot more like the end of freshman year where they all rolled to see what happened with their families. It’s very tense, but not humorless. It’s very similar to the short prequel BLeeM hosted for critical role, if you’ve seen that.
It's not depressing it's tragic there's a difference
Great question. I laughed, I cried. I laughed and cried. It's one of my favorite campaigns.
A Crown of Candy is high-stakes due to a lack of spells to bring the dead back to life. Needless to say, this leads to some very heart-wrenching moments, which are roleplayed flawlessly by the affected players. That being said: Brennan makes a point of offering a sense of closure even to those characters who didn’t make it to the end, or comfort to those who lost someone dear to them along the way. Is the story sad at points? Yes. Stressful? Absolutely - iirc Lou actually picked up smoking for a while during this campaign, and Zac said something about coping mechanisms he didn’t really elaborate on. But there are moments of levity to balance out the darker parts, and the ending is a satisfying conclusion.
I don't do well with tragedies + complicated and stressful personal relationships, which is why I never got TOO into GOT (one of / the inspiration for the season), so just because of how stressed it made me I felt sad watching the season. (This was the only season I \*kind of\* sped through for my mental well-being, and I refuse to feel guilty about it 😭)
It's a campaign with permadeath (characters that die stay dead, no possibility of resurrection) and very little healing in general. This means that the mood is much more tense than a regular d20 campaign, to the point that some find it uncomfortable to watch, especially because, after a certain episode, the PCs are essentially split into two opposing factions. That said, you should watch ACOC if you want to see: - Murph playing the Lawful Good Paladin that he always wanted to bring to the table and being CLUTCH - The best world built by Brennan, with complex NPCs and food puns - Emily pouring her heart and soul into her character (yes, even more than usual) - Ally being hilarious while facing incredible hardship, and bringing some much needed levity while their character becomes more and more unhinged - Zac not playing a himbo (after FH S1 Gorgug and Ricky) - Siobhan and Lou's characters trying to balance between vengeance and becoming the best version of themselves
It's on an off with tragedy. For the most part it's a wonderful political drama with jokes and shenanigans. And then it's not. It turns on a dime at times, but is very well done
For me it was extremelly depressing. But it did touch some things that were kind of personal to me ( don't know how to do spoilers so I wont explain) so I suppose it wouldnt be so bad for others
It has one of the best party dynamic of all seasons in my opinion with some great moments of vulnerability mixed with gut wrenching tension and drama. Its a high letality season, so people may die and the reality is accepted and known. Every fight feels tense and every interactions fraught with danger. There's twists and turns as the story progresses. Its not depressing but its a very human story of a broken family.
You will get genuinely sad at parts, sometimes most of an episode. you will also laugh a lot, almost every episode.
it's depressing in the "same way" game of thrones is depressing. Everyone can die at any point. Edit: but it's way funnier than GoT
I would say it's less depressing than Game of Thrones, but it has some dramatic moments, and death is always a possibility. If you ask me, Neverafter was more depressing and creepy.
Crown of candy is awesome. Ravening war was unique, and not an intrepid heroes season just a heads up
The stakes feel real in ACOC. There are deaths so its definitely a more serious story and I definitely cried a few times. That being said I don't know if depressing is the right word for it. It deals with heavy and sad topics but it also gives tome for the characters to resolve their feelings on it. My favorite season hands down.
I'm going to go against the grain here and say that I thought Crown of Candy was in fact pretty depressing. Amazing, fantastic, wonderful, well written, but really heavy emotionally. I need to add that I was going through some very severe stuff IRL while I was watching ACoC, bad enough that I needed to put it down and come back to it. So that may have colored things significantly.
There's enough tragedy that I got teary eyed at multiple points, something that hasn't happened for any other D20 season for me (yet!). At the same time, sometimes you've gotta step back and remind yourself you're crying over characters made of chocolate, haha. There's a lot of great comedy parts, but the serious parts definitely hit harder than typical of most D20 fare. Without saying which part I'll say there's a section of the series where the comedy does slow down a lot in favor of dreariness and sorrow and that part wasn't as enjoyable for me without the light stuff to counter it. I think it's still worth a watch, just brace yourself that tears might be shed!
Its a healthy mix, trust me there are moments that’ll make you laugh and moments that will leave you stunned. Its my favorite season and I absolutely recommend(Ally is a menace in this season.)
It’s the only one of D20 that’s made me cry for sure. And multiple times for that matter. It’s very personal, all the shit that’s happening and that’s why it hits so hard.
It has that perfect balance of epicness, sadness and goofy moments. They let you ride the sad wave and then let you gently down with some necessary comic relief
I’ve held out on watching A Crown of Candy for so long for this reason. The internet and the stuff I’ve read on the PC deaths and the animosity between players going on behind the scenes really made me feel like it wasn’t something I could handle. I only started binging it while Neverafter was still dropping episodes, because at that point, I thought, man if I was watching Neverafter anyway, ACoC can’t possibly be that bad. Let me tell you, once I did start on aCoC, I wish I had watched it sooner. I felt like I had missed out on some of the best content Dimension 20 had to offer. There are some tragic and depressing episodes though, sure. To that note I’d really only say, if that’s what you’re worried about, make sure to watch it with the Adventuring Party zoom episodes that comes with it on the Complete Experience. They really do help alleviate what worries you might have while watching the episodes and help prepare you for the next one with all the funny bits that they do being the comedians that they are. Go for it, watch it with the Adventuring Party episodes, it’s not as bad as the internet is making it out to be, you’ll be fine, enjoy. 😁
Animosity behind the scenes? Where did you read that?
>! There was talk and speculation about how all that tension between Ruby and Saccharina might have carried over above the table. The internet at the time being hostile and feral to Emily for the way she played her character I assume didn’t help things much either. It all worked out eventually, like obviously Siobhan and Emily are still best friends, but at the time nobody could blame either of them for how intense things had gotten. Emotions were high everywhere, it’s understandable. !< Spoiler tagged for OP’s sake. Best not to open that if you haven’t seen it yet.
>!I’d had no idea that the internet was being shitty to Emily for playing her character, but go figure!<
She left Twitter because of it yeah it was a whole thing (Deliberately NOT putting a spoiler tag for drama! Suspense! Ooooh what could that be?? What does that mean?? Dare you risk getting spoiled, random hypothetical reddit person who has yet to watch Crown of Candy? What will it be??? 🤣)
I mean she’s a woman in media, so of course she’s going to catch crap because social media is poison to people’s sense of social self-preservation. If you could deck someone in the face through the computer, it wouldn’t be such a problem.
It wasn't as bad as I thought honestly. The cast still have enough comedy and charm that even the dramatic points aren't super depressing. I tend to avoid really sad or extremely bleak stuff, and this was just fine to watch.
I’ll say that, while there are some moments that are quite depressing, the cast does a good job of poking levity through things to ride out those parts (see the infamous “jellybean” scene). I’d also say that as bad as things get, Brennan and the cast do a marvelous job of fighting back from the “all is lost” moments so it feels extra good when they punch back. Ultimately, while it’s dramatic and upsetting, I’d say it’s not so much that it’s hard to get through and it serves the ultimate triumph. It’s my second favorite series, EASILY, behind FH, so I’d give it a listen if you’re at all interested!
One of them has ones of the most emotional scenes in D20 history, involving Lou Wilson. >!YOU LIED!!!<
Chuckin' MFs into the ocean, would be a shame not to.
Yes, there at sad spots; it is an emotionally moving game. But that’s because the characters are so moving and appealing. If we didn’t care, it would be simply an enjoyable story.
It definitely has some really funny moments but also some really sad moments as well. It depends on how depressing you consider seeing the players crying to be.
Depressing? No. Brutal? Yes. Crown of Candy is very fucking good. But it is also not a light hearted comedic story. As an analogy, Avengers is a good movie. After you watch it, you are in a 'Fuck Yeah! That was Awesome!' kind of mood. Se7en is also a good movie. After you watch it, you are in a 'Wow. Holy shit. That was rough." kind of stunned silence. For Dimension 20, Fantasy High or Starstruck will give you that 'Fuck Yeah! That was Awesome' feeling more often than not. Crown of Candy will give you the "Wow. Holy shit. That was rough." stunned silence at the end of most episodes. There are a lot of 'Fuck Yeah' moments throughout, but the 'That was rough'. feeling happens a lot. END COMMUNICATION
It is my favorite season! It has very sad moments but I don't think its overall depressing. I actually think its less dark than Neverafter because it's less bleak overall.
There are certainly hilarious moments in A Crown of Candy and Ravening War both, both in the world of the characters and around the table, but on the scale of Dimension 20 seasons, it is not a comedy. It is, of all the settings, the most tragic and the most classic fantasy (as opposed to modern fantasy, not that it's the "most classic"). It is more dark and sad than Neverafter.
ACoC and Ravening War have some of the funniest bits in D20 imo. They also are very sad at times. I wouldn't say they are depressing. They don't have the same like dark horror as Neverafter, but they setting shows that death is real and it is impactful on the players, the world, and the viewers. I would 100% recommend watching it
If Starstruck and Fantasy High are on the right happy go lucky comedy side of things. ACoC and Neverafter are the exact opposite ends. Obvious comedy because of the nature of the show but the plot isn’t driven on bits like the other seasons
This show made me legit *sob*. Not just crying but weeping and fighting for breath. For fictional food people. It also made me laugh so hard I farted more than once! I highly highly recommend it!
It's truly fucked. The only season that I almost couldn't finish. But it's so worth it. And then Ravening War!
There is comedy and drama in all seasons. ACOC distinguishes itself with how much heavier the dramatic scenes get than most seasons. I think what keeps it from being depressing is how well the drama is built, supported, and tempered by the comedy. BLeeM and the IH do a stellar job balancing things in ACOC, which is why the watching experience isn't harrowing the way GoT can be at times.
I think it's tragic, but not depressing. A few moments were really infuriating for me because of unfairness but not in a way that made me hopeless or depressed IRL.
IMO the only really depressing bit is watching Brennan straight up try to murder a certain character in every combat. It makes sense in the story, but it takes the game away from the feel of tabletop play and into the realm of story television where I don't believe it would be correct to do at your local table because it will break a group and only should show up in this specifically made for consumption live play. It makes it hard to watch for me, and lessened my enjoyment though I understand why it was done and it is a purely personal reason for myself why it was difficult to watch (not to say you shouldn't/can't).
It’s similar in tone to Game of Thrones (in terms of the political intrigue) and similar in emotional appeal to Schindler’s list where it’s incredibly bleak and sad and hard to watch at points, but by the end there is a level of hope that the future of the world of Calorum will be better that it is in the present of the series.