The Silliness in Shadowdark is Going Too Far
Hey everyone,
I'm a longtime fan of the GCP. Been listening since Giant Slayer. I love the cast's sense of humor, it wouldn't be GCP without some good laughs.
Having said that, this campaign started with Troy publicly making a commitment to more dramatic stories, more dark gritty moments, and more sincere characters. It's been less than a year since the start of the campaign and it seems apparent to me that Troy has lost all interest in that commitment.
Every opportunity for a dark gritty moment is it undercut by banal jokes and a wink at the audience. Every time a new NPC has a chance to inject drama or sincerity they do the opposite. NPC's are treated as one-dimensional humor that only serve the purpose of removing drama and sincerity from the moment. The only NPCs that were played with any level of sincerity seem to be >!Reeve Winters, Regina, and Regina's companions.!<
In the last episode, for example, >!Matthew is trying to investigate a murder and can't even get started because there is nothing but jokes and deflection in response. "Can I inspect the body?" is followed by jokes and jokes and jokes...!<
Or before that moment when >!Sydney is getting frustrated because she is trying to do a serious scene and getting nothing but jokes in response. Troy says something like "Look at her face!" to which Sydney responds that she was trying to roleplay a serious scene. Joe rolls his eyes and comes back with some line about how her character can't be serious because his name is "Saint Anthony". !<
I mean really guys? Really?! Is this the kind of story we are telling with Shadowdark? I fully expect >!Saint's trial to be adjudicated by Reeve Winters and more one-dimensional NPC's the cast will be laughing at. I won't be shocked when the judgement is handed down by someone named Ser Fuzzy Dorito Chipington and then carried out by another NPC named Mick Jagger. I won't be surprised when Saint is executed followed by a slide-whistle, vaudeville routine, and Troy saying "Oh and Saint shit himself after he died and everyone laughed."!<
Can we PLEASE just have a sincere moment for FIVE MINUTES?! The show literally started with a commitment to dramatic tone and serious characters. I've been watching since Giant Slayer so I didn't expect that to last but I thought we'd hang on for at least a year.
I have to say I have just been hugely dissapointed in Troy's total disinterest in any kind of dramatic storytelling or sincerity in role play. It's like EVERYTHING HAS TO BE goofy silly all the time. Why would I want to be invested in your world, setting, or characters if EVERYTHING is just a slide whistle and a wink at the audience?
At the very least, at least everyone on the cast is laughing. I'm glad they're having a fun time. I came into this show expecting what they promised at the beginning: More drama, more sincere characters, and more dark gritty storytelling. We have gone so far in the complete opposite direction I wouldn't be surprised if >!Reeve Winters!< is the last serious NPC the party finds outside of a dungeon for the rest of the campaign.
Honestly, I hope >!Sydney's next character is a silly bard with a funny name that takes absolutely nothing seriously.!< It seems like that is the only kind of character that is going to get any traction at all from Troy and the rest of the party.