Glad to see that I'm not the only one who has had to recently admit to myself that the show is becoming less enjoyable for me. I'm also in the boat that generally I still love the show, the format, and everything about all of the cast and guests ... but something just seems off. Feel free to deride it as petty griping, I'm a fan and this is my feedback (many others like it, yada yada).
The "something happened which made another thing happen" well is close to running dry. Part of what made Sark's campaign so enjoyable to me was the detailed blow by blow skirmishes (which frequently and delightfully spun off their own tangents). The fighting feels dumbed down and imo, spurns the cast to not be quite as vested in each decision they make. Also the continuity issues seems to be more prevalent recently, I feel like we're getting a lot of "who are you swinging at, the guy with one arm or the guy in the ground?" type situations where neither the listener, the players, or frankly the DM have paid enough attention to what's been happening for that kind of question to get answered quickly and quite frequently we just get a quick, "oh yeah I forgot about that so another thing happens which makes another thing happen".
I think what made a lot of the earlier playing so enjoyable to listen to was how well the players got the characters they were playing and they were having fun playing them. I don't get that feeling with Brian, Sarah, or Gerry's characters right now. Houg started off perfect, but now seems quicker to whip out his dirk than to cast a spectacular eeluzee-on, got a couple HP'S under his belt and he's just not the same skittish magician I fell in love with.
The guests have been fantastic, but the constant switching of who we're heading week to week, to me at least, detracts from the cohesiveness of the overall campaign. I feel Telfer would be perfect as a regular, he really adds a lot to each ep he's on.
I hope this is taken how I intended it, pure constructive criticism from a long time fan. I still listen every week and can't imagine ever giving up. The comedy that happens between Blaine, Brian, and Ken every week makes the game play a secondary concern, but it's a concern nonetheless.
Thanks for listening and ROLL TO SAVE FROM VOMITING
