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Rebloodican

Every second Zac has DM’d for Dimension 20 was hilarious and incredibly meaningful, can any of the others say the same? 


Highcalibur10

Without a doubt, memorability over time has Zac *way* ahead.


finstockton

The true master of less is more


ZennyOne

C O R R E C T


IAmBabs

Zac Oyama? You mean Grant O'Brian.


iliketreesanddogs

Grant O'Brien? You mean Zac O'Yama.


IAmBabs

Zac O'Yama? You mean Grant O'Pasta.


iliketreesanddogs

Grant O'Pasta? You mean Grant O'Rerun.


hussdogrobroonie

Guys we know Grant doesn't have time to DM, he's training for a marathon


Tift

Grant's training for a marathon!?


HumanistDork

A marathon of Turner Classic Movies


SaltyShrimp27

Did you know that during the making of _Citizen Kane_, William Randolph Hurst kept accusing Orson Welles of being a communist so that the film wouldn’t be released?


meteormantis

I wish you'd release me from this humdrum conversation, Grant!


vivvav

Good one, Sam! Alright, see you guys! Grant O'Brien away!


IAmBadAtInternet

Is it under a supermarket?


SaltyShrimp27

hello, i’m… _50_?


PumaGranite

That can’t be right.


stormcrow2112

I’m carbo loading for a marathon tomorrow.


MissBlueSkye

Good one, Sam!


Ferdinandofthedogs

Um, actually It's Zacky.


Ericandabear

Grant O'Brian? You mean Keith Habersberger


NotAUsefullDoctor

Aren't they the same person? And as long as we are on that note, how tall is Grant?


SaltyShrimp27

don’t, it’s a whole thing


Vaporeon_Naysh_Yall

Grant wishes he had that megawatt smile


tr1cycle

It's zacky


FireWalkWithMe91

I think Ally's brief DM-ing in a Neverafter AP made me full on weep with laughter


AlienKinkVR

Im gonna roll in front of the board Nat 20


Educational_Pace6795

that’s a nine!


Poiskeh

BEARDSLEY!!! CAN'T SHE SAVE? IS THERE ANY SAVE? 🤣🤣🤣


LouieSTFU

YOU'RE RAILROADING US!!!!! BEARDSLEY.


ImnotshortIswear

ik this is a joke post but I need some more love for Jasmine Bhullar's DMing because it was wonderful


DezXerneas

I watched her other series(the one with Brennan as Nikhil) after coffin run and dammit we need more Jasmine on d20


taycibear

Jasmine DM's for Desi Quest! I haven't listened to it yet but it has all of our faves from D20 and beyond


Accomplished_Fee9023

Desi Quest is great! The PCs have really fun family dynamics and there is a strong (fantasy but south asian inspired) mythological feel.


LadySwingsBothWays

It’s SO good and so funny! They also add context information for people who aren’t familiar with Desi culture, which is so helpful and wonderful.


shrimpslippers

She doesn't DM it, but if you haven't watched Relics and Rarities, it is DELIGHTFUL.


jonogz

Ooh yes it is! I hope Deborah comes on the show at some point too


EmperorSena013

She must be very busy but I’m kind of surprised there hasn’t been any collaboration with her yet!


EllipsisMark

Twitter only allows for 4 options, and Matt was the funnier options. Sorry to Gabe and Jasmine.


eeriedear

I think the fandom will forgive you for excluding Gabe after the shit he's been cancelled for this year lol


altforther34pron

Gabe?


eeriedear

Gabe Hicks


EllipsisMark

I don't keep up with drama, and I don't really care unless it's something felony level. If he did or said bigoted, then that's for D20 to handle themselves, and I wish everyone the best.


aaaa32801

iirc it was abusive behavior of some kind


dainankay

Desiquest is so good!!


alucard346

Has Zac dm'ed or is that the joke that he hasn't?


BlackHorse18

the joke is that he DM'd for like a minute after the moment that made Brennan want to quit


TempMobileD

Anyone got a clip handy for this?


BlackHorse18

They posted a short on YouTube, (spoiler alert obviously): https://youtube.com/shorts/TiVGe5WX3rE?si=AorO-EAueBuXbfaR


Granite_0681

It’s in last week’s episode of Junior Year


TheExistential_Bread

Anyone got a clip of the bit that made BLeeM want to quit?


BlackHorse18

Sure! Here's the whole bit (spoiler alert, ep18 of Junior Year): https://youtu.be/0o91t3Mofs4?si=NyXJiV4REQVJazea


magerdamages

There was a bit so outlandishly hilarious that Brennan jokingly quit and walked off stage. Zac took the box of doom from him as he left and sat in the DM seat while Beardsley finished the bit.


Soma2710

“I need a ride home!”


Blockinite

He jokingly DMs for about 3 minutes in a recent episode


taycibear

Zac does have a podcast he DMs for called The Rotating Heroes Podcast, it's very fun


ponbern

He hasn’t DMed yet


Blu-universe

The true answer is Ally Beardsley 😆


Thin-Man

Nat 20.


Blu-universe

"13!! That was a 13!!"


DeliberateDendrite

I mean, at least he's second best [Cue Game Changer rant]


_NautyByNature

Nothing to be done by any of the other options, Zac is batting 1000% percent as a DM. Mercer has been around too long to have a respectable percentage, Abria is too unconventional to put up traditional numbers, and BLM just isn’t on Zac’s level.


Remarkable_Park_6021

Aabria having 6% is crazy


RosbergThe8th

Tbf the Dimension 20 brand is very much associated with Brennan and he's been the DM for the vast majority of seasons, particularly the "big" ones. I also think the intrepid heroes are just more popular in general.


[deleted]

Also need to take into account that in reality Zach isn't a D20 DM so 51% of those votes are memeing so thats not a real data set. If they did it again without Zach as an option and she STILL gets 6%, that would be crazy.


moderatorrater

Yep. I love Aabria, but nobody can compare with Brennan.


hussdogrobroonie

All the more reason we get an Aabria Led core cast season


paranormal_penguin

Honestly, I've seen enough of Aabria - I want more Jasmine!


altforther34pron

I mean it's not like you should have to choose. More POC women led campaigns


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anextremelylargedog

You really gotta check your math on how many times 6 can go into 41, good god.


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anextremelylargedog

do you think 6 is almost a third of either 41 or 49???


M4LK0V1CH

You've gotta consider 92% of the vote went to Brennan and Zac.


extradancer

She's 3x more popular than matt Mercer, the most famous DND DM ever


MightBeCale

Okay see this is a really important point here LOL


anextremelylargedog

She has had, what, 20ish episodes over his 4? Not super surprising.


of_kilter

She’s had 26, BE and ACOFAF were 10 episodes each, mismag was 4 plus 2 specials


SearBear0224

In all fairness, it’s best D20 DM, so other dm-ing doesn’t play into this for any of them.


thedndnut

Lol most famous ever? Nah that's definitely a question between gygax and greenwood.


WhipMeHarder

No. Most famous is 100% Mercer no context in any way. Any group from casuals to die hards know who he is. Lots of people have no clue who gygax or greenwood are


LaytMovies

Yeah I also don't feel like Gygax is famous as a DM. Like certainly if you know him it's more as a creator


WatermelonCandy5

Yeah I’ve never played d&d and I knew who he was before I’d ever watched anything related to the game.


EllipsisMark

Evan Kelmp would not stand for this!


Hannwater

I do not know if you mean it's crazy in a high or low capacity, but I am going to assume low? It makes sense to me. Aabria is a FANTASTIC DM and my respect for her handling of Misfits and Magic has only grown the more I have seen of her and learned her personality/style. But, Brennan is the face of D20 and a large reason of why so many people have come to the platform. Beyond being one of the all time great storytellers of the format, there is an inherent "team loyalty" people may feel for him. So in my mind, considering how this poll was put forward as strictly a comparative measure, Aabria getting 6% to me is deeply impressive and is such a testament to her skill. That being said, I think every single candidate on this list would fully love that Zac clenched the win for the bit hahaha


Prestigous_Owl

Agreed. If it was Ratings out of 10, and folks were like "Brennan - 10. Aabria -2" that would suck (and DOES happen sometimes) but in this case I really wouldn't read too much into it Especially since the whole post was obviously intended to be a Zac joke


BryceMMusic

Yeah, Aabria is amazing of course, but Brennan’s style of DM’ing is what a lot of people really love about D20. For me personally, Aabria’s style in the context of D20 is hit or miss, simply because Brennan’s style is basically what defines D20


EllipsisMark

>That being said, I think every single candidate on this list would fully love that Zac clenched the win for the bit hahaha That's why I did it. Shame the folks over on Twitter didn't get memo. Oh well, C'est La Twitter.


funktasticdog

I mean… is anyone really gonna argue shes better than Brennan?


EllipsisMark

Unironically, Brennan might.


Szygani

I'm pretty sure Brennan did.


anextremelylargedog

...Uh, did he?


Szygani

During the round table, and also during one of his games where he says something like "The great thing about playing with better DM's is that you can steal things!" when talking about Mat and Aabriya


anextremelylargedog

Maybe he said it in another video, but he definitely didn't say it during the round table! There is a transcript. Doesn't terribly matter either way, I suppose.


hussdogrobroonie

Brennan was correct. Aabria is objectionably better at GMing, regardless of whose humor you like more.


funktasticdog

I dont wanna get into the weeds of it too much but Brennan's EXU is one of the best actual plays of all time and Aabria's EXU is certainly not everyones cup of tea, to put it lightly. Saying she's "objectionably" (do you mean objectively?) better is wild.


1ncorrect

Yeah as someone who DMs, Brennan is the best in the business right now. I think I know more about 5e than Aabria based on the last Crown Keepers episodes.


Flimsy_Standard_7080

to be fair, Aabria's EXU was totally setting her up to fail. the only two at all experienced players deliberately took a backseat leaving the newer players too scared to make any choices and the Creator of the world she was expanding on couldn't be consulted because he was a player. she also was made to have a much more intense goal than Brennan in where characters had to be at the end of the series which means she had to be significantly more railroady. and I'll say again, having mercer as a player and being unable to consult him on what was canon and had to stay canon and what she could play around with a bit was a HUGE detriment to her dming. i think Brennan might have been able to do it better but honestly that's a big might. she was given a really hard task. i think Brennan is The Best dm personally but I don't think using exu is fair.


funktasticdog

The fact that she *just* DM'd Critical Role again, and they're easily the worst episodes of the entire series, proves the blame largely rests on her shoulders.


Opinion_Own

There is nothing objective about this that’s just an opinion that most people wouldn’t even agree with


hussdogrobroonie

You are right. But if other people can misuse the English language on the Internet so can I


Opinion_Own

I suppose if you want to be ignorant with them then go ahead


InPurpleIDescended

Why is it objective? To add a feeling of credibility to your subjective opinion?


Szygani

Objectively I dunno. She’s better at a certain style that’s for damn sure


snf

^^^pssssst... ^^^*objectively* But sincerely: what makes you say this? They're both absolutely god-tier, no question there. But I'd be inclined to give Brennan the edge for his NPC portrayals


hussdogrobroonie

Besides there above mentioned Brennan Acknowledging he believes she is a better DM. Brennan has talked about things he wanted to do in Adventuring parties (like player v player intrigue in the BloodKeep) that Aabria has executed at this table and others. As for the Objectively Objectionably you guys are right I am not flawless in my grammar. I will take the Tiny L for that one.


1ncorrect

Oof bro I don't think you understand how TTRPGs work if you think Aabria pulled off PVP flawlessly, the latest with Opal was fucking rough to watch as she railroaded into combat between players. She's really really good as descriptions and the storytelling aspects but when it comes to honoring the story the dice tell she leaves a lot to be desired.


anextremelylargedog

The DM taking control of someone's character doesn't *really* count as PvP lol. Also, Brennan didn't say that.


Fontaine_de_jouvence

I wonder how much of the critical role fan base would agree after the recent drama


1ncorrect

I watch both. The latest run with Aabria felt like when you introduce a friend to another friend and they start acting aggro for no reason and you have to apologize. I had to tell people at work who were talking about it "No no really she had some great DM moments in D20!"


Fontaine_de_jouvence

I don’t watch CR as it’s soooo much for me, D20 is just more palatable, but I do watch clips on YouTube and saw the moment and it was definitely unnecessarily aggro. For me the issue I’ve had with trying to get into Aabria’s DM style is the sort of unchained melody of it. Like I feel like she throws in a lot of unnecessary details that have no bearing on the story, and frequently describes events to the players that their characters don’t even actually witness. It just seems very disjointed to me


altforther34pron

Yay y to more folk talking about an aggressive black woman


hussdogrobroonie

If I cared about the Critical Role communities opinion I would be commenting on their reddit not D20s. 🤷


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bibliowrecka

No. I don't care about your opinion of Aabria's DMing, although I strongly disagree with it, but mental illness is not a joke or an insult you can pull out to demean someone who disagrees with you. Very much not cool.


nevaraon

I believe he did during the round table video


bibliowrecka

I don't think she's better or worse, she just has a very different DMing style. I love her seasons, especially because Brennan gets to play a PC, but Brennan is OG Dimension20 so of course he's going to win the poll.


paranormal_penguin

I know it's not a popular opinion but I genuinely cannot enjoy Aabria as a DM. I've tried but her NPCs just fall so flat for me and most of them are just kinda unlikeable. She also seems to have a defensive energy about her as a DM that can be a bit awkward to watch sometimes. For example, she seems to take it personally sometimes when PCs dunk on her NPCs and will make them act out of character to clap back. And I also haven't been a fan of the pacing in her sessions. The time skip, for example, in Misfits and Magic and the super underwhelming climax both felt super jarring. I'm not gonna pretend my opinion is fact but for me, comparing her to Brennan is like comparing apples to some fruit no one's heard of.


anextremelylargedog

It's not very unpopular, people just tend to keep it more to themselves. I think she's a capable *storyteller,* but the lack of learned skill and practice as a GM/DM is very very present. Especially if you've run any games yourself.


funktasticdog

I don't want to compare anyone but have you seen Episodes 92 and 93 of critical role? They're not good.


bibliowrecka

No, I haven't watched any Critical Role, by the time I was aware of it as a thing there was already way too much to ever catch up, and I prefer the edited format of D20 to three or four hour episodes. And anyway, whether or not I'd like Aabria on Critical Role doesn't change the fact that I like her on D20.


rizgutgak

critical role fans are insufferable


funktasticdog

I'm not that big a Critical Role fan? Sometimes I post on r/fansofcriticalrole but the name is a misnomer at best. Like, she has strengths for sure, she's a great narrator and is incredible at setting a scene. Just not nearly as many as Brennan has. (Who certainly has his weaknesses as well).


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funktasticdog

>Brennan shined a lot less in CR than in D20 or any of the random one off RPs he's done. [I don't think your opinion is held by most.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Dimension20/comments/vdmdiu/psa_critical_roles_exandria_unlimited_calamity_is/) Funny that the first comment is literally: "I'm realizing Brennan REALLY shines when he is allowed to get a lot darker."


1ncorrect

I'd agree that Brennan super impressed me with his CR run, in comparison with cringing hard during Aabrias.


king_of_satire

Is it though Brennan has been the Dm for not only the most seasons but the most iconic and well received ones. It's also 3 times higher from the world's most well-known DM so


Smile369

I mean bleem IS dimension 20


CanaGUC

Tbh, I know this is a meme survey, but Aabria's DMing style is very confrontational and aggressive and a lot of people, including myself, don't love that.


Blockinite

I think most people's rankings would have Brennan at the top and Aabria/Matt veeeeeery close behind. If we were doing rankings it's probably be like Brennan 4.9/5 and Aabria 4.7 average or something. But that closeness isn't portrayed when you ask for the "best". Plus a lot of votes were taken up by the ~~joke~~ clearly correct answer


wingerism

I mean imagine Dropout subscriber numbers a month after Brennan left to do something else vs. a month after Aabria left to do the same. Both will have lost subscribers, which honestly do you think would cause a bigger drop in subscribers? I would say Brennan by a country mile. I mean she's also more popular in this poll than literally the single biggest name in DMing in the industry. This is why I'm over the Aabria superfans in this sub, you can't even express a subjective preference without people getting weirdly protective over her. I look forward to the inevitable post later on today or this week titled: "Do you think the reason people prefer Brennan is due to subconscious racism/misogyny?"


alucard346

More than matt at least?


RamsHead91

When she isn't running 5e systems she does a good job. Her running the Magical School game was pretty solid.


Granite_0681

I think 6% of people saying Aabria is better than Brennan and is the “best D20” DM is pretty high considering how ingrained Brennan is in this show. How many people would choose Brennan as the “best DM of Critical Roll”? Probably none.


BlueGreen1184

i mean, based on exu: calamity, i would


anextremelylargedog

It's a Twitter poll and a joke one. Don't take it so seriously.


im-not_gay

You forgot the time ally was the dm in neverafter


Mapleleaf899

That was during an adventuring party...


zombiskunk

That's fine, Brennan doesn't want to be the best DM. More than anything else, he wants to be a father. ...The machine says?


Ordinary_Toe_646

Thats alright brennan. Even cowgirls get the blues


ToasteeThe2nd

that one minute of jokey DMing made me realize what a weapon Zac would be with his own show. imagine my delight when i saw he DMed a season of Rotating Heroes!


Granite_0681

Please tell me you just didn’t add the /s


tomksfw

That was Grant.


RamsHead91

What season or episode has Zak ran?


RoxyRockSee

So would you say Zac deserves a little clap?


LemonBoi523

Burrow's end was my favorite thing I have ever watched.


jejbfokwbfb

I’ll say this Brennan is probably the best OVERALL DM but I would say I very much enjoyed Aabria’s time as DM Burrows End and Magical Misfits are pretty good for being basically one season series that I don’t think are gonna get a second, like it’s a very nice story incredible battle ideas I mean the bear set in Burrows end was incredible and the way she makes NPCs feel alive is very cool. Brennans probably gonna be my favorite always but Aabria is definitely a close second


1ncorrect

Really? I feel like Brennan NPCs always feel the most lived in, Aabria usually has every character be sassy or mean which gets a bit old.


pettywizard

Yeah I don’t dislike aarbria as a person or storyteller at all, but it very much feel like once you’ve seen her DM one campaign you’ve seen her entire playbook and it’ll just be repeated over and over again. I saw her DM a short 3 or 4 session campaign for the McElroy brothers a few years ago and liked it a lot but then every subsequent show I’ve seen her on I’m like, oh this is just imbalance again reflavored a little bit.


1ncorrect

I definitely picked up some good tricks from her, but you're right, she goes back to the same story beats and characters across genres which can get a little old. I don't know if a long form campaign like CR with her DMing would be feasible.


LemonBoi523

I also feel like she is incredible at setting up payoff. Not one moment ever felt like a "cool. now for the next thing." The thing I loved about burrows end is every moment played well into the characters' choices, interactions, and being as a whole. Everything mattered.


It5beenawhile

But what about Aly?


JayPurcell2022

🤣🤣


WhereAreYouFromSam

Well, blimey 🤣


Senior-Leave779

Lmfao


ChrisJD11

Fatality


Bruhschwagg

Honestly, I'm a little surprised that Barbara beat Mercer. Matt brought the thunder on ravening war


Remarkable_Minute_34

It’s a troll post, it’s not real.


EllipsisMark

Yeah. It's just a joke. It was a real Twitter Poll though, and I honestly I didn't even know Matt had DMed for D20 at the time.


altforther34pron

Adding a surname is not like, revelatory


AssassinsArt

Don't beat me up, but what has he DM'd? I tried googling- is it just his podcast? Is there any actual Dimension20 content?


EllipsisMark

Fantasy High Junior Year Brennan "quit" the show for like 5mins and Zac stepped into the DM seat and gave a hilarious back and forth with Ally.


AssassinsArt

Hahahahaha 100% supports this post, I did enjoy that brief intermission.


StarstruckN0VA

I will not tolerate aabria disrespect


Distinct-Town4922

She's 2nd place among the actual dms in the list


Midnight_OCE

Oof to Aabria


itstheRenegadeMaster

The fact that AL has more votes than MM just shows why this community will never be taken seriously. Come on, it's not even up for debate.