Word

the following events ensued:

1. predictable lively discussion on the preparation of Wienerschnitzel, in which natives and wurstaboos are pro-puff and everybody else is like *confused dog head tilt* why wouldn’t you want the crust to stay ~attached to the thing you put it on? as with other fried foods?

2. thirty “Bad Schnitzel is my band name” jokes

3. thirty “Bad Schnitzel is my stripper name” jokes

4. one “ah yes, Bad Schnitzel! a lovely spa town” joke

5. this absolute masterpiece:

I think Brennan's biggest strength is that he has an excellent sense of what his go-to style requires, and DMs to fit that style. Brennan tends to go for pretty intricate mystery-esque plots where everyone is uncovering the various schemes and conspiracies. He is good at tying this into various character backstories and/or giving characters strong reasons to be invested in figuring out the mystery, and he is good at repeating information or highlighting it - as I've said, he does not really traffic in subtlety. You can't, in D&D that is very mystery-heavy, because your players really only have your words to go on and it's very easy to forget something. (Murph, who learned a lot about DM-ing from Brennan, has said something to this effect in D&D court on NADDPod a few times; there's no victory in tricking your players by not repeating yourself in describing a world that only exists in what you tell them). I think you can see it in Campaign 4, in which most pieces of information came out at multiple tables, and in which NPCs and Brennan aren't shy about highlighting something as important. I also think you see it in specifically where Brennan will bend the rules of D&D for dramatic effect - it is almost always in the service of more information (Message lasting longer; Speak with Dead permitting more of a conversation, etc). I will admit while I've seen a lot of D20 I do a much less close viewing, for various reasons, but he does do the same sort of repetition/willingness to speak out of "character".

I should add: I don't feel lack of subtlety to be a problem in actual play. I referenced the comparison to opera a while back; it is a medium and is usually in a genre that often works better when heightened. I think again this is why Neverafter doesn't work for me (while heightened is fine, obvious doesn't do well in horror) and I will say while I think Divergence pulls off its premise beautifully, it is a little weaker in terms of plotting compared to Calamity and Downfall because it's quite linear and straightforward and character-driven. I said elsewhere when comparing Matt and Brennan that I simply don't think Brennan would ever DM a campaign like the Mighty Nein (or rather: he could do the Aeor arc and Essek intrigue plots, so endgame Nein would be fine, but I don't think he could do early Nein because he doesn't really work with that light a DM touch). That's not a strength nor weakness, simply a difference of style, but it is illustrative of what is not his strength/inclination. Somewhat related to this is that you can Brennan has an improv and screenwriting background in that he does tend to end scenes on a button. I mean this positively - honestly, again, I don't mind lack of subtlety for actual play, and I think hammering the point home thematically isn't a bad idea in actual play if nothing else for the players, who are trying to understand the shape of the story they're in while they're in it, but I know it's not everyone's cup of tea. (For what it's worth, Aabria does this as well in her DM-ing.)

In terms of weakness...honestly? given the weaker D20 seasons and the fact that I fell off of the Wizard the Witch and the Wild One and never returned? I think it's that while I know Brennan has played in a bunch of different systems he has used D&D in a few cases where it was really not the right game. He's actually quite good with systems/mechanics and his add-ons in, eg, Campaign 4 or Fantasy High Junior Year have been great, but like, Neverafter needed, frankly, everything to be different including a more horror-forward system, and WBN needed something more rules-lite and sweeping. CCOD has been great in using a different system, and I've also liked the Kids on Bikes hacks from D20, and Starstruck, so I hope he gets better at using mechanics that better fit the story instead of leaning on D&D beyond its capacities.

of someone who just wants to

go back to their room

A protein bar isn't the best possible source of protein in your diet, but it's better than not getting that protein. Fresh fruits would be better than orange juice, but if your choices are between having the orange juice and not getting the vitamins at all, you drink the fucking orange juice.

not as an inquiry, but

as incensed offense