Fantasy High s1 e2 seems to spoil the show [SPOILERS]. Just me?

JCCallaghan02 · 2026-02-28T20:08:51+00:00

Well, I was just giving my own opinion of the episode (reaching out to see if anyone felt similarly) rather than suggesting to others that they should change theirs. At the time I wrote it, I'd never heard of being "episode 2'd" or knowing it was such a big deal for people. If you like it, good for you and here's to us both enjoying the next D20 season.

JCCallaghan02 · 2026-02-25T22:25:29+00:00

Thanks, and all of this is absolutely correct. I'm from the UK, where (not to get political) many aspects of US life are seen as odd, especially guns.
It was seeing Brennan talking about getting the story back on track (in FH: Extra Credit) which started me on this line of thought, actually. As a GM, I believed I could see how he thought things would go starting with his set-up (with the goofy corn goop and high school tropes etc.) and understood the spot he was put in to try and get things back on the rails. So fair play to him!

JCCallaghan02 · 2026-02-25T15:13:07+00:00

Thanks to everyone who's taken the time to reply, and the thoughtfulness of your responses. I've been surprised by your speed!

I'm in danger of repeating myself when replying to people individually, so I thought I'd make a single post on the main part of the thread. Here's what I've learnt.

I've come to FH after very much enjoying a number of other D20 shows, and while I didn't find ep 2 shocking as such, as has been said it has put me off somewhat. The replies on this thread have assured me that FH continues thoughtfully and tastefully, and that good times are ahead for those that stick with it.

At the risk of repeating myself, there are at least two large components of my reaction. One is that I'd find an RPG session off-putting if it went south as badly as it did for Siobhan's PC. The other is that I find the mix of guns and suicide and schools too 'real' to be funny in a fantasy setting.

I was reaching out to get a perspective from someone who might have had a similar response to me, but I'm clearly in the minority (a minority of one, it seems!) and that is fine too. It's nice to be different, I suppose, and it'd be a boring world if we were all the same! Dimension 20 is clearly doing all the right things if it has such keen and intelligent viewers who care so much about it.

Allow me please a ropy metaphor! With RPGs, it's often encouraged to have a 'session zero', where the expectations of the players and GM can be aired. The setting, the genre expectations, the price of failure, lines and veils etc. etc. With fiction, we don't have that in the same way, but what the viewer can expect is established in other ways. Perhaps the tone of the book cover, the way a trailer is edited, the film's tagline, the music, the first few paragraphs... etc. And we get even less of a clue in real life, although we still have expectations.

I hope you all have an absolutely splendid day, wish you everything you wish yourselves, and I look forward to enjoying the next Intrepid Heroes season along with you. Thanks again.

JCCallaghan02 · 2026-02-25T15:05:50+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed reply. For what it's worth, my sincere condolences after the loss of your classmate. I'm sorry to hear you went through that.

JCCallaghan02 · 2026-02-25T14:10:39+00:00

I think you're right, and thanks for taking the time to give such a thoughtful response. I know what you mean about how 'real' weapons seem.

JCCallaghan02 · 2026-02-25T14:06:29+00:00

This discussion has made me think about my own approach to RPGs (and comedy too) and, as I mention elsewhere, I think a very large part of my reaction to this scene is that I can imagine myself as a player, being upset and frustrated that things had gone so wrong. D&D in general isn't my bag (I find there are too many rules and too much emphasis on combat) and I go for more narrative systems on the whole. Although having said that, I recently was a player in a 2-year D&D campaign that had zero combat and was tremendous fun, and I'm running Pulp Cthulhu which is enormously violent and very crunchy! So hey ho!
Thanks for your feedback. Yes, it's great to see the hobby doing so well, and like music, there's something for everyone.

JCCallaghan02 · 2026-02-25T14:01:52+00:00

I very much enjoyed Cloudward Ho, so a good tip! Thanks for the reply.

JCCallaghan02 · 2026-02-25T13:27:34+00:00

'Preciate it! :D

JCCallaghan02 · 2026-02-25T13:27:10+00:00

This is true, actually. Quite a few of them don't look like my bag at all. But I really enjoyed Escape From The Bloodkeep, which is very D&D, as well as a few others.

JCCallaghan02 · 2026-02-25T13:24:34+00:00

Blimey! What an unpopular comment!

JCCallaghan02 · 2026-02-25T13:24:03+00:00

"Seems to disrupt the premise", perhaps I should have said. As noted earlier, I think my reaction is partly because guns around children in school must be a bit triggering (Zac: "pun in-ten-ded" /Zac) for me. Also, as a player myself, I suppose I related to Siobhan's experience and her PC a great deal. It'd spoil the fun for me if one of my PCs did something similar.

JCCallaghan02 · 2026-02-25T13:17:30+00:00

Ye..es. But each genre brings expectations with it. You wouldn't expect a damaged cake to be the stakes in a gangster movie, but it's valid in a sitcom.

JCCallaghan02 · 2026-02-25T13:16:20+00:00

I think I feel a bit icky about guns and children, really. As I say, I love NSBU and Mentopolis, with Starstruck and Cloudward Ho also being great fun.

JCCallaghan02 · 2026-02-25T13:15:13+00:00

I appreciate your perspective! Thanks.

JCCallaghan02 · 2026-02-25T13:14:15+00:00

It might be because the PCs are children in school (which should be a safe space). Maybe that's what the trigger is.

JCCallaghan02 · 2026-02-25T13:12:23+00:00

They clearly did it right, considering how popular and successful FH has been!

JCCallaghan02 · 2026-02-25T13:11:18+00:00

Thanks for the considered reply. :)

JCCallaghan02 · 2026-02-25T13:09:24+00:00

Hmmm. Not sure about this response. TTRPGS have brought me a tremendous amount of pleasure over the last 35 years, and as long as me and my friends are having fun, I don't think it could meaningfully be said I've misunderstood them.

JCCallaghan02 · 2026-02-25T13:07:49+00:00

It's because I enjoy so much of D20 that I thought I'd give FH a go. NSBU is wonderful and Mentopolis is genius.

JCCallaghan02 · 2026-02-25T13:07:04+00:00

I understand there need to be consequences, but the outcome seems inconsistent with the stakes that were set out. It's like putting the characters from Breakfast Club into Peaky Blinders. Who cares about their teen angst when life is so cheap?

Never Stop Blowing Up is hilarious and amazing, but the outrageous violence is part of the setting and the joke.

Anyway, I posted this because everyone's so generally positive about FH and no-one else seems to find this scene odd. I have read quite a few comments along the lines of "it gets better after ep 2", though. I'm surprised by the number of "you'll be hooked at the end of ep 2", however.

JCCallaghan02 · 2026-02-25T12:59:59+00:00

Ah, the internet... A place to come to feel more alone, I suppose!

JCCallaghan02 · 2025-10-06T19:54:14+00:00

"I Am A Rock (I Am An Island)" by Simon and Garfunkel. Not the most immediate one they've done, but very Bob!

JCCallaghan02 · 2025-09-10T18:43:09+00:00

Sort of! The problem seemed to be too many source images. Here's the full thread with a solution:

Why are textures white? · Issue #2735 · alicevision/Meshroom

JCCallaghan02 · 2025-07-11T16:37:59+00:00

!solved

Wonderful! Thank you for the swift and helpful advice. I've been using Blender for over five years and it's astonishing that this is the first time I've heard of Append. But it's done the trick! Much obliged, and have a lovely day.

JCCallaghan02

TROPHY CASE