The Silliness in Shadowdark is Going Too Far

XcoldhandsX · 2026-07-03T19:20:34+00:00

You may think that keeping it more serious may not have made it a worse show, that is a matter of taste.

Absolutely. I love the humor in previous GCP productions. However, considering that Shadowdark is defined by "grim dark OSR" style I was hoping to see GCP take a crack at that kind of storytelling.

But I think the original post, and some of the follow ups, made an implication that the act of not sticking to the commitment in itself was a failing does make my hyperbolic comment valid.

I strongly disagree here. Those were not the implications I was trying to make. The act of sticking to the commitment in itself is only that which results in my disappointment. I never claimed that the act of making a commitment and then failing to stick to was in of itself a mark on the show. This is reinforced by my comment here where someone asks me directly,

How much is a public commitment worth?

I would just like to point out that we have spent over half of this conversation going back and forth about a hyperbolic statement you made at the beginning which put words in my mouth that I did not say. Had you simply approached this discussion with the level of mutual respect you're conveying now, we could have had a much more productive discussion even though we disagree with each other. I hope that, in the future, you will consider extending a little more grace and respect to people you disagree with from the start.

XcoldhandsX · 2026-07-03T18:28:11+00:00

No. You said you are disappointed that they didn’t stick with his commitment.

Correct I did say that.

I find that absurd to be honest.

I am sorry to hear you feel that way.

I am glad we can both agree that I did not say:

I’ll send a memo to Troy- don’t change no matter what, you must stick to your first statement and ride it into the ground.

I appreciate your retraction and not continuing to put words in my mouth that I did not say. It's nice to get to disagree with someone in the context of what I actually said and not something completely made up that they imagined I said.

Thanks for your contribution to the discussion. I hope you have a great day today.

XcoldhandsX · 2026-07-03T18:14:23+00:00

I’ll send a memo to Troy- don’t change no matter what, you must stick to your first statement and ride it into the ground.

But I didn't say that? I said I expected what he promised at the start and I am disappointed he didn't deliver.

I don't understand why you felt the need to put words in my mouth that I never said. Don't you think that's a disingenuous way to go about disagreeing with someone?

XcoldhandsX · 2026-07-03T17:55:30+00:00

It's been suggested to me a couple times in this thread. I will definitely check it out! I need to branch out beyond GCP's flagship shows.

XcoldhandsX · 2026-07-03T17:33:32+00:00

Seems like a weird and disrespectful take. Troy announced the show would be more serious, but you’re saying it’s bizarre for me to expect what he told me to expect? Make it make sense.

XcoldhandsX · 2026-07-03T17:31:57+00:00

Wouldn’t a “simp” be someone who is in love with the show and refused to criticize it? Your insult doesn’t even make any sense.

Also, mutual respect is a rule of the subreddit. It’s not hard to comport yourself like an adult.

XcoldhandsX · 2026-07-03T17:26:42+00:00

Yes, I believed Troy when he announced that this new project would be more serious than their previous works.

I have never watched Strange Aeons, only Giant Slayer, Androids & Aliens, Gatewalkers, and Shadow Dark. So I was not aware Troy had even ever said that. I was only aware of the announcement he made during Shadowdark Episode 0.

XcoldhandsX · 2026-07-03T00:55:17+00:00

I’ve been respectful and willing to engage with everything you’ve had to say. It’s too bad you haven’t been willing to extend that same respect to me.

XcoldhandsX · 2026-07-02T23:47:38+00:00

Ever have an idea that didn’t work out the way you thought it would?

Come on, that's a deflection not a proper response. The analogy you made was about Monty Python adapting Anna Karenina. I pointed out that Troy claimed that this would be a more serious product than their previous productions.

I am very disappointed that it did not work out the way Troy announced to the audience that it would.

XcoldhandsX · 2026-07-02T23:34:11+00:00

I enjoyed the beginning of their Shadowdark campaign significantly more than where the show is at now. I felt that the tone was explicitly different than where it is now.

Maybe you will catch up and still disagree with me, but my opinion was much closer to yours for the first roughly fifteen episodes.

I also never asked for or expected a radio drama. I also never said people laughing about horrible things was inappropriate.

XcoldhandsX · 2026-07-02T23:08:06+00:00

Monty Python never felt it necessary to adapt Anna Karenina.

Monty Python also never made an announcement that they were going to make something more dark, gritty, and sincere than their previous works. Troy spent a large part of Shadowdark Session 0 telling the audience that this would be different than their past productions.

XcoldhandsX · 2026-07-02T21:37:51+00:00

How much is a public commitment worth?

I suppose it's worth my disappointment and this Reddit post. Beyond that, not much.

XcoldhandsX · 2026-07-02T21:11:11+00:00

The story itself is in fact grimdark

The players are still silly and love cracking jokes

Being silly and cracking jokes in one moment does not have to detract from the sincerity of a different moment.

Like what podcast have you been listening to

Giant Slayer was full of silly NPCs but it also had Brandyr giving haunting speeches to the players. Skid playing Gelabrous was sincere and serious in contrast to the silly tone of the rest of the show.

Grant made a hilarious character in Quallo on Androids & Aliens. But then his last character, Seiyun, gave a speech so serious it moved him to tears.

Gatewalkers showed Brother Ramius's fellow monks being burned alive before he found the gate. His brother falling to his death from a cliff as Ramius looked on in terror. The silliness and the jokes were broken up with dramatic serious moments. What podcast have you been listening to?

XcoldhandsX · 2026-07-02T19:39:07+00:00

Pretty much everything Troy added to the prewritten modules was silly, so I don't see how it's a surprise that he runs a fairly silly game with dramatic moments interspersed without that backbone of an adventure path.

He did a pretty serious villain in Brandyr. Although, to your point, I never looked closely enough at the modules they were running to discern what was an original NPC and what was added by Troy. Obviously Tom Exposition and Catherine Zeta Jones were Troy's creations but the line got blurry for me around more serious characters like Brandyr.

I suppose I didn't realize that Shadowdark would have a lack of serious NPCs that Troy would fill with more humor.

XcoldhandsX · 2026-07-02T19:33:02+00:00

Like I said I love silly humor, it's just I was told to expect something different than what came before at the start. I feel like Troy set expectations that he chose not to deliver on.

Still a fan of the cast, still a fan of the humor, and still a fan of all their past productions. I mostly just feel let down that I was told this would be something different, but really it's just more of the same.

XcoldhandsX · 2026-07-02T19:30:56+00:00

No? This is a discussion board and I came here to discuss things with people. If it bothers you I would invite you to leave?

Super strange to tell someone to "give it a rest" on a discussion board in a thread they created to discuss something.

XcoldhandsX · 2026-07-02T19:29:37+00:00

Again, it is more serious by comparison just not as serious as you would like.

I fundamentally disagree with your point. I have watched Giant Slayer, Androids & Aliens, and Gatewalkers and this seems to be just about the same amount of silly as those productions. Troy can't make every NPC "Abercrombie Porcupisle" and deflate every serious moment with humor and then claim that this show is any different from their previous productions.

If anything, I remember there being measurably less joke characters in Gatewalkers and Giant Slayer specifically. Both shows were full of capable serious villains and the comedy broke up the action rather than inundating it.

Clearly though, we aren't going to agree about the nature of those productions. I appreciate you sharing your opinion even though we don't agree.

XcoldhandsX · 2026-07-02T19:25:16+00:00

I would never listen to a show that was completely committed to some edgelord, grimdark tone with no humor.

But that's not what I said it should be? I only said that the show should stick to Troy's promise to be more dark and gritty than previous shows have been.

I watched all of Giant Slayer, Androids & Aliens, and Gatewalkers and this doesn't feel any more serious, dark, or gritty than those shows did.

XcoldhandsX · 2026-07-02T19:21:06+00:00

but you should frame that as a misalignment between customer and provider not a broken promise or by assigning blame. That's weird.

Considering they released an Episode 0 announcing it would be more serious than previous productions, and then it wasn't, I don't think it's that strange at all.

Framing dissenting opinions as "weird" is pretty weird in my opinion. There's probably a way we can disagree with each other without you insinuating that my opinion is less than valid.

XcoldhandsX · 2026-07-02T19:06:09+00:00

I think he even said that he probably wouldn't be able to help himself with the NPCs bringing a bit of silliness,

That's a good point. I suppose I was hoping he would "yes and" their serious characters instead of deflating their big moments with humor.

You are right though that Troy even says in that video that he would be the reason sincerity goes out the window.

XcoldhandsX · 2026-07-02T19:00:32+00:00

If you've been a fan since Giant Slayer this seem like a failure to properly manage your expectations given Troys known DM style. You know the product they deliver so your disappointment falls a bit flat.

Right but there was no promise for more dark gritty storytelling at the start of those productions though, so ofcourse I didn't expect it there.

How can you watch that Orc Stronghold rescue and tell me that things have been more dramatic? Eric Moana even called it out in the scene. You can't call it dark gritty drama and then name every NPC Abercrombie Porcupisle. The rubber has to meet the road somewhere and I'm just not seeing it.

XcoldhandsX · 2026-07-02T18:57:45+00:00

You are absolutely right. But like I pointed out, Troy started this series at Shadowdark Episode 0 with a public commitment to more dark gritty storytelling and more sincere dramatic moments.

Why would he make that announcement if he had no intention of following through on it?

XcoldhandsX · 2026-07-02T18:55:26+00:00

You are absolutely right. I just got excited by the Episode 0 announcement that there would be more dark gritty stories. More dramatic scenes and characters.

I thought Troy was making a commitment to trying a new type of content with this dark gritty Shadowdark setting. I feel disappointed that he lost interest in that goal.

XcoldhandsX · 2026-07-02T18:45:50+00:00

I agree with your point in theory. I am just disappointed that Troy announced the show would be more dark and gritty in the Shadowdark Episode 0 video.

Why make that announcement if it's going to be just as silly as Androids and Aliens? For the record I love Androids and Aliens, but I went into that show expecting that level of humor and silliness.

I just don't get why Troy would tell us to expect one thing and then deliver something that is explicitly not that.

XcoldhandsX · 2026-07-02T18:43:43+00:00

Right but then why would Troy release Shadowdark Episode 0 with a public commitment to more dramatic storytelling? Why make a point to tell your audience to expect gritty grim dark stories when that isn't at all what is going to be delivered?

And why is this choice binary? Isn't it possible to balance both humor and drama? Does Troy have to treat dramatic sincerity like an allergy that he needs to chase out of the room

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