Last week, I reviewed Ivan Van Norman’s appearance on Smosh Games. Now, I’m reviewing him on Geek and Sundry, but we’re still sticking with horror.
I was actually subscribed to Project Alpha (may it rest in peace) when Geek and Sundry had that platform back in the day. It’s where I watched Critical Role, L.A. by Night, and Sagas of Sundry, when that was in production.
But “Dread” is now available on YouTube, for those of you who are interested.
“Dread” started out as a charity stream on International Tabletop Day in 2017 to support Extra Life, a charity organization related to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. The players are huddled around a faux campfire and Jenga tower, casually dressed as their characters (that is, it seems like most of them are just wearing pieces from their closet with one additional prop – the only one who is clearly wearing a costume is Matthew Mercer). Unlike later Geek and Sundry actual play streams, this one was streamed live. There are other voices in the background, the set is clearly from another Geek and Sundry show, and a few different people walk in front of the camera during the course of the episode.
I like the fact that Van Norman starts out the stream with introducing the themes of the game (which sound like he’s reading straight out of the book). It’s a great habit as a game master to remind your players before the story begins what the goals, themes, and aesthetics are of the game.
The five players are Amy Vorpahl (Darby Trellis), Amy Dallen (Raina Fuller), Satine Phoenix (Sat), Matthew Mercer (Tanner Sills), and Taliesin Jaffe (Kayden). While I don’t know much about Vorpahl and Dallen, it’s fairly clear that Phoenix, Jaffe, and Mercer’s characters are very similar to their own personalities (Phoenix’s character is just a nickname for her own name!) – a kind of dark mirror of themselves, just turned up to 11. I’m guessing that there was no plan at first to have this turn into an actual series and they just needed quick, easy characters to slip into for a few hours.
The story takes place in the 1980s, with a group of friends that “outsiders looking in could call… a family.” I like the details that Van Norman gives, such as traffic cones stolen by the group that are affectionately now called their “friendship cones.” Even though this game was supposed to only last two hours, it makes this motley crew feel real and lived in, even if we’re just meeting them and they’ve only existed for a few minutes to the audience.
That being said, these characters are awful. Not awfully played, but most of them are terrible people. Kayden (written “Cayden” in the video description for “Episode 0”) is one of the worst: irreverent, mocking, and brash, the irritation that Tanner shows to him throughout “Episode 0” is completely justified.
The way that the game Dread works is by using a Jenga tower to determine success and failure. Succeed in pulling a brick and placing it on the tower, you complete the action. But if the tower falls, the last person to touch it (even if they weren’t called upon to make a pull) is removed from the game. Whether that means killed, or corrupted by the forces attempting to destroy the protagonists, or simply disappearing into the dark. It’s supposed to be a tense, focused moment where everyone is watching the pull with stress and apprehension (and normally falls silent), but I appreciate that Van Norman continues to narrate throughout the tower pull. It adds to the tension in the moment, and he always resolves the action immediately after success or failure with a completely fluid transition from his ramp-up during the pull to the resolution.
“Episode 0” goes well, though it’s a bit rocky because of the production issues of being a live stream. However, Ivan’s narrations are on point and the ending of the stream is genuinely heartwarming.
The start of the series officially, “It’s Just a Camping Trip,” opens with a narration from Darin De Paul as Mr. Wren, a character that plays a similar role to Rod Serling in The Twilight Zone, though Mr. Wren’s monologues are far more enigmatic. De Paul’s voice is known for being deep and rich, and commands the scene for the scant minutes he appears, setting the scene for what is supposed to be a cross between LARPing and traditional tabletop games (and even has a bit of fusion with escape rooms).
The opening sequence is quite good. I love the imagery and music utilized in it. It makes me think of American Horror Story opening sequences. The costumes are now much more deliberate – even Van Norman is dressed like he’s about to go camping in the woods.
There is now even a set, with the façade of a house and porch behind the players and game master. Trees and scrub grass surround the small clearing filled with dry grass, lights strung in the trees that pulse slowly to mimic fireflies, and a fire pit and logs for everyone to sit on… and the Jenga tower sits in the middle near the fire.
Episode 2, “A Jarring Discovery,” is probably my favorite episode. At certain points I actually got chills watching it. Van Norman’s descriptions, paired with the sound effects added in post-production, give the decrepit house a real wet, rotting feeling – like a corpse half-decomposed in a fetid bog.
Side note: if you want to know the part that particularly creeped me out, it starts at 12:40. Have fun!
Remember how I said earlier that “Dread” has the feeling of an escape room? Well, that’s definitely one of it’s strengths. As play continues, there are props, puzzles, and activities to represent certain actions within the game, such as when one of the players has to hold two buckets of water straight out in front of her while the rest of the team work together to move a pile of cinder blocks from one side of the set to the other, representing her holding a door closed against an enemy while the others clear a pathway for escape. It makes the tension more palpable and adds a physicality to a game that is, on the surface, more simple than most other tabletop roleplaying games (since most other games have dice, specialized abilities, and stat blocks to make the game more complex).
Here is where we now have to talk about some drawbacks. The first thing is that “Dread” is rather unfocused in terms of it’s antagonists. It reminds me most strongly of Until Dawn, a horror video game about a group of teens who revisit the site of a tragedy for them one year later. The difference is that the disparate elements of Until Dawn (no spoilers) eventually come together. A mysterious stranger watching the teens, the mines crisscrossing the mountain, an asylum, creature cries in the dark forest, they all eventually form a coherent narrative that makes sense. Van Norman’s story in “Dread” is not so tight.
A man with horns watching from the shadows, a mysterious voice in the minds of the teens coupled with doppelgangers and hallucinations of friends that laugh and jeer creepily in the night, an ancient tragedy steeped in bloodshed, the dilapidated house in the woods… they all seem confused and disconnected. Personally, the horror of the house is the best out of all of them, but it doesn’t have as much of a mystery to it as the other elements.
In addition, after watching them for a few episodes, I have to admit: I really don’t like the characters. I already mentioned that Kayden is a rather insufferable character, but I don’t like Phoenix as a performer anyways (separate from the accusations against her), and Sat isn’t any better. Darby is obsessive in a way that is more irritating to watch than worrying or engaging (and to be honest I’ve never really enjoyed Vorpahl as a performer either). Raina is a bit too passive and shy (she makes me think of Fluttershy a bit). Tanner is about the only one I can stand.
Props to Geek and Sundry, though. They really let the horror bleed through on this story. It’s tense and sometimes you get a little sick to your stomach with that “eugh, that’s not right!” feeling. I appreciate a story that isn’t afraid to sicken you a bit.
The story of “Dread” is rather scattered and doesn’t hold up as well as you’d hope it would, and it can be hard to watch these unpleasant characters for a long period of time. But the production value, Ivan Van Norman’s storytelling capabilities, and the novel storytelling experience is worth watching at least a few episodes (I’d say at least watch 1-3).
Next week, I’ll be reviewing the follow up: “Madness.”