Everything Alright Your Majesty - A Review for 'Deception Check'

There is a treasure trove of Dungeons and Dragons side content out there. We here at Apotheosis make new ways for you to play and enjoy the world's greatest tabletop roleplaying game, but when those stories are put up on screen some way, the real comedy and action begins.

We've covered the exploits of Deerstalker Productions' All For One in great detail. These comedy skits are done at a high quality, with relatable encounters everyone who plays a lot of D&D can relate to.

You can watch the latest episode of All For One right here, and catch the series so far at the same time.

Honest Adventurers

The latest episode shows our players flexing the unexpected power of the Deception skill. When rolled badly, it can set the king's guard on your case. When rolled well, you can make anyone believe any lie and somewhat rewrite the universe?

Shocked Adventurers - Image by Deerstalker Productions

When I saw the thumbnail of the king with a red face and the name 'deception check', I knew we were in for a Weekend at Bernie's style farce. I was glad to be proven right, but at the same time given the surprise of a few half gags and unexpected funny sides.

I think the real charm comes from how consistent the main characters are across episodes, particularly Nixie, the Tiefling (Sorcerer?). As the Fighter and Bard frantically patch up the situation, the characteristically air-headed nature of the character shines through. Viewers are rewarded watching actress, Fall Cosplay, absent mindedly strolling around the background, nibbling on the breakfast offerings.

It's obviously quite a stretch of the imagination for deception checks to truly be that effective. The stickler for realism in me would never let a game I GM go that far. To let the players take over like that is so wildly fantastical that it can't be taken seriously. Then I have to remembered that I shouldn't watch things like this with totally serious eyes. This kind of built up silliness is so much fun and it works well for Dungeons and Dragons. It almost reminds me of Laurel and Hardy, or a classic Steve Martin movie to see things get this silly this fast, and I've not seen anything to it this well in a very long time.

These Players Seem Convinced - Image by Deerstalker Productions

Lies and Slander

This episode has to have the highest levels of over the top, continued nonsense that it enters absurd and comes out the other side hilarious. Unique comedy about my favourite TTRPG makes All For One feel unforgettable to me.

Now we want to hear from you. What tropes in D&D do you want to see turned to comedy? Are there any shows like this you think we should cover? Let us know in our discord server or in the comments below.

Adam Ray contributes much for adventurers here on Apotheosis Studios. As co-founder of fantasticuniverses.com, he writes about card gaming and PC gaming to a corner of the internet he carved out himself. On Youtube, he can be found game mastering for No Ordinary Heroes, or editing the antics on The Hostile Atmosphere. Find where he dwells by climbing his Linktree.