| The Adventure Zone | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Presentation | |
| Hosted by | Griffin, Justin, Travis, and Clint McElroy |
| Genre | |
| Language | English |
| Updates | Biweekly (2014-21) Weekly (2021-) |
| Length | ~90 minutes |
| Production | |
| No. of episodes | Balance: 69 Commitment: 4 Amnesty: 36 Dust: 8 Graduation: 38 Ethersea: 44 Steeplechase: 42 Outre Space: 4 Versus Dracula: 30 |
| Publication | |
| Original release | August 18, 2014[a] |
| Provider | Maximum Fun |
| Related | |
| Related shows | My Brother, My Brother, and Me Dimension 20 |
The Adventure Zone is a weekly comedy and adventure actual play podcast, in which the McElroy family play Dungeons & Dragons along with other role-playing games. The show is distributed by the Maximum Fun network and hosted by brothers Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy, and their father Clint McElroy. Regular episodes of the podcast feature the family solving puzzles, fighting enemies, and leveling up their characters in a series of cinematic and humorous encounters.
The Adventure Zone originated as a special episode of My Brother, My Brother and Me in 2014, which was spun off into a separate biweekly podcast later that year. The first campaign Balance was followed by a series of short experimental arcs in the late 2010s, and subsequent campaigns have generally run for 30 to 45 episodes. The show switched to a weekly schedule from 2021 and adopted a seasonal format from 2022, in which the family can return to earlier settings for further episodes. The main show has depicted ten campaigns over its run in a variety of game systems, with further settings used for live shows and donor bonus material.
The podcast has been credited alongside Critical Role with the Dungeons & Dragons renaissance that began in the mid 2010s, and influenced later shows in the actual play genre such as Dimension 20.[2][3][4] Balance has since been adapted into a New York Times best selling graphic novel series. The podcast is often represented by the stone rune ᛥ as a logo, which was the symbol of the Bureau of Balance in the first campaign.
- ^ Ahlin, Charlotte (May 2, 2018). "The One Podcast You're Guaranteed To Love, Based On Your Favorite Kind Of Book". Bustle. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
Three brothers and their dad play Dungeons & Dragons together on this comedic fantasy podcast.
- ^ Friedman, Em (September 14, 2022). "How the first decade of actual play has defined the template". Polygon.
- ^ Sheehan, Gavin (December 17, 2018). "INTERVIEW: CollegeHumor's Dimension 20: Fantasy High". Bleeding Cool News And Rumors. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
- ^ "D&D Renaissance Could Usher in More Inclusivity in TTRPG Fandom". Teen Vogue. June 25, 2021.
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