The team at Viva La Dirt League has been busy with a new series they are releasing.
Entitled D&D Logic this new 10 episode series follows a group of adventurers as they take on enemies and we viewers get to see and hear it as the show’s DM explains all. Developed by Adam King and Robert Hartley, this series has the biggest cast for the most ambitious project to date. The trailer has been released, which will give you both a look and sense and feel for what the show is going to be like:
And we had the chance to interview Adam and Robert, which you can check out the interview below:
Adam King And Robert Hartley Interview
Adam, Robert I watched the first episode and I have to say, this series looks amazing. What made you guys decide to do an epic D&D-themed series?
Adam: Since we’ve delved into the world of D&D, we’ve noticed that our audience and audiences beyond Viva La Dirt League have a big appetite for Dungeons and Dragons content. It’s such a fun world to play in, as well as having a lot of interesting and funny bits of logic to poke fun at in sketches which I think the community will love.
Rob: It will surprise no one to learn that I play a LOT of D&D. And every session there’s something new that makes the whole table crack up laughing. So the gold is there to be mined, and VLDL’s short skit comedy style is perfect for it.
Now you both created this series, but you guys are also starring in it. So what can you tell us about your characters?
Adam: I’m playing a Tiefling Cleric named Damakos. We decided to steer away from the classic red toned tiefling and instead go blue skinned which I think makes the character stand out so much more. Damakos is a calm, kind and patient character who serves as the moral core of the group.
Rob: I’m playing a human fighter, Aaron. He’s the de facto leader of the party, making tough decisions and keeping things moving. He’s deliberately a mundane class and race so that I have to spend less time in the make-up chair! Perks of writing my own character!
Alongside you guys, the series has a stacked cast. What was it like to cast all of these characters?
Adam: It was a wonderful process. We have brought a wonderful cast around us in the last few years of talented actors, comedians and performers and trying them out as new characters in the D&D universe is so much fun. There are also some VLDL cast members who have been in a lot of skits, but haven’t actually been in skits together. So it is wonderful to have such a big cast to see so many familiar faces on screen at the same time.
Rob: There were some folk that, as Adam said, have been in skits but whom I haven’t had a chance to work with, so I knew they were capable of doing what I needed of them, and there were others who got the part through proving themselves in auditions. I am very happy with everyone in their respective roles and am fortunate that they’re all amazing at their jobs; takes the pressure off me on the day.
For you guys, what made you decide on the class for your respective character?
Adam: Rob was the maestro behind the majority of the class picking. Though we did work together in making sure there was an even spread of both the classes and races across the characters in the series. A lot of weighing up options of who will work best for what class/race combo and what we want to see in the first season.
Rob: There are 13 classes in D&D 5th edition and I wanted each ‘hero’ to be a separate class and a distinct species/race too. So it was a matter of pairing off which classes work well with which species and some that go against type, as well as which ones are too costly to make work without a Hollywood CGI budget! Looking at you, Aarakocra (fully feathered and beaked bird people with functional wings).
What surprised you the most while building your respective character?
Adam: HOW HEAVY CHAIN MAIL IS. I think Rob struggled with this too, having accurate awesome looking costumes means that they are very heavy. Trying to act, produce and direct while physically weighed down is very hard! Haha
Performance wise though, it was fun to play a character who was calm, wise and concerned for his fellow adventurers – and it was surprising.
Rob: Oof, yes, the challenge of looking good in armour versus having to wear it the whole shoot period! Other than that though, I’ve made so many characters throughout my years of playing D&D that nothing really surprised me about building them.
What was the most surprising thing about shooting this series?
Adam: How much fun LARP’ing might be! Haha. It was such a blast for us all to be hanging out, acting and playing about in character that I finally understand the appeal of live action roleplay!
Rob: I suppose ‘surrounding yourself with competent and diligent professionals will result in excellent work’ is not that surprising when you actually say it but it certainly surprised me on the day when I would say ‘oh, and here is where the goblin camp needs to be’ at some bare clearing in a forest, and when I turn around 10 mins later, there’s a proper goblin camp set up by the INCREDIBLE artists in the art dept. It felt like I could will things into being from my imagination.
What are you guys hoping the fans take away from the series?
Adam: I’m really hoping that people who aren’t as familiar with Dungeons and Dragons get more excited at the prospect of tabletop games, and the prospect of different styles of Viva La Dirt League content in general. We have also front faced a lot of different VLDL cast members in this series and I’m hoping fans start enjoying more of the VLDL cast faces just as much as they enjoy the core team.
Rob: And I’m hoping for the other side of that coin too. Namely that people familiar with D&D will discover both of the VLDL channels through this series. I hope there’s something in it for everyone.
If you want to experience this amazing you can check out the first episode below: