Matt: Alison, It's so interesting to see you in my brother's office.
Alison: I know it's weird isn't it?
Matt: I'm like, Hmm.
Where, what is happening?
Alison: Just, we played some fruit basket turnover with our locations this week.
So Evan, Evan won, Evan got to go to Mexico.
Uh, I, I got, got to come to Atlanta.
Matt: Yes.
You got to Atlanta.
And then I will go to Atlanta.
where we will all win
Alison: Where it will be Castle Birthday, Part Two: Electric Boogaloo.
Matt: Boogaloo except no castle and no birthday.
Well, actually Evan's birthday.
Alison: Yeah.
We're gonna be celebrating him.
That feels pretty damn good to me.
Matt: Um, yeah.
Yes, yes, yes, yes.
Uh, it was my 10 year anniversary yesterday.
That was fun.
Alison: That's pretty momentous for anybody, but I feel like, especially
for somebody, with ADHD, for you to latch onto something for 10 whole years.
Matt: You know, they say that if you have ADHD in a marriage that
it is less likely to survive.
Alison: Aww!
Matt: And then if you are married to a deaf person and you're hearing.
So in other words, like if, if you marry someone who's ADHD and you
don't have ADHD, then it there's a larger chance that you won't make it.
And also if you are deaf and with a hearing person, it's more likely to,
but I think they cancel each out.
It's kind of
Alison: There it is
Matt: Like, um, when you get,
Alison: ...make a positive,
Matt: Well, I was gonna say two advantages, uh, don't necessarily make
additional advantage, but definitely one disadvantage and one advantage, cancel
Alison: Straight roll, straight roll.
Matt: And I'll say that, that I'm the disadvantage and Lindsay's advantage.
Alison: You know, with, with anybody else I might disagree,
but Lindsay Jean is pretty great.
So,
Matt: I was waiting for you to disagree, but it didn't come and that's okay.
I agree with your dis disagreeing.
Yeah, but it was, it was, it was fun and we ha we're gonna
have a fancy dinner tonight.
And, uh, she, uh, she liked the poem that I wrote and, uh, it's just nice.
It's nice.
Alison: And she gave you...
Matt: And she gave me these beautiful dice.
So the, the three things that, that are supposed to be 10 year anniversary
gifts are tin, T-I-N, tin for 10.
That's weird.
I just thought of that.
Uh, daffodils and diamonds.
We don't care about diamonds at all.
We're not diamonds people, so we don't care about that.
Tin is fine, weird, weird, but she gave me, uh, A set of dice that
have little daffodils inside them.
So cute.
Alison: I love that so much.
Matt: I know.
So fun.
Alison: Did, did you think that 10 years ago, A.
You'd be standing here still married, still wildly in love,
even more now than before.
And 2.
that she'd be giving you Dungeons & Dragons things for the games that you play
multiple times a week, whod've thunk it?
Matt: Yeah.
The poem that I wrote was about the fact that, that when we got
married 10 years ago everyone was like, oh, marriage is so hard.
It's so much work.
And like, so we never believed in it.
Like we weren't going to get married.
We weren't going to, uh, which is fine.
That's totally valid.
It's a valid choice.
And, uh, and yet we did, we just like, okay, let's try it.
But we, we tried it with the stipulation that we would check in after 10 years.
And if both parties agreed that it was a favorable partnership,
then we would extend the contract for another 5 or 10 years.
We, we thought we were being so smart and so hip to do that.
And so the poem was all about, God, what an idiot, what an idiot I was.
Alison: So are you gonna have to go back through this every 10 years or,
or now are we just good moving forward?
Like you've just accepted that you were meant for each other and better together.
Matt: That's it.
Of course that's ridiculous how foolish we were to think that.
And there's no one in the world that I'd ever wanna be married to beyond her.
Yeah.
That's true.
Alison: So we won't have to worry about this check-in when we're
celebrating ADHd20's 10 year birthday Matt and Lindsay's 20 year
anniversary is what you're telling me.
Matt: I hope not.
You know?
I mean I think it's okay to be a realistic person though.
I don't think you necessarily have to go pessimism, but...
I just know that life is full of changes and ups and downs and all kinds of things.
But I think that if, it's just that when you find somebody that
makes, makes life easier, right?
For a lot of people, marriage is difficult.
They don't like it.
It's fine.
That's that they try it.
It doesn't work.
There's no shame in that either.
There's not, you're a human being.
Life does throw you a bunch of stuff, right?
Like that's, it's not fair to say I'm never gonna do this.
LA LA LA.
But it has been the opposite, like.
It is very easy with Lindsay.
And again, I'm not saying that's the way for everybody, but it's very
easy for us and she makes it easier.
Alison: I was just gonna say, because I only know you as part of Matt and Lindsay,
like, I didn't really know the, before Lindsay Matt, so of course I'm over here.
Like, well, duh, everything that you're saying is apparent obvious, but you had
lived a lot of life before you, you know, decided to lock it down with Lindsay.
Matt: This is most definitely the better Matt.
This is, this is the best, best version.
I'm not gonna say that I as an asshole necessarily before her, but
I'm a much better person and I, and I try to be a much better person.
Alison: Mm-hmm
Matt: Anyway, we're going to a fancy dinner tonight and.
Uh, I'm psyched.
Alison: So not pizza on a Friday.
Matt: No, not pizza this, Friday.
Unless they do some sort of deconstructed pizza.
Alison: All right.
I, this is shocking, but you know, your Friday night hyper fixation
meal is not on for the night.
And, uh, so I'm, here's, here's what I don't normally have pizza on Friday.
I normally have pizza on Tuesday when I play trivia and my favorite
pizza place delivers to the bar where I play that's my hyper fixation,
but I didn't do that this week.
So I'll have pizza tonight in your and Lindsay's honor.
Matt: So thank you, Alison.
Alison: There it is.
Matt: That's perfect.
Alison: The circle of friendship continues.
Matt: That's what friends are for!
Alison: Yep.
Why are we the way that we
Matt: I don't know, man.
I was just thinking the same thing.
Why, why, why, why, why?
Um, so how are you?
Alison: I'm good.
Matt: Okay, good.
Alison: I'm in Atlanta.
I am hanging with, with, uh, some, some Biv pets, two, two cats and a dog.
I get to see my parents tomorrow cuz they are, they live in Birmingham, Alabama.
So they're gonna drive the two hours over to see me.
Matt: Joanne.
And uh, not David.
Alison: Yeah,
Matt: It is David.
Okay.
Wow.
I did it.
Woo.
Alison: Yay.
Um, and then next week I get to see you and Fitz there's our Fitz mention for the
Matt: There's a Fitz mention, check, ding!
We should have like a, oh, not, that's not the right one.
There it is.
That's
Alison: That's Fitz effect.
Matt: Yeah.
The Fitz Effect..
Alison: It's perfect.
It's beautiful.
It's inspired.
Matt: That's better than the record scratch.
Alison: Yeah.
Yeah.
Matt: So weird.
Alison: You wanna, uh, you wanna roll some d100s?
Matt: Yes, man.
Yes.
Alison: Let's do it!
All right.
Alright.
all.
all, all.
Okay.
You wanna tell me your number?
Matt: My number is my number is 71.
Alison: Um, oh, I'm so happy to ask you this question, cuz it feeds into
something that we've talked about multiple times now on this very podcast.
Matt: Yes.
Alison: What is the most likely thing to distract you during
combat when it isn't your turn?
Matt: Um, my own, my own stuff.
Like, I, I feel like so Evan, my brother really never plays, spell casters.
Alison: Mm-hmm
Matt: And I, I like a mix.
I like spells.
Alison: Mm-hmm
Matt: There are a lot of spells and because I don't play as much as I DM.
I don't really know what the spells do.
I really don't know what they do.
I'm always having to ask y'all what does that do again?
What does that, I have no idea.
I really like, I have not had the sit down and study 5e spells thing,
so I kind of just spend all like looking and reading all the spells
that I've haphazardly chosen.
And then someone's like, um, alright Matt, your turn.
I'm like, damn it.
I have no idea.
So I would, is that a fair answer?
Spells.
Alison: Yeah, you need to not, you need to not play a character that
gets to pick spells daily, you know, like don't, don't go druid or wizard
because then that's just gonna add more chaos to an already fueled time.
Um, just make sure that you, you know, play your little sorcerer.
You did bard, warlock, all those.
Matt: I got to, I got to know, I got to know the bards.
I got to know Feilimid's spells pretty well, but yeah.
Alison: I'm the opposite of Evan.
I only play casters.
Um, I will give the good listeners of ADHd20 plus you
a little insider information.
I have decided on the next character that I will roll up.
It is specifically not a caster.
Sounds really more like a fart than a record scratch, but I digress.
Matt: Sorry.
Hands off, hands off the sound machines.
Okay.
Alison: Um, I would like to play, this is probably going
to surprise you an Echo Knight.
Matt: Oh, that does surprise me.
Alison: I decided I, I played a one shot a couple weeks ago with
a Rune Knight and, and that took me down a path of, of how are you
doing all of these wonderful things.
And then I just started, I got into like my little hyper fixation hole, where
I started to read all the different paths you can take as a fighter.
And I was like, why have I been sleeping on Echo Knights?
So now I really wanna.
Yeah, well, I, you basically can, can push a, a whisper of yourself and echo off
of your body and place it strategically around in combat or otherwise.
Um, and do some pretty tricked out stuff with it.
Matt: That's fun.
That's really fun.
Uh, I love it.
Uh, yes, your
Alison: I rolled a 50, 50 years old.
Matt: uh,
Alison: I'm a kick and stretch
Matt: And,
Alison: kick,
Matt: What movie have you watched the most times?
Alison: Probably Monty Python and the Holy Grail, followed closely
by 10 Things I Hate About You.
Matt: I don't think I knew about those things.
I don't think I knew that at all about you.
I would've chosen a Disney movie.
Alison: Um, I mean, if we count like all the times as a child, I probably
watched The Little Mermaid, but Disney movies now, like I'll watch
'em once some of the really good ones, like I think I watched Moana, uh,
three or four times maybe, but no.
Monty Python is one I can turn on anytime, anywhere.
I have most of it memorized.
Um, mm-hmm, , that's been my favorite movie.
Since like junior high.
Matt: Wow.
Okay.
Wow.
That is interesting.
I did not know that.
Alison: I'm like an onion.
You gotta peel those layers back.
Matt: True.
It is so true.
Wow.
I love it.
Well, what are we talking?
What are we?
Yeah, what are we gonna talk about today?
Alison: What kind of topics do we like?
Um, so , it was funny cuz Matt and I were trying to decide if
we should do a podcast today.
And I said, well, do we, do we have anything to talk about?
And he was like, well, one, we always have something to talk
Matt: Yeah, we do.
Alison: Two, we have this list that we've been maintaining of, you
know, things that have either fallen off of our radar from our outlines
or just, oh, this is a good idea.
We should do this.
And I tell you what, it was another example of object permanence in my life.
Because as we pulled up this list that we ourselves with our own little
fingertips tipity type type tapped, it was like a brand new discovery as we went
through this list, which is ridiculous.
Matt: it's
Alison: Um, I love it.
I love it.
Uh, a good kind of ridiculous.
So what we selected today, Is, uh, building on building your perfect party.
We thought it would be cool to talk up through the, the stereotypes that are
in most given groups of friends and, and think about how, you know, Matt and I have
have hand selected, have chosen people to be in our camp and to fight through
this maze called life with each of us.
Um, you know, because of something that they brought to the table
that stood out to us that made us say, yes, you can be in my party.
Matt: How do we go about doing this?
I love this idea.
Um, build your perfect party of, let's say four adventurers.
Name those classes.
Do we roll initiative to see who goes first?
I don't know.
Cause I
Alison: I mean,
Matt: know.
Alison: always, I always want to roll initiative.
Well, and it's interesting because I've had people, you know, who hear
me talk on and on and on about D&D and they wanna play, or they're
gonna play their first game and they always wanna know where to start.
And so first of all, read through all of the different classes and
just see if anything calls to you, which is what I did the very first
time we decided we were gonna play.
I read through and Sorcerer immediately stood out to me.
There was nothing else I wanted to do.
Um, but then, you know, other people will read through and there might be two, three
things, you know, calling out to them.
And so then I say, well, check in with who you're gonna be playing with,
cuz you want a balanced party, right?
If everybody is a caster and you have no muscle up front to slam baddies into the
ground, that's not very helpful, is it?
Or if everybody's a barbarian, you might need people to stand more to distance
and you know, buff and stuff like that.
Side note.
We did recently do with Tey a barbarian only one shot.
Matt: Ooh.
Alison: And it was so ridiculous.
Amazing, fun.
Wonderful.
So for one shots and things like that, you could absolutely all play the same
thing, but if we're talking campaign, you might wanna balance your efforts.
So that was the spirit in which we thought about having this topic was like, who, who
do you want to go on an adventure with?
What are we rolling initiative for?
Rolling initiative.
Matt: I don't know.
Alison: What'd you get?
Matt: I got an 11.
Alison: I got a 16.
Matt: Nice.
Well, just thinking like, if, who would want to go first about
describing the perfect party, right.
And then, then what we're talking about doing is translating that into life.
So, there are some basic guidelines that you just went over, which
is you want to have a balance.
And that usually kind of touches on the four original classes.
But I, I feel like you could be a magic user.
That's what they were called.
Thief.
Fighter.
I mean, you can also kind of think of any, any group, which is what we're
doing today, which is like, you know, The Breakfast Club, Friends, like all
the different personalities together.
But a fighter for, for like raw protection and they call them a tank, sometimes.
Some fighters are a tank, meaning like they can take the damage.
You've got usually somebody in the back that has, that is good
at throwing things in combat.
You've got a sneaky person that would be a, that would be a thief.
And then you've got someone who has magic and then a healer is the kind of the,
the other archetype that you want to.
So healer, thief, magic user and fighter basically.
Right.
But you are saying even more specifically, what are those classes?
What specifically do you want?
And so you won initiative, so you get to choose, uh, four adventurers that you
would have, that you would put together in
Alison: So I've already spilled the beans on that, that I'm probably
gonna choose some kind of a caster.
So in all of the, um, casters I've played, I've been a sorcerer twice.
I've been a druid once.
I haven't yet touched wizard or warlock.
I don't know why, I've seen wizards role played exceptionally well.
That just intimidates me to have to be the smartest one in the party to come
up with all of the, the brilliant plans.
I'm, I'm more of an enforcer than a thinker.
Usually.
What about you?
Matt: I am often drawn to a warlock, because I, like, I like
the idea of the communication with the being and I like it.
I like it on a more secular level.
Right?
Like I, the, the warlocks are not, they are not priests.
They're not clerics.
Right?
They are chosen by this force to be an avatar of sorts.
I like that element of darkness in there.
Little bit of little of like, is it, what am I talking to?
Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
Or
Alison: Yeah, you, you do love a, a chosen one storyline.
Don't you?
Matt: I do love a chosen one storyline man.
I really do.
Uh, okay.
So yes.
Uh, you, you specifically, number one, you choose sorcerer.
What else?
Alison: So I guess, do you just kind of wanna keep going through this in,
in kind of groups that make sense?
So like we could, we could talk about the healers.
Most people think of the, the cleric role when they talk about the healer.
Um, but bards, druids, even paladins, um, are all, uh, healers in their own way.
So we'll for the class that we'll call the healers, we'll go how
his bard cleric and druid sound?
Now Evan loves to rain down some Druid hate.
And the reason he does is he calls them OP or overpowered.
Matt: Yeah.
Alison: He thinks that mechanically, they don't fit with a lot of other parties.
As someone who now plays a druid, yes, there are big beefy, crazy
things that I get to do as a druid.
Matt: Yeah.
Alison: There are also limitations.
So druids as the name might suggest, draw their power from nature,
um, from the world around them.
So while druids can heal and while their spells do tend to be really fantastic
areas of effect they can also sometimes be a little bit of one trick ponies.
You know, I've, I've run into battles before where, you know, if I'm not set up
in exactly the right way to, to pop off a spell, I'm pretty freaking worthless.
And I didn't realize this was the case until, uh, in our Thursday
night game where I play a druid, we did a player versus player battle.
Um, and Fitz's character.
I am still bitter about this, who is a monk cleric multi-class.
Kicked my druid's ass, I mean, to a bloody, pummeled into the ground pulp.
And there was nothing I could do about it and that's, that's my argument
for why I don't think that they're overpowered, cuz as far as druids go,
we don't, you know, we get one attack.
So you're gonna cast the spell.
We don't have a lot in the way of bonus actions and reactions.
And those are all the things that make a complete player, right?
So maybe you are, you know, you can attack twice or maybe you just have
some wicked bonus action or if you're a monk, which we'll get to in a minute,
you have ki points that you can spend for extra, you know, ways to deal and
buff and just all these different things.
Whereas druids, you're gonna cast a spell if you hit with it, it's going
to cause a lot of damage to the end.
So that's my soapbox on druids.
Matt: There is one thing though that I'm not as into,
and it's the wild shape thing.
I'm not into it.
To me that is overpower because it is an inherent ability of druids
to take the form of another animal.
I wish that it was just a spell.
That was, that came in their list of spells available to them just because
it doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
It really just doesn't make sense.
Just to turn into an animal is always weird.
And the problem is, is that they can turn into an animal and then
they could get beaten up to a pulp and they could actually die.
And then they come back as druid.
And they're kind of back to normal in a lot of ways.
Like, so it's like, it's kind of like having two characters or a
bunch of extra hit points, which
Alison: So here's object permanence in play once again.
I specifically chose druid because we were playing our very first campaign Fitz
played a druid, and she was a specific subclass circle of the moon where she
could wild shape as a bonus action.
And she could also wild shape into very, very, very beefy animals.
So I chose druid thinking, oh my God, I'm gonna wild shape all
the time and Fitz had warned me.
It's basically, it's like you just said, it's a meat suit.
So, because druids tend to be squishier builds.
They're not the tanks.
Um, and so I would, I was like, I'm gonna do this all the time.
I never wild shape as a druid, I can count on one hand the number
of times that I've done it.
Um, one, I forget about it.
It's just, you know, woo doesn't exist.
Um, and two.
Because I'm circle of the land, druid.
I have to use my entire action to do it.
So I have to waste a turn and I don't get, I don't get cool.
You know, I could go like brown bear, you know, or something like
that and get additional hit points.
But usually their AC their armor class is pretty low.
Like, so it's just not worth wasting a whole turn.
So I could maul something for a couple turns.
And then to your point, be poofed back, um, checks and balances, man.
So that's druids, that's way too long spent on druid's, but it
Matt: Sorry.
Yeah, we've got, we've got a sorcerer and we've got a druid.
What else?
Alison: So now we'll kind of move into the, you know, some of
the fighter classes, um, which I guess is really everybody else.
So we've got barbarian, we've got fighter.
We've got monk.
We've got Paladin.
We've got ranger, we've got rogue.
Ranger and rogue are kind of in their own little worlds.
Matt: I mean, they, I, I would say that they're the sneaky they're they?
Fourth they're the fourth archetype, right?
There's the fourth, the, the sneakier ones.
I think bards could also fall into more of a thiefy thing.
The bards are kind of like jack of all trades master of none.
And that's the point,
Alison: Bards, man.
You get made fun of the most when you're a bard, both party and at a party.
I remember I was at a real life party and was talking D&D with some guys there.
And they were like, oh yeah, what do you play?
And I said, Bard and they were like, yeah, of course you do.
Like people are so judgemental of bards anyways.
Um, full of tangents today.
Okay.
So I love a paladin.
I love a paladin.
It's one of my, that's one of my favorite classes to play, actually.
Cuz see, I think paladins are OP AF like if, if you wanna
have a fight about something.
Because they have spells that they can cast, but because they're a fighter
class by a certain level, they're gonna get multi attack and then
they can use their bonus actions to put even more like ass kickery into
whatever it is that they hit with.
Like so they can get a obscene number.
Uh it's it's I mean, they are, they are the Hulk smash for sure.
So if I'm gonna choose a tank, I'm probably gonna choose a paladin
over a barbarian or a fighter.
Matt: One thing that I deeply love about 5e is that they
changed the rules over the years.
Originally, paladins were only lawful good.
They were only good guys, or they could be anti-paladins, which were only evil.
And, and I love how they've just softened on that whole thing to where
it's not about being good or bad.
It's about paladins are basically the obsessive compulsives right.
They are the ones that are just so hyper focused on something
that gives them a reason to live.
it doesn't, it has nothing to do with being good or bad.
So I love, I love that.
And so yeah, I agree.
Paladins are amazing.
Sorry.
Alison: And I think that they're one of the most underrated classes.
I think when people like, think of D&D they don't immediately think of paladins.
So.
Alright, so I've got sorcerer, I've got druid, I've got paladin.
The one I am never, ever drawn to is ranger.
So they're just automatically kicked off my list.
Um, it would probably be rogue.
Because rogues are just, they're so versatile and there's so
many different ways that you can flavor a rogue and they're equally
beneficial, both in and out of combat.
Like if your party has a rogue you're gonna be doing and coming up with cool
things in all of your role playing, not just when you're rolling initiative.
Matt: Okay.
All right.
My turn, I guess.
Alison: Yeah.
Matt: All right.
So I think warlock for me would be the magic user, be the spellcaster.
I also love this concept of that.
They're not fighters, but they, they're charismatic.
They don't have like the list of spells isn't as large for them, but they have a
few like built in cool kind of combat-y things that I always think of fun.
Alison: Mm.
Matt: I am going to choose the much aligned bard.
And I, I choose bard because I am Jack of all trades, master of none.
That's my life.
I get it.
It feels correct.
So probably I would end up being the bard in this group but like
the bard can heal and the bard can sneak and the bard can fight.
I would almost argue that if there was an OP class, it might be bard
because it's just so many directions which is actually kind of cool because
it didn't even exist originally.
Right?
The, the idea of a traveling minstrel that has, uh, a focus.
Minstrel doesn't have to be music.
It could be, you know, theater or, or poetry or something, but some
kind of artist that then takes that art can channel it into a
magical thing, which is amazing.
What are you laughing at?
Oh God.
Alison: The bard is the ultimate hipster.
Of course you would choose that!
You're sitting here talking about all the different artisanal
things that the bard does!
Matt: Oh no, no.
Alison: and before anybody did them here,
Matt: Why Cthulu?
Um, yeah, I guess you're right.
That's fine.
I get it.
It's fun.
Um, alright, I'm gonna keep going down a path of, oddity.
I'm gonna go ranger.
Alison: Interesting.
Matt: I'll tell you why.
And I, I agreed.
I, I thought that I had agreed with you before.
I think that the original 5e from the player's handbook was definitely not
much to talk about, but I think in subsequent additions to the game, uh,
I think the ranger, you could build a really, really interesting, cool
character that is, good with a, a sword is great, with a bow and arrow.
Has the kind of, a lot of the necessary nature things that a druid would give you.
Tracking and some of the roguey sneaky stuff.
Wow.
Every single one of these so far is like, just sort of middle of the road, very...
I like the idea of characters that, of classes that just
kind of can jump to different,
Alison: So while while the rest of us are out here trying to pick out
like a balanced party, you are trying to pick out party members that are
balanced is what you're telling me.
Matt: Yes, I think so.
I think so.
And isn't that interesting?
And I love that that is a difference of us because what do you think
would be the last one in that case?
Alison: Uh, I, Hmm.
Matt: I'll give you a hand.
These are, these are all characters that I'm, that I'm drawn to, to
play when I very rarely play, but.
Alison: Okay.
So then what were gonna be, my choices wouldn't make sense there.
What, the only other one that you've played with me is wizard.
Matt: An artificer.
Artificer is, is a kind of new class and I, I mean, just, I'm always gonna
go there because it is this really fascinating class that combines technology
and magic and fighting ability and Iron Man's armor and, uh, tinkerers.
And so, yeah.
Um.
Alison: I'm sitting here staring at the list of 12 that I made
and it's not on that list.
So therefore it did not exist to me at that moment.
But you're totally right.
You are absolutely in real life, the artificer of the group, you,
you have played an artificer and brilliantly might I add?
Yes.
So that makes perfect sense that you were drawn to that one to round out your party.
Matt: That party that I just described, those four people, the artificer, the
warlock, the ranger, and the bard that I wanna play that so bad right now.
I wanna see, I wanna see that adventure unfold because what a fascinating...
they've all got their own weird things.
Like the bard would be obsessed with whatever their art is.
The, the ranger is obsessed with nature.
Probably the warlock is obsessed with whatever thing is talking to them.
And then the artificer is obsessed with all of its little gear,
Alison: What it's trying to build what it wants to tinker with.
Matt: So much drama, so much drama possible at that.
So, so much role playing ability, but we would probably
get creamed in most combats.
You're right.
Alison: Mm-hmm
Matt: That's me.
Okay.
So that is our, that is our perfect parties, which I think
are both extremely valid.
And then how do you translate that into life?
Who is in your party?
What are their roles?
Alison: So do you want me to read through the, the kind of
stereotypes that I came up with?
Matt: Love that.
Alison: This is purely subjective, but, um, this is what I called them.
We'll, we'll kind of dash through this and, and talk through
what some of these might mean.
So in most friend groups, you have The Party Animal.
So the person who is just hyper-focused a lot of time on, you know, not here
for a long time, but a good time.
I feel like every friend group has what I have called The Eeyore, the, the
pessimist, the Negative Nancy, just the one who is constantly shooting stuff down.
Um, we have The Class Clown.
We have The Hot Mess Express.
The one whose life is just never together, whether they're like having
to bum money or rides or, you know, like need to call you at 8:00 AM, cuz
their relationship just fell apart.
We all have 'em we all love them.
Uh, we have The Caretaker, which is the group mom or dad.
So the one that carries the big bag and always has whatever you need in it.
And is, you know, kind of the first one that you call in a crisis.
We have The Artistic One, right?
Every friend group has somebody who's just ridiculously good
at something or lots of things.
Um, the next one I've called The Communications Director.
They're usually the ones who started the group and who are the ones that are like
responsible for starting the group text.
Where are we having dinner?
What are we doing?
These are the ideas, things like that.
Um, you can guess which one, I think you are, there's one called The Techy One,
which is just, they're always on the forefront of whatever is new and sexy.
Um, you have The Floater or the absent one who like you see 'em when you
see 'em and sometimes you don't see 'em for a, a long, long period of
time and they seem great with that.
Um, you have The Flirt, um, someone who's just always head over heels
for somebody and probably a different one every time you talk to them.
Matt: Yeah.
Alison: You have The Oracle, which is who you go to for the sage wisdom and
advice, your unofficial life coach.
Matt: The Old Soul.
Alison: Yeah, the old soul.
And for the last one, I kind of went back and forth like, you know, cuz we have
very stereotypical ones like the jock.
And so I think The Fanatic can kind of fit a lot of those roles.
So somebody who is deep into whatever their thing is, whether
it's something that they enjoy from the sidelines or actually actively
participating in themselves.
Matt: Interesting.
Alison: So that according to Alison are the 12 friend group stereotypes
Matt: You are incredibly good at this.
When is your reboot of any of, uh, John Hughes movies coming out?
Alison: Oh my God.
Other than playing Dungeons & Dragons, you've like tapped into one of the only
other things I would rather be doing.
If I could do anything.
So, I mean, I think you were even kind of doing this, whether you meant to do it.
Matt: I know I noticed that!
Alison: As you were like talking through, you know, the different D&D classes,
cuz you know, like, you know, the barbarian could be The Fanatic, right?
Like they could be the ones of just are.
Matt: Or the paladin.
Alison: Or the paladin who are, you know, tunnel vision about the things.
The artificer is I think The Techy One, um, you know, I think, I think that the
Bard, the bard could be a lot of these things, which is exactly what you were
saying about the bard, because they're so, you know, multi talented, they could
be The Artistic One, but they could also be The Communications Director, the ones
that started all, they could be The Flirt.
Um, yeah.
So these, these could all go.
So we're not
Matt: The Class
Alison: like,
Matt: You've this is, this is amazing.
I love this.
Oh my gosh.
I love this.
Alison: I, I tend to think of the rogue as The Class Clown, but that may be
just cuz of the way I play my rogue.
So I could be in very like tunnel vision there.
I mean, we have the 12 friend group stereotypes.
We have the 12 D&D classes.
There's a bunch of different ways that these could be played.
I'm thinking about my major friend group in Charlotte and checking off all of these
boxes and how, how we all came together.
But then I'm even thinking about like you and me and Evan and Fitz and like
our little, you know, uh, IRL D&D party, like which roles we all fit into.
Matt: So what's your party.
Alison: What is my party?
Why don't you go first this time.
Matt: All right.
Alison: about it?
Matt: Yeah.
I'll tell you what I would not take, but I have in, in my life, which
is I've, I've really worked hard to kind of not invite this one to the
party as much is The Hot Mess Express.
That used to be my go-to.
There was always a Hot Mess Express.
I was either dating them or they were around, or I craved the chaos, the crazy
making that they brought to my life.
Alison: But you, know that I am the Hot Mess Express, right?
Matt: No, no, no, definitely not.
no, no.
I'm talking about real hot mess.
I mean like, like making things difficult for everyone all the time and I've had a
lot, I've had a lot of friends like that.
Alison: Mm-hmm
Matt: So my four would be The Caretaker.
Alison: Mm-hmm
Matt: Cuz I, I do, I do find that that whether or not you agree with why their
caretaking, they do come in handy.
The Techy One of course.
I mean, you're right.
I currently in my life time, I would probably be The Techy One
more now than maybe in the past, but definitely The Techy One.
Uh, I like the idea of having The Flirt though.
And I'm talking functionality wise, right?
Like I'm talking like I like the idea of having somebody that
has that ability, that power of charm that they could utilize.
I think that's, I think that's important in a friend group, especially again,
if they're on your side, right?
Like.
All these people.
If they're, if, if we are friends and we're working together,
I think that's important.
So Techy One, Flirt, Caretaker.
And then I like maybe the Oracle, I don't know.
Uh, but I ironically I need The Communications Director
in my life, so, okay.
I'm, I'm gonna, I'm gonna back away from Oracle again, trying to be me in 2022.
Let's go with those four.
Alison: Interestingly enough...
I, I, I thought you were gonna say The Artistic One, which if I had to
look down this list and pick four for you, I think that you might be in my
life, The Techy One, The Caretaker, The Flirty One and The Artistic One.
Matt: Interesting.
Alison: And flirty one, just in terms of like being a romantic about life.
Like it doesn't necessarily, you know, like, but those are
probably some of the qualities I would align most with who you are.
And I, I think that's a good thing to, you know, kind of know yourself
and choose things that jive well.
Matt: I mean, that's the beauty of this list is that many of them apply
to all of us at different times.
Right.
I have been The Hot Mess Express.
Uh, we all have been, um, there's some that I have never been.
I don't think I've ever been much of an Oracle.
Well, that's not true.
Maybe I
Alison: I don't.
Yeah, I, I come to you for advice all the time.
Matt: That's true.
Maybe not The Fanatic.
That might be the one where I don't.
I'm not, I'm not a good fanatic.
I'm a fan, but I'm never.
I never take it to the level that sometimes you need to go and
definitely not The Party Animal.
I've never been that, but what's The Eeyore again?
Alison: Uh, the pessimist, the negative one, I, I feel like every friend group has
Matt: do
Alison: And a Hot Mess Express because I think that those types are pulled
into the orbit of everybody else.
They know that they need the balance.
They know that they need the flip side of the coin.
And so everybody has them, everybody loves them.
They're endearing in many ways.
And in other ways, you just roll your eyes and go, oh geez, here they go.
Again.
I, I have definitely been The Hot Mess Express and still might
be in some of my friend groups.
We'll see.
Matt: Okay.
So what are your four.
Alison: So I think that my four would be, uh, definitely The Oracle is the
first one that I'm absolutely grabbing.
Um, The Caretaker is the next one that is an easy grab for me.
From here it gets a lot harder.
I love The Class Clown.
you gotta keep it funny.
You gotta keep it light.
So I think I'm between The Class Clown, The Artistic One, and honestly
The Fanatic, cuz I, as a fanatic type, I love making friendships with
people who are that level with me.
We are fanatics for D&D together that makes our friendship, you know, so.
Okay.
So what did I
Matt: but
Alison: So
Matt: But you are even more of a fanatic than I am about D&D that's.
You just are able to take it to the level that I
Alison: The next level.
Okay, so what did I say for sure?
I said The Oracle and The Caretaker are the, for sure ones.
Matt: Mm-hmm.
Alison: Um, man, I love The Artistic One so much, but it's like, I don't
need them to function cuz I'm gonna be able to find them anywhere.
Um, so I guess I will take The Class Clown and The Fanatic.
Matt: I like it.
I like it.
And looking at this list, I just love, I love looking at them and realizing
what 20 year old, 30 year old Matt would pick and you know what, 50 year
old Matt picks, because it is very different and I'm proud of myself.
Not that any of them are bad.
I, I think it's just growing, but I, I think that 20 year old Matt would, would
look at my current list and I go, no way, man, you gotta have The Artistic One.
You gotta.
Alison: Mm-hmm mm-hmm
Matt: And ironically, we're usually trying to tie D&D into ADHD talk.
Let me try to do the opposite this time, cuz it's D&D all
the time, which I also love.
I'm not afraid of that, but, uh, I would also say that my current list is based
on what I've learned about ADHD for me.
Um, Communications Director being a big one, right?
Uh, eschewing The Hot Mess Express very much used to be an ADHD thing for me.
Had to be.
I don't even know.
I have no proof of that.
I'm sure that that's why I was drawn to the chaos and the fun.
and the,
Alison: I think The Hot Mess Express is definitely the wild magic sorcerer.
Just thrives on chaos.
Matt: Yeah.
Yeah.
And it's funny, like we're always gonna see ourselves as one more than
the other, I don't, I just, and I mean this as a compliment, I don't
see you as a Hot Mess Express because I've experienced hot mess express
on a level that is crippling, right.
Like for me.
Alison: Mm-hmm
Matt: And I, I would not in any way say that that is for you, that you
are not, you are not crippling to me.
Alison: Oh, good.
I'm so.
I love you too.
Matt: Yeah.
What a fun freaking thing this is.
Hey everybody, try this at home.
Alison: I now want to issue a challenge to every listener, which is to go
like, don't hyper obsess with this, the way that I do about some things.
But like either based on what we've shared or just the lightest amount of light
internet reading, what, what, what class would you be, you know, drawn to play?
Um, or if you already play, what, class are you most often drawn to play?
Matt: Uh, well, Alison, this was really great.
I think, I think this was really fun.
Alison: I'm so glad we take notes.
Otherwise we would be very lost week to
Matt: We'd be lost.
I know.
That's okay.
I like that this was a D&D focused, episode, because, you know, there's,
there's, there's some people listening that also like that.
And, and also I think this is fun because that's, that is something that
we get a lot, which is I don't get it.
I don't understand what, what is it?
I don't get this game.
What I don't understand, you know?
Uh, and I understand your confusion, like I, as you were talking about,
you know, reading the descriptions of character classes, I'm like,
whoa, that does sound complicated.
Like you have to learn.
It really is the stuff to study.
Alison: Listen, if you don't wanna read, if you don't wanna
Google something and that's fine.
Get in touch with me and we'll have a fiver.
Matt: Yes, let's have a fiver.
Send you a Marco Polo and we will get you up to speed.
One thing that I've been trying to do is get Lindsay in some way, just into
this world of role playing just so she gets an idea and it's I bought a
board game, The Legend of Drizzt.
And it is like little bits of D&D fourth edition, but still, and, and
it kind of like, you have to kind of have a character and play a character.
So I thought, I don't know.
That could be really fun.
And then, you know, see, see if she likes that.
report back on that.
Alison: Are you gonna loan her a set of of your dice?
To
Matt: Sure, yeah, sure.
Alison: Wow, this is getting serious.
Matt: I know.
I know.
I really have all these feelings for her and I just
Alison: I think you might really like this girl.
Matt: It's a really big step.
I don't know, like.
Alison: Can you imagine if you know, at the altar you've been like and babe,
on our 10 year anniversary, I'm gonna let you roll with my Dungeons & Dragons
Matt: Let you use my dice gonna let you
Alison: Ooh, that sounds...
Well on that note.
Thanks for
Matt: note.
Yay.
Thanks everybody!
We have a Patreon.
If you would like to join it, it's really fun.
It's growing.
We're using that Discord community now.
It is so fun.
Alison: Sweet, sweet Discord.
Yes.
Shout out to Tey and to Seth and to Fitz who all just dove on
into, to Discord with us this week and got good and nerdy talking
Matt: oh man.
Alison: Foes and otherwise.
Matt: So fun.
So, you know, if you wanna do that, we'd, we'd love it, but absolutely no presh.
And until next week or whenever?
Alison: Well I'll, I'll see you in a week.
Uh, and we'll, we'll, we'll talk to all the rest of you guys the week after that.
Matt: Love it.
Um,
Alison: Yay.
Matt: am the Tech One.
The Tech One.