Browse episode ratings trends for Adventuring Academy. Simply click on the interactive rating graph to explore the best and worst of Adventuring Academy's 74 episodes.
Best Episodes of Adventuring Academy
Bandaid on a Bowling Ball (with Vic Michaelis)
S7 Ep1
9.5
20th Feb 2026
Vic Michaelis joins Brennan to discuss the academics of improv and when to give up control.
Getting Thrown to the Wolves (with Robbie Daymond)
S7 Ep2
9.0
23rd Mar 2026
Robbie Daymond joins Brennan to discuss his TTRPG origins and eat spicy popcorn.
Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck (with Sam Reich)
S5 Ep1
8.2
1st Jul 2024
Sam Reich joins Brennan to talk creative north stars and why failure is more interesting than success.
The Importance of Being Goofy (with Oscar Montoya)
S7 Ep3
8.0
24th Apr 2026
Oscar Montoya joins Brennan to discuss authenticity, leveling up, and Colombian snacks.
Healing Through D&D (with Krystina Arielle)
S1 Ep12
7.7
29th May 2019
Krystina Arielle joins Brennan to talk about playing as the nervous newbie and the experienced one.
Leveling Up (with Satine Phoenix)
S1 Ep8
7.7
3rd Apr 2019
Satine Phoenix and Brennan chat about level splits, bending the rules, and letting your PCs fail.
The New Mr. Peanut (with Lou Wilson)
S4 Ep5
7.5
13th Dec 2022
Lou Wilson returns to the show to talk GM growth, dice variety, and face masks.
Be Yourself Everyone Else Is Taken (with Ally Beardsley)
S6 Ep6
7.3
6th Nov 2025
Ally Beardsley joins Brennan to discuss learning D&D on the job, bless dice, and rate weird sodas.
Finding Heroes in Each Other (with Luis Carazo)
S6 Ep5
7.3
3rd Oct 2025
Luis Carazo joins Brennan to talk about his D&D origins and the importance of session zero.
All Games Are Beautiful (with Erika Ishii)
S6 Ep2
7.3
27th May 2025
Erika Ishii returns to the show to discuss vulnerability, dating co-players, and character bleed.
Giving Yourself Permission to Feel (with Marisha Ray)
S1 Ep10
7.3
1st May 2019
Marisha Ray and Brennan tackle crying during gameplay and players with different ways of listening.
Applying Logic to the Illogical (with Brian David Gilbert)
S5 Ep6
7.0
18th Nov 2024
Brian David Gilbert joins Brennan to discuss lore and why all sandwiches should be pressed.
For the Price of a Dream (with Ross Bryant)
S4 Ep2
7.0
1st Nov 2022
Ross Bryant joins Brennan to discuss improv, theater of the mind, and Tide pods filled with chili.
Reunion with the Cast of Escape From the Bloodkeep (2)
S1 Ep14
7.0
26th Jun 2019
Matthew Mercer, Rekha, & Trapp join Brennan to discuss all the surprises and challenges of the show.
Playing a Cooperative Game (with Nick Marini)
S1 Ep11
7.0
15th May 2019
Nick Marini joins Brennan to talk about making characters to fit a world and being a flexible PC.
What to Do With a Nat 20 (with B. Dave Walters)
S1 Ep9
7.0
17th Apr 2019
B. Dave Walters and Brennan talk about making twists more twisty and manifesting character traits.
Building Your Own Campaign Setting (with Matthew Mercer)
S1 Ep7
7.0
20th Mar 2019
Matthew Mercer and Brennan get into Harry Potter's rad world building and those tricky NPC accents.
Finishing a Campaign (with Molly Ostertag)
S1 Ep6
7.0
6th Mar 2019
Molly Ostertag and Brennan get into the ethics of fudged dice rolls and why 5e is so queer-friendly.
Raising the Stakes (with Brian Murphy)
S1 Ep3
7.0
23rd Jan 2019
Brian Murphy and Brennan discuss when to kill off PCs and reveal what's behind their DM screens.
Six Out of Six (with Rekha Shankar)
S5 Ep2
6.8
29th Jul 2024
Rekha Shankar joins Brennan to discuss how improv is like solving a puzzle and why Frasier is the best tv show.
Worst Episodes of Adventuring Academy
Be Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable (with Anjali Bhimani)
S5 Ep5
5.0
21st Oct 2024
Anjali Bhimani joins Brennan to discuss speculative fiction and why actors should play TTRPGs.
Balancing Comedy and Drama (with Freddie Wong)
S2 Ep1
5.5
14th Sep 2020
Freddie Wong joins Brennan to talk shifting tones, keeping stakes high, and the power of audio.
The Joy of Mistakes (with Kelly Lynne D'Angelo)
S2 Ep4
5.5
28th Sep 2020
Kelly Lynne and Brennan talk storytelling, representation, and dungeoncrawling inside an octopus.
Leave the Table Better Than You Found It (with Honey and Dice)
S2 Ep10
5.5
9th Nov 2020
Honey and Dice joins Brennan to talk self-care, the intimidation of D&D, learning to say no.
Chasing Noises (with Becca Scott)
S2 Ep15
5.5
14th Dec 2020
Becca Scott joins Brennan to talk horror, one-shots, and Um Actually.
Sincerity Is the Key (with Travis McElroy)
S2 Ep19
5.5
11th Jan 2021
Travis joins Brennan to talk theater of the mind, player choices, and more.
You've Been Called (with Dael Kingsmill)
S2 Ep20
5.5
18th Jan 2021
Dael Kingsmill joins Brennan to talk homebrew, running games, and more.
See Me In Six Months (with Aabria Iyengar)
S2 Ep2
6.0
21st Sep 2020
Brennan and Aabria talk about remote DMing, leaving room for improv, and how to fail.
Bardic Inspiration (with Omega Jones)
S2 Ep3
6.0
28th Sep 2020
Omega Jones (aka CriticalBard) joins Brennan to talk merging music with D&D and more.
There Are Gray Areas In Life (with Orion Black)
S2 Ep6
6.0
12th Oct 2020
Orion Black joins Brennan to talk actualplay vs. shows and more.
Murph and Emily's Friend (with Caldwell Tanner)
S2 Ep8
6.0
26th Oct 2020
Caldwell Tanner joins Brennan, to discuss being Murph & Emily's friend and DMing.
The Story of Now (with Deborah Ann Woll)
S2 Ep13
6.0
30th Nov 2020
Deborah joins Brennan to talk choices, rewriting your past, and wise villains.
Control the Narrative (with Jasmine Bhullar)
S2 Ep14
6.0
7th Dec 2020
Jasmine Bhullar joins Brennan to talk vile villains, running games on camera, and more.
Animating Your Table (with Benjamin Scott)
S2 Ep16
6.0
21st Dec 2020
Benjamin Scott (aka Puffin Forest) joins Brennan to talk D&D, animation, and more.
Grand Design (with Gabriel Hicks)
S2 Ep17
6.0
28th Dec 2020
Game designer Gabe Hicks joins Brennan to talk about building & tweaking games and more.
Shout Out To Fluff (with Griffin McElroy)
S2 Ep18
6.0
4th Jan 2021
Griffin talks with Brennan about getting into 5e and finding what's important in storytelling.
Artwork is 360 Degrees (with Carlos Luna)
S3 Ep1
6.0
1st Mar 2021
Carlos Luna joins Brennan to talk improv, D&D, and more.
Making Dinner For Friends (with Eric Silver)
S3 Ep6
6.0
3rd May 2021
Join the Party's Eric Silver joins Brennan to talk dinner / DMing parallels and more.
The Braid of Character, Plot, and World (with Connie Chang)
S4 Ep3
6.0
15th Nov 2022
Connie Chang joins Brennan to talk GMing influences, world building, and metal dice.
Shinji and Batman (with Ify Nwadiwe)
S5 Ep3
6.0
26th Aug 2024
Ify Nwadiwe returns to the show to talk about his nerdy origins and which D&D class is the horniest.
Adventuring Academy Episode Guide
Creating Rounded Characters (with Lou Wilson)
S1 Ep1
6.3
19th Dec 2018
Lou Wilson joins Brennan for Fantasy High secrets, first-time DM fails, and tips for scary villains.
Keeping a Game Going (with Amy Vorpahl)
S1 Ep2
6.6
9th Jan 2019
Amy Vorpahl and Brennan talk antisocial orphans, nine-year campaigns, and babies that ruin games.
Raising the Stakes (with Brian Murphy)
S1 Ep3
7.0
23rd Jan 2019
Brian Murphy and Brennan discuss when to kill off PCs and reveal what's behind their DM screens.
Playing in a Safe Space (with Erika Ishii)
S1 Ep4
6.8
6th Feb 2019
Erika Ishii and Brennan chat about honing social skills through DnD and building trust with players.
Being the Mean GM (with Noah Diamond)
S1 Ep5
6.5
20th Feb 2019
Noah Diamond and Brennan dig into overpowered magical items and what to do when PCs just wanna loot.
Finishing a Campaign (with Molly Ostertag)
S1 Ep6
7.0
6th Mar 2019
Molly Ostertag and Brennan get into the ethics of fudged dice rolls and why 5e is so queer-friendly.
Building Your Own Campaign Setting (with Matthew Mercer)
S1 Ep7
7.0
20th Mar 2019
Matthew Mercer and Brennan get into Harry Potter's rad world building and those tricky NPC accents.
Leveling Up (with Satine Phoenix)
S1 Ep8
7.7
3rd Apr 2019
Satine Phoenix and Brennan chat about level splits, bending the rules, and letting your PCs fail.
What to Do With a Nat 20 (with B. Dave Walters)
S1 Ep9
7.0
17th Apr 2019
B. Dave Walters and Brennan talk about making twists more twisty and manifesting character traits.
Giving Yourself Permission to Feel (with Marisha Ray)
S1 Ep10
7.3
1st May 2019
Marisha Ray and Brennan tackle crying during gameplay and players with different ways of listening.
Playing a Cooperative Game (with Nick Marini)
S1 Ep11
7.0
15th May 2019
Nick Marini joins Brennan to talk about making characters to fit a world and being a flexible PC.
Healing Through D&D (with Krystina Arielle)
S1 Ep12
7.7
29th May 2019
Krystina Arielle joins Brennan to talk about playing as the nervous newbie and the experienced one.
Reunion with the Cast of Escape From the Bloodkeep (1)
S1 Ep13
6.8
12th Jun 2019
Ify Nwadiwe, Amy Vorpahl, & Erika Ishii join Brennan to discuss the big moves & ships of the season.
Reunion with the Cast of Escape From the Bloodkeep (2)
S1 Ep14
7.0
26th Jun 2019
Matthew Mercer, Rekha, & Trapp join Brennan to discuss all the surprises and challenges of the show.
Introducing Horror to a Game with Ivan Van Norman
S1 Ep15
6.7
10th Jul 2019
Ivan Van Norman joins Brennan to discuss setting horror expectations and how to play traitorous pcs.
Finding Fun in Failure with Siobhan Thompson
S1 Ep16
6.7
24th Jul 2019
Siobhan Thompson joins Brennan to generate random characters and talk about The Unsleeping City.
Killing Off Characters with Jack Covell
S1 Ep17
6.3
7th Aug 2019
Jack Covell joins Brennan to talk about letting go and running campaigns without intense planning.
Storytelling As a Game Master with Peter Warren
S1 Ep18
6.5
21st Aug 2019
Peter Warren joins Brennan to discuss how studying screenwriting made them better DMs, & vice versa.
The best rated episodes of Adventuring Academy are:
Bandaid on a Bowling Ball (with Vic Michaelis) S7E1 rated 9.5
Getting Thrown to the Wolves (with Robbie Daymond) S7E2 rated 9.0
Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck (with Sam Reich) S5E1 rated 8.2
The Importance of Being Goofy (with Oscar Montoya) S7E3 rated 8.0
Healing Through D&D (with Krystina Arielle) S1E12 rated 7.7
Leveling Up (with Satine Phoenix) S1E8 rated 7.7
The New Mr. Peanut (with Lou Wilson) S4E5 rated 7.5
Be Yourself Everyone Else Is Taken (with Ally Beardsley) S6E6 rated 7.3
Finding Heroes in Each Other (with Luis Carazo) S6E5 rated 7.3
All Games Are Beautiful (with Erika Ishii) S6E2 rated 7.3
The lowest rated episodes of Adventuring Academy are:
Be Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable (with Anjali Bhimani) S5E5 rated 5.0
Balancing Comedy and Drama (with Freddie Wong) S2E1 rated 5.5
The Joy of Mistakes (with Kelly Lynne D'Angelo) S2E4 rated 5.5
Leave the Table Better Than You Found It (with Honey and Dice) S2E10 rated 5.5
Chasing Noises (with Becca Scott) S2E15 rated 5.5
Sincerity Is the Key (with Travis McElroy) S2E19 rated 5.5
You've Been Called (with Dael Kingsmill) S2E20 rated 5.5
See Me In Six Months (with Aabria Iyengar) S2E2 rated 6.0
