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Board James (ALL SPOILERS UNMARKED)
Board James (James Rolfe)
Click here to see him on death row.
A pretty normal guy, Board James is a kid at heart who collects board games as a hobby and plays with his sorta-friend, Motherfucker Mike.
The Hang Man- Alternate Self:
Word of God suggests that the plot twist of the Video Games episode means that BJ is this to the Angry Video Game Nerd (and vice versa), as opposed to the popular fan theory that Board James is a Stealth Prequel. - Alter-Ego Acting: Board James is a character, just like the AVGN, though it was probably a safe bet that he's much closer to the Real Life personality of James Rolfe than the Nerd.
- Author Avatar: Of James Rolfe. ...At least until the Season 2 finale.
- Ax-Crazy: His hidden (apparently even from himself), real nature.
- Barbarian Longhair: In his chronologically earliest appearance when he's a death row convict, he has really long hair.
- Berserk Button: Please take playing the game seriously, or he will snap at you. Bring up his dead friends and see if he's still nice to you then. "It wasn't me, IT WASN'T ME, IT WAS THE FUCKING PHONE!"
- Beware the Nice Ones:
- You wouldn't believe that such a nice guy could create such a sadistic board game. Then again, he made it when he was a kid, and Kids Are Cruel.
- As seen in "Shark Attack", where he gets pissed off to such an extent that he yells at his friends in a really escalated "The Reason You Suck" Speech.
- Even more so if you believe that James killed Mike and Bootsy in the "Dream Phone" episode.
- Big Bad: He turns out to be this for the series as a whole, especially in the "Nightmare and Beyond" episode, where he becomes a psychotic murderer attempting to torture and kill Mike and Bootsy.
- The Cameo: His appearance in Kickassia, in which he briefly appears to explain how to play Risk.
- Appeared in the "AVGN Games" episode of The Angry Video Game Nerd, to help the Nerd review an AVGN Monopoly game. He leaves in a huff when the Nerd mentions that he'd been accused of killing his friends.
- He also shows up in The Angry Video Game Nerd II: ASSimilation as a midboss. The fact that he's holding a bloody knife and his two dead friends are lying next to him pretty much clinches that he killed them...
- Catchphrase: Subverted with "Hey, I'm Board James. And when Board James is bored, I play some board games!" It seems as if that was going to be his catchphrase, but actually he only said it in one episode.
- He says "It's just a game" fairly often, some uses being creepier than others.
- Crossover: Appeared in The Angry Video Game Nerd episode on AVGN games to show off a fan-made Monopoly game based on the Nerd himself.
- And once again in the Board James episode focusing on video game based board games. At least until the reveal that Board James is the Nerd.
- Dissonant Serenity: It's always really creepy when he greets Mike and Bootsy with innocent smiles and gentle tones, especially when he approached Mike in "13 Dead End Drive" with a noose, calmly asking to reenact a murder of the Hang Man."Relax. It's just a game..."
- Even Evil Has Standards: Even he is disgusted by how the player characters in the Omega Virus board game can't cooperate to stop a virus and instead compete against each other to stop it.
- Evil All Along: He's not the simple Nice Guy he seems, but an insane killer trapped in a recursive afterlife.
- Evil Luddite:
- Has shades of this, as seen in "13 Dead End Drive", when he locks Mike and Bootsy in his basement with him and destroys their cellphones.
"FUCK TECHNOLOGY!!!"- The brief "Say Yes to VHS" segment in "Nightmare and Beyond" further implies a preference for older technology.
- The Killer in Me: Killing his friends while hallucinating about a murderous Dream Phone would make him an Amnesiac Killer. And even if the phone was the real culprit, the nature of the afterlife makes it entirely possible for him to have been responsible of subconsciously turning it into a killer.
- Manchild: This becomes an increasing trait of his over the course of the series, with his love of board games being suggested to be a kind of twisted nostalgia for his childhood. This even plays into the games themselves; though adult fans of board games certainly exist, Board James rarely plays games aimed at that crowd, especially by the second season, favoring games aimed squarely at young children.
- Nice Guy: Especially in comparison to the AVGN. Ultimately subverted. Very subverted.
- Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant: His Deadly Danger Dungeon game, kind of foreshadows the finale.
- Platform Hell: Deadly Danger Dungeon, which he designed himself when he was a kid.
- Psychopathic Manchild: Becomes more and more of this as the series goes on.
- Punny Name: Board/Bored James.
- Sanity Slippage: The end of the Dream Phone episode really hints this.
- As does the end of the Ouija/Domino Rally episode.
- The Full House/Urkel Games episode confirms that there was no slippage, he was insane the whole time.
- Then the Board James/AVGN crossover finally confirms that Board James himself was a Split Personality of the Angry Video Game Nerd from the beginning.
- Serial Killer: 13 Dead End Drive and NIGHTMARE and Beyond heavily imply if not outright make it out that he's the Hang Man.
- Sir Swears-a-Lot: When angry.
- Split Personality: The Angry Video Game Nerd. Although the Nerd seems to be the original personality, and manages to do a Split-Personality Takeover by making Board James realize that he isn't real, and put on the glasses and white shirt willingly... only for Board James to assume control at the end of the 2015 Episode, The Crow.
- Villain Protagonist: In "Nightmare and Beyond", the plot of the episode being his friends attempting to escape from his Ax-Crazy rampage.
- Walking Spoiler: It is very hard to talk about James without revealing that he is a Serial Killer in the third season.
- Yandere: After his Sanity Slippage.
Motherfucker Mike
Motherfucker Mike (Mike Matei)
- Back from the Dead: In the "Ouija / Domino Rally" episode.
- Character Exaggeration: Mike Matei also does videos on the Cinemassacre site about game glitches
, and implies that he's good at finding them because he likes trying to break games and cheat his way through for the challenge. The character he plays on Board James is this turned up to 'dirty cheater' status. - Deadpan Snarker: He likes to snark.
- Elvis Impersonator: In the "Ouija / Domino Rally" episode. According to one possible interpretation provided by Word of God, that might be the real Elvis.
- Embarrassing Middle Name: Clarence.
- Establishing Character Moment: In his debut episode, Crossfire, Mike steals James' balls during the game, showcasing exactly why his name is "Motherfucker".
- Guest Fighter: Is a playable character in The Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures. In the Nerd's own review of the game, he expresses some confusion, since he doesn't know who the hell Mike is. Funny enough, Board James had a cameo in that video, but didn't stick around long enough to see AVGN Adventures being played.
- Heel–Face Turn: In season 3, once the story arc is embedded, Mike drops his Jerkass tendencies entirely, usually only cheating as a plan with Bootsy against James.
- His Name Really Is "Barkeep": "Motherfucker Mike" is his real first and last name. His Embarrassing Middle Name is Clarence.
- Imaginary Friend: The "Full House/Urkel Games" episode confirms this.
- Jerkass: Cheats a lot. How else do you think he got the nickname "Motherfucker Mike"?
- Laser-Guided Karma: All the time, he's been cheating. The karmic whiplash? Mr. Bucket goes for his balls!
- Despite cheating a lot, it's usually Board James the one that wins in the end.
- Lazy Bum: Sits on his ass while James is busy setting up Weapons and Warriors.
- Sore Loser: Doesn't take his loss well at all when Board James, who was at a disadvantage, defeats him in Weapons and Warriors.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Board James rarely seems to notice him cheating, even when it should be obvious. Then, in the Full House/Urkel Games episode, it's suggested there's a good reason he never noticed...
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Mike gives James a really hard time when they play board games, but as seen in the "Mister Bucket" review, they get along just fine otherwise.
Bad Luck Bootsy
Bad Luck Bootsy (Bootsy Spankins, P.I.)
- Back from the Dead: In the "Ouija / Domino Rally" episode.
- Bandaged Face: Bootsy's face is covered in bandages since he accidentally spilled coffee in it at the end of the Donut Disaster review.
- Bestiality Is Depraved: Mike accuses him of fucking a frog, which he denies. Then James accuses him of fucking a fish, and to James's horror he remains silent, confirming the accusation. Then he clarifies that he fucked a dolphin, which is a mammal, not a fish. Although, he does later try to fuck the shark from Shark Attack, and sharks are fish. Maybe James gave him the idea.
- Butt-Monkey: He's usually the receiving end of whatever gruesome accident happens. There's two reasons why.
- The Ditz: By the Splat! episode, he seems to have cemented himself as this kind of character...
- Genius Ditz: ... even though he apparently has a degree in bioengineering.
- Eyepatch of Power: Bad Luck Bootsy has an eye patch after he got stabbed in the eye by Tornado Rex on his first appearance.
- Eye Scream: Courtesy of the Tornado Rex.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: To the point that both James and Mike are completely unfazed by his death. You can't help but wonder why Board James keeps allowing him in his house... or imagined him to begin with.
- Groin Attack: As of The Stinger of the "Shark Attack" episode, he now wears a hook on his crotch.
- Hidden Depths: The aforementioned bioengineering degree.
- Imaginary Friend: The "Full House/Urkel Games" episode confirms this.
- The Jinx: Though it's his clumsiness and carelessness that causes bad luck for others.
- The Klutz: To the point of making him The Jinx.
- Manchild: He defaults to this due to his annoying personality and ruining games.
- Mickey Mousing: Earlier appearances had him enter the room accompanied by a musical sound-effect.
- Paste Eater: During Splat!, he ate all the Play-Doh, just because it smelled nice. Then he put it all back.
- Precision F-Strike: In the "Wacky Blasters" episode, he actually loses his temper at James and Mike when they refuse to listen to his idea, demanding they trust him "one fucking time".
- Remember the New Guy?: His debut.
- Screams Like a Little Girl: Lets out a high-pitched scream after he accidentally spills coffee on his face from flinching in reaction to the Donut Disaster machine popping.
- Too Dumb to Live: Lucky for him, he's not really alive.
- What the Hell, Hero?: He gets this a lot from Board James and Motherfucker Mike every-time he ruins a game.
- Your Answer to Everything: Candy Land. He just won't shut up about it.
Mr. Bucket
Mr. Bucket
Voiced by: James Rofle
A seemingly innocent children's toy who enjoys... "balls".- Animate Inanimate Object: Even with batteries taken out of him, it doesn't stop him from going on a ball-sucking rampage.
- Catchphrase: "Hi, I'm Mr. Bucket, and I want to suck on your balls!"
- Depraved Homosexual: Really enjoys... well, you know.
- Gag Nose:Motherfucker Mike: Looks like a drunk or a child molester or something.
- Groin Attack: Poor Mike.
- Living Toys: Is a sentient toy bucket.
- Not-So-Harmless Villain: He lives for sucking balls, and he's good at it.
- Perverse Puppet: A perverse Living Toy.
- Red Herring: To the Dream Phone.
The Dream Phone (Unmarked Spoilers)
The Dream Phone
Voiced by: Bootsy Spankins, P.I.
A toy phone that is more than meets the eye...- Abhorrent Admirer: He's James's Secret Admirer. But unlike Mr. Bucket, he DOES want to hurt James.
- Animate Inanimate Object: Just like Mr. Bucket, but instead on a killing rampage.
- Character as Himself: The credits list its voice actor as "?????". note
- Depraved Homosexual: The thing is like a toy phone got possessed by the spirit of Jeffrey Dahmer.
- The Dreaded: In keeping with his Knight of Cerebus status, James remembers him with anger and fear even after his death, and is suitably terrified when he is (seemingly) Back from the Dead.
- Evil Gloating: He's disgustingly smug about the fact that James will inevitably get the blame for his friends' murders.James: They'll trace the call, or... something!
- Evil Is Hammy: "Here it coooooomes!!"
- Evil Is Petty: The main reason he decides to kill James and his friends is because James repeatedly hung up on him.
- Evil Phone: The main antagonist of the "Dream Phone" review. Literally, in fact. The phone can float around and kill people.
- Knight of Cerebus: Even if he may not be the killer, his appearance is what kickstarts the darker tone for the series.
- Living Toys: James realized that it's the toy phone itself that has been stalking him and killing his friend, not a person who can somehow call him through the phone.
- Serial Killer: Maybe. Several episodes afterwards suggest that James killed his friends and hallucinated that the phone killed them.
- Supernatural Phone: Even though the Dream Phone is supposed to be a children's toy with no real phone connections, it's still able to connect James to the menacing Serial Killer on the other end. The climax of the episode reveals that it is said Serial Killer... maybe.
- Walking Spoiler: Due to it's episode being the turning point of the series.
- YandereDream Phone: Where you going? James! Where you going, Jaaaaaames?! I'm just gonna slit your FUCKING THROAT OPEN!!
Fight Promoter
Fight Promoter
Voiced by: Kevin Finn
One of many cards in the Lie Detector game. You read it right; he's called "Fight Promoter" not "Flight Promoter".note- Inspector Javert: To Board James since he thinks James killed his friends.
