On the whole, Darths and Droids is a really good webcomic, and I would certainly recommend it. It has a good balance of gaming humor combined with affectionately poking fun at the more goofy aspects of the movies. In particular, the comic is great at twisting the plots of the movies into something that's just closely related enough to see similarities, but casting the events in entirely different contexts. However, despite the fact that it's generally good, it doesn't quite maintain the same level of quality it starts out with.
The prequel sections are definitely the high point, and they're hilarious. The thing is, part of the reason why this section is so great is because the gaming session is, to put it lightly, a mess. Not in the sense that the game is run badly or unfun for the players, but in that the players are almost never on the same page with themselves or with the GM. One player wants to turn off his brain and screw around, one wants to stay in-character as much as possible, another one is The Munchkin, several have no idea how these games even work, and the GM is just (futilely) trying to keep the game on something resembling a track. The mishmash of everyone trying to play the game their own way results in a ton of amusing scenarios as the GM scrambles to get a coherent plot going while they bungle their way forward.
Unfortunately, the problem is that as the comic goes on (starting right around the time it goes from prequels to original trilogy), that confusion is reduced. The characters are all (with the exception of Corey, who learns very quickly anyway) familiar with how the game is meant to be played, and rather than being at odds, start cooperating with the GM more often in an effort to create a story. While this is a perfectly valid way to play a game in real life, in comic form, it just isn't as interesting as watching everyone trip over each other as they meander in the wrong direction while the GM tries to lure them back on track.
It doesn't help that the players' non-game lives start getting more focus, and like the above, their "real life" drama isn't nearly as amusing as the hijinks they get up to in-game. In particular, Sally goes from a Crazy Awesome spanner in the works to a much less interesting "rebellious teenager" type, when the comic could really use her earlier wackiness. The comic also begins to focus more on the "in-universe" plot of the game, and less on the characters actual actions. Multiple pages will go buy of in-universe exposition with no actual roles or anything.
That isn't to say the later portions are bad. They aren't, and they're still pretty good. There are still good jokes throughout and the twisting of Star Wars' plot really must be seen to be believed. But despite the good parts of the latter sections, they aren't quite as good as the earlier sections, which are where the comic really shined.
Starts out Awesome, slides down to Pretty Good.
On the whole, Darths and Droids is a really good webcomic, and I would certainly recommend it. It has a good balance of gaming humor combined with affectionately poking fun at the more goofy aspects of the movies. In particular, the comic is great at twisting the plots of the movies into something that's just closely related enough to see similarities, but casting the events in entirely different contexts. However, despite the fact that it's generally good, it doesn't quite maintain the same level of quality it starts out with.
The prequel sections are definitely the high point, and they're hilarious. The thing is, part of the reason why this section is so great is because the gaming session is, to put it lightly, a mess. Not in the sense that the game is run badly or unfun for the players, but in that the players are almost never on the same page with themselves or with the GM. One player wants to turn off his brain and screw around, one wants to stay in-character as much as possible, another one is The Munchkin, several have no idea how these games even work, and the GM is just (futilely) trying to keep the game on something resembling a track. The mishmash of everyone trying to play the game their own way results in a ton of amusing scenarios as the GM scrambles to get a coherent plot going while they bungle their way forward.
Unfortunately, the problem is that as the comic goes on (starting right around the time it goes from prequels to original trilogy), that confusion is reduced. The characters are all (with the exception of Corey, who learns very quickly anyway) familiar with how the game is meant to be played, and rather than being at odds, start cooperating with the GM more often in an effort to create a story. While this is a perfectly valid way to play a game in real life, in comic form, it just isn't as interesting as watching everyone trip over each other as they meander in the wrong direction while the GM tries to lure them back on track.
It doesn't help that the players' non-game lives start getting more focus, and like the above, their "real life" drama isn't nearly as amusing as the hijinks they get up to in-game. In particular, Sally goes from a Crazy Awesome spanner in the works to a much less interesting "rebellious teenager" type, when the comic could really use her earlier wackiness. The comic also begins to focus more on the "in-universe" plot of the game, and less on the characters actual actions. Multiple pages will go buy of in-universe exposition with no actual roles or anything.
That isn't to say the later portions are bad. They aren't, and they're still pretty good. There are still good jokes throughout and the twisting of Star Wars' plot really must be seen to be believed. But despite the good parts of the latter sections, they aren't quite as good as the earlier sections, which are where the comic really shined.