Voice Acting in Your Tabletop RPGs: How Much/Little?

[Jacob Lewis]

Whenever there is a major NPC planned for my game, I think about which actor I would cast for that role and go from there. For example, Sildar Hallwinter (from Lost Mines of Phandelver) is usually portrayed as if John Cleese were playing him in my games.

I don't need to accurately impersonate or convince the players who I'm trying to imitate. That's not the goal. But the personalities and mannerisms come through as something familiar, identifiable, and distinct.

 

[the Jester]

(The purpose of this poll is to measure a part of the "Mercer Effect," the suggestion that a large number of D&D players want/expect a D&D game to be as close to Matt Mercer's game as possible. One of the most frequently mentioned things in those threads is Matt's propensity for using character voices (which is understandable, since the cast members of Critical Role are all professional voice actors). I wanna know just how big of an expectation it really is.)

I voted 8, having never watched a full episode of Critical Role and having find the bits I have watched less entertaining and more annoying, especially because every single time it seems that there is a profoundly bad ruling or serious misunderstanding of the rules and how the game works.

So I'm not sure how much this poll is going to clear up vis-a-vis the Mercer Effect.

 

[Laurefindel]

I don't often do accents, neither as a DM nor as a player, unless i know i can pull it off without falling into caricature and/or disrespect.

I do however try to give characters and NPCs their own mannerism, speech inflection, and expressions, which are huge parts of voice acting.

So, like a "3" for accent, and a "9" for characterization.

 

[JiffyPopTart]

Almost never, and when it happens its entirely for comedic effect.

The one NPC who's voice was appreciated tablewide was a skeletal butler who used the voice of Frank Nelson (AKA The "Yessssssss Guy" from the Simpsons).

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Imitating characters from TV shows and movies is a great shortcut for coming up with a voice.

Most of the time, people's Scottish dwarf accents sound more like Groundskeeper Willie anyway.

The one NPC who's voice was appreciated tablewide was a skeletal butler who used the voice of Frank Nelson (AKA The "Yessssssss Guy" from the Simpsons).

 

[darjr]

I can’t really help but do them.

 

[Retreater]

I don't do as much of it over VTT as I do in person, as it's already confusing enough for players chatting in headsets. But in person, oh boy! Accents, facial expressions, nervous body language, etc.

 

[darjr]

I stand a lot at the table too. Started that because I found I sat way too much. Then one time as a dragon was flying around them I just started walking around the table. My players at the time really liked that. They kept talking about it after the game.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I did that once for an encounter with a dragon (Out of the Abyss' Themberchaud), pitching my already deep voice about as low as it would go. The one player said how much it unnerved him - I'd say that it worked pretty darn well, then.

I stand a lot at the table too. Started that because I found I sat way too much. Then one time as a dragon was flying around them I just started walking around the table. My players at the time really liked that. They kept talking about it after the game.

 

[aco175]

I wonder if people playing in Scotland use American accents and they sound just as bad as when we do it.