D&D General Critical Role: Overrated, Underrated, or Goldilocks?

[Maxperson]

Again, who's saying this? Who are these 'many'? I watch CR and watch and listen to a few other D&D live-play streams and podcasts not because they are like my home game, but because they are entertaining and also give me inspiration for my game and aspiration to push my limits as far as I am able. Not to be like them, but as part of the always evolving process of becoming a better DM for my players and the game we want to play.

Google The Mercer Effect.

 

[Umbran]

Google The Mercer Effect.

When someone asks a question, it is usually better to find at least one example of a thing, if only because if they do the search themselves, they may not come away with the answers you intend to reference.

Critical Role's "Mercer Effect" Explained (& How It Hurts D&D)

The "Mercer Effect" takes its toll on Critical Role fans.

screenrant.com

And maybe Mercer's own thoughts on the matter, which are probably relevant:

 

[OB1]

Eh, this strikes me as semantics. We can argue about what is or isn’t the fundamentals of a home D&D game vs. a streamed game, but the point is, they are both D&D, but the former is done solely for the entertainment of the players (and DM), whereas the other is done for the entertainment of an audience as well. And while it may look the same as the former, that’s because the people doing it are very, very good at it.

This is a really interesting observation. Makes me think of the difference between playing music at home for family and friends, and playing in a concert hall or making an album. All three are playing music, but you do change what you do depending on your expected audience. And as with all art, the larger the potential audience and the pool of artists, the quicker the art will evolve. What you play at home might be influenced by the larger trends, or you may keep on playing and enjoying your own tune.

 

[Bolares]

After all this I should say... sometimes the dummies on the show forget they are being recorded (Travis, I'm looking at you)

 

[Charlaquin]

This is a really interesting observation. Makes me think of the difference between playing music at home for family and friends, and playing in a concert hall or making an album. All three are playing music, but you do change what you do depending on your expected audience. And as with all art, the larger the potential audience and the pool of artists, the quicker the art will evolve. What you play at home might be influenced by the larger trends, or you may keep on playing and enjoying your own tune.

Yes, exactly! Another good analogy that’s probably less fraught with baggage than adult films. A musician will play differently for themselves than for their family, for whom they will play differently than at a live concert, where they will play differently than for a studio album, etc. In all cases they are playing music, and presumably they are enjoying themselves in all cases. But they are still performing differently, and perhaps getting a different sort of satisfaction from each.

 

[Krachek]

I’m not a fan, but I wonder how much this show can influence future official product?

 

[CleverNickName]

I’m not a fan, but I wonder how much this show can influence future official product?

It's already started, I think. The Explorer's Guide to Wildemount is an official WotC product for 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons, and it's the campaign sourcebook for Critical Role Campaign 2, and written by Matt Mercer.

 

[commandercrud]

Is Matt a great DM? Yes. Is Critical Role overrated? Yes. Can I never get through a single episode of any livestreamed RPG session? Yes.

 

[Bolares]

I’m not a fan, but I wonder how much this show can influence future official product?

I'd say it has been influencing it for years now. In fact two products have Mercer as a designer/consultant already

 

[OB1]

When someone asks a question, it is usually better to find at least one example of a thing, if only because if they do the search themselves, they may not come away with the answers you intend to reference.


And maybe Mercer's own thoughts on the matter, which are probably relevant:

I'm not doubting that there have been some fans of CR who go to a table for the first time and are shocked that it isn't like the show, but I don't see anything in the referenced articles that suggest this is a widespread issue. Mercer gave great specific advice to one individual who had the issue. ScreenRant has a tendency to take a small nugget of information, blow it up sensationally and then report it as fact (but I still love reading that site for the entertainment value).

But I would ask this. Even if the Mercer effect is a real thing, and hundreds of thousands of CR followers are going to home games and having a terrible time and making DMs wish Mercer had never been born, do you think they would have even tried the game if not for CR in the first place? And what about all the others who never would have played the game, but did because of CR and discovered a great time playing their own style with their friends?