D&D (2024) Dungeons and Dragons future? Ray Winninger gives a nod to Mike Shea's proposed changes.

[Vaalingrade]

I will briefly try and explain, but then otherwise leave it be: I said that the players on Critical Role enhance their reactions as part of their performance for their viewers. I, for the life of me, can't figure out the controversial part of the statement.

You then supported it with a gif of Travis expressing joy as if it were weird and performative.

 

[billd91]

Ah. I think I just gained some insight into CRs popularity: they play like people think they themselves play. Huh. That's interesting.

No need to be snide.
The way I see it, with respect to role playing in D&D, Critical Role's players are like professional tennis players, while those of us at the home game are competent, local amateur players. We can play OK and follow the same basic rules (scoring, line judging, breaking service, etc) and can play complete games with modest skill and without looking like idiots. But we're not US Open material. The CR crew are US Open material, but probably not US Open champions like Olivier or Gielgud would be had they been avid D&D players. They have, over the years, definitely been moving up the draw though...

 

[Charlaquin]

That is a communication problem though (one of MANY with the rule themselves). if a player could look at their options in a clean, easy to understand format -- more about feel and theme than mechanics -- they would be able to make a choice and I think be excited to get a new "toy" to play with. The same thing is true, IMO, with complex NPC interactions in adventures: if the GM could look at a relationship map and with a glance know who was aligned with and opposed to who, you would see more even new GMs delve into intrigue more. D&D has a graphic design problem and is getting schooled by the OSR and other indies.

Some probably would, but I think a lot of players aren’t super interested in digging through a menu of options to find the one they’re going to take that level. Never underestimate the casual player’s aversion to doing anything that feels like homework.

 

[darjr]

I played in a game of Werewolf, some 20 or so people. A professional actor joined us. Been in movies and tv and voice work etc.

He took on a Russian persona with a perfect accent. So much so friends of mine noted they didn’t know he was Russian. He isn’t.

At one point in the game he had to drop the act for a moment to assure another player that he wasn’t actually upset at being called out as a werewolf.

He was just plain amazing.

He was also just playing Werewolf and trying to “win”.

Was it fake? No.

 

[Parmandur]

Ah. I think I just gained some insight into CRs popularity: they play like people think they themselves play. Huh. That's interesting.

Yes...? Certainly they are charismatic people, but their gameplaybis very normal, pwr my own experience.

 

[Maxperson]

Homework?

Prepping to begin posting on Reddit.

 

[Maxperson]

It didn't "Immediately" happen. It's happening over a period of four years. It's called making phased changes.

November 2020 Tasha's came out.
September 2021 WotC announced 5.5.
August 2022 WotC says it will be adopting Tasha's for the 5.5 PHB.

They knew when Tasha's came out which way things were going to go. Calling those rules optional when they knew they would eventually become the default was pretty darned disingenuous.

 

[Maxperson]

It's all theater.

Matt Mercer on Critical Role is a master at getting his players to nearly soil themselves with terror...when they can easily wallop what is scaring them.

A lot of that comes from the players themselves. I'm no Matt Mercer, but my players will often be much more scared by encounters than the stat block warrants, because they don't know the stat block and can imagine it to be pretty bad.

A single encounter, even a deadly one, isn't going to be a true challenge to the group. That's because of the infernal 5-7 encounter day balance. By the time they get to that 5th-7th encounter, they will be low on resources, perhaps even not at full hit points, and will be at risk of PC death. The challenge is resource management.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Ok.
View attachment 257910

Yes?

Do you...play sober....?

I do. So do most of the people I know who play like CR do.

Ah. I think I just gained some insight into CRs popularity: they play like people think they themselves play. Huh. That's interesting.

Or, you are having trouble accepting that other people play differently from your experienced norm.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

November 2020 Tasha's came out.
September 2021 WotC announced 5.5.
August 2022 WotC says it will be adopting Tasha's for the 5.5 PHB.

They knew when Tasha's came out which way things were going to go. Calling those rules optional when they knew they would eventually become the default was pretty darned disingenuous.

Not at all. They are optional. 4 years is a long time, and they hadn’t even announced anything about the updated 5e PHB.