Critical Role Is Critical Role Scripted

[OB1]

This is not accurate. Players are not made aware of upcoming plot points.

I think the closest they've ever come to this may have been at the live show at the Greek. A decision was made at the end of the episode (rushed because they were on a hard time limit) that felt like the players knew that the PCs HAD to make the choice they did to set up the next three episodes. There have been a few other moments in C3 that felt similar (due to guest player scheduling), but at the same time, I've had similar situations in home games where knowing a player was going to be out for a few sessions we'd talk about how to give the character a graceful exit from the story.

But I would certainly never call CR scripted.

 

[Seramus]

It's been a while since I watched, but my understanding is that it's pre-recorded these days, but that's mostly to accommodate various schedules (so when Laura gets another award, she can actually be at the award show and appreciate that without having to rush to get to the game). If there's any editing going on, I would suppose it would be things in the realm of practicality, not the game itself. Think bio breaks, not plot fumbles.

Yeah, it's pre-recorded but what we see is a 4 hour block of mostly unedited footage. The only things that are edited are the intro section (those are filmed separately now) and the usual mid-session break (giving the actors much more time than the brief 15 minutes they used to have). They don't even edit it when a player wanders off to the bathroom, they just keep on going!

 

[g00se99994]

Yes, but it's like wrestling. I don't really care that much if it is.

 

[Oofta]

I think the closest they've ever come to this may have been at the live show at the Greek. A decision was made at the end of the episode (rushed because they were on a hard time limit) that felt like the players knew that the PCs HAD to make the choice they did to set up the next three episodes. There have been a few other moments in C3 that felt similar (due to guest player scheduling), but at the same time, I've had similar situations in home games where knowing a player was going to be out for a few sessions we'd talk about how to give the character a graceful exit from the story.

But I would certainly never call CR scripted.

I will say that their appearances in front of crowds feels more like a performance than their standard play. Then again I'm not surprised, I can't imagine playing a game in front of that many people having no effect.

 

[Oofta]

Yes, but it's like wrestling. I don't really care that much if it is.

So they're just lying when they say it's not scripted? People who have pointed out how many hours it would take to script it would be practically impossible?

 

[Clint_L]

I've had plenty of players do what makes sense for their PCs or what will be fun instead of making the optimal choice. I do it myself sometimes. You may not play with people that choose option 2, I do. All the time.

There’s no right or wrong way to play D&D, as long as you are being kind to the folks you are playing with. I lean a bit more towards optimization than others at our table, but in general we’re more story oriented. For example, after my spouse’s artificer used a gun for the first time, they decided that their next action would be throwing up.

 

[James Gasik]

So they're just lying when they say it's not scripted? People who have pointed out how many hours it would take to script it would be practically impossible?

I don't think that's what they said. Much like how they are a wrestling fan (which everyone knows is a performance), they don't care that if it's real or not, they are entertained either way.

 

[Zaukrie]

I've never understood why it matters. It's entertainment. If you like it, great!

 

[Clint_L]

Yes, but it's like wrestling. I don't really care that much if it is.

But it's not.

 

[g00se99994]

So they're just lying when they say it's not scripted? People who have pointed out how many hours it would take to script it would be practically impossible?

I apologize for not being clear. I think they have meetings discussing certain plot points and character ideas. I don't think they pre plan all their dialog. I also don't care if they do. It's just entertainment. Critical Role is not a demonstration of what a typical D&D session is like. I see it more as entertainment. Like wrestling.