Critical Role Is Critical Role Scripted

[Clint_L]

This is a perennial debate amongst a segment of the community. In the attached video, Matt Mercer and Marisha Ray discuss it very frankly, and go into detail about how episodes of Critical Role are produced. They also address the "Matt Mercer Effect" towards the end of the video (it's timestamped).


TLDR: It's not any more scripted than a well prepared home game, aside from any commercial content at the beginning. But I already knew that; the video also has a lot of good insight into DM and player preparation, so even if you don't care about the "scripted" debate, it's worth a watch.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Mercer has previously talked about how each hour of play at the table involves multiple hours of work on his end. I think it would be hard to imagine a scenario where he wouldn't have a lot of detailed content prepped ahead of time, ready to pull out at a moment's notice (more or less), especially once he's in the thick of a new campaign and all of the unused stuff is also sitting there, ready to go.

I'm hardly the biggest fan of Critical Role -- it's fine, but way too decompressed for my tastes -- but the reason it's so polished is because Mercer does a crazy amount of prep (for good reason). If it was actually scripted, I think a lot of these campaigns would have turned out much differently than they did.

 

[Parmandur]

This is a perennial debate amongst a segment of the community. In the attached video, Matt Mercer and Marisha Ray discuss it very frankly, and go into detail about how episodes of Critical Role are produced. They also address the "Matt Mercer Effect" towards the end of the video (it's timestamped).


TLDR: It's not any more scripted than a well prepared home game, aside from any commercial content at the beginning. But I already knew that; the video also has a lot of good insight into DM and player preparation, so even if you don't care about the "scripted" debate, it's worth a watch.

I honestly don't know how anyone could watch 4 minutes of their show and think it was scripted at all.

 

[Oofta]

I saw this a while back. I've never really understood the "it's scripted" argument. Yes, the people playing are very good at staying in character and being creative. When you have hundreds of hours of play, sometimes it's going to be that "perfect moment". But I can't imagine how they'd script the amount of content they go through every week.

Matt and individual players do sometimes discuss things they want to do in a general way, but I do that as well. Talking with your players offline to make the game more fun for everyone is part of the game.

On the other hand, I really wish I had a production team to help me with terrain and setup like Matt has. I'm jealous!

 

[mellored]

Scripting it sounds like more work than just playing it.

 

[Clint_L]

I like that they take the accusations as a compliment.

 

[Bayushi_seikuro]

I saw this a while back. I've never really understood the "it's scripted" argument. Yes, the people playing are very good at staying in character and being creative. When you have hundreds of hours of play, sometimes it's going to be that "perfect moment". But I can't imagine how they'd script the amount of content they go through every week.

Matt and individual players do sometimes discuss things they want to do in a general way, but I do that as well. Talking with your players offline to make the game more fun for everyone is part of the game.

On the other hand, I really wish I had a production team to help me with terrain and setup like Matt has. I'm jealous!

I think having actors play makes the 'staying in character' much easier.

I do wonder how much production team help he gets for the battlefields. They've released shorts that are sped up versions of Matt working on the terrain for the next encounter, but the room and tools he has available to use... mindblowing

Maps Mercer - This One's A Big Boy | Critical Role Campaign 3, Episode 96

Maps Mercer is back!Join Game Master Matthew Mercer as he builds #CriticalRole Campaign 3, Episode 96's big ol' battle map of Aeor's mysterious ruins and fil...

youtube.com

 

[Oofta]

I think having actors play makes the 'staying in character' much easier.

I do wonder how much production team help he gets for the battlefields. They've released shorts that are sped up versions of Matt working on the terrain for the next encounter, but the room and tools he has available to use... mindblowing

Maps Mercer - This One's A Big Boy | Critical Role Campaign 3, Episode 96

Maps Mercer is back!Join Game Master Matthew Mercer as he builds #CriticalRole Campaign 3, Episode 96's big ol' battle map of Aeor's mysterious ruins and fil...

youtube.com

He mentions in the video that he sometimes gets help with terrain or specific monsters.

Doesn't hurt that he's sponsored by Dwarven Forge.

 

[CleverNickName]

I like that they take the accusations as a compliment.

I certainly would, if it were me.

"Critical Role is totally scripted!"
- someone who has never written a script before.

Not many people understand the huge amount of work that would take. I mean, think about it: to write a whole new script for a four-hour episode, and have everyone rehearsed and off-book and performance-ready, and do it again every week for years at a time, and still have it be polished and engaging? That would take far more than "a bunch of nerdy-ass voice actors." They would all need to be god-tier screenwriters.

 

[Bayushi_seikuro]

He mentions in the video that he sometimes gets help with terrain or specific monsters.

Doesn't hurt that he's sponsored by Dwarven Forge.

Agreed. I'm blanking on the name of the guy who makes the minis on Dimension 20, but Brennan Lee Mulligan busted out a bear corpse as a battle map one time and that was fire. -- Note: I was wrong; they made it for the game Aabria ran

Aabria's First Battlemap is a Nightmare Bear ð» (CW: Gore)

RICK PERRY, YOU MADMAN #shorts #dimension20 #burrowsendWatch Dimension 20: Burrow's End here: https://www.dropout.tv/dimension-20-burrow-s-endFor select free...

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