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<blockquote data-quote="Jacob Lewis" data-source="post: 7725827" data-attributes="member: 6667921"><p>Before I started working at my current job over a year ago, I probably would have never devoted as many hours to watching other people playing games as I have. But because I work in an environment with very little personal contact (i.e. no phones, no customers, etc.), and often working long hours focused on production at a computer, I have the luxury of listening to any audible content available from my phone or tablet. It has allowed me the opportunity to watch (or mostly listen to) every episode of <em>Critical Role </em>currently available on YouTube, which has filled about 400+ hours of work with entertainment and background noise. Figure that I work on average 45-55 hours per week, that's less than 10 weeks worth of content out of a year and two months, so far. </p><p></p><p>Of course, podcasts aren't the only forms of entertainment of interest for me. I have music and audiobooks, as well as the random bits of YouTube that can be enjoyed in small doses every now and then. But I find that live-play shows scratch a particular itch, as well as eat a larger block of time as most sessions average 3-4 hours per show. Considering the excessive amount of time I have to fill at work, this makes live-plays a more economical choice, especially if it is a continuous series with plenty of episodes. Needless to say, I am always looking for more content of interest to watch (or listen to) to fill up the other 40+ weeks of work in the year, and it's sometimes been a challenge. Here are some of the things I take into consideration:</p><p></p><p><strong>Production Quality (sound): </strong>Whether it is a group of friends playing at home, linked online through a virtual table, or a sponsored show with a full production team to handle the equipment, sound quality is very important for me. If I can't hear everyone clearly, or if the room has a tendency to blow up my headphones with explosive yelling and cheering, I'm going to look elsewhere. Good equipment and a technician behind the scenes are obviously helpful, usually with a price tag. But even taking the time to check your levels, positioning your mics, and even communicating with your participating guests can reduce a lot of the unpleasant instances that could deter listeners from enjoying your content, no matter how good or interesting it may be.</p><p></p><p><strong>Game System: </strong>This is more subjective as different people will have different likes and interests. Personally, I will look for shows about particular game systems that currently interest me before anything else. Since I am no longer interested in 5th Edition D&D, for example, those shows are less likely to grab my interest. I still watch <em>Critical Role</em>, however, and I may still find a show for 5e interesting but for different reasons that I will explain later. </p><p></p><p>I may also look for game systems I haven't played but want to learn more about. In these case, I'll want to find something that showcases the rules in action, or teaches you how to play. HyperRPG did a series of tutorial videos for their <em>Shadowrun</em> show to explain the basics of the rules for the latest edition. The series itself, called <em>Corporate S.I.N.s, </em>was actually quite good on many levels, checking off most of the boxes for me on this list. </p><p></p><p>My favorite system currently is the <em>Star Wars RPG</em> from Fantasy Flight Games, and though there are a few shows out there I follow, I find the overall outcome lacking. <em>Pencils & Parsecs</em> (also on HyperRPG) has great production and an entertaining cast, but the show began with an (in-game) adversarial attitude between the players and the GM (with the producer of the show). That rivalry has been noticeably subdued in later episodes, but that's not what bothers me most. They play very loose with the rules, utilizing specialty dice as frivolous "gifts" from audience through monetary donations that help fund the show. While I'm not opposed to seeing support for the channel, it irks me that it works against the principle of the game itself and gives the wrong impression of the wonderful mechanics. The game itself is more art than science, but I had hoped to find a show that gives a better idea of how the game actually works. The show itself is entertaining enough because of the cast members (Hector Navarro is funny!), but I am not getting the satisfaction of the good gameplay and style that I want to see from the system itself.</p><p></p><p>Side note: <em>Nerdarchy</em> did a short run of this system, and despite some audio issues and a room full of jedi characters, the game master was exceptionally talented and well-versed in this system. It was well worth enduring the shortcomings of the show to learn some interesting tricks and ideas from their GM! Which leads me to...</p><p></p><p><strong>Mastery of the Game/World: </strong>Despite not being a fan of 5e D&D, one of the reasons I still watch <em>Critical Role</em> is because Matt Mercer has a gift. He knows the game, he knows his group, he knows his world, and more importantly, he knows how to present it. I've lost interest in many of the story arcs some time ago, but I will never get tired of listening to Mercer bringing his world to life. And I'm not talking about the characters (NPCs) he portrays. He's a great voice actor, so that should be a given. It is the detail and insight he describes in ever scene. From visual details, to textures and smells. Even mood and emotion are inferred with his words, conjuring images and senses to bring you into his world. And combat is vivid and descriptive to the point of repulsive, but I tend to tune out because game mechanics, indecisiveness, and dice rolls are boring after the first ten or twenty minutes. </p><p></p><p><strong>A Good Cast: </strong>Assuming that you're doing a live play, your players should bring something more to the table than just a character sheet. Not necessarily a professional actor or celebrity guest, but at least someone who is entertaining, interesting, and at least plays well. Don't allow someone who argues constantly, can't get along with other guests, has too many strong opinions about everything, and wants to showcase his/her character or particular style of play. If you want to play to an audience, you want to make sure you can appeal to them on some level. <em> </em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>Critical Role</em> (last time to mention it, I promise) has an interesting group because a) they're professional actors, and b) they're close friends. As much as Mercer brings life to his world, these people bring life to their characters. But more importantly, they're very entertaining to watch, both in- and out-of-character. Sometimes more out- than in-, but entertaining nonetheless. It is also entertaining (and simultaneously annoying) to watch them fumble through books trying to figure out which spell to cast or how something works, but that is where Mercer's mastery (and patience) often shines. </p><p></p><p><strong>Campaign Settings/Adventure: </strong>Like game systems, this is going to be highly subjective to personal tastes. Regardless of the system used, I am more likely to tune into a program if it is in a particular setting or adventure of interest to me. <em>Dark Sun</em> is probably on the top of my wish list, and there are several out there using different rules. But none of them have really gotten my attention yet. Likewise, some of the <em>Pathfinder Adventure Paths</em> are of particular interest, if anyone can actually get through an entire set. Granted, it's a tall order to start from level 1 to reach level 15 or higher. Doing so and meeting all of the criteria above may make it nigh impossible! Here's hoping someone out there is up to the challenge. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Jacob Lewis, post: 7725827, member: 6667921"] Before I started working at my current job over a year ago, I probably would have never devoted as many hours to watching other people playing games as I have. But because I work in an environment with very little personal contact (i.e. no phones, no customers, etc.), and often working long hours focused on production at a computer, I have the luxury of listening to any audible content available from my phone or tablet. It has allowed me the opportunity to watch (or mostly listen to) every episode of [I]Critical Role [/I]currently available on YouTube, which has filled about 400+ hours of work with entertainment and background noise. Figure that I work on average 45-55 hours per week, that's less than 10 weeks worth of content out of a year and two months, so far. Of course, podcasts aren't the only forms of entertainment of interest for me. I have music and audiobooks, as well as the random bits of YouTube that can be enjoyed in small doses every now and then. But I find that live-play shows scratch a particular itch, as well as eat a larger block of time as most sessions average 3-4 hours per show. Considering the excessive amount of time I have to fill at work, this makes live-plays a more economical choice, especially if it is a continuous series with plenty of episodes. Needless to say, I am always looking for more content of interest to watch (or listen to) to fill up the other 40+ weeks of work in the year, and it's sometimes been a challenge. Here are some of the things I take into consideration: [B]Production Quality (sound): [/B]Whether it is a group of friends playing at home, linked online through a virtual table, or a sponsored show with a full production team to handle the equipment, sound quality is very important for me. If I can't hear everyone clearly, or if the room has a tendency to blow up my headphones with explosive yelling and cheering, I'm going to look elsewhere. Good equipment and a technician behind the scenes are obviously helpful, usually with a price tag. But even taking the time to check your levels, positioning your mics, and even communicating with your participating guests can reduce a lot of the unpleasant instances that could deter listeners from enjoying your content, no matter how good or interesting it may be. [B]Game System: [/B]This is more subjective as different people will have different likes and interests. Personally, I will look for shows about particular game systems that currently interest me before anything else. Since I am no longer interested in 5th Edition D&D, for example, those shows are less likely to grab my interest. I still watch [I]Critical Role[/I], however, and I may still find a show for 5e interesting but for different reasons that I will explain later. I may also look for game systems I haven't played but want to learn more about. In these case, I'll want to find something that showcases the rules in action, or teaches you how to play. HyperRPG did a series of tutorial videos for their [I]Shadowrun[/I] show to explain the basics of the rules for the latest edition. The series itself, called [I]Corporate S.I.N.s, [/I]was actually quite good on many levels, checking off most of the boxes for me on this list. My favorite system currently is the [I]Star Wars RPG[/I] from Fantasy Flight Games, and though there are a few shows out there I follow, I find the overall outcome lacking. [I]Pencils & Parsecs[/I] (also on HyperRPG) has great production and an entertaining cast, but the show began with an (in-game) adversarial attitude between the players and the GM (with the producer of the show). That rivalry has been noticeably subdued in later episodes, but that's not what bothers me most. They play very loose with the rules, utilizing specialty dice as frivolous "gifts" from audience through monetary donations that help fund the show. While I'm not opposed to seeing support for the channel, it irks me that it works against the principle of the game itself and gives the wrong impression of the wonderful mechanics. The game itself is more art than science, but I had hoped to find a show that gives a better idea of how the game actually works. The show itself is entertaining enough because of the cast members (Hector Navarro is funny!), but I am not getting the satisfaction of the good gameplay and style that I want to see from the system itself. Side note: [I]Nerdarchy[/I] did a short run of this system, and despite some audio issues and a room full of jedi characters, the game master was exceptionally talented and well-versed in this system. It was well worth enduring the shortcomings of the show to learn some interesting tricks and ideas from their GM! Which leads me to... [B]Mastery of the Game/World: [/B]Despite not being a fan of 5e D&D, one of the reasons I still watch [I]Critical Role[/I] is because Matt Mercer has a gift. He knows the game, he knows his group, he knows his world, and more importantly, he knows how to present it. I've lost interest in many of the story arcs some time ago, but I will never get tired of listening to Mercer bringing his world to life. And I'm not talking about the characters (NPCs) he portrays. He's a great voice actor, so that should be a given. It is the detail and insight he describes in ever scene. From visual details, to textures and smells. Even mood and emotion are inferred with his words, conjuring images and senses to bring you into his world. And combat is vivid and descriptive to the point of repulsive, but I tend to tune out because game mechanics, indecisiveness, and dice rolls are boring after the first ten or twenty minutes. [B]A Good Cast: [/B]Assuming that you're doing a live play, your players should bring something more to the table than just a character sheet. Not necessarily a professional actor or celebrity guest, but at least someone who is entertaining, interesting, and at least plays well. Don't allow someone who argues constantly, can't get along with other guests, has too many strong opinions about everything, and wants to showcase his/her character or particular style of play. If you want to play to an audience, you want to make sure you can appeal to them on some level. [I] Critical Role[/I] (last time to mention it, I promise) has an interesting group because a) they're professional actors, and b) they're close friends. As much as Mercer brings life to his world, these people bring life to their characters. But more importantly, they're very entertaining to watch, both in- and out-of-character. Sometimes more out- than in-, but entertaining nonetheless. It is also entertaining (and simultaneously annoying) to watch them fumble through books trying to figure out which spell to cast or how something works, but that is where Mercer's mastery (and patience) often shines. [B]Campaign Settings/Adventure: [/B]Like game systems, this is going to be highly subjective to personal tastes. Regardless of the system used, I am more likely to tune into a program if it is in a particular setting or adventure of interest to me. [I]Dark Sun[/I] is probably on the top of my wish list, and there are several out there using different rules. But none of them have really gotten my attention yet. Likewise, some of the [I]Pathfinder Adventure Paths[/I] are of particular interest, if anyone can actually get through an entire set. Granted, it's a tall order to start from level 1 to reach level 15 or higher. Doing so and meeting all of the criteria above may make it nigh impossible! Here's hoping someone out there is up to the challenge. ;) [/QUOTE]
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