Critical Role PSA: You are not Matt Mercer

[Ruin Explorer]

Have any of you guys met with this issue out in the wilds? How do you deal with it when it shows up at your table?

I haven't seen this in the wild, and almost all the talk about it I've heard seems to be third-hand stuff which is "I read a guy on a board saying that this happened to a guy!", rather than first-hand stuff like "this happened to me".

Only one person in my group watches CR-type stuff much, and he actually said he didn't like CR because it's "too serious". I will say his RP and character-design choices seem to have improved since he started watching them, though. I think the worst thing he's ever done related to that was a mild backhanded compliment about some aspect of my DMing as compared to some show, which just made me roll my eyes.

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

CR fans of today are the Drizzt fans of 30 years ago.

They're annoying but at least they're playing the game.

Plus ca change....

 

[Fanaelialae]

I like CR but I've never seen this happen and I certainly don't try to run my game the same as Mercer.

It would be pretty weird to me if this was a thing, though given the number of inane GMing stories I've heard from before CR was ever a thing, I don't doubt that it's happened to someone somewhere. I am, however, skeptical about its prevalence.

 

[Bitbrain]

I flat out told my players that I’ve got more important things to do than imitate Mercer. I ain’t no voice actor here, and my hair isn’t half as good looking as his...

 

[Son of the Serpent]

I find that dms who dont measure themselves by way of comparison to other dms usually end up more unique, outright better, more robustly creative, and more fun anyway. Developing this way is organic and takes longer to reach your potential but its worth the climb. Right off the bat your putting an inherently heavier emphasis on developing your own raw creativity and becoming practiced at coming up with your own ideas more than someone who meaures themselves and compares themselves constantly to an established dm. The pay off ks definitely worth it.

Caveat: learning by watching dms is a different story. Im talking about something else which has a much stronger influence, often destructive and while dms who do constantly compare themselves to other dms do also do all the things i mentioned who dont do that do, the focus on those things is lessened.

 

[akr71]

I do watch CR as does my wife (occasionally) and the other DM in my group. I have not seen this effect at our table, nor have I read about tables with these issues on this board. I could be missing those threads by not paying attention.

One of my players would love it if I put on voices and theatrics, but until she does, and the rest of the table follows suite, I have no intention of doing so. Plus the amount of whiskey that would take could seriously damage my liver.

 

[Son of the Serpent]

I do watch CR as does my wife (occasionally) and the other DM in my group. I have not seen this effect at our table, nor have I read about tables with these issues on this board. I could be missing those threads by not paying attention.

One of my players would love it if I put on voices and theatrics, but until she does, and the rest of the table follows suite, I have no intention of doing so. Plus the amount of whiskey that would take could seriously damage my liver.

op isnt exagerating. I havent encountered it because our group always makes good friends with people before we invite them to play (or they are family members) but it really is a pandemic (lol...this word is very in vogue) and i have friends and acquaintances who have run into it a lot. Technically i have run into it but not at the table. Only in conversation with people who play d&d who i discover through said conversation play it. Never my group. But with these people i occasionally run into someone who is one of these players. Or a dm who is obsessed with trying to live up to mercer. Its so depressing. Yeah. Op isnt exagerating at all. And also these people are almost always talking about how the campaign is imploding or about how they HAD a campaign or campaigns that imploded.

 

[Shiroiken]

I've not run across this, but I've been running/playing for much longer than CR. I suppose a new player whose only experience has been from CR might make some issue about it, but they'll learn very quickly that every DM (and player) has their own style. The only way I can see this as a major issue would be a group of new players & DM that got together because they'd all watched CR, because they'll never replicate what they've seen (because they're freaking professionals!).

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I suppose a new player whose only experience has been from CR might make some issue about it, but they'll learn very quickly that every DM (and player) has their own style.

Quite and the sword cuts both ways, because just as the DM is not Matt Mercer, the player isn't Travis Willingham or whoever.

 

[Morrus]

Quite and the sword cuts both ways, because just as the DM is not Matt Mercer, the player isn't Travis Willingham or whoever.

That's a point I've made before. Putting aside the notion that one DM should be just like another, if a game isn't as "good" as maybe the participants would like, putting all the blame on the DM is unfair. D&D is a group activity. Everybody is responsible for making it a fun time.

I imagine responding to a player complaining "This game isn't as good as X!" with "Well, play better then!" wouldn't go down well though!