D&D 5E What is up with the popularity of watching other D&D groups play the game?

[Charlaquin]

I blocked that 2000 movie out. I no longer remember what happened in it. That probably is a good thing.

Oh, it was delightful! A shining example of so-bad-it’s-good filmmaking.

 

[Hexmage-EN]

You say that like the McElroys aren’t all experienced voice actors, radio personalities, and some of the most successful podcasters in the world...

I know they have the very popular My Brother, My Brother, and Me podcast, but their voice acting careers as far as I can tell only began two or three years ago and they haven't had many roles yet.

In contrast, Critical Role features the voice actors of Lust and Roy Mustang from Full Metal Alchemist, Captain Levi from Attack on Titan, and Gaara from Naruto.

I also in the process of writing this post learned that the actor whose character's death caused that minor outrage among Critical Role fans, Taliesin Jaffe, was a child actor on The Facts of Life in one episode.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I find that broadens my own approaches to gaming. Playing with the same people week after week may not actually be stifling, but it is limited in the sense that it doesn't reflect how other people are doing things in the wide world around us. Watching other people can do that if you find it useful.

I understand it from a research perspective, but most people are there for the entertainment. I love playing D&D more than doing just about anything else (within reason, I hope obviously) but I get very bored watching other people play (or hearing about their games or their characters). If I'm not involved, I just can't bring myself to care. (Which is not an attitude I have when it comes to most other things.)

Running games for decades, and that is ALWAYS true. In fact the older and the weaker my recall becomes, the poorer I become at running them.

I feel you. I sometimes lament that I was a better DM thirty years ago than I am now (and I run multiple games a week and have done for decades). I just can't remember all my plot details or what I had planned, even if I work on it night-before. I'm still terrible at taking notes, because I used to be able to wing it to near-perfection. Worst is, my players always want to know the names of even minor NPCs, guards, shopkeepers, barmaids, etc, and I am great at coming up with names on the spot. Unfortunately, if my players don't write it down... no one will remember by next session. I've got to learn to jot them down, but I don't even usually keep a pencil or paper at my end of the table when I'm DMing (I can still track monster HP in my head, thankfully).

I will look up and watch TAZ and see if that helps me get into watching other gamers.

Maybe I should try that one out myself. I sure do like the idea of watching a well-edited game.

 

[Tom Bagwell]

My games do not play like structured D&D at all. Most of the game time is spent exploring and roleplaying. Combat happens, but when it does most of the time the fights are desperate and deplete the parties resources quickly. This is happening less as they raise in levels, after a year and a half they are now at 6th level in a very heavily modified SKT. My players spend hours talking in character, and they keep coming back to the next session. I still do not like listening to critical roll.

Not that my game proves anything either way, but heavy roleplay in a game might not be so uncommon after all.

My games are similar. Combat usually happens if something goes wrong, or if not, it happens when the players have arranged a strong tactical advantage and it goes pretty quickly. It's more exploration, investigation, and roleplay.

 

[Older Beholder]

Oh, it was delightful! A shining example of so-bad-it’s-good filmmaking.

It was a lot harder to enjoy on that level having paid to see it at the cinema when it was released.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

It was a lot harder to enjoy on that level having paid to see it at the cinema when it was released.

I saw it for free and I desperately wanted my two hours back.

 

[Alzrius]

In contrast, Critical Role features the voice actors of Lust and Roy Mustang from Full Metal Alchemist, Captain Levi from Attack on Titan, and Gaara from Naruto.

The CR cast includes Kikuko Inoue, Shinichiro Miki, Hiroshi Kamiya, and Akira Ishida?!

Yeah, I went there.

 

[Charlaquin]

It was a lot harder to enjoy on that level having paid to see it at the cinema when it was released.

That’s fair. You also have to kind of mentally separate it from D&D to enjoy it. Like, I enjoy a good B-movie, but not in the same way I enjoy D&D.

 

[Charlaquin]

I saw it for free and I desperately wanted my two hours back.

Aww, but it’s hilarious! Jeremy Irons absolutely chews the scenery every moment he’s on screen, Damadar’s blue lipstick makes any scene he’s in impossible to take seriously, the thieve’s guild sequence shamelessly rips off every Indiana Jones trap, the plot somehow manages to be both mind-numbingly inane and thoroughly impenetrable, Snails... Just Snails! What’s not to love?

 

[robus]

If it somehow appeared as though I were dishing on those who enjoy them, let me set the record straight, I'm absolutely not. I'm hoping folks who enjoy them will speak up and tell me what they feel I'm missing.

I like to mostly listen to critical role as I work alone a lot and it‘s kind of weekly radio play with improv. I also appreciate seeing a master DM at work and enjoy seeing how he handles the various random things that come up during the game. And also how effectively he sets the scene and establishes the stakes. I’ve noted elsewhere how exploration heavy I believe CR to be.

Do I enjoy every second? No. Do I enjoy most of it? Absolutely. Would I choose it over playing an actual game? Definitely not. Has it informed my approach to running a game? I’d say yes.