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Message: <blockquote data-quote="OB1" data-source="post: 8129133" data-attributes="member: 6796241">I started listening to gaming podcasts back in 2012 with Nerd Poker, as a way to pass the time during my 2hr a day commute, and then Critical Hit (a 4e podcast with an amazing DM, Rodrigo Lopez, and an fantastic and funny cast of small town Kansas theatre nerds).  I hadn't actually played D&D in about 7 years, and hadn't played regularly since the 90s, but listening was a fun way to pass the time and remember the game I loved.  But Critical Hit was so good that it gave me the itch to start playing again.  When the free Next playtest material started coming out, I downloaded it, convinced my wife and a couple of friends to try it out, and now have been playing 5e 2-3 times a month for 6 years and introduced over two dozen first time players to the game.I'd heard the hype about Critical Role, but like others, didn't have the time to sit down and watch 3-4 hour episodes.  When they finally released them as podcasts, they made it into my rotation on my commute (which had grown to 3 hours a day) and I fell in love with the comradery of the cast, the characters and the world. When the Pandemic hit and I started working from home, we also had to stop our gaming group, so instead, wife and I started watching the old episodes of Crit Role for the first time on YouTube, since we suddenly had the extra time and not a lot of content options.  It was a great escape, and wonderful to watch the show grow and the players and characters bond.   And I was amazed that even though I'd listened to the campaigns before, watching them was a new and rewarding experience. Once again, it led me back to playing, when they released a free Wildemount module on Roll20, and I decided to try online play with my gaming group.  Well, what was supposed to be a 3 session trial has turned into a six month campaign that goes almost every week online.So I guess the answer is, I watch because the stories, cast and characters are entertaining (to me, way more so than most shows on network TV), but also because they inspire me to play and become a better DM.  There are a ton of different styles and ways to play D&D, and watching and listening to live plays are a great way to expand your understanding of the game beyond the group you play with and make the game even more rewarding.</blockquote>

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