On the note of "They’re professional actors so don't expect your game to be like Critical Role" and The Matt Mercer Effect I didn't pick up Critical Role UNTIL I decided to DM. Not because I had it in my head that I was going to be able to watch a couple episodes and suddenly be as good a DM as Matt, but because there ARE lessons to be learned from watching someone who’s really good at what they do. There's a few things I saw Matt do that I thought "Ahh, I see! Yeah I could probably do something like that" and some stuff that lay somewhere between "That probably isn't going to work for my group" and "I probably won't attempt that until I'm more confident as a DM." But that setting of expectations can be important BECAUSE of how many people join a game or start up a game and think they're going to be like CR on their first session. It's not just that they're professional actors... at this point they're also professional DnD players. I ain’t gonna have a new Dwarven Forge play map for every encounter, or painted minis for every fight/NPC, and that’s okay. You do what you can with what you have, and if anyone complains that it's not enough... well, that's their problem, not yours.
For our group, the more players started to watch DnD, the better our games got. We started out playing it more like a video game. Which was also awesome, just different. And then we learned how much more on the narrative side you can do WITH using the game mechanics for that. We had almost a reverse Mercer effect where our DM had seen it and was disappointed when we weren't that active on our first game. But we grew as a group over time.
@@Drakoni23 That's the good stuff! Yeah, my group had mostly seen either Critical Role or another actual play series. The ones that haven't are dabbling. And it works for us because I'm lucky enough to have a group comprised of mature adults, so while everyone can look at some wild stuff that Matt pulls, or some of Brennan's cool stuff and go "Woah that's really cool" I don't then get players coming to my table saying "Well Matt did it, why can't you?" Works really well for me because like, I think the biggest thing that I've drawn from watching Critical Role as far as inspiration is that I want my game to be a narratively satisfying experience for my players AS WELL AS a satisfying GAME. A great story that is assisted and driven by the game. And my players are all fans of CR to some degree and also love that style so they're all on board with that vision and it's working out well. Turns out the answer to the problem of the "Matt Mercer Effect" is usually just "How bout y'all actually listen to what Matt has to say about it"
@@allofashes I have a player at my table who's incredibly artistically talented, but also has that ADHD thing of needing to fidget. He's also super engaged in the game though, so when he gets that "must fidget" urge he just takes some molding clay from his bag and hand-sculpts the enemies they're fighting mid game. One time I was running this spooky halloween themed session and in the first 30 minutes, he decides to just make a fucked up lil guy to be spooky... and the thing just looked exactly like the final boss monster of the dungeon. My guy has never even flicked through the Monster Manual so it definitely wasn't like, cheating or anything... Awesome moment at the table though!
there's a channel called SuperGeekMike who does a series called Critical Role Demistified. Literally just doing what you mentioned, digesting potential lessons from episode to episode.
1) players agree to play a specific theme & story setting 2) there are at least 7 player written backstories here for the DM to play out with each player for the table 3) every player understands that we're making the game together with the above
What I enjoy about CR is that it was a home game among some friends first and its mostly retained that feel of a bunch of friends playing around a table. I mean after announcements and ad reads, they all seem to relax into just gaming and being friends around a table.
I'm not following CR for a long time, but It never really occurred to me that it could be "fully scripted". It never felt any more scripted than a home game to me.
it’s funny that they seem to see it as a compliment at this point, that their live work is as good as full scripted performances the longer cr continues the better! because the reality of over a thousand hours of content being shared is humanly impossible to script out? that’s tens of thousands of hours of work, if you include the time to write and memorize lines. Incredible!
There are a lot of people that play D&D as little more than a tactical boardgame. I've been in a ton of home games that are as deep and immersive as Matt's games (love you man), just without the voice acting talent.
Thinking that someone is scripting a 3-5 hour show every week, memorizing lines, and practicing reads every single week for 10 years - people saying that aren't living in reality.
Ikr? Can you imagine how crazy you would have to be to script a 3 to 4 hour weekly show? Holy shit..... Anyone with 5 braincells can conclude that Matt has a set of various points and plotthreads and flows that he wants to follow, that he was to adapt/destroy/reconstruct depending on what the table does... even someone that never played D&D like me can understand it...
People forget too often that the only wrong way to play D&D is the way where you and your friends aren't having fun...as long as you're having fun you're doing it right.
Yeah except they get paid millions of dollars to play the game. CR isn’t DND, it’s entertainment, like any mainstream popular dnd actual play out there
@littleoldmanboy I've said it for years that CR isn't D&D, it's a stage production made to look like D&D and it never fails, as I'm sure will be the case here, someone rushes to the defense of Matt Mercer.
@@mattsmith1859 It's 3 weeks later, so I don't think this qualifies as rushing to Matt's defense. The thing is, you sound like you have a grudge, like Matt and CR have somehow slighted your honor and you must challenge Matt to a duel. Did Matt steal your girlfriend? Nothing Critical Role has done or will do will prevent you from playing any ttrpg the way you want to play it. Your expectations are skewed and your hostility is misplaced. Maybe something traumatic happened, like your group no longer plays the way you want to play. That sucks, but it happens, and you can start your own group or find another. And even if your old group wants to mirror CR, that isn't CR's fault or responsibility. It certainly isn't to any degree that warrants you shit-talking them and sounding like you think they owe you something. They don't. So man up, grow up, go touch grass, and come to the wisdom that you aren't the center of the universe.
i loved how, by the end of the video, he talked directly to those players, those who are part of dnd critical role horror stories for expecting too much or thinking every table is like them. Loved the inverview, hopefully, if it does well we can see you with other big (and not so big) figures
really great, marisha is fantastic and matt as always as well. they both have very intelligent, creative and mindful energys that makes watching interviews really interesting and informative. great watch thank you!
What a great interview! Matt and Marisha exude a level of safety for their players and staff as well as security in their talents, it seems like they're amazing leaders CR might set a high bar for TTRPGs for some people, but IMO this just boils down to time. If producing a weekly actual play is your full-time gig, well yeah no shi that final product is going to be good. We're all limited by time, money and resources and to expect something like G&S or D20 or CR at a home game doesn't make sense. The basketball analogy was so apt
I love these interviews! It's answers a lot of the questions that I had over the years watching the show. Thank you for your content, please keep it up! Much love from Brazil!
That bit around 15:30 or so where Matt is talking about being a gameplay purest in the sense that he wants to protect and preserve the ability to surprise his players because that part of what he loves about the game is so true for me as a DM too. I love from time to time being able to pull off that twist or have that unexpected boss battle sort of experience. And similarly I love being surprised by my players when they think of a solution that makes sense but I had never considered. Sure, it can be a bit stressful to have a heavier dose of improvisation depending on just how dramatically they surprise me but if I wanted to know everything and have full control then I wouldn't be playing d&d with my friends, I'd be writing a (probably shitty) novel.
As a DM it is pretty crazy they even have to answer this question IMO. I would like to say as well this is my first video on the channel and the production quality is top notch audio & video are very well done!
I'm sure a part of the fallacy that CR is scripted is, like I daresay most DMs (myself included) that for describing a highly detailed setting or if a specific NPC has an important monologue, it's very helpful to have that written out so it's ready if the situation calls for it. Certain lore or information that the players may discover, having that written down to that information across is useful so those important nuggets are given to the players in the most accurate way one can. So, there are instances where Matt is describing a room or speaking through an NPC while occasionally glancing down at his notes and people think, 'oh, he's reading from a script. This isn't real spontaneous role-play.' I'm sure people don't understand what they're seeing and jump to conclusions. That's not what's happening. Taking things a step further and looking at it the whole table for what it is, a character sheet is a kind of script. It's a document that gives you a guide to direct your improvised play, but nothing more. It's not the end all be all of what happens at the table.
As not an actor, I can get into character all the time and have these amazing moments in game. People saying it's scripted just lack imagination and ability to think on their feet.
As a life long gamer, I feel like the criticism of "it's scripted" only comes from people who didn't watch them completely bollox negotiations or make boneheaded choices that no one would *ever* write into a script. I love Marisha to death, but if she is ever at my table, she does not get to lead the parley.
The skill of these committed people against the humility of the entire Critical Role cast is ALWAYS an astonishing example to me. I have only been with them for ~ 5-6 years but they have been and will always be amongst my favorite human beings on the planet. They care, they have a genuine love and appreciation for the people who watch (not just the dedicated Critters) and are just stalwart examples of what good people can be. Thank You Critical Role!
no the older campaign is definitely not, but C3 is entirely different in feel then the other two. 1 could say its intensively polished....others can say they really fleshed out the story waaaay in advanced, and no shit their a massive conglomerate at this point.
@@zacharynyberg7007 But they obviously didn't, and it's not at all polished. It's polished from a production standpoint, they have a lot more money now, they now play on their own schedule since their games aren't live anymore, but the story? I feel like C3 among all their campaigns is the most meandering and least focused story they've told. Not to mention, occam's razor would suggest that it's not scripted or fleshed out in advance because it would be too difficult to coordinate them all and practice and rehearse. It's a 4+ hour show. They put out roughly 36 episodes per year (3 per month), which is about 144 hours worth of content just for CR, not counting other things they do. Some movies take like a year to produce 2 hours of footage. Suffice it to say, with that volume of content that needs to be produced, it would literally be easier to improvise it than it would be to prepare it. It'd be easier, cheaper, and faster to produce if the players just played the game normally.
@@zacharynyberg7007 production is polished, playing doesn't look like it's been planned, it looks like they've been playing in the same world for over 10 years and have more of a grasp on how aspects in said world work and are more comfortable with playing together and on camera, they know from experience of 3 campaigns together how they want to play off each other and work together. They didn't flesh out the story way in advanced, the world has been gradually fleshed out in the decade that they've been playing in it. also they aren't actually a "massive" conglomerate, they are still quite small, and that has nothing to do with any planning or improv in the show
@@zacharynyberg7007 C3 is by far the worst pacing-wise. If it was scripted, you'd think they'd have paced it SO MUCH better. Your comment gives more proof that CR isn't scripted 😂
I vibed so hard with this, I started DMing last summer with a group that was very fresh to DnD, none had played it at a table before. We had some amazing role play with voices from my players and myself, we built scenes, we cried and laughed. So being told not to expect the level of gameplay at a home game isn't necessarily true, find a game you're comfortable in and support eachother both on and off the game and you'll see the game turn into an amazing interactive world.
It LOOKS scripted & planned at first glance. But 5 min of watching proves it's a highly-polished improv. Of course it looks fantastic: they're professional actors & now professional D&D players with a production team & commercial sponsors. But if you look at some of their original leaked vids, it's pencil on graph paper with whatever works as props. Just like the rest of us.
one of the most memorable moments from early C1 was Vax falling in lava and is why whenever there is lava on the map the players kind of freak out a bit, and that happened on a hand drawn map
I remember my first time watching Critical Role, 1st episode of Campaign 3 (Which was my first day looking into DnD stuff of any kind by request of discord friends). 10-15 minutes in, I was like holy damn I think they’re improving this! It boggled my mind at first but I was hooked! I just assume the people who think it’s scripted didn’t ever get over that initial wave of boggling.
My personal definitions is that there are two main styles of RPG playing: Role-playing, and Roll-playing. Some people are just more interested in the dice and tactical interactions than the character interactions. And it can easily be a mix of the two. These folks, being professional actors, are understandably very much more into the Role-play aspect of the game. And that definitely translates much more entertainingly onto the screen. My group is more Roll-play than Role-play, but I've brought more of the latter into my latest campaign, and it went pretty well. We'll have to see what the future contains.
They're Voice Actors, not Home Video Producers. So, of course, their Audio Equipment is going to be top notch and their Video Equipment is going to cheap as shi--. All the good Video Equipment is sitting inside Critical Role's Studio. 😝
Probably not even their camera that much but the fact this is a videocall (that might decrease quality for it to run better) and then the videocall is recorded that can decrease quality even more
People who think live play shows are scripted are the type of people who consume media in the first person. They’re too dumb to be creative and stay in character long enough to appreciate that just because THEY THEMSELVES cannot figure out a way they think it must be impossible for anyone else to do it. “I can’t figure out how nasa sends rockets into space, therefore it’s all fake and the earth is flat.”
To second Marisha's point about being scripted. From my friend's homebrew, he was devising a one-shot that has since become more expanded. But since it was a one-shot at the time, and it was into a deadly part of his homebrew, he made sure to emphasize that death would not just be a consequence, but would be near certain. With that in mind, I made a tinker character who was a shut in, and was introduced to the group by an annoyingly curious NPC who admired my character. My character hated this NPC, until later into the campaign, where he realized that was one of the few real connections he had developed in his short and troubled life, so when that NPC's life was on the line, my character sacrificed himself to save that NPC. Unfortunately, neither character lived, but me and my DM kept talking about how that was a near perfect arc for this very short lived character I had. He was a shut in, he made connection, and he realized what was important to him and he was willing to sacrifice his life (and did) in order to even attempt to save that one connection he had made. It was a great brief and cathartic story, and if you didn't know it ahead of time, you would have thought it was all an elaborate plan.
Love the stuff about not needing to be professional actors. Im in a game with a bunch of critters and we have a blast and take huge swings and generally they go well and create interesting storytelling.
ok so I have been running TTRPG's for a long time. One thing matt is great at is knowing a number of goals and things the characters what to accomplish, and weaving them into the campaign goals. The story is the journey even if the players have some idea about some of the end goals..
My introduction to CR was different from most, as one of my long time players basically told me. "This guy DMs like you, you got to see this." But I actively tried to avoid seeing anything of it to not influence me, but once the pandemic hit I started watching. I love the show now, I personally see differences in our game to theirs, but I have that nagging pretender syndrome crap always creeping around.
Don't worry mate. So does Matt! You can hear it in his voice in interviews like this, or when his players find a dirty joke in something he names in-game!
@@Teufeltusken Not just "in his voice" - I saved a clip where he basically says it out loud. TH-cam hates links, but Campaign 3, Episode 5, 3:37:55 Sam asks "How do you do it Matt?" Matt says "Honestly? I have no fucking clue. I'm waiting for everyone to figure out that I'm faking it."
On the part of doing romance in your games, once you find that group that you truly meld with it becomes easy to kind of do that sort of stuff, like I’ve had a romance with one of my best buds characters on multiple occasions and it’s so fun when done well and with that special group
What the beauty of it is, is that all these people understand the concept of "collaborative storytelling" That's what makes CR stand out, it's the friendship, it's the genuine amazingness. like Matthew says, it's mainly up to the players. And that we've seen throughout the years... plus let's keep it real these are Drama High school kids, they just do it amazingly. "Scripted" no - collaborative storytelling, absolutely
The "professional actor" comments from Matt are very true for "regular" tables I've played at over my 40+ years of playing. It's also why I don't fully grok the "professional DM" trend that's been happening. The best DMs, paid or unpaid, are the ones that understand the players at the table. I've played & run plenty of one-shots at conventions, and they're often great, but it's not the same as playing with the same character & same players week after week for months at a time. The paid DM that no nothing about us, or the players about the DM, just isn't the same. At least not until the paid game has been running for a while.
I love this interview!! Thank you all for doing it. This is an amazing time to be a gamer, with professional groups like Critical Role or The Glass Cannon Network filling our hobby with amazing content!
I love-hate the scripted debate. Before I had to move away, we had 2 games running at the same time, I DM'd one, I played in the other - it was for the best part of 6 years a core group with the same 4+1 players and over 4 campaigns and 2 gaming systems, you get to the understanding of how the other player will react or what are they looking for with this or that character. Also having the long-term relationship really means you build the trust and opportunities for your players to come to you with proposals/ideas that you can build in and the group will take them on.
Love this interview! Thank you for the encouragement that it is okay to not be Critical Role, because we know we can' be. We are Dungeons & Dad Jokes, we have a great GM and we love getting involved with our characters. We stream to share the love of the game with others and to see successful streamers encourage it makes my heart smile. Thank you Critical Role for your part in brining the game I love back into the picture and inspiring new players to love the game too.
I think people feel this is scripted because they don't understand the skill set that comes with being trained in improv. Watch Who's Line Is It Anyway? and you'll see the same kind of quick responses. Being trained in improv is not just responding quickly to what is happening. It also involves paying attention to what your partner in the scene is trying to accomplish and helping them to do so.
I agree I just hate that Matt gets hate for being talented. Idk it's like a amateur basketball player being mad that Michael Jordan makes the game look easy ya'know
Here's how I see it: You can expect your DM to be as good as Matt Mercer. But that means YOU, player, have to give intricate descriptions of your spells like Liam as Caleb, consider Teleporting INSIDE a dragon to be a legitimate strategy like Sam as Scanlan, or be Laura Bailey and navigate a minutes-long interaction with a hag, only to defeat her using a cupcake. If you can't do that, ratchet back your DM expectations.
If anyone is a skeptic, try warching up to epispde 140 season 2 (then the rest hah). The whirl wind of emotional stakes isnt easily faked Edit: I'd like to add im a noob play new to role play and a poet who doesnt share their emotions. This is a personal bit but, i play a Triton who is a pirate who was a prisoner and I am stepping out of my shell. I notice it in small ways. My wife who is the DM has a beautiful world and spends alot of time crafting the story. It never occured to me what a person who has another chance at society or power could feel like till i stepped in their (fins? Shoes?). When I ask myself what my motivations are, when I'm asked what im thinking about I feel seen. Thank your DM. Thank yourself for experiencing
Structured improve. They have the basic info of the world, their backstories and character traits to follow, and Matt gives them settings and environments to react to. Matt also knows what they want to do, and they tell him sometimes, like ramancing where they check in, that it is a generalized plan or goal so Matt can plan ahead for. It's like putting people in chef outfits then placing them in a kitchen. Easy to know what they do with that provided info and context. They will cook.
You know what the difference has been in my games versus CR? Most of us can’t really do voices. But that aside, we have just as much fun, just as much emotional investment, and just as much narrative.
One thing they didn't mention as being professional actors, maybe because it's just something they don't think about, but is the fact that all of them have had improv training. This makes a HUGE difference, and really anyone can go take an improv class. You don't need to be an actor to do it.
"These actors are better prepared than me to improvise and create great plot moments- it must be a scam!" Nah man, you just aren't a professional actor. Enjoy your home game, it doesn't have to be at this level. It doesn't make it fake- the players are just a different set of people.
I often read "you need a good DM to play Pen and Paper" and I agree to a degree because yes, a DM sets the playground and tells the story. What many people seem to ignore is that a DM only can deliver as much and needs good players to really bring the game to life. A DM has to rely on people knowing and playing their characters and to give input themselves. No DM can pull players through a story w/o some active part-taking from them. Long story short: players need to be as reliable as the DM
My username is from a character I played decades ago. I still remember the moment I made the DM's jaw drop. Magical moments do indeed happen at home games. (edit) Also, one of my favorite sessions was 3+ hrs with no die rolls. It wall all talking, and was also very fun and completely improvised.
love these guys. So down to earth and geeky gamers at the same time. So much fun. I've been running D&D games for 40 years now and these gays are and awesome group.
I think people need to stop asking them about the scripted stuff, they have answered it a million times and you can see the expression on their face as they try to hide the disappointment of having to answer the same question over and over. They have given their stance on it, believe them, don't believe them, whatever floats your boat but I don't think people who interview them should keep asking them about it. After a certain point it becomes disrespectful to ask them about rumours they have given an answer to many times before.
I think the bigger issue with the Mercer effect is when players expect the game to be like critical role, but they don't interact with each other and help drive the narrative. Instead they seem to expect the DM to drive all the story. As the DM, I can't force the characters to interact with each other, and it becomes exhausting to have to drive every role play conversation. As a player, if you want the Critical Role experience, start having in character conversations with the other players characters.
They do. His name is "Matt Mercer." No, seriously, Matt doesn't do it because he has to, he does it because he likes doing it. Making maps and painting minis is cathartic for him. If he didn't actually want to do it, he would just hire someone to do it. It says a lot about how much he loves, and almost needs, to paint minis and make maps when the only time he'll ever let anyone else do it is when he doesn't have the time to do it. Besides, all of the map parts belong to Matt so it would be a shame if Matt never got to "play with his toys."
It's a story. If the game wasn't scripted at all, it'd just be chaos. Matt built a world and with the players, crafts a story to tell. What they actually do or say is random, but there is a path. Plus, no actors in the world could do that well at pretending to be spontaneous for 4 hours a week, every week for the last 9 years, running off a script, for a single take show.
Seems like these conversations about the Mercer effect reflect the low expectations people have. If more people focused on making their home games better (both players and DMs), Mercer wouldn't be this pipe dream unattainable goal. Stop comparing your home game to CR and focus on having fun at your own table
i would love to ask critical role about their acting experience impact. when dimension 20 by and large has improv actors while critical role mostly has scripted actors, how much do they feel like they lean on their game experience for scene pacing and how much do they lean on their voice acting experience.
You have to take into account that EVERY even moderately trained actor has trained in improv. It's one of the most basic skills an actor learns. I took four credits of improv required for an acting degree. Professional acting classes include improv. In HS we did improv days every week. Summer theater camps had improv. I taught a group of elementary age kids improv games as part of a drama camp at a local community center when I was in college. Unless they walk in off the street as a complete neophyte and get a part, every actor has improv experience.
Yea, but as a DM I sit in my bathroom and run voices over and practice my lore drops and speeches all of the time. If you have something planned for the players to find then you need to be prepared for it. Every single game of D&D has a script, it's called the DM. The DM has to know where the story is going and what is going on or else no one does.
People who think Critical Roll follows a script are either ignorant about improv performance and that quick witted people can pull that off easily with ease especially trained actors. The 2nd would be haters who are jealous of CR's success and just wants to destroy their reputation. Personally, I think these people are spreading this propaganda so that they can take out the competition so that they can be where Critical Roll are right now with their success in DnD.
One thing I didn't get about the set design is that they spent so much money on lighting and background, why didn't they add a rising stage in the center (where the maps go)? That way, Matt doesn't have to bring them in.... he could signal a producer, or PA, to raise the hidden platform with the map (and, all of the lighting effects) already on the play area. The map would be hidden from the players, but all of the prep work would already be done.
Matt plans the encounters very well, the players just don't strategize much going for them, and honestly, that makes it a lot more entertaining most of the times
@@waltercosta2067 As frustrating as it may be sometimes, if they strategized too much we wouldn't have experienced fjord being attacked by multiple turtles and various other monsters polymorphed into usually inocuous yet very angry creatures
Coo, I got a question answered, about the characters interacting with each other, it makes sence that they prepare that kind of things. If they didn't, it would seem scripted.
@@jeffwithheldforsafety8359 I think it might be her office at CR? I thought she showed it on one of the Instagram takeovers for Candela Obscura or something like that.
If I had to guess, Marisha is, probably, sitting in her office at her desk. Also if I had to guess, her "Voice Over Booth" is probably behind that cloth divider. They (Matt and Marisha) did say, a few years back, that they had to retrofit their offices for Voice Recording during COVID.
Actually so much respect for Marisha to explain that it’s not scripted but acknowledge that a lot of stuff is pre planned just bc that’s how dnd works. I think that’s where the “scripted” confusion comes from. To an extent, yes it is “scripted” but not in the usual sense as in dialogue and whatnot. But to some people, I can genuinely understand why Matt having a pre planned plot is enough for them to consider it scripted. Because it is, but just as “scripted” as any other game of dnd. One person writes the script, then all of the players improvise within the scenario.
I've only seen one thing that I am convinced was "scripted". Campaign 3, when Bertrand Bell being played by Travis just happens to walk off completely alone, at night, drunk, into a dark alley, that just happens to have a Big Bad waiting for him as he is pissing on a wall, and dies in one round. That was a set up for the game, and I am convinced Travis at least was completely in the know that he was playing an NPC for Matt.
Trained actors doing what they love…for years…throwing themselves into it whole heartedly and getting to know each other better and better? The above is the recipe for “ looking scripted “.
I don't think that Critical Role is scripted any more than your average home game. Which is not to say there isn't a certain level of expectation and preparation. Players give backstories and say where they want their character to head, and Matt will figure it in. There's a non-zero amount of "scripting", but it mainly comes in vague spot or ideas that players look out for, and the DM plans on using.
This was way too long spent on one question. Just as a creative critical feedback to the host. I have been the one to say "these are professional actors so don't expect this at your table" but I've also always followed that up with "make your table your own and take the best elements of professionals: give your fellow players room to shine, be prepared, and be mindful of the flow"
Matt is a top tier GM, without doubt. But - for everyone worrying about the whole 'Matt Mercer Effect' is - there's nothing 'special' about him. He's just been doing it a long time (CR has been a thing for nearly ten years, and he GM'd a lot before then). There's nothing he does that can't be learned or practised. And pay attention to any episode of CR, he flubs his narration now and again, gets tripped up when needing to pull some detail out of nowhere, he ums and ahhs, he forgets or miscalls rules, he still makes all the same 'mistakes' that we all do. Because he's human. He's just a GM. A great one with thousands and thousands of hours of practise, but he's not doing anything you can't.
Just saw a post the other week on reddit about how ppl "hate how talisans character is written" and the same hate Marisha got back in C1. They unfortunately, delusionally, believe in their heart of hearts that CR is scripted.
The Crit Role cast are endlessly fascinating, and that certinly helped saved this interview. But this whole scripted or not thing is so tired, and old, and so utterly pointless. Few people have a genuine excuse for being so utterly immature and hopelessly imperceptive.
Who gives a fuck if it’s scripted or improvised - it’s still insanely entertaining, and obsessing over whether it’s scripted or not doesn’t benefit anyone
I don't listen to the shows, I only see the criticism. Does Matthew take suggestions or offers from his players to incorporate into the game during recordings?
Players have heard about places that he hasn’t fully fleshed out and went there instead of places Matt had planned for the storyline to revolve around (because they sounded more interesting), but I wouldn’t consider it the most collaborative outside of backstory impacting world building early on in campaigns. I will say that in love shows - which you might expect to be more planned to have a clear cut beginning and end - Matt has visibly torn up paper with plans written on them, and not used (multiple options for) battlemaps he built out based on player choices at the table.
Respectfully this feels like a looot of effort going into them trying to prove it’s not scripted (it is lol) By nature dnd is literally improv with a script. It’s a SHOW yall. There’s literally no way there could not be at least some level of scripting. Period. Don’t get me wrong I love it either way. But by nature dnd is “scripted”. The non scripted part is the dialogue obviously. But the trajectory of the show is absolutely preordained.
im so glad matt has marisha. its clear he just wants to play dnd and she handles 'content creation'. perfect match for their channel
Guarantee, when they proposed the stream, his first thought was "will this get in the way of the game?"
On the note of "They’re professional actors so don't expect your game to be like Critical Role" and The Matt Mercer Effect
I didn't pick up Critical Role UNTIL I decided to DM. Not because I had it in my head that I was going to be able to watch a couple episodes and suddenly be as good a DM as Matt, but because there ARE lessons to be learned from watching someone who’s really good at what they do. There's a few things I saw Matt do that I thought "Ahh, I see! Yeah I could probably do something like that" and some stuff that lay somewhere between "That probably isn't going to work for my group" and "I probably won't attempt that until I'm more confident as a DM."
But that setting of expectations can be important BECAUSE of how many people join a game or start up a game and think they're going to be like CR on their first session. It's not just that they're professional actors... at this point they're also professional DnD players. I ain’t gonna have a new Dwarven Forge play map for every encounter, or painted minis for every fight/NPC, and that’s okay. You do what you can with what you have, and if anyone complains that it's not enough... well, that's their problem, not yours.
For our group, the more players started to watch DnD, the better our games got. We started out playing it more like a video game. Which was also awesome, just different. And then we learned how much more on the narrative side you can do WITH using the game mechanics for that.
We had almost a reverse Mercer effect where our DM had seen it and was disappointed when we weren't that active on our first game. But we grew as a group over time.
yea, we used bottle caps for enemies and cheap plastic figurines for our characters. it's all in the imagination, baby!
@@Drakoni23 That's the good stuff! Yeah, my group had mostly seen either Critical Role or another actual play series. The ones that haven't are dabbling. And it works for us because I'm lucky enough to have a group comprised of mature adults, so while everyone can look at some wild stuff that Matt pulls, or some of Brennan's cool stuff and go "Woah that's really cool" I don't then get players coming to my table saying "Well Matt did it, why can't you?"
Works really well for me because like, I think the biggest thing that I've drawn from watching Critical Role as far as inspiration is that I want my game to be a narratively satisfying experience for my players AS WELL AS a satisfying GAME. A great story that is assisted and driven by the game. And my players are all fans of CR to some degree and also love that style so they're all on board with that vision and it's working out well.
Turns out the answer to the problem of the "Matt Mercer Effect" is usually just "How bout y'all actually listen to what Matt has to say about it"
@@allofashes I have a player at my table who's incredibly artistically talented, but also has that ADHD thing of needing to fidget. He's also super engaged in the game though, so when he gets that "must fidget" urge he just takes some molding clay from his bag and hand-sculpts the enemies they're fighting mid game.
One time I was running this spooky halloween themed session and in the first 30 minutes, he decides to just make a fucked up lil guy to be spooky... and the thing just looked exactly like the final boss monster of the dungeon. My guy has never even flicked through the Monster Manual so it definitely wasn't like, cheating or anything... Awesome moment at the table though!
there's a channel called SuperGeekMike who does a series called Critical Role Demistified. Literally just doing what you mentioned, digesting potential lessons from episode to episode.
1) players agree to play a specific theme & story setting
2) there are at least 7 player written backstories here for the DM to play out with each player for the table
3) every player understands that we're making the game together with the above
What I enjoy about CR is that it was a home game among some friends first and its mostly retained that feel of a bunch of friends playing around a table. I mean after announcements and ad reads, they all seem to relax into just gaming and being friends around a table.
I'm not following CR for a long time, but It never really occurred to me that it could be "fully scripted". It never felt any more scripted than a home game to me.
I hate when people claim that. It’s ridiculous. Matt has an amazing world but the players make the choices like any other game
it’s funny that they seem to see it as a compliment at this point, that their live work is as good as full scripted performances
the longer cr continues the better!
because the reality of over a thousand hours of content being shared is humanly impossible to script out?
that’s tens of thousands of hours of work, if you include the time to write and memorize lines. Incredible!
There are a lot of people that play D&D as little more than a tactical boardgame. I've been in a ton of home games that are as deep and immersive as Matt's games (love you man), just without the voice acting talent.
Thinking that someone is scripting a 3-5 hour show every week, memorizing lines, and practicing reads every single week for 10 years - people saying that aren't living in reality.
Ikr? Can you imagine how crazy you would have to be to script a 3 to 4 hour weekly show?
Holy shit.....
Anyone with 5 braincells can conclude that Matt has a set of various points and plotthreads and flows that he wants to follow, that he was to adapt/destroy/reconstruct depending on what the table does... even someone that never played D&D like me can understand it...
People forget too often that the only wrong way to play D&D is the way where you and your friends aren't having fun...as long as you're having fun you're doing it right.
No, not anymore. When you start a TH-cam channel and play D&D and skew every game out there toward your playstyle then something is very wrong.
Yeah except they get paid millions of dollars to play the game. CR isn’t DND, it’s entertainment, like any mainstream popular dnd actual play out there
@littleoldmanboy I've said it for years that CR isn't D&D, it's a stage production made to look like D&D and it never fails, as I'm sure will be the case here, someone rushes to the defense of Matt Mercer.
I mean there is the possibility that you’d have more fun if you played more better.
@@mattsmith1859 It's 3 weeks later, so I don't think this qualifies as rushing to Matt's defense. The thing is, you sound like you have a grudge, like Matt and CR have somehow slighted your honor and you must challenge Matt to a duel. Did Matt steal your girlfriend? Nothing Critical Role has done or will do will prevent you from playing any ttrpg the way you want to play it. Your expectations are skewed and your hostility is misplaced. Maybe something traumatic happened, like your group no longer plays the way you want to play. That sucks, but it happens, and you can start your own group or find another. And even if your old group wants to mirror CR, that isn't CR's fault or responsibility. It certainly isn't to any degree that warrants you shit-talking them and sounding like you think they owe you something. They don't.
So man up, grow up, go touch grass, and come to the wisdom that you aren't the center of the universe.
i loved how, by the end of the video, he talked directly to those players, those who are part of dnd critical role horror stories for expecting too much or thinking every table is like them.
Loved the inverview, hopefully, if it does well we can see you with other big (and not so big) figures
This is a prime example of a good storyteller and a group of players that work together.
really great, marisha is fantastic and matt as always as well. they both have very intelligent, creative and mindful energys that makes watching interviews really interesting and informative. great watch thank you!
What a great interview! Matt and Marisha exude a level of safety for their players and staff as well as security in their talents, it seems like they're amazing leaders
CR might set a high bar for TTRPGs for some people, but IMO this just boils down to time. If producing a weekly actual play is your full-time gig, well yeah no shi that final product is going to be good. We're all limited by time, money and resources and to expect something like G&S or D20 or CR at a home game doesn't make sense. The basketball analogy was so apt
I love these interviews! It's answers a lot of the questions that I had over the years watching the show. Thank you for your content, please keep it up! Much love from Brazil!
That bit around 15:30 or so where Matt is talking about being a gameplay purest in the sense that he wants to protect and preserve the ability to surprise his players because that part of what he loves about the game is so true for me as a DM too. I love from time to time being able to pull off that twist or have that unexpected boss battle sort of experience. And similarly I love being surprised by my players when they think of a solution that makes sense but I had never considered. Sure, it can be a bit stressful to have a heavier dose of improvisation depending on just how dramatically they surprise me but if I wanted to know everything and have full control then I wouldn't be playing d&d with my friends, I'd be writing a (probably shitty) novel.
Such a great interview! I love the behind the scenes details!
As a DM it is pretty crazy they even have to answer this question IMO. I would like to say as well this is my first video on the channel and the production quality is top notch audio & video are very well done!
I'm sure a part of the fallacy that CR is scripted is, like I daresay most DMs (myself included) that for describing a highly detailed setting or if a specific NPC has an important monologue, it's very helpful to have that written out so it's ready if the situation calls for it. Certain lore or information that the players may discover, having that written down to that information across is useful so those important nuggets are given to the players in the most accurate way one can. So, there are instances where Matt is describing a room or speaking through an NPC while occasionally glancing down at his notes and people think, 'oh, he's reading from a script. This isn't real spontaneous role-play.' I'm sure people don't understand what they're seeing and jump to conclusions. That's not what's happening. Taking things a step further and looking at it the whole table for what it is, a character sheet is a kind of script. It's a document that gives you a guide to direct your improvised play, but nothing more. It's not the end all be all of what happens at the table.
As an actor, I feel like the criticism of “it’s scripted!” only comes from people who aren’t actors. 😂
As a troll I feel the accusation that it's scripted comes from other trolls.
As not an actor, I can get into character all the time and have these amazing moments in game. People saying it's scripted just lack imagination and ability to think on their feet.
As a life long gamer, I feel like the criticism of "it's scripted" only comes from people who didn't watch them completely bollox negotiations or make boneheaded choices that no one would *ever* write into a script. I love Marisha to death, but if she is ever at my table, she does not get to lead the parley.
I personally feel it comes from folks who either don’t play tabletop games themselves or people who are just trolling to get a laugh or reaction.
or have sitty games. Some gems from my group could fit right together with some CR shenanigans.
The skill of these committed people against the humility of the entire Critical Role cast is ALWAYS an astonishing example to me. I have only been with them for ~ 5-6 years but they have been and will always be amongst my favorite human beings on the planet. They care, they have a genuine love and appreciation for the people who watch (not just the dedicated Critters) and are just stalwart examples of what good people can be.
Thank You Critical Role!
I'm watching the Vox Machina campaign right now and it's so obvious that it's not scripted. If it was they wouldn't make so many mistakes!
no the older campaign is definitely not, but C3 is entirely different in feel then the other two. 1 could say its intensively polished....others can say they really fleshed out the story waaaay in advanced, and no shit their a massive conglomerate at this point.
@@zacharynyberg7007 But they obviously didn't, and it's not at all polished. It's polished from a production standpoint, they have a lot more money now, they now play on their own schedule since their games aren't live anymore, but the story? I feel like C3 among all their campaigns is the most meandering and least focused story they've told.
Not to mention, occam's razor would suggest that it's not scripted or fleshed out in advance because it would be too difficult to coordinate them all and practice and rehearse. It's a 4+ hour show. They put out roughly 36 episodes per year (3 per month), which is about 144 hours worth of content just for CR, not counting other things they do. Some movies take like a year to produce 2 hours of footage.
Suffice it to say, with that volume of content that needs to be produced, it would literally be easier to improvise it than it would be to prepare it. It'd be easier, cheaper, and faster to produce if the players just played the game normally.
@@zacharynyberg7007 production is polished, playing doesn't look like it's been planned, it looks like they've been playing in the same world for over 10 years and have more of a grasp on how aspects in said world work and are more comfortable with playing together and on camera, they know from experience of 3 campaigns together how they want to play off each other and work together. They didn't flesh out the story way in advanced, the world has been gradually fleshed out in the decade that they've been playing in it.
also they aren't actually a "massive" conglomerate, they are still quite small, and that has nothing to do with any planning or improv in the show
@@zacharynyberg7007 C3 is by far the worst pacing-wise. If it was scripted, you'd think they'd have paced it SO MUCH better.
Your comment gives more proof that CR isn't scripted 😂
I vibed so hard with this, I started DMing last summer with a group that was very fresh to DnD, none had played it at a table before. We had some amazing role play with voices from my players and myself, we built scenes, we cried and laughed. So being told not to expect the level of gameplay at a home game isn't necessarily true, find a game you're comfortable in and support eachother both on and off the game and you'll see the game turn into an amazing interactive world.
It LOOKS scripted & planned at first glance. But 5 min of watching proves it's a highly-polished improv.
Of course it looks fantastic: they're professional actors & now professional D&D players with a production team & commercial sponsors. But if you look at some of their original leaked vids, it's pencil on graph paper with whatever works as props. Just like the rest of us.
one of the most memorable moments from early C1 was Vax falling in lava and is why whenever there is lava on the map the players kind of freak out a bit, and that happened on a hand drawn map
I remember my first time watching Critical Role, 1st episode of Campaign 3 (Which was my first day looking into DnD stuff of any kind by request of discord friends). 10-15 minutes in, I was like holy damn I think they’re improving this! It boggled my mind at first but I was hooked! I just assume the people who think it’s scripted didn’t ever get over that initial wave of boggling.
My personal definitions is that there are two main styles of RPG playing: Role-playing, and Roll-playing. Some people are just more interested in the dice and tactical interactions than the character interactions. And it can easily be a mix of the two. These folks, being professional actors, are understandably very much more into the Role-play aspect of the game. And that definitely translates much more entertainingly onto the screen. My group is more Roll-play than Role-play, but I've brought more of the latter into my latest campaign, and it went pretty well. We'll have to see what the future contains.
Love these interviews
I love these two and am always excited to watch anything Critical Role. Their cameras suck swamp water.
They're Voice Actors, not Home Video Producers. So, of course, their Audio Equipment is going to be top notch and their Video Equipment is going to cheap as shi--. All the good Video Equipment is sitting inside Critical Role's Studio. 😝
Probably not even their camera that much but the fact this is a videocall (that might decrease quality for it to run better) and then the videocall is recorded that can decrease quality even more
People who think live play shows are scripted are the type of people who consume media in the first person. They’re too dumb to be creative and stay in character long enough to appreciate that just because THEY THEMSELVES cannot figure out a way they think it must be impossible for anyone else to do it.
“I can’t figure out how nasa sends rockets into space, therefore it’s all fake and the earth is flat.”
To second Marisha's point about being scripted. From my friend's homebrew, he was devising a one-shot that has since become more expanded. But since it was a one-shot at the time, and it was into a deadly part of his homebrew, he made sure to emphasize that death would not just be a consequence, but would be near certain. With that in mind, I made a tinker character who was a shut in, and was introduced to the group by an annoyingly curious NPC who admired my character. My character hated this NPC, until later into the campaign, where he realized that was one of the few real connections he had developed in his short and troubled life, so when that NPC's life was on the line, my character sacrificed himself to save that NPC. Unfortunately, neither character lived, but me and my DM kept talking about how that was a near perfect arc for this very short lived character I had. He was a shut in, he made connection, and he realized what was important to him and he was willing to sacrifice his life (and did) in order to even attempt to save that one connection he had made. It was a great brief and cathartic story, and if you didn't know it ahead of time, you would have thought it was all an elaborate plan.
Love the stuff about not needing to be professional actors. Im in a game with a bunch of critters and we have a blast and take huge swings and generally they go well and create interesting storytelling.
ok so I have been running TTRPG's for a long time. One thing matt is great at is knowing a number of goals and things the characters what to accomplish, and weaving them into the campaign goals. The story is the journey even if the players have some idea about some of the end goals..
Oh and rule # 1 if its not fun it needs to change
My introduction to CR was different from most, as one of my long time players basically told me. "This guy DMs like you, you got to see this." But I actively tried to avoid seeing anything of it to not influence me, but once the pandemic hit I started watching. I love the show now, I personally see differences in our game to theirs, but I have that nagging pretender syndrome crap always creeping around.
Don't worry mate. So does Matt! You can hear it in his voice in interviews like this, or when his players find a dirty joke in something he names in-game!
@@Teufeltusken Not just "in his voice" - I saved a clip where he basically says it out loud. TH-cam hates links, but Campaign 3, Episode 5, 3:37:55
Sam asks "How do you do it Matt?"
Matt says "Honestly? I have no fucking clue. I'm waiting for everyone to figure out that I'm faking it."
How about, "They're actors who have played and trusted each other for a long time, so don't expect this to happen immediately."?
On the part of doing romance in your games, once you find that group that you truly meld with it becomes easy to kind of do that sort of stuff, like I’ve had a romance with one of my best buds characters on multiple occasions and it’s so fun when done well and with that special group
What the beauty of it is, is that all these people understand the concept of "collaborative storytelling" That's what makes CR stand out, it's the friendship, it's the genuine amazingness. like Matthew says, it's mainly up to the players. And that we've seen throughout the years... plus let's keep it real these are Drama High school kids, they just do it amazingly. "Scripted" no - collaborative storytelling, absolutely
The "professional actor" comments from Matt are very true for "regular" tables I've played at over my 40+ years of playing. It's also why I don't fully grok the "professional DM" trend that's been happening. The best DMs, paid or unpaid, are the ones that understand the players at the table. I've played & run plenty of one-shots at conventions, and they're often great, but it's not the same as playing with the same character & same players week after week for months at a time. The paid DM that no nothing about us, or the players about the DM, just isn't the same. At least not until the paid game has been running for a while.
I love this interview!! Thank you all for doing it. This is an amazing time to be a gamer, with professional groups like Critical Role or The Glass Cannon Network filling our hobby with amazing content!
I love-hate the scripted debate. Before I had to move away, we had 2 games running at the same time, I DM'd one, I played in the other - it was for the best part of 6 years a core group with the same 4+1 players and over 4 campaigns and 2 gaming systems, you get to the understanding of how the other player will react or what are they looking for with this or that character. Also having the long-term relationship really means you build the trust and opportunities for your players to come to you with proposals/ideas that you can build in and the group will take them on.
Love this interview! Thank you for the encouragement that it is okay to not be Critical Role, because we know we can' be. We are Dungeons & Dad Jokes, we have a great GM and we love getting involved with our characters. We stream to share the love of the game with others and to see successful streamers encourage it makes my heart smile. Thank you Critical Role for your part in brining the game I love back into the picture and inspiring new players to love the game too.
Matthew Mercer gave me the confidence and inspiration to DM myself.
Which them both and all at CR all the success...theybhave so earned it all.
I think people feel this is scripted because they don't understand the skill set that comes with being trained in improv. Watch Who's Line Is It Anyway? and you'll see the same kind of quick responses. Being trained in improv is not just responding quickly to what is happening. It also involves paying attention to what your partner in the scene is trying to accomplish and helping them to do so.
I feel like this is the best way to explain it- there’s one script, and only Matt gets to see it, everyone else is improving. lol
As long as everyone is having a good time, the game is being played perfectly. It's literally the only thing that matters.
It's completely unreasonable for anyone to expect their GM to be as good as Matt, with storytelling, voices...
I agree I just hate that Matt gets hate for being talented. Idk it's like a amateur basketball player being mad that Michael Jordan makes the game look easy ya'know
Here's how I see it: You can expect your DM to be as good as Matt Mercer. But that means YOU, player, have to give intricate descriptions of your spells like Liam as Caleb, consider Teleporting INSIDE a dragon to be a legitimate strategy like Sam as Scanlan, or be Laura Bailey and navigate a minutes-long interaction with a hag, only to defeat her using a cupcake. If you can't do that, ratchet back your DM expectations.
fantastic interview! you're good at this!
If anyone is a skeptic, try warching up to epispde 140 season 2 (then the rest hah). The whirl wind of emotional stakes isnt easily faked
Edit: I'd like to add im a noob play new to role play and a poet who doesnt share their emotions. This is a personal bit but, i play a Triton who is a pirate who was a prisoner and I am stepping out of my shell. I notice it in small ways. My wife who is the DM has a beautiful world and spends alot of time crafting the story. It never occured to me what a person who has another chance at society or power could feel like till i stepped in their (fins? Shoes?). When I ask myself what my motivations are, when I'm asked what im thinking about I feel seen. Thank your DM. Thank yourself for experiencing
Great interview! Thanks!
Structured improve. They have the basic info of the world, their backstories and character traits to follow, and Matt gives them settings and environments to react to. Matt also knows what they want to do, and they tell him sometimes, like ramancing where they check in, that it is a generalized plan or goal so Matt can plan ahead for. It's like putting people in chef outfits then placing them in a kitchen. Easy to know what they do with that provided info and context. They will cook.
You know what the difference has been in my games versus CR? Most of us can’t really do voices. But that aside, we have just as much fun, just as much emotional investment, and just as much narrative.
this is getting me through cleaning litterboxes 🙏
Amazing video!
Yeah, the way you see them react when certain shit happens-no way its scripted.
One thing they didn't mention as being professional actors, maybe because it's just something they don't think about, but is the fact that all of them have had improv training. This makes a HUGE difference, and really anyone can go take an improv class. You don't need to be an actor to do it.
"These actors are better prepared than me to improvise and create great plot moments- it must be a scam!" Nah man, you just aren't a professional actor. Enjoy your home game, it doesn't have to be at this level. It doesn't make it fake- the players are just a different set of people.
I often read "you need a good DM to play Pen and Paper" and I agree to a degree because yes, a DM sets the playground and tells the story.
What many people seem to ignore is that a DM only can deliver as much and needs good players to really bring the game to life.
A DM has to rely on people knowing and playing their characters and to give input themselves. No DM can pull players through a story w/o some active part-taking from them.
Long story short: players need to be as reliable as the DM
My username is from a character I played decades ago. I still remember the moment I made the DM's jaw drop. Magical moments do indeed happen at home games.
(edit)
Also, one of my favorite sessions was 3+ hrs with no die rolls. It wall all talking, and was also very fun and completely improvised.
love these guys. So down to earth and geeky gamers at the same time. So much fun. I've been running D&D games for 40 years now and these gays are and awesome group.
I think people need to stop asking them about the scripted stuff, they have answered it a million times and you can see the expression on their face as they try to hide the disappointment of having to answer the same question over and over.
They have given their stance on it, believe them, don't believe them, whatever floats your boat but I don't think people who interview them should keep asking them about it. After a certain point it becomes disrespectful to ask them about rumours they have given an answer to many times before.
Is this a reupload? I know they get asked these topics a lot, but I i feel I've heard this exact interview before
I think the bigger issue with the Mercer effect is when players expect the game to be like critical role, but they don't interact with each other and help drive the narrative. Instead they seem to expect the DM to drive all the story. As the DM, I can't force the characters to interact with each other, and it becomes exhausting to have to drive every role play conversation. As a player, if you want the Critical Role experience, start having in character conversations with the other players characters.
I'm surprised that they don't have a "Rick Perry" like D20 has, who's dedicated to making those minis and maps.
They do. His name is "Matt Mercer." No, seriously, Matt doesn't do it because he has to, he does it because he likes doing it. Making maps and painting minis is cathartic for him. If he didn't actually want to do it, he would just hire someone to do it. It says a lot about how much he loves, and almost needs, to paint minis and make maps when the only time he'll ever let anyone else do it is when he doesn't have the time to do it. Besides, all of the map parts belong to Matt so it would be a shame if Matt never got to "play with his toys."
@@ForeverDegenerate Indeed, occasionally they stream "Matt enrichment time in his enclosure" as he assembled maps
It's a story. If the game wasn't scripted at all, it'd just be chaos. Matt built a world and with the players, crafts a story to tell. What they actually do or say is random, but there is a path.
Plus, no actors in the world could do that well at pretending to be spontaneous for 4 hours a week, every week for the last 9 years, running off a script, for a single take show.
As a GM, it would take a lot of the drive and energy out of me, if my players knew. GM's thrive on throwing curveballs and "shock" their players!
Great video
Seems like these conversations about the Mercer effect reflect the low expectations people have. If more people focused on making their home games better (both players and DMs), Mercer wouldn't be this pipe dream unattainable goal. Stop comparing your home game to CR and focus on having fun at your own table
i love these people so much
i would love to ask critical role about their acting experience impact. when dimension 20 by and large has improv actors while critical role mostly has scripted actors, how much do they feel like they lean on their game experience for scene pacing and how much do they lean on their voice acting experience.
You have to take into account that EVERY even moderately trained actor has trained in improv. It's one of the most basic skills an actor learns.
I took four credits of improv required for an acting degree. Professional acting classes include improv. In HS we did improv days every week. Summer theater camps had improv. I taught a group of elementary age kids improv games as part of a drama camp at a local community center when I was in college.
Unless they walk in off the street as a complete neophyte and get a part, every actor has improv experience.
@@tiffanysimpson3336 good point!! i don't know a lot about acting lol, that's why I was interested. thank you for the tip!
How can anyone think that CR is scripted? Anyome that have actually watched their streams knows of all their failed plans in combat.
I'm pretty sure Matt also writes down some of the speeches his NPCs give occasionally. I can see him reading from something behind the screen.
Yea, but as a DM I sit in my bathroom and run voices over and practice my lore drops and speeches all of the time. If you have something planned for the players to find then you need to be prepared for it. Every single game of D&D has a script, it's called the DM. The DM has to know where the story is going and what is going on or else no one does.
People who think Critical Roll follows a script are either ignorant about improv performance and that quick witted people can pull that off easily with ease especially trained actors. The 2nd would be haters who are jealous of CR's success and just wants to destroy their reputation. Personally, I think these people are spreading this propaganda so that they can take out the competition so that they can be where Critical Roll are right now with their success in DnD.
When Dming, the script is to lead the players in a direction of the story to keep the flow moving forward, otherwise it would just stay in one place.
Something not touched on was dice rolls- nat 20’s or nat 1’s could be “fudged”. I don’t believe it but can make an amazing scene.
One thing I didn't get about the set design is that they spent so much money on lighting and background, why didn't they add a rising stage in the center (where the maps go)? That way, Matt doesn't have to bring them in.... he could signal a producer, or PA, to raise the hidden platform with the map (and, all of the lighting effects) already on the play area. The map would be hidden from the players, but all of the prep work would already be done.
I will now be saying "My albatross to bear" lmao
One would never know they ever had a "strat" for anything! After 10+ years they haven't gotten better at planning encounters.
Matt plans the encounters very well, the players just don't strategize much going for them, and honestly, that makes it a lot more entertaining most of the times
@@waltercosta2067 As frustrating as it may be sometimes, if they strategized too much we wouldn't have experienced fjord being attacked by multiple turtles and various other monsters polymorphed into usually inocuous yet very angry creatures
@@FaunoAtelie yeap, that's what makes it more entertaining most of the time, not knowing what they'll do
"You have the Star Razor up, correct?"
"Yes... Oh. NO!"
'ScrEEEEch' goes the frost worm. (It didn't like being a shnowbunnee.)
They only plan at dawn.
Coo, I got a question answered, about the characters interacting with each other, it makes sence that they prepare that kind of things. If they didn't, it would seem scripted.
Where is that “jungle” room that Marissa is in?
Looks like a cloth divider placed possibly in there dinning or living room.
@@jeffwithheldforsafety8359 I think it might be her office at CR? I thought she showed it on one of the Instagram takeovers for Candela Obscura or something like that.
If I had to guess, Marisha is, probably, sitting in her office at her desk. Also if I had to guess, her "Voice Over Booth" is probably behind that cloth divider. They (Matt and Marisha) did say, a few years back, that they had to retrofit their offices for Voice Recording during COVID.
Marisha needs to shut off that lightsaber in the corner. She could accidentally cut someone in half with it on.
Probably up to deal with Darth moths.
I was wondering about the same thing...
Actually so much respect for Marisha to explain that it’s not scripted but acknowledge that a lot of stuff is pre planned just bc that’s how dnd works. I think that’s where the “scripted” confusion comes from.
To an extent, yes it is “scripted” but not in the usual sense as in dialogue and whatnot.
But to some people, I can genuinely understand why Matt having a pre planned plot is enough for them to consider it scripted. Because it is, but just as “scripted” as any other game of dnd.
One person writes the script, then all of the players improvise within the scenario.
I hope Bill Nighy plays Vecna.
I've only seen one thing that I am convinced was "scripted".
Campaign 3, when Bertrand Bell being played by Travis just happens to walk off completely alone, at night, drunk, into a dark alley, that just happens to have a Big Bad waiting for him as he is pissing on a wall, and dies in one round.
That was a set up for the game, and I am convinced Travis at least was completely in the know that he was playing an NPC for Matt.
Trained actors doing what they love…for years…throwing themselves into it whole heartedly and getting to know each other better and better?
The above is the recipe for “ looking scripted “.
Love the producer!marisha lore
I don't think that Critical Role is scripted any more than your average home game. Which is not to say there isn't a certain level of expectation and preparation. Players give backstories and say where they want their character to head, and Matt will figure it in. There's a non-zero amount of "scripting", but it mainly comes in vague spot or ideas that players look out for, and the DM plans on using.
Heh, taking it as a compliment (being scripted) is so true, like when you are really good at a game and you get accused to be cheating.
Marisha and Matt
The only wrong way to play D&D, is to not play D&D.
This is a re release right ? For sure have heard this
"Critical Role is scripted!" - "genius" probably
In a way, they're right...we're seeing pre-alpha/draft scripts for future animated series :D
If it was off a script, how do they explain how he kept his campaigns going so long. He's logged more time than most TV Shows.
And like on every CR related video, the comments are once again absolutely unhinged and idiotic
This was way too long spent on one question. Just as a creative critical feedback to the host.
I have been the one to say "these are professional actors so don't expect this at your table" but I've also always followed that up with "make your table your own and take the best elements of professionals: give your fellow players room to shine, be prepared, and be mindful of the flow"
Matt is a top tier GM, without doubt. But - for everyone worrying about the whole 'Matt Mercer Effect' is - there's nothing 'special' about him. He's just been doing it a long time (CR has been a thing for nearly ten years, and he GM'd a lot before then). There's nothing he does that can't be learned or practised. And pay attention to any episode of CR, he flubs his narration now and again, gets tripped up when needing to pull some detail out of nowhere, he ums and ahhs, he forgets or miscalls rules, he still makes all the same 'mistakes' that we all do. Because he's human. He's just a GM. A great one with thousands and thousands of hours of practise, but he's not doing anything you can't.
Just saw a post the other week on reddit about how ppl "hate how talisans character is written" and the same hate Marisha got back in C1. They unfortunately, delusionally, believe in their heart of hearts that CR is scripted.
The Crit Role cast are endlessly fascinating, and that certinly helped saved this interview. But this whole scripted or not thing is so tired, and old, and so utterly pointless.
Few people have a genuine excuse for being so utterly immature and hopelessly imperceptive.
Who gives a fuck if it’s scripted or improvised - it’s still insanely entertaining, and obsessing over whether it’s scripted or not doesn’t benefit anyone
I don't listen to the shows, I only see the criticism. Does Matthew take suggestions or offers from his players to incorporate into the game during recordings?
Players have heard about places that he hasn’t fully fleshed out and went there instead of places Matt had planned for the storyline to revolve around (because they sounded more interesting), but I wouldn’t consider it the most collaborative outside of backstory impacting world building early on in campaigns. I will say that in love shows - which you might expect to be more planned to have a clear cut beginning and end - Matt has visibly torn up paper with plans written on them, and not used (multiple options for) battlemaps he built out based on player choices at the table.
Is this a reupload? I swear I've seen this before...
Its a full interview that I used segments for in a previous video!
So it is accidental that Orym (Liam O'Brien) calls Dorian before he appears next week on the show again?
They literally explain this EXACT SCENARIO in the interview.
Good interview, but I didn't like how you kept pushing the scripted narrative. You asked about it 3 seperate times.
I get that, but this whole interview was research for another video I was making about D&D being scripted, so I was getting coverage!
This interview is edited and cut up so weirdly
We had some technical and internet issues occasionally, so I cut out a lot of disconnects and buffers.
What is that odd-looking, light saber wannabe behind Marisha? It's super distracting!
Respectfully this feels like a looot of effort going into them trying to prove it’s not scripted (it is lol)
By nature dnd is literally improv with a script.
It’s a SHOW yall. There’s literally no way there could not be at least some level of scripting. Period.
Don’t get me wrong I love it either way. But by nature dnd is “scripted”.
The non scripted part is the dialogue obviously. But the trajectory of the show is absolutely preordained.