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Critical Role: Advantage or Disadvantage (Extended) (Patreon)

Published:
2022-12-23 23:59:01
Imported:
2026-06
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Videos

Content

PDM opines on the impact of CR and explains why Matt Mercer is an OSR guy at heart. 

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Files

Previews only

CR: Advantage or Disadvantage?.mp4

Comments

Garnett

at around :40 you say "5e game shortage". I think it should be "5e DM shortage"

Garnett

Interesting analysis. Critical Critical Role Theory.

Christopher Sievers

Take care of yourself, Professor. Enjoy your time with family! Get better soon. Happy Holidays!

Matthew Crismali

The is an edit issue at 5:13. It cuts you off mid-phrase.

Bagel-Man

Excited to watch PDM! Happy Holidays!

James M Spahn

The biggest net positive I see in Critical Role is the table culture. The players wait for the Game Master to speak or finish describing things before they ask questions or react to the description. They don't cut Mercer off in an over-eager (and rude) effort to act. The players are respectful to each other, giving everyone their time to speak and opportunities to have spotlight moments. These players are also knowledgeable about both the foundational rules of the game and the abilities of their own characters. Mercer is certainly a quality DM, but players can benefit the most from watching Critical Role by seeing how to be a good player, which is something different from being a good roleplaying gamer.

Chuck Thorin

The bonus content was great. Especially the description of what a game should be like.

Jon Rennick

I always figured dental health is what would get you on a deserted island…. Merry Christmas!

Jay

Merry Christmas everyone. :)

Garnett

Challenge: OSR one-shot, Christmas Eve, expect your character to die. I don't have the stomach for it.

Ben Chance

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!

David P Ackerman

Take care of yourself and thank you for sharing your insights.

Jake House

I really like what you said at the end there, Professor, about the act of sharing your imaginations being a spiritual experience. I truly believe that and have also found that to be one of the most sacred aspects of trrpg’s. Thanks for all you do Professor! Happy New Year!

Graham Kane

Totally agree that CR is a "net advantage" for the hobby as a whole. I fully believe that the Mercer Effect is caused by CR fans who have zero experience of RPG's outside of the show itself so they understandably see CR as how it should be done. I've heard the horror stories from Critcrab and the like about these people but they are a tiny minority IMHO. As for it being scripted, I think a lot of people are confusing scripted with a polished performance. Like you said before, they're all professional actors with experience in improvisational performance so they can do this "on the fly". In both the games I'm running only a couple of players have watched CR or even know what it is. My wife who is a player is only familiar with it because she watched (and loved) the Vox Machina series on Amazon. She has watched some live play with me but finds the in-jokes and RP interaction between the cast far more enjoyable than the mechanical gameplay. Just my 2 cents. Sorry to hear about the tooth. Been there, done that. Not fun. Get well soon, enjoy your Christmas break and see you in the new year.

John

My view of the problem with CR is a bit different. Its the professional PLAYERS that I see as the issue. It sets unreasonable expectations re: what is expected of a player but worse, it make potential DMs more self conscious about being able to live up to the players expectations. That said, I don't watch a lot of CR and, as you mention, the demographic impacted is relatively limited. With that in mind the worries may well be nothing but a tempest in a teacup. Always interesting to hear your perspectives on the wider gaming environment. Hope your tooth makes it to repairs. I had the same thing last year and its a mess till it's not.

Daniel Defazio
>>98208024

Thank you for your insights. Your wife's observations about the RP interactions are interesting. Question: does your wife find game mechanics in general less interesting than the mechanics? That's the case with my group, who are mostly women.

Graham Kane
>>98208024

It’s interesting, when she first played we basically told her “Tell the DM what you want to do, he’ll give you a target number, you roll and try to beat that.” This was almost a little TOO simple a concept for her as she loves the structure of board and tabletop games. But she was fine once she got used to the “looseness” of the rules. She also loves the RP aspect of the game. Having said that, she’s also dyslexic so she appreciates a simple and clear character sheet. But she also likes the “bookkeeping” aspect of tracking equipment and gold. As a comparison I showed her a 5E character sheet which made her head spin!

MrGunn

Finally had a moment to watch the video in its entirety. Interesting insights as always PDM. I hope you get your tooth situation resolved soon. Be well, take care, have as Happy New Year.

Drago Russo

Happy Holidays to you and all of the patrons. Having transitioned to a Pro DM where all of my tables are now "paid" tables, for about a year now, and I can tell you the following observations. There are many different types of players for whom there are many DMs that have the style of play the player is looking for. Some players want heavy roleplay and there are DMs that are good at that, like me. lol. Some players want heavy tactical combat, that is not my strong suit at all, however, I am running two full tables as there is a lot of players out there looking for epic tactical combat and high level play. So while not my favorite nor my best, it fills my tables. I have some players that love me, for some strange reason, and I have players that play one session and bounce, stating, not my style of play. I cannot appease to everyone and therefore it is important that I sometimes stream my play so that potential players can see my style and decide if they really want to play with me beforehand. In summary, thank you for all that you do. I watch your videos to learn and pick up tips to improve my game. You, Matt Colville, and Sly Flourish, oh and Matt Mercer, have been my role models to trying to be the best DM I can for a variety of players and I will continue to support all of you and hopefully learn and improve my craft. Happy New Year.

Jared Davis

I’ve enjoyed watching the progression of your presentation and video editing skills over the years. I hope you enjoy a loving, memorable family reunion followed by a pain-free root canal. May all your dental visits roll 20s!

Christopher Gauci

I hope you all had a merry Christmas and all the best for the New year!