In regards to the third story: No, not everyone can swim. I can't, never learned it, despite being in my 30s. On top of that, the rules are probably about swimming *while still wearing your gear* and not just generic swimming. And if it is in the rules and the DM says those rules are in play, they are part of the game. End of.
1. Mercer isn’t actually a great DM, he’s a great storyteller and voice actor. 2. Did you ever wonder why everything goes almost exactly to plan with CR? Alot of rolls are fudged for plot reasons, which is fine for putting on a show. 3. A lot of DM’s dislike him due to the Mercer effect. In saying that I don’t hate Mercer or CR, but I do hate that so many people use CR and Mercer as their idea of what all ttrpg should be like.
I like the Matt Mercer effect. I've used the show as an example of what to expect in my games. What is expected of them as players. I don't like the show very much, but I used to a while back. MM isn't a good enough storyteller for me. There are too many loose ends and scenes that are irrelevant to the plot, and too much fan service.
@@xuxuang8574 I mean the scenes irrelevant to the plot is kinda what makes him a bit better of a story teller, you think about the world he built and it’s almost like he thought of what would be in every little corner. If you take Vox Machina for example he kept track of what Pike was doing so if Scanlan used his scrying poo he would be able to tell a story of what he saw. As for your campaign good I’m glad that you are able to give your players a CR type experience… My group gets me forgetting to prepare for the session and me half ass acting like I totally prepared…lmao
I wish more people looked at the stuff Matt Mercer does really well, being encouraging and welcoming to new players and applied that to their games. Instead they just get weirdly insecure and lash out at first timers for not knowing everything right away.
This. Right here. And specific to CR, I know there's a few horror stories from fans who haven't curbed their expectations of the game, but so far I've only had good experiences from fans who want to try TTRPGs. My bad experiences in this hobby have always been with the CR anti-fans, to the point where I don't even bring it up in mixed company anymore. And I wouldn't even consider myself a fan of the show (I don't have a good attention span for actual plays) I just have have a partner who loves the show and we watched the Prime adaptation of Vox Machina together. So it's like fandom osmosis, lol.
@@amethystimagination3332 I'm a pretty hateful individual, yet I know when to keep my spite towards other people in check because despite being anti-social, I got some social bones in this body and I want to have fun like everyone else. Hatedoms just miss that point entirely.
Last Story: Honestly, the DM in that situation is an asshole if he doesn't allow them to retcon that action. That, or punish Snake for screwing them over like that, like put the boss down in the pit with the two players that fell, but then have some kind of effect swap them with Snake and make him solo the boss for a bit. There needs to be some sort of consequence for that.
Right so I’ve never been able to get in to Critical Role long term, not that I have any issue with its quality, it’s just never really clicked with me for whatever reason. Though it does annoy me just HOW obsessive some people can be about it, that’s true of literally EVERY fandom, heck I have a history of it with stuff I liked in my younger days! Plus that’s not the fault of the people on the show! Regardless of how I feel though I’d NEVER fault anyone for enjoying it! Just because it never clicked with me doesn’t mean I don’t get why it did with others! I view Critical Role like I view the live action Transformers films: Not for me, but I am glad it broadened public knowledge and interest in a brand that I enjoy very much! No matter what form of a hobby or version of pop culture you’re into the goal should always be to encourage people to want to learn more about it!
Yup! Pretty much same with me. I don't like Critical Role because i don't like voice acting role playing (and they're all voice actors doing voices so i cringe for the whole duration of the show) but the episodes i have watched make it very clear that Mercer is a good DM.
Piece of advice for people who say they hate Critical Role; Matt Mercer himself has said noone is to replicate him as A: Some rolls are fudged for plot purpose B: They are actors
Locked Door Story. Stuck doors should be a common thing in old dungeons and such. A lot of settling goes on over the years and centuries. But if you are using wooden doors in those places, a lot of them should also be so rotted that any settling would have crumbled them. A bunch of those that were stuck should have been broken down by either creatures living in the dungeon or past adventuring parties going thru the dungeon. Generally any wooden door near a water source, fungal growth, or something like an ooze or gelatinous cube should be rotted away after a few years of no maintenance. Any wooden doors that were near a powerful creature's lair are probably broken down already by that creature pushing thru after hearing or otherwise detecting something on the other side. Any wooden doors near intelligent creatures like orcs have probably been repaired to some degree or another as a defense of the lair, but are not stuck, they are barred from the inside. And of course a lot depends on the original purpose of the dungeon and why it was abandoned by it's builders. A tomb after all will have a lot of passages blocked by stone blocks slid into place or doors built to last but never opened again (i.e. sealed by some means but not locked as after they were closed no one was supposed to go back in again). Above all however, NEVER USE SOLID GOLD DOORS! The party will simply jack the doors and forget about the rest of the dungeon.
@@ss3nm0dn4r8 You aren't thinking. Everything is worth something to some one. Lead did have a lot of uses in the Medieval period. You could sell the location of that door for a good sum considering the size of the door. A dwarven grand entrance double doors would be about 900 gp in lead alone. Some one would pay at least 50 gp to know where easy to get lead was.
First Story: For that guy in particular, I think the fact that he brought up that the people he was arguing with "will never be as famous as Matt Mercer" was a bit of projection. Dude's just jealous that Matt gets to make a substantial living off of playing D&D and is one of the faces of TTRPGs.
I mean.. I gm totally different than Mercer. And im not at all a fan for sure but that's the beauty of rpgs, everyone runs their games differently. I've had several new players who didn't know anything about d&d except they watched critical role and wanted to get into it. I do have to warn them I'm not gonna give you that kind of experience but I couldn't imagine trying to run someone away from the hobby because they got interested in it for different reasons than yourself. I remember the dark ages of d&d where you couldn't find a 4th player so you had to talk your friends grandma into playing the cleric
Some people don't like Mercer as a DM. The two main reasons I see: 1) jealousy or dislike of fame. 2) genuinely don't like his rulings. Doesnt mean you have to be a jerk about it though.
I don't care for _Critical Roll._ I find the show boring. So I don't watch. That's it. I don't have an opinion on Matt Mercer. I never watch the show long enough to know what his DMing style is. Ask me about Acquisition Inc. however...
I confess, I do not like Critical Role. I tried to listen on the first campaign, enjoyed some of it but shortly realized that it just was not for me. I love the world, the lore, the characters and the stories that have come from it, hell, even though I no longer play D&D for various reasons, I still have both the Green Ronin and Darrington Press Tal'dorei campaign setting books. If other people enjoy it, more power to them, far be it from me to tell you what you should nor should not like. Matt Mercer, in my opinion, does a decent job of not just DMing but performing, is he the best? No. Should other people emulate his DMing style? Absolutely not. If it's one thing I did get from Matt Mercer's DM advice, is learning to be fair and impartial, as well as letting your players try anything. Even someone like me, who hasn't been in the hobby for anywhere near the length of the majority in the hobby, I do take care to respect those that came before me, even asking for advice to improve. Yes, the Matt Mercer Effect is a thing, there is no denying that and I believe that a lot of people brought in through CR came in with ideas of what a D&D game should be, which seems like style over substance, without actually understanding the game itself. They like the idea of D&D but don't actually want to play it. I run other games now and have for almost a decade, I don't regret joining the hobby, but I also understand that Matt Mercer isn't the end all, be all of TTRPGs.
I don’t know anything about Critical Role and I never want to know anything about Critical Role but caring this much about what other people are into is really stupid
(To those people) Ok but DnD is about fun. It doesn't matter how you play if everyone is on the same page right? You could just be roleplaying with sheets, dice and imagination. You could ignore the rules and improvise on the fly. It wouldn't have to be any less fun. The way I see it, it's the problem players that ruin the story that everyone else is enjoying and the spineless OPs that refuse to kick them out. The game itself isn't always the problem. Let Critical Role have their fun, as they aren't doing anything to hinder yours.
While Critical Role aren't, like, malicious, it's disingenuous to say they don't do anything to hinder "our fun". They spawned a whole lot of insane players with insane expectations, who, in turn, directly affect the fun of everyone they get involved with.
@@jokerman9623 just because their effects on "our fun" aren't intentional, doesn't mean they don't exist. Also it kind of is their fault, because they don't make it clear that it's not a real game, it's a show, and real games aren't like that.
It sucks when anything gets popular because it attracts rabid fans and haters. They’re in the minority, but they make themselves known by screaming their opinions at any opportunity. It takes all the fun out of praising or criticizing something, in good faith and fun, when you have to worry about some nutter jumping into the conversation out of nowhere to scream “YOU’RE WRONG BECAUSE I HAVE A DIFFERENT OPINION”
Uhh... NO! As a big guy with "White Knight Syndrome', Dorkus absolutely deserved to have the abilities to walk, talk, chew, speak, or breathe independently beaten out of him by said DM; and "Snake" player (last story) should have gotten his @$$ kicked- figuratively from the campaign and the gaming table, and quite possibly literally IRL!
On the topic of people overhearing/seeing something and immediately badmouthing it, I think it’s mostly some form of compulsion mixed with events of that person’s past convincing them that others would benefit from their input. My grandfather once started a small argument around a lunch table just because a cousin of mine was wearing a shirt that depicted a music type he didn’t like, and he once mentioned how stupid he found video games, as my seven year old self was firing up a system not ten feet away. He didn’t need to speak up, but he did anyway. That being said, there is another possibility of a stimulus compromising one’s emotions, which I think fuels a good number of incidents involving CR. I myself have become victim to this in the past regarding a topic I felt strongly on, and I don’t think that classmate ever took me seriously since.
Not liking Critical Role is fine (i myself don't like their play style because i find voice acting role playing super cringe), but saying Mercer is a bad DM is kind of ridiculous.
The first story is a perfect example of just because you have a different opinion doesn't mean you should try to force it on others. If Dom had just kept his mouth shut and let OP and the other person talk about what they enjoyed, he probably would have been able to avoid getting kicked out of the store again. Personally i cant keep up with CR but i do admire Matt Mercer as a dm as he is one of the dms i use to motivate me to improve because of how he is able to create a great story for his players, and i think he serves as a good example of how fun the storytelling aspect of dnd can be. If someone disagrees with this, good for you, everyone is allowed to have their own opinion as long as your not hurting other peoples enjoyment of something with your opinion.
Guys like Dom can't keep their mouth shut. They're opinionated jackasses and petty thieves too, so they would have done fucked up another way, whether talking about their opinions or trying to shoplift/steal. You'll note he sat down and just started spewing his opinion when it wasn't asked for, only backpedaling when he realized no one had his back.
The first guy sounds like a wannabe 'hardcore' player or a gatekeeper. Maybe both. These kinds of people really came out of the woodwork because Critical Role and later Baldur's Gate 3 came out and brought in tons of people to the tabletop scene. Not to mention Divinity: Original Sin 1 and 2 reminded everyone that people really liked that genre
When he said ‘real DND’ I got reminded of that one story Doge read of the guy who insisted they play ‘REAL DnD’ and proceeded to dm a meatgrinder dungeon crawl with no role play or backstories and just insulted players when they failed or died
Toxicity is so horrendous in this community. People are straight up in these comments being like "If matt mercer was sincere then he'd stop playing" And that if players can't handle defeat then they shouldn't be playing. My GUYS. It's a GAME. To be ENJOYED. Chill out, drop the toxic pants and eat a snickers or something.
Intro: Simba radiates good vibes even in his sleep. Story 1: It seems every neighborhood has at least one guy like Dom, that weird thief who tries to rip everyone off and who can't get along with anyone. I've never seen one reformed. Not a fan of Critical Role myself, but I 1. have no problem with anyone else enjoying the show and 2. still think Matt Mercer is a pretty good DM who has a lot for us to learn from. Story 2: Another person who sees other people as tools to use for his own ends. I wonder if sociopathy (or is it psychopathy?) is going to be a running theme today? Story 3: That's three sociopath or psychopath "That Guy" stories in a row so far... Story 4: Okay, this is just an honest mistake by an unexperienced DM who learned from player input. This is a break in the running pattern. Story 5: Classic total dick move. Should've had the snake guy jump first; after all, he couldn't benefit from that casting of Feather Fall unless he was also airborne.
Critical role has been really great for people who wanted to be introduced into the D&D world. I don't personally watch it but I don't have any problem with anyone who does but I think that people watching it should keep in mind that it's a show made to entertain others in D&D is primarily not a spectator sport but really only for the players and the DM themselves. People should know the difference because sometimes the players on a show like that might do something for flash that might go down differently if it wasn't being made for broadcast
Story #1 -- Personally, I think MM is a bit over-rated as a DM, but that's just me and to each his own. I feel no need to scream it from the rooftops, or even bring it up in conversation. Dom seemed short-changed on social skills, and probably tried to make up for this by being loud and aggressive. Story #2 - Shifting the venue, and carrying on without him = Smart Move. Pretty clear that Warlock was a self-centred AH. Story #3 - Rick sounds pretty awesome. But OP getting Dorkus a head start was probably for the best. Disposing of the body afterwards is always the big hurdle. It's nice to think that the GF found someone better AND continued gaming. Story #4 - Sounds like the DM just got into a habit about this. Hopefully, he learned from that misstep. Story #5 - And then? This is only half a story, at best.
I also had a DM nerf my artificer .. I tried to pick a lock got a 23.. it was the first session.. he said because I'm not a Rouge it didn't work.. .. I said I was a locksmith in my background it should work.. still no.. I left not long after that. After more other things. Like rope climbing and my personal gear being used without my consent.
If I was the DM in the last story I'd make the other two party members land on the guy who refused to cast Feather Fall (was he not underneath them? Well he falls down first) and then kick him from the group.
...you can dislike something about be an adult about it. You even can argue why yiu feel that way in mixed company...just be *normal* and *rational*. Even saying "Nah, i just feel like CR feels commercialized with the production level" or "it's just never felt like my cup of tea for a table" is a discussion that you can have (Id call myself as C1 fan and a Vox Machina Fan, i like the start of C2 but fell out of it, same with C3, but that may be just because my time usage is very different in comparison)
So many players are sticklers for rules they forget to actually enjoy the game and be creative. If it's a professional competition, that would be one thing, but casual games with friends? Why take it so seriously?
That is probably a little unfair to MM as a DM. Simply because his style has a lot to do with the miniatures and playing fields, to talk about shit DM... That's just his personal style. Just like the different voices and sounds. My favourite DM, for example, has a completely different style. He doesn't use miniatures or battlemaps, but describes everything and, with the exception of character sheets, pencils, erasers and dice, we don't have any other tools at the table. At most the rulebooks, but that's it. And the sessions are still great. :)
It's ok not to like critical role. For me personally, I don't enjoy watching people play. That said it's not Shakespeare but don't yuck other peoples yum.
I thought i didn't liked it, but i've seen a lot of entertaining ones since (i discovered that, although i hate playing funny absurd campaigns, watching other people play them is very funny and entertaining). What makes me dislike Critical Role is that i don't like voice acting role playing in games. I've been playing too long with descriptive role playing and the voice acting makes me cringe.
Honestly, not really surprised about the toxic people down below. Toxic people is a bight every fanbase has to deal with. Thankfully the toxic parts of fanbases are usually the smallest part, but unfortunately they are often the loudest part. To those within the fanbases, just ignore the toxic people, and try to distance yourself from them if you can. To those outside fanbases, don't assume a whole fanbase is toxic just because of a few loudmouth asshats, every fanbase has plenty of amazing people in it.
I can't speak for everyone but... I think a reason why people might interject their opinions when it wasn't asked is because of social awkwardness and a need to connect, and they were talked to like this growing up so they think its normal. example: you're talking with your friend and a teacher interrupts to lecture you on what ever you were talking about... if this happens a lot and it did to me you might think its normal especially if you are on the spectrum. not an excuse mind you, just explaining why they might be doing it. you can say "dude, you interrupted a conversation and made us feel bad about liking something. this is not how to make friends." if they retort that they don't care, then they are jerks you might tell them to fuck way the hell off. a lot of the time a neurodivergent will be like "you're right I'm sorry" and we'll go die of embarrassment some where else...
"My Critical Role nik pik is it gives new players an unrealistic expectation. But that isn't on MM as a DM or person." "nitpick" by the way. Kinda like what I'm doing right now, nitpicking your typo.
It's sucks that evreyone so cuaght up in the debate of whether Matt Mecrer is good for Dnd or not , that were all ingroning that in last story op was just like so I was playing Dnd with a ltitreal snake person and man did that guy live up to the steortypes. I am like what do mean he looked like a snake, is this like a lord Voldermort thing or a Crowley thing, because I think both of them would be awful to play dnd with.
"The more people that like a hobby, the more it can flourish" That's a double-edged sword: that's true, but there are also people that like a hobby because it's good, but they want it to change in a certain way that is NOT for the better (this is true with D&D and everything else), so they come in, and eventually get their changes made, and drive the hobby into the ground. It can certainly go both ways. What you want is for everyone who wants to enjoy a hobby to enjoy that hobby, but only those who respect the hobby are given a voice that can affect others.
that last story I can't help but think, if I had a rando jackass doing that, he tells the party he's got featherfall, I don't care if he says he uses it or not, he declared that was his action and he did it regardless of protest.
"without all his high tech battle maps (Matt Mercer) is nothing" Yeah nothing except the voice that's populated basically every video game from the last what, 10 years? Yeah absolutely nothing.
Who could hate D&Djesus? When Critical Role started, Matt was making maps on graph paper and borrowing music from The Elder Scrolls. The big budget came later after it caught on.
Synthetic Man said that Critical Role has ruined the whole Dungeons and Dragons or Table Top Genre by inserting Family Guy/South Park/American Dad/Simpsons/Rick and Morty/Robot Chicken/Aqua Teen Hunger Force humor and supporting the LGBT community by creating gay/trans/bisexual characters. He and his fellow viewers also stated that Baldur's Gate 3 ruined the franchise by doing the something that Critical Role did to the Table Top Genre. Honestly I don't care since I've been a Critical Role fan since I first saw the Legend of Vox Machina. I've brought all of the books, comics and other forms of merchandising since then.
The only problem with Critical Role and Legends of Avantris and Tales from the Stinky Dragon etc. is that they set really high expectations and beginners are disappointed when their first games are awkward and low-budget.
Wait, what's wrong with Legends of Avantris?? 💀 I've literally seen it a bunch of times and it ain't even bad 😂 it's just a bunch of nerds doing goofy shit for about 5 hours 😂
Re: the DV new player Good on that DM and host tonput their feet down and get rid of an unbalanced fool. Hopefully, thr GF did indeed find a better situation.
I'm also not really a Matt Mercer or Critical Role fan but the first guy just sounds super jealous and like he's trying to ruin the fun of the other players, weak ash
I don't like CR either and I hate Matt's GM style. He talks too much to the point of being dull and all about his story. I won't say that he's crap but I outright hate how he does stuff and I wouldn't want him as my GM.
If anybody did that, just jumping into the middle of a conversation, I'd hit them with a "When the fuck did I say that you could join this discussion?" Sure, the dude was at the same table or whatever, but that doesn't mean he gets to just jump into the conversation as if he was always part of it.
You should've seen this coming, Doge. Your comment section is attracting toxic CR haters. As for the story itself, that guy shouldn't have been given a second chance after scamming kids for the cheapest MTG cards.
Critical Role, the scripted TV show that gives new players unrealistic expectations. If you like Critical role, no skin off my nose, but I find it unrealistic and boring.
Mercer isn't a bad GM, he's just a show host first. What they do on Critical Roll is a very bad introduction for new players. They don't show Session 0, they don't tell newcomers that the characters were made with any degree of collaboration, and most egregious, the entire cast are celebrities with professional acting backgrounds, and a practically Hollywood level budget to play around with. Everyone on the show are all millionaires, so yeah, they went to the best acting schools that money can buy, they can afford to dress up with professionally crafted and tailored outfits, use professionally crafted props, and sit around a professionally crafted set that costs hundreds of thousands, potentially millions of dollars to create, all run by someone whose literal career it is to act and contribute writing to works of fiction and fantasy. The problem isn't the Mercer's skills as a GM, but how the production he's a part of portrays D&D / tabletop gaming to the uninitiated. More importantly, it sets an unrealistic standard for the hobby players with 0 acting school experience, and a $0.00 budget for atmosphere. The reality is that the most you're going to get is a kitchen table to sit around, and a cardboard pizza or Chinese take-out to share. It's partly the fault of the Critical Roll production as a whole for giving these unrealistic expectations to newcomers, and partly the fault of the newcomers believing for even a second that a normal group of loser hobbyists who play D&D in their spare time will have any production quality at all, let alone somethin g that is quite literally funded by the international entertainment industry. They're fooling themselves if they think that, and drag the mood down for everyone when they compare real campaigns to Critical Roll. That's why I give such people a single warning to not make the comparisons. If they do it again, I kick them from my table.
Yeah, that seems to be a growing issue. People not realizing that things are meant to sell them an experience as entertainment. Which is not reflected in reality.
I used to think this way as well and I was very adamant about it. After years of playing and sticking to this rule, I've actually come to change my opinion on it, though. Now, I'm more of a mindset of: Nat 20 isn't an automatic success, but even if your nat 20 won't give you the result you're looking for, I'm still going to let you roll for it. If you get a nat 20, you won't auto-succeed but you will achieve the best possible result in the scenario at hand. It may not be what you were looking for, but that's just part of the game. Silly example: If a player asks me to roll so they can try jumping to the moon, I could easily say: Why? That's impossible. It doesn't matter what you roll, that's not going to happen. Instead, I say: Alright, give me a Dex roll and let's see what happens. If they roll a Nat 20, I describe them making a very high, graceful jump that is close to an olympic feat, but even at the peak of human efficiency, the moon is simply not an attainable goal. It was a hell of a jump, though.
Not the DMs job to have an encyclopedic knowledge of the player's exact possible rolls after all bonuses and abilities are factored in. It's their job to set a DC, and that's it. If it's too high, it's too high. Speaking from experience, players that aren't total tools will be much more willing to accept a task that's beyond their ability than being told they can't try in a game that sells itself as allowing them to try anything. Just like the old saying goes: "You can certainly *try*."
@@Ontomancer that's not it. You don't have to memorize stats and bonuses, just that if you present a binary pass/fail skill check then the person with the highest bonus should be able to pass it on the highest roll. If there's a door that can't be opened by any means available to the players, why even put a door there?
Matt Mercer DOES SUCK! That first guy was right! And the examples of “good DMing taken from Matt” are just what we used to call the minimum requirement. Crit role is soooooooo boringgggggg!
I think the problem with the first story isn't that he doesn't like Critical Role, though. I don't like it either, but i wouldn't be an asshole to anyone just because they like it (which the guy in the story unquestionably was).
Okay, I hate Critical Role and Matt Mercer too, but...there's better ways. I simply say "Please don't start about CR/Mercer" and leave the conversation. Also the thievery and "Real D&D" garbage makes him a lost cause by it'self. As for why, well, you answered your own question; thanks to Matt and his goons, people now expect everyone to be CR and all GM's to be Mercer.
@@MarquisLeary34 Evidence? Cause all you got is a lot of hate and stating you don't get involved in dnd anymore, to stand around yelling at all the people doing it. Maybe go away
Don't you have a bunch of thumbnails, titles, and videos taking the piss out of furries? your "just cause you don't like something doesn't mean you have to mock it" thing seems kinda hypocritical
He usually mocks the ones causing trouble. Those usually make a mockery of themselves. Also, the titles and videos are just reading something that someone else wrote. The thumbnails are to attract attention. That is like saying the news shouldn't give you bad news with their spin on it. Doge hasn't mocked anyone just called out sketchy behavior on people who happen to be furries.
@@dwaynejackson551 Even when them being a furry is like a tiny link to a way bigger problem it's what he focuses on. Like them being ragey angry obnoxious rules lawyers, but they also happen to be a furry so that's the thing he's gonna advertise.
Critical role ruined d&d by making it popular. It got popular, hasbro bought wizards, and turned it all into a bad money grab. F Critical role F Matt Mercer.
Hasbro didn't buy wizards because of D&D. D&D isn't close to their top money maker. Magic the Gathering is where Wizards made most of their money from.
In regards to the third story: No, not everyone can swim. I can't, never learned it, despite being in my 30s.
On top of that, the rules are probably about swimming *while still wearing your gear* and not just generic swimming. And if it is in the rules and the DM says those rules are in play, they are part of the game. End of.
You should learn to swim, as a saftey precaution
Dorkus should have paid more attention to the fact the DM could crush him like a bug, though he did get the hint at the end.
@@joshpiotrowski3487 I think "not being near water" is already enough of a safety measure I need.
@@gimok2k5 I guess you don't need to know how to read if you're never in a library
@@joshpiotrowski3487 Are you done being a jackass, or got any more complete false comparisions ready?
1. Mercer isn’t actually a great DM, he’s a great storyteller and voice actor. 2. Did you ever wonder why everything goes almost exactly to plan with CR? Alot of rolls are fudged for plot reasons, which is fine for putting on a show. 3. A lot of DM’s dislike him due to the Mercer effect.
In saying that I don’t hate Mercer or CR, but I do hate that so many people use CR and Mercer as their idea of what all ttrpg should be like.
I like the Matt Mercer effect. I've used the show as an example of what to expect in my games. What is expected of them as players. I don't like the show very much, but I used to a while back. MM isn't a good enough storyteller for me. There are too many loose ends and scenes that are irrelevant to the plot, and too much fan service.
@@xuxuang8574 I mean the scenes irrelevant to the plot is kinda what makes him a bit better of a story teller, you think about the world he built and it’s almost like he thought of what would be in every little corner. If you take Vox Machina for example he kept track of what Pike was doing so if Scanlan used his scrying poo he would be able to tell a story of what he saw.
As for your campaign good I’m glad that you are able to give your players a CR type experience… My group gets me forgetting to prepare for the session and me half ass acting like I totally prepared…lmao
I wish more people looked at the stuff Matt Mercer does really well, being encouraging and welcoming to new players and applied that to their games. Instead they just get weirdly insecure and lash out at first timers for not knowing everything right away.
From personal experience, people that HATE something way too much are always worse than people who LIKE something too much.
This. Right here. And specific to CR, I know there's a few horror stories from fans who haven't curbed their expectations of the game, but so far I've only had good experiences from fans who want to try TTRPGs. My bad experiences in this hobby have always been with the CR anti-fans, to the point where I don't even bring it up in mixed company anymore. And I wouldn't even consider myself a fan of the show (I don't have a good attention span for actual plays) I just have have a partner who loves the show and we watched the Prime adaptation of Vox Machina together. So it's like fandom osmosis, lol.
Hard agree, and you can’t really talk about that because the hatedom will start harassing you and it’ll be worse than anything a fandom will do
@@amethystimagination3332 I'm a pretty hateful individual, yet I know when to keep my spite towards other people in check because despite being anti-social, I got some social bones in this body and I want to have fun like everyone else. Hatedoms just miss that point entirely.
Last Story: Honestly, the DM in that situation is an asshole if he doesn't allow them to retcon that action. That, or punish Snake for screwing them over like that, like put the boss down in the pit with the two players that fell, but then have some kind of effect swap them with Snake and make him solo the boss for a bit. There needs to be some sort of consequence for that.
I agree that the DM should have retconned that backstabbing action and punished the problem player, simply ridiculous
Right so I’ve never been able to get in to Critical Role long term, not that I have any issue with its quality, it’s just never really clicked with me for whatever reason. Though it does annoy me just HOW obsessive some people can be about it, that’s true of literally EVERY fandom, heck I have a history of it with stuff I liked in my younger days! Plus that’s not the fault of the people on the show!
Regardless of how I feel though I’d NEVER fault anyone for enjoying it! Just because it never clicked with me doesn’t mean I don’t get why it did with others!
I view Critical Role like I view the live action Transformers films: Not for me, but I am glad it broadened public knowledge and interest in a brand that I enjoy very much! No matter what form of a hobby or version of pop culture you’re into the goal should always be to encourage people to want to learn more about it!
Yup! Pretty much same with me. I don't like Critical Role because i don't like voice acting role playing (and they're all voice actors doing voices so i cringe for the whole duration of the show) but the episodes i have watched make it very clear that Mercer is a good DM.
Piece of advice for people who say they hate Critical Role; Matt Mercer himself has said noone is to replicate him as A: Some rolls are fudged for plot purpose
B: They are actors
Doesn't matter what he says, people still do it. If Mercer was sincere, he would end his show.
@@mrosskne 💯💯💯*THANK YOU* .
If you "fudge dice rolls" for "plot points" - YOU'RE NOT PLAYING D&D. YOU'RE PRETENDING TO PLAY D&D FOR CLICKS.
I as a DM have fudged rolls to help my players in story situations. It happens when you want the players to be happy.
@@dwaynejackson551 Games aren't stories. If the players can't deal with defeat, they shouldn't be playing a game.
@@mrosskne okay
Guy in the first story is such a gatekeeper, he should get a job as a tollbooth operator or a hotel doorkeeper.
He's already employed as a troll underneath a bridge.
In the last story DM should’ve just retconned Snake’s action. And as for the first one, if you’re not part of a conversation, never butt in uninvited.
Locked Door Story. Stuck doors should be a common thing in old dungeons and such. A lot of settling goes on over the years and centuries. But if you are using wooden doors in those places, a lot of them should also be so rotted that any settling would have crumbled them. A bunch of those that were stuck should have been broken down by either creatures living in the dungeon or past adventuring parties going thru the dungeon. Generally any wooden door near a water source, fungal growth, or something like an ooze or gelatinous cube should be rotted away after a few years of no maintenance. Any wooden doors that were near a powerful creature's lair are probably broken down already by that creature pushing thru after hearing or otherwise detecting something on the other side. Any wooden doors near intelligent creatures like orcs have probably been repaired to some degree or another as a defense of the lair, but are not stuck, they are barred from the inside. And of course a lot depends on the original purpose of the dungeon and why it was abandoned by it's builders. A tomb after all will have a lot of passages blocked by stone blocks slid into place or doors built to last but never opened again (i.e. sealed by some means but not locked as after they were closed no one was supposed to go back in again).
Above all however, NEVER USE SOLID GOLD DOORS! The party will simply jack the doors and forget about the rest of the dungeon.
the door happens to be gilded lead it takes more effort than its worth to both move the door and to remove the gold from the door its also worthless
@@ss3nm0dn4r8 You aren't thinking. Everything is worth something to some one. Lead did have a lot of uses in the Medieval period. You could sell the location of that door for a good sum considering the size of the door. A dwarven grand entrance double doors would be about 900 gp in lead alone. Some one would pay at least 50 gp to know where easy to get lead was.
Gold doors makes me think of that Tom Hanks D&D movie. Where somebody set up jewels on the tips of spikes in a pit, to make people jump in after them.
@@starofjustice1 I had actually forgotten about "Mazes and Monsters".
First Story: For that guy in particular, I think the fact that he brought up that the people he was arguing with "will never be as famous as Matt Mercer" was a bit of projection. Dude's just jealous that Matt gets to make a substantial living off of playing D&D and is one of the faces of TTRPGs.
I mean.. I gm totally different than Mercer. And im not at all a fan for sure but that's the beauty of rpgs, everyone runs their games differently. I've had several new players who didn't know anything about d&d except they watched critical role and wanted to get into it. I do have to warn them I'm not gonna give you that kind of experience but I couldn't imagine trying to run someone away from the hobby because they got interested in it for different reasons than yourself. I remember the dark ages of d&d where you couldn't find a 4th player so you had to talk your friends grandma into playing the cleric
I think we all need an update on the snake guy. Like... The fuck was he thinking?
Some people don't like Mercer as a DM. The two main reasons I see: 1) jealousy or dislike of fame. 2) genuinely don't like his rulings.
Doesnt mean you have to be a jerk about it though.
Can we dislike players who are obsessed with CR, and have unreasonable expectations that the games they join are supposed to be just like it?
@@starofjustice1 Pretty sure that's acceptable. They've been the center of a few horror stories here and there
@@starofjustice1 Entirely agreeable.
I don't care for _Critical Roll._ I find the show boring. So I don't watch. That's it. I don't have an opinion on Matt Mercer. I never watch the show long enough to know what his DMing style is. Ask me about Acquisition Inc. however...
@@arikwolf3777 Never heard of Aquisition. Any good?
I confess, I do not like Critical Role. I tried to listen on the first campaign, enjoyed some of it but shortly realized that it just was not for me. I love the world, the lore, the characters and the stories that have come from it, hell, even though I no longer play D&D for various reasons, I still have both the Green Ronin and Darrington Press Tal'dorei campaign setting books. If other people enjoy it, more power to them, far be it from me to tell you what you should nor should not like. Matt Mercer, in my opinion, does a decent job of not just DMing but performing, is he the best? No. Should other people emulate his DMing style? Absolutely not. If it's one thing I did get from Matt Mercer's DM advice, is learning to be fair and impartial, as well as letting your players try anything. Even someone like me, who hasn't been in the hobby for anywhere near the length of the majority in the hobby, I do take care to respect those that came before me, even asking for advice to improve.
Yes, the Matt Mercer Effect is a thing, there is no denying that and I believe that a lot of people brought in through CR came in with ideas of what a D&D game should be, which seems like style over substance, without actually understanding the game itself. They like the idea of D&D but don't actually want to play it.
I run other games now and have for almost a decade, I don't regret joining the hobby, but I also understand that Matt Mercer isn't the end all, be all of TTRPGs.
Just for my curiosity what other games do you run?
@@andrewbyrne2173 I've ran Call of Cthulhu, Bunkers & Badasses, I mostly run Night Shift and Castles & Crusades.
I don’t know anything about Critical Role and I never want to know anything about Critical Role but caring this much about what other people are into is really stupid
(To those people)
Ok but DnD is about fun. It doesn't matter how you play if everyone is on the same page right? You could just be roleplaying with sheets, dice and imagination. You could ignore the rules and improvise on the fly. It wouldn't have to be any less fun.
The way I see it, it's the problem players that ruin the story that everyone else is enjoying and the spineless OPs that refuse to kick them out. The game itself isn't always the problem.
Let Critical Role have their fun, as they aren't doing anything to hinder yours.
@@supercoolmaniajon265 👍
While Critical Role aren't, like, malicious, it's disingenuous to say they don't do anything to hinder "our fun". They spawned a whole lot of insane players with insane expectations, who, in turn, directly affect the fun of everyone they get involved with.
@@Spellweaver5I don't watch critical role but the reaction of fans aren't in anyway their fault lmao. The fans are just weirdos
@@jokerman9623 just because their effects on "our fun" aren't intentional, doesn't mean they don't exist.
Also it kind of is their fault, because they don't make it clear that it's not a real game, it's a show, and real games aren't like that.
Kinda glad I've never watched it to develop an opinion of Critical Role. It seems like any thoughts about it are controversial
It sucks when anything gets popular because it attracts rabid fans and haters. They’re in the minority, but they make themselves known by screaming their opinions at any opportunity. It takes all the fun out of praising or criticizing something, in good faith and fun, when you have to worry about some nutter jumping into the conversation out of nowhere to scream “YOU’RE WRONG BECAUSE I HAVE A DIFFERENT OPINION”
Personally, CR reignited my enjoyment of TTRPGs and I enjoy Mercer due to his narrative abilities, not the lights or maps.
It's okay
Uhh... NO! As a big guy with "White Knight Syndrome', Dorkus absolutely deserved to have the abilities to walk, talk, chew, speak, or breathe independently beaten out of him by said DM; and "Snake" player (last story) should have gotten his @$$ kicked- figuratively from the campaign and the gaming table, and quite possibly literally IRL!
On the topic of people overhearing/seeing something and immediately badmouthing it, I think it’s mostly some form of compulsion mixed with events of that person’s past convincing them that others would benefit from their input. My grandfather once started a small argument around a lunch table just because a cousin of mine was wearing a shirt that depicted a music type he didn’t like, and he once mentioned how stupid he found video games, as my seven year old self was firing up a system not ten feet away. He didn’t need to speak up, but he did anyway.
That being said, there is another possibility of a stimulus compromising one’s emotions, which I think fuels a good number of incidents involving CR. I myself have become victim to this in the past regarding a topic I felt strongly on, and I don’t think that classmate ever took me seriously since.
Not liking Critical Role is fine (i myself don't like their play style because i find voice acting role playing super cringe), but saying Mercer is a bad DM is kind of ridiculous.
The first story is a perfect example of just because you have a different opinion doesn't mean you should try to force it on others. If Dom had just kept his mouth shut and let OP and the other person talk about what they enjoyed, he probably would have been able to avoid getting kicked out of the store again. Personally i cant keep up with CR but i do admire Matt Mercer as a dm as he is one of the dms i use to motivate me to improve because of how he is able to create a great story for his players, and i think he serves as a good example of how fun the storytelling aspect of dnd can be. If someone disagrees with this, good for you, everyone is allowed to have their own opinion as long as your not hurting other peoples enjoyment of something with your opinion.
Guys like Dom can't keep their mouth shut. They're opinionated jackasses and petty thieves too, so they would have done fucked up another way, whether talking about their opinions or trying to shoplift/steal.
You'll note he sat down and just started spewing his opinion when it wasn't asked for, only backpedaling when he realized no one had his back.
The first guy sounds like a wannabe 'hardcore' player or a gatekeeper. Maybe both. These kinds of people really came out of the woodwork because Critical Role and later Baldur's Gate 3 came out and brought in tons of people to the tabletop scene. Not to mention Divinity: Original Sin 1 and 2 reminded everyone that people really liked that genre
@@Sanodi21 Not a fan of gatekeeping. Not just in D&D, but in gaming as a whole.
When he said ‘real DND’ I got reminded of that one story Doge read of the guy who insisted they play ‘REAL DnD’ and proceeded to dm a meatgrinder dungeon crawl with no role play or backstories and just insulted players when they failed or died
@@KentaroMiyamoto21 I know what you mean.... 'yOu'Re NoT a ReAl GaMeR iF yOu PlAy On EaSy MoDe' The difficulty exists for a reason num nuts 🙄
Yeah, I don’t like Critical Role either.
But even I don’t try to it everyone else’s problem
Toxicity is so horrendous in this community. People are straight up in these comments being like "If matt mercer was sincere then he'd stop playing" And that if players can't handle defeat then they shouldn't be playing. My GUYS. It's a GAME. To be ENJOYED. Chill out, drop the toxic pants and eat a snickers or something.
well said.
Maybe they should try to be more like Matt Mercer, in that they should be more kind and open minded like he is
Simba just has the cutest nose.
Intro: Simba radiates good vibes even in his sleep.
Story 1: It seems every neighborhood has at least one guy like Dom, that weird thief who tries to rip everyone off and who can't get along with anyone. I've never seen one reformed.
Not a fan of Critical Role myself, but I 1. have no problem with anyone else enjoying the show and 2. still think Matt Mercer is a pretty good DM who has a lot for us to learn from.
Story 2: Another person who sees other people as tools to use for his own ends. I wonder if sociopathy (or is it psychopathy?) is going to be a running theme today?
Story 3: That's three sociopath or psychopath "That Guy" stories in a row so far...
Story 4: Okay, this is just an honest mistake by an unexperienced DM who learned from player input. This is a break in the running pattern.
Story 5: Classic total dick move. Should've had the snake guy jump first; after all, he couldn't benefit from that casting of Feather Fall unless he was also airborne.
Critical role has been really great for people who wanted to be introduced into the D&D world. I don't personally watch it but I don't have any problem with anyone who does but I think that people watching it should keep in mind that it's a show made to entertain others in D&D is primarily not a spectator sport but really only for the players and the DM themselves. People should know the difference because sometimes the players on a show like that might do something for flash that might go down differently if it wasn't being made for broadcast
Story #1 -- Personally, I think MM is a bit over-rated as a DM, but that's just me and to each his own. I feel no need to scream it from the rooftops, or even bring it up in conversation. Dom seemed short-changed on social skills, and probably tried to make up for this by being loud and aggressive.
Story #2 - Shifting the venue, and carrying on without him = Smart Move. Pretty clear that Warlock was a self-centred AH.
Story #3 - Rick sounds pretty awesome. But OP getting Dorkus a head start was probably for the best. Disposing of the body afterwards is always the big hurdle. It's nice to think that the GF found someone better AND continued gaming.
Story #4 - Sounds like the DM just got into a habit about this. Hopefully, he learned from that misstep.
Story #5 - And then? This is only half a story, at best.
I also had a DM nerf my artificer .. I tried to pick a lock got a 23.. it was the first session.. he said because I'm not a Rouge it didn't work.. .. I said I was a locksmith in my background it should work.. still no.. I left not long after that. After more other things. Like rope climbing and my personal gear being used without my consent.
If I was the DM in the last story I'd make the other two party members land on the guy who refused to cast Feather Fall (was he not underneath them? Well he falls down first) and then kick him from the group.
Retcon the fall and boot the troll. Last story could have been solved really simply.
...you can dislike something about be an adult about it. You even can argue why yiu feel that way in mixed company...just be *normal* and *rational*.
Even saying "Nah, i just feel like CR feels commercialized with the production level" or "it's just never felt like my cup of tea for a table" is a discussion that you can have
(Id call myself as C1 fan and a Vox Machina Fan, i like the start of C2 but fell out of it, same with C3, but that may be just because my time usage is very different in comparison)
So many players are sticklers for rules they forget to actually enjoy the game and be creative. If it's a professional competition, that would be one thing, but casual games with friends? Why take it so seriously?
That is probably a little unfair to MM as a DM. Simply because his style has a lot to do with the miniatures and playing fields, to talk about shit DM...
That's just his personal style. Just like the different voices and sounds.
My favourite DM, for example, has a completely different style. He doesn't use miniatures or battlemaps, but describes everything and, with the exception of character sheets, pencils, erasers and dice, we don't have any other tools at the table. At most the rulebooks, but that's it.
And the sessions are still great. :)
I'm not a fan of Critical Role, but to say that Matt Mercer is a "bad DM" is objectively untrue. This dude clearly thinks he's too cool for school.
I keep expecting to hear a story from the perspective of the "That Guy" players from the Skele-Tales narration.
It's ok not to like critical role. For me personally, I don't enjoy watching people play. That said it's not Shakespeare but don't yuck other peoples yum.
I thought i didn't liked it, but i've seen a lot of entertaining ones since (i discovered that, although i hate playing funny absurd campaigns, watching other people play them is very funny and entertaining). What makes me dislike Critical Role is that i don't like voice acting role playing in games. I've been playing too long with descriptive role playing and the voice acting makes me cringe.
Honestly, not really surprised about the toxic people down below. Toxic people is a bight every fanbase has to deal with. Thankfully the toxic parts of fanbases are usually the smallest part, but unfortunately they are often the loudest part. To those within the fanbases, just ignore the toxic people, and try to distance yourself from them if you can. To those outside fanbases, don't assume a whole fanbase is toxic just because of a few loudmouth asshats, every fanbase has plenty of amazing people in it.
I can't speak for everyone but... I think a reason why people might interject their opinions when it wasn't asked is because of social awkwardness and a need to connect, and they were talked to like this growing up so they think its normal. example: you're talking with your friend and a teacher interrupts to lecture you on what ever you were talking about... if this happens a lot and it did to me you might think its normal especially if you are on the spectrum.
not an excuse mind you, just explaining why they might be doing it. you can say "dude, you interrupted a conversation and made us feel bad about liking something. this is not how to make friends." if they retort that they don't care, then they are jerks you might tell them to fuck way the hell off.
a lot of the time a neurodivergent will be like "you're right I'm sorry" and we'll go die of embarrassment some where else...
A nat20 doesn’t auto succeed on any ability check but if a skill check was called 90% of ability checks will have DC lower than what was rolled.
There are no scapegoat safe from human idiocy.
Speaking for myself, after several people tried to teach me I can’t doggy paddle. 🙂
Yeah, I've walked in -40C fully bundled up and it wasn't fun. Buddy from the 3rd story must have been terrified beyond all reason to go barefoot.
'no rogue = impossible locks' that... thats not how that works.
I have been annoyed by CR. People eventually adjust if you tell them that dnd doesnt always go the way CR does. Usually people are understanding.
My Critical Role nik pik is it gives new players an unrealistic expectation. But that isn't on MM as a DM or person.
"My Critical Role nik pik is it gives new players an unrealistic expectation. But that isn't on MM as a DM or person."
"nitpick" by the way. Kinda like what I'm doing right now, nitpicking your typo.
After all these horror stories about people getting angry that DnD isn't always like Critical Role, hearing someone hate on it feels jarring.
It's sucks that evreyone so cuaght up in the debate of whether Matt Mecrer is good for Dnd or not , that were all ingroning that in last story op was just like so I was playing Dnd with a ltitreal snake person and man did that guy live up to the steortypes. I am like what do mean he looked like a snake, is this like a lord Voldermort thing or a Crowley thing, because I think both of them would be awful to play dnd with.
"The more people that like a hobby, the more it can flourish"
That's a double-edged sword: that's true, but there are also people that like a hobby because it's good, but they want it to change in a certain way that is NOT for the better (this is true with D&D and everything else), so they come in, and eventually get their changes made, and drive the hobby into the ground.
It can certainly go both ways. What you want is for everyone who wants to enjoy a hobby to enjoy that hobby, but only those who respect the hobby are given a voice that can affect others.
Exactly. Some amount of gatekeeping is necessary to keep a healthy community. Not everything has to be for everyone.
that last story I can't help but think, if I had a rando jackass doing that, he tells the party he's got featherfall, I don't care if he says he uses it or not, he declared that was his action and he did it regardless of protest.
Is that Enderal in the background?
"without all his high tech battle maps (Matt Mercer) is nothing" Yeah nothing except the voice that's populated basically every video game from the last what, 10 years? Yeah absolutely nothing.
Who could hate D&Djesus? When Critical Role started, Matt was making maps on graph paper and borrowing music from The Elder Scrolls. The big budget came later after it caught on.
MM is overrated tho. All these AHs just sounded like terrible people in general 😆
Synthetic Man said that Critical Role has ruined the whole Dungeons and Dragons or Table Top Genre by inserting Family Guy/South Park/American Dad/Simpsons/Rick and Morty/Robot Chicken/Aqua Teen Hunger Force humor and supporting the LGBT community by creating gay/trans/bisexual characters. He and his fellow viewers also stated that Baldur's Gate 3 ruined the franchise by doing the something that Critical Role did to the Table Top Genre. Honestly I don't care since I've been a Critical Role fan since I first saw the Legend of Vox Machina. I've brought all of the books, comics and other forms of merchandising since then.
Who is synthetic man? He sounds like an idiot.
The only problem with Critical Role and Legends of Avantris and Tales from the Stinky Dragon etc. is that they set really high expectations and beginners are disappointed when their first games are awkward and low-budget.
Wait, what's wrong with Legends of Avantris?? 💀
I've literally seen it a bunch of times and it ain't even bad 😂 it's just a bunch of nerds doing goofy shit for about 5 hours 😂
Nothing. It’s when people expect every game to be like it is the problem
Re: the DV new player
Good on that DM and host tonput their feet down and get rid of an unbalanced fool. Hopefully, thr GF did indeed find a better situation.
Personally my father inspires me to be a great role player and writer
Well we all need some advantage
Bad ≠ Trash
I'm also not really a Matt Mercer or Critical Role fan but the first guy just sounds super jealous and like he's trying to ruin the fun of the other players, weak ash
I don't like CR either and I hate Matt's GM style. He talks too much to the point of being dull and all about his story. I won't say that he's crap but I outright hate how he does stuff and I wouldn't want him as my GM.
That's fair, just don't take it out on people who like those things.
I dont have any opinion about matt. Have seen too little cr for that. But offcourse you can dislike someones stile off dm ng
If anybody did that, just jumping into the middle of a conversation, I'd hit them with a "When the fuck did I say that you could join this discussion?"
Sure, the dude was at the same table or whatever, but that doesn't mean he gets to just jump into the conversation as if he was always part of it.
You should've seen this coming, Doge. Your comment section is attracting toxic CR haters.
As for the story itself, that guy shouldn't have been given a second chance after scamming kids for the cheapest MTG cards.
Yes, just call people toxic because they don't agree with you, that's very productive
@@mojpiesto Okay
@@mojpiestoWhen they act like gatekeepers to DnD, don't be surprised if they're considered "toxic".
@@ArcCaravan i read all the comments that were left at the time this one was left, there weren't that many yet, and none of them fit that category
Critical Role, the scripted TV show that gives new players unrealistic expectations. If you like Critical role, no skin off my nose, but I find it unrealistic and boring.
Idk. I don’t like how the popularity has killed Wizards of the Coast so that Hasbro could wear its skin like a Merska…
I don't watch actual plays, but i watch Doge
I don’t like critical role either, but I know I’m in the minority.
I also don't like it, but i know he is a good DM.
Kitty
Mercer isn't a bad GM, he's just a show host first. What they do on Critical Roll is a very bad introduction for new players. They don't show Session 0, they don't tell newcomers that the characters were made with any degree of collaboration, and most egregious, the entire cast are celebrities with professional acting backgrounds, and a practically Hollywood level budget to play around with. Everyone on the show are all millionaires, so yeah, they went to the best acting schools that money can buy, they can afford to dress up with professionally crafted and tailored outfits, use professionally crafted props, and sit around a professionally crafted set that costs hundreds of thousands, potentially millions of dollars to create, all run by someone whose literal career it is to act and contribute writing to works of fiction and fantasy.
The problem isn't the Mercer's skills as a GM, but how the production he's a part of portrays D&D / tabletop gaming to the uninitiated. More importantly, it sets an unrealistic standard for the hobby players with 0 acting school experience, and a $0.00 budget for atmosphere. The reality is that the most you're going to get is a kitchen table to sit around, and a cardboard pizza or Chinese take-out to share. It's partly the fault of the Critical Roll production as a whole for giving these unrealistic expectations to newcomers, and partly the fault of the newcomers believing for even a second that a normal group of loser hobbyists who play D&D in their spare time will have any production quality at all, let alone somethin g that is quite literally funded by the international entertainment industry. They're fooling themselves if they think that, and drag the mood down for everyone when they compare real campaigns to Critical Roll.
That's why I give such people a single warning to not make the comparisons. If they do it again, I kick them from my table.
Yeah, that seems to be a growing issue. People not realizing that things are meant to sell them an experience as entertainment. Which is not reflected in reality.
"genetic beast" is a rude way to refer to someone
Nat 20 isn't an automatic success on skill checks... but don't ask for a roll if it can't succeed in the first place.
I used to think this way as well and I was very adamant about it. After years of playing and sticking to this rule, I've actually come to change my opinion on it, though. Now, I'm more of a mindset of: Nat 20 isn't an automatic success, but even if your nat 20 won't give you the result you're looking for, I'm still going to let you roll for it. If you get a nat 20, you won't auto-succeed but you will achieve the best possible result in the scenario at hand. It may not be what you were looking for, but that's just part of the game.
Silly example: If a player asks me to roll so they can try jumping to the moon, I could easily say: Why? That's impossible. It doesn't matter what you roll, that's not going to happen. Instead, I say: Alright, give me a Dex roll and let's see what happens. If they roll a Nat 20, I describe them making a very high, graceful jump that is close to an olympic feat, but even at the peak of human efficiency, the moon is simply not an attainable goal. It was a hell of a jump, though.
@@Xylarxcode that too, but sometimes the best possible outcome is "nothing happens and you don't hurt yourself in the attempt"
not failing is a degree of success dont ask for a d20 roll if theres no way to *not* fail
Not the DMs job to have an encyclopedic knowledge of the player's exact possible rolls after all bonuses and abilities are factored in.
It's their job to set a DC, and that's it. If it's too high, it's too high.
Speaking from experience, players that aren't total tools will be much more willing to accept a task that's beyond their ability than being told they can't try in a game that sells itself as allowing them to try anything.
Just like the old saying goes: "You can certainly *try*."
@@Ontomancer that's not it. You don't have to memorize stats and bonuses, just that if you present a binary pass/fail skill check then the person with the highest bonus should be able to pass it on the highest roll. If there's a door that can't be opened by any means available to the players, why even put a door there?
What Monk subclass do you think Simba would be? Assuming he was a Tabaxi or similar cat-themed species/race
Open palm, they are all about being cool and collected and are awesome at crowd control aside.
@@watcherofmemelords7967 Yep. That's Simba alright
I still want a full video delving into the Doge-kitties as an all-tabaxi party, and what classes, sub-classes, and alignments they'd be!🥰🐱😋
@@thephantomspectator407 That would be fun, Doge could probably do it as a Halloween or Christmas special.
Matt Mercer DOES SUCK! That first guy was right!
And the examples of “good DMing taken from Matt” are just what we used to call the minimum requirement.
Crit role is soooooooo boringgggggg!
I think the problem with the first story isn't that he doesn't like Critical Role, though. I don't like it either, but i wouldn't be an asshole to anyone just because they like it (which the guy in the story unquestionably was).
Okay, I hate Critical Role and Matt Mercer too, but...there's better ways. I simply say "Please don't start about CR/Mercer" and leave the conversation. Also the thievery and "Real D&D" garbage makes him a lost cause by it'self.
As for why, well, you answered your own question; thanks to Matt and his goons, people now expect everyone to be CR and all GM's to be Mercer.
@@MarquisLeary34 You don't even play dnd
@@RealJacior I played it before you were born up until fairly recently.
@@MarquisLeary34 Evidence? Cause all you got is a lot of hate and stating you don't get involved in dnd anymore, to stand around yelling at all the people doing it. Maybe go away
@@MarquisLeary34 Also if you're that old and leaving random hate comments on a dnd video, get a real hobby and leave people alone
@@RealJacior I say what I want when I want to say it. Deal with it.
First story brings up a certain phrase in my mind. What was it... ahh.
"And then everyone clapped"
Critical Roll *is* trash.
only thing the first story was missing was everyone getting up to clap.
it is though, I feel like it sets up unrealistic expectations of what D&D actually is.
Don't you have a bunch of thumbnails, titles, and videos taking the piss out of furries? your "just cause you don't like something doesn't mean you have to mock it" thing seems kinda hypocritical
He usually mocks the ones causing trouble. Those usually make a mockery of themselves. Also, the titles and videos are just reading something that someone else wrote. The thumbnails are to attract attention.
That is like saying the news shouldn't give you bad news with their spin on it.
Doge hasn't mocked anyone just called out sketchy behavior on people who happen to be furries.
@@dwaynejackson551 Even when them being a furry is like a tiny link to a way bigger problem it's what he focuses on. Like them being ragey angry obnoxious rules lawyers, but they also happen to be a furry so that's the thing he's gonna advertise.
@@PaladinGear15 okay
Probably for clickbait. I've seen other channels do similarly, emphasizing an aspect of the story that isn't the primary focus (furries, LGBTQ+, etc).
@@ArcCaravan Makes sense to me.
The guy might have been an ah, but he's not wrong about Critical Role
Hating CR isn't a "horror story", it's putting it in its place.
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Tell the comment section you're that player without telling us you were THAT player~ 😂
Cool story, loser.
Cool story, bro.
Critical role is great for what it is... It's a specific group's vibe. Each group has its own vibe.
Critical role ruined d&d by making it popular. It got popular, hasbro bought wizards, and turned it all into a bad money grab. F Critical role F Matt Mercer.
Hasbro didn't buy wizards because of D&D. D&D isn't close to their top money maker. Magic the Gathering is where Wizards made most of their money from.
@@prinnyramzaDon't bother being logical. He won't change his opinion. Toxic people never do.
Hasbro bought WOTC in 1999. Critical Role began airing in 2015. What crack are you smoking?
@@sailorsloth8183 You expect someone like this guy to do research? It'd ruin his narrative if he did.
Just ignore the guy, he hasn't responded yet and probably won't so just let them stew.
He's right.
"Critical Role is Trash"
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Greetings, Problem Player Dom from the first story.