This show is far better than it should be.
Too bad 5e is still ass
>>47069573
>this is what 4rries actually believe
>>47069573
You sure showed them
I never cared for it, but I like this guy and his behind-the-scenes/advice videos are good.
I just hope new players don't watch this and expect everyone to be an actor when they play.
I love this show, Mercer and Co. do a fantastic job as a group, and it really has gotten more people into the game.
All that in mind, I dread starting a game with some newbies that want to try the game because they are diehard Critters. I have this fear they don't understand that not every DM is an actor on Mercer's level.
>>47068771
>Ep 51
Mercer must be pissed he keeps being told he's holding back. A totem barbarian/Battlemaster used for 1 vs 1 against a berserker? Grogg had no hope.
>>47068771
I think the general consensus on /tg/ is that Critical Role is a net good for the hobby, as it gets a lot of normies and less hardcore nerds into the game, in turn making more players. The characters are fairly well written (Except Keylith, Keylith a shit and DM fiat incarnate) and something I'd cite as a decent way to make a new character.
All in all, 8/10. Would tune in while painting on a Thursday night.
the only entertainment I watch every week. This is my "The Walking Dead." My "Game of Thrones." My...ahhh...umm...Sister Act 2. It's great.
The host is good but I find the campaign mind numbingly boring.
there a way I can watch this show without giving that bitch Felicia Day or that faggot Wil Wheton any money or clicks?
It's an entertaining D&D game, which is kind of a HUGE unlikelyhood. And I say that as someone who streams D&D myself, I will never run a game remotely as capable of entertaining a crowd as they do.
There's really not much else to say about it.
Here's the thing I've noticed, though; Probably 70% of the fanbase, if not more, is women.
>>47074226
Twitch with adblock. Done.
>>47074284
Just watch the prerecords on twitch with adblock? That's it?
That fucking easy?
I've been missing out on a good show all this time (because of two of the biggest assholes in the C-List) and I could have watched ythis shit with adblock?
>>47074226
Why the hate for Wil Wheaton?
>>47074372
B8 harder.
>>47074372
Memes.
>>47074387
Makes sense, thanks family
>>47074372
can't speak for anyone else, but have you listened to acquisitions inc? he's legitimately an annoying, unfunny faggot, especially once they started playing live in front of audiences at pax.
>>47074354
get addblock and go to the geek&sundry website. thats what i do.
critical role is pretty good... i FUCKING HATE marisha/keylith
like many other posts said it really is doing good for tabletop gaming as a whole, though when people jump in and expect a mat mercer DM they will be sorely disappointed
>>47074421
Wait Matt Mercer isn't the DM?
that fucking sucks!
>>47074432
mat mercer is the DM for crit-role.
sorry i worded that terribly...
i ment to say...when people play a table top rpg with their friends and expect the DM to be on par with mat mercer they will be disappointing.
>>47072524
He obviously already designed the encounter/character with the party in mind, its obvious he was never meant to be dueled to victory.
>>47074450
oh.
Well yeah the guys a professional voice actor who's been in the industry for a while. You're not gonna be on his level for a while if ever.
>>47073815
Pike is also 60% fiat,40% absent.
>>47074421
>>47074450
This is kind of why I don't agree with >>47073815's point
>the general consensus on /tg/ is that Critical Role is a net good for the hobby, as it gets a lot of normies and less hardcore nerds into the game
If I had a dollar for everyone introduced to the hobby and who then flared out of actually playing when they realized that not every DM is, in fact, the one they see on the high-paid TV show they watched, and that THEY are not as interesting or charismatic or entertaining as those professional actors playing in a group of close friends they've known for many years? I'd be fucking rich.
Most people who watch the show don't actually play D&D and never will.
anyone else glad tiberius/Orion is gone? that fuck head pissed me off so much
>>47074539
At first he was my favorite character, but he rapidly turned into being slightly better than marisha. He was like a non-charismatic sam/scanlan.
>>47074561
his meta trash frequently pissed me off...
his arrogance was also very frustrating
>>47073815
>>47074421
What in particular is wrong with Keylith? I never had much of a problem with her.
>>47069755
4e at least tried something different whereas 5th is just pathfinder/3.x with a fix or two. Though, nobody should continue playing D&D after getting their feet wet anyways. There's so many systems that do whatever you actually liked about D&D better than D&D ever will.
I fucking hate Grog. He's the GM's special little boy. Seriously the GM panders more to Grog than his own girlfriend.
>Edgy dark magic sword for Grog-senpai
>Like six fucking stories revolve around grog.
>Special PVP episode, teehee Grog-senpai will win, the fucking look of pure butt hurt on there faces when will friedle won.
>Oh hey a wolf companion, nope not for the ranger to replace her shitlord pet, not for the rogue, nope its for Grog-senpai.
>Ancient Magic item quest, everybody gets one including Grog-senpai who has a dark edgy sword and a dark edgy wolf companion already.
>>47074625
i find her roleplaying utterly obnoxious. her attempts to display any amount of serious emotion comes off forced and awkward... i feel myself cringe every time she talks for any longer than one or two sentences...
the character itself is also very irritating...her morals get in the way of everything...she is so useless as a character and only helps the party when it comes to traveling or something INCREDIBLY circumstantial
>>47074652
>whereas 5th is just pathfinder/3.x with a fix or two
This meme is just proof you're not familiar with either. 5e is as similar to 3.5e as 4e is.
>>47074663
while i do agree he does get alot of nice things, i think its more because he does a good job at playing his character and is rewarded for such. travis himself is a pretty smart dude and a good strategist but does an amazing job at acting with a low INT but keeping it interesting
>>47074682
Well, okay, but...
>her morals get in the way of everything.
I know what you mean, but I kinda appreciate having a voice of morality to mitigate murderhoboing. Like the Roc episode. Sure, she derailed the would-be fight, but it was certainly a happier solution.
How do y'all recommend being the voice of morality without getting in the way of things?
>>47074753
you are very right...i don't expect her to just go with it when she view something as morally wrong, but it gets to the point where her morals get in the way of logical though and reason. potentially creating a bigger problem than the one they where initially faced with
>>47074782
She also only pays half attention when things aren't directly related to her, so the rest of the group gets 80% through a plan or idea, and THEN she comes in, asks whats going on and that its wrong so stop.
>>47074663
The cursed sword was given to Percy, who gave it to Grog.
He got the wolf because he was the only one who did a decent job on his Handle Animal check. And there's no way Vex would ditch her fuzzy anchor. I'm just glad Matt gave them a magic plot-convenience item for it.
>>47074821
>this
>>47074821
If anyone except marisha was a druid i guarantee the wolf would have been awakened.Trinket would also have been awakened for a while, but she doesn't know what her spells do, or that she has them
>>47074876
Actually, this came up in an interview thing one time. I heard Vex say she didn't want to awaken Trinket because she's worried Trinket may leave her.I fukken would, if I were that bear.
>>47074876
Mat has mentioned before that she has access to Awaken, but they shouldn't do it because Trinket would no longer be a pet/ranger companion.
>>47074663
All of these complaints seem pretty dumb to me. And I mean, I'm certainly no fanboy or anything, I'm just saying that they all make sense from a purely mechanical sense in how they happened:
>The edgy dark magic sword belonged to the Vampire who was, in fact, part of Percy's backstory. Percy took it off the Vampire, and then gave it to Grog because he had no use for a greatsword. The fact that the weapon happens to be evil/intelligent and give strength based on it's kills just means that Grog worked really well with it and had too low of a Wisdom to succeed against it. Plus, it played on his character's personality.
>There's only one main story I think that revolves around him. Unless you mean the one with the Monk guy, but that was just Matt coming up with a way of pointing the players towards the Artifact items based on which PC went searching for info. It happened to be Grog.
>The PvP thing doesn't really count, does it? It was literally just 4 players fighting in a ring.
>He intimidated/handle animal'd the Wolf. That's kind of what the skill is for.
>He doesn't have a wolf companion? The wolf is protecting a village or some shit, right? I don't remember. And they got rid of the sword. The sword wasn't an artifact, so why would it be planned for in that aspect of the game? If the DM made one legendary item per PC, why would he not give one PC one based on a piece of loot that technically the whole party could have laid claim to when it was obtained? That wouldn't affect the history of the world and what legendary items existed.
>>47074948
>>47074955
Beat me to it. Thanks for the clarification
>>47074682
To be fair, her roleplaying may be cringy because, as she said, she intentionally plays the character as socially awkward due to the character's low Charisma.
I'm not saying it's THE cause, but it might be part of it.
>>47074652
As a 4e fan, I have to disagree with your assessment. 5e is no more a fix of 3.PF than it is of 4e.
If 3.PF was a giant bowl of sweet and sour pork and 4e was a giant platter of spicy mutton, 5e is a splotch of overcooked and unseasoned porridge.
3.PF fans complained about 4e's taste and vice versa, so WotC made 5e specifically to just lightly scrape over your tongue without your taste buds noticing, so nobody could actually complain about it tasting bad.
>>47074268
>Here's the thing I've noticed, though; Probably 70% of the fanbase, if not more, is women.
That's because Matt Mercer is an incubus and I want him to impregnate me with little DM babies.
>>47068771
What's the show? What is it about?
Edition war, edition war never changes
>>47075299
You're a man, you can't get pregnant.
>like tabletops enough to create a series on it
>still so casual they use 5e
How can you take these people seriously?
>>47075432
There are also people who claim to love tabletop RPGs but only play 3.PF.
They're not being duplicitous, but merely myopic.
>>47075432
At least they don't play 3.5.
>>47075480
>>47075639
>it's the "if he doesn't like 5e he loves 3.5" meme
Amazing.
>>47075649
What would you prefer?
>>47075672
accepting 5e has flaws instead of just playing the "nuh uh X is worse" game.
>>47075687
All tabletop games have flaws, what's your point? It makes sense for them to play d&d, the most iconic rpg.
>>47075432
>How can you take these people seriously?
I thought the show was for humor and entertainment, so.... you're not supposed to?
>>47075649
I did not claim 3.PF was worse.
Matter of fact, I'd rather play 3.PF than 5e.
But okay, I'll fix it for you.
There are also people who claim to love tabletop RPGs but only play GURPS.
They're not being duplicitous, but merely myopic.
>>47075639
Actually they used to play PF and then later converted to 5e. So they switched from the worst game on the market to just the most bland, casual game on the market.
>>47069573
>>47069755
>>47074652
>>47074684
>>47075296
Scanlan > Grog > Percy > Keykey > Pike > Vex > VaxFite me
>>47075732
Here's your (You).
>>47075432
5e is ok system.
And in the pragmatic view, it's popular so it's likely to get more views.
>>47074876
>>47074948
Matt also said that Trinket is "smarter than the average bear," all jokes aside, because in terms of stats Trinket actually has 4 Int, so he can't be Awoken by the Druid. I don't know how he got 4 Int, maybe Pathfinder bears are smarter than 5e bears (remember, they started this campaign out in PF and updated to 5e prior to episode 1).
>>47075311
To quote Matt's intro near verbatim, "it's a bunch of nerdy ass voice actors sitting around a table and playing D&D."
>>47075390
Not with a quitter attitude like that!
>>47075734
In terms of how I like the characters from a RP perspective, my list is:
Scanlan > Grog > Percy > Vex = Vax > Keyleth > Pike.
I don't have anything against Ashley (the actor playing Pike) but she just hasn't had much of a chance to RP because of working on Blindspot (a NBC primetime show in the states that films in NYC when the game takes place in an LA sound studio).
She missed basically all of the Briarwood arc, the return to Emon, and now is back in time to partake in the Vestiges hunt, which can be a way for her to show her RP chops (as Pike is probably the 2nd most liked party member, first being Keyleth.)
>>47075924
It's pretty easy to be the most liked character when you don't have any time to prove that really, you don't know how to play.
Honestly, my problem is that somehow these guys can play literally every fucking week, and still have no clue how to not die every single fight.
Whut I lurned tonite...
1)There's an overrated show in which Geek L33ts play DnD for the enjoyment of filthy casuals and geeks so low on the totem pole they can't go out and find a game.
2)Never play any edition of DnD with people from 4chan; they each only like one edition, and every other one is shit, so make sure you cater to their every need.
...Yeah, I see why you need an internet show to enjoy dnd...
>>47076011
>2)Never play any edition of DnD, every one of htem is shit
ftfy
>>47076011
>Never play any edition of DnD with people from 4chan; they each only like one edition
I like 4e, I like 3.PF under specific circumstances and I'm interested in trying AD&D.
Craven Edge is Vecna's Vestige
A vestige has no definition, other than being a powerful ancient artifact used in battles in a god's name
>Clearly associated with Vecna
>Clearly ancient
>+2 Greatsword
>Strength drain increases strength to a max of 25. Compared to Grog's stats of 17 Strength, at maximum power the sword is practically a +7 Greatsword, which is an unprecedentedly high bonus in 5e
>piled on another 2d6 nectrotic damage at max evolution
>when used by truly evil beings, the kind that would serve Vecna, the sword can be very easily charged to full power in a couple of minutes of farmer slaying before heading to battle
I mean sure, the wholedying thingis a large drawback, but with the proper preparation can be mitigated, and compared to the two other vestiges we've seen so far, it is more than powerful enough to qualify.
>>47075924
Scanlan (or more specifically, Sam Riegel) is easily the best character. He knows when to be funny and when to be serious, and when he's playing serious it's easily the best moments of the show. The episode where he meets his daughter is amazing roleplaying.
>>47074268
>70% of the fanbase, if not more, is women.
Like most women in gaming, they're attracted to the man-du-jour, not the games.
That show is absolutely terrible,l I have no idea how it has any fans.
That show is absolutely amazing, I have no idea how it doesn't have more fans.
That show is absolutely mediocre, I have no idea how it doesn't have a more moderate amount of fans.
>>47075770
He's right (You) know.
>>47068771
In what way is this traditional games?
It's just a bunch of actors pretending to have fun
>>47076391
what are the other two? I forgot
>>47081003
The other two what?
>>47081060
vestiges
is this something like 'the guild'? if it is, i'd watch it, I dont know, I had a lot of fun watching that show and there's probably tons of people out there saying that it was bad
>>47081085
Well first, I'm pretty sure the greatsword is not considered one, as indicated by the fact that Matt had the stats of that pre-written on a card that he was able to give to Travis after the sword was banished. Whereas the vestiges were all written on a specific paper sheet by name.
They have one called Mythcarver which is a shortsword that was given to them by the Sphinx, and the Titanstone knuckles are owned by Grog's rival. I believe the Raven Armor was also one?
>>47081109
No, The Guild was a shitty, not funny TV show filmed by Felicia Day to spotlight her "lol imma girl gamer idol" shit.
Critical Role is literally just a bunch of (attractive and charismatic) professional voice actors who used to be playing a private game of D&D together, and now are doing it on camera. It's just a live-play D&D game.
>>47080860
They're playing a traditional game. It seems like streaming tabletop games is going to be the next big internet thing.
>>47081230
>the next big internet thing.
It's not going to get bigger than it currently is. We've probably hit the saturation point.
>>47081149
yeah she was annoying as hell but I loved the living shit out of that old bald guy with a tie, clingy asian guy and that wannabe cool teenager guy, their characters were carrying the whole show easy
>>47074663
you know mercer straight up killed Grog for carrying that sword right?
>>47081280
That's not gonna stop people from trying. Gotta get the streamer money somehow.
>>47081352
I don't think anyone thinks there's money in streaming. And this is coming from someone who has a Twitch channel and knows multiple people who are trying to do it full-time.
You only get 1 Critical Role in the industry. Before that, Geek&Sundry was making fuck-all money, and now that it exists, no one else is making money.
You know those 20,000 people who show up every Thursday to watch live? Those 17,000 people who pay $5 a month to support the channel? Yeah, they don't watch other streams. Any day that isn't Thursday night, Twitch's D&D section is lucky to host a few hundred viewers.
>>47081348
How did that play out?
>>47081406
The sword was at max-power, but needed more energy, and since there was no one around for Grog to kill, it attacked him. He failed a Will save against it and it sucked his soul.
The party freaked, attempted to Revivify him, and Percy threatened the sword to throw it into the center of the earth or some shit if it didn't put his spirit back.
And then he came back to life.
I watched the first episode or two and found it somewhat lacking. Everyone had trouble taking turns to speak, the party dynamics didn't come off great, and the party seemed to be following the DM's carrot-on-a-string to further the plot if not doing things at seemingly complete random. Maybe if I watched more it'd get better, but with episodes that long it is a bit of a chore.
I like the Campaign and One Shot podcasts. They're good stuff.
>>47081390
But the potential of being the next big streamer and the seemingly low barrier to entry ("you mean I can just get my friends to be on camera and play a game?" is absolutely something that will cross people's minds, though of course it's more than that) will prove tempting. It doesn't matter if there's already a saturation point, many internet trends continue well beyond that.
It's going to get bigger. Not more successful, just bigger, like podcasts or the video game streaming world.
>>47081511
>and the party seemed to be following the DM's carrot-on-a-string to further the plot if not doing things at seemingly complete random.
Why would you want to watch a campaign about people tromping about like retards without any plot at all?
>>47081511
Yeah it definitely improves and some episodes are downright fucking great.
I agree the first few episodes had some troubles like you said. You need to remember though, it's likely the party is gonna try to easily follow the plot hook, they're going live and do have a time limit.
>>47081390
>what is rollplay
>>47081554
I'm not disagreeing that people will try it. In fact, I know tons of people have started recording podcasts of their games, streaming games, and putting shit on Youtube specifically because of Critical Role.
None of them are good. I mean, it's one of those things where 99% of the are just a bunch of idiots turning on OBS and broadcasting their Roll20 screen without even an overlay or anything to make it look decent, with shitty audio and no effort to attempt to make it watchable.
But yeah, we've tipped over the point where more people are trying to be the next Critical Role (including WotC and their massively less successful effort), and everyone is gonna fail while viewership just continues to fall off.
>>47081650
Not something 20000 people show up every week to watch live.
>>47081559
Plot can exist without "Go here." "We go there."
>>47081590
Sure. I guess I wasn't in love with any of the characters either. Dragon dude was cool, though.
>>47081794
>Dragon dude was cool, though.
everyone thinks that at first
>>47081794
>Plot can exist without "Go here." "We go there."
Except it doesn't in D&D.
Please, give up the "muh sandbox" shit.
>>47081810
Oh boy.
>>47081811
I don't think you're being serious, but I want to clarify for others that I don't mean sandbox. I just mean a plot more well integrated into the roleplay. I don't see why that isn't possible in D&D, but I'm no expert.
>>47081837
>I don't see why that isn't possible in D&D, but I'm no expert.
Because players aren't writers who plan their parts and their roleplay in advance so it flows like prose?
>>47081852
The Campaign and One Shot podcasts both do it better consistently. Character interactions feel fluid rather than forced necessities. To be fair, the players on those podcasts are professional improvisers and I'm sure they edit out every overlong pause to think. You guys should check them out, I don't know how popular they are on here.
>>47081837
>Oh boy.
But you learn to like the other characters much more. Especially the bard.
>>47081979
This is true, in the early episodes Sam seems to play Scanlan as the lolrandumb bard taking shits on beds and cracking cheesy one liners everywhere. Then it slowly dawns on you he's the best actor of the bunch and plays his character to a tee. Tiberius on the other hand starts out quirky and lovable, but as time goes on more and more of Orion's dickishness begins to seep in.
Scanlan>Grog>Vax>Percy>Vex>Pike>powergap>Trinket>Keyleth>powergap>Tiberius
>>47082475
>>powergap>Trinket>Keyleth
accurate
>>47075732
But 4e isn't just like D&D.
It's like what D&D would be if it were good.
>>47068771
He's not so good as a DM.
Oh, he is entertaining. Infinitely entertaining to see and watch his antics, and funny too. I could watch him play all day. But as a DM?
He goes into tangent. He forgets objects, pets, and personal characteristics. He frequently lets the party splitting itself. Games frequently stops to a halt.
He is funny. He is not a good Game Master. He is a good Game Entertainer.
>>47068771
No anon. Your sessions are far worse than you expect them to be.
>>47082899
>He frequently lets the party splitting itself.
This is bad GMing?
>>47084509
Depends on the game.
With D&D it tends to be, yes.
This might be relevant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUMCIn2swTU
>>47076391
remember, it also had other abilities but they never found out about them
>>47074268
>>47074268
>Here's the thing I've noticed, though; Probably 70% of the fanbase, if not more, is women.
Matthew Mercer, Travis Willingham, Liam O'Brien (not for his face, but his voice and the specific type of character he is playing).
>>47074574
>>47074561
>>47074539
Check his twitter: he's doing a new show called Draconian Knights, starring Tiberius.
He's so fucking salty. He even tweeted that he wasn't at the 50th episode thing because he wasnt invited.
>>47085374
and i'm loving every minute of it
all that shit he's missing out on, just because he had to be a giant prick, glorious
>>47085697
Literally an entire arc about dragons, and he isn't a part of it.
Though I'm waiting for Tiberius to return as a villain, working for Thordak.
>party's faces when Thordak's top minion introduces himself bombastically
>>47086137
I don't think Matt'll ever acknowledge that character again to be honest, I'd say he'd feel quite awkward and weird about it.
Shit, I'm surprised they didn't just basically retcon him out and not mention him at all in anything detailing past adventures
>>47085374
>>47085697
>>47086137
So did he just get kicked because he was a dick? I just started watching, he seems okay right now. A little bland, but okay generally.
>>47086264
you'll find out
episode 10-11 is the turning point
>>47086264
There was a point where they were in a big boss fight and he was off spending the whole fight trying to carry out a "I'm a genius and can save this by talking to our enemies and smarting our way out of this problem" plan that accomplished literally nothing, and then got real indignant about it.
>>47086333
>>47086370
Well, that's dumb. Tbqh there won't be much difference without him there. I do hate the girl that plays Vex, though. So far her plans are always dumb and she never uses her attack bear, and all she does is freak out.
>>47086456
>So far her plans are always dumb and she never uses her attack bear
Yeah, that never changes. 51 sessions in and you can count the attacks her bear has made on one hand.
Still, she's a lot more charismatic and adorable than Marisha Ray.
>>47086456
>>47086493
Say what you want, but at least Laura knows what her shit does before she tries to use it.
>>47086264
Just read the comments if you don't want to watch the whole thing. Everyone is done with Orion by this point.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mB-aM2bIBk
>>47086493
I can probably agree with that. That's Kaelith or whatever, right? She's kinda bland too, bearable imo. Pike's player is absolutely adorable, however, but Matt's close behind on that one. Him or Travis, anyway.
>>47086586
>>47086264
>>47085374
so did they actually forcibly kick him? is there any details about this juicy drama?
>>47086619
>Pike's player is absolutely adorable, however
Well don't get used to it, she's literally in like, 10 sessions total.
>>47086675
He made a video, I think.
But yeah, basically they kicked him from the group and he got crazy.
>>47086675
It was "mutual", so they either kicked him or he quit and they're not telling which way it is. And we're all the better for it.
>>47086723
What's up with that webm? Gotta love Matt's laugh, though.
>>47086748
It's from about ten episodes ago when Matt basically nuked the world, including some stuff important to the characters. Pic related.
>>47086826
Oh man, I cannot wait. That's gonna be some good shit. Half the reason I watch this show is for how Matt DM's.
>>47086874
Where are you at right now? Tibbs left right around the shit getting real point.
>>47074652
This is correct. I give 4e credit for trying to be approachable, "dnd" is a household name at this point and 3.5 is a bad learning experience. But 4e wasn't even a good learning experience though, they had to release "essentials" to help lower the learning curve. The intent of making a simple rules light game to be everyones first roleplaying system is a nice idea, but they botched it. Then went back to the bloated mess that is 3.5 and just threw more bloat onto it.
>>47074372
He's like the Ryan Secrest of """"nerd culture""""". All he ever does is present things, he has no real role or aptitude.
>>47086920
Like, episode six. Just started a few days ago.
I'll go ahead and ask since I've been curious, I've been looking into Pathfinder, and why the hate for the system here? I remember them talking about the combat being a little clunky with as many people they have, but I've not really heard any other reason as to why it's bad.
>>47087073
It's a bit overcomplicated compared to 5e. There's more variety and options, but there's just so much shit to go and remember in order to play. That's why CR switched to 5e.
>>47074782
>but it gets to the point where her morals get in the way of logical though and reason
>Not knowing what morals are
>>47075960
>Honestly, my problem is that somehow these guys can play literally every fucking week, and still have no clue how to not die every single fight.
This is actually kind of incredible. They're what, level 12 or something? And I'm pretty sure Laura STILL doesn't realize that she can cast spells. Fucking absurd.
>>47087073
Any explanations as to why it's bad won't matter to you if you're too casual to understand what people are saying about it.
Don't bother.
>>47086187
>>47087172
She does, she just uses like 3 of them
>>47082475
>Marisha's character is below the bear that Matt and Laura take turns playing
Accurate.
>>47082899
>He's not so good as a DM.
>Oh, he is entertaining.
Pick one, please.
>>47087172
They're 13, Laura multiclassed to Rogue for that last level, so she's Ranger 12. Seven spells known:
>Hunter's Mark
>Cure Wounds
>Pass Without Trace
>Lightning Arrow
>Hail of Thorns
>Conjure Barrage
>Protection from Poison
She uses all of those fairly regularly, aside from Protection from Poison.
>>47074503
>Most people who watch the show don't actually play D&D and never will.
To be fair there's plenty of people on /tg/ who don't actually play /tg/ and never will
>>47087188
Whoa, man. Calm down. I only recently became interested in tabletops and I'm still getting into the groove of things. I normally ignore the 'bluh bluh this game is shit and you're shit' posters and don't bother reading what they say, if anything. Just curious, is all, and I couldn't remember if anyone had bothered to go into detail on why they disliked the system.
>>47087365
5E was specifically designed for people like you.
>>47087392
What 'people like me'? What kind of people?
>>47087406
People who came here from Tumblr.
>>47087365
Ok, for reference, this is a PF Character Sheet.
>>47087365
>>47087453
And this is a 5e sheet
I'm on episode 15. All of them just freaked out because none of them had ever rolled percentile dice before.
>>47087453
>overly complicated bloated mess
>>47087475
>streamlined, appealing and easy to read
I'll stick with the normie friendly system for dragon slaying, thanks
>>47087453
>>47087475
Too much on both.
>>47068771
Mercer and the show are great. Only complaint I've really got about him is that he tends to pull his punches against the party, but he's clearly trying to keep things cinematic and having party members die would be the end of quite a few storylines he's got going. As far as the party goes half of em tend to metagame, but the other half are always so on point with their characters that it end up working out fine.
Also, think it goes without saying that the fanbase (not the people who just watch, but the ones who identify as "critters") is a real mixed bag of great and awful. Art is very good, but if I hear one more "Matt Mercer inspired me to DM/play" from some loser like it's such a brave thing to do I'm going to lose it. Also, buying $300+ things for members of the show like they're going to invite you on to play with them is really weird.
>>47087415
You're one of the bad ones, you realize.
One of the shits that drives people away from tabletop.
>>47087453
>>47087475
Personally, I kinda like the number crunching stuff. Pathfinder's just kinda built to handle whatever, yeah? Rules for everything, kinda like 3.5, instead of more freeform, like 5e? It's not quite fair to compare the two. They're just built differently, from what I understand. And the skill shit is the only thing that looks kinda boring to keep up with on the PF sheet.
>>47087529
>One of the shits that drives people away from tabletop.
And the hobby is better for it. Go cry in your safe space. If the fact that someone called you a name is enough to make you throw a tantrum and reject an entire hobby en masse because somehow you think that announcing that you're leaving is going to make people rush to try and make you happy so you'll stick around, you're a fucking retard.
>>47087542
It depends whether you use that number crunching stuff in practice.
I can't even remember how we did it. But when someone said, "Uh, can I cross that narrow ledge?" I don't think the DM ever looked up the Acrobatics rules and consulted the table and everything. Someone just rolled. "17," "Yeah, that sounds like enough."
Honestly, I'm surprised Pathfinder kept that whole skill system given some of the things they changed.
>>47087542
>kinda like 3.5, instead of more freeform, like 5e
Jesus fuck, no. What? Pathfinder is about as "freeform" as your mother is chaste.
It's one of the most crunchy, rules-heavy, caster-supremacy systems ever born from the ungodly mess that was 3.5.
>And the skill shit is the only thing that looks kinda boring to keep up with on the PF sheet.
Yeah, I think the system you want is Lazers and Feelings. It's made for your kind.
>>47087598
I don't really know if I'd like it, I'd have to actually try it, I suppose. But I can see where you're coming from. If it was all unnecessary, if I were the DM, I'd probably ignore what wasn't needed as well.
>>47087604
Yeah, I meant Pathfinder is super rules-heavy, sorry I wasn't clear.
I'll check it out, thanks. The only group I have to play with is a bit shit at the moment, but I'm itching to DM a game some time soon, so maybe I'll try it out. Probably just gonna start with 5e since it's pretty easy to fit into.
I have this, may as well put it up.
>>47087679
Make sure to include X-Cards in your game! Wouldn't want anyone getting triggered and scared away from the hobby!
>>47087685
Ah, ok. That's neat, thanks
>>47087693
I held off on saying this for a while, but you really need to fuck off.
I like the witch hunter class Matt made for 5.0 I'm playing it at my own tabletop and it's fun. The episode they played with Van was a lot of fun.
>>47087894
Do you have it handy?
>>47086675
Officially speaking, I believe Orion and Matt had differences upon how they thought the story would proceed (Orion wanted his PC to be more important with his backstory and all, Matt disagreed and tried to address the issues as best he could) but they couldn't resolve said issues.
Unofficially, it's believed that he got really drunk/rowdy one episode and started to be really inappropriate (I think he hit on Marisha off-stream during a break? Her and Matt are dating atm), and he kept trying to metagame stuff.
>>47068771
Matt overacts imo. Makes it hard to watch.
I prefer watching groups that are more laidback.
>>47088031
>Unofficially, it's believed that he got really drunk/rowdy one episode and started to be really inappropriate
Nothing about their relationship as a couple, and their friendship with the group, implies any of them would be weirded out by that. They're pretty touchy-feely as it is.
>>47068771
it's pretty cringeworthy
>>47068771
Its a great show.
Unfortunately its also fucked up about three different games for me, with over-enthused DM's expecting this level of acting and interaction from all their players.
I've had three games end because DM's got disheartened with the players not caring about their crappy NPC's.
>>47074226
>Felicia Day
why do people hate her so much?
>>47088067
I'm honestly having difficulties on telling who is in a relationship with who at the moment.
>>47082728
>>47088145
Marisha and Matt have been dating for like, 6 years? They just bought a house together.
Laura and Travis are married.
>>47088145
I mean, yeah, that's actors for you.
I did theater in highschool. Everyone's super touchy feely with each other.
>>47088115
>not caring about their crappy NPC's.
i feel like you should put in some effort no matter how shitty your character is. i mean, you're not going to get the best character every time, you might aswell just get used to it and have fun for fun's sake.
>>47087517
>HOW DARE YOU. A COMPLICATED SYSTEM WITH STRICT RULES IS THE ONLY WAY TO HAVE FUN. CREATIVITY IS A MEME
>>47088169
think he meant he had difficulties because it's hard to follow, not because of acting
>>47088115
>with over-enthused DM's expecting this level of acting and interaction from all their players.
If you can't at least make the effort, you really don't deserve a seat at the table.
>>47088147
Friendly reminder that posting the bait fish and derivatives is actually bait itself.
>>47088231
>If you can't at least make the effort, you really don't deserve a seat at the table.
>this
the game shouldn't pander to you
>>47088231
>>47088299
>the tremendous overacting in critical role
>the bottom level of effort
Pick one and only one.
>>47088231
I love roleplaying, but it usually ends up with the other people at the table not being as into it.
As a DM myself, I can understand people getting fed up with players not giving a shit, and it does suck.
>>47088357
>>47088377
>but it usually ends up with the other people at the table not being as into it.
So leave, and find better players.
>>47088377
[insert booze here]
>>47088390
That was my original point, dude. DM's constantly abandon games because they think they're some mythical group of amazing RPers out there, and never end up finding them.
>>47088435
>DM's constantly abandon games
never experienced this, maybe you're just in a shitty playgroup
>>47088450
Maybe.
Its tricky finding new groups that stick together though.
>>47088377
It's sad. You can follow all the usual advice but you can't force the players to care.
>>47088428 has the right idea. Better yet, I wish cannabis was legal in my country, or that anyone could buy benzos at the drug store.
>>47088435
That actually was not your point.
My response was to someone who said "DMs expect this level of acting/roleplaying from their players", and then you said that people actually capable of putting that kind of effort into their roleplaying and acting don't exist. But they DO exist. They're on this show. And all DMs like me are asking you to do is take all that "Omg these guys are great roleplayers" you spout, and PUT SOME EFFORT INTO TRYING TO MAKE YOURSELF LIKE THAT.
If you refuse to, then you don't deserve to play. Period.
>>47088489
This. If I have to be Matt Mercer, then you need to be Sam Riegel.
>>47088450
I have but not for the reason he gave.
>"Guys I'm starting a new campaign."
>"Didn't we just start one? We all made characters, we played a couple sessions, et cetera?"
>"Yeah but I ran out of ideas. But this new campaign is going to be great."
>>47088474
can't you just play with your friends?
>>47080246
>>47080716
>>47080808
PROTIP: SOMETHING BEING AMAZIN MEANS NOTHING WHEN DEALING ABOUT FAME. SOMEONE CAN JUST THINK "HEY THIS IS A AMAZING IDEA" AFTER THEY DISCOVER IT EXIST, AND AT THIS POINT HE ALREADY DISCOVERED IT EXIST
>>47088489
The problem is that not every DM has a huge selection of people to choose from. A lot of people have to settle for their real life friends, socially awkward fucks with poor hygiene at game stores, or ERP'ers from game finder threads.
Some people have AMAZING groups, but its hard to get in one of those.
>>47088489
That was his point. That DMs keep dropping their groups because they have the unrealistic expectation that their group will be on the level of a group of trained actors with years and years of experience.
>>47088514
>If I have to be Matt Mercer
Nobody said you do though
>>47088532
I talked about that on my talk-show last night actually. We talked about playing with your friends vs. hand-picking recruits to make your ideal group.
You don't get to choose your friends, nor what they value in an RPG, and how good or bad they will be. You don't get to choose only friends who value roleplaying as much as you do. And if your friends end up being shit players, you can't just ditch them.
Whereas when you recruit, you can specifically say "I want people who value roleplay over other things", and put together people that value the same things you do.
>>47088532
>adult
>4-5 friends
>who can meet regularly
>at the same time each session
>for a long period of time
Picknot all of the above.
>>47088563
Link to your show?
>>47088537
>The problem is that not every DM has a huge selection of people to choose from
With the advent of digital gaming, this is not true. I've hand-picked all of my groups that I DM for, and I never once had to deal with real life friends who were shit at games, people at game stores, or ERPers from /tg/.
>>47088564
>4-5 friends
who has this many close friends?
>>47088532
I've tried playing with my friends.
They range from good roleplayers, who play weird and quirky characters, to complete mary sues that slow down games, or people that don't pay any attention, or give a single shit about whats going on.
I've found it way easier to find groups online. That way at least if you have problems, there isn't lingering drama when you kick them from the game.
>>47088555
How about we all admit that there are people that come away from this show on both sides of the table with unrealistic expectations for how the other players will act?
>>47088607
Sure
Is it considered bad-sport if i kill a teammate in the very beginning of the game? for lulz
>>47088589
That's what I was getting at. I felt too lazy to format it to a "pick two" type format.
It's not like school or uni where you might have a large group of friends who all get time off on the same day. Even if you do have 4-5 close friends and manage to remain close friends with them, then it's, "Sorry, I'm working that day," or, "I can't play that night, I have work in the morning."
Chances are you WON'T remain close friends with them, precisely because you don't have the mutual time off to hang out together.
>>47088582
On /tg/? Ehhhhh.https://youtu.be/4m3q69OGM3g?t=43m22sThe conversation starts sometime around the time I set it to.
>>47074354
Well you could have just watched it this whole time like a normal human being if you weren't so fucking autistic.
>>47073815
I enjoy watching it, but what's wrong with hardcore nerds, aside from the "that guy" memes (which are overblown and often fake anyway) ?
>>47088701
Not him, but diversity is rarely a bad thing.
Plus, normies present a much bigger player pool than hardcore nerds.
>>47088701
>but what's wrong with hardcore nerds
Nu-/tg/ is complete Tumblr-tier, in that they are entirely adamant that being an old-school nerd or people who actually cared about the hobby before The Big Bang Theory made it "cool" to pretend to like fantasy and games, that means you're regressive cancer who's making the hobby unsafe for the new thin-skinned millennials who invent things like X-cards and demand female-safe RPG groups.
>>47088759
wew lad
>>47088745
I've had much nicer games with 'normies' than with nerds. I've often found the hardcore nerds at the ones who end up as Mary/Gary Sues, or murderhobos, while 'normies' usually try to give a shit about the game.
>>47088745
>but diversity is rarely a bad thing.
Studies show the exact opposite, actually.
>>47088670
>school or uni where you might have a large group of friends
who had this many close friends?
>>47088695
you're the guy in the middle right?
>>47088780
I'm sorry Anon.
>>47074682
>What is a low Charisma?
>>47088775
Normies ultimately can't get as emotionally invested as a dyed-in-the-wool nerd. They have certain defense mechanisms that prevent them from caring about games of pretend that much.
>>47088778
where's the proofs
>>47088695
I was hoping for a podcast I could slap on my MP3 player.
Seems reasonably interesting, especially Askren's (your?) advice.
Would be better as an edited/scripted video though.
>>47088818
Sweden.
>>47088775
>>47088818
Or that one friend that just wants to fuck around and not take anything seriously.
Naming their character "jerkface" or some shit like that and basically running through the game like it didn't matter at all.
>>47088818
>thinking normies these days can't get into fantasy characters
>>47088847
>Starting a game where I've told the players I want them to be serious and try to get invested
>Player hands me a character named "Dave McRagealot
I fucking hate my friends sometimes.
>>47088841
Sweden was shit to begin with.
>>47088695
I would dislike the video if i was logged in... there was a really loud bang in the video, you did this to yourself, never put big loud noises in your videos.
Spoilered because off-topic.
>>47088800Yeah, the asshole with the annoying voice.
>>47088839It's sort of like a podcast? It runs on my Twitch channel, and part of the whole schtick is that it's a live show and we take live questions from chat, so I do it as a live show. Not really sure how I'd have guests on and shit in a scripted show?
>>47088874
lolwut
>>47088862
There's a difference, anon.
>>47088870
It would be fine if they atleast tried to care abit, the name isn't the problem, it's that they don't give two shits about their character or the settings.
>>47075700
Matt literally said they picked D&D because it's the most marketable. It's in one of the early Q&A episodes.
>>47088874
>I would dislike the video if i was logged in... there was a really loud bang in the video, you did this to yourself, never put big loud noises in your videos.
>>47088903
somewhere between when your link started and 50min in
>>47088909
that's bait
>>47088910
Also, because they don't care, it makes you care less, because what's the point?
>>47088932
Oh. I think I had my phone ring once at some point? Really not much I can do about that. Sorry. RIP my career.
>>47088932
>>47088874
>gets triggered
>blames you
Typical scumblr.
>>47088903
> It runs on my Twitch channel
That was my other expectation I guess. But that's less interesting to me, I doubt I could watch people talk about RPGs for three hours straight without editing.
Do people watch you live? Do they watch the whole thing live? I know streaming is a big thing now, I just don't get it myself.
Tying it back to the thread, Matt Mercer does short videos where he gives GM tips in about 6 or 7 minutes. If you could do something like that, I would watch it.
>>47089017
>Do people watch you live?
Yes, some.
>Do they watch the whole thing live?
Yes, some.
>I know streaming is a big thing now, I just don't get it myself.
I host a Pathfinder game on Sundays, and a talk-show on Tuesdays. Some people like to come hang-out and see my guests and hear us talk. I sometimes hang out on another channel who has between 50 and 90~ live viewers watching us play. It's fun to be part of a community.
>Matt Mercer does short videos where he gives GM tips in about 6 or 7 minutes. If you could do something like that, I would watch it.
There are lots of people who do that better than me and fill the niche better. I've mentioned before that being a livestream kind of forces me to commit to it, regardless of how shit I am. If I would have to like, record my own video and then edit it myself and post it, I'd probably hate it right away and never upload anything.
Man, this thread really went places...
>>47089084
I can understand where you're coming from, and I get that the livestream and YouTube communities are probably different universes. I think I'd prefer doing streaming too, since it's more ephemeral and casual.
But if you guys hit some interesting conclusions and ideas (like you did here), I don't see why you can't write down your main points and make a shorter video with some kind of summary, advice, etc. There's no reason for it to be any more self-hate-inducing than a roundtable discussion.
>>47088759
>x cards
Just looked this up. What the fuck? It has to be satirical. They're talking about 'triggers' for fucks' sake
Anyway imagine
>be skinhead
>playing some RPG
>use your X-cards to veto:
>diversity
>gay rights
>gay NPCs or characters
>consent
>"sorry guys but it makes me uncomfortable, being it that I'm a neo Nazi and all"
Wonder how bad they'd react
>>47089234
I don't think X-cards exist outside of the original article and /tg/ trolling, so it's not a big deal.
But you could make an entire game out of it with your idea.
"A-ha, but my grandparents were Polish, so your Neo-Nazism triggers ME!"
"Not so fast, MY grandparents almost died in the Polish-Soviet War, therefore..."
>>47089233
>But if you guys hit some interesting conclusions and ideas (like you did here), I don't see why you can't write down your main points and make a shorter video with some kind of summary, advice, etc.
In theory, sure. But I'm also really lazy, on top of being crazy busy with commissions, running two campaigns, work, etc. I don't have the time to branch into Youtube videos.
>>47089282
I assumed x-cards WERE an RPG mechanic until I read>>47089234. Never heard of them before.
Can we please make this game happen?
>>47088031
>Unofficially, it's believed that he got really drunk/rowdy one episode and started to be really inappropriate (I think he hit on Marisha off-stream during a break? Her and Matt are dating atm), and he kept trying to metagame stuff.
>>47088067
Well there was one time where Tiberius got drunk and got touchy-feely with Keyleth, acted out by Orion and Marisha was off-put by it. She's very physical with Taliesin, and it's mutual.
Tiberius made a boner joke, and everybody was weirded out by it.
Everyone's cool with Scanlan's boner jokes.
I hate to quote Dane Cook, but Orion might be That Friend No One Likes.
>>47087526
>Only complaint I've really got about him is that he tends to pull his punches against the party, but he's clearly trying to keep things cinematic and having party members die would be the end of quite a few storylines he's got going.
There are points later on where Mercer will make an important roll, like some kind of potentially lethal effect, and will take a quick picture of it. Once he even says "So no one complains", probably in reference to people saying he's too soft.
>Also, buying $300+ things for members of the show like they're going to invite you on to play with them is really weird.
They thought it was weird too, hence why they told their fans to donate to a bunch of charities instead of buying shit. Handmade stuff is still cool. I think they responded well.
>>47089401
So they're basically bennies in any given narrative RPG.
>>47086675
He also tried to use his backstory as a diplomat to call in an entire army to solve the Briarwood problem. Matt told him before he even tried that it probably wouldn't work (for obvious in game and out of game reasons) but he tried anyway. Then he got super mad when it didnt work and everyone got mad at him for wasting time and trying to derail Percys character arc completely.
>>47087941
it's free on DMsguild, too big as is to upload it here
