Crafting a Mystery with Matthew Mercer | Candela Obscura

[@isaiahwelch8066]

I'm just gonna say it: I want to see Taliesin Jaffe as a GM. He did so well as the GM for Call of Cthulhu, and I know he would bring some weird and dark mystery to the table.

[@ghomerhust]

especially for horror or mystery. having 4000 years of learning, he's just right for it

[@laurenbrender3671]

Does help that he had a hand in creating this ttrpg too!

[@feitocomfruta]

Yeah, though having him as the kinda “lead lightkeeper”, Rod Sterling-esque narrator/host is so good for right now… WAIT, what if chapter 3 or 4 was a prequel chapter where we saw him retire from field work at the end to become the lead lightkeeper? Have him as a player first, to then connect the chapters into a perfect book.

[@isaiahwelch8066]

@@feitocomfruta : Funny you mention Rod Serling. I could see Taliesin actually hosting a _good_ modern iteration of The Twilight Zone.

[@friendlyG771]

Yee. Matt is still amazing at it, tho

[@zlatan_2197]

Most of all, thank you to Taliesin and Marisha who spent countless hours discussing and elaborating this idea, until it became Candela. And game designers of course, you all did magnificent job.

[@efadfa3]

I can't get over how AMAZING Robbie's idea for a scar was. And his roleplaying changed completely as well! Top tier, great job, Robbie. I'm still in awe.

[@ksolo5382]

Bro also his catalyst, his back story is insane

[@cassiebanks]

I **loved** Candela! The cast selection was wonderful and even though I'm not a horror person, I actually enjoyed the investigative parts of it. The game mechanics are interesting as well. I loved Anjali Bhimani's work on Undeadwood so it was really satisfying to see her dig into this role. If you haven't watched this 3-part chapter, do it. You won't regret it. It's some of Critical Role's best work. 😊

[@lefterismplanas4977]

The *loved* did not go bold or in italics. If that was what you wanted

[@markod.cabcoon]

​@@lefterismplanas4977I think they were just emphasizing it 🙂

[@kevinmckenzie4814]

100th like! :D

[@BEEDRILL303]

I feel like Liam would be an excellent GM for this

[@samuraiko]

I am PRAYING that we get Liam and Taliesin at the same time - one as GM, one as player (I don't care which is which)... I was REALLY hoping we'd get Brennan, Luis, and Liam at the same time, but alas...

[@KitKatWiffleBallBat]

Oh man! He broke me when he did "Liam's Quest". I bawled at the end of bith of them prolly. 😂 He definitely has a an edgy, weird sci-fi side. I wonder how weird he could get, actually. 🤔

[@alittleantidote5852]

@@samuraiko Damn You must be insanely happy right now

[@samuraiko]

@@alittleantidote5852 You have *NO* idea. :D

[@GeeGe.]

@@alittleantidote5852 I've been away for a while, what happened?

[@brooklynsears3132]

The more projects I see CR do, the more I respect Matt as a creative. I am constantly in awe.

[@samuraiko]

Lovely little interview (and bless you for having Matt in period costume and on that set - gods, it all looks so good and that includes Matt!).. I'd love a deeper look from the production crew about set building, costumes, maybe an interview with Colm about composing the music, something with Taliesin about the original concept way back when...

[@ghomerhust]

costume? bold of you to assume he doesn't wear this around the house with marisha wearing a huge cape of fall colored leaves!

[@TheGamingWarriors125]

I plan on dressing in cosplay for my crew every session because I feel it’s needed. I always immerse myself in these stories. Now onto writing my first few assignments.

[@bvf1420]

Just watched it session zero before this and crafting with Matt is more accurate and than it’s probably meant to be. The looks everyone gave him casually dropping key names for the group when they were stuck is priceless. A true genius of his craft.

[@MrTv19]

I loved Robbie in this, I felt his enthusiasm in going full into this. Howard was the character I enjoyed the most, I can't wait for this series to start evolving into something incredibly grand.

[@AlexRider589]

I'd love to see a lot more of this game with many GMs, but Matt did such a great job kicking off this game.

[@princessblazena]

I could listen to Matt talk for hours 😊

[@joshhalton9977]

Really love how this rule set keeps PCs from becoming murderhobos. Its more intellectually driven than DnD.

[@brochg]

Thank you to EVERYONE, including anyone who helped design the set, help typeset the rules, or spent countless hours dreaming up this amazing world of Candela Obscura. This is the storytelling system that I have always wanted, and didn't know it until I met my amazing group that was led through a 4 hour session at Gencon, by a Darrington Press game facilitator. We enjoyed the experience, and each other. What a treasure!

[@whazee]

I'd love to see Taliesin do a chapter. I bet he'd go DARK 😃

[@AspieGG]

Apparently he did a test game and it was TOO scary for the players

[@whazee]

@aspiething oh yes! Well remembered! I'm sure he'd tone it down... hopefully not much. 😈

[@ryppt]

​@aspiething I head canon it sounding like a soldier recounting his service during war: You forget other people haven't seen that happen to hundreds of bodies.

[@Arelenedhel]

@@AspieGGdang. I wish we could see it.

[@spudsbuchlaw]

@@AspieGG Oh really? Where'd you hear that?

[@bardylon]

Keeping alive the art of story telling. Watching CR feels like a modern day equivalent of when families used to sit by the radio to listen to stories.

[@Sunegami]

The first time my husband overheard me watching CR he said, “Oh! It’s like a radio play!”

[@paulmdevenney]

The whole series was people bringing their A game. The side-show of character development was just awesome, though I think Robbie has to take the gold medal for that. The In-character award I think has to go to Laura, she barely dropped out of character in 12 hours of play. I watched the show about an hour at a time, because I knew it would end too fast otherwise!

[@bigsarge2085]

Was an incredible first chapter. Trepanning himself was roleplay gold!

[@gegegebebebe5087]

Indeed, this RPG system, it's world, the first chapter of the story combined with the five characters bringing it to life with the costumes, the table setup and all of this is a piece of art and pure enjoyment - a true masterpiece. I find it absolutely amazing and I am really looking forward to chapter two.

[@friendlyG771]

Candela has been an amazing journey so far, and I'm so excited for Chapter 2!

[@FailTrainS]

That was a super fun jaunt down the Victorian Horrifying landscape. I really liked the tension and consequences. The outfits and set were top notch. The actors were obviously top notch. The whole thing definitely seemed like a level up in production while still having some glorious little light-hearted moments which helped me remember all the fun and not stray too far into the dark.

[@RealKeetz]

OK. I need to play this. I HAVE to play this. 🤩 Mr. Mercer, you knocked it out of the park. Again. Thank you for kicking off this game & series. Ashley, Laura, Anjuli, Robbie...you are the players that I wish to eventually become. Your ingenuity & creativity to succeed on missions inspire me in creating & playing my characters. Thank you, as well for being my role models. Candela Obscura is a game that I seriously want to get into, and I can't wait to see where Critical Role goes after this. 🥰

[@madelonjacobs1618]

This 3-shot was a wonderful first introduction to the game ❤

[@Oriansenshi]

I will be honest, I wasn't sure if i was gonna watch candela at first. I didn't know if i had it in me to get invested in another story while i was so invested in campaign 3, but whooo boy, am I glad i gave it a chance. I have fallen in love with this system and the stories that they are telling with it!

[@TwilightsInferno1701]

Candela Obscura has been a big new favorite of mine 😍 I adore this game and series! I can't wait for more! And maybe for Liam to join one day 👀

[@EliteKoala]

I love this series so much! The world building is so cool

[@JeremyStreich]

I thought this video was more about crafting a Candela Obscura session... While I'd have liked that, this peek inside Matt's mind was very nice.

[@RoughGalaxyYT]

After the Call of cthuhlu game I really want to see Talisen GM Canelda.

[@feitocomfruta]

I read the QuickStart and the example assignment and I got inspired to write my own. Because it’s based in a Victorian-era environment and vibe, I decided to look up “Victorian era dark history” and… Y’ALL, there was some really messed up stuff. The amount of “fucked-up” I’m using in my writing is a little off putting, but it will be SOOOOOOO fun to play.

[@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll]

I recommend From Hell (the graphic novel by Alan Moore) for some truly fucked-up (and painstakingly researched) vibes.

[@spudsbuchlaw]

@@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll Thanks for the recommendation

[@TurboWock]

I’m curious about your word building style Matt. How do you plan around multiple campaigns without rail roading. Your font of creativeness is matched by none, how do you do it?

[@AlphaScorcher96]

Can we let Matt rest and play more please.

[@backonlazer791]

He won't be DMming the next chapter, although he won't be a player in it either.

[@feitocomfruta]

Ok hear me out on this for a future chapter: Matt is a player in a circle with Taliesin, and the DM is Liam.

[@olivesandtuna]

I don’t know, some people just enjoy GMing more than playing a PC

[@Zortbrain]

I would love to see Taliesin GM a chapter

[@ZentaWinds]

I think everyone wants Taliesin or Liam to be the DM in this

[@GreyAcumen]

Not intending to pan any of the other players, but Robbie absolutely stole the entire series with his scenes. Normally his stuff would have felt pure "shock value" but he managed to ground it in that ignorant murky "science that really was just fucking around and finding out now that we've learned from those mistakes" which made it feel completely correct for the circumstances.

[@magicaljaderose]

I really want the full book! We're working on a campaign and can't

[@CarbonCoffee-nh5cz]

These behind-the-scene and interview videos are fantastic. Well done, friends.

[@Mad-Trauma]

Candela has been outstanding so far. I can't wait for the next episode at the end of the month.

[@MrSHADOWANGEL999]

Matt is a master of world building

[@andrewlaverghetta715]

I can’t wait until I have a CO book in my hands. I’m really hoping it has a lot of inspiration in it to draw from. These types of games are so far out of my wheelhouse so far that I’m not sure how to build an assignment of my own.

[@spacehootle309]

Check out some SCP Foundation Entries. 😊 With over 6000 case files, you're bound to find many ideas to draw from.

[@hueyluey06]

Ivan van Norman would kill it as a GM on this.

[@andrewlaverghetta715]

I agree, after seeing him GM what I think was his own ttrpg at GenCon.

[@spudsbuchlaw]

I don't know of his stuff but I'm excited to see new GMs

[@domihase8148]

I like it very much. I hope you post Candela Obscura a bit more frequently. Weekly would be too much for me, but every two weeks seem aprobriate for me. :D

[@Solinarian]

Stumble their way 🎶

[@Mark-ki7ic]

Thanks for the mind expanding show Matthew

[@Blue_Lunacy]

I would love for Ivan Van Norman to DM/GM at CR.

[@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll]

That would be amazing.

[@paigeschavey9126]

I want Matt and Liam as player characters in candela

[@dennisthornton4434]

Just what I was looking for.

[@xibdaley]

The Chapter 2 looks so good too!

[@elliehansen1345]

I watched candela obscura two years ago it was fun adventure and mystery to critical role shows

[@kayemeyak]

would be fun to watch Travis play this game 😊

[@jag519]

I just realized it makes sense for me to be watching Laura in CR's first game of this creepy system. Her playing Dread was how I found CR, so this has that feel perfectly.

[@metadoxy]

I found CR through TitansGrave! Laura Bailey was out there recruiting in the early days!

[@jag519]

@@metadoxy Nice! TitansGrave was great! Back in the first few months of CR she played dread with Wil Wheaton on G&S, and thats how I knew CR was a thing. haha

[@metadoxy]

@@jag519 Yeah I watched tabletop out of order, so I don't think I saw that episode until later. Really good, though!

[@wayfarervisual]

Best hair in the biz.

[@brunatendrich5213]

Love this so much! So excited for the next Candela chapter.

[@purply7749]

Auggie felt like Ellie, unleashed

[@Tikerusey]

Candela Obscura reminds me a lot of Vaesen, very similar theme that its investigation heavy and the players are part of a secret sociaty

[@David_Blake91]

Vaesen is one of the main inspirations for this game besides Blades in the Dark.

[@pn4960]

I am VERY excited

[@chadwicktenstein]

I want an Arlo novel

[@temporary67315]

How different is Candela Obscura from Blades in the Dark?

[@samuraiko]

I'm not as conversant with BitD as I am with other systems, but there is a solid amount of similarity (and Spenser, the lead designer, acknowledges that). There are a lot of other mechanics I'm more familiar with from other systems, and some new ideas here as well. (I'm wanting to see the full rulebook and not just the QuickStart Guide so I can crunch on it some more.)

[@DerekRawlings]

The bones are definitely there. Here are a few core differences: - BitD is about scoundrels doing scores, CO is about occult investigators investigating - Harm in BitD has one type and levels, where CO has three types (Body/Mind/Bleed), but no levels - BitD has a single Stress pool, rather than three Drive pools - BitD doesn't have guilded dice; you don't recover Stress mid play - BitD uses Flashbacks that let you cut back to the past to show how you planned for a problem in the present, CO doesn't have it. - Downtime's different between the two - A bunch of small stuff Stuff like action rolls, the 1-3, 4/5, 6 scale, consequences, gear, stakes (called Position in BitD) are all more or less the same.

[@TheStrangelady]

​@@DerekRawlings thank you so much! This doesn't sound like the "basically the same, just reskinned" some people made it out to be.

[@DerekRawlings]

@@TheStrangelady As someone who's involved in the FitD hacking community, I'd say it's more different than the average hack. A lot of hacks change harm, or stress. Not as many change both, and it's much more than just a re-skin (with a new setting). It's also far from the most radical change (see Slugblaster for that; it was Ennie nomimated for Best Game this year, and it's delightful). All that said, if you're rolling actions and 1 to 3 is fail with consequence, 4 to 5 is success with consequence, and 6 is success that's about 80% of the resolution mechanics of Blades, so CO is _very_ familiar still.

[@N0KKENWAITS]

I know he's probably busy at Dimension 20, but HECK LETS GET BRENNAN LEE MULLIGAN UP IN HERE TOO

[@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll]

He's on his way! (as a player) Would love to see him GM for this too though

[@N0KKENWAITS]

He's a delight as both. Thats awesome@@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll

[@Dumballa]

It was so good 👏🏻

[@watchvids8214]

Cool!

[@darylfuentes3601]

Nice

[@Landis963]

...Did you get a chair for this gig, Matt? Just checking.

[@ikeekieeki]

bring in Becca Scott to run a game imo

[@EmmettF.W.]

So who’s the kid that’s going to be Helming this next chapter? Apart from the “how to play” I’ve never seen him before…

[@ariaflame-au]

The game designer.

[@louisst-amand9207]

the kid who designed the game

[@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll]

Prior to this I think he was best known for "Alice Is Missing", an award-winning game. I haven't played it, but people I know who have say it was very memorable and kind of harrowing. He also had a hand in creating "Kids on Brooms" which is the system the Dimension 20 campaign "Misfits and Magic" used.

[@bob2theboney]

Woot

[@darwinthompson7864]

McRee?

[@jonahbrown5669]

Yeet