DMs after one episode of Critical Role

I look more like fat weird al
GRIM HOLLOW, THE PLAYERS GUIDE: bit.ly/35RlYPr
Merch, Discord, the Quest-O-Nomicon, and everything else: linktr.ee/XPto...

[@Sanguimaru]

"There's no way he's not going to say 'toothy maw.'" (Camera zooms in) "TOOTHY MAW!"

[@beholdthesupergirl]

LOL same with me! I loved how that's when they cut him off on toothy maw, it was perfect! xD

[@worththeshiner4541]

Therapist: Jacob Mercer isn't real, it can't hurt you Jacob Mercer:

[@facetankhank]

*progressively louder screams of terror*

[@storyspren]

Consider also: Matthew Budz

[@bedo3778]

@@ProfesorCafe hippity hoppity this idea is my propertie

[@Jango1989]

Jacob Mercer: 5:04

[@EVillJr]

@@bedo3778 I'm sorry but it's OUR idea.

[@ArmoredChocoboLPs]

His hair is saying “Matt Mercer” but I hear “Weird Al Yankovic”

[@master0fthearts894]

Underrated comment

[@prestoneubanks8458]

If you think about it isnt Jacob the weird al of dnd

[@sable7687]

"i look more like a fat weird al" -Jacob, the description

[@ArmoredChocoboLPs]

@@sable7687 who reads those anyway?

[@dustyn4970]

I was coming to say basically the same thing. Take my like and enjoying it knowing it is well earned.

[@strawberrana]

This was unironically the best Matt Mercer impression I've seen

[@thomaspetrucka9173]

Truth! 😂

[@urfork1]

It’s like saying “you do a good impression of god”

[@aaaaaa69420]

when he said "fanangaly teeth" i died. i love matt mercer, but his occasional word mangling/swapping always gets an eyebrow raise from me, was wondering how many others noticed it.

[@AndrewJHayford]

@@aaaaaa69420 Its a pretty easy thing to do when you are DMing

[@anathema1828]

BASED

[@joshuawinters6591]

“You can’t quite pin it” is the best Matthew Mercer quote

[@mateogun]

"hard to read"

[@ObiWanKenobi_IceNation]

he seems to be on the level

[@micahlong2073]

iNdEsCriBabLE

[@nathanielthompson366]

"TOOTHY MAW"

[@JT_Lich]

He had a perpetually raised eyebrow most of the time, so I approve

[@angelovillasanta2606]

"Mom can we have Matt Mercer?" "We have Matt Mercer at home." The Matt Mercer at home:

[@mslabo102s2]

I'd take that.

[@keeganmbg6999]

This is the best comment! I know this isn't Reddit but please take my fake Gold!

[@blueskybelyr]

DYING

[@katiegyring2728]

😂😂😂 "Mom it's not the SAME!"

[@katiegyring2728]

You win the internet

[@dcs305]

I just want to appreciate Jacob for talking to himself for like 5 minutes

[@Temuldjin]

he might have talked on vid for 5 minutes, but this took hours to do xP

[@Maker0824]

Yeah, there’s no way this was one take

[@InquisitorThomas]

Quarantine has done... strange things to Jacob.

[@poilboiler]

I have to admit I kept thinking there actually were several people there.

[@francis5600]

That's nothing I've been talking to myself all my life.

[@senthesanguinesinner9]

I love the attention to detail in copying all of Matt’s mannerisms even down to facial expressions, eye movements, and hand gestures

[@ozpin8329]

You need a sequel to this titled "Players after one episode of Critical Role"

[@siediousswift8088]

Yes!

[@Onetoo88]

Yes!

[@alucard5841]

up

[@thatsbullshit9056]

Yes!

[@floofyproofy9374]

Yessss

[@Kugo]

"Why does this guy have 4 accents" now THIS has attacked me

[@CrovanBlaze]

I felt that one in my soul.

[@zenraloc]

Sometimes you haven't played in a while and you forget their accent 🤣

[@DJB3lfry]

1st Session with a new NPC: Wow, I really nailed that voice, and the players loved it! 2nd Session: I have no idea how to speak in any voice other than my own, and I'm so thankful my players aren't attentive enough to notice.

[@SCOm1359AP]

It helps if you also forget the character's name. That way you can just say it's the old bartender's day off.

[@Sandul666]

Yup I definitely felt attacked lol!!!! But seriously this was a great video

[@TwoGnomes]

“And you see it’s TOOTHY MAW!” HE SAID THE LINE

[@kendaar9002]

I was waiting the entire video for him to say that lol

[@hannahshark8080]

But don't forget, 'you just manage to catch yourself!"

[@XmatineeX]

its* toothy maw, not it's :D

[@Deady4u]

Almost said gnashing teeth

[@dsquaredentertainment]

I was waiting anxious for it to happen LMAO

[@saltthesnailttv]

There's literally nothing wrong with this level of enthusiasm. Now... the execution however xD

[@keykiq]

Not gonna lie, the sound effects he made with his voice were pretty good.

[@AAAc33s]

Right? I was just about to say that! Good pitter patter sound effects from Jacob as the shrouded goblin. I also make all my goblins sound like they’re spewing out gibberish

[@servantrider7044]

It has been a very long time since I watched Critical Role, and those sound effects made me laugh so hard because it was weirdly nostalgic. xD

[@PogMcDog]

@@servantrider7044 same.

[@Kaotiqua]

Squeaky-clean glass won me over. I've been Dming for close to 40 years, and Matt has a bit of this effect even on me. Somewhere between, "oo! I should try that!" and "I am a rank amateur..."

[@torgor_]

*THUNK* *glug glug glug glug*

[@_nothacking_2688]

What a great episode of Critical Role. Matt’s voice acting was on point.

[@thenopegun9294]

Gold. Solid. Freakin. Gold.

[@karmathegolden]

🤣🤣🤣

[@EzekiesAcheron]

I bet if Mercer tried hard enough he might be able to do jacob's voice lmao. That'd be funny to see.

[@SquareEP]

I really like the time he said toothy maw

[@inappropriateperson6947]

This is the first episode of critical role the I watched from beginning to end.

[@gabejones8112]

HE EVEN GOT THE FRICKIN MUSIC MATT PLAYS RIGHT

[@lethabomohale977]

Pillars of Eternity for all those interested

[@thomassunderlin3566]

Didn't think that I would find you here. Lol

[@royal9743]

@@lethabomohale977 Ah yes, the game voiced by Matt Mercer, Matt Mercer and their good friend: Matt Mercer.

[@vvvpatovvv]

@@royal9743 dnt forget Matt Mercer

[@mistwraith8260]

It's not hard to find, Matt has his playlists posted and it's all free music

[@humblescout]

Our dm is a CR fan. She’s really good at making the sessions immersive like this. We all love her and she’s absolutely wonderful. Happy to have her as a dm 😊

[@Legendarydrago123]

Invite please 😂

[@eklipse4956]

@@bradenvankirk291 the entire point of this video is saying that matt is a great dm, but you don't have to copy him to have a good time. in fact that's a paraphrase of his exact sentence that the player says. how tf is it a hater channel?

[@jelliebyte]

​@bradenvankirk291 hes just having fun, dude. hes not bitching hes just making videos poking fun at certain dnd things or certain dnd players. he isnt saying upright "dont play like this"

[@humblescout]

@@jelliebyte I got that vibe too. Actually it was our dm herself who posted this video link in our memes section of the d&d channel. She’s aware she’s doing this. Just the way she plays and it’s fun lmao

[@timeprotector4320]

How did you meet a dnd group ?

[@hunacean]

HEY, there might be some SPOILERS under the thing 0:23 intro 0:52 recap ends 1:13 a jolly tavern 1:25 a drink 1:58 curious questions 2:32 a soul with a history 2:46 still a better Irish accent than Taliesin 3:39 comprehend languages 4:28 Toothy maw The upload date is 22 January 2021. Sam’s flask has nothing attached to it as Sam is not in the video. Jacob wears a wig. Stay safe out there, especially You Flando, the critters appreciate you very much. Any moments I missed? Feel free to post them here. Is it Thursday yet?

[@xSuperNo0b]

Everyone comment so it doesn't get buried! I don't know why they haven't pinned it yet.

[@willv2746]

Don’t worry they alway pin these 😉

[@marcos2492]

This is the best comment of this video so far

[@blackwell4701]

Amazing.

[@stanleymyrick4068]

I didn't know Taliesin was Irish.

[@JT_Lich]

"Who's heading to the tavern?" "Us." *"The only two people here."*

[@iamvigant]

"Who's all heading to the tavern?"* (Although I think it should be "Who all's heading"?)

[@lordofpurgatory.]

@@iamvigant ummm actually, your comment should have been preferenced with "um actually"

[@EldritchMcPie]

@@lordofpurgatory. CH references in DnD context just remind me of how badly I want Emily or Brennan to play guest characters on CR.

[@sourwitch2340]

I love how that one,,, isn't a bad thing to pick up. If you have enough players for it to be relevant, that is.

[@deerstalkerpictures]

My favourite comment about our DM was that he's like when you order Matt Mercer on Wish and I think that comment applies just as well here.

[@AVJHalonen]

hey you

[@chris_croissAnt]

@Dylan Shull You were trying to cross the border, right?

[@AVJHalonen]

@Dylan Shull I walked right into your ambush

[@thatsteampunkguy6528]

@@chris_croissAnt ran into that imperial ambush. Same as us. And that thief over there.

[@WhyDoesMyCodeNotCompile]

@@thatsteampunkguy6528 Damn you Stormcloaks. Skyrim was fine until you came along.

[@AgonizingDemise]

My DM has a very unique style. It is incredibly slow. Like every hour of every day gets played, from having breakfast to reports to captains and bedtime routines. At first I didn't love it cause I wanted to rush to the action and plot but now it is my favourite campaign ever. We each have very close and complicated relationships to the npcs and eachother. The interpersonal drama makes it so much more impactfull when something plot related happens or when something dramatic happens to an npc who is a close friend or personal nemesis.

[@TechnoArpan]

I would love to play in a campaign like that

[@f.i.r.e.5119]

I hope one day I have players with the patience it would take to run that game.

[@bulldozer8950]

“Mom can we get Matt Mercer “ “No we have Matt Mercer at home” Matt Mercer at home:

[@krystopherguadalupe1760]

Her boyfriend: *Matt Mercer* You:

[@jaketheboss9092]

Nice. 😂

[@zexyunicorn372]

D.a

[@Suo_kongque]

Matt Mercer at home: Mat Merssur

[@geknechteterknechtinknecht8334]

#MATTMercerSyndromeINTENSIFIES

[@noodlesgamebox5903]

All jokes aside, this guy's sound effects are dope.

[@efrainlopez5902]

Seriously I took note lol

[@whitneyangelo]

I totally agree. *Feigned shock* "Oh no! Our dm is investing in world building and is half decent at it."

[@dovshore1976]

Yeah, despite the vid title, this was pretty good. The players were being dicks, obviously.

[@captainkevgames4761]

That accent at the end was the best one of all

[@canyunhicks1587]

For real though

[@jostaar]

The Matt impression was spot on but I cringed so hard at myself because I've done stuff like this

[@CarlosTorres-vj3vh]

I'm now reconsidering if I should change my DMing style

[@helsharidy123]

@@CarlosTorres-vj3vh dude let me be your player, I love this DMing style

[@marilynvickrey506]

@@CarlosTorres-vj3vh No dont! I actually love this dm style too, obviously not with the changing accents but its fun

[@spoofilybeloved6729]

Make sure you consider each aspect of the DMing style on its own. Matt Mercer does some bad stuff, and quite a bit of good too.

[@jackbrian7083]

@@spoofilybeloved6729 and remember its very subjective, if one finds something of his goood or bad doesnt mean the players or even other dms find the same things bad or good

[@TheSmart-CasualGamer]

Yes, the "Gunpowdah, GUNPOWDAH! WEEAEAEAEAAHEHAHEHAHEAHEHEEAEE!" is an often used resource in all Fantasy Worlds.

[@CraigPrime]

See, now here's the thing, I have a friend who had never DM'd or even actually played D&D in his life, but he was a huge Critical Roll follower. I didn't even know him at the time, but when a roommate invited me to join in on this newbie DM's campaign, I was absolutely floored. The guy only had a loose grasp on the rules in general and had to look through the handbook and DM guide more then anyone else I've ever seen, but he went HAM on his worldbuilding and campaign that he built from the ground up. A great continental map with individual region maps, all drawn from scratch, races and politics splitting it apart. Since we only had the regional maps he drew, he always made sure to put an absurd amount of detail into describing new areas and places we visited, but he honestly did it so well I was hooked on every word like I was a kid listening to a reading in a library. He also seemed to able to come up with a backstory for any NPC on the spot, and with AMAZING voice delivery. Dude could do everything from a country boy to an old lady to a half-fish man that legitimately sounded like he was gargling bubbles and I still don't know how he does that. Was an absolute joy to play in that campaign, and he's even more fun to have as a player.

[@Elenrai]

Oh wow! Sounds like you guys found a natural talent right there!

[@Nosmo90]

Put me in the fridge. 'Cause I'm jelly.

[@missymae8333]

@@Nosmo90 and I am totally stealing that gem for future use

[@Nosmo90]

@@missymae8333 You do so with my blessing! ^-^

[@premenband]

Should’ve wrote a book

[@ashleyvander1715]

"Why does this guy have like 4 different accents?" As a dm with little to no handle on european accents this has dealt me 20 psychic damage

[@PugsleyThePear]

My NPCs with accents: start out as vaguely spanish, russian or french My NPCs after 10 minutes: have defaulted to full-on german

[@captaincupcake7969]

Ha! I'm vulnarable to phsychic damage!!!

[@Maadcapminis]

Mizpoke the demon is to blame every time I can't keep accents straight in my games.

[@Alex_Vir]

@@PugsleyThePear What kind of german? Schwäbisch, Platt-, alt Hoch-, Mitteldeutsch, Kölsch, berliner Schnauze, Bayrisch?

[@PugsleyThePear]

@@Alex_Vir I'm a Swede, so I'm not good enough at German to be able to differentiate, sorry!

[@vinfragwarrior]

You missed "seemingly", "as you make your way", "what you DO notice" but still spot on

[@borofreak]

mmmmmakinmaway...

[@bepper66]

"As you make your way" is the most mercer quote ever

[@triccele]

And "as Winnie the Pooh" for some strange reason

[@MrDagren]

@@borofreak WALKING FAST FACES PAST AND IM HOMEBOUND

[@LucretiaBorgia]

Oh, and he missed "You see elements of..." (I am so guilty of trying to be Matt Mercer)

[@marshallfogg537]

"Theres a lot going on with just this one bartender" is sorely underappreciated in the comments as the best line of this video lol

[@tallgeese88]

it really is

[@SariusxX]

The worst part is that I actually genuinely loved every part of his performance...

[@sofiasorace]

Saaaaame I love detailed description and sound effects it makes everything so much more lively

[@jonstromergalley]

I know the vid was lampooning DMs who ape MM, but honestly I'm with you. That was amazing! I would much rather play with a DM that hammed things up a little than one who responds with. "The bartender gives you a kill quest and the wench gives you a fetch quest".

[@Yous0147]

This was exactly the comment I was looking for. I know the vid was a fun slight at the idea, but I honestly just enjoy the immersive roleplaying so much more when he DM is doing his best to actually flesh out the world through performance. I can agree that sometimes it can be too much, but I personally prefer this storytelling approach to a matter of factly one.

[@VJArt_]

That is the thing tho, many people who copy matt have the capability to use what he does to their advantege and make their personal games wayy better then before, but they never experiment, they mostly literally just copy matt from his behaviours to his voices

[@ryopoto55]

I know!? right? What's bad in being descriptive. I guess he didn't say it's bad, just saying if you're doing great, having fun you don't have to... what? try harder? I don't really get the message here. I already doing these things for years and I love it. Can't speak for my player though, they never mention anything about it.

[@jgriz6527]

The only thing this was missing was “for the sake of brevity”

[@kuhncannon]

I will admit i did adopt that one myself

[@backonlazer791]

I mean... it's just another way of saying "to speed things up". Nothing wrong with it =D

[@Chefrabbitfoot]

Ugggghhh, I use this now. And of course HDYWTDT. This is the way.

[@derekhunter5040]

Fire the sake of brevity, allow me to spend thirty five minutes describing the weave of the fabric.

[@toxiclunch]

He also missed: "What would you like to do?"

[@SoyTwisto]

I need the sequel "Players after one episode of Critical Role"

[@timslack7568]

or DMs expectations of Players after watching one episode of Critical Role

[@Promatim]

"All four of us head off in completely different directions in the city. I'm going to go get a pedicure!" "Great! Since we've already established that you're all wanted criminals and agents of evil are lurking everywhere, this is going to go so well for all of you."

[@aethon0563]

Sadly, the only difference would be the players demanding the DM to be more like Matt Mercer.

[@anotherelvis]

Rob Schwalb had a nice rule for describing rooms. One sentence about the nature of the room (smithy etc.) . One sensory impression (light, smell etc). One sentence about the creature/riddle that thy meet to get them started.

[@benhramiak8781]

Good advice, im using this

[@carllombard5237]

The fact that you even have Matt's inflections down makes this even more beautiful

[@MagileineTopDeckToFullField]

I mean, at 3 1/2 hours per episode, you get plenty of time to study them XD

[@upsidedownpyramid7617]

@@MagileineTopDeckToFullField True, if I wanted to DM Matt style after all the CR I have seen its not tough to nail the impression. I like a lot of detail and great NPCs and brutal narration and stuff so I already have a somewhat similar DM style but I wouldn't ever want to copy another DM while running a game. I have my own ways I do things, my own style overall, every DM should be their own person.

[@gabrielchovan-spence4215]

@@upsidedownpyramid7617 yeah but if you have never dm’d or even played, copying another’s style is a great way to start playing and in doing so, learning.

[@d3monicwolf]

@@gabrielchovan-spence4215 Older post but I want to put in my two cents. I don't completely agree with you here. I feel taking inspiration from another DM is a great way to get started but flat out copying another dm is just going to cause problems in my experience. Inspiration is one thing because thats how you get ideas, but trying to be someone else will make it harder for someone to find their own styles.

[@johnreed2272]

​@@d3monicwolfI'll give you some sound advice that is fact, not opinion. If you want to develop something new, you do not re-invent the wheel. You copy the available material and adapt it according to your mission or goal. Copying a DM is absolutely fine, because you will never be verbatim. It's the same reason why we have homebrew, because we have rules. We followed the rules at first, then homebrewed. Going the other way around, is a fools gambit at authenticity.

[@collinsellers4825]

This is obviously exaggerated for the joke, but I actually love more narrative DMs. I don't need every little thing to have a sound effect, but a really good description and a FEW sound effects really add to the experience for me.

[@fuckgoogle6716]

Time and place. Not every setting or NPC needs an in depth intro. At a certain point I feel I'm just being taken hostage to someone can tell me their terrible fan fiction.

[@Jacob-sb3su]

@@fuckgoogle6716 yeah but its the guy serving your drinks why would you NOT want to know about his 3 failed marriages

[@user2C47]

I usually have some folders full of audio files for sound effects, such as forest ambience, that I use occasionally. I also run RGB ambient lighting with a spotlight on the table.

[@Shenaldrac]

@@Jacob-sb3su And you've never heard the sound of a squeaky glass right? It is _paramount_ that the GM make the proper sound effect or you wouldn't be able to visualize it! Describe everything in as excruciating detail, as if you were Charles Dickens and being paid by the word! Detailed descriptions are good, so OVER-detailed descriptions must be even better!

[@elliethebg]

I also love very narrative DMs 😊 I want to hear all the details so I can use them to shape my character. It’s super helpful to get good descriptions, it really puts me in the world. RP is my favorite part of D&D so the immersion is always what I look forward to the most!

[@queencitycardboard6781]

Me as DM, trying to be creative and exotic with my descriptions: "...It's an interesting flavor, you can't quite pin it."

[@andrewlance3898]

Sometimes, you can rope the PCs into describing things if you're clever. "The flavor reminds you of your childhood. What does it taste like?"

[@SilverionX]

@@andrewlance3898 You say that as if you're tricking the players into doing the work for you, rather than inviting them to help create a world together :P

[@RexusprimeIX]

@@SilverionX Sounds like a math teacher.

[@SilverionX]

@@RexusprimeIX What me? I mean if you think math is fun and everyone is in a game about maths maybe?

[@RexusprimeIX]

@@SilverionX No I mean what you're describing sounds like what math teachers do.

[@theblackneon5396]

A dm should be the perfect balance of 'I like to hear my own voice' and ' let us see how the bard deals with this horde of goblins'.

[@PresidentMystry]

The “toothy maw” was so satisfying. As soon as I heard about the werewolf I was waiting for it

[@greenhawk3796]

I just rolled for initiative because *i feel attacked*

[@mr-shkelly-bonesh]

Nice one

[@beywheelzhater8930]

Seems someone has a good charisma score-

[@doppelhelixes]

and what did you roll?

[@greenhawk3796]

@@doppelhelixes 10 :( and thats with my dex & cha bonus from swash buckler lol

[@Dnno4563]

take 1d10 psycic damage as you feel attacked on the inside

[@twbillionare9568]

Jokes on you I acted like this before watching Critical Role

[@spookykitty72]

same

[@RaptorRocka]

What can I say, I love descriptions. Same with my party. Though I don’t do nearly as many sound effects as Matt Mercer. Mostly because I can’t.

[@Lurklen]

@@RaptorRocka Yeah it just never occurs to me to do them. I kind of want to get better at monster noises and voices, so they don't sound so close to human ones. So far my party likes all the different voices and description though.

[@duncancameron3591]

Same, critical role just helped expand my DMing vocabulary

[@mrosskne]

Yes, most people are quite bad when they start out.

[@Nobody-zl3kk]

Didn't realize up until this point that my friend talks like Matt Mercer... no not when he is DMing, he has never DMed in his life, he just speaks like that casually.

[@alarin612]

I'm really impressed they got Matt Mercer to be on this show.

[@IAMzap]

Seriously. I thought only JoCat had that kind of clout.

[@mr.cup6yearsago211]

@@IAMzap Shut up Matt Mercer.

[@MattBroderickSMF]

what's worse than a dm copying CR is when a player says "that's not how they do it in CR"

[@Elenrai]

Every time a player say that Matt sheds a tear instinctively :(

[@vexten6425]

@@Elenrai Legend has it that it's been over a year now since Matt started crying. Scientists predict that by the year 2057, water levels in the ocean will have risen 5.2% as a result, if the trend remains the same.

[@V3loCiTy123]

I honestly don't mind when a DM does that. It tells me that the DM is putting in a little more effort to make it fun and immersive for their players. As long as it's to a moderate degree. Otherwise it just wastes too much of the little time we have to play.

[@bifflechips-t5r]

In that case, I'd tell my player, you can have a Matt Mercer when you play as good as one of his players.

[@davidholmes3728]

i read this as challenge rating to start with

[@cuffedjeans7320]

can't believe he forgot the leather bracelets

[@H00rah1]

Probably couldn't find any. Matt buys the entire stock.

[@devin5201]

It's the importantest part!

[@ichigo11220]

Amazing how he actually got Matt Mercer to feature in this.

[@BaeCat872]

A friendly reminder that DMs want to have fun playing dungeons and dragons too

[@spamton5266]

Yeah but.....this guy went a little too far.

[@Mawble]

@@spamton5266 I think the players interrupting the DM mid description are also just as bad.

[@spamton5266]

@@Mawble Yeah i agree

[@mechminded2207]

yup, dragons too.... they want to have fun playing.

[@kingster14444]

Tis a collaborate experience

[@Kevin-lj5pq]

Jacob as Mercer is something I never knew I needed

[@keithjohnson7893]

THE HAIR

[@Deliriumend]

This honestly just makes me want to see Jacob run for Matt with Jacob doing this parody of Matt, and Matt doing a parody of Jacob. Get some other D&D streamers to parody each other as well, do it for charity, and call it a day.

[@vernonhampton5863]

Strong, and brave

[@Perial51]

Neither did Jacob.

[@alyero6341]

@@Deliriumend man I really hope Matt sees this vid

[@jacfac9969]

Honestly I'd have a blast with a DM that enthusiastic about their world and NPCs, so long as they let the players interact with it more.

[@Neo2Rus]

Did not seemed like they want to interact with it.

[@rebeccatrishel]

Everyone would have a blast with that kind of DM!

[@violetdoggo]

@@Neo2Rus ikr, my only thought was.. this dm wanted to try to use some descriptors for the world that he previously had a hard time explaining, using Matt as just a bit too much of inspo, and the players just decided to shoot him down and belittle him for being "too much like Matt" like even tho the one guy says he liked the old style of DMing, the other guy just was super rude to the DMs attempts to world build, and immerse the players (even tho they're all played by the same dude, i was feeling bad af for the Dm for having such asshole players)

[@BIG.BIG.J]

the most unrealistic thing about this vid is a party of two being able to make it to vallaki

[@thedirtbagstash]

At least someone said it

[@cainstockdale1673]

There could have been more. They're the survivors.

[@justadudeN72]

@Sara García I lol'd

[@zuzomatyi]

I think only 2 was able to make it rest of the party rip :D

[@controllerfreak78]

@@cainstockdale1673 the other players are hiding in the other room waiting to be dramatically introduced 2 hours later

[@SlickRieck]

You had to pull out the vest on him eh, ruthless.

[@ZapperK21]

He just needed stacked bracelets and he'd be mint

[@Whats12]

Maybe we wouldn’t be playing so badly if some monsters didn’t have BIG, TOOTHY, MAWS!

[@ChrisGarcia-om8si]

What did you say, PUNK!?

[@jcdenton2187]

@@ChrisGarcia-om8si BIG, TOOTHY, MAWS!!!

[@ChrisGarcia-om8si]

@@jcdenton2187 Well, this toothy maw is for much more than attracting players!!!

[@christophercrafte]

10/10 all of you

[@matthaddix900]

Monster-like entity

[@stevebrennan81]

The bit at the end where he says "and you see it's toothy maw!" always gets me laughing.

[@MakeMoreStuff]

Why is everyone saying he's copying Matt Mercer? The wig is CLEARLY Weird Al Yankovic.

[@christophercrafte]

Wig?

[@zacharyhutter9085]

Alternate Title: DM realizes they don't have 25 years of experience, a professional grade budget, years of acting and voice acting experience, friends with years of acting and voice acting experience, thousands of fans with support, and aren't being paid to be good at what they do

[@BubblingBrooke]

Or as well: Dm doesnt realize Matt mercer is only one part of crit role and his players are a huge reason the show is so good.

[@master0fthearts894]

@@BubblingBrooke Or just: DM realizes he doesn’t have to emulate Matthew Mercer and can be his own DM, for like, a week till’ the next episode of Critical Role comes out.

[@flamingoflyer8009]

Not to mention other professional writers that help to make up the lore for the world.

[@AxelRize]

You forgot the script

[@AxelRize]

@@master0fthearts894 I'm caught up on both campaigns, talks, and the one shots. #scripted is the joke

[@92DungeonMaster]

Low key? A DM like that would actually be pretty dope. "You arrive in town" what do I see? "a building with a man standing in front of it" okay, is there anybody else around or anything in this entire town? "not that you can see, just this man and the building" *sigh*

[@SophieFox947]

I think it's a question of preference. Personally, I'm leaning more to the Matt Mercer side than what you're describing there. Only thing is, I have only played DnD myself twice, and one of those times our DM accidentally let us chase and kill a group of irrelevant barbarians, resulting in us getting no progress done after an entire session - they were pretty unbalanced. So I don't have a lot of experience, you could say.

[@Notaforumguy007]

Yeah honestly it may probably feel awkward at first but is a roleplaying setting so having a DM thats super into it I feel will eventually get everyone into it making the sessions alot more immersive and fun. If I wanted to ignore all immersion and just fight stuff I'd play a RPG video game. I feel like DnD really shines when its immersive, breaking people out of their comfort zones acting out various characters they've imagined.

[@ablazingcloud2980]

As a DM I try to be more descriptive during non-action scenes. All the descriptions make fights drag on, so I try to only do it for critical hits and such. None of my players want to spend 2 hours on a fight scene, which is seriously how critical role gets sometimes, and that's my only drawback. Also sucks being totally keyed in, doing accents, putting in the work, and your players don't do character voices, don't know their sheets, and aren't curious about each other. It makes for really easy burnout.

[@iGame3D]

"I speak to the man" Out of Memory Error D&D: BASIC 4K

[@CasualVideoGamer]

@@ablazingcloud2980 As a DM, what I find fits for battles is instead of constantly going "okay you miss" "it hits" etc, I like to add in the flavoring of what's happening. Don't have to be super descriptive, but just enough so that instead of looking like a numbers game, it adds scenery to the fight.

[@TheJthedog]

This honestly made me question my DM skills for a minute there lol. I very much do what he does here but to a lesser degree, I try to give every NPC a different voice and I might do sound effects and try to describe everything to my players. Then again, my campaigns are usually very jokey so we don’t take them seriously, hell it’s become a inside joke among my group where NPC just acknowledge the fact I can’t keep certain accents going for long, usually I’ll get a minute into my British accent and I start to go Scottish before the NPC will just blurt out mid-conversation “oh sorry there lads, I drank some tea this morning.”

[@petloverspy]

Don’t worry about it, the issue here was the interrupting and the players not being into it, if you and your players don’t interrupt each other and you’re all having fun then you’re doing great! My group is heavily into roleplay as well for the most part and we all have fun being descriptive and doing fun voices, even if we’re not actually good at it.

[@thanesgames9685]

I had a campaign where the players renamed everything I did, to the point I stopped naming things and just let them do it. I also had some giant half mile long lizards running around a level of the Abyss, and thereafter all travel distances were measured in Lizards. Their defense of the Elfamo was final straw.

[@RobertManzano]

It's exaggerated for effect, but honestly the whole video I was just thinking "is this not... Good?" I'd kill for a DM that puts this much effort into things.

[@hazeltree7738]

@@RobertManzano Some people like it, others don't. Basically that simple

[@lucy_Bad_Bunny]

No joke, he seemed like a dm that pulls people into the story and makes people want to come back

[@Pugh95Bear]

I'd play his campaign.

[@Jamplays592]

legit

[@THEPELADOMASTER]

He interrupts the players. That's it. That's all I need to say.

[@lucy_Bad_Bunny]

@@THEPELADOMASTER and

[@THEPELADOMASTER]

@@lucy_Bad_Bunny just like the players shouldn't interrupt the DM, and the players shouldn't interrupt other players, the DM shouldn't interrupt the players. Seems like a DM that is way into his own storytelling instead of playing D&D

[@master0fthearts894]

“Why does the Bartender have 5 accents?” Who doesn’t?

[@cloudGremlin]

That reminds me of when I desperately wanted to do an Irish accent for a particular character, even though I am possibly the worst person ever at accents and very very Canadian. Queue the character going through five stages of different horrible mashes of Irish, Canadian, British, and maybe some Texan as I slowly went through the five stages of grief. In the end I did learn a pretty passable Irish. And now I’m trying for a Japanese accent for another character because I enjoy torturing my players TwT

[@master0fthearts894]

@@cloudGremlin Try looking up a KZbinr with an accent. I learned how an Irish accent sounds like from exposure to Jacksepticeye.

[@teodorofreiberger2438]

what do you mean 5 accents? he only has 6 accents? how could he have 8 accents? nobody could have 12 accents at once, let alone 20.

[@asterisk6489]

@@cloudGremlin I feel for you, I'm Canadian too and I'm trying so hard to do a French accent but it goes from french to German to southern to Canadian back to southern

[@WillowGreenheart]

@@asterisk6489 As a polish who was trying to do French accent i enjoy my... "imigrant" wanna be French character from Russian-speaking country :x

[@billyum608]

oh god the 4 accents thing hits way too close to home. i just can't seem to nail them lmao

[@marcosavalos2502]

Feel it

[@kristinakristalls4149]

I tried different accents and it was ridiculous so I just gave up

[@master0fthearts894]

A npc having 4 accents could be a very unique npc. Like, imagine if there was a npc who traveled the world, and picked up on many different languages, and while speaking to people he can say different stuff, like, “Hola, everybody! I’m just passing through to the next room over. Sayonara!” That would be a wicked awesome npc which attracts players by sheer weird + interesting factor.

[@Wizard_Pikachu]

@@master0fthearts894 I have a wizard exactly like that in my campaign. His name is Jim. They all love Jim and his orange floating cat

[@master0fthearts894]

@@Wizard_Pikachu Does the floating cat happen to be called *a pet named Steve?* (Markiplier Reference)

[@joeciavarini9508]

I know I am late to comment on this video, but being a DM for 40+ years and a Critter for 4 years this video says it all about the influence Crit Role has had on the D&D Community. Mercer and crew have had such a huge and in my opinion positive influence I hope it continues. Truly Mercer and crew are genuine and accepting of all. "We love you very much" at the end of each video says it all. Thats what gaming is about, DM however you like, as long as everyone is having fun. And oh yes, spot ON with the Mercer imitation. Im surprised you didn't use the word "purview" as Mercer loves to use. WELL DONE young man :)

[@viniciusantunes4448]

If he didn't interrupt the players and toned down on the accents a bit, it would have been a great RP experience.

[@andrewl9191]

I think it's the editing, really. That's what the point of the video is I think, like how the music is just suddenly THERE when it goes back to the DM character.

[@Grigeral]

Technically speaking, the players actually interrupted the DM. There's a fine line between either interrupting the other and realistically, if the DM is describing the scene, you want to let them finish. If it gets to a point where you're regularly being interrupted though, you're probably overdoing it!

[@Ntwister]

@@Grigeral my last GM was very "on the clock" (time always passed in game) so if you didnt interrupt him, the moment to act wouldve passed long ago xD realistic i guess but also quite stressful because i dont like to interupt but he also had quite the pokerface so he never gave away that shit was going to hit the fan (except when lore friendly in the story ofc).

[@Grigeral]

@@Ntwister I don't mind things like that occasionally, but I prefer it to be the exception rather than the rule. My players like to plan for things, sometimes they can spend an hour planning how to do something, so I'll take bits of what they come up with and insert it into the encounter if it fits etc. Each group to their own of course, but when 'everything passes as it is!' you can't really do things like that in the same way. The only time that it flows fluidly is in combat, say they break combat to speak, they get enough time to say something reasonable in 6 seconds, then it moves on (I play it losely, I don't time them). I do find that more strict way of doing it also punishes character stats because the player doesn't match it. An int 20 character would be able to think things through a LOT faster than the majority of people for example.

[@please.stop.coping]

@@Ntwister that would be pretty fun to try

[@LewToons]

this is so spot on lol.. but u gotta admit. it's so much better than: you walk into a town, here's a map. you want to go to the blacksmith? heres a chart of what you can get. k, subtract that from ur gold. you wanna sleep for the night? ....

[@csharponlinux4670]

I concur, I mean... it's supposed to be a role playing game after all.

[@ivansmirnoff6987]

Personally, no. Feels like time wasting. I don't need to know the intricate details of every single npc I come across, nor do I need to know what it sounds like when their ass cheeks hit the chair they want to sit on. I'd rather do a dungeon delve for the 800th time.

[@csharponlinux4670]

@@ivansmirnoff6987 I guess we're different in that regard, I am a role play heavy players. I can respect that you have different preference in DnD.

[@Xenirath]

@@ivansmirnoff6987 so, go play an rpg videogame I guess? I mean, dnd is both things, it's dungeon delving and fights and looting, but it's also roleplaying, putting yourself in another world. It's immersive to hear the door creak or the people talk loudly in the background if it makes for nice roleplaying.

[@ivansmirnoff6987]

@@csharponlinux4670 I'm not saying CR shouldn't exist, I just don't care for the over acting or sound effects as that takes me out of the experience. I actually enjoy rp, just not rp that tries so hard.

[@sirgideonofnir6840]

"I want to meet Matt mercer before I die." Make a wish foundation employee: "oh boy do we have a gift for you."

[@Maccaroney]

Embezzlement?

[@garyvincent7397]

yo you stole my profile pic? wierd coincidence

[@phoenixfritzinger9185]

I think you got Make a Wish and Wish.com mixed up

[@hydraulicwendigo8244]

I’d rather meet Xp to Level 3 than Matt Mercer though.

[@mr.mercury3600]

I would like a sequel where Jacob gets out of his critical role phase and the others players decided to make characters that look and act like the critical role players just to torture him

[@eruditecaptain3117]

Ah, you've also had this experience?

[@-Offstar]

I just saw a tiktok of a guy who was reading out a character that appeared to be a blatant copy of Caleb... then you realize the character was actually Shou Tucker...

[@expensivemagic4754]

YES

[@haandotexe]

Im crying all of the sound effects and descriptions are so incredibly accurate, this feels like if Matt was trying to run a campaign but nothing interesting was happening so he was just thowing in all the details he does for intense moments into the meaningless ones.

[@VecTron5]

Rule of thumb: If it cant fit in a tweet, bring up a picture.

[@HamsterPants522]

​@@VecTron5You just made me imagine Moby Dick as a picture book. lmfao

[@johnreed2272]

​@@VecTron5My table abhorrs photo's and sometimes even my expensive mini's. All bookworms, and pictures break the imagination *apparently*

[@gooeybea]

congratulations you have explained the joke

[@taylamuller1811]

⁠@@johnreed2272yeah I get this actually. As the scene is being told, I'm creating a mental image that is moat definitely going to be in some ways different to what the DM is thinking of. But either way, I have an awesome mental image I've created of the current scene. Whatever image the DM pulls out will be different to what I was thinking, so it pulls me out of immersion as my mental image is "wrong," and I need to try build the immersion again with the "right," image. Its super weird but I get why they say that lol.

[@summernovah]

Honestly i would 100% enjoy a DM like this. Don't even need to tone down the accents. Like, go for it, man. Immerse me. I'm here for the story, the world, and the characters

[@Rotti17]

same, as long as im not constantly interupted

[@joshuamorrow8863]

Couldn't agree more

[@Yawyna124]

The goblin running up to them was low-key the best part of the skit.

[@fuckgoogle6716]

I'm not hear to hear a story. I'm here to play a game, and in that game I can murder things for shiny stuff. There is a good balance of setting the mood with talking, and just wasting people's time with nonsense.

[@joshuamorrow8863]

@@fuckgoogle6716 realistically, you're sitting down at a table for probably a few hours, what's so problematic about an extra few sentences of dialogue and descriptions

[@lilbigyell]

TBH I like it when my DM does voices for NPCs and also the details help you imagine the scene

[@purplejammiejam]

I screamed so many times "HE DOES THAT", spot on 'Dms imitating Matt".

[@CD_BB]

Matt is still great tho. But You should have your own flavour of dm’ing

[@mrosskne]

@@CD_BB No he isn't.

[@klauskeller6380]

@@mrosskne he really is

[@CD_BB]

@mike yeah MIKE

[@mrosskne]

@@klauskeller6380 No he isn't.

[@jaraquin1498]

you have to start every sentence with: "as you [verb]... "

[@kyucumbear]

As you tell me to start every sentence with the given structure, the bartender turns to you and---

[@Tygenja]

@@kyucumbear as you read this comment saying as you read this comment saying as you read this comment saying...

[@AmraithNR]

And every description with "Sort of"

[@WoofDaLock]

This man really went out and found the exact music tracks lol

[@TheBlazegeo]

Music is from the pillars of eternity series🙂

[@kindle9597]

Most of Mercer's music comes from the Witcher 3 and Skyrim soundtracks

[@mr.bluesky4130]

I mean it’s good ass music, I use that shit all the time

[@Karloss00]

@@kindle9597 Diablo 3 too.

[@seanbabi]

Even Mercer will tell you that half the battle of being a good GM is allowing the players to run the campaign. GM fills in the gaps and adds details and help create the world. If you actually watch the CR campaigns, he spends an awful lot of time just sitting there listening. And if you listen to him talk, he rushes through his explanations. He is very aware that he doesn't want to be like this video suggests he is. And the one characteristic I love about Mercer is he is not afraid to say "you cant do that". He plays mainly with friends and people he has played with for a long time so it is very easy to communicate with them. But he is so knowledgeable about the game that nobody ever really questions his judgment when he makes a ruling. My point is that this is why players try to copy him. People call is "Mathew Mercer syndrome", but I don't see what wrong with trying to hone your skills against who is actually the leading authority of GM's in todays game. A group of astrophysicists would put down a guy for trying to use Einstein's equations.

[@FouEliane]

“into the town PROPER” I’m dyiiiing

[@eros5420]

"Proper" is now going to be a name of a town in my campaign.

[@Traktora9]

"Why does that guy have like 4 different accents?" - I have never been so called out in my life.

[@santiagocastro6333]

Just say he has the Actor feat

[@Andrew-jw4vc]

It's hard to maintain an accent while also improvising ;_;

[@DarkThagan]

@@Andrew-jw4vc That's why you don't VA every single character and give them crazy accents you are having a hard time nailing. Even Mercer Fs up and stumble and he is professional VA.

[@krispbreadd]

@@DarkThagan but it’s fun :)

[@DarkThagan]

@@krispbreadd No! No fun allowed!

[@smith24117]

First and foremost, you nailed it. The "town proper" and "toothy maw" are just too good...lol.

[@shanekayat3217]

And "Our intrepid adventurers" 🤣

[@captaincapitalis1205]

“Last we left off…”

[@DemonBlanka]

@@captaincapitalis1205 I have never seen an episode of critical role and this is how I always introduce a session.

[@AceofArcadia]

@@DemonBlanka because that's how it's supposed to be done. Now that there's critical role, all DM's are "copying" Matt I guess

[@johnr797]

"It has an................... *interesting* flavour"

[@jeremychives]

The sound effects and the hand steeple xD Critical Role has been such an amazing curse upon the ttrpg community

[@reesearterberry7380]

The word “esoteric” is also a favorite word of Matt’s. It’s probably up there with toothy maw tbh

[@nucleargandhi2709]

2/10 not enough "elements"

[@Yous0147]

"Entity" is also one of his goto's

[@schramyannick]

"you watch as...."

[@irotschopf7135]

"glance"

[@VinceValentine]

"Siggil"

[@DashingSteel]

I just imagined Jacob Mercer DMing for The Wizard and The Wizard gives up after his 10th consecutive fireball because Jacob describes each and every one for half a minute

[@averagegirl7113]

*hears unintelligible accent* "...is that Victor?* *accent* "GUNPOWDER!!" *me* "ayyeee I know that fingerless mess anywhere."

[@HitmanKillsYou4]

I’m so glad I’m not the only one

[@Fox7-h8r]

*Learn from my mishtakeshh !*

[@PuffyCloud_aka_puffeclaude]

GUNPOWDER! is where I finally lost it.

[@spacescienceguy]

@@PuffyCloud_aka_puffeclaude I'm lost! What's the gunpowder reference?

[@PuffyCloud_aka_puffeclaude]

@@spacescienceguy Victor, the "Black Powder" merchant from campaign 1. One of Matt's more over-the-top portrayals.

[@h4zrd-rs252]

The accents are awesome. When I started dming, I always did over-the-top voices to slowly teach myself how to do them better.

[@pencilbender]

If he learns to let the players have their time aswel then that sounds like on hell of a fun dm

[@MeR0bert]

Exactly this!

[@BiggusNickus]

My current DM is exactly like that. We all know he's clearly influenced by Mercer but he lets us have our fun as well. Such a blessing.

[@shealupkes]

Right the only difference between this and matt is matt recognizes in spite of being the dm he's still only one of 8 people at the table

[@codypederson2640]

Yeah that was the biggest area for me where this didn't match Matt's actual play style. Ever looked at how many times he strings together more than 3 sentences of description in an episode? Matt actually does a great job of keeping things succinct and his players do a good job of taking half the time.

[@oberzen208]

Most players that want to 'just have fun' are in it to make things difficult for the DM. We spend hours upon hours every week preparing loads of content so that you can have a full bodied and well played out game. It's fucking insanely rude to your DM, who works a part time job FOR YOU the PC. If I spend 15 hours in a week readying content, I would be absolutely infuriated if PC's avoided it to go fishing and have beach parties.

[@RakemGaming]

There’s a fine line between “a fun, immersive rp experience”, “way too goddamn far”, and “boring slog of an experience”

[@theblackkat2164]

I'm so insecure about my DMing. I'm fine with script writing roleplay though. And my dad who introduced it to me made it too boring a lot of the time. We very different people, so everytime he'd open his mouth i was like "this sounds like a radiant skyrim quest" I didn't grow up as much with dnd either. My dad however did. So I'm going back and forth between "this is boring and slow" to "this is fun with friends!" I felt great playing with a church friend who was the DM. "N" did a great job DMing. But for whatever reason dad never really....sparked my interest. (Ahaha, now I wanna jump off a cliff cause this comment too long. Super chatty before bed haha)

[@Zulk_RS]

I think a quote from an ERB video sums it up nicely: "We don't need the backstory on every fucking tree branch"

[@anakomaru]

I tend to leave my world building pretty open. I give the broad strokes of the world, but if the players want specifics they gotta role for 'em. It's my own bit of revenge for persistently being shoehorned into DMing

[@Reddotzebra]

@@Zulk_RS Please, we prefer "leafy obstacle".

[@iflamezz9918]

Leaving apart the forced interruptions that's exactly the roleplaying experience I would love to try. This way seems so immersive and makes you feel epic.

[@diagramada]

Yeah, me too!

[@teagenthetiefling5296]

I agree. There's so much more to work with in a game like this. It doesn't mean all DMs need to behave this way but I like it personally!

[@dowfreak7]

I feel like that's the biggest issue with D&D that I can see from the outside. People are super different when it comes to this kinda stuff. You love it. I'd absolutely hate it. I wouldn't be able to help but cringe at it. Which doesn't mean it's bad, it just means it's not for me and with such polar opposites, how would you create an environment that creates a story in which multiple people can immerse themselves in? With Critical Role being such a big thing (I'll probably check it out after all) and d&d-like things becoming more mainstream there'll probably be more people playing it in the future, but until then it's kinda impossible to find a group of strangers that you'll immediately hit it off with and all of them are into the same style of storytelling as you, while also fitting your schedule... You get the point.

[@bminturn]

I've come to the conclusion that it would be fun to do a campaign kind of like Matt Mercer, but without ever going full Matt Mercer. I do like the depth. I also would have a hard time running, or playing in, a campaign that gave so much latitude to the players. I know that them making it up on the fly is more than half of the appeal, but it also leads to long stretches of not much. That's not as fun as a DM or player who isn't also kind of showing off acting chops.

[@vitezjura]

Nice voice acting all in all, pretty immersive.

[@nategwright]

I think a really important thing to note is that Matt, along with the rest of the CR cast are professional actors that are not only playing D&D, but putting on a show for us all to watch, all of which influences how Matt DMs. His style is specifically and intentionally tailored for the special context of Critical Role. Likewise, you have to get a read on what your own game is going to look like when you decide how you want to do this (pun intended).

[@DavidvdGulik]

I've seen video taken bij Ashley on her phone from their home game from before Critical Role, Matt is DM'ing exactly the same. That's just his style

[@comet9864]

@@DavidvdGulik huh, that's interesting

[@victorholmes5225]

Nobody: Matt: “ T O O T H Y M A W”

[@adamwelch4336]

You forgot brackish liquid and undulating!😂

[@ericwilliams9117]

And ichor!

[@whatiswhat8061]

and monster like creatures

[@TallonZek]

Physical form

[@saintpoli6800]

Crimson

[@vargot]

“Us. The only two people here” That is... painful. For I am a DM with currently only two players...

[@_UPRC]

So am I. It's two buddies and I, and we have a good time. I'd love to have a bigger table, but it is what it is and I'm okay with it.

[@victordelatorrehortelano]

@@_UPRC Don't worry man, at least you have players T_T

[@IggyTthunders]

I only have one, and I have to nudge him to do anything creative; he has literally said to me, 'I need someone to tell me what to do.'

[@SHDUStudios]

Same dude!

[@raeg1100]

That does and doesn't sound nice. I am playing in a game with 8 other players and it can be a nightmare to get anything done, or sessions can be spent just getting through individual choices of action.

[@thenerdmaster9381]

"Why does this guy have 4 accents?" That is one of the most asked questions at my table when I'm running a game, because I never remember the voices for my characters because I have smooth brain 0_o

[@dotmp4353]

Neither do I, I love doing accents but I always forget them. I've started writing down a phrase that I connect to the accent in my DM notes to remember

[@couchmaster3773]

@@dotmp4353 I do something similar lol. Whenever I've got to do a Cockney accent I always think "Jason Statham, glottal T."

[@Karate3ule]

I do accents. I can only high german and a terrible berlin german and some funny slawic accent

[@Sey_Moore]

I actually record myself voicing any of the "important" (read - accented) NPCs and name the recording after the NPC. I do DM online only tho, so i have a huge leeway with it.

[@RedFlameGamer]

I've a standing agreement with my players that they do their best to try and overlook if voices are a little inconsistent. We're of the mind that a bit of hammy voice acting is still more fun than no voice acting, and it's very helpful for if you have multiple NPC's in a scene so you don't have to specify who's saying what.

[@willemdafreind4994]

Honestly i like it when DMs are like this

[@scotty8682]

The way i like to think about new DM's trying to copy matt mercer: its like trying to learn how to drive from watching cars race on tv

[@hauz287]

I'm doing this but honestly I've learned so much because I have zero experience with dming. Im working on forming my own dm style now. Matt's a pretty good starting point honestly.

[@thatrandomnerd6996]

But like learning like that; you crash and burn until you finally get it 😂

[@hauz287]

@@thatrandomnerd6996 exactly its been a huge learning process for me. I've also found matt collevill and I'm just asking myself how did I not know about him earlier. But it's fun, and since the players with me are new as well it's so rewarding to see them have fun with the new things I've learned.

[@Elenrai]

@@hauz287 One bit of advice id give ya as a somewhat experienced DM/GM that have done RT, BC, WHFRP 2nd and 4th along with D&D 5th edition : Always seek out other DMs opinions and experiences on how the campaign(if you use a module) can be improved, it is frankly a better use of your time to seek out a 100 experienced DMs on social media like Reddit, even if every single DM only got 1 years worth of DMing experience, its combined still four times the experience of Matt, and unlike matt, those 100 DMs have players just like the ones at your table. CR is frankly AWFUL for teaching DM/player interactions because he interacts with professional actors in a show made for entertainment, you and your players are not like that, thus seeking out DMs that only DM because they enjoy it, and not to make money, and players that play because they like to play, not because they are paid for it, will teach you far more! Of course if you enjoy CR keep watching it, but you will enjoy yourself more when DMing(and your players too) if you rely on a community of DMs to help you. I am part of a gaming clan that have a few DMs, and we very often discuss the details of our games with eachother! In fact preparing the next session with a couple other DMs can often create a significantly better experience, I even have some of my DM friends act as major NPCs or allow them to take control of NPCs "off screen" to determine their actions in an organic fashion, this helps create the illusion of a living breathing world, and as a new DM it can help take a lot of pressure off you when there is another DM with a few years of experience saying "Yeah you are doing great!"

[@Reddotzebra]

@@Elenrai Not to mention that his style more or less requires a heavily pre-written script, most players at a normal table will aggressively fight against railroading attempts whether the consciously know it or not and thus force someone that has prepared a full dialogue tree for forty NPCs and descriptions of every locale imaginable to suddenly go full improv the second they say they want to go in a completely different direction. When you're doing a show for money you can completely mitigate that by just giving everyone a role, there's a reason these things only end in TPKs if the ratings drop...

[@raven2034]

The sound of the drink pouring is actually pretty good

[@master0fthearts894]

Everyone talking about TOOTHY MAW but no one’s talking about the ending gag: How do you wanna do *THIS?*

[@canadaandfriends7731]

RIGHT IT WAS THE BEST

[@iamvigant]

woah, thanks for pointing that out. I missed it

[@master0fthearts894]

@@iamvigant No problem, I missed it the first time too ‘cause if the sponsorship and credits (I think)

[@backonlazer791]

I do not wish to discuss the possible implications of the particular gag =/ Not saying it wasn't great, though =D

[@Harry-ju8yw]

Entity. Entity. Entity.

[@TheAlison1456]

I haven't seen Critical Role but if all DND sessions started with a moody, and concise recap, and the DM did sound effects That's an absolute improvement

[@forfaerghus8092]

Jokes aside, borrowing a few of Mercer's techniques isn't bad in and of itself. It's when it's taken too far.

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

Too far is relative

[@UCvow2TUIH0d2Ax2vik9ILzg]

Does that mean Matt takes it too far by borrowing all of them?

[@Handles-Suck-YouTube]

It all depends on what group you're in. Some love this kind of stuff, some want the bare minimum between combat sessions, and there's a group for every step of the scale in between.

[@summeraidan5815]

@@UCvow2TUIH0d2Ax2vik9ILzg they are a show, over detailing everything and vivid description is Matt's charm. He's also a voice actor who knows when too much is too much, so when trying to copy him, many people just keep doing it until its annoying.

[@christophercrafte]

What I've learned is that Matt isnt a great dm because of what he does specifically but because he takes a back seat to the players giving them the opportunity to do what they want, if you watch him enough he actually sits quietly quite often and only speaks up when he needs to.

[@mercutioslovechamber]

Now we need a "Players after one episode of Critical Role"

[@stevesmith5883]

This was me, I started at a DnD after watching a bunch of critical role, I made sure to properly learn the rules and stuff so I wasn't a complete noob who'd only seen CR, made a character and sat down for my first session. I very much took a "how hard can it be?" approach to improvised dialogue and character voice and quickly realised that I am not a professional performer with years of experience and certainly not a voice actor haha. There have been some pitiful attempts at voices for a couple one shot charecters I had which quickly got toned down.

[@applejuice8271]

@@stevesmith5883 oh well I guess I need to lower my expectations XD I haven't played d&d yet but have watched cr

[@stevesmith5883]

@@applejuice8271 I'd say yes and no. You do need to keep in mind that all of the critical role cast are professional performers so are going to be significantly better at voices and improv'd dialogue than the average DnD player, and that the battlemaps and stuff they use sometimes cost 100's of dollars if you were to buy them so you won't be seeing things of that caliber too often. That being said, DnD is still super fun even without those things, and you'll be surprised how quickly you can get immersed in a game even with a basic setting and charecters when you are actually playing, and that doesn't mean you can't add your own roleplay elements, if you want to practice a fancy voice for your character then by all means go for it!

[@Apoc2K]

​@@stevesmith5883 If anything an enthusiastic player with piss poor voice acting is a selling point for me.

[@probablythedm1669]

I prefer letting my players recap the last session, since it tells me a lot of what they found memorable lately and what they think their current goals are.

[@perianh]

Yes! I do that as well, it really helps everyone to catch up and clear any misunderstandings.

[@michaelthomas1916]

My group goes half and half. I always ask someone to recap last week, and follow it up with a short "you left off in this room after doing whatever it was" kind of thing to start the game. I'll use that as an opportunity to add to the recap if whoever did it leaves out something that might be important moving forward.

[@spulap7560]

That is a brilliant idea and i'm deffinetly using it in my next session. thanks.

[@shaggymcscraggy4251]

Exactly! I usually do that to see who was paying attention at the end of our last 8+ hour session hahah

[@aidandunne5978]

Our DM actually has us each role a D20 at the start of every session. Low role describes the last session, and they get a point of inspiration for it. Doesn't matter how detailed of a description it is, its just a way of getting everyone more involved.

[@YourCorvus]

I think the level of detail and passion brought by Matt (and DMs who emulate him) is entirely fine! My personal style moreso relies on player interaction and deep world lore - but I've always done my best to keep things like consistent accents for different groups of people. I think its totally fine to bring those elements into your DM'ing - just always make it your own.

[@sblibs]

“Oh Jacob’s here” said Jacob, while talking to Jacob.

[@TalanXavier]

I wish I could play D&D with my other personalities it could be fun!

[@sblibs]

@@TalanXavier it would be hilarious

[@JOfJaZ]

While talking to Jacob.

[@sblibs]

@@JOfJaZ OI JOSUKE can i add that to my origonal comment?

[@sumisu_senpai_6280]

@@TalanXavier to be fair, D&D and DID are only one letter away lmao

[@alarin612]

My Matt Mercer Drinking Game: whenever he says "space," "elements," "interesting," or "I appreciate." Recommended with a light beer.

[@RaphaelHollywood]

Expanded rules: Shots for every toothy maw and "sigil"

[@matthewegross]

"... what seems to be ..."

[@alarin612]

Oh, good additions.

[@VinceValentine]

You'd be dead after half an episode. Even with American beer.

[@eveescastle5866]

Don't forget, "As you [verb]."

[@rivodomina]

As a DM with players that watch critical role I can only look at this video, click like and then take a long shower while I cry for 40 minutes.

[@donaldderrickii5405]

Your comment got me sir. I feel your pain

[@Sitharos]

Actually I think he did a great job! He really sold that bartender and the werewolf legit sounded terrifying!

[@DarkNecrosisX]

Remember the cardinal rule of D&D: The DM must never have fun.

[@lccm1026]

What do you mean, I always have fun

[@josephvickrey5396]

I thought the cardinal rule was the first player to make the DM openly sob wins. Yeah I play rogue and warlock a lot why do you ask?

[@monstermoo4191]

Yeah, ngl... half of the stuff in this video just seemed like a DM trying to have some fun with descriptions. I kept waiting for the joke and, as someone who is always to uncomfortable to try improv voices for npcs, it would be really lame to have the players dump on you for it or say you're just impersonating critical role.

[@coranbaker6401]

@@monstermoo4191 I think the point is that he went too far in suddenly emulating Critical Role, even cutting off the players to the point that they found it jarring and ultimately preferred the previous style. There should always be a balance between DM and Player fun.

[@THEPELADOMASTER]

@@monstermoo4191 describing things and making voices is fine. It seems that's all people got from this video. It's going overboard with it that is the problem. Interrupting players just to say that the bartender has a history. Yeah, I know. Everyone does. It's D&D, not an audiobook.

[@srvfan17]

I think the most important factor of Matt Mercer's DMing is that he knows when to go all out and lean into the goofiness, and when to dial it back and go simple and pragmatic. He's a very good DM for the dramatic narrative-heavy game his players enjoy, but not every game is like theirs. Absolutely take note of his willingness to lean into fun voices and engaging descriptions from time to time, but don't assume you have to be that way all the time, because he sure isn't

[@Reddotzebra]

I'd say "very good DM for the dramatic, narrative-heavy game his players get paid to play" but then again I'm just a cynical bastard with no current group. They all went over to Vampire the Masquerade.

[@veggiedragon1000]

Sven Hallgren And you didn't get to go with them? :< Big yikes. Vampire is pretty fun

[@ohiograssman1564]

@@Reddotzebra storyteller system is arguably the most fun system out there, in my opinion and preference, anyways. Got a cool idea you wanna try out? Use the storyteller system lol. Works like a charm for damn near anything. Just found a DBZ d10 system my son and his friend wants to try out.

[@robertbell307]

@@Reddotzebra Also are they really getting paid to play?

[@CodeeXD]

@@robertbell307 yes