Dragon Talk: Matthew Mercer & Chris Perkins on Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, 9/24/18

Matthew Mercer and Chris Perkins stop by Studio d20 to discuss Waterdeep: Dragon Heist and the Stream of Many Eyes with hosts Greg Tito and Shelly Mazzanoble. -- Watch live at / dnd

[@ihatethefuture]

Yes I would listen to/watch an hour long weekly podcast where Chris and Matt just talk.

[@azurii4620]

That's the plan

[@justinthompson1696]

Why Mercer doesn't work for WotC yet is beyond me

[@novaiscool1]

@@justinthompson1696 mostly creative freedoms and a very full plate.

[@Quadraxis]

"Be careful with your stat blocks, DMs." No matter the other stats, Matt's CHA score would be 30.

[@matthewshroba1511]

What these two gentlemen have done for D&D is unquantifiable.

[@scook9999]

This. This is why the Internet can be something good, not a cesspit. People getting together over common elements and making something of a community, and having people making money on something they love. I choose to believe in humanity. This touches me deep going back years. More power to all these poeple!

[@paladonis]

It's always amazing to see what the Critical Role and Dice, Camera, Action folks do for the community around them. I don't just mean DnD players either. They do a TON for local charities and the like.

[@shaunandrews6313]

a politic and bullshit-free zone, I've found my home on the interwebs

[@leonielson7138]

14:52 So, my excuse for having Matt Mercer in the Yawning Portal is that he, Marisha, and Taleisin, stop there on their way back from the Burning Man Festival.

[@sosrope3420]

Has someone posted a Hipster statblock yet?

[@leonielson7138]

Apparently Liam O'Brien posted this on twitter: twitter.com/voiceofobrien/status/1035419614753116161

[@Arkatox]

Leo Nielson That's from his werewolf one-shot. They were thugs that the PCs fought.

[@MasterEnsis]

The two DMs that made me start playing this game at the same table... AWESOME!

[@samo4866]

Just wanted to say, I just found out that the only reason the hobbit was written was because Tolkiens son was a stickler for the details of his bedtime story, so he wrote it down so he wouldn't mess it up. It was supposed to be a bedtime story for his kids! Amazes me. Matt is of the same mind, and he could write some awesome books, but he chooses to share his talent with his friends, and now all of us.

[@rolandsantana8889]

Does anybody else see a ghostly image of a woman in victorian dress on the left hand side of the black tablecloth? Oddly enough, when the image shifts it is then reflected on Chris Perkin's T-Shirt. Weird.

[@jamesmiles6484]

Roland Santana, Yes.

[@legit1237]

Bruh, that had me spooked haha. Maybe it's an upcoming NPC or concept art?

[@ZombyJello]

Looks like the image is with the camera and not the people in the room.

[@br0adsw0rd65]

Volo's Guide to Spirits and Specters - ladies and gentlemen

[@davepoole9164]

i see it, but looks like a young girl to me... wow odd

[@landoflitsch]

We need a Perkins Mercer show every week!

[@rosenrot234]

While that would be cool. Mercer is kinda busy enough as it is.

[@landoflitsch]

Oh and Perkins isn't? No no. This is something the country, nah the world, needs right now. It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

[@TheDreamSyndicateArts]

If we crowdfund it, they will come- I could see this as some sort of Patreon funded show!

[@StilltheAp0llyon]

Chris, nobody who has ever been in a "production" meeting would be suprised at how unproductive they are.

[@whowasibeing]

Or in a meeting in general. lol

[@BiggySn1p3r]

Matt is such an amazing human being.

[@_UPRC]

I love listening to videos like this that feature Matt Mercer. Man, the level of love and passion that the man has for D&D is insane.

[@FishoD]

58:30 - this is what I love about a PC Rogue with int 8 and wisdom 8 at my table. He doesn't know much and doesn't realize much. PC's had a midnight tavern brawl where he as a completely hungover drunk spent first action getting dressed, then drinking water from a pitcher and third round shouting at everyone what is going on while a brawl was in the hallway. Players thought that he is insane, but once we out of the game said that literally nobody shouted or called him or told him, how could the completely hungover character that just woke up know that something is up... That was the other PC's fault for not shouting and calling everyone.

[@bonbonthebattleswine7444]

Who else is watching from the material plane?

[@alexwillis2381]

Feywilds, checking in.

[@finlayreeds6725]

Floating aimlessly in the astral plane, over

[@novaiscool1]

Trapped in elemental plain of fire, send help!

[@thesensiblesupervillain4625]

@@novaiscool1 Are you still alive? I'm sending in a pyromancy unit to recover you, they're moving out from the city of brass now. We're tracking your location, but we can't read your vitals. You ok?

[@novaiscool1]

@@thesensiblesupervillain4625 all good sold my soul to an efreet and became a warlock, all good now.

[@sharpthecat]

17 min into this and I suddenly notice the ghost girl on the tablecloth...

[@WallyDM]

What an amazing interview. Thank you! I wish I could hit the Thumbs Up button more than once!

[@Backflipgal12]

After *finally* playing a game of my own and getting to DM that game, it’s so satisfying to relate to their stories, and take some notes on what I can do to my own campaign to make it better.

[@adambirch6466]

This is one of the most incredible D&D videos I have ever seen. Essentially two gods being interviewed and sharing DM stories. Such a rich feast.

[@jtrax4044]

I'm a simple man.... I see Matt Mercer, I click like.

[@playin4power]

Running this adventure for my group now, and it is 10/10! Great work

[@OokhEekh]

So much fun to watch, thanks for this!

[@JustSomeDude424]

That was amazing! You should definitely tape and release all meetings with these two. No need to edit just give them to us. The community will do the rest and learn a lot about the inner workings of all the great minds at wizards!

[@andremauri]

Oh my god Chris is wearing our Adventurers League T-SHIRT i'm so proud, such an honor :O

[@docnevyn5814]

"Completely out to sea" I see what you did there Chris Perkins

[@UserDude]

I sea what you seen there. Please someone help, I can't stop with the damn puns...

[@tntori5079]

Still relevant years later =) thank you guys =)

[@stim_hack]

Haha. I did the double-take yesterday when I saw Matt in that Yawning Portal art :). Great job, all. This is one of my favorite companion books in ages. Can't wait to run it with my group!

[@Ruan3D]

Which game did Kate DM which they are discussing at 32:31 ? I would reaaaaaaly love to watch it but not sure if it's available on YT? Thaaaaaanks!

[@ThatGuyMontag]

Taking a moment to say Dragon Heist landed at the *perfect* time for my table. The party needed to head for Waterdeep and so I was looking for a decent city adventure, and this was incredibly timely. Better yet, this is my first experience of a toolbox module and it's just straight-up the perfect style of module for my kind of GMing: I can handle the story, it's the places and NPC hooks/names that do the most work for me. The book has all of that, and it's all right where I need it, when I need it, so I've been having a blast.

[@samgardner8456]

I absolutely loved this discussion.

[@RC-bl2pm]

Im just prepping to run Dragon heist. Its like a very well constructed framework with some gaps, by design. Im having a great time filling in the story to perfectly suit the interests of the players and story arcs of the character. Theres a ton of great material, resources and ideas. After the heist is done the book will stand as a resource for cityscapes and any adventure that can use Waterdeep as a jumping off point. Can't wait for the Mad Mage!!!!

[@aaroninfante-levy3612]

But a puzzle *could* be a creature? 😁 Really enjoyed hearing your early experiences with D&D. Inspirational and a lot of fun. Thank you!

[@theouterlimits7788]

Two of the best dnd dms ever. I need to see them do a double dm.

[@scooby45247]

the 2 legends of D&D..

[@RC-bl2pm]

Agreed man. Never seen either of them when they didn't say something I found very interesting or inspiring.

[@TheDreamSyndicateArts]

It's pretty cool looking back at 3rd ed. third party books from a company called Sword & Sorcery and seeing Chris Perkins credited there- he earned his way in through the grindstone of small press.

[@marendur]

Matt's charisma: 18.

[@christofferhougaard]

Matt has a special ability called "Too much free time" Matt has had too much free time and studied the human language. Matt has an auto charisma of 20. And for each humanoid creature within 15 of him increases his charisma by 1. Also when playing games he has a base charisma of 24.

[@golvic1436]

It's the hair. It is the source of his power.

[@naptimegaming1347]

@@golvic1436 i honestly think its the voice.

[@CrisSelene]

@@naptimegaming1347 it's a combo of both. And the bracelets of power add to it

[@novaiscool1]

@@golvic1436 the hair is a magic item, whenever it is near a source of moving air he gains a +5 to charisma, otherwise he gains a +1.

[@TheMarrethiel]

I recently started a game for three early teenagers; after gaming for 35 years I was super nervous to make this a great experience for them. I was so happy when one by one they all gave spontaneous, "I love my rogue" and similar statements. While I'm no MM or CP, it has been great to have an audience with no expectations to what is happening :)

[@christofferhougaard]

When people hear I like games they think Fifa or csgo. So when I say no no no! Rpg they think the choose your path books. The ones where there are 2 choices, one kills you the other doesn't. Or they think live rpg in a forest. but that is more beat others with fake swords and almost no rp at all! xD So it's good to hear that some people still try out D&D! ^^

[@yellowbeard1]

Please have Matt and Chris together more often this was amazing. Can you have an episode where they share stories of their craziest/dumbest games?

[@yhposolihP]

And keeping with tradition, poor Chris Perkins has his mic quieter than everyone else in the room. 😂 Loved the interview, very insightful!

[@Taliesin_]

Honestly I think he just has a very quiet conversational tone.

[@yhposolihP]

Very likely! But man, if it ain't something I've come to expect and even adore when seeing (and hearing) Mr. Perkins on stream. I find it very endearing all the same!

[@bureaucratbayonet]

Drives me nuts cant hear him at all but everyone else is blowing out my speakers and i wanna hear him the most

[@robofthewest]

I’d love to visit a Yawning Portal themed pub. Hey. When are we going to see a D&D theme park?

[@playin4power]

You mean Ren Fair?

[@robofthewest]

@@playin4power I mean a full-blown Disney (or Universal) type theme park. It would be nice to visit the Renaissance fair too.

[@davidcornell6846]

When Disney buys DnD from Hazbo, but I doubt Hazbo wants to sell. WotC has has a phenomenal last couple years in terms of profit.

[@zyonchaos1818]

Started playing Dragon Heist last night and our DM knows how to reward creative thinking, I managed to talk Volo into sweetening the deal with a minor healing potion, which then had to be given to our rogue in our first encounter! I expect to get punished later as after rolling badly all night, I managed to crit a half orc (using chill touch to put out his flaming hand lol) before our Barbarian finished him off which made that encounter a lot shorter than the DM wanted it lol Loving it so far, can't wait for next session

[@duhg599]

Speaking of unexpected developments in a campaign, In the first game that I ran of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, my players went into Old Xoblob’s Shop and found a Deck of Many Things. The PC who got it managed to survive drawing 15 cards.

[@paulcrosslin6011]

This was like how GreyHawk got started. Political divides in the background of the the players that ultimately have an influence on their choices. RavenLoft was awesome in this regard. So many DM tools became developed because of that Module. Perkins created an entire player path based on RavenLoft. Mercer can create PC and NPC that make sense in this world. It is sooo so good. I am not surprised that WOTC hired Matt Mercer. Mr. Mercer can make a bundle of joy of any D&D Encounter. Mordenkainen was the awesomesause in the Ravenloft play-through. But never forget that Chris Perkins provided the framework for that to happen. Mercer is NextGen!!! I love to watch Mercer as a Player. =) All the Love to All You Lovelies! Players Drive D&D!!!!!!

[@kyosukedeiknives]

I need more Matt and Chris podcast of DnD!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@drewthorsen]

Loved this podcast! One hopefully constructive tip for filming though, try possibly to get the booms out of people's faces. I think my connectivity to the guests was interrupted by the stuff and the shadows so I would end up just listening, but would love to watch too. Love the stuff, just trying to add positive feedback. Keep it up!

[@oOPPHOo]

26:17 I know that wasn't what Greg intended, but that little back and forth kinda inspired me. The next time I realize I made a puzzle too hard, I want a troll to loudly make an entrance and with _that_ voice and insulted tone proclaim "Oh, please, you feeble minded mongrels can't even decipher a puzzle of _this_ pitiful degree of simplicity? How utterly laughable!". Then the party can just beat him up for a solution. Don't even think it has to make that much sense why a troll would be there and why he would be smart enough to know the solution. I just think it would be super satisfying for the party to beat him up and bully the nerd into doing their homework.

[@jamesjohonnott1164]

I am a simple man. I see Perkins & Mercer, I watch and I Like.

[@FlourEater]

can´t wait to get the book ! also here´s hoping for yuan-ti centered campaign in future, they are my by far favourite !

[@christofferhougaard]

I agree. Yuan-ti would make a great and religion based campaign. religion because I like when creatures that are more or less evil and make sacrifices. When it makes players hate them because it's not moral, but then throw it back to them. Asking them that if they kill in the name of their god is it really any different? (Of course, that's a lot talk) but yeah. Yuan-ti centered campaign could be an interesting one if done correctly. ^^

[@bulletmonkeyxp]

Where can i find this game that matt was playing in?

[@capnskillet7]

D&D just exploded. Two DM Lords in the same place at the same time.

[@DechantMusic]

Their are DM's out there in the hobby that will blow you away! are they rare? yes but they do exist. I once met a guy who made me a veteran who has played since 1983 actually creeped out and scared going into a Dungeon filled with trolls he didn't describe things or show things he took us and our party there! no sound effects or visual aids at all or minis this guy was SOOOO good. So much so that when the house phone happened to ring we jumped out of our skin. as far as how to find these kind of people is anybody's guess. they usually have a group and don't want to add anyone in an upset the chemistry...

[@misterjoshua5720]

Where can I get Chris's shirt? Where can I get many of them?

[@jforozco12]

This podcast is surprisingly good

[@mikeburkholder9153]

Love both Chris and Matt. Imoa, just about the best dms there are

[@martincampbell4211]

I would like to get a tutorial of waterdeep from Chris! Put up a video!

[@stevenclayton4624]

Sweet episode

[@gakiyarou]

Anytime you guys have Chris Perkins on you need to turn up his mic, he is very soft spoken.

[@RavenSaint1]

Just started playing this module in two different games. One with starting level 1s, and a second one which had Level 3-4 characters. The level 1s, it is like we are in a slaughter fest. The encounters are not starting level friendly, then again the DM for that game is new to DMing and probably not aware of how to dumby down encounters to be on level with the character's skills. The other, is frigging awesome. We just finished Chapter 1 and we're well on our way to building a adventurer's guild to be prepared for the follow up adventure. Waterdeep: Dragon Heist......Not for begining DMs or inexperienced players......Though, it is fun to play with the right group and if the encounters are adjusted to the level of the characters.

[@gmscott9319]

Great interview! It's too bad they didn't turn on Chris' microphone.

[@spikegilfer1997]

14:07 - 15:26 Perkins' demonstrates how the new Bard archetype: "Fookin' Champ" plays.

[@phillipjones4983]

before the ed greenwood dragon articles, the D&D cartoon makes the link with Earth also

[@Nackeroo]

Hi Matt, hi Chris.

[@HeirophantCarneus]

Oh hi Mark

[@rabidseabee7229]

54:00 That encounter was intended to be a TPK! Dammit DM's! :P

[@Vakvaa]

How do I get one of those coffee mugs? Great interview 👍

[@Rufas_Aer]

Oooo... Just had a cool monster idea, a Puzzle Mimic. A puzzle that has been taken over with Mimics.

[@christofferhougaard]

THAT'S A GREAT IDEA! I WOULD USE THIS IF I COULD MAKE GOOD PUZZLES.

[@educassiano]

dude, heavy cast, amazing.

[@castlewise]

OMG Chris' home made modules are too great.

[@masque8266]

the 2 godfather DMs of D&D in the same place SQQQUUUEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

[@kawbmxful]

This is almost a year old, but knowing what we do about Travis Willingham do you think they had him watch this just to see if hed catch the spooky ghost girl in the corner and lose his absolute mind?

[@necron2426]

Are those coffee mugs for sale anywhere? I would love one for when I am DMing

[@justinthompson1696]

Jurassic Park Zombie Vomit shirt is KILLER

[@michaelsnow1905]

Deb's character Twiggy was a highlight for me.. played that role perfectly imho

[@TheGIJew.]

I read this adventure and thought "hey, if I'm going to run it, maybe I should read some of the forgotten realms novels so I understand the world and its history. I mean, how many novels can there be? 40? 50? surely not TWO HUNDRED AND NINETY-THREE NOVELS BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE CRAZY"

[@GameNightTV]

Where can we find the game run by Sam's wife? Thanks!

[@joem.6233]

Sam's wife (Quyen Tran) didn't run a game. She worked with Deborah Ann Woll on a show. She works as a cinematographer.

[@herz5159]

Q is the best honestly. I'd love to see he DM or play

[@GameNightTV]

Thank you, definitely got a bit mixed up in the conversation!

[@MrPrimalAndrew]

Joe Meeks Where can we find that game though?

[@ryanbaker8116]

@@MrPrimalAndrew I think it's this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5ascoWIfNFlgrs or this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hnjJlX2NlNWsbac

[@cappadocius9379]

I would read a biography on Matt Mercer. I think it would be really interesting.

[@suerainey9250]

Excellent!

[@wickedpissa25]

R.I.P. Spurt.

[@A5Hellcat]

What game are they talking about at 31:30 with a newer person running a game, and matt missing someone was 13?

[@AkshatRamanathan]

even i was in the comments looking for it. please let me know if you find it. need more info

[@twelvefootnine]

I wish there were a font called Cursive Strahd... ;)

[@OGDweeb]

My 2 favorite DM's...

[@fenrilorf534]

24:50 Ask Perkins to recide the poem! He wanted it so badly, god dammit... ;)

[@christofferhougaard]

Yeah! You can look at his face it just tells: "Why don't you ask me to recide it?!" Or maybe it doesn't and I'm gonna look like a complete moron. xD Either I roll a 23 on my insight, or a 5.

[@MegaPIC1]

LOL in My campaign Matt Mercer is a god. literally. Consistently at least one of the PC is a devotee of Mercer the Merciful God of Quests

[@johnathanera5863]

Do they scream "no mercy mercer!" When they crit a baddie?

[@MegaPIC1]

Johnathan Era it has been know for that to happen.

[@christofferhougaard]

Why is he merciful? From what I've seen he is far from merciful.

[@johnathanera5863]

@@christofferhougaard eh its just a twitch joke people make when matt kinda lets one of his players walk off without nearly as much of a beating as they probably should have gotten. Doesnt happen often. And its more just for fun than anuthing to do with how he dms

[@BigMac8000]

Dude, RP'ing a cleric of Matt Mercer would.... be.... amazing.

[@bcostell69]

I missed the name of who was the DM they were talking about? if anyone has a link to this game id appreciate it

[@richnothnagel]

Anyone know what game they are talking about at 31:40?

[@christofferhougaard]

Probably D&D. No I can't remember what they were talking about at that time. Just wanted to shoot of a bad joke. sorry.

[@unchartedexe]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hnjJlX2NlNWsbac this is the game they mentioned. YW. :)

[@ExTex23]

thanks a lot unchartedexe :) You are my hero of the day

[@Ruan3D]

@@unchartedexe Thaaaaaaaaaaaanks!!!!

[@golvic1436]

Matt brought it up, but there is a type of player who wants to be the heroic hero of heroism and try to make all the other players into minions. This is kinda a new/inexperienced player behavior. It comes from a fundamental misunderstanding of D&D. I always explain to the players that the game is fantasy, but in no way is related to a fantasy novel. You are not Link, or Aragorn, or even a Luke Skywalker (if you are doing Spelljammer), you are basically The Goonies with magic stuff. Once that concept is understood, you will have no problems.

[@SarahAndreaRoycesChannel]

I play in several campaigns at the same time and I recently noticed a trend. When it comes to investigations and riddles those people grab the lead and are also usually the least well equipped for it. I guess it is because the others are actually working on possible solutions in the background.

[@jforozco12]

38:50 the dm sets the stage, the players create the drama

[@Apollo9898LP]

i love matt's little mouth noises he makes when he doesn't know what to say

[@JC-ln6on]

‘K, I’m not seeing it in the comments, and I’m not very far into the VOD, but you guys maybe definitely should guest star on each other’s shows. Like, immediately. Words cannot express the joy I’d feel at the Nein stumbling across a drunken pirate/sailor NPC helmed by Chris Perkins.

[@ryanrhino2318]

Chris was in campaign 1

[@samtrue3]

What time is the suboptimal moment

[@boesboes6729]

Which CR episode did they talk about? not sure when they recorded this

[@gorilla4454]

Boes Boes the title says it was recorded on 9/24/18

[@Willyswim]

Campaign 2 Ep 35 Dockside Diplomacy

[@antipyrene]

Most recent C2 ep 35

[@Tanglangfa]

You could target a puzzle with magic missile, if the puzzle was a mimic.

[@platform7589]

Is it me or is there a ghost of a little girl on the sheet?

[@michaeldeneault7308]

Good catch but if you look at 4:28 it is also superimposed on Chris' black shirt. So they overlaid it in post

[@ninosim]

Holy crap I thought I was crazy what the hell was that?

[@mgcat989]

So... It's a advertisement for a new book?

[@platform7589]

Usually books about paranormal in DnD are titled "van Richten's guide to..." vampires, werewolfs and so on.

[@CoryMckinnonHandle]

30:10 Make a wish game - Anyone have a link to this game?

[@wowhalofreak2]

listening to this while planning on doing waterdeep. i havent completly read it and they start talking about a submarine...NANI!?

[@antoniusmaximus3174]

Ive always wanted to see Matt or Chris run a Call of Cthulhu game lol.

[@JCtheRavenn]

15:39 Mind Blown

[@sosrope3420]

Anyone else find a bunch of dinged-up pages and fuzzy printing when they got the book home?

[@msanthropea13]

Mercer and Perkins! 😍

[@joem.6233]

Together they should be called: Merkins.

[@matthewcecil8552]

When you see it, you'll sh*t your pants.

[@darrylsmith5148]

Perkins is my sprint animal

[@Reoh0z]

S U B O P T I M A L And I love them for it.

[@Caitlin_TheGreat]

Oh... puzzles in D&D. Yeah, they can often be the worst part. In my first experience DMing my own game I was cribbing a Zelda vibe and so over the course of several sessions put in a few puzzles, almost all of them riffing on stuff _from_ Zelda games, specifically Link to the Past. One of the first ones had a dungeon that had a mirror-like layout, every element was mirrored from one side of the relatively small dungeon to the other. Except for one thing that, I thought, was painfully obvious. I even had a big grid to draw the map on for the players so that they could all see it. And none of them saw it. Just move this one thing so it's like it's counterpoint on the other side of the dungeon and that giant steel door will open. Instead they wanted to break through the walls to get to the rest of the dungeon. And I tried to be obstinate, trying to push them back to the puzzle which I quickly learned was not a great idea. I have since learned how to better set up things and what sort of puzzles usually go over better, to leave solutions open and to allow for destructive problem solving (with consequences) and to keep an eye out for players/groups that will hate puzzles, or those who will dig them and I adjust accordingly. Well, hopefully I do.

[@Atlessa]

Which dungeon? I've been wrecking my brain over the past few days and even looked at the dungeon maps online, I can't find the part you're describing. Are you sure it was A Link to the past? (the one on the SNES?)

[@blairbird8022]

I really want Chris's shirt.