Laura Bailey: How to be a GREAT ROLE-PLAYER in D&D (Lessons from Jester Lavorre in Critical Role)

Laura Bailey teaches great lessons on how to be an amazing role-player in D&D (Lessons to take from Jester Lavorre in Critical Role).
I know I could also talk about Vex, but with campaign 2 recently finishing I felt that this way a lot more appropriate to talk about. Jester is amazing after all!
In this video I'll break down what Laura does to create such amazing D&D characters, and what makes Jester so unique.
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Time Stamps:
00:00. Video Explanation
00:50. Heart of the Party
04:12. Intriguing Backstory
05:49. Eyes of Wonder
07:30. Cupcake Incident
10:55. Horrible Archetype Done Well
13:44. Avoiding the Cliché
XP to level 3 with Davvychappy, potentially a bit a Critical Role with dungeoneering, tabletop community next to tabletop RPG, dungeons and dragons, Fjord, Beau, Jester, Yasha, Caleb, Nott, 5th edition dragons, 3.5e, dungeon dudes, DM GM, dungeon master, game master tips sprinkle a bit of Caduceus, Mollymauk in the Mighty Nein. Matt Mercer.

[@smashbrandiscootch719]

Honorable mention for Marisha. I think she went the complete inverse of Laura's character with Beau to much the same effect. For instance, I HATED Beau at first, but that's because Marisha was playing her to be super confrontational and aggressive. And it was that attitude that gave her such a tremendous arc of character development.

[@mirtos39]

honestly, id almost go the opposite. (I mean that marisha deserves the #1 spot) Not that i dont appreciate Laura, but #1 for marisha. its honestly much harder to play a character like beau that gives such a development arc. too many people dont give marisha credit. from both campaign 1 and 2) Everyone (me included) love the cupcake incident, but look at Marisha's roleplay in that episode.

[@snarglblargn4986]

@@mirtos39 Beau made alot of the M9 face their demons head on Using that attitude and defiance to boost her friends ahead of herself. And then she fell in love. And found a group of people willing to go to bat for her day in and day out.

[@Haveuseenmyjetpack]

MR 🤮🤮🤮

[@snarglblargn4986]

@@Haveuseenmyjetpack what that supposed to mean.

[@smashbrandiscootch719]

@@snarglblargn4986 lol same I was confused af

[@toreyzyre]

The cupcake incident is one of the most incredible things I've ever seen in my 33 years of playing D&D. The best thing about it for me was it was just pure authenticity of character. Jester helping her friend even at peril to herself and doing so by being a clever infectious anti-misery freak of nature. Talesin I believe even jokes about such, little did we all know.

[@WritingJenS]

I agree! Like @monkeydm I was staring at the screen, mouth open. It was a perfect moment, so beautifully played by Laura. The rest of the group's reactions were priceless.

[@onilink134]

She straight up tricked a hag by giving it a cupcake. She TRICKED A FEY CREATURE WITH A PASTRY SHE REVERSE HANSEL AND GRETEL'ED MATT We thought she was a cleric of the Traveler. We were wrong. Artagan was her disciple all along.

[@erikwilliams1562]

The cupcake incident was the most amazing and ballsy thing Ive ever seen, in real life and D&D

[@dseray9494]

Idk man Fjord threatening to kill himself to stop uk'otoa was pretty ballsy too

[@Talonisthename]

Both were bomb moments. That showed massive characters moments.

[@ryanthomasjones]

I was catching up during that episode. I had to take a break after that so I could process. That was my favorite moment of campaign 2.

[@PaulGuy]

I love the "my past isn't tragic" background. I have a player in a game I'm running whose character is simply a guy who worked at a pub for years, and heard everyone else's stories. He eventually went on his own adventure because he was bored with his perfectly average life.

[@kariissmol9172]

I had a similar idea. a little dow woman, barely an adult (129 years old) is from a small village of the exiled. they are happy, her family has a mushroom farm in a cave. she went out on adventure, earns some money (gladiator background) and writes her sickly twin brother letters because he doesn't have the constirution for travel. ironically I rolled low on constitution, she has 9 starting HP. I want to play her some day. (sighs in DM)

[@MrMossMan7272]

I have a character that is just a farmer with a flat 11 or 12 on ever single stat, who is having a mid life crisis after his kids all left and started doing their own things. And one day he manages to kill a goblins who had come on to their property and it gave him the biggest rush he has had in years. And he started adventuring to chase that rush (with the approval of his wife) and I designed him to just be a dad, So when all the angsty other players start telling them about things he would just be the dad who is there to be a shoulder to cry on, and tell you a story about himself or his family that is loosely related to what is happening to the others. To try and help them get over whatever happened. I haven’t found a good game to use this one in but I am excited for the day I get to play him.

[@adrienne7794]

I just don't understand how anyone thinks Jester's backstory isn't tragic. Sure she's spoiled and had a loving mum, but she was also so desperately lonely as a super young kid that she attracted a trickster entity who then took pity on her/ liked the feeling of being worshiped. He was her only friend her entire life until she met the rest of the party. She's childlike and naive because she's emotionally/developmentally stunted. She's one of my favourite characters of all time and her backstory makes me so sad!

[@VoiceNerd]

She and her husband are huge inspirations for how I want to approach my characters voice when I finally get to play in an upcoming campaign. Although I do have some credits as a voice actor taking any advice that they have given or things they have used to practice with their accents has definitely helped!

[@MonkeyDM]

They are amazing voice actors for sure!

[@waynejacobs5092]

Just curious where did you find their advice at? I'd love to get into voice acting

[@Dragon_Lair]

I'm currently running a Curse of Strahd campaign. Just some advice for creating and role playing characters. Talk to your DM about the type of campaign your group will be running and what the overall tone is meant to be, and get a feel for what the call to adventure will, or may, be. Then, create a character who has a reason to go on an adventure. It may be deeply personal for their backstory, it may be about fulfilling an ambition, or it may be that your character is friends with another member of the party and is going with to keep them out of trouble and their friendship is enough of a reason to leave their comfort zone. Give yourself a basic backstory, the less paragraphs the better if you're lower level. Give yourself a reason for leaving home, someone or multiple people your character cares about, and what they hope to gain while gone. After that, the rest will take care of itself. Take Jester. She left home because she humiliated a Lord and had to leave for her safety so she went looking for her dad. She has a goal, a person she cares about and a reason for why she couldn't stay, as well as a source of how she started down the path of a Cleric thanks to the Traveler, but she is inexperienced in the world and doesn't know much about where they're going. Her growing bond with the Mighty Nein kept her with them after discovering who her dad was.

[@Rellyks]

Laura and Jester are huge inspirations for me, cause i always go for the serious dark character, with "drive and purpose", and she really taught how to play a cynamon roll. Dariax in ExU is also a great inspiration for this. Thanks for the video man, is awesome. And the message at the end is powerful. Really good job!

[@NWolfsson]

To paraphrase Travis: "We went to this DnD thing she convinced me to try (Liam's birthday game that led to their first campaign I believe), and when the game started she completely changed and became this venial British woman and I was like _I'm scared where is my wife!!_ " That shows a lot on how important role playing and acting is for her, over the by-the-book rules, which she still respects and asks Matt for. (which she doesn't know as much as, say, Liam, and is part of why she is always trying to fudge her action economy and can be thinking of things such as tricking the DM by telling the full story afterwards. Because most DMs will, consciously or not, make that situation more difficult if they know the cupcake is sprinkled with mind-numbing magic powder.)

[@Madchef8u]

I was agreeing and vibing but the pic of Robbin at the end broke me 😭

[@dudeist_priest]

Nobody suspects the Cupcake of Deliciousness. She truly is an amazing player.

[@N8pr0x]

Jester the second she fooled & Pulled off the Greatest prank. I think it effected Arty, she gained spiritual density..

[@peterlewerin4213]

I still have a very incomplete knowledge about the campaign in question and about Jester, but I had learned a bit about her when I saw the scene where she and the rest of the gang left the chateau and she said goodbye to her mother. Sometime later, I saw her casually let drop that her name isn't actually Jester, but Genevieve. As a parent, that resonated with me. Marion is rich and somewhat powerful, but in the middle of running a business she alone raised a kid, one that she ultimately couldn't protect from the world other than to send her out into it, not being able to go with her. A kid that despite everything turned out so good. Her only child, whom she loves to the moon and back, a child that she needed to reach into the depts of affection to find a name for... Genevieve. A daughter who comes home having twisted the name to something easier to carry on the road, but still meaningful and sort of beautiful. And Laura and Matt tells us of this great love between mother and daughter without describing it, just by the mundane but precious things they say to each other. The other players smirk, or look pained, or facepalm. Laura moves them all. Poor Travis, every session must be a rollercoaster ride for him.

[@danieliusj9192]

Loving the videos! Always a joy to watch.

[@MonkeyDM]

thank you!

[@hubertlucas3608]

A pleasure to watch as always 😁

[@MonkeyDM]

thank you!

[@PlayYourRole]

GREAT video. Can't agree more, can't wait to make a Laura Bailey Vid of my own! As always, you're killing it

[@MonkeyDM]

If only we could collab ;)

[@PlayYourRole]

@Monkey DM Hahah that would be cool, but that will never happen... Unless ;)

[@nicholasjoldersma4138]

Beautiful editing on the cupcake incident! Well done!

[@MonkeyDM]

Glad you like it, but as the card indicates that awesome editing was done by Nico Neilson: kzbin.info/www/bejne/epPFfnl9Ytxrh68 I only shortened their full video and added my editing on top :)

[@nicholasjoldersma4138]

@@MonkeyDM ah, I missed that. I'll have to go comment on their video!

[@jasondelmar4110]

Travis is a lucky man. If there was ever a true 10 it's Laura. She is beautiful, extremely intelligent and has a wonderful personality. What a tremendous person. I think they make a great couple!

[@isaiahwelch8066]

Don't forget that Jester was also the one that was magically aged in the Knowledge Statue Circle. She was willing to pay that price for the knowledge she gained.

[@Fallkhar]

CR characters are built different. When they play it seems so easy, so effortless. It's incredible, absolutely astonishing. To have such foresight and chemistry to write a character that develops so seamlessly during the campaign. I will never not be impressed by why the cast of CR was able to pull off.

[@Valdercorn]

I have this feeling that a certain amount comes naturally because of their experience as actors, they are very used to putting themselves into the shoes of a different person in order to voice the characters that they do which helps them to make it seem as effortless to role play as it does

[@michaelwolf8690]

Laura isn't anomalous. Players who characterize and improvise are very common in the hobby. What Laura does really well is define her character in positive traits. This is obvious with Jester but not differently with Vex. Her character drives are about wants, not needs. Her attitudes are about what her characters like, not what they dislike. She doesn't play loners, her characters not only have relationships, they are people who need people. These character types work well for improv because they're open to what others around them want, they're concerned about what others worry about. She does this very generously with Jester and very skeptically with Vex but both characters drive character interaction by being made to work with others.

[@lghtngblt]

Actually my first intro to her was Tohru Honda in the original Fruits Basket. My kid loves her.

[@WritingJenS]

That's how I first encountered Laura Bailey also! Tohru is such a pure person, and her voice acting is perfect.

[@isaiahwelch8066]

I did not know Laura was in Fruits Basket! That was one of the first actual animes I watched. (Thanks for introducing me to that anime, Puck!)

[@Sarcypoo]

Great analysis, I 100% agree with ya. She reminds me of Tohru (a character she voice acts) but brattier, and her character development over time is amazing

[@ForeverDegenerate]

Funny you should say that. As admitted by Laura herself, Jester is, very much, Tohru. Though, she didn't realize it when she created the character. In fact, she said that until she stepped into the booth to begin recording the next season of the show, it never occurred to her. But once she started recording, she had this epiphany moment of, "Oh SHIT! Jester is Tohru! What the fuck have I done?!"

[@spencermarkowitz1749]

Nice analysis, man! P.S: Jester rules!

[@taylormanton3013]

Ok but I just spent a whole damn minute taking in that final frame at the end of the video 👀

[@Fusionchimaira]

Merci pour la vidéo :)

[@ALLCAPSKELL]

I miss these. 😭

[@Lngbrdninjamasta]

I first came across her long ago without knowing it. By watching English translation or Dragon Ball Z and Fruitsbasket

[@MonkeyDM]

For me it was critical role, because I learned english later in life, so watching shows in english wasn't really a thing for me ^^'

[@Lngbrdninjamasta]

@@MonkeyDM what is ur native tongue?

[@MonkeyDM]

@@Lngbrdninjamasta french :)

[@Lngbrdninjamasta]

@@MonkeyDM truly awesome thank you for sharing!

[@N8pr0x]

Fruit basket killed me.. good call

[@SafariVeridian]

oh god I can't even begin to imagine what would have happened if Jester died!!! I think I would have gone through real heartbreak

[@waynejacobs5092]

She's also in full metal alchemist the anime and a bunch of other stuff! Funny enough, Travis is everywhere too! Also in full metal alchemist!!

[@danielpayne1597]

"So what happened, did she not give you your bagel that morning or something?" - Fan to Travis about -spoiler- events from FMA:B regarding Laura's character

[@windsof]

Solid

[@ctonnation394]

great video, only part you got wrong is that jester is most certainly NOT the cleric hahah

[@4l0v34]

Do talison please

[@Answerisequal42]

Trickery cleric is not a horrible archetype. It has the best cleric spell list apart from twilight and invoke duplicity is very useful in many cases. The melee strike bonus is trash though but aleviated with tashas.

[@smashbrandiscootch719]

That wasnt what he meant by Archetype. What you're referring to is her class/subclass. He was talking about the mixture of jester's personality and backstory. The type of character she chose to play, not the class.

[@ForeverDegenerate]

@Ruben Pianegonda By "horrible archetype," he was referring to "spoiled rich kid."

[@Answerisequal42]

@@ForeverDegenerate ah my bad.

[@phillipbernhardt-house6907]

You'll find your own Fjord someday...we can all hope the same for ourselves! ;)

[@freeformfarmer348]

Yup

[@ArakkoaChronicles]

I just want to say... you have met very different children than I ever did.

[@ansalem12]

I play a caricature of myself in real life. Unrelated to anything, probably.

[@austinphillips9360]

The Robin Williams cut at the end was weird...

[@NT-gh5hh]

she is a great rp'er but is she a great healer?

[@MJS-lk2ej]

what do you mean you can't throw fireballs in real life? it's called a molotov cocktail.

[@BigBunky]

I was and still am a huge critic of how the cupcake incident was handled.

[@curtisholsinger6023]

She was a Tiefling, not a human. Loved the rest of the video. Instead of saying "more human," perhaps next time say "more well-rounded" or "more complex"? Again, great video👍 😀 👏

[@andrewshandle]

We're worried about offending Tieflings now? Laura is a human, all the people playing D&D are humans, all the people watching and comprehending the show are human, thus the video saying that she played the character "more human" is completely fine. We don't need politically correctness when discussing humanizing a character in a D&D campaign.

[@penmaster003]

Human as an adjective has a deeper meaning and neither of the descriptors you gave have the same effect. I honestly don’t know why you would have a problem with saying a fictional character is “more human” even though they’re a different fictional race. It seems like a weird thing to have a problem with.

[@Lngbrdninjamasta]

1st 😎

[@LWT1331]

Next lesson: How to be a brat.

[@zealot1759]

I’m not biased, the new players just aren’t good as the original cast.

[@umbranex9274]

I think its a difference of the first group came together cause they were all really good friends and wanted to play DnD. C3 is a new cast together for variety of a show.

[@TD-ug4mg]

So I hate both vex and jester immensely. Jester is so loathsome it made that campaign unwatchable

[@GaleFromWaterdeep76]

I wish there were more long videos on you channel! Follow you on insta and see all the clips there. Do you think you’ll have anymore longer videos, or just stick to the minute vids? I do really enjoy those as well!

[@walteranderson9224]

This whole video is a joke...shes the Worst player in the group

[@markdennison1524]

Your first point isn’t a good one at all. Being the heart of the party doesn’t make you a good role player, she is a great role player, and she plays the part of being the heart of the party. You’ve essentially taken a personality trait that your character might have and made that a point to being a great role player.

[@penmaster003]

Being the heart of the party is a sign of good role playing. It isn’t easy to make a character like that. So I think the point is fine.

[@markdennison1524]

@@penmaster003 you're not getting my point then. Liam O'Brien isn't role playing worse than Laura Bailey because his character isn't the heart of the party. I'm not saying Laura isn't doing a good job. She is incredible. I'm saying it is terrible advice to say that to be a good Role-player you should be the heart of the party. The reason Laura is role-playing well has nothing to do with BECAUSE she is playing a character that is the heart of the party. She is playing a character who is the heart of the party and doing an incredible job of role-playing that character. They're separate points.

[@penmaster003]

@@markdennison1524 I understand and I still disagree. The whole point of the video is to explain some great ways that Laura Bailey established a memorable character and ways you can implement them into your own role playing. Establishing a character as the heart of the party is great role playing and an excellent way to make a memorable character. It is not terrible advice. It’s just one way you can role play that Laura Bailey is incredible at. He never said that she was good at roleplaying because her character was the heart of the party. He said that it is one of the reasons Jester is memorable. He didn’t even imply that this was the only or best way to role play either. So your points don’t make sense.

[@markdennison1524]

@@penmaster003 except he does. Says reasons Laura is a great role player. 1: she is the heart of the party. That has absolutely nothing to do with why she is a great role player. That is to do with what role she is playing.

[@penmaster003]

@@markdennison1524 0:33 “Throughout the campaign she managed to create one of the most memorable characters of the whole cast. How did she do that?… Number 1, Jester is the heart of the party” This is what he said. He did not say what you pretend that he said. One of the reasons Jester is memorable is because she is the heart of the party. Laura does this by roleplaying pure joy in an adult and fun way.

[@AcePlaysTCGs]

Laura is a great player, but sometimes she meta-games a bit harder than I feel comfortable with. There are times where she's great but if I ranked Critical Role's players based on their role model potential, Laura is in the middle.

[@notsure7813]

Curious what your rankings are?

[@AcePlaysTCGs]

@@notsure7813 Personally, this is my overall list of who inspires me the most when I watch them all play. If I'm looking for specific traits, there's something gained from all of them, but this is my "Personal Resonance" list: Travis Liam Sam Laura Taliesin Ashley Marisha

[@andrewshandle]

They all meta game a lot. Calling out Laura specifically for it seems a bit silly, especially given Talesin is at the table who does it more than anyone. It's weird how only certain players get call out on it though...

[@AcePlaysTCGs]

@@andrewshandle I just notice Laura's more. I might just be paying more attention to Laura than Taliesin. My list above suggests as much lol

[@thomassierp5583]

Every character this woman plays is so irritating you just want them to die.

[@curtisholsinger6023]

Well, that makes one of us.

[@penmaster003]

@@curtisholsinger6023 lol.

[@trio_gg]

Trolls gonna Troll