Why Laura Bailey Is An Amazing Player (Feat. Monkey DM)

[@PlayYourRole]

Thanks for stopping by everyone! Finally posting my promised video diving into the amazing Laura Bailey to make up for forgetting to thank her that one time. Hope you all enjoy, and if you like content like this please consider subscribing! I make TTRPG Deep Dives every Wednesday and Saturday. Thanks for coming!

[@leaare]

Okey I got cut off in the chat so: About Laura being a bad healer. She never was a bad healer, she just didn't actually want to be a healer. Cleric is not synonymous with healers. She actually said it quite a few times in Talks and stuff, she became a cleric bc of their cool damage spells, and their variety, not bc they are a support class. This is even more obvious considering that she originally wanted to play a warlock, and Travis "stole" that from her. It was kinda just expected for her to heal, but it shouldn't be. Even when she didn't have healing-spells prepared, she barely ever said that she FORGOT, just that she didn't have any. The reason she was a bad healer was because she wasn't a HEALER, she was a Cleric. Signed, a chronic cleric-player who almost never builds them around being healers :D Otherwise absolutely amazing video though!!!

[@PlayYourRole]

Actually agree with you on this, the only reason they began to rag on her as a healer is because Sam saw the chance to start the bit and just ran with it. At the end of the day, when it mattered most, she healed and otherwise she played her cleric to perfection. Never has anyone used a spell more perfectly than in the 'Hello BEES' moment after all!

[@leaare]

@@PlayYourRole exactly!! It's kind of like the "Caleb is stinky" bit. The cast does it completely as a joke. I just saw quite of ACTUAL hate about this on the ~general internet~ about it, ppl saying she's stupid or doesn't know how to play a cleric, so that's why it's always important to kinda highlight that that's not the case :D

[@WarpedLord]

Casting healing spells in combat is a bit of a losing proposition in 5e anyway, so Clerics are mostly better off focusing on support, damage, and control most of the time.

[@jonathanfrank1812]

I agree. I think she was willing to heal but wasn't ever the healer. That is why Jester and Cad could both be in the party and never feel like they were stepping each other's shtick. I feel like introducing a support oriented cleric to the party might actually have caused Jester to heal more at first because she was jealous of the attention Cad got. I also think it might have helped Laura see how impactful a dedicated support option can be and allowing her to dabble in it and not get penned into a role. I think, because she likes to see those dice drop so much, we might see her play a wizard in the next campaign. She would likely get more credit for good play from the general public with out the expectation to heal.

[@captainkiwi77]

@@WarpedLord as a chronic cleric player, you’re completely, you do indeed spend majority of your time as support as opposed to a dedicated healer, buffing the party or debuffing the enemy, but I actually wouldn’t say that healing in combat is a total wash, it’s just better used in emergency as opposed to constantly pumping the barbarian while he takes more damage than you can heal per round, just leave him be, help him, and when he starts looking rough give him some sugar (or her/they, play your enby barbarian to your hearts content)

You did chose one of the best scenes of Season 1 with the Bathtup - I totally forgot how Taliesin set her up though - also notice how Travis pushed her on to do it.

[@PlayYourRole]

It's like all of them just were on the same page immediately, a great moment of improv there!

[@Damalatorian]

Also love how Travis just jump up and down like a little kid at the moment. :'D He's always the best supporter.

[@toreyzyre]

In terms of Laura and her emotional content, and context, and her heart on her sleeve, whenever I'm explaining that to people, I just show them a clip of her literally screaming through real tears about Yasha. Scene still breaks my heart every time. She puts her whole heart into everything she does.

[@TheSquirrelE]

Laura Bailey is a fucking legend. Her cupcake with dust of deliciousness scene is EPIC.

[@haywoodjablome4271]

i feel like Laura's amazing roleplay overshadows her truly excellent D&D tactical play....the cupcake incident is a, or probably THE, example of that....but, that was completely calculated and shows her knowledge of D&D rules and her ability to use them to her advantage... she doesnt deserve any negativity for not bein a strong healer, its character driven and totally cool, but also her choice...she's an amazing all around player and would be a joy at any table

[@jerseyhammer1951]

Yeah I have to agree. I don't expect every cleric to be "the healer" I played the Avernus campaign with a Tortle cleric of Umberlee, he was into dealing more damage with lightning bolt then healing.

[@haywoodjablome4271]

@@jerseyhammer1951 good example...and with 5e's healing(get em up not top off) clerics dont need more than the occasional heal to be a beast

[@CCjr67]

The cupcake incident is my favorite moment from either CR campaign so far. Hands down,! 🧁

[@haywoodjablome4271]

@@CCjr67 It was amazing....awesome bit of roleplay combined with a 6d chess move with the dust of deliciousness...simply incredible

[@DrLipkin]

Laura is exceptionally good at taking stock of what resources the group has on hand, and utilizing them to the fullest. She gets a lot of credit for the cupcake. But people forget in spite of it being used almost exclusively to transport Trinket, Raven's Slumber was never intended for such a task. And then once people had gotten used to it only for that purpose, she used it to brilliant effect in the Kevdak fight. People also forget that the genius way that they used the Gate scroll in the Vorugal fight was all her too. I really want Laura to play a Sorcerer. Not only do I want her to finally play a charisma class, but I feel like if you give Laura Bailey meta magic, she'll break the whole damn game.

[@PaulGuy]

I actually see Jester's lack of healing in the beginning as a character growth thing. Laura supposedly wanted to play a warlock at first (with The Traveler as her patron), but found out Travis was playing a warlock, so just switched class and mechanics but kept the flavor/subclass with The Traveler. At the beginning, Jester was quite fun, but also shallow and a bit self-absorbed, which doesn't make much sense for a healer. She wanted to get out into the world and meet people and have adventures, because she'd been cooped up so long. As time went on, she grew as a person, and learned to care about her friends to the point of being willing to risk herself for them, and question her own path. She'd started to see and feel the dangers and costs of being in the world, and wanted to protect people if she could. She also started healing more during this progression. She'll still go for the lollipop chop first, but now she keeps some healing spells for emergencies, because sometimes her friends need help.

[@PlayYourRole]

A few people have touched on this and I couldn't agree more. It's a great observation!

[@queenannsrevenge100]

I love that Jester ultimately stands up for her god, when he is to be punished, not because he is her patron, but because he is her friend. She is willing to die for him, not for religious conviction, but friendship.

[@machdude3366]

It's not that Jester was self centered, but she was oblivious to the nuances of empathy. While she was great at READING people and poking into what makes them tick (high wisdom, low experience), her prankster nature meant that she was always the active instigator, but never that close of a listener. Her growth is tied to Fjord when she ultimately realizes that Fjord generally retreats when she attempts to push into the situation. It was a story about growing up and not just being the storyteller, but someone that can listen.

[@AskShea]

Have yall heard of a "negative energy cleric" ?? Jester is so obviously an evil aligned character adherent to a neutral chaotic djenn god.. There are several episodes where Laura makes a joke about her characyer being able to cast harm but not heal at will.. i am not as savvy with basic 5e, but advanced 3e allowed for clerics to cast spontaneously. ( Always hard to tell with how flexible crit roll plays the rules ( pathfinder, 3e, 2nd ed, 5e - all muddled together - beautiful! )). Negatives can cast harm at will, and positives heal. Neutrals - are *forced* to choose one or the other path. Druids got free summons.

[@hqueso]

The only problem I have with that analysis is that the idea Jester didn't heal much early on is inaccurate. Based on info from critrolestats.com, in the early campaign (prior to the introduction of Cad), she healed an average of 20hp per session. Given the number of encounters and the hp totals of those levels, that was fairly significant healing. Not perfect, but pretty darn good. After she was no longer the main healer, she managed to come close to the other healer's totals on several episodes, even exceeding him in a few. I'm sorry, but the idea that Jester was a bad healer, especially considering she had a non-healing-focused subclass, is not correct. It's a cast in-joke that some people take too seriously. Add on she had a subclass that is notably the least suited for the healer role, I don't understand the criticism. She played a good Trickster Cleric while maintaining some decent healing until there was a dedicated, specialized healer on the scene.

[@thatnerdyuncle]

As someone more interested in character-driven stories it is an absolute pleasure to work through CR2. Laura is not only a trained actress but a talented and highly expressive one - the “face acting”, hand gestures, and her delivery of lines is top tier acting. The fact that she’s inventing the lines on the spot lifts her into another level of creativity that as far as I know has only one other actor.

[@Xiatter]

I love the whole cast. Laura gets way too much hate considering how extremely she makes me feel like she IS Jester. I feel that way about all of them most of the time, even when people are criticizing their "mistakes". As of episode 49 (I'm working on it), there isn't anyone in the group who hasn't made a goof or had bad rolls, and that's wonderful! It's D&D, which means risk and reward. Even if the player makes all the "fight" decisions, we're still at the mercy of the dice.

[@PlayYourRole]

That's the point of it all! To risk it on chance so no one knows where the story will truly go!

[@erikwilliams1562]

It really is hard for me to separate the two

[@shallendor]

Sam and Laura are my favorite CR players, as talented as they all are, those 2 stick out! Even without sound, watching Laura's face can tell you what is happening in a scene, she is so expressive!

[@PlayYourRole]

I often listen to Critical Role in podcast form, and I find it wonderful when I get to actually watch and see the amazing facial expressions I miss!

[@Zseventyone]

They are objectively the most entertaining, (at least until N became V in C2). I'd put Liam and Grog (yes, I know Grog is a character) in next tier.

[@Danne1886]

The bathtub scene is iconic. Honestly the whole Percy and Vex dynamic is such an important part of campaign 1 to me. Compared to all the other romance sub plots in both campaigns, that one seems like lightning in a bottle. It felt so natural, but also very dramatic at times. Laura is absolutely the goat. I've introduced a lot of people to the show. It's usually her that the new viewer gets attached to almost immediately. Sometimes it's Sam first and then Laura. Then I start listing all her famous VO roles and their minds are blown lol.

[@falcychead8198]

My favorite moment in that scene is at 4:00 when you can see the idea come to her. Then she just waits for the moment to arrive.

[@corradosecchi6810]

Hi Italian here! Nice analysis, could not have said it better myself. When I saw the video, I honestly was expecting it to be about the cupcake scene, considering how beautifully it came together and how impactful it was on Nott's story arc.

[@PlayYourRole]

I quite honestly considered it! But, everyone has talked about the cupcake scene to death because, let's be honest, it's amazing. But I wanted to have a different take. Thanks for coming!

[@corradosecchi6810]

@@PlayYourRole You are welcome. And it was a good idea to try a different approach, showing her long-term achievements in both campaigns rather than focusing on a short, albeit amazing, scene.

[@Snaitycake]

It seems like the biggest thing is to be aware and observe the people at your table. She's great!! 👏

[@PlayYourRole]

^^^

[@Lngbrdninjamasta]

Thank u for continuing to spotlight these heroes.

[@PlayYourRole]

I will be 100% honest in saying it's my genuine pleasure to do so, these guys have done the most to help me learn how to be the best player and DM possible at my table

[@RobearRich]

I cast bless on this video. "Oh all mighty algorithm, smile upon this humble video with thy devine providence. May all those who come upon it smash that subscribe button."

[@PlayYourRole]

Why thank you, humble Cleric. Let Chaos Reign!

[@jinetedelfenix]

The one thing that I would add to this: Laura is incredibly intelligent. She picks up on everything, draws connections, and is constantly alert.

[@vinigmoura]

I have only watched C2, and my fav episode is TravelerCon, mostly because of the scene where Artagan is being draged and Jester is holding to him trying to save him and she cries for real, it gets REALLY emotional. Theres a lot of good examples like that, mostly related to The Traveler,

[@davidlosey431]

I think what is most fun to watch about Laura, and that table for the most part is their sense of timing. Their feel for eachother and the timing that each person has is brilliant. But Laura's is especially good, alla the "you want to see my titties" quip to grog or the bathtub gag.

[@PlayYourRole]

The key to humor is timing, and Laura seems to nail it every single time

[@MonkeyDM]

Oh hi there! Awesome video man!

[@PlayYourRole]

Oh fancy meeting you here! Thanks for popping in!

[@usxxgrant]

Like hearing your insights. It helps fill the less developed part of me. Also want to thank you on behalf of observationally challenged people like myself, who never realized that the classic bathtub scene was an improv on her part. Really adds to the appreciation. Keep up the good work- I'll be watching!

[@PlayYourRole]

Thanks so much! Always makes me super happy to know that people enjoyed!

[@ForeverDegenerate]

@usxxgrant Everything they do or say in-game is improv, aside from Backstory Exposition Dumps.

[@usxxgrant]

@@ForeverDegenerate yeah, like I said. Observationally challenged. Thanks for helping me see the obvious. I need it far too often ( just ask my wife).

[@darrenl3289]

*you get a strong sense of approval from The Traveller for this video*

[@Eviler-1]

LOVE IT Please do one of these for every cast member and i would also like to see more of the how to dm series again

[@PlayYourRole]

Hmmmm I might be able to have that series make a comeback again after this month! Thanks for watching!

[@leadingblind1629]

A similar episode for Talisen? Pretty please? Fuck it. Go through ALL OF THEM!!!!!!

[@LR-zh9uc]

Well done - a perfect encapsulation of her skill

[@PlayYourRole]

Thank you so much!

[@chizera9931]

Laura Bailey is amazing, she inspires me so much to be a better player and supporter at our own table! This video gave some good points to focus on next! 💕

[@markdasaro9045]

I like to point out that Taliesin Jaffe and Laura Bailey are the best to role players and Dungeons & Dragons players at the table. They both can make a scene their own and Spotlight someone else. And when their role playing off one another it's a masterclass.

[@danielboatright8887]

Dont discount Sam tho.

[@rantdmc]

for those who have commented on how Laura played a great cleric as Jester, many thanks! for those who have said that she chose NOT to be the party's healer, even before Caduceus arrived, even more thanks! healing is NOT the primary job of a cleric, it's inefficient. BTW, she is a truly amazing D&D player, and you show several classic examples!

[@companyoflosers]

"you can be a trained actor and not have this respect and this knowledge" yeah! just look at Orion for example!

[@rainbow279]

Immediately thought of him....

[@RPGmodsFan]

Because I watched a lot of Anime, I was already familiar with Laura Bailey. However, when I first watched Critical Role, I did not recognize the rest of the cast. So, initially, I was watching Critical Role because of Laura Bailey. :-)

[@PlayYourRole]

Man, I hope you've become more familiar with them since! The amount of anime Matt, Travis, and Liam have been in specifically alongside Laura is crazy!

[@RPGmodsFan]

@@PlayYourRole Oh yes, I definitely have since I first watched CR years and years ago..

[@chaddon7685]

I love some Laura Bailey... she's fantastic!

[@Rztro1544]

I don't know if this is just me, but could you raise your mic's volume? Everytime I watch your videos I need to turn captions on.

[@PlayYourRole]

I typically don't watch my videos after posting them, but because of this one premiering I did. It seems there's a pretty major audio shift whenever I export them, and hadn't realized until this video! I'm trying to figure out why it's happening

[@AmericanAurochs]

5:00 Watched that live and laughed so hard I woke my brother up.

[@PlayYourRole]

It is one of my FAVORITE scenes

[@aricflat2774]

great video.

[@PlayYourRole]

Thank you! Great username!

[@Good-ol-Jaz]

Laura Bailey * harp music *

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

The players are quite good. I try to learn from their ability to pass the spotlight to others, prize character and story over "winning", have strong internal motivation, listen actively, etc. They're not perfect, sure, but there is a lot to learn there.

[@ariannaravenmcclare]

It is extremely hard to pick a favorite anything when it comes to Critical Role. Laura definitely has some of the most standout moments. Jester and the cupcake incident and then her trying to make sure she follows up with the hag.

[@danielmetcalfe5589]

Every member of Critical Role is a stellar role player. In my opinion, Laura Bailey is the best of them all. That woman understands emotion. Not only the emotions of her characters, and those of the other PCs, Laura understands the emotions of the other players and, most importantly, the emotions of the viewers watching the scene. She’s a master at plucking each and every emotional string at the right moment.

[@Danne1886]

Laura is the goat no doubt about it. Everyone I've introduced to the show it's either her, or sometimes Sam that gets their attention first.

[@Blue_Lunacy]

Not to take any significant away from Laura, the whole casts was one of the reason CR became popular. Each of them bring their own personalities to the table, add and filter them through their characters and create magic together. Travis, as well as the rest of the casts, often compliment Laura on her ability to fully immerse in her characters. Travis said in Between the Sheets that Laura became Vex right from the very first session at Liam's birthday D&D game. Laura really love playing RPG games. Travis said that she was quite obsess with Alistair from Dragon Age: Origin. So much so that Travis got a bit jealous and perhaps glaring at Alistair's voice actor quite a bit when they were in the same event or party :D.

[@Shadowace724]

The whole reason I started watching Critical Role is Laura. I was not aware of her until I saw her with Wil Wheaton on Titansgrave. I wondered who she was and hit IMDB. Hmmm what is Critical Role, and played catch up until I could watch on ep 25 c1 :)

[@GreenSnale]

I enjoyed your video, floating talking egg.

[@PlayYourRole]

Don't be absurd, of course that's not an egg! Haha I mean... what would an egg like that even hatch into?

[@PlayYourRole]

At least, I'm pretty sure it's not an egg 😰

[@deltablaze77]

Woot! Truth!

[@PlayYourRole]

🙌

[@destroyerinazuma96]

...and then her son becomes an accountant :) (Joking ofc, her son can do whatever he wants and doesn't have to become a voice actor)

[@vernonhampton5863]

She is, *THE* Cleric

[@zenovkayos5811]

She is my favorite

[@PlayYourRole]

Ah, a fellow Laura Bailey enjoyer

[@zenovkayos5811]

@@PlayYourRole funny story I was actually in denial that she was my favorite at first But she kept hammering it down with her charisma, amazing voice acting, out of this world improvisation, and her way in engaging with other players Laura Bailey is amazing in all campaigns and all one shots even when she DM'd a one shot Falling for her is not even a show

[@Beansmith95]

engagement

[@PlayYourRole]

You're the realest Bean

[@rockynonose172]

Yes.yes momma bailey is a goddess....oh and she does rp on crit role too.🤗😁

[@danielboatright8887]

Lauras cupcakes, and Sam counter spelling Vecna after fooling the players and Matt turns in advance.

[@Wrzlprnft]

algorithm bump

[@PlayYourRole]

Thank you kindly!

[@eventingirl001]

We can’t forget about the cupcake moment, sure lured Matt into a sense of confidence and then turned it on him!!!

[@syn324]

It helps being in the acting business

[@feitocomfruta]

Innuendos? Laura Bailey? Noooooo… Tbh, she does it to either ease the tension, like “I think we’re in too deep to pull out now, huh huh huh…”, or to mark the true villain, like “ um… um excuse me, Mr Dicklick. (“Drixx. Lich…”)

[@rodentowl9415]

Critical Role means alot to me, and Laura is one of my absolute favorites at the table and she is a simply remarkable person. I'm actually surprised to hear she gets hate from some fans. The only complaint I have of her is when she gets negative towards Matt when he makes a call as dm or reminds her of a rule. Marrisha does this too, as compared to Sam who constantly says to Matt (you're the dm) when it comes to things, Liam does the same as Sam in that regard. However other than the negative attitude about rules, Laura is a dream come true as a player and so amazing in every way.

[@X.davidWilliams]

Huzzah

[@PlayYourRole]

Huzzah to you as well!

[@danielboatright8887]

Would anyone like a cupcake ?

[@ramonruijgt4532]

could you a bit louder 5 or 7 %

[@PlayYourRole]

Yes! It was an audio error that has been occurring in exporting. I think I've gotten it fixed!

[@DaDunge]

Yeah I think the only time Laura drops the ball RP wise is in the feywild arc off VM. She feels a bit off during the entire (when they're in the feywild, when they're in the mansion she's roleplaying really well) arc but in particular when the BBEG of the arc brings up her backstory I almost get the feeling she's forgotten that backstory.

[@Sam-de6qx]

This comment is to play the algorithm!

[@PlayYourRole]

And it is greatly appreciated! Thank you friend!

[@BoredTAK5000]

Monkey blink twice if you need help

[@noahmcaninch6205]

…

[@PlayYourRole]

...?

[@Pablo360able]

@@PlayYourRole …! …, … ….

[@jasonbritnell42]

Out of the whole cast you think Laura is the one players can learn from the most? Wow ok

[@PlayYourRole]

Yup! Of course, each of the Critical Role members are incredible and there is an absolute metric truck load anyone could learn from each of them, but for me specifically, Laura shows traits I myself would like to improve on.

[@Kino_Cartoon]

I do like her characters, too. She knows when to make a scene funny and when to take it seriously. Her jokes land, mads so many scenes memorable and her caring nature of her characters always lead to and supported the difficult task of bring some misfits together up to the point that they care about eachother. Besides there is nothing wrong to choose one player of critical role as your main inspiration. It depends on your personal play style and things you wanna learn or/and improve which differ from person to person. This doesn't devalue the massive talent of the res of the cast in any way. It's just a personal preference and expression.

[@PlayYourRole]

@@Kino_Cartoon I agree! She has an amazing skillset. And so do the rest of the cast, sometimes it's just about knowing who you can learn the most from, not who you think is the best! (Although Laura is, in my opinion, one of the best)

[@jasonbritnell42]

@@PlayYourRole ok I agree with that, anyone would be blessed to have her at their table. And everyone should learn from those that inspire admirable traits in themselves.

[@iyadshabat7852]

I personally find her to be the best dnd player on the table but not my favourite since jester is not my favourite, i really love caleb, cad and bo the most but theyre all masters at their craft Its just personal taste really