Critical Role yay or nay?

Ezra

Sorry for the absence my loves,

I had some unfortunate health crap come up because life is a bowl of chocolate covered lemons.

Also I am like... suuuuuuper loopy so this should be a really exciting week for people who aren't me.

So, I spent my down time watching Vox Machina, and getting into Critical Role because my paramour is unabashedly OBSESSED with them. But weirdly, I had never heard of them until he brought it up. So, I'm curious if there's any fans in the forums? Or haters lol.

AGreaterMonster

@Ezra

I think I have a lot to get off my chest regarding Critical Role.

I love their first campaign--it was kind of anarchic and wild and anything goes. It felt like people playing D&D and having fun. I enjoyed a lot about the second campaign, but it started to become too polished for me. I started to skip forward through some of the "we're emoting now" parts. It began to feel less like people playing D&D and more like improvised theater...at times. But still a lot to love in the second season.

Then I had a couple things that put a bad taste in my mouth. I signed up to get photos with them at the Chicago comic book con C2E2, and I brought gifts for them all. I'm sure they get showered with gifts all the time, but I felt they kind of...well, didn't really thank me for the gifts so that left me a bit feeling weird afterwards. But I tried to take it just that I was the one who was expecting something and when you give a gift you shouldn't "expect anything" back. But somehow it felt...hurtful, maybe? A little?

Then a few weeks later, I tried contacting their social media manager about sponsoring one of their episodes in order to promote my second fantasy novel. First they never replied, and I had to email several times. Then they replied and didn't answer my question directly about the cost of a sponsorship. I kept trying, and they were either evasive or didn't even read my email, just skimmed it because they wouldn't give me a straight answer.

That was strike two for me. I started to feel like all their "We love our critters" baloney was just celebrity nonsense. I am sure they are nice people to their friends. But "we love you" started to feel really phony to me. They don't love their fans, they barely have time for their fans. They love the success fans have provided for them.

Okay, so i tried not to take it too hard, but it did hurt a bit. Then I tried watching their interstitial short series between Campaign 2 and 3--it was run by Aabria Iyengar as DM. And I just really didn't like it at all. I did not like her DM style in that series. It felt really awkward and contrived. So I'm like...with all this, I don't have time to invest in their series any more, I have other priorities to focus on. The End.

Alexander Salkin

@Ezra So, I'm a bit on the outside of this one. I know of CR and I've only seen a small amount of it. I should watch more of it if just because Laura Bailey is involved and I love her voicework.

Mainly, I'm aware of its impact on many new d+d players. I think it's definitely encouraged new blood into the playerbase, but there's a mindset of potential inaccuracy it creates in that starting demographic. CR isn't alone in this, nor is it the biggest culprit from what I can tell- there's several campaigns/adventures streamed online in this style. And then there's something like HarmonQuest being a more exaggerated form of this factor.

I've seen some newer players, while excited, come into a campaign with a very different idea how of how everything flows because this kind of relatively polished media style being all they know. I don't know how exactly to define it yet, but I suppose it's not the worst thing either. We want to see a continuing playerbase for rpg games even if expectations need to be tempered along the way.

mianngu

@AGreaterMonster

I'm sure they do get tired and receive lots of stuff, but your whole business is contrived on the love of your fans. If they were having a rough day, there are still ways to convey that while still being appreciative. It can be so disappointing when people don't live up to the hype.

mianngu

@Ezra

I didn't particularly enjoy Critical Roll, but I also didn't stick it out for very long. Overall it was just boring? I don't know, maybe it would have gotten better.

However, one I absolutely would love to recommend is Shield Of Tomorrow, the Star Trek Greek and Sundry podcast.

It was great. I loved the crew and GM. It was also the podcast that turned me onto the FATE system.

AGreaterMonster

@mianngu said in Critical Role yay or nay?:

@AGreaterMonster

I'm sure they do get tired and receive lots of stuff, but your whole business is contrived on the love of your fans. If they were having a rough day, there are still ways to convey that while still being appreciative. It can be so disappointing when people don't live up to the hype.

Agreed. I don't want to put them down too hard with my personal reactions. But after feeling brushed off multiple times, the "We love our critters" line they pushed so frequently...it just stuck in my craw. Again, I don't mean to say they are bad people, just that they are celebrities now as well as a multi-million dollar business. That combined with the lackluster campaign interstitial caused me to drop them from my schedule after the the second season. It feels like it's become more like a TV show than a D&D game.

K.O.

I've tried to start Critical Role several times because I love Laura Bailey. She voices one of my favorite video game characters of all time, Rayne from Bloodrayne. I also love her as Lust in FMA and as Abby in TLOS Part 2. I like Ashley Johnson a lot, too, because of her voicework as Ellie. I just cannot get into it. I didn't like the Vox Machina cartoon either, unfortunately. I really want to like it, it seems like so many people do, but it does seem too...polished maybe? And I agree that it gives people unrealistic expectations for what D&D is like.

I've been wanting to get more into Dimension 20, because I really like Brennan Lee Mulligan's other work, it looks like Mercer is going to DM a game there soon?

Ezra

@AGreaterMonster I just want to say thank you for sharing your experience, I am sure it was not easy to write it all out for everyone to see. I am truly sorry that you felt disheartened by CR. They always say don't meet your heroes, and I tend to feel its a good sentiment these days.

I watched their Prime animated series, but I'll admit, I probably won't get into the podcast. I know my friends, and I know where we align on subjects of interest and I just don't feel I would enjoy it. But I haven't told my partner that yet...

Ezra

@Alexander-Salkin This is rather interesting because trends do tend to pull outsiders into niche circles. I have always been on the fringe and late to mainstream stuff personally lol. But I can see how new players would want to emulate what CR does and maybe take it in a different direction.

Ezra

@mianngu I still want to learn more about the FATE system and guest star!