So this might be cheating a bit. Most people probably wouldn’t consider this a series, but I am counting it anyways. It has a constant cast of characters, it airs episodically and those episodes are divided into seasons. It just airs on twich (and later YouTube and all the major podcasting sites) and it’s just bunch of people playing Dungeons & Dragons.
Now I have to quickly confess my love for tabletop role-playing games in general. They’re are some of the simplest games in terms of rules and accessories (You only need some dice and a sheet of paper), and yet they have the largest number of possibilies. You get to spend time with your friends and you get to play make – believe as an adult. I’d greatly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t tried it, even if the premise doesn’t necessarily appeal to you, because with such a diverse range of possible experiences, it’s highly likely, there are at least some for you.
But back to the topic. „Critical role“ is a web series, where a bunch of nerdy-ass voice actors sit around and play D&D (their words, not mine). It air every week on twitch and it’s currently on the 92nd episode in its second season.
Please take this more as a recommendation, than a proper review. I haven’t seen all of Critical role. I still have quite a few episodes to catch up to the second season and I don’t intend to watch the first season at all because that would take way too much time, so I can’t say if the show was or will be terrible in the past or the future. All I know is that currently it’s great and I want to talk about it.
There are so many reasons to watch (or listen) to this, that I could go on for quite a while so I decided to do a top 5 instead.
1. Amazing players and player characters
All members of the cast are skilled and respected voice actors, so they know how to bring personality to their characters. All of them are also friends in real life, making their interactions in the game that much more real and engaging. The characters are deep, with rich backstories that are slowly revealed and explored, driving the story forward. The players also just know how to play the game. They take iniciative (no pun intended) with the story, role play everything, they allow everyone to be in the spotlight and they don’t just leave all the work to the DM. Having players like this at your table must be a treat. Top notch work all around.
2.Great DM
For those who don’t know, dungeon master is defined as: „a person who organizes and oversees the playing of the fantasy role – playing game Dungeons & Dragons, in particular by narrating the details of the story that are not controlled by the players“, and believe me, it’s a hard job. You have to put in a lot of prep work prior to the actual game and than watch your players completely ignore it and decide to do something completely different, so you have to be a skilled improviser as well. I’ve done it a few times, when I ran games for my friends and doing the preparation is quite difficult (even though deeply rewarding once you actually play the game). Well Matt Mercer, the dungeon master for Critical role, does it every week on a level far above what I could ever imagine. He has to manage seven players, which is quite a feat in itself, he seems like he’s prepared for everything (I can hardly ever notice he’s improvising), he knows the rules very well and he’s an amazing storyteller. His descriptions emerse you into the world and his characters (always accompanied by distinct voices) brim with personality. He presents his players with obstacles and opportunities, but he allows them and their characters to drive the game forward. Truly a master of his craft.
3. It’s great inspiration
With so much material out there. There’s no way you won’t find a monster, setting, dungeon, NPC or an entire storyline applicable to your own story. Last time I was crafting a campaign for my friends, I didn’t have much time so I took a great deal of inspiration from their pirate storyline, put my own twist on it and it turned out quite nicely. And that was just scratching the surface.
4. They give back to the community
Over the years, Critical role has amassed a large following, currently sitting at over 22,000 subscribers on twitch and over 68 million views over all and they make sure they use the influence they have for good. They’ve been involved with multiple charities, their stream displays fanart during the breaks and they get people from their community involved with various projects they do (for example the making of their new intro) and they make sure to properly shout them out.
5. It’s just really fun
Like really guys, just try listening to a few episodes. They can deliver funny moments, they can deliver emotional or thrilling moments, they’ve just got it all!
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