When Critical Role first launched, no one was quite certain if people wanted to watch other people play Dungeons & Dragons. Critical Role had a unique edge, though, as the players and DM were all professional voice actors, so viewers felt like they were truly seeing the characters coming to life. Critical Role ended up being hugely popular to the point where it not only inspired other actual play shows, it started to increase interest in the hobby and helped to recruit new players.
Unfortunately, there was also a flip side to the coin: newer players would expect that every DM and group they joined would be just like Critical Role, an issue known as the Mercer Effect. Sometimes this comes up in various D&D-related groups where someone feels disappointed in some part of their group, not based on problematic behavior but because their experience doesn’t match what they saw, and the player then asks if this is normal or if their expectations are too high. As a former forever player who now DMs, I feel it’s only fair to help point out what you can and can’t take from these shows.
On the Player Side
There are a lot of things that people curious about D&D can pick up from actual play shows, especially getting a feel for what playing this game looks like. Here are things you can pick up from an actual play that will likely be accurate.
- Character Classes (and sub-classes) and Different Species. Watching an actual play show can expose new players to a variety of Character Classes and what they can do, which is a great way to let them get a feel for what they might like to play. Similarly, they can see a variety of Species and some of the abilities associated with them. These choices can be really intimidating at first, so someone getting to see what some of these choices look like can help out a lot.
- What happens in a turn. Things like Movement and Actions can really be picked up when you watch others do them. Constraints like how much you can move and needing to keep in mind Range when it comes to certain weapons and spells will also come up. The occasional need to make a Skill Check to decide if you can or can’t pull something off in a particular way will also be shown.
- Spells. Spellcasting can be tricky for newer players, so it’s nice to give a feel for how casting Spells works. Seeing that some Spells require Saving Throws versus Spell Attacks is useful. Getting a feel for what sort of things Spell can do is really useful. Picking up that Spells can not work, only do partial damage, or be Countered is also important.
- Combat. Actual Play Shows can help show things like Melee versus Ranged attacks as well as abilities that may make NPCs and PCs immune or resistant to certain attacks. What happens when a player hits 0 Hit Points and has to make Death Saves will also come up. Other things like the dangers of splitting a party, healing or buffing party members, Attacks of Opportunity, or Readying an Action will also occur, and it can be nice to sort of see in action.
- Playing a Character. Players can absolutely be inspired by watching how the players in an actual play show create a voice or persona for their characters. Even simpler little quirks or character concepts beyond just stats can be fun to see.
New players do need to note that there are some differences between players in an actual play show and the ones they will likely encounter, though.
- Playing a Character. Many of the best-known actual play shows include people who professionally act as a career. While plenty of people can do some sort of acting or might have some theater experience, most of the players you encounter will not have professional-level acting or improv experience. Some players are less comfortable acting directly as the character and speaking as them, it just depends on your group. They’re not playing wrong with this, they’re just not part of a show.
- Focus or “silliness” of players. This is not to say you never end up laughing at anything that happens in an actual play show, but there’s a big difference between when this is a hobby versus a job. The players you are going to encounter do this as a hobby. It’s often a way for people to blow off steam with friends, so it’s not uncommon for groups to have some extra silliness or lose their focus a little bit here and there. In fact, it’s fairly expected. An actual play group is on the clock with a job when they start playing. It’s a cool job, but it is a job, and their job is to make content that’s an enjoyable story for their viewers. You’ll see a lot more focus with these players, and while there is some silliness, it’s usually controlled enough in a way that things keep moving along in a way that’s engaging to the audience.
- Player drama. Now Critical Role did have a player who ended up leaving due to player drama, but the actual play show nature (and they were airing live as well) meant that the amount of conflict being caused was not as obvious as it likely would have been in a normal group, and a lot of the disagreements about what was going on was happening off-screen where it wouldn’t be as disruptive during the live streaming. A problem player you encounter is likely going to happen more in the middle of play, and the disagreements are more likely to happen not just off-table but at the table, and, yes, it can get more halt-the-game disruptive.
On the Dungeon Master (DM) Side
There are also things players can learn about DMs and DMs can learn about being a DM from actual play shows.
- How DMs tell a story arc and wrap Character backgrounds into what is going on. Seeing a campaign from start to finish can give beautiful examples of how each character had a connection to what was going on or a moment to really shine as details of who they are got a spotlight.
- How do DMs handle “can I do this?” situations not directly covered by the rules? DMs often have to make a lot of calls on whether they’ll allow something or not and, if so, what rolls will need to be made. Sometimes it’s nice to see how another DM handles things. This might include House Rules or the “Rule of Cool,” where the DM lets you do a thing because it’s cool even if it’s not technically according to the rules.
- Narration and creating NPCs. This includes not just who is set up as opponents or allies but sometimes getting into their voice. Narration also becomes a big thing and how you communicate info to your players. I’m a big fan of how Brennan Lee Mulligan of Dimension 20 has a voice for things like using an Identify Spell, and I might just have to adapt that.
On the flip side, there are things an actual play show does not cover or accurately show for DMs.
- Some DMs use homebrew and some use pre-made campaigns, so how your player gets woven into things may not be as perfect as it is on a live play show, especially if characters and plotlines have a lot of background work being done far in advance to the campaign start. Players may also go way off on tangents and side-quests you didn’t expect on a whim, whereas players that are part of a designed show are more likely to make choices to not go too far off the main plot because their job is to cover that plot… or the DM is just very good at knowing how to gently reroute them back on track.
- No two DMs are entirely alike and just because Matt Mercer or Brennan Lee Mulligan or your favorite live play DM of choice does things one way, your DM might do it differently. A different DM style, as long as it’s not about being toxic, isn’t wrong, it’s just different. Depending on the constraints of the show (often determined by things like scheduling and budgets), the DM of an actual play may need to railroad the players a bit more to make sure the campaign only takes so many sessions and hits all of the plot points. (Hobby DMs are likely to have way more flexibility here.)
- Sets, maps, and sound effects. Actual play shows have budgets and many hands working on them. You can totally admire the beautiful set and mini pieces of, say, Fantasy High: Freshman Year, but be aware there was an art department putting that all together and editing that could add cool background music and sound effects. This is part of someone’s job in a live play show, and odds are good that your DM has some sort of day job that they do in addition to DM prep. If your DM has any kind of cool minis and terrain or detailed maps or music and sounds, that’s all extra, you’re lucky your DM can do that, and it was absolutely extra money and work without a large budget or team of helpers. An actual play show is going to roll out a lot of the best because it looks shiny and appealing to viewers. While I’m missing the cool sets in Fantasy High: Sophomore Year, it does help to combat the idea that DMs have to have those things.
- Narration and playing NPCS. Not every DM is a professionally trained actor so, you know, give them some grace in that regard, please.
- Player drama. Player drama can feel like a catty reality TV show playing at your table, but actual play shows are not going to bring people on with that reputation (or they’ll try to handle it as discretely as possible until they eventually remove that player), so be aware that if a toxic player finds a seat at your table you may be having to deal with something very dramatic in the middle of a game session.
Go play and have fun, but remember that, in the same way that a show doesn’t always catch the reality of life (like which characters can afford large homes on modest salaries in high-cost-of-living cities), actual play shows also have certain differences from what you’ll likely see at a table.
