(If You’re Gonna Be Rude.) Y’all know who you are and what this is about.
This is getting ridiculous. People need to quit being so negative toward Matt Mercer and Critical Role in general. Likewise, as much as I like Matt, he’s not TTRPG Super Jesus. He’s still a mortal like the rest of us and has his own thoughts, fears, and foibles.
So what if Matt Mercer and Deborah Ann Woll consulted on the newest iteration of the Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master’s Guide? Of all the stupid things people had to pick to freak out about, are we really on this topic again? Seriously?
Disclaimer: Statements expressed in this article are strictly my opinion. If you disagree or have a different opinion, that’s okay. I’m not an expert on everything. I’m not always right. I’m just writing from my experience as I know it. Your mileage may vary.
No, I don’t speak for the Critical Roll fan club or anyone else involved.
But what if Matt Mercer consulted on the newest DMG? Honestly, who cares? If you’re complaining about it, why? Jealous much? Sorry to hear maybe your franchise isn’t doing as well as Critical Role.
It might come as a surprise, but #MattMercer is a really good Dungeon Master. Suppose a smart editor might want him to write a few words or look something over for the newest version of the DMG? The man did kinda put 5E on the map.
For crying out loud. I think we should be overjoyed that the WotC D&D staff asked for a consultation from real Dungeon Masters! Have you seen some of the people writing for WotC these days? Chris Cocks (*Hasbro CEO) is happily datamining old D&D content to have AI writing adventures. Kinda makes me wonder WtF they’re doing to the new/not-new DMG. Matt Mercer is a blessing to this project.
Deborah Ann Woll is likewise a blessing to the new/not-new DMG.
For those who don’t know Deborah Ann Woll, she’s an awesome DM by all accounts. Learn more about her on Wikipedia here. Her IMDB page is impressive as well, read it here. I feel like a lot of the OG crowd doesn’t know much about her. This video gives a bit more insight if you’re curious.
I can definitely see where WotC is trying to leverage the clout and star power of Critical Role and Faster Purple Worm Kill, Kill among other things. I think WotC is doing this in an attempt to draw in newer DMs and players who probably got their start in gaming watching those shows. It’s a side effect of Brink, Crawford and Perkins (or whomever is making the decisions at WotC) to try and bury the “old white dudes hanging out in a basement playing D&D.” Sorry, but I don’t agree with that idea.
Let’s talk about acting for a minute.
Recently, a whole can of worms was opened with this post on X (Twitter) in a discussion about what is basically a version of the Matt Mercer Effect. The question arose of, “should I have to be an actor to play D&D?” Naturally is was polarizing and vitriolic as are most things on X, even though the post itself seems quite innocent.
Please note I have redacted the original names in the post and replaced them with ones that better reflect what I think of the situation. Obviously not their real names. Look me up on X (Twitter) if you would like me to direct you to the actual post. The whole thing is pretty ridiculous.
For the record- while Critical Role remains an excellent Actual Play podcast, it is not the only way to play D&D. No acting skills are required to take part in a TTRPG. Anyone who tries to tell you otherwise can go kick rocks.
You don’t have to do a cool voice or dress in character to have fun roleplaying. Just tell me what you think your character would do. That’s it. That’s all it takes. Just have fun with it. No need for outrageous histrionics. If you want to act it out first person, cool. If not? No worries.
My apologies, family. This article wasn’t intended to become this vitriolic. I become very triggered when someone says, “I can’t participate in TTRPGs because I’m not good enough.”
YOU DO NOT NEED ACTING SKILLS TO PLAY ANY TTRPG!
I can’t be any clearer on this point. I hope my friend’s friend reconsiders and joins her game sometime. Honestly, this is one of the saddest things I’ve ever heard and it was only made worse by Enraged Fanboy’s comment.
I think Matt Mercer is awesome, don’t get me wrong.
However, he is not the Second Coming of Gygax or some sort of Holy TTRPG Super Space Jesus. There is no Blue Space Chicken cult surrounding the man as far as I’m aware. (Oh, we haven’t forgotten Corey around here.) Mercer is great at what he does, a role model to new DMs and old timers alike, but he still can’t walk on water. He didn’t invent roleplaying or D&D, either.
Again, apologies. I’m very passionate about this particular topic and I need to get all of this off my chest. I think Matt Mercer is all that and a bag of chips, but we should not be worshipping the guy. If I ever get to interview him, I will ask to make sure.
Yes, even I with 40+ years of TTRPG experience still learn from watching guys like Matt Mercer and Matt Colville. I learn from watching indie Actual Podcast folks. You learn something every day. It’s just a simple matter of what you choose to make of that information.
Enraged Fanboy needs to chill with the comments when it comes to telling someone they’re wrong because they don’t do it like Mercer does. That still makes me really mad when I see it because the goal here is to bring more people into the hobby, not chase them off under extremely stupid false pretenses. Holy shit.
EVERYONE SHOULD FEEL WELCOME AT THE TABLE, ESPECIALLY FOR THEIR FIRST TIME!
I’m sure Matt would agree with me on this. (I will verify this given the opportunity.) Critical Role came about because a group of friends who also happened to be voice actors, wanted to play a TTRPG called “Pathfinder” for fun like regular games do. It just happened to turn into a massively popular franchise on Twitch and YouTube after they became sponsored by WotC and played D&D 5E. It’s the best or worst thing that could have happened depending on how you look at it.
I learned to play when I was 10. Most of us started pretty young. IIRC Matt Mercer started playing D&D 3.5 in middle school. A lot of us had never heard of the game much less watched an Actual Play podcast such as Critical Role or Dimension 20.
How well would it have gone over to a new Jeff or a new Matt if some big, derpy nerd that had been playing the game had tried to gatekeep us by saying we can’t play because we can’t act. (Which was bullshit because I had over a dozen different voices when I was playing with my Star Wars and GI Joe figures back then.) Still, it’s a shitty form of gatekeeping from a Enraged Fanboy who supposedly loves WotC and 5E more than life itself and worships D&D.
Don’t be that guy, please. I won’t divulge his YouTube channel here, but I think it’s pretty bad and I don’t usually dis on people’s efforts. Again, apologies for this, but I’m pretty upsetty spaghetti on this one.
Matt Mercer, Deborah Ann Woll, and the CR cast are role models, sure.
I look up to a huge number of people in the hobby. I can name at least a handful of people from every decade that I look up to, probably more. Being on social media with some of them has been amazing. Back in the olden days when dinosaurs roamed conventions, the only way to meet our role models was to go seek them out in person or write fan letters.
I met Deborah Ann Woll on X (Twitter.) Not personally, of course. That’d be pretty cool, but I never Direct Message anyone unless I know it’s okay. I think she’s a very nice lady and seems like she’d be a good DM in person. Much like Matt Mercer, I think we can learn a lot from her as GM/DMs, but that’s not to say she’s the best/only one.
I get a major case of hero worship going around TTRPG celebs. I’m going to be published someday and my hope is to bring excitement and delight to the gaming table. If even one fan tells me they like what I do, I’ll be thrilled. I might be guilty of putting some of my idols on a pedestal (Looking at you Kenson.) But I’m never going to tell someone to stay away from roleplaying because they’re not as cool as my idols.
I wouldn’t quit gaming because maybe I can’t do as many funny voices as the cast members on Critical Role. I’ve always wanted to do voice acting, but maybe I’m not that good. I dunno. I don’t think anyone should give up on their dream just because they don’t hit superstar status the first day. We all have to start somewhere, even Matt Mercer.
Likewise I’m not going to stop writing TTRPGs just because I’m not the proud owner of a Platinum best seller on DriveThruRPG.com. Yes, I get discouraged sometimes. But I’ll never give up just because I’m not Steve Kenson, Andrew Cawood, or Michael Shea. Yeah, it’s cool to be those guys. I admire them a lot.
I’m Jeff, and they’re not me, either. Maybe I have a different approach to GM/DMing than Matt Mercer. Maybe I write things a little differently than Andrew Cawood. Some people might like it better. Some might say I’m not their cup of tea. That’s okay, too.
Be nice to the celebrities you meet online.
Just because Enraged Fanboy is rude to someone online, doesn’t mean anyone else has to be. Please, practice kindness and forgiveness. Not because it’s written in some holy book or the DMG, but because it’s the right thing to do by everyone. No one should be gatekept out of this hobby that has welcomed so many of us when maybe we didn’t feel like we fit in anywhere else.
Thank you for being here today with me. I appreciate you. Please embrace the things that bring you the most joy.
Jeff's Game Box 