Combatting the Matt Mercer Effect amongst players and Game Masters in TTRPGs.

Players, Game Masters, friends, #TTRPGFamily; please lend me your ears. The cast of Critical Role, beloved though they may be, are not you. That’s right. You, yes you, bring your own special talents to every session of every RPG you play.

The Matt Mercer Effect, commonly  known for its stigma amongst Dungeon Masters/GMs can also be felt amongst players. The normalized definition of the Matt Mercer Effect is usually felt when a DM believes their own “production” of Dungeons & Dragons is not the same quality as Matt Mercer’s game on Critical Role. Wikipedia talks more about it in this article. Critical Role can be seen on YouTube and elsewhere if more examples are sought. (*Wink.)

Perhaps a more appropriate name for what I’m referring to might be the “Critical Role Effect.” (*If that ain’t claimed, I coined it.) It’s when players maybe feel their performance isn’t as cool or exciting as the professional voice actors on Critical Role. (No disrespect toward the CR cast intended. Love y’all.) Again, I’ll say the cast of Critical Role aren’t you and your players.

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.

It’s important for players to get comfortable with their characters.

Many of us veteran DMs overcame our fears with the Matt Mercer Effect years ago. Cough-Cough Pandemic DMs had to get over it especially fast, as we didn’t have much choice. I prefer to think of it as Matt Mercer being this amazing example of being a great example for us, but not the ultimate DM in the Universe. (Lots of love for Matt, though.) My game is not his game and vice versa.

I love my players. They’re a good bunch no matter what game we’re talking about. Without getting all woo-woo, I love playing solo with that one guy who’s me, too. I don’t expect an Oscar worthy performance out of my players any more than I do myself. It’s only fair to say, “Do the best you can.”

Simply put- showing up to the game is half the battle.

(Yo Joe!) Seriously, I’m overjoyed when my players actually make it all the way to the table and put their phones down. Bonus points if everyone’s character is up to date and everyone is ready to go at start time. Anything that goes down after we start in game is amazeballs.

If a player manages to come out of their shell enough to say, “Beeyob (their fighter) yells his battle cry and swings is axe at the Orc.”
Good enough! I’m happy with that. If the next player (bard) manages to sing a full verse of their battle hymn in character and totally carries their voice throughout, that’s awesome, too! I’ll take what I can get.

I can’t say it enough.

As long as you’re having fun, making some effort to play your character, paying attention, and getting along with the group- you’re doing great! Keep up the good work. Fun is the name of the game here. Otherwise, why are we here? (*I fully acknowledge that actors, teachers, and therapists do roleplaying exercises in their craft as well, but that’s different.)

It’s okay not to know where to write something down on your character sheet. It’s okay not knowing a d20 from a d12 when you’re new. (I’ve rolled a d12 instead of a d20 accidentally recently. It happens.) I don’t expect Shakespearean levels of performance from someone with Stabby the Thief or Beeyob the human fighter. I’m overjoyed if you tell me how your character approaches the dungeon door. First characters and new players especially deserve a ton of leeway. Roleplaying is not a competitive sport!

Unfortunately, there are some older players out there in the world, social media, and YouTube who are going to attempt to critique everyone’s roleplay. Politely, gently, lovingly tell those people to get away from your group, especially around new players. Everyone’s approach to RPGs is going to be different. What works in my group might not work in every group.

You can’t get it wrong!

This series is normally reserved for game mechanics, but I care about new players and new DM/GMs. Without new people entering the hobby, regardless of their game of choice, the hobby would shrivel up and disappear. I mean, I look around and I see a lot of older faces on the tabletop, non-video game end of the hobby. None of us are getting any younger.

That being said, there is no wrong way to roleplay as long as you’re trying. Roleplaying is not something that exists to be critiqued by anyone, especially older, more mature players who should damned well know better. No one is the Universe’s gift to roleplaying.

However, YOU can be the best role player you can be at every game session you attend. As long as you put some effort forth to have your character doing something on your turn, you’re doing great! Just keep coming back for more. We love having you!

It’s as true for the Law of Attraction as it is for roleplaying games. You can’t get manifestation wrong, either. If you’re manifesting a good game session, come over here and sit next to me for four hours. (*Seriously, that’s the intention I set for every game session. Just enjoy being here with us.)

I’m flogging it hard this week- Have fun!

Most people learn to play Dungeons & Dragons or some variety of fantasy roleplaying games. Welcome to the hobby. We’re glad you could make it. Lots of love, and I don’t care what game it is.

As long as you’re having fun, you’re doing it right. Maybe your group looks nothing like Critical Role or any other Actual Play (AP) on the Internet. That’s great! It means your DM/GM is doing their own thing, so is the group. Fan-freakin-tastic! Keep it up!

Critical Role started off as a game among friends at Matt Mercer’s house. They weren’t even playing D&D 5E at the time. Imagine a game where people just show up every week and play because they enjoy doing it. That’s tremendous. Let’s all do that!

Thank you for being here today with me. I appreciate you. Please embrace the things that bring you the most joy.