Hello Internet!
I know it’s been awhile and that’s completely my fault. That’s my bad! I completely dropped the ball. But I’m back and we’re going to start April off strong with new pieces full of great content. So what have I been doing for the past couple of weeks? Well I’ve been stressed trying to deal with adult things and watching people play Dungeons and Dragons online! A strange pairing I’m sure. Well over the past few weeks I have been seeking out new Youtubers and new videos to watch and I remembered a collaboration between a group called Critical Role and a Youtuber I watch regularly. I rewatched that episode and that got me to check out Critical Role and see what they are all about. I was hooked!
Basically Critical Role is a show put on by Geek and Sundry (Their Website) on Twitch and Youtube where a bunch of voice actors get together on a weekly basis and play Dungeons and Dragons. It’s fun to see these voice actors known for mostly video games, anime dubs, and cartoons embody these characters with rich backstories and complex motivations which they created themselves. Mathew Mercer plays the Dungeon Master or the narrator/director/god who builds the fantasy world that the players interact with. He sets the stage and then the players fill in the actions, dialogue, and story with a mix of randomness from rolling 20-sided die. It’s almost like watching a movie or television show mixed with a open-world videogame where the characters get to interact in a world that’s already pre-made, but they get to choose the direction they get to go. This theme of player control mixed with the possibilities of the world and the random possibility of failure or success is very common in most RPGs (Role Playing Games) including Dungeons and Dragons, but it seems that Critical Role takes this to a whole new level. They take Dungeons and Dragons and add a visual element similar to theater or a movie. They act for the camera as well as act for the other players around them. I can’t undersell them even if I wanted to, so if you like RPG’s or Dungeons and Dragons, or maybe don’t know what either of those things are, I’d definitely recommend checking them out. Don’t worry I’m not sponsored, I’m just a fan!
Now all of this watching of Dungeons and Dragons mixed with the creativity often found in writers made me want to pursue this further. It’s kind of how I watch playthroughs of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and it makes me want to go buy a Nintendo Switch. Watching Critical Role made me want to start playing Dungeons and Dragons. Now up to this point I’ve had very little experience with Dungeons and Dragons or any other tabletop RPG. My family bought a basic bundle when I was in elementary school and I loved playing with the figurines, but I didn’t have the concentration for all the math and the possibility of a complex backstory. Character building was not my thing! Nowadays that’s very different! I’ve been looking stuff up on online and I even bought the most recent versions of all the important books I’d need to play Dungeons and Dragons. I’m trying to figure out the player’s perspective as well as all the rules and worldbuilding guidelines that would help me be a Dungeon Master. It’s a lot to take in and there are a lot of different monsters, spells, items, and rules so it’s kind of been a slow process, but I’m continuing to try and learn all this new stuff. I’ve made a few characters and got my brother to play as well (a fellow Critical Role fan) so we’re going to do some simple quests and see how us controlling two characters each as well as co-DMing is going to go. We might need to expand our circle of friends!
Well that’s a little bit of insight of what the last couple of weeks have been: stress, trying to further my career, writing, and watching minor celebrities play Dungeons and Dragons together. Crazy stuff. Now let me turn this into a conversation. Do you play Dungeons and Dragons or any other tabletop RPGs? Do you enjoy watching Lets Plays or things similar to Critical Role? Let me know in the comments below or in the comment sections of my Facebook Page. I hope you enjoyed my piece on Dungeons and Dragons and I hope you continue to check out my website and come back for more pieces in the future. I really appreciate your support, creative criticism, and your viewership.
I hope you have a fantastic week!!
-Allen_The_Writer
Allen The Writer 