(1/2) So one of my best friends and I love @CriticalRole, and he has recently started DMing. He is really good at it, but he keeps comparing his games to @matthewmercer and then gets upset with himself because he doesn’t think he is doing good (no matter what we say).
— Bardic_Bastard91 (@Squeaky58982582) January 24, 2020
(2/2) His wife and I constantly tell him he is doing a good job and how much we look forward to the games. I think next session I’m gonna bring a squirt bottle, and spray him when he starts trying to copy Matt. I think it’s what Matt would want lol. You need to tell him that I’M telling him that if his friends are having a wonderful time, and he’s having a wonderful time, then he’s doing EXACTLY as well as I do or better. <3
— Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) January 24, 2020
On many occasions @matthewmercer has said that every game is different. It’s unrealistic and counter productive to compare your game to another. especially when you’re comparing yourself to people who have been playing for as long as Matt has. Skill comes with practice and time. Learn from great DM’s like Matt but don’t try to be them. Find your own path.
The strange thing is, people don’t hold themselves to this standard in other comparable situations.
Imagine if someone got into acting because they really admire a certain actor. Wouldn’t it be super weird for them to get upset because they don’t act exactly the same way as the person who inspired them?
Different actors act differently! Because different people have different strengths! Because there’s not one single way to be an actor, and who you are as an actor is shaped by who you are as a person, and the course of your entire life!
The same is true of athletes! And artists! And musicians! And chefs! And martial artists! And everything else! Even when two people are of roughly equal skill and experience, they still do things differently, in their own ways, in their own styles!
Because these things are Arts, not Sciences! There’s no single “Right Way” to do things! There’s only what works for you! Develop your own style! Find what works best with your personal strengths, or compensates for your weaknesses! Find what you personally enjoy the most, regardless of what other people like!
Figure out what you personally want and need, and then customize your style to suit that! Don’t copy other people’s styles, because their styles are designed for their needs, not your own! Matt Mercer is unquestionably a skilled dungeon master, but his style isn’t right for every group and every DM!
A sledgehammer is a fantastic tool for driving posts and knocking down walls, but if you’re trying to hammer nails into a birdhouse, it’s the wrong choice! But even more importantly, even when a sledgehammer is the right choice for the job, it’s vital to remember not every sledgehammer will be right for you! A sledgehammer that works well for a tall and burly mountain man isn’t going to work well for someone half their size!