players are the essential heroes and
villains of Dean D and Matthew Mercer
has some tips about how players can get
the most out of Dungeons and Dragons
their players that love the dungeon
crawl kicked down doors kill things take
loot you know mentality and that’s fun
for them and in their players that are
more involved in the dramatic elements
of in the character interactions and the
revealing of plot devices and care to
back stories and you know big epic arcs
if you find yourself near in that
spectrum one communicate that to your DM
early you know if you’re like I’m here
just to take my magical items and kill
big monsters make sure they know that
they can develop a game that caters that
interest if you are more interested in
the theatrum elements of it communicate
that so the DM can prepare a story that
more applies to that and you can have a
players across that spectrum and the DM
now has the task and challenged to
create a narrative f of fills each of
those elements doesn’t always work but
at least they have that groundwork to
you know to try and make that function
as a player one I recommend once again
communication you want to make sure that
you’re talking with the players in the
DM about what things you’re like what
things you don’t if the storyline is
just getting uncomfortable for any
reason or the topic starts going to
place or not necessarily down with
communicate that with the dungeon master
you know have a conversation after a
session with the players about it to
make sure you’re all in the same page
and respect the dungeon master be
appreciative the time that they’re
putting into this for what time you guys
are you know collaborating to make this
session happen that individual has been
preparing for countless hours in advance
to try and gift you guys with this
experience you can still offer
constructive criticism in Dungeon
Master’s don’t be afraid to you know to
ask for feedback especially if you’re
kind of new and you’re still figuring
out yourself you guys can all together
improve on both sides but be respectful
and show appreciation at the end of a
session tell them thank you I love this
part this was really fun when you when
you you know when the sequence happened
that NPC you created that was so great
i’m excited to see where that goes in
the future so i recommend expressing
that appreciation to the dungeon master
because it helps keep them inspired and
driven to continue to run this game for
you and lastly if you do like the narrow
developments the game i recommend
spending a little time developing a
character background whether or not it
shows up as part of the overall
narrative that’s up to the dungeon
master but even just taking a few hours
to sit down and write a page
where your character comes from what
they’re with their desires are with
their fears are what their long-term
short-term goals are static that
exercise for non-actors is an acting
exercise that helps you better
understand and cares personality so that
when you’re in the game you are making
decisions as a player you making
decisions as a character and that’s the
bridge that you cross through experience
in these games where you begin to think
outside of what you the player would do
and what the character would do and that
distinction makes it really really fun
when you get to critical moments in the
campaign you’re like I know I know
personally it’d be real dangerous to go
into this room my characters the thrill
secret my character wants to see blood
he’s gonna kick in that door and just
rush in there screaming it what else the
parties like no don’t but that’s a
moment you’re all gonna tell months from
now I remember that time you kicked in
the door in Russian and we tried to stop
you and then all of a sudden the whole
you know cavalcade of stone golems began
to converge on us than we had to rush
out as the cavern was collapsing that
was amazing those moments all come from
the risk you take from you know deciding
not necessarily what makes the most
logical sense for survival will it make
sense for what your character’s
personality would allow and writing
those back stories and learning a little
bit of where your kid is coming from
early on helps people who might not be
as comfortable stepping into those shoes
have a better place to make informed
decisions that Thank You Matthew Mercer
for appearing on the show you can watch
critical role every thursday at 7pm on
geek and sundry’s twists channel this
channel is dungeon life is a show
entirely about D&D where we interview
the creators of dnd spotlights on
community members like matthew mercer
and tips and tricks and a whole lot more
we are hoping to do live streams in the
future and to improve the quality of
these videos and also have you know
enough money to keep making these videos
and that’s where patreon comes in our
subscribers on patreon make sure that we
can keep making these videos and improve
and we’re trying to build a community
I hung out with Mathew Mercer and we talked about his tips for all D&D players legacy is a very important thing because
your life can take a lot of twists and
turns but when you look at Matthew
Mercer he’s gone from being an
incredibly famous voice actor to
becoming an ambassador for Dungeons and
Dragons he has shown what this game can
be in terms of positivity creativity and
community that’s why I talk to Matthew
Mercer about what has been the center of
all of this work that he has done it’s
interesting it has become kind of a home
to me i love i love voiceover because i
love video games and love cartoons I
grew up that wasn’t that was Pat’s about
my life it is still the free time that’s
ever a fleeting concept and I love
role-playing games they shaped me as a
person and so now that I get to kind of
these both became my job in a weird way
is mind-blowing I still waiting for his
other shoe to drop you know it seems
like it’s an impossible thing so I’m
just holding on to it best I can and you
know these honest as I can it a lot of
my characters that I’ve done in have
booked in various video games and
cartoons those voice archetypes those
textures those specific personality
started if npcs in my games there’s a
game called close of eternity where I
play two characters in Del off and a
dare and those were both prominent NPCs
and not they’re not my name but those
personalities those voices I’ve used in
games all throughout the 2000s so as a
voice actor convention dozen dragons and
role-playing games have allowed a
perpetual space for me as a you know as
a dungeon master to try out these voices
to try out these characters to refine
and hone these these voices that when I
have the opportunity for an audition
toolboxes ready to go I just grabbed you
know this elven barmaid and slap on a
different name and boom there we go yeah
I do miss playing in a game here and
there I know when you’re always the DN
a– that’s the biggest frustration
sometimes is that you never have the
opportunity to be in the narrative you
know what’s coming are you you you know
all the secrets so the mystery of where
the narrative can go is kind of lost on
you but the players thinks they bring
enough of that unexpected element back
where it still keeps a dynamic and fun
for you but I do miss playing a
character and it’s been for me many
years since I’ve been able to really
play in a
forum game I get one shots here and
there the friends run and I’ve guessed
that on a few other live stream shows
been able to kind of wet my player chaps
again but uh I do miss it and there are
times that I wish I could try out a new
character class or an architect that
I’ve designed or a really cool character
idea but when I compare the experiences
for me personally between playing and
running a game I find that game
mastering is a much more fulfilling
experience for me I’m I guess i’ma
crater by nature I like to give people I
like to give things to people and watch
them enjoy it and so for me as a the DMS
again that’s really what it is you’re
creating a space you’re creating a world
and you’re gifting it to your players to
play it and that to me is a little more
fulfilling than just being part of the
narrative the most often asked fan
question it tends to be how do I get in
the voice of it which is great people
are genuinely excited and inspired to
the prospect and my answer is honest as
I can which is it’s hard it’s a very
competitive field and it requires a lot
of training and learning and failure
rejection and the people that hear that
and then retract good because they
wouldn’t been able to survive that
environment you know they wouldn’t be
able got for this trial is about it
seriously impacting of in a negative way
the people that hear that and go okay
good I’m still going to do it those are
the people that already have the drive
and the tough skin to persevere through
that difficult period and eventually
make a career out of it so there another
question happens and it happens often
I’m still happy to deposit those bits of
information and hopes that a few
diamonds in the rough squeeze through
and maybe one day I’ll see them coming
up in the world as far as long-term
goals go I don’t know I don’t know I I’m
pretty happy how it is now I’ve I don’t
need a lot of money i don’t need big
house i don’t need so i have a nice
little humble house I have a wonderful
fiance we’re getting married later this
year I get to do work that I enjoy and
see other people hopefully enjoy and
inspire other people to create and
that’s to me the most important
you know when it’s all done you know
legacies addict or what are we leaving
behind we’re all here is a short little
works on the planet what important
impact mainly from the lives of others
for them to carry on if they’re all my
work I can somehow inspire the end full
of people to be better people to reach
out and be more empathic and create to
inspire others from there on and I’m
happy with what I’ve done on this planet
this is the engine life its brand new
show about dnd where we interviewed the
creators of Dungeons & Dragons we have
community spotlights and also tips and
tricks and a whole lot more but to keep
on making this show which is rather
expensive we have a tree on our
supporters on patreon allow us to make
more videos make the videos better and
also have stretch goals like making live
streams and more engaging content and in
exchange they actually help us even more
because we can communicate with them
directly by sending them video links
early before anyone else sees them have
behind-the-scenes footage photos a lot
of other content and this allows us to
sculpt the show before we publish it out
to the rest of the world we cannot make
this show without the incredible support
of the DD community you guys have been
fantastic the comments have been
overwhelmingly positive we really
appreciate you guys and thank you for
watching this video
https://t.co/1t32H46xAM via @YouTube

— Todd Kenreck (@ToddKenreck) April 18, 2017