Some Thoughts on Why Critical Role Works So Well, And How You Can Be Better

I’ve seen a lot of talk recently, with people claiming that stuff going on at the Critical Role table is scripted and fake, due to certain ways characters interact with one another. I’m really far behind (I’m on, like, episode 4), so I don’t know all the specifics, but apparently a couple of characters kissed [Editor’s Note: See below. It was a Vampire: The Masquerade game with one of the Critical Role players]? And that’s just one example. People have been saying, “this can’t be an actual game of D&D, because there’s just too many good lines, and the characters interact too well together.”

I call bull.

I want to break this all down to explain why Critical Role seems so good, and how you can improve the RP at your table as well.

1. These people are all not only professional actors, but professional improvisers. This is key. As professional actors, they project a level of confidence that makes it seem like everything is planned. As professional improvisers, they are taught to “yes, and” each other, helping each other craft a scene. They aren’t just looking out for their own characters, they’re actively working with the others at the table to tell a story. Having a discussion at your own table about collaborating together can really help make the table more cohesive, and create a smoother roleplay experience.
2. These people know they’re being filmed, and are actively trying to make sure that the story is entertaining and moves forward. The cameras cannot be downplayed in their importance at the table. It makes the audience another member of the table. As such, all the players are kind of acting as GM. At a lot of tables, the GM can feel like they’re there to entertain the whole table, with each player simply focusing on making the experience at the table as fun for themselves as possible, focused on what their character is doing. By involving the Critters, the players around the table are all trying to make the table entertaining for the audience, but also entertaining for everyone else at the table. I think I’ll talk more about this in the future, but making sure you, as a PC, are trying to entertain more than just yourself, is really important.
3. They most certainly talk behind the scenes. Some character beats could definitely be spoken about before the session. I saw the GIF of two players kissing, who aren’t, I believe, a couple in real life, and you can bet your ass that was discussed beforehand. (It was a game of Vampire: The Masquerade with one of the Critical Role players, apparently, and you can see the moment in question here) And that’s not a problem. I regularly chat with players about future plans. They’ll tell me they’re interested in being in a relationship in-game, and I’ll make sure the opportunity presents itself. As a player, in my ongoing online Star Wars campaign, we will regularly chat on Messenger about upcoming scenes, what we’d like to see, and how we’d like to proceed. In one case, when my character and another were supposed to fall in love and get married, she wrote out the scene for both of us with my permission, then when we played out the scene, I wrote up my lines, she wrote up hers. This made it a lot more comfortable for both of us to have it planned out beforehand. There’s absolutely no problem with this, and I don’t see it as being “scripted.”
4. They ARE playing D&D. I don’t know why I need to explain it, other than that I’ve seen some people online insist they’re not playing D&D because they spend a little “too much” time roleplaying and not enough time, I don’t know, killing monsters? There is no issue here. Every table is different, and if a group of actors getting together and spending a ton of time in character is a problem, then that’s where they find joy in D&D.

To be honest, I think I could run a table a lot more like the Critical Role group, if I put more effort in. Not AS good, but my table could definitely lean a lot more heavy in player-to-player interaction and have more depth in relationships if I, and the table, put more effort in. However, I don’t have a full table of players who is interested in that. They care more about the overall plotline rather than interactions between the players and deep roleplaying. I think if I spent a bit of time in Session 0 establishing that the game would be more RP focused, we’d see a bit more of it. We’ll have to see how all that works out in the future.