Is Critical Role Scripted?

couple weeks back I did a video on critical role where I said Matt Mercer created Alexandria and viewers pointed out he actually created exandria the fact is Matt Mercer is a time lord and created both of them he just doesn't like to brag about it another frequent comment I received is that critical role is scripted it's not DND D it's all an act but how scripted is it and how scripted should your game be and don't say no scripted if you've ever used one of these what is this but a script it's got keyed numbered locations that happen in an order or you may have a game Master's notebook like mine so it's a question of how much does one script out how does one prepare over script and you end up with a railroad where the game master has a predetermined conclusion and that is never fun script to little and your game will lack form it becomes all improv with no sense of drive or urgency see and all that is what we're going to talk about today on dungeon [Music] craft death Brer here subscribe to the channel and sign up for the deathbringer RPG newsletter at the link below welcome to dungeon craft i'm Professor DM this channel is about all things role playing games especially Homebrew role playing games that's why we're talking about critical role because a lot of people think it's mainstream but exandria and critical RS own system dagger heart are home brew games as is mine so we're going to talk a lot about how we do that how Matt prepares based on what I see and how I prepare for a session and what is the difference between a person who does this professionally for television and the game master who's running games for their friends which I fall into that camp but before we do please like subscribe and click the Bell icon and then check all to receive the latest dungeon craft videos you can also join patreon patrons receive bonus video content access to my GM's notebook and access to the exclusive dungeoncraft Discord server first let's all critical role the show doesn't list any writers which they would have to do because they're a Hollywood production according to their LinkedIn page they're currently looking for writers but remember they also produce games TV shows and commercials and darington press falls under the critical rle umbrella there are three or four reasons I don't think the show is nearly as scripted as people think there's a scene in season 1 where Orion playing tiberious Stormwind tries to buy, 1500 mirrors so he can build a space laser to kill vampires and you can see by Matt's puzzled expression he has no idea what Orion is trying to do and you can see the frustration on Travis's face and hear it in his voice at one point Orion says one more thing and Travis says no no more things we're moving on this is the type of thing that my players have done where they go off on goofy side quest instead of sticking to the main story and they keep all their plans a secret not only from the other players but for the game master as well and there's really no reason to do that to me it's typical player Behavior secondly Bell's Hells has no leader these characters seem to definitely be quirky and interesting by themselves but there's no Aragorn or Tanis half Elvin holding this disperate group of people together if I were scripting a fantasy story I would have a leader character someone who can say no we're not going on a another side quest back to Tom bombadil's house we're going to throw the evil ring in the volcano now you watch Bell's Hells you'll notice they love going off on side quest into the Fay wild instead of sticking with the main narrative investigating the moon of ruus and at times Matt seems dangerously close to losing control of the narrative as eviden in a recent episode when he said quote I am dangerously close to losing control control of this narrative one of the reasons the show may seem scripted is because these are trained actors so at times their gestures and movements and voices may seem larger than a life but I think their heartfelt reaction to Sam's sacrifice in that recent episode is genuine I do think as trained actors they're very aware that they're playing for an audience they're not just trying to entertain themselves they know people are watching this as a show but I don't think Matt sends them notes saying we're killing your character tonight so how does matat plan meticulously that's for sure for I've seen he puts a lot of effort into building stat blocks en counters and scenery but keep in mind he does this professionally you just don't need that level of detail if you're not running a multi-million dollar show you don't need to plan out your whole campaign or your whole world before you start all you really need to do is stay one step ahead of your players but what are the essential planning elements we'll get to that right after a word from our sponsor the wandering Tavern the wandering Tavern is 15 layers of corruption gambling Exotic restaurants hotels 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who hired you to get what who the enemy is and where that item can be found and you can generate thousands of scenarios with it every fantasy plot every adventure story breaks down into these critical elements get the from the in the before it's too late for example get the prisoners from the hobgoblins in the caves of Carnage before they are eaten now you have a location opponent objective and a sense of stakes and a time limit and the time limit is one of the most critical elements that many game Masters leave out time limits drive a story and give it a sense of urgency I like Hell's Bells but many fans have expressed the opinion that this season isn't as compelling as the previous ones the stakes are unclear and the plot lacks narrative Drive imagine if Bell's Hells began like this the characters are summoned to the house of an astronomer friend the astronomer reveals the moon of ruus is dangerously off course and will crash into exandria in 21 days unless the characters get a magical McGuffin and use it to stop a doomsday cult ritual and each session equals one day of play how much more exciting would this be another thing I script out is starting Exposition I think box teex gets a bad WAP well-crafted box teex can establish a clear objective from the start and ensure you don't leave out any critical details I also use flowcharts players can go from here to here or here depending on their choices eventually all the pats funnel into the sewer layer and the inner sanctum where the climax takes place this is the demon Taylor it's a hunt for a serial killer based on Kelvin Green's Terror in the streets for Lamentations of The Flame Princess I have the victims in order but orange highlights indicate optional encounters green are encounters that occur on a timetable and yellow highlights the clues I don't want to forget like Matt I enjoy scenarios where the players have a lot of choice an agency like I like running Urban scenarios and those can pose certain challenges because the players have ready access to resources and can pretty much go wherever they want something you should consider if you're a newer game master is basing your scenarios in dungeons you can still build in choices they can go left right straight but there are definite bumpers in the form of walls and there's less chance of you losing control of the narrative I keep my stat blocks simple Armor class hit points damage special attacks and any bonuses to hit the monster has venom alash is the main villain she's a wizard so I note her spells I also stat out her bodyguards and henchmen you'll notice I keep my scenarios on facing Pages if I can to minimize flipping I do this even for pre-published modules like the tomb of Horrors even though for this one I had to use four pages it still helps me distill the information and keep it straight in my head let's talk to rain because I like Matt enjoy Miniatures and models but I don't cover my dining room table with terrain I use ultimate dungeon terrain and one of the reasons I created it is because I didn't want the players to know what to expect with UDT you put the players in the center circle and you can just build the environment around them and this creates an instant fog of War a couple weeks back I introduced My ultimate GM screen which functions as a backdrop if your players decide they want to travel to a nearby City boom they're in the city and other GM screens featuring dungeon terrain are in the works I also use kitchen drawer organizers to transport my Miniatures and group them by room or encounter and I consider this an integral part of my planning you don't need to plan your game as extensively as Matt Mercer but having well organized notes and play Space allows you to maintain the flow and pace of your game I'm not saying that's the right way to do it but that's definitely the way I do it I believe in working smarter not harder what do you think share in the comments below how do you plan for a game and if you want your game to have a strong sense of urgency and narrative drive you want to click on my video less Exposition more demolition up next thanks for stopping by and until the next time may all your roles be 20s Mercer now that fresh cut grass is in the recycling bin you need a new character may I suggest deathbringer I'll put the hell in Bells Hells until then watch more dungeon craft

Channel: Dungeon Craft

Views: 55,372

Keywords: dungeoncraft, dungeoncraft critical role, critical role

Id: 9OqRFucnDVg

Length: 10min 28sec (628 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 29 2024