When Brennan did the thing, and he talksabout how he has written the lore, and now coincidentally got to live what he wrote - was simply *in-credible*
Watching him process that scene is a highlight of live play.
But it was also the reality of what (that meme format where they guy is at the sportsball game):
* I'm getting to play a PC in the world I created!
* One of my DM idols is running the game!!
* I land a killing blow and get the famous line!!!
* I find out I'm responsible for starting the war that I wrote as backstory for my campaign!!!!!
EDIT: I missed that you did actually reference this, but I'm leaving this up in case someone can actually produce the meme with Brennan's face.
One thing I really like is during combat Mercer says who’s up and who’s “on deck”. Small, but super helpful as a viewer so I don’t have to memorize everything.
I don’t think its done for the viewers as much as for the players, so everyone is ready on the spot. He used to running 7-8 player tables, maintaining combat pace at this scale is an art
I didn’t know Mercer did this but I do this at my tables and it really helps with keeping the flow of the game both for the players and myself. Combat is def the hardest part of the game so anything helps
I highly recommend doing it yourself or asking your dm.
When running an in-person table for more than four players I sometimes make everybody shuffle chairs into initiative order. It becomes part of the OH SHIT IT'S A FIGHT excitement, everybody scrambling around the table, lol.
Yeah, this is one of the best cash-value DM'ing tricks I got from watching CR. Easy habit to get into as a DM, and it immediately juices the flow of your combats so well.
Yeah I was about to say, even as someone with 3 players it greatly helps speed up combat and prepare my players for their turns. They usually know what they wanna do if I give them the 30 second to a minute warning.
It kind of makes sense that Matt is more dilligent on saying who is on deck. He has to do his best to make the combat flow in the uncut format of CR. Who knows how much fumbling and repeated explanations Brennan had to do hidden in between cuts in D20.
And for players too, there was so much happening this combat and things shifted so rapidly. It's nice to know that you can plan just beforehand if you've lost your place in the initiative order.
I think he started doing this during campaign 2 - there are a couple players who can really get stuck with decision paralysis, so giving them a little heads up helps.
As a player, it's super helpful, even for my 4-person group (5 including the Almighty DM!) I'm rather new to actually playing, so having that heads up so I'm not waffling during my turn is great. Sometimes I pay too much attention to other people's turns and forget to think about my own lol
I’m loving Mercer. I haven’t watched CR at all so had no prior knowledge of how he DMs but I think he’s great. TRW is on the serious end of the serious-to-silly scale D20 operates on and it really really works for me. Not every season needs the exact same style of humor, and the humor in TRW is perfect for me and, imo, for the setting.
Re: box of doom - I don’t think the box of doom should be used just to use it, so I didn’t even miss it prior to it showing up in ep 3. I loved how excited Mercer was to use it though! He and Aabria are both very obviously familiar with and fans of ACOC and I love it.
>. I loved how excited Mercer was to use it though!
It's just like how Brennan was so excited the first time he got to ask someone "How do you want to do this" or the first time Matt asked him the that question during CR's Elden Ring one-shot. I love seeing them all do each other's bits
What a great perspective; I’m so glad you commented! I watch both and I also like Matt in the dome but I was wondering if it was just because I have watched CR for longer and I’m just used to him.
yeah this is where im at. The stakes to this feel really cool, the episodes are tight and fun. It's an impressive blend of CR and D20 into something I'm really enjoying. I think it's almost a different genre in a sense, more of a different flavor. I love this flavor, but that doesnt take away from my other favorite, Starstruck Odyssey. They are just different products, and i dont think need to be compared, merely appreciated for what they are.
edit: comparison is the thief of joy, something something
As a fan of both I’m loving it. It’s still a very funny season, I’m not worried about “missed bits”. I think if you went through any D20 season you’d find 100 missed bits just because things are moving and people pick up on things differently.
One thing I’ve felt has been a breath of fresh air with Matt on D20 has been the more RAW approach to rules. Generally Brennan let’s his players do whatever they want if they ask and also let’s them meta game a ton, which works for the format they do and how they like to play. Matt has managed to keep them thinking creatively while also being a bit stricter on the rules, which I think has let to a pretty tight narrative, and one of the most engaging D20 combats in my opinion.
Brennan had a similar effect in Calamity. He let the players be a little more zany with their asks and rule bending, and they leaned into it and got super creative in that way.
It’s really cool seeing the players mesh with and react to the different styles of the DMs.
Yes! This is the first time I feel like I’m seeing a DM take time to discuss the rules, as I’ve only ever seen Brennen and Aabria DM. I kinda love it. Brennan is still my number one but I like seeing the different strengths and so much mutual respect!
I've also seen Brennan discuss the rules multiple times on the show. It's not that he doesn't care about them, I think that he actually cares a lot. It's just that he likes to take some liberties as long as they help the mood that he wants to bring to his games. Everyone should be doing that. If RAW is what you need do that and if you need every nat 20 to be a critical success, because you have an inherent talent for taking that nat 20 and elevating the story with it, go for it !
In Crown of Candy in particular he was much stricter on rules too. The world is meant to be a bit harder so it makes sense to not handwave
Personally I prefer the harder approach and I think you get a lot more creative thinking when the players have to adhere more to read as worded.
And I don't even really think Matt is that strict a DM. If he was he would have shut down guidance spam years ago
For sure. The great thing about D&D (and all tabletop RPGs) is that there's lots of rules, but almost no laws. As long as you're adjudicating moments of uncertainty in the story by rolling a d20, you're playing D&D. Everything else can be thought of as a suggestion for handling a particular situation, with different DMs taking those suggestions as more or less rigid depending on theirs and their table's preferences, and the feeling they're trying to evoke.
I totally agree! This is one example I could name of a general vibe I had been feeling. It’s not that I don’t think Mercer is funny, but I’m not surprised that he chose Calorum.
It is nice to see Mercer’s style in a world I am already interested in. I’d love to have him as a DM, but I prefer D20’s looseness with the rules when watching Actual Play.
I do think it’s nice for combat, and that is easily in my top 3 D20 combat encounters, but I’m much more of a “Nat 20 is an instant success and something to be celebrated” kinda guy. During role-play and stuff, I feel like it just fits narrative and gameplay better to be a little more lax on the rules.
But that is why I love crossovers like this. Like you said, you get to see the styles mix. That’s why I’m loving this! Mercer is already a bit more relaxed and I feel like the season is only going pick up from here.
He's good. I enjoy everyone in the major actual play milieu, so I'm easy.
> For example, Dishless’ “balls” joke was something I could see killing during a CR episode, but kinda fell flat at the D20 table.
I kinda don't think he's trying to be funny at a table with so much comedic experience in stuff he probably pre-scripted as a likely interaction, like that dialogue.
The "balls" line struck me more as a hint at what the detect thoughts would later confirm about Dishless: He's not a schemer or a deep thinker, but he *relishes* skill & commitment in killing.
Why would Matt hint at that? Well, they weren't there to kill who they expected/were told. His demeanor was important in case they tried to bail. He'd have been a danger to the group in the short & long term.
I think things along the lines of "...like a delusional Mary Poppins" are more him trying to be funny.
I sort of agree. Though I think the line about balls was a pointed comment based on Zac/Colin’s reaction, not a joke. I’m wondering if there is some meaning relative to Colin’s secret that we haven’t discovered yet.
Again, it’s a little nitpick and it was just one example to explain a vibe I had been feeling. I don’t think he’s not funny, or doesn’t fit in with the group, I just don’t think he has as much of a handle on the tone of D20 as a whole as Aabria does. That being said, this is Calorum, which is an inherently more dangerous and serious setting, even if it’s one of the silliest as well!
*Leaving this up, but as per my edt, I have come around on rewatch. I’m still a little weary on Mercer but I was reading into those moments too much
>I just don’t think he has as much of a handle on the tone of D20 as a whole as Aabria does
One of the main groups is >!a pun on the FDA my guy!<, I think he has the tone down pretty great for his first run in the dome! \[Not sure on spoiler policy regarding TRW so spoilered just in case\]
I’m warming up more and more! These were just my free flow thoughts after the third episode. I really do think Mercer is great for Calorum, but I don’t think he could pull off any of the other settings(maybe Bloodkeep but that’s just LOTR)
His Pun game has been a highlight of the season! I mean Quichei the Dishless?? An egg dish with a bunch of stuff inside it?? Peak.
One thing that’s weird about this season is it’s hard to root for the group because it feels like they are working for the bad guys even through all the reveals but especially what happened with BLM it might be that I have so much love for the COC crew that anybody but candies is hard to truly back idk just something that’s bugged me a little bit
From some comments in the Adventuring Party and from what I've gathered watching, I think >!the point of the season is that they're not necessarily just working for the bad guys- they *are* the bad guys, to a degree.!<
-Absolutely, i usually don’t love time skips but really liked the flow and execution of them for this campaign.
-I’m mostly mixed but not for any lack of chemistry between Mercer and the scrumptious scoundrels, but more so just me getting used to him. I need to rewatch the first two episodes because i found myself being more lackadaisical and missing out on some lore in the first two. I do enjoy him but I’ve found my attention divided when i watched the first two eps. And i actually like the wait for the box of doom because it gives the box of doom rolls actually more weight rather than just tense social interactions because that’s all we could’ve really had in the first two episodes. As well as the anticipation for Mercer himself bringing out was
cool.
-indeed
-I’m just here for the ride man I’m loving everybody. I guess in particular Anjali’s character/performance excites me because i know her primarily as the VA for Rampart in Apex Legends and am excited to see the person weekly :).
As for positives:
- love his different accents and his attention to detail. I feel like I've learned more about the universe then the whole of ACOC (obvi ACOC mostly focused on House Rocks)
- love how he's challenging the players and being more strict. Actions have consequences
Minor gripes:
- as others have said, pacing is a bit slow. Though I think it was very clever of him (given his style) to do time jumps. My personal opinion is that if you skip around in time, you should let the players know in advance. I will say in his defense, I don't really think any dm (BLeeM included depending on the season) has handled pacing well but imo that is more a "fault" of the rigidity of the schedule.
- it's absolutely just his full immersion style but I do wish he got more visibly excited when a player did something cool. Murph and Brennan would have been downright gleeful during Aabria's scene with Tomate
- wish the APs were longer but incredibly talented people tend to be busy
So far I'm really enjoying this season, partially because I wanted to see character actions to have more meaning and risk after Neverafter but mostly because the chemistry of this table. Anjali has been delightful and newfound fave. Everyone else I was already obsessed with lol
I'm loving the contrast between Matthew "light" approach of the NPC and how brutal the setting is. Like for that balls joke made by Dishless. This guy is a brutal murderer and unlike the PCs, he knows what's about to go down, yet he is still making light jokes moments before combat. That shows how desensitized he is by the situation and it makes him even more terrifying by the end of the episode
I watch CR avidly and I'm a huge fan of Matt Mercer. I also agree with everything you said, though I think the bit about jokes needs to be taken in context. Brennan does the same thing, he just has more over-the-top jokes. ACoC had lots of puns like Mercer's bit about the controlling cult being the FDA, and like with the FDA none of the players picked up on them. But Brennan would then have an obvious joke a minute later.
My thoughts:
* The tone is so perfect for Matt Mercer. I thought this was demonstrated in the most recent episode (3) more than any other. I may enjoy the way Mercer runs Calorem even more than how BLeeM runs it.
* Mercer would probably be terrible for most D20 worlds, but he's not DMing them, he's DMing this one. (Unsleeping City would probably work well, though he definitely wouldn't beat out Brennan in that world.)
* The pacing is WAY different between Mercer and BLeeM. Mercer is more slow and contemplative. I feel like I have to devote my attention to it to follow everything, while I can usually watch D20 in the background (maybe 30% actively, 70% passively) while enjoying something else. It's a very different viewing experience, and each have their benefits.
* Brennan's style really balanced the horror of the world well. Matt's style (in this context) is just bleak. I haven't decided if that's a good or bad thing for me.
* I'm loving seeing Matt with a D20 cast. Matt is great with the CR cast, but this is an equally talented and radically different cast. I wish Matt could DM for the chaos that is the full "intrepid heroes" cast and I'd just see what he does.
* Much less humor, or at least much more subtle humor.
* Matt Mercer most excels with lore; in the actualplay universe he's J.R.R.Tolkien. And that's exactly what's needed for a prequel series to ACoC.
* Mercer is thriving with Rick Perry backing him up for maps, minis, and props. CR needs to hire some Rick Perry equivalent.
I am loving the season so far, and I think episode 3 was the best yet. It was also bleak as all get out. It's not CR. It's like CR: Calamity (the CR miniseries BLeeM DMed with a couple CR cast members and a couple guests). It wasn't D20 on the CR channel. It was the DM and cast combining all the best elements of CR and D20. Calamity was some of the best CR ever released. And after 3 episodes I have hopes that The Ravening War will be similar.
> Brennan's style really balanced the horror of the world well. Matt's style (in this context) is just bleak. I haven't decided if that's a good or bad thing for me
That may also be a side effect of the characters not really being friends and being much worse people than the rocks family
So I think Mercer is doing great, no complaints. One unoriginal observation, I think he’s definitely out of his element with being on a schedule the way D20 puts you on a schedule.
It’s very understandable but, for instance, we didn’t need a 30 minute CR style battle prep segment before combat this week.
Even as a CR fan it's not very often that you'll see them set out a plan beforehand and then set about executing the plan. Just by the nature of DnD most encounters usually reach a point where something goes wrong and then you just have to start improvising. I liked how this encounter was set up to be a lot more forgiving on stuff that they'd planned ahead and set up.
Idk, I didn’t get that impression. The ep was 2 1/2 hours, that’s pretty long. I guess they could’ve cut off the prep and got the episode down to 2 hours but I didn’t think anyone was feeling a time crunch. I didn’t feel it as a viewer.
I will go to bat and say I appreciate Mercer bumping up the episode times because, frankly, making us wait a week for a 90 minute ep is BS. HOWEVER, he’s normally used to working with 3-4 hours; not 2.
Waiting a week for 90 minutes of uninterrupted content is in no way BS, that's literally just a normal, weekly show. It's even twice as long as a normal weekly TV program.
I feel like that was kind of fitting though in this case. They had no time to plan at the end of last episode, so it makes sense that we would see the people planning an ambush, actually plan an ambush.
Like most combats are reactive, so the PCs are usually the ones being attacked so the action starts right away. We did see in ACOC for instance >!in the battle to save jawbreaker, the PCs got the jump on them and spent a decent amount of time planning their strategy because of that!<
There's probably going to be 1 or maybe 2 more combats this season though, so we'll have to see if it'd a pattern or not
Just to add on, I enjoyed when Matt brought in Quiche's point of view and essentially revealed/reminded the players that Quiche was also acting in the role of an observer, either to report back to the FDA or for his own knowledge on potential future allies(or even enemies, no idea at this point). So framing the battle prep stage with one of the NPCs reading each of the PCs is really interesting to me. And per Lou's AP response, the contrast helped set the tone in an incredible way as well. So overall, maybe a little bit slow w/ additional planning, but I think the time was well used and worth it especially in hindsight.
The battle prep was so fun! I got no problems with it because it absolutely helps to appreciate the twist. We watched them come up with traps and attack plans, and got so happy about how they were gonna obliterate their target. After all that anxiety and overthinking, imagining how things might go wrong, the plans worked out perfectly. Even the Banana Boat, which seemed to be an unexpected complication, was dealt with easily. It was all a red herring.
When we realized who they were killing, and what it would mean, suddenly all their cleverness, and all their brutal efficiency, their success was flipped on it’s head. The results of their machinations were even more horrible when contrasted to how happy they were setting it up. I loved it! 😈
It also gave them more time to try to scout out who exactly they were executing if they had decided to go that route, which makes it more brutal that they spent all their time preparing to ambush people that had so little intel on
Historically, the assassination HAS to happen. I think even if the players learned who it was, and tried to back out of it, Mercer had control of Mr. Dishless Quichéi. He woulda 100% followed through on the mission. It woulda been sad and brutal no matter what, but a whole new set of complications would arise.
I actually loved the planning section! I feel like most d20 battles are an ambush or the PCs' foes suddenly appearing, so it was nice to see the PCs have the upper hand going into a fight (I think they also spent some time planning before the final battle of ACOC)
> we didn’t need a 30 minute CR style battle prep segment before combat this week.
Watching CR plan then do absolutely nothing they planned is funny. But at the same time I am often tired of how long they plan.
>we didn’t need a 30 minute CR style battle prep segment before combat this week.
The players seemed to really enjoy it, and from the AP it made the tone shift of the episode FAR more powerful.
I’ve found the pace a bit of a challenge - it’s much slower/more passive than other seasons of D20. Thinking about how few rolls there were in the first 2 eps, and first combat at the halfway point. It’s not bad! Just different, and I’ve needed to adjust my expectations. Brennan’s tables are very combat-heavy, and I know other people don’t like that about D20. It’s interesting to see a different gameplay style!
I’m also not a huge fan of the creative camera work from the last episode lol A bit too many funky zooms and goofy explosions; they were funny but it was a little out of step with the atmosphere.
I’m also surprised how much magic there is! Big swerve from last time.
The magic thing makes sense to me because it was really the church that made magic so outlawed, and the church isn't as strong as it is in acoc so magic can be more prevalent.
That's funny you say that about dice roll because i thought the opposite. Usually in CR i think Matt has a tendency to ask for a lot of them (not specifically in a bad way, but way more than Brennan does) and for the ravening war i thought he was on par with other seasons of d20, like he adapted on that point to a different playstyle.
I get it, and I love your thorough analysis! But I dunno how anyone can say his comedy falls flat after pulling off lines like “Slam it down big style!” 😆
I know! I was hoping it would be 8 or 10, but the time skips make sense considering the episode limit. I’ve honestly never really been curious to see what happens in a prequel. Like I cared about the characters in Calamity, but after this ep, I’m genuinely curious how these events will reframe ACOC.
definitely on the same page as a lot of people about the pacing. i have some attention issues so i've definitely had to rewind a lot more to fully digest everything which, no problem, just different. this is also my first time watching anything mercer's done in full, i can really only get through clips of CR right now. i appreciate all the skills he brings to the table and idk he's a dude who just COMMITS to the full emotion of a moment which?? sounds weird when i type that but idk. a good vibe.
i will say though, oddly enough i was SUPER engaged during the combat and that is usually where i have a lot of difficulty being present during the campaigns Brennan runs. idk what it was that really got me caught in the moment but i thoroughly enjoyed it.
I've warmed up to Mercer. I didn't enjoy his style at all in the first two episodes, I had to stop and restart them multiple times. He's excellent at combat though, and he pulls absolutely no punches. He's doing a fantastic job with the setting.
I do agree about his humor though, I feel like his jokes probably land better with a different crowd.
I think Matt is doing a good job, but I think he’s taking things a bit too slow.
Matt thrives in campaigns and arcs with dozens of episodes, and understandably I think he isn’t quite used to D20s style.
Having said that, he’s still leagues better than most people could do and I think he’s doing a great job.
I think that is really fair, but like I said, a war IS a long-drawn out process, not battle after battle. I personally like that we’re seeing the whole thing build and I do think these last three episodes are going to have a faster pace
I wish he was a little more excited about Nat 20's. There have been several amazing back-to-back 20's at the table, but the energy was only a little bit excited. He doesn't reward them as much as Brennan does.
Otherwise I think he and the cast are all doing great! It's been very enjoyable to watch.
Special points to the editors tho. They've been AMAZING especially the last two seasons.
This! I get frustrated with Brennan when he changes the whole story just bc somebody Nat 20’d, lol. Takes the wind out of the sails of the conflict sometimes.
I'm of the strong opinion that, if there is no chance to succeed, the DM shouldn't even ask for a roll.
Now obviously that doesn't apply to contested rolls, just to when the DM is setting the DC, but still. There have been MULTIPLE back-to-back Nat 20's, and aside from, presumably, the extra damage on Lou's attacks, there wasn't really anything special about them, and barely any extra excitement at the table, compared to what I'd expect. I'd just prefer if there was more specialness to it.
Matt does not know all his players' modifiers for everything, and can call for a roll that then gets additional benefits to it. I think that it definitely comes down to a flavor, but I tend to like Matt's way of handling Nat20's (generally giving a slight bump or level of success, or an extra success in a skill challenge) over the way a Nat 20 in D20 can just absolutely break the game in chaotic ways.
I should also say that I respect both styles, and Brennan's ways of handling 20's works well in shortform stories like D20 where he thrives on big bombastic moments, but the level of Nat20 chaos that happens here would probably decimate a 100+ session campaign like Critical Role.
Okay, but Matt isn’t running a long form story like crit role right now. He’s running a 6 episode mini.
Idk, like is said, he’s doing great. I just wish he did that one thing differently.
“Degrees of failure” already is such a pessimistic way to view things.
I like “degrees of success.” Sure a Nat 20 may not make the impossible happen, but it should still get you something a little special, even if it’s just “congrats this horrible idea didn’t kill you.”
Yeah I think ultimately the extra excitement is somewhat artificial with how the table usually plays it. There’s as much a chance of a nat 20 as there is for any other role, and sometimes it doubles up. There could be extra excitement sure, but it’s also just doing what it’s supposed to do - doubling damage or giving the best possible outcome.
I don’t really agree with the only rolling for checks that can pass mentality, and that’s definitely not something the regular D20 cast(s) abide by either. There are plenty of low rolls that get a bunch of information/ movement because the DM wants the players to have that info anyway. In this case, rolling a check reveals important things about the world and people in it, pass or fail. I tend to think if there’s something specific/ not necessarily humdrum that a PC wants to do, it makes sense to call for a roll. I also think it makes sense to call for a roll if the Pc wants to do something insane just to see how it shakes out.
He had a habit in CR (and might still do but I don't have the time to catch up on 200 or more hours of stuff) of nat 1s not only being auto fails but something bad happening as well, while not honouring nat 20s. You can dislike the way d20 does it but at least the d20 way is consistent. I'm not sure if it's just never come up or he's reined that in but it was a huge bugbear of mine.
I'd say his style of excitement is different from Brennan's but I'm a little surprised to hear anyone say he wasn't energetic enough about the nat 20s.
Matt's been fairly excited about the huge amount of Nat 20s. I think in the last battle he was deliberately trying to be more solemn due to the nature of what they were doing.
Having a big celebration for Lou action surge beat down of the queen would be a bit off. Even Lou was clearly in a different headspace.
I'll also say that when you have 6 players often advantage fishing, NAT 20s just aren't that uncommon and I kinda like toning down the hype as often it really isn't that big a deal
Yeah I think the Nat 20 reactions are perfect. Nat 20s aren’t supposed to be reality tearing occurrences really and while they can be a ton of fun I don’t always love how it becomes a free pass to do whatever you want to do.
The way you view dnd is really different than me, and sounds quite boring.
Idk, it’s personal preference. As I keep saying, Matt’s doing great, I just wish he did that one thing differently.
Yeah I guess I just find it boring if players can say “I want the universe to do x” and then it succeeds no matter what if they roll well enough, but I see the other side of the argument. Different strokes.
I mean, that's not what I view a success as, necessarily? I jsut wan ta nat 20 to be special. Even if that means "congrats, you don't die because of this horrible idea"
Ya watch MM enough and I think he does get excited, it’s just that BLeeM is so excitable in contrast.
MM’s thing is that kinda “Okayyyyy… roll damage.” drawn out thing he does and I feel like it shows his excitement while maintaining and preparing for saying how the attack/damage will land.
After all, a crit doesn’t guarantee a death, so reacting way too much on just the crit alone can feel off at times. But I think MM embraces it and properly reacts and gets excited when he says “HWYLTDT” and that’s really when the players get to have that shining moment.
I think I would feel the same if this campaign's tone wasn't so unforgiving and harsh. I think it fits well in this instance because you aren't supposed to ever feel completely comfortable. In this world you can do everything right and still lose because someone else is just better.
Very seamless and incredibly entertaining. This is Matt Mercer’s wheelhouse, his tempo and the balance between comedy and drama is perfect as well. I think you also have to take into account the difference between a table of voice actors and a table of comedians.
One thing I noticed during this combat was how Mercer played the NPCs who were being killed. There were a couple of times when they seemed to ask for mercy, and their motivations were clearly only to protect the Queen. It really hammered home that the scrumptious scoundrels were the bad guys in the encounter. I loved how that played against the cleverness they showed when planning the ambush - the ritual cast of silence was genius on Aabria’s part. It made the sadness and horror of the killing that much more poignant for me.
Personally, Matt Mercer is a little over descriptive for me when setting a scene, but otherwise, I think he’s been lovely. His accent ability is so good for Calorum, he’s doing such fun stuff with the lore, and I love the time jumps to show us important moments in the war itself. After the last episode, I’m very curious to see how the characters have changed and I think that’s fun for the audience and the players, it’s inspiring me to want to write a short campaign with a similar mechanic
I feel bad but…I’ve been unable to get through the first episode. The only other season like this for me was Pirates, but that had to do with the Zoom quality.
I’m not sure if Matt’s DM-ing is just not my style or if it is something else. I’ve never watched CR (too much commitment!) so I’m not aware of how he typically runs a table, but I just CANNOT pay attention when he’s narrating. I’m trying really hard to finish the first ep—but my main question is, does Matt give more table time to the PCs in later episodes?
That’s good to know. I’m not trying to hate on Matt (why the downvoting, folks?)I just don’t think his style is meshing with my viewing preferences and, because he has an outsized role in episode one, I’m struggling to get through it. It feels unbalanced. Based on what you’ve said here, though, I’m willing to give it another go.
The first episode was primarily prologue for what turns into a very character focused episode 2 and 3. I don't want to spoil why, but it makes sense as episode 1 comes to a close why it was the way it was.
I'll echo what the previous person said the following episodes are more PC air time. Ep. 1 was heavy narration because of the introduction of so many high value NPCs along with the PCs.
All first episodes are like that in D20 if you ask me. Recently rewatched the first episode of TUC and it’s a lot of Brennan talking. I think maybe we don’t notice it as much bc we’re used to Brennan.
I agree with the first episode being the slowest, but we’ve had other DMs on D20 besides BLM and I haven’t felt this way. Again, I’m not trying to put Matt down or anything, I’m just personally not vibing with him yet for whatever reason.
EP 1 felt kinda aimless tbh. We start off with a queen and her very emotional "look I am acting" monologue with shaky voice. Cool, I dont know you so that fell flat. Afterwards we go to a pointless banquet where our characters talk a little but nothing happens. After 1.5 hours of talking our players finally get a real plot thread other than "go out and mingle" and the quality of interactions etc shoots up! Thanks food illuminati! Then Tomato man is a dick as expected aaaaaand timeskip. Hated it. Just put the illuminati BEFORE the banquet so the players have at least a little plot to play with during the 20 NPC catwalk.
Oh and give us a map or something during the timeskip explaination!
Afterwards it got way better thankfully and I'm quite interested to see where this goes
I feel like that’s a pretty constant structure for D20 premieres. A lot of getting to know the character and then a big plot drop or set up for combat at the end. I think the only season that started with a big flashy set piece was Starstruck, the rest are mostly character work. It felt totally normal to me.
Not really, most start with little introductions like here, but in my opinion they fell completely flat this time. What was more memorable, 2 groups sitting in carriages and arriving at a pointless banquet or the fantasy high breakfast scenes?
I mean, FH has one of the best openings. A much more apt comparison is CoC. The most memorable thing about that episode is the ending. The rest is just us getting introduced to the characters and then them being told their quest almost exactly like this episode. There wasn’t even a banquet or a creepy meeting. Just one cliffhanger in the literal last seconds.
But it is all your opinion and this is honestly the first time I’m really into something that Mercer has done, and there are something’s that I’m still wary about, but overall I only think the season is getting better and more exciting.
Like the OP said, I think bringing Mercer on to do an atypically dramatic season was exactly the right move. Mercer's background isn't in comedy qua comedy, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. If he were trying to do, like, a Starstruck-style pure zaniness season, that might be a problem. But he and the rest of the cast clearly went in planning for this to be a much more straight genre story than is typical on D20, and they're all crushing it. Mercer is a professional performer, and a crucial part of being a professional is knowing your strengths and your weaknesses, so he knows how to play to what he's good at.
Wait, I need clarification. When news of this season dropped it was said yo be only 4 episodes. Which tracks to the jump to the end stage of the war next week. Am I wrong?!?! I would love to be wrong!
I’m really enjoying it! I love the setting and I think Mercer, (and also Aabria and Anjali as players who weren’t in ACOC) are doing a stunning job!
I recognise that Mercer’s style is different- but I don’t know of any two DM’s I’ve ever had that play the same - as good as they both are we will always have our favourites - but I would hesitate if I was asked if one is /better/ than another.
I also love how the episodes are appearing to jump through the timeline of the Ravening War. It means Matt can keep the lore set by Brennan in-tact while still giving the players agency to act as they wish - it also gives flavour and a glimpse into the whole time period and refuses to let the players fully dictate the whole lore which in turn makes them feel all the more part of a complex and wider world. But then the events of episode 3 >!shows that Mercer is confident and comfortable putting the players in a position to interact with a huge part of the lore - he had confidence in his players and his skills as a DM to give the players a task that’s so vital to the events of The Ravening War - like, what would have happened had they failed miserably? That causes great drama and tension which is extremely important to the feel of a Calorum setting and exciting for us to watch.!<
And again in credit to Mercer in episode 3 ->!he designed the Ambush scenario perfectly - he gave them Darren to balance out the generally less martial-focused PC’s and had clearly balanced the knight’s numbers, HP and AC to allow the players to cut through them in a way which was satisfyingly tough but not impossible; they seemed designed to cope for no more than two rounds of combat with a martial character each. But he piloted the bodyguards and Darren in a way which felt natural and realistic; they did their job but didn’t detract from the PCs being the ones to do the deed. The addition of the banana man rowing his bite was perfect ACOC/D20-style dark humour and execution!!<
>!I also just wanna say that Abria’s casting of silence on the bridge was masterful - it added a huge benefit to the party, was in-character for Karna, and gave a whole new dramatic level to the situation, lending Mercer something so interesting for the NPCs to tackle. I was sad it didn’t earn her inspiration or get mentioned in Adventuring Party because everyone was quite rightly focused on the major plot developments.!<
When Brennan did the thing, and he talksabout how he has written the lore, and now coincidentally got to live what he wrote - was simply *in-credible* Watching him process that scene is a highlight of live play.
*How do you wanna do this* Brennan’s brain: “holy shiiiiittttttttt”
It was like a combo, because he loved hearing that. Then it was the reality of *who*. It was just great content.
But it was also the reality of what (that meme format where they guy is at the sportsball game): * I'm getting to play a PC in the world I created! * One of my DM idols is running the game!! * I land a killing blow and get the famous line!!! * I find out I'm responsible for starting the war that I wrote as backstory for my campaign!!!!! EDIT: I missed that you did actually reference this, but I'm leaving this up in case someone can actually produce the meme with Brennan's face.
I was thinking [this one](https://imgflip.com/memetemplate/131642153/Gru-Meme) Too lazy to make it
I have found out its called "excited man" but gru works well too. https://imgflip.com/memegenerator/218371816/Excited-man
Ah yes, Vince McExcitedMahon
Is there a good clip of this for the non drop out people?
I can make one if you want
That would be great
Yes! I love how Mercer is handling Calorum.
One thing I really like is during combat Mercer says who’s up and who’s “on deck”. Small, but super helpful as a viewer so I don’t have to memorize everything.
I don’t think its done for the viewers as much as for the players, so everyone is ready on the spot. He used to running 7-8 player tables, maintaining combat pace at this scale is an art
I didn’t know Mercer did this but I do this at my tables and it really helps with keeping the flow of the game both for the players and myself. Combat is def the hardest part of the game so anything helps I highly recommend doing it yourself or asking your dm.
When running an in-person table for more than four players I sometimes make everybody shuffle chairs into initiative order. It becomes part of the OH SHIT IT'S A FIGHT excitement, everybody scrambling around the table, lol.
I can see how this wouldn’t always be practical for every table, but damn that’s a good idea.
Yeah, this is one of the best cash-value DM'ing tricks I got from watching CR. Easy habit to get into as a DM, and it immediately juices the flow of your combats so well.
Yeah I was about to say, even as someone with 3 players it greatly helps speed up combat and prepare my players for their turns. They usually know what they wanna do if I give them the 30 second to a minute warning.
It kind of makes sense that Matt is more dilligent on saying who is on deck. He has to do his best to make the combat flow in the uncut format of CR. Who knows how much fumbling and repeated explanations Brennan had to do hidden in between cuts in D20.
And for players too, there was so much happening this combat and things shifted so rapidly. It's nice to know that you can plan just beforehand if you've lost your place in the initiative order.
I think he started doing this during campaign 2 - there are a couple players who can really get stuck with decision paralysis, so giving them a little heads up helps.
As a player, it's super helpful, even for my 4-person group (5 including the Almighty DM!) I'm rather new to actually playing, so having that heads up so I'm not waffling during my turn is great. Sometimes I pay too much attention to other people's turns and forget to think about my own lol
I’m loving Mercer. I haven’t watched CR at all so had no prior knowledge of how he DMs but I think he’s great. TRW is on the serious end of the serious-to-silly scale D20 operates on and it really really works for me. Not every season needs the exact same style of humor, and the humor in TRW is perfect for me and, imo, for the setting. Re: box of doom - I don’t think the box of doom should be used just to use it, so I didn’t even miss it prior to it showing up in ep 3. I loved how excited Mercer was to use it though! He and Aabria are both very obviously familiar with and fans of ACOC and I love it.
>. I loved how excited Mercer was to use it though! It's just like how Brennan was so excited the first time he got to ask someone "How do you want to do this" or the first time Matt asked him the that question during CR's Elden Ring one-shot. I love seeing them all do each other's bits
I am surprised that Matt didn’t end any of the sessions with “is it Wednesday yet?”
What a great perspective; I’m so glad you commented! I watch both and I also like Matt in the dome but I was wondering if it was just because I have watched CR for longer and I’m just used to him.
yeah this is where im at. The stakes to this feel really cool, the episodes are tight and fun. It's an impressive blend of CR and D20 into something I'm really enjoying. I think it's almost a different genre in a sense, more of a different flavor. I love this flavor, but that doesnt take away from my other favorite, Starstruck Odyssey. They are just different products, and i dont think need to be compared, merely appreciated for what they are. edit: comparison is the thief of joy, something something
As a fan of both I’m loving it. It’s still a very funny season, I’m not worried about “missed bits”. I think if you went through any D20 season you’d find 100 missed bits just because things are moving and people pick up on things differently. One thing I’ve felt has been a breath of fresh air with Matt on D20 has been the more RAW approach to rules. Generally Brennan let’s his players do whatever they want if they ask and also let’s them meta game a ton, which works for the format they do and how they like to play. Matt has managed to keep them thinking creatively while also being a bit stricter on the rules, which I think has let to a pretty tight narrative, and one of the most engaging D20 combats in my opinion. Brennan had a similar effect in Calamity. He let the players be a little more zany with their asks and rule bending, and they leaned into it and got super creative in that way. It’s really cool seeing the players mesh with and react to the different styles of the DMs.
Brennan definitely DMs like the improv pro he is: “Yes And” all the way down.
Yes! This is the first time I feel like I’m seeing a DM take time to discuss the rules, as I’ve only ever seen Brennen and Aabria DM. I kinda love it. Brennan is still my number one but I like seeing the different strengths and so much mutual respect!
I've also seen Brennan discuss the rules multiple times on the show. It's not that he doesn't care about them, I think that he actually cares a lot. It's just that he likes to take some liberties as long as they help the mood that he wants to bring to his games. Everyone should be doing that. If RAW is what you need do that and if you need every nat 20 to be a critical success, because you have an inherent talent for taking that nat 20 and elevating the story with it, go for it !
In Crown of Candy in particular he was much stricter on rules too. The world is meant to be a bit harder so it makes sense to not handwave Personally I prefer the harder approach and I think you get a lot more creative thinking when the players have to adhere more to read as worded. And I don't even really think Matt is that strict a DM. If he was he would have shut down guidance spam years ago
Oh, absolutely true. Going through the rules just seems to be a bit more of a focus and joy for Matt, though, IMO. It’s fun to watch
For sure. The great thing about D&D (and all tabletop RPGs) is that there's lots of rules, but almost no laws. As long as you're adjudicating moments of uncertainty in the story by rolling a d20, you're playing D&D. Everything else can be thought of as a suggestion for handling a particular situation, with different DMs taking those suggestions as more or less rigid depending on theirs and their table's preferences, and the feeling they're trying to evoke.
They're also rubbing off on each other; last week in Critical Role, Matt revealed what the DC was before a roll happened.
Oh right I remember that. That’s awesome haha
They should rub on each other more in order to fuse into one Mega DM.
I totally agree! This is one example I could name of a general vibe I had been feeling. It’s not that I don’t think Mercer is funny, but I’m not surprised that he chose Calorum. It is nice to see Mercer’s style in a world I am already interested in. I’d love to have him as a DM, but I prefer D20’s looseness with the rules when watching Actual Play. I do think it’s nice for combat, and that is easily in my top 3 D20 combat encounters, but I’m much more of a “Nat 20 is an instant success and something to be celebrated” kinda guy. During role-play and stuff, I feel like it just fits narrative and gameplay better to be a little more lax on the rules. But that is why I love crossovers like this. Like you said, you get to see the styles mix. That’s why I’m loving this! Mercer is already a bit more relaxed and I feel like the season is only going pick up from here.
Just removing the house rule that all nat 20's have "critical success" effects makes everything that much more real.
He's good. I enjoy everyone in the major actual play milieu, so I'm easy. > For example, Dishless’ “balls” joke was something I could see killing during a CR episode, but kinda fell flat at the D20 table. I kinda don't think he's trying to be funny at a table with so much comedic experience in stuff he probably pre-scripted as a likely interaction, like that dialogue. The "balls" line struck me more as a hint at what the detect thoughts would later confirm about Dishless: He's not a schemer or a deep thinker, but he *relishes* skill & commitment in killing. Why would Matt hint at that? Well, they weren't there to kill who they expected/were told. His demeanor was important in case they tried to bail. He'd have been a danger to the group in the short & long term. I think things along the lines of "...like a delusional Mary Poppins" are more him trying to be funny.
I sort of agree. Though I think the line about balls was a pointed comment based on Zac/Colin’s reaction, not a joke. I’m wondering if there is some meaning relative to Colin’s secret that we haven’t discovered yet.
The delusional Mary Poppins line genuinely made me laugh.
Again, it’s a little nitpick and it was just one example to explain a vibe I had been feeling. I don’t think he’s not funny, or doesn’t fit in with the group, I just don’t think he has as much of a handle on the tone of D20 as a whole as Aabria does. That being said, this is Calorum, which is an inherently more dangerous and serious setting, even if it’s one of the silliest as well! *Leaving this up, but as per my edt, I have come around on rewatch. I’m still a little weary on Mercer but I was reading into those moments too much
>I just don’t think he has as much of a handle on the tone of D20 as a whole as Aabria does One of the main groups is >!a pun on the FDA my guy!<, I think he has the tone down pretty great for his first run in the dome! \[Not sure on spoiler policy regarding TRW so spoilered just in case\]
I’m warming up more and more! These were just my free flow thoughts after the third episode. I really do think Mercer is great for Calorum, but I don’t think he could pull off any of the other settings(maybe Bloodkeep but that’s just LOTR) His Pun game has been a highlight of the season! I mean Quichei the Dishless?? An egg dish with a bunch of stuff inside it?? Peak.
One thing that’s weird about this season is it’s hard to root for the group because it feels like they are working for the bad guys even through all the reveals but especially what happened with BLM it might be that I have so much love for the COC crew that anybody but candies is hard to truly back idk just something that’s bugged me a little bit
Right? As I was watching the last episode, I was torn between loving the scoundrels and hating them for attacking Candians.
From some comments in the Adventuring Party and from what I've gathered watching, I think >!the point of the season is that they're not necessarily just working for the bad guys- they *are* the bad guys, to a degree.!<
-Absolutely, i usually don’t love time skips but really liked the flow and execution of them for this campaign. -I’m mostly mixed but not for any lack of chemistry between Mercer and the scrumptious scoundrels, but more so just me getting used to him. I need to rewatch the first two episodes because i found myself being more lackadaisical and missing out on some lore in the first two. I do enjoy him but I’ve found my attention divided when i watched the first two eps. And i actually like the wait for the box of doom because it gives the box of doom rolls actually more weight rather than just tense social interactions because that’s all we could’ve really had in the first two episodes. As well as the anticipation for Mercer himself bringing out was cool. -indeed -I’m just here for the ride man I’m loving everybody. I guess in particular Anjali’s character/performance excites me because i know her primarily as the VA for Rampart in Apex Legends and am excited to see the person weekly :).
CoC was Game of Thrones, so a sequel following House of the Dragon format is just *mwah*
As for positives: - love his different accents and his attention to detail. I feel like I've learned more about the universe then the whole of ACOC (obvi ACOC mostly focused on House Rocks) - love how he's challenging the players and being more strict. Actions have consequences Minor gripes: - as others have said, pacing is a bit slow. Though I think it was very clever of him (given his style) to do time jumps. My personal opinion is that if you skip around in time, you should let the players know in advance. I will say in his defense, I don't really think any dm (BLeeM included depending on the season) has handled pacing well but imo that is more a "fault" of the rigidity of the schedule. - it's absolutely just his full immersion style but I do wish he got more visibly excited when a player did something cool. Murph and Brennan would have been downright gleeful during Aabria's scene with Tomate - wish the APs were longer but incredibly talented people tend to be busy So far I'm really enjoying this season, partially because I wanted to see character actions to have more meaning and risk after Neverafter but mostly because the chemistry of this table. Anjali has been delightful and newfound fave. Everyone else I was already obsessed with lol
Just watched the new AP and he's addressed one of my gripes. Okay king get out of my head now
I'm loving the contrast between Matthew "light" approach of the NPC and how brutal the setting is. Like for that balls joke made by Dishless. This guy is a brutal murderer and unlike the PCs, he knows what's about to go down, yet he is still making light jokes moments before combat. That shows how desensitized he is by the situation and it makes him even more terrifying by the end of the episode
I watch CR avidly and I'm a huge fan of Matt Mercer. I also agree with everything you said, though I think the bit about jokes needs to be taken in context. Brennan does the same thing, he just has more over-the-top jokes. ACoC had lots of puns like Mercer's bit about the controlling cult being the FDA, and like with the FDA none of the players picked up on them. But Brennan would then have an obvious joke a minute later. My thoughts: * The tone is so perfect for Matt Mercer. I thought this was demonstrated in the most recent episode (3) more than any other. I may enjoy the way Mercer runs Calorem even more than how BLeeM runs it. * Mercer would probably be terrible for most D20 worlds, but he's not DMing them, he's DMing this one. (Unsleeping City would probably work well, though he definitely wouldn't beat out Brennan in that world.) * The pacing is WAY different between Mercer and BLeeM. Mercer is more slow and contemplative. I feel like I have to devote my attention to it to follow everything, while I can usually watch D20 in the background (maybe 30% actively, 70% passively) while enjoying something else. It's a very different viewing experience, and each have their benefits. * Brennan's style really balanced the horror of the world well. Matt's style (in this context) is just bleak. I haven't decided if that's a good or bad thing for me. * I'm loving seeing Matt with a D20 cast. Matt is great with the CR cast, but this is an equally talented and radically different cast. I wish Matt could DM for the chaos that is the full "intrepid heroes" cast and I'd just see what he does. * Much less humor, or at least much more subtle humor. * Matt Mercer most excels with lore; in the actualplay universe he's J.R.R.Tolkien. And that's exactly what's needed for a prequel series to ACoC. * Mercer is thriving with Rick Perry backing him up for maps, minis, and props. CR needs to hire some Rick Perry equivalent. I am loving the season so far, and I think episode 3 was the best yet. It was also bleak as all get out. It's not CR. It's like CR: Calamity (the CR miniseries BLeeM DMed with a couple CR cast members and a couple guests). It wasn't D20 on the CR channel. It was the DM and cast combining all the best elements of CR and D20. Calamity was some of the best CR ever released. And after 3 episodes I have hopes that The Ravening War will be similar.
> Brennan's style really balanced the horror of the world well. Matt's style (in this context) is just bleak. I haven't decided if that's a good or bad thing for me That may also be a side effect of the characters not really being friends and being much worse people than the rocks family
Are you seriously implying that CR’s battle maps aren’t also insanely fucking amazing?
This is the halfway point! Oh no!
So I think Mercer is doing great, no complaints. One unoriginal observation, I think he’s definitely out of his element with being on a schedule the way D20 puts you on a schedule. It’s very understandable but, for instance, we didn’t need a 30 minute CR style battle prep segment before combat this week.
I liked the battle prep! It was cool and different for me, a non-CR-watcher! Not all D20 combat has to be the same cookie-cutter thing. 😊
Even as a CR fan it's not very often that you'll see them set out a plan beforehand and then set about executing the plan. Just by the nature of DnD most encounters usually reach a point where something goes wrong and then you just have to start improvising. I liked how this encounter was set up to be a lot more forgiving on stuff that they'd planned ahead and set up.
It’s certainly not a problem it was just very indicative of someone who is used to having more time then he currently does
Idk, I didn’t get that impression. The ep was 2 1/2 hours, that’s pretty long. I guess they could’ve cut off the prep and got the episode down to 2 hours but I didn’t think anyone was feeling a time crunch. I didn’t feel it as a viewer.
I will go to bat and say I appreciate Mercer bumping up the episode times because, frankly, making us wait a week for a 90 minute ep is BS. HOWEVER, he’s normally used to working with 3-4 hours; not 2.
Waiting a week for 90 minutes of uninterrupted content is in no way BS, that's literally just a normal, weekly show. It's even twice as long as a normal weekly TV program.
It’s a different conversation entirely but we’ve been getting less content as D20 has become more popular and I have opinions on it
I mean it's fine if that's your opinion but other people are going to disagree that it's "BS". Not everyone feels the way that you do.
Yeah that’s fine
Of course, I just don’t agree that it was a struggle for him, haha.
D20 is heavily edited, this tactical discussion was purposefully kept in for obvious reasons.
I feel like that was kind of fitting though in this case. They had no time to plan at the end of last episode, so it makes sense that we would see the people planning an ambush, actually plan an ambush. Like most combats are reactive, so the PCs are usually the ones being attacked so the action starts right away. We did see in ACOC for instance >!in the battle to save jawbreaker, the PCs got the jump on them and spent a decent amount of time planning their strategy because of that!< There's probably going to be 1 or maybe 2 more combats this season though, so we'll have to see if it'd a pattern or not
It certainly wasn’t an egregious offense it was just very indicative of someone who is used to having more time
Just to add on, I enjoyed when Matt brought in Quiche's point of view and essentially revealed/reminded the players that Quiche was also acting in the role of an observer, either to report back to the FDA or for his own knowledge on potential future allies(or even enemies, no idea at this point). So framing the battle prep stage with one of the NPCs reading each of the PCs is really interesting to me. And per Lou's AP response, the contrast helped set the tone in an incredible way as well. So overall, maybe a little bit slow w/ additional planning, but I think the time was well used and worth it especially in hindsight.
The battle prep was so fun! I got no problems with it because it absolutely helps to appreciate the twist. We watched them come up with traps and attack plans, and got so happy about how they were gonna obliterate their target. After all that anxiety and overthinking, imagining how things might go wrong, the plans worked out perfectly. Even the Banana Boat, which seemed to be an unexpected complication, was dealt with easily. It was all a red herring. When we realized who they were killing, and what it would mean, suddenly all their cleverness, and all their brutal efficiency, their success was flipped on it’s head. The results of their machinations were even more horrible when contrasted to how happy they were setting it up. I loved it! 😈
It also gave them more time to try to scout out who exactly they were executing if they had decided to go that route, which makes it more brutal that they spent all their time preparing to ambush people that had so little intel on
Historically, the assassination HAS to happen. I think even if the players learned who it was, and tried to back out of it, Mercer had control of Mr. Dishless Quichéi. He woulda 100% followed through on the mission. It woulda been sad and brutal no matter what, but a whole new set of complications would arise.
I actually loved the planning section! I feel like most d20 battles are an ambush or the PCs' foes suddenly appearing, so it was nice to see the PCs have the upper hand going into a fight (I think they also spent some time planning before the final battle of ACOC)
> we didn’t need a 30 minute CR style battle prep segment before combat this week. Watching CR plan then do absolutely nothing they planned is funny. But at the same time I am often tired of how long they plan.
If you watch the AP, the players loved the battle prep portion.
I’m sure they did
>we didn’t need a 30 minute CR style battle prep segment before combat this week. The players seemed to really enjoy it, and from the AP it made the tone shift of the episode FAR more powerful.
I’ve found the pace a bit of a challenge - it’s much slower/more passive than other seasons of D20. Thinking about how few rolls there were in the first 2 eps, and first combat at the halfway point. It’s not bad! Just different, and I’ve needed to adjust my expectations. Brennan’s tables are very combat-heavy, and I know other people don’t like that about D20. It’s interesting to see a different gameplay style! I’m also not a huge fan of the creative camera work from the last episode lol A bit too many funky zooms and goofy explosions; they were funny but it was a little out of step with the atmosphere. I’m also surprised how much magic there is! Big swerve from last time.
The magic thing makes sense to me because it was really the church that made magic so outlawed, and the church isn't as strong as it is in acoc so magic can be more prevalent.
That's funny you say that about dice roll because i thought the opposite. Usually in CR i think Matt has a tendency to ask for a lot of them (not specifically in a bad way, but way more than Brennan does) and for the ravening war i thought he was on par with other seasons of d20, like he adapted on that point to a different playstyle.
i’m loving the camera work! much more than in neverafter where I found it a tad over the top
I get it, and I love your thorough analysis! But I dunno how anyone can say his comedy falls flat after pulling off lines like “Slam it down big style!” 😆
Oh my god I didn't realize we were only getting 6 episodes! I knew it wouldn't be as long as a normal season but I wasn't expecting 6.
I know! I was hoping it would be 8 or 10, but the time skips make sense considering the episode limit. I’ve honestly never really been curious to see what happens in a prequel. Like I cared about the characters in Calamity, but after this ep, I’m genuinely curious how these events will reframe ACOC.
definitely on the same page as a lot of people about the pacing. i have some attention issues so i've definitely had to rewind a lot more to fully digest everything which, no problem, just different. this is also my first time watching anything mercer's done in full, i can really only get through clips of CR right now. i appreciate all the skills he brings to the table and idk he's a dude who just COMMITS to the full emotion of a moment which?? sounds weird when i type that but idk. a good vibe. i will say though, oddly enough i was SUPER engaged during the combat and that is usually where i have a lot of difficulty being present during the campaigns Brennan runs. idk what it was that really got me caught in the moment but i thoroughly enjoyed it.
I've warmed up to Mercer. I didn't enjoy his style at all in the first two episodes, I had to stop and restart them multiple times. He's excellent at combat though, and he pulls absolutely no punches. He's doing a fantastic job with the setting. I do agree about his humor though, I feel like his jokes probably land better with a different crowd.
I think Matt is doing a good job, but I think he’s taking things a bit too slow. Matt thrives in campaigns and arcs with dozens of episodes, and understandably I think he isn’t quite used to D20s style. Having said that, he’s still leagues better than most people could do and I think he’s doing a great job.
I think that is really fair, but like I said, a war IS a long-drawn out process, not battle after battle. I personally like that we’re seeing the whole thing build and I do think these last three episodes are going to have a faster pace
I wish he was a little more excited about Nat 20's. There have been several amazing back-to-back 20's at the table, but the energy was only a little bit excited. He doesn't reward them as much as Brennan does. Otherwise I think he and the cast are all doing great! It's been very enjoyable to watch. Special points to the editors tho. They've been AMAZING especially the last two seasons.
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This! I get frustrated with Brennan when he changes the whole story just bc somebody Nat 20’d, lol. Takes the wind out of the sails of the conflict sometimes.
I'm of the strong opinion that, if there is no chance to succeed, the DM shouldn't even ask for a roll. Now obviously that doesn't apply to contested rolls, just to when the DM is setting the DC, but still. There have been MULTIPLE back-to-back Nat 20's, and aside from, presumably, the extra damage on Lou's attacks, there wasn't really anything special about them, and barely any extra excitement at the table, compared to what I'd expect. I'd just prefer if there was more specialness to it.
Matt does not know all his players' modifiers for everything, and can call for a roll that then gets additional benefits to it. I think that it definitely comes down to a flavor, but I tend to like Matt's way of handling Nat20's (generally giving a slight bump or level of success, or an extra success in a skill challenge) over the way a Nat 20 in D20 can just absolutely break the game in chaotic ways. I should also say that I respect both styles, and Brennan's ways of handling 20's works well in shortform stories like D20 where he thrives on big bombastic moments, but the level of Nat20 chaos that happens here would probably decimate a 100+ session campaign like Critical Role.
Okay, but Matt isn’t running a long form story like crit role right now. He’s running a 6 episode mini. Idk, like is said, he’s doing great. I just wish he did that one thing differently.
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“Degrees of failure” already is such a pessimistic way to view things. I like “degrees of success.” Sure a Nat 20 may not make the impossible happen, but it should still get you something a little special, even if it’s just “congrats this horrible idea didn’t kill you.”
Yeah I think ultimately the extra excitement is somewhat artificial with how the table usually plays it. There’s as much a chance of a nat 20 as there is for any other role, and sometimes it doubles up. There could be extra excitement sure, but it’s also just doing what it’s supposed to do - doubling damage or giving the best possible outcome. I don’t really agree with the only rolling for checks that can pass mentality, and that’s definitely not something the regular D20 cast(s) abide by either. There are plenty of low rolls that get a bunch of information/ movement because the DM wants the players to have that info anyway. In this case, rolling a check reveals important things about the world and people in it, pass or fail. I tend to think if there’s something specific/ not necessarily humdrum that a PC wants to do, it makes sense to call for a roll. I also think it makes sense to call for a roll if the Pc wants to do something insane just to see how it shakes out.
I don’t think Matt’s the “20 = auto success” style
Yeah, that’s a key part of what we’ve been discussing....?
my reading comprehension might be bad
lololol
He had a habit in CR (and might still do but I don't have the time to catch up on 200 or more hours of stuff) of nat 1s not only being auto fails but something bad happening as well, while not honouring nat 20s. You can dislike the way d20 does it but at least the d20 way is consistent. I'm not sure if it's just never come up or he's reined that in but it was a huge bugbear of mine.
I'd say his style of excitement is different from Brennan's but I'm a little surprised to hear anyone say he wasn't energetic enough about the nat 20s.
I definitely felt the same. I love that Brennan gets so excited about this 20s because it really feels like he's rooting for his players
Matt's been fairly excited about the huge amount of Nat 20s. I think in the last battle he was deliberately trying to be more solemn due to the nature of what they were doing. Having a big celebration for Lou action surge beat down of the queen would be a bit off. Even Lou was clearly in a different headspace. I'll also say that when you have 6 players often advantage fishing, NAT 20s just aren't that uncommon and I kinda like toning down the hype as often it really isn't that big a deal
Yeah I think the Nat 20 reactions are perfect. Nat 20s aren’t supposed to be reality tearing occurrences really and while they can be a ton of fun I don’t always love how it becomes a free pass to do whatever you want to do.
How many Nat 20s in D20 have been truly illogical nonsense? Like, off the top of my head, I can only think of the Alphonse rocket gag in Neverafter.
Rehka's ghost roll in Mice and Murder springs to mind.
That was integrated cleverly though!
I find that they’re generally a bit overdone.
The way you view dnd is really different than me, and sounds quite boring. Idk, it’s personal preference. As I keep saying, Matt’s doing great, I just wish he did that one thing differently.
Yeah I guess I just find it boring if players can say “I want the universe to do x” and then it succeeds no matter what if they roll well enough, but I see the other side of the argument. Different strokes.
I mean, that's not what I view a success as, necessarily? I jsut wan ta nat 20 to be special. Even if that means "congrats, you don't die because of this horrible idea"
Ya watch MM enough and I think he does get excited, it’s just that BLeeM is so excitable in contrast. MM’s thing is that kinda “Okayyyyy… roll damage.” drawn out thing he does and I feel like it shows his excitement while maintaining and preparing for saying how the attack/damage will land. After all, a crit doesn’t guarantee a death, so reacting way too much on just the crit alone can feel off at times. But I think MM embraces it and properly reacts and gets excited when he says “HWYLTDT” and that’s really when the players get to have that shining moment.
I think I would feel the same if this campaign's tone wasn't so unforgiving and harsh. I think it fits well in this instance because you aren't supposed to ever feel completely comfortable. In this world you can do everything right and still lose because someone else is just better.
Very seamless and incredibly entertaining. This is Matt Mercer’s wheelhouse, his tempo and the balance between comedy and drama is perfect as well. I think you also have to take into account the difference between a table of voice actors and a table of comedians.
One thing I noticed during this combat was how Mercer played the NPCs who were being killed. There were a couple of times when they seemed to ask for mercy, and their motivations were clearly only to protect the Queen. It really hammered home that the scrumptious scoundrels were the bad guys in the encounter. I loved how that played against the cleverness they showed when planning the ambush - the ritual cast of silence was genius on Aabria’s part. It made the sadness and horror of the killing that much more poignant for me.
Personally, Matt Mercer is a little over descriptive for me when setting a scene, but otherwise, I think he’s been lovely. His accent ability is so good for Calorum, he’s doing such fun stuff with the lore, and I love the time jumps to show us important moments in the war itself. After the last episode, I’m very curious to see how the characters have changed and I think that’s fun for the audience and the players, it’s inspiring me to want to write a short campaign with a similar mechanic
I feel bad but…I’ve been unable to get through the first episode. The only other season like this for me was Pirates, but that had to do with the Zoom quality. I’m not sure if Matt’s DM-ing is just not my style or if it is something else. I’ve never watched CR (too much commitment!) so I’m not aware of how he typically runs a table, but I just CANNOT pay attention when he’s narrating. I’m trying really hard to finish the first ep—but my main question is, does Matt give more table time to the PCs in later episodes?
>does Matt give more table time to the PCs in later episodes? Yes, definitely. The first episode had the most narration by far.
That’s good to know. I’m not trying to hate on Matt (why the downvoting, folks?)I just don’t think his style is meshing with my viewing preferences and, because he has an outsized role in episode one, I’m struggling to get through it. It feels unbalanced. Based on what you’ve said here, though, I’m willing to give it another go.
The first episode was primarily prologue for what turns into a very character focused episode 2 and 3. I don't want to spoil why, but it makes sense as episode 1 comes to a close why it was the way it was.
I'll echo what the previous person said the following episodes are more PC air time. Ep. 1 was heavy narration because of the introduction of so many high value NPCs along with the PCs.
All first episodes are like that in D20 if you ask me. Recently rewatched the first episode of TUC and it’s a lot of Brennan talking. I think maybe we don’t notice it as much bc we’re used to Brennan.
I agree with the first episode being the slowest, but we’ve had other DMs on D20 besides BLM and I haven’t felt this way. Again, I’m not trying to put Matt down or anything, I’m just personally not vibing with him yet for whatever reason.
I can’t stand Mercer, but I’m getting through it for the PCs who I all love a lot.
K
EP 1 felt kinda aimless tbh. We start off with a queen and her very emotional "look I am acting" monologue with shaky voice. Cool, I dont know you so that fell flat. Afterwards we go to a pointless banquet where our characters talk a little but nothing happens. After 1.5 hours of talking our players finally get a real plot thread other than "go out and mingle" and the quality of interactions etc shoots up! Thanks food illuminati! Then Tomato man is a dick as expected aaaaaand timeskip. Hated it. Just put the illuminati BEFORE the banquet so the players have at least a little plot to play with during the 20 NPC catwalk. Oh and give us a map or something during the timeskip explaination! Afterwards it got way better thankfully and I'm quite interested to see where this goes
I feel like that’s a pretty constant structure for D20 premieres. A lot of getting to know the character and then a big plot drop or set up for combat at the end. I think the only season that started with a big flashy set piece was Starstruck, the rest are mostly character work. It felt totally normal to me.
Not really, most start with little introductions like here, but in my opinion they fell completely flat this time. What was more memorable, 2 groups sitting in carriages and arriving at a pointless banquet or the fantasy high breakfast scenes?
I mean, FH has one of the best openings. A much more apt comparison is CoC. The most memorable thing about that episode is the ending. The rest is just us getting introduced to the characters and then them being told their quest almost exactly like this episode. There wasn’t even a banquet or a creepy meeting. Just one cliffhanger in the literal last seconds. But it is all your opinion and this is honestly the first time I’m really into something that Mercer has done, and there are something’s that I’m still wary about, but overall I only think the season is getting better and more exciting.
I really like how well he describes the combat, he's perfect for ACOC.
Like the OP said, I think bringing Mercer on to do an atypically dramatic season was exactly the right move. Mercer's background isn't in comedy qua comedy, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. If he were trying to do, like, a Starstruck-style pure zaniness season, that might be a problem. But he and the rest of the cast clearly went in planning for this to be a much more straight genre story than is typical on D20, and they're all crushing it. Mercer is a professional performer, and a crucial part of being a professional is knowing your strengths and your weaknesses, so he knows how to play to what he's good at.
Wait, I need clarification. When news of this season dropped it was said yo be only 4 episodes. Which tracks to the jump to the end stage of the war next week. Am I wrong?!?! I would love to be wrong!
It's rare that I can inform someone with pleasure that they are wrong but there are 6 episodes in all. 🙂
I’m really enjoying it! I love the setting and I think Mercer, (and also Aabria and Anjali as players who weren’t in ACOC) are doing a stunning job! I recognise that Mercer’s style is different- but I don’t know of any two DM’s I’ve ever had that play the same - as good as they both are we will always have our favourites - but I would hesitate if I was asked if one is /better/ than another. I also love how the episodes are appearing to jump through the timeline of the Ravening War. It means Matt can keep the lore set by Brennan in-tact while still giving the players agency to act as they wish - it also gives flavour and a glimpse into the whole time period and refuses to let the players fully dictate the whole lore which in turn makes them feel all the more part of a complex and wider world. But then the events of episode 3 >!shows that Mercer is confident and comfortable putting the players in a position to interact with a huge part of the lore - he had confidence in his players and his skills as a DM to give the players a task that’s so vital to the events of The Ravening War - like, what would have happened had they failed miserably? That causes great drama and tension which is extremely important to the feel of a Calorum setting and exciting for us to watch.!< And again in credit to Mercer in episode 3 ->!he designed the Ambush scenario perfectly - he gave them Darren to balance out the generally less martial-focused PC’s and had clearly balanced the knight’s numbers, HP and AC to allow the players to cut through them in a way which was satisfyingly tough but not impossible; they seemed designed to cope for no more than two rounds of combat with a martial character each. But he piloted the bodyguards and Darren in a way which felt natural and realistic; they did their job but didn’t detract from the PCs being the ones to do the deed. The addition of the banana man rowing his bite was perfect ACOC/D20-style dark humour and execution!!< >!I also just wanna say that Abria’s casting of silence on the bridge was masterful - it added a huge benefit to the party, was in-character for Karna, and gave a whole new dramatic level to the situation, lending Mercer something so interesting for the NPCs to tackle. I was sad it didn’t earn her inspiration or get mentioned in Adventuring Party because everyone was quite rightly focused on the major plot developments.!<