Critical Role: Improvising Magic

"Hello everyone and welcome to tonight's episode of Critical Role, where a bunch of us nerdy-ass voice actors roll dice and play Dungeons & Dragons!"

Nearly every Thursday night at 10 PM (EST), Geek & Sundry broadcasts a live Dungeons & Dragons show titled Critical Role. Featuring the talented faces of a repertory of high-profile voice actors that have been in pretty much every video game or anime released in the last fifteen years, it hopes to enthrall and enrapture any comers who are willing to sit for three hours and watch a bunch of people play tabletop roleplaying games. It may not sound like the best way to spend one's Thursday night, but those who persevere will find a show relentless in its pursuit of excellent storytelling.

A large part of the show's success comes from its cast, a collection of Los Angeles-based voice actors whose collective IMDB credits can be summed up as "pretty much everyone in everything." While the previous statement is hyperbole, one would be hard-pressed to find a video game or anime that doesn't feature at least one of these actors. And, of course, that's exactly what they are - actors, and that feeds deeply into why they become perfect players. In a game of Dungeons & Dragons, players can often choose two different paths: the wargame path, which focuses mainly on combat and encounters, and the roleplaying path, which fosters more nuanced social interactions and character development. Being that the Critical Role actors' whole lives are about playing other characters, they fall easily into the latter category.

The skill with which these actors handle the roleplaying is awe-inspiring at times. There is a moment in Episode 59 where Laura Bailey's character Vex speaks with Taliesen Jaffe's character Percy about her insecurities. Coming off the heels of realizing that their party had been bamboozled, Vex initially lashes out at Percy before controlling herself. Vex stops Percy before he has the chance to leave the room. There's a hint of hesitation before Vex nervously asks Percy if she looks like she can pass for being rich, concerned about the way that her father might perceive her since it looks like they might be going to him for help soon. Percy comforts her, telling her that being rich isn't all that it's cracked up to be. "Honestly dear," he says with a sly smile. "You're too happy to be wealthy."

It's quite a simple character beat but it's handled with such deftness and such honesty that one might be forgiven if they forgot that all of this is being improvised on the spot by the actors. Just by the nature of D&D, they don't know what's coming next. They don't know what twists and turns that their Dungeon Master has in store for them. What helps is that these actors aren't just here for a paycheck. They're friends and co-workers who are truly comrades-in-arms, best friends in the world. They're like family. Oftentimes, it isn't acting; it's just their genuine hearts bared out to an audience. What's also encouraging is the love that these actors obviously have for these characters. They are passionate about them and their acting reflects that.

Speaking of their characters, they seem like standard D&D fare to begin with. A dumb barbarian, a nature-loving druid, a loner rogue, a ranger with a loveable animal companion, a holy cleric, and a comical bard. But these are archetypes that are discarded as the show goes on. The dumb barbarian Grog is shown to be surprisingly wise and insightful at times, along with being exceptionally loyal. The holy cleric Pike has no shortage of raunchy moments that show that she's no ordinary priestess. The bard Scanlan has deep-seated abandonment issues that cause him to lash out when pushed to the brink. It goes on and on, and there's no shortage of moments where these characters stop being characters and start to feel like real people.

What lets them do all this, of course, is their ever-cheerful Dungeon Master, Matthew Mercer whose improvisational skill is insane. He is the chief storyteller, the one who portrays all of the non-player characters, the one who comes up with the settings and events that pepper their campaign. The way he infuses his descriptions with such flair and the way that he seamlessly shifts from one character to another while mainting such tight continuity and focus is ridiculous. In addition, he's constantly friendly and always a fair arbitrator. His characters are memorable, his enemies infuriating, and his battles challenging. It's admirable and inspiring and the pinnacle of how a Dungeon Master should conduct his game.

In the end, Critical Role isn't just livestreamed D&D. It's beyond that. It's a group of people who love what they do and love each other that are letting us in on three hours worth of pure storytelling.