Critical Role Models

Love is in the air! This week we discuss how you can bring romance to your table like the cast of Critical Role. We use one example from each campaign to demonstrate how the cast establishes healthy communication and boundaries when embarking on a romance. We'll also talk about what happens when a romance doesn't work out and how to prevent character bleed. Romance is a daunting step to take in roleplay, but we are here to help you make it a success at your table!

We finish up our discussion on Worldbuilding by talking about collaboration using examples of the three Critical Role DMs (Brennan, Aabria and Matt).

Then we talk about map making, the advantages and disadvantages, and how you can get started.

You can follow Scott on Insta: @skawtsalot.studio

This week's episode is extra special: it's the first time we have a guest join us; which leads to it being our longest episode to date; and worldbuilding is such a big topic we split it into two parts!

Writer and cartographer, Scott Mayfield, joins us to discuss the many different aspects of worldbuilding, from balancing story view and worldview to not getting overwhelmed by the logistics or the details.

The book we pull from is called Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction written by Jeff VanderMeer.

You can find Scott on Instagram at skawtsalot.studio .

We are starting off the year with an intense topic. Character death doesn't always mean the end, sometimes there is a rebirth. We talk about how Critical Role makes death a gift to the story and how you can do the same.

This episode covers planned and unplanned deaths in Campaign 2 and early Campaign 3, and the significant experience it holds for the players at the table.

Prepare to get inspired this episode as we go over the many approaches to character creation, and we get inspiration from our favorite bards, the cast of Critical Role.

We take a dive into how the cast of Critical Role has created their iconic characters and share a few ways we've done it in the past. We hope to get the sparks flying for you!

Our next episode will release on January 11th, Happy Holidays!!

Critical Role has a number of communication strategies to keep each other safe, and we call those Safety Tools! They are ways that the cast make sure they are all having a good time no matter how dramatic or intense the role-play gets.

From lines & veils to check-ins, there are a handful of key tools that we go over in our podcast that you can bring back to your own table.

Get ready to get vulnerable!

"Safety Tools in Critical Role" by Soda Wax: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-mjkcjWaZ0&t=498s

TTRPG Safety Toolkit:

https://i.4pcdn.org/tg/1583202183294.pdf

**Released early so you can listen while you travel to Thanksgiving**

Can't think on your feet?! You don't need to be an actor to be able to do improv! We go over some common improv practices that Critical Role does and how you can incorporate them in your own game. We especially highlight Laura Baily's Jester LaVorre, because she is the master of improv. Also cause Dev loves Laura <3

The book we reference in our episode is called Improv for Gamers and you can find it here: https://evilhat.com/product/improv-for-gamers-second-edition/

What makes a compelling character arc? Josh and Dev highlight the development of some of Critical Role's greatest characters and discuss the components so you can adapt them at your table.

This whole podcast is a spoiler, but this episode will specifically spoil the arcs of Scanlan, Fjord, and Caleb.

Who says you need to be a voice actor to be able to do a character voice? Josh and Dev talk about different techniques you can try, all while not needing to be a trained actor. We discuss topics like sustainable voices, how to practice and get comfortable doing voices, and creating NPCs on the fly. Using examples from Critical Role, we unpack the talents of the imitable Matt Mercer and the rest of the cast.

Art by Amy's Art Animations @pastripink on Instagram

Music by Sarah Vinci

In our debut episode, what better place to start than at the beginning. Our beginnings and also Critical Role's beginnings. We discuss how it's okay to be new at something and share our first impressions of Critical Role. We hope our episode gives you the courage to try something new!

Art by Amy's Art Animations @pastripink on Instagram

Music by Sarah Vinci