Edit: this was a post that was made in response to a series of Twitter discussions about the place of popular livestream games like Critical Role in the world of RPGs. The core issue discussed was if these shows inflate player expectations and make it more difficult to run a game with confidence.
At the time this was written, my reaction was largely emotional. I had just started livestreaming a game and was (still am) really enjoying the process. I love being a part of the online community and our little game isn't so much an attempt at fame as a way of sharing something that we love with the universe.
I had originally titled this post 'Tiers of Play' because it seemed that there were very different levels of play that the people discussing the subject were comfortable with. I don't think there's a wrong way to play a RPG and there are definitely different skills and comfort levels for people running games. I can understand that. I also feel that it's important not to make people feel bad for being accomplished or capable, which is something that I have struggled with.
Original post:
This was too long for Twitter.
As someone who enjoys games and has played RPGs for 20+ years, I love the act of making stories and telling them with friends. When I had a core group that I could play with weekly, it was awesome. But I didn't get to keep that as life went on. I had about 7 years of off time where I didn't play or run RPGs at all. My book collection grew and shrunk but reading about games and settings is just part of the fun. I wasn't making maps, finding plot hooks or trying to engage players.
I had a lot less fun with friends without RPGs.
I didn't know Critical Role existed for a year. The rebooted Dragon+ magazine introduced me to it. I watched it once and didn't like it because I thought it wasn't serious enough. I expected plot and gripping action. I watched some other shows and realized that what I liked about Critical Role was that it was people in a room playing Dungeons and Dragons together. That's what I've always liked.
Because of this, I realized I really wanted to play. Tried some new games with the friends I had but they never got where I wanted because none of these people were really that interested. I found a group on Meetup.com that was just for RPGs. I immediately signed up to run a game and never looked back. I've run a game at least once a month since with a variety of people I have never met before. Some of them have never played before, others play several games a week.
Playing in Meetups has taught me that lots of people love Critical Role because they once played D&D but don't anymore. Their stories are a lot like mine. Other people want to play but don't have the friends that they feel they need to play the game. If a Meetup lets them play and make friends, great. I'm not a very social person but I love to play games with people and tell stories.
Something new that's evolved in the last 10 years is people that want to share their game experiences - tabletop or video - over the Internet via services like Twitch and YouTube. At first my impression was that all of these games would be highly produced and of exceptional quality, but today some people just want to share their games. They may only get a few views from friends, but they are makers. The same people that drive new game systems, rules sets and make the world evolve. I love being part of that.
Matt Mercer recently reminded me that we all have different strengths. As someone who wants to be a DM, you have to find a way to keep everyone at your table interested despite their varied personalities and character types. Similarly, gaming as a hobby is a composite of many different people that have different ideas of how to play. Online game broadcasts are one more way that people become interested and passionate about the hobby, just like the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon of the 80s.
Edit: Reading this post in hindsight, I find that I really enjoy livestreaming a game in a way that is different from just DMing. I have always loved running games. I'm not the most social person and I feel most interested in interacting with others when there is something we do together. RPGs have the best aspects of socializing and creating together, so I really love them.
Beyond that, livestreaming allows us to get our game out into the universe where people can see it, tell us what they think about it, and generally interact. The community that pays attention to RPGs online is overall totally awesome, too. This is one of my most fun things that I get to do.
At the time this was written, my reaction was largely emotional. I had just started livestreaming a game and was (still am) really enjoying the process. I love being a part of the online community and our little game isn't so much an attempt at fame as a way of sharing something that we love with the universe.
I had originally titled this post 'Tiers of Play' because it seemed that there were very different levels of play that the people discussing the subject were comfortable with. I don't think there's a wrong way to play a RPG and there are definitely different skills and comfort levels for people running games. I can understand that. I also feel that it's important not to make people feel bad for being accomplished or capable, which is something that I have struggled with.
Original post:
This was too long for Twitter.
As someone who enjoys games and has played RPGs for 20+ years, I love the act of making stories and telling them with friends. When I had a core group that I could play with weekly, it was awesome. But I didn't get to keep that as life went on. I had about 7 years of off time where I didn't play or run RPGs at all. My book collection grew and shrunk but reading about games and settings is just part of the fun. I wasn't making maps, finding plot hooks or trying to engage players.
I had a lot less fun with friends without RPGs.
I didn't know Critical Role existed for a year. The rebooted Dragon+ magazine introduced me to it. I watched it once and didn't like it because I thought it wasn't serious enough. I expected plot and gripping action. I watched some other shows and realized that what I liked about Critical Role was that it was people in a room playing Dungeons and Dragons together. That's what I've always liked.
Because of this, I realized I really wanted to play. Tried some new games with the friends I had but they never got where I wanted because none of these people were really that interested. I found a group on Meetup.com that was just for RPGs. I immediately signed up to run a game and never looked back. I've run a game at least once a month since with a variety of people I have never met before. Some of them have never played before, others play several games a week.
Playing in Meetups has taught me that lots of people love Critical Role because they once played D&D but don't anymore. Their stories are a lot like mine. Other people want to play but don't have the friends that they feel they need to play the game. If a Meetup lets them play and make friends, great. I'm not a very social person but I love to play games with people and tell stories.
Something new that's evolved in the last 10 years is people that want to share their game experiences - tabletop or video - over the Internet via services like Twitch and YouTube. At first my impression was that all of these games would be highly produced and of exceptional quality, but today some people just want to share their games. They may only get a few views from friends, but they are makers. The same people that drive new game systems, rules sets and make the world evolve. I love being part of that.
Matt Mercer recently reminded me that we all have different strengths. As someone who wants to be a DM, you have to find a way to keep everyone at your table interested despite their varied personalities and character types. Similarly, gaming as a hobby is a composite of many different people that have different ideas of how to play. Online game broadcasts are one more way that people become interested and passionate about the hobby, just like the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon of the 80s.
Edit: Reading this post in hindsight, I find that I really enjoy livestreaming a game in a way that is different from just DMing. I have always loved running games. I'm not the most social person and I feel most interested in interacting with others when there is something we do together. RPGs have the best aspects of socializing and creating together, so I really love them.
Beyond that, livestreaming allows us to get our game out into the universe where people can see it, tell us what they think about it, and generally interact. The community that pays attention to RPGs online is overall totally awesome, too. This is one of my most fun things that I get to do.
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