Critical Role FINALLY talks OpenDND & their own RPG 

The metal dice look awesome! If the Canadian dollar ever gets just a little better, I'll look into other ones that you might bring out down the road! (51 dollars, even at 18% off, is really steep when eggs are 10 bucks a carton!)

HERE IS THE WROST PART OF IT ALL YOU WON SOME FREEDOM but video games increased 25% wotc only 3% and under hasbro all told including wotch lost 17% that means your industry with inflation is not really growing get off 5e and make new shit or you all are doomed

Hi Bob. Thanks for your view on this interview. Could you add a link to the full interview, or is it pretty much all there in your video?

One thing you got close but not quite on the nose my friend: yes they ARE riding a line, BUT the line they ride is because they’re still under contract at the moment which REALLY limits what they can say lest they suffer severe consequences. They’ve got to get out of the contract before they can speak freely on how they really feel, and so in the meantime they’ve issued STRONG statements if you read between the lines of what they’re saying. They’re moving on from D&D in collaboration with other people in the industry (the multiple ‘kings of the underground,’ including but not limited to Darington Press, and that’s just what I like to call those companies: Piazo, Cobalt Press, there’s about 15 of those guys) and developing something that’s basically 5e D&D with some integrated 3.5 & Pathfinder elements, but going by a different name (O.R.C. I think is the tentative title? Some sort of acronym like that). But, that’s the reason why: they’re under contract still so they have to be REALLY careful. And, I doubt it’ll be a full year they have to stick with that contract. There’s a strong possibility that they signed a, ‘per campaign,’ contract thus meant to span campaign 3. What I can’t wait to see? An unchained Sam Riegel, and an unfiltered Marisha and Liam getting to finally tell us how they REALLY feel about all this. 👏🏼 That’ll be gold man.

can you please caption the interview clips too? I am deaf and I was so hyped to finally see captioned coverage of this...

Great point!

Matt is a fantastic DM, but if you look into any interviews he's done about his personal life and his mental health/personality type you quickly learn there's a very good reason he almost always has either his wife or his big muscular jock friend with him for most of these types of interviews with outsiders and actual journalists. The company could not exist without Matt, but he'd be the first to admit he personally could never run their company. That's why Travis stepped up to run the business side and Marisha stepped up to run the production side.

@@CitanulsPumpkin I respect his self-awareness and humility. :)

@@RogueAlchemist the best leaders know when to delegate to cover their weaknesses

indeed.. and on that.. pause.. another thing to consider would be Matt as a master improv may have held his tongue exactly not to improv his words, risking saying too much... and leaving that answer to Marisha.

Aye, sounds plausible.

Honestly...That's probably the case. I suspect no company has the financial resources to match that sponsorship money at this point.

He's a fucking voice actor. He has a livelyhood already

@@kateslate3228 i really don't think the salary of a voice actor can even compare to what he makes with critical role

@@kateslate3228 And what of all those employed by Critical Role who are *not voice actors?

Wotc needs CR more than CR needs wotc.

@@sirlionheart4614 this is true, but WotC has the backing of Hasbro and it the professional harm it could do to the main cast and all their other staff is CRs bigger concern. It's important to also note that in last Thursdays episode, DnDBeyond was not present as an advertiser

@@sirlionheart4614 Yes, and CR need jobs more than they need dnd. So they can't talk trash, nor can they reveal anything in the NDA, or they risk their jobs both in CR and VA, even though they're working on systems to get away from dnd.

That's a good point about their VO careers, I hadn't even thought of that angle.

@@sirlionheart4614 decoupling takes time. I'm sure CR is working on it, but not at this very moment. It also good to show their future new sponsors that they are not impulsive decision makers. I'm sure we're going to see more from them within this year.

Yeah, overall they're being polite and professional for their partners

@@BobWorldBuilder Where critical role is at is really clear. Bob, speaking of indie games--I'd love to see you play test and review Castles and Crusades. I've heard nothing but great things about it.

NDAs do not stop you from giving your stance on publicly available information.

@@solaries3 depends on the NDA

@@solaries3Contracts can also contain non disparagement clauses. not to mention that publically criticizing them may potentially create cause under the contract to terminate a sponsorship early with financial penalties. Without a sound backup plan before speaking this could be costly.

Yeah, exactly. Admittedly, the first time I read the statement, my first blush impression was that it was a lot of wordy, bland nothing-statements designed to avoid taking a stand until it was clear how things were going to play out. It felt sort of cowardly and unsatisfying. But then I immediately read it a second time and realized that the entire statement expressed support for the point of view of their business partner's critics. AND it didn't offer any support at all of WotC or the OGL (choosing instead to refrain from mentioning them altogether). It's the PR version of "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." Only, in this case, it's more like "if you're contractually obligated to not say anything that isn't nice, don't say anything at all." What they chose not to say actually said a lot. Honestly, I think the statement is pretty clear about which side of the argument Matt and the gang support. Unfortunately, I think a lot of people were expecting the CR gang to respond to the situation like a tank instead of playing it like a rogue so, when there was no big, dramatic gesture of defiance, people were disappointed. Fortunately, a lot of us do understand the legal constraints they're almost certainly under and appreciate the fact that a bunch of gamers are playing the "business" game intelligently rather than rushing face-first, hacking and slashing, into the toothy maw of TPK. I mean, can you imagine if they'd dropped a statement that was like, "F WotC! This tyranny shall not stand! We'll burn CR to the ground before we let you push this money-grabbing OGL through!" and then, a week later, WotC's like, "Oh, hey, D&D community... JK! We're leaving the OGL alone and giving you 99% of what you want. Sorry!" As the angry crowd puts down their torches and pitchforks and slowly disperses back to their D&D tables (or sticks to their guns and tries out some PF), you'd just see CR left standing alone on the barricades, surrounded by business partners and sponsors looking at them super-duper awkwardly. And, y'know, probably tearing up some checks.

@@johnplaysgames3120 Cr is the lawful good paladin while they have great power the must uphold there oaths and there words

I'd imagine, in their own minds at least, they've always been pretty independent from WotC, and I'd say that's accurate. They've also gone without DDB sponsorship, and all the other sponsorships they do? I'd bet a lot of that is also to ensure that independence.

That's enough then. It speaks volumes

It’s honestly really cute how even though Matt is the all around game master and very well spoken, he looks to Marisha for help diffusing these matters and giving a balanced answer. I think it really speaks to their balance as a couple, and that look of him sort of asking her to help him or take the lead is ♥️

@@bunnieknox7570 Exactly, covering each other's weak spots and knowing when to tag your SO in a such a green flag

@@bunnieknox7570 I think that just means that A they trust each other (ofc) amd B they understanf each other's strengths, and from what I've seen from CR over the years Marisha definitely seems to have the corporate aspect down

Can i get a quick rundown on the game grumps event you're talking about? I feel like i missed something spicy

@@CorwinTheOneAndOnly I believe it’s just a video he did with the game grumps on their channel! I forget when but you could probably find in on there

@@CorwinTheOneAndOnly It wasn't anything spicy necessarily, but he was very vocal about his dislike of Monopoly as a game and monopolies in general, which makes it pretty easy to connect the dots to his thoughts on WotC's choices.

@@Vale5893 Yeahhhh that does kinda sound like Matt. I love him but he has a bit of an issue conflating symbology or satire with the real thing. Ranting about how monopolies are bad while playing a game about rolling dice and buying houses does sound like him. As a fellow writer, I completely understand though. To creatives, the *only* thing that matters is the world in our head and the things we care about. If he can't get past the fact that the board game is titled monopoly, that must be how deep his dislike of monopolies is seated.

@@restfulori212 intent and actual results are two completely different things. Monopoly is closer to how chinese housing markets work than actual capitalist real estate anyways

Did you mean he was liking tweets that support OPENDnD? Because OneDnD is the WotC one.

Oh man, that's a good point. The "hesitation" could have been a thought-out response in itself lol

@@VonSnootingham I think he meant the opposite because he was liking tweets against the new OGL.

My thoughts exactly. They know how much they could make, so the fact that they're taking it slow to make it a good game (assuming it's happening) is admirable

@@BobWorldBuilder That is also something I really admire about the Critical Role crew; they take a lot of pride in what they do. They are not going for a quick cash in. It genuinely seems like they do not want to let their fans down.

Nah, its not like they are able to release a CR ttrpg thats shit. They gotta use it in the future, so it actually has to be put together rather well.

More than likely already finished it, just takes around a year for a trademark to kick in. Keep your eyes out in 2023 for new things being Trademarked by Critrole the company. Or even their Press.

@@BobWorldBuilder Admirable, and good business sense. They might make money from a flawed game, but it would damage the CR brand. If it's great, then it will only strengthen the brand.

using Fjord words from C2 "You need me more than I need you" *throws D&D into the lava*

Right, at this point CR was probably more worried about how WotC's bad decisions could hurt their own brand by association

Yeah, I suspect that behind closed doors, CR has gone full Fjord: "You need me, more than I need you." They're definitely making their own system or alternate ruleset, or keeping that in their back pocket if WoTC doesn't drop the tomfoolery. The fact that they said it this publicly speaks volumes for those who can read between the lines.

Unfortunately, this isn’t just about money, but could become a full-blown legal issue due to the contract they have with D&DB.

@@Alfabravo313 your reach is way bigger than what you can actually grasp

Signing OGL 1.1 would have made Matt's Bloodhunter theirs so it was not going to happen.

@@kohakuaiko It's on the DMsGuild, so WotC can already use it as they care to. So can anyone else who publishes it on DMsGuild - that's how the license works.

@@kohakuaiko Matt's Bloodhunter is already theirs, he posted it on the DM's guild (which WotC owns) hence why it hasn't been in any of the Exandria books

They were in quite a tough spot. On one hand, they're sponsored by DnD Beyond but if they signed the ogl they would've been slaughtered by the dnd community. I'm glad it got resolved.

Word. It is evident they did not (as they should)

That "Are you sure?" energy.

Did he burn through those 30 pieces of silver already?

I also saw a lot of "my wife is so capable" energy, too

​@@littlecatthewolfhound Honestly, that's what I got out of it. Where Matt seemed to struggle with what he can and can't say to the point that he was afraid to say anything, Marisha jumped in and took control of each answer and navigated really, really well. She didn't say so much that they'd get into legal or business trouble but said just enough to plant some seeds for the future. She rode the line really well, I thought, and, as you said, it looks like Matt did too.

@@llamatronian101 Lol, I thought that too. That being said, the CR folk are professional enough to not walk into an interview -- one with the person who kicked off the whole OGL news cycle, no less! -- without already having prepared answers for the obvious big questions they'll be asked. I honestly don't think Marisha was winging it here. I'm sure she and Matt knew exactly how much they were going to say and not say before they ever went in to that interview.

I've heard its not uncommon to be two years PAST the time of contract termination. So... Even if they parted ways, they'd have to wait 2 years past. The Legal side of things could very well bury their small company. the contracts are THAT bad universally.

@@Travelerr we saw the OGL "draft" and subsequent bullshit. We should have a good idea what kind of thing we are looking at here.

@@knghtbrd yeah. It's probably a "deal with the dragon" in shadowrun language

Could just be the issues where Wizards of the Coast is a big source of money for them.

I'm sure it'll be worth the wait!

minor correction, IIRC Call of Cthulhu is the biggest TTRPG in Japan, Sword World, I think, is the biggest fantasy TTRPG.

@@luketfer actually, that sounds right. Did it upset the hold megatraveller had?

@@catherined.398 It appears so. A minor correction and to confirm yours Sword World is indeed the biggest TTRPG in Japan, CoC is currently the biggest non-Japanese TTRPG, outselling D&D by quite a large margin, so I'm assuming it broke the hold that traveller did.

@@luketfer And if I recall correctly from an article about it, the sale of Call of Cthulhu in Japan(ese), outsells all other versions combined, including the English version...

True, but systems can inform and influence the stories told. Some systems are just plain better for telling some sorts of stories than other systems are. So making a system that doesn't just let them, but one that helps them, tell the sorts of stories they want to tell would be ideal. Like sure, they could tell their stories with any system, but why use something that isn't as good for those stories when something that IS good for them is right there?

It's interesting to notice. When Marisha speaks, his eyes are glued to her and every time she looks to him, he nods in agreement/support.

I love their relationship. It's very clear that Marisha "wears the pants" so to speak but they divy up responsibilities to their own strengths and support eachother and love one another for those strengths. Nerd culture is very lucky to have them

He's had/used Pathfinder minis for years, bur yeah, that had to be intentional.

I think their audience is big enough to make a lasting game, assuming the game itself would be well-made. And the way they talk about, I think it would be a good game!

@@kohakuaiko yeah I know. I am one that likes Pathfinder Minis but not from WizKids. I belive Reaper Ministures does a far better job. But my point exactly, it was the moment and just the look on his face.

@Bob World Builder I believe so, too. They have relationships with some of the most creative minds out there. I just don't want to see a company to create a system that will lack support from its parent company, creators, community, and 3rd party publishers. I also see there's going to be an overwhelming pool of options, which I love, but also wish that the community doesn't become so dismissive or divided for one system or another like it happened with D&D/PF. Normal concerns (almost PTSD-like). I do believe we have learned many lessons from this and especially to be more diverse in what we play and not bring each other down when we have a common goal. We just want to escape adulthood and kill monsters 🤣.

They transitioned from Pathfinder to D&D in campaign 1

I mean, it's not one of the main reasons. It's a reason, sure, but not one of the main ones...

Yep they've helped introduce millions of people to the game! It would be pretty wild for them to officially split from D&D. I think, like Matt and Marisha said, they'll continue to incorporate more games into their shows, rather than wholly leave D&D behind. Like a lot of us, they love the game even they may not agree with what the company behind it does. We'll see!

@@charleswain6124 it will be one of the big reasons. CR has a big influence on the ttrpg community, one comment from them and half the people will.

@@_____2219 critical role has a very large influence in the D&D community, but you’re kidding yourself if you believe they have the influence to literally pull half the playerbase away from 5E. People like us who watch videos about the D&D community are in the minority of the playerbase.

As someone who got in to the hobby around 2013 to 2014 before the play test of 5th edition and the start of CR I can certainly say that critical role and partly stranger things really propelled the hobby into more of the mainstream with the help of 5e being easy system to learn

Thanks! Yeah they'd have an INCREDIBLE amount of buy-in right off the bat

It can probably have but I do see them creating a system where every major kill has a "hdywds" moment. Like they have to roll for an ability check to see if they would be able to to do it with advantage and a +10 to the roll to make sure it does happen.

@@_____2219 having to roll for the chance to describe how you kill something doesn’t seem compelling when Matt just lets the players do it now whenever anyways

I kinda feel.. given the popularity of Critical role, the "star power" behind it, would had the potential to be more popular (given enough time) than D&D. Their stream, and Animated shows feel like much more of a promotional and marketing push than anything D&D has done so word would spread really fast. Not saying it would dominate D&D quickly.. just that it has a chance to dethrone it (especially after all this OGL drama putting a bad taste in players mouths)

A more narrative driven and streamlined system would really help them tell stories when it comes to things like combat. They've already got the brand, they should definitely make their own game.

Agreed!

By being evasive?

@@solaries3 They said what they could without getting into legal trouble because we all fucking know, I guess except you from your statement, that they have contracts with D&D Beyond and probably wizards of the Coast and probably has bro when it comes to some of this shit so they have to be extremely careful

By giving a more definitive answer while not putting there show a culmination of their life's work in danger and not disparaging their active partners that could result in a lawsuit or sour relationships with future sponsors.

Yeah, sometimes it's better to know when to Bite your own Tongue... especially when you realize that certain "Ears" may be listening to these interviews.

Seriously, @Bob, I appreciate your relaxed, optimistic delivery. There has been so much sensationalized rage regarding the OGL issue, your outlook is a cool drink of water. Have enjoyed your cideos for a while keep it up.

Normally Id personally say that so much positivity might feel false or forcrd But man Bobs being a wonder, hope hes doing ok too

This is actually the reason why I don't want him to do the interview with WotC. They want to hype him up and try to make him forget (and the audience) about what they did -- that they're good and that is safe to go back to DND

Haha thank you very much! :)

With that in mind, does that make Calamity his “trial run”?

to my knowledge they never played 4E. Matt liked 4Es pantheon and world, but hated the game (like most did) and just outright adapted it for pathfinder, only staying there until 5E came out.

@@matthewrussell1600 On November 19th, 2015, in response to an early photo of Marisha and Travis using a DnD 4e character sheet, Matt Mercer tweeted the following: "The veeeery first session was very simplified 4E combat rules (we had new players), so we used he sheets/color coding". The link to that tweet can be found through Wikipedia.

@@maverickdelta hm neat TIL

I feel like Matt could just make his own gunslinger class that would work better than the fighter subclass personally, but yeah I really hope he gets to keep his blood hunter, first d&d class I ever played

Totally agree! I think they could make a great game--or even multiple games for different styles!

Alright, here me out, Shadow of the Weird Wizard

“Ok Matt. I need you to act like we haven’t even talked about it for 8 years now”

Nice to see this comment because I feel like an alien for being just super medium on critical role. I don't want to watch other people play D&D - especially some heightened reality version of it where everyone is an experienced actor and has a D&M with that much experience.

Thanks very much! You're right that these are exciting times for the TTRPG community :)

I feel if they were doing that, then CR wouldn't have been forced to remove so many D&D-specific terms in their show. Whether the CR crew did it on their own, or D&D made them remove the terms, either way they've already been distancing themselves from D&D. I feel that after the contracts that are already in place expire, then CR will be in the position to follow through on their own productions.

That ship has essentially sailed now 5e is common law. They'd have to offer CR something using OneD&D and I really cannot see them jumping aboard that quickly sinking ship. I'd say CR either bides its time for Black flag, Pathfinder 3 or makes their own system.

It's definitely a tough project for one person to tackle! I've been developing a new system from scratch (not related to other systems) for over a year myself. People don't realize just how involved new system development really is lol. I've been working 12+ hours, 7 days a week since I started and I'm STILL not done...and I've just been working on the SRD essentially lol. I'll still have to go polish it and put it into a readable form with setting, etc. But we are about to get started with playtesting and I'm excited. Good luck on your system! Can't wait to see it out there!

@@apocalypso3427 thanks… I’m trying to keep mine similar enough to the games it’s based on that it can just run modified modules and campaigns from Call of Cthulhu, Traveller and Cyberpunk in between and throughout it’s extensive procedural sand-box elements… damn dude, I’m maybe half as productive as that on my best or just least busy dead-of-winter weeks… since I’m dealing with some Titans of IP (specifically owned by the Mouse) I’m not really planning more than a very limited private printing for my editors and play-testers. Though it probably wouldn’t be too difficult to smuggle a handful of lower cost printings into antique shops and used book stores Banksy style… maybe drop a few somewhere at busy Convention Halls… if you can think of any other low-key punk-rock distribution methods (analog or digital) I’m all ears 😁 would love to share it more widely but hesitant to put it out there, least of all with my real name attached or any way of tracing it back to me.

@@chazblank2717 Lol I feel you, man. I like your Banksy idea. That'd be pretty awesome once people caught on :D Like a treasure hunt lol. And I understand making it similar enough to others for conversion purposes (which also reminds me I need to write up conversion guides eventually, so thanks! lol). And you could always use a pen name if you wanted to share it more widely but remain more anonymous. But I also understand wanting to keep the printing run small...publishing is expensive. I think I'm going to be throwing all my core stuff up for free on a website as posts/pages and then just putting it neatly into a low cost pdf for those that want the convenience of it. Good luck, man! Your project sounds pretty sweet!

@@apocalypso3427 something that really helped me was stepping away from a one book ethos… it’s natural to wanna put all your information into one place out of simplicity, efficiency, or even laziness since if your notes are anything like mine they most likely all exist in a single overly complex/wordy text document… and while I might still combine some things back together if it makes sense to, dividing everything up along the lines of the classic D&D three pack really helped me organize my thoughts… best of luck on play-testing. Seth Skorkowsky has a great one on that topic if you haven’t checked it out already.

@@chazblank2717 Oh for sure lol. Right now I'm essentially building an SRD (bare bones rules and gameplay information), which will probably be about 400 pages when I'm done since it's a new system and I have to explain every detail. Later that will translate into core books (probably two rule books and a bestiary) with the addition of fluff and worldbuilding/setting, etc. For me, it's way easier to dig through a well-organized SRD to make changes while playtesting than to try to find everything in fluffed up books lol. Once I'm sure everything is working well I'll be writing the core books from the SRD :) For me, it just makes the editing that much easier since I'm dealing with untested mechanics at the moment lol.

It's literally her job. She's being paid to do it. Idk what you mean lol

Yeah, she did enroll to be whatever her job title is. (I know she's in charge, just don't know her title.) She's probably had a lot of practice at situations just like this. I was slightly surprised that we were so focused on Matt when that question was asked; I think maybe Marisha was having as much fun seeing Matt's reaction as we we're.

Thank you very much!! :)

You might be reading too much into that as it is an important moment from the campaign. At the same time, I wouldn't put it past anyone at CR to pull that.

@@TidalShadow Oh for sure. That was definitely one of Fjord's better quotes, but giving the timing of the drop, I like to think that was a way for them to subtly speak out against WotC without breaking any contracts.