DnD Player Hacks To Impress Your Table 

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I think another good quality about Emily Axford that makes her a brilliant player is the fact that she loves to fail. She doesn't just accept a natural 1, she always seems excited to roll it.

I think one of the best habits not mentioned here is embodied by Travis 'The Cheerleader' Willingham, and those habits don't need the years of improv and acting training that the four players in this video have to bring out the best in a game Travis might be a player in CR, but he's also the biggest fan of the show - he knows the lore of the world inside out, meaning that he gets super psyched when Matt drops a lore bomb or a character reveal. This is exactly what every GM wants when they're crafting a plot, and it makes the game more fun for them - the GM is a player too! He also celebrates his other players, goes wild when they do something cool and supports them if the dice are against them. Basically he just gets super immersed and invested in the game and generally makes it more fun for everyone else involved. That's the kind of player I want at my table every time!

Liam describing Caleb's Tower in campaign 2 really highlighted how much he loves his friends and the story they're telling together. That Tower was the centerpiece for so many fun and interesting moments for everyone in C2, and it was his gift to his friends. Liam inspires me to be a better DM and give these kinds of "gifts" to my players that help them shine.

I'm so glad Emily is finally getting the respect and love she deserves! She and Lou battle it out for my favorite Live Play actors, but I think she just barely manages to edge him out. I love that her propensity for raw chaos never comes at the cost of the story or dramatic moments.

Emily knows the game so well, that in the D20 series, Fantasy High Sophomore Year, she asked Brennan about taking Gift of Gab, a brand new spell that was released in between FH season 1 and Sophomore Year, to which Brennan, vehemently refused to let her take. Lmao

Liam is so fun to watch when there is combat, because he is so good at describing what his character does. It is almost a shame that he also always have planned put his turn, so it only takes 20 second

Liam's Critical Role career is pretty much defined by being the Enabler. He was the person who got Sam Riegel involved in the game to begin with. He helped set up the One Shot game with Matt Mercer that would eventually become Critical Role.

Recently watched Calamity for the first time and it was my first experience of Lou. What really stood out to me watching him play was how human and relatable he made his character feel. They related and connected to the players around them, npc’s included in a way that goes farther than the typical “I’m going to show off more of my backstory or interact with the dm or plot line alone”. His ability to bring the real world conversation habits and translate it to a high fantasy setting is something I don’t think is done all the time and really was a joy to watch

I love watching Emily Axford play! I am really glad she is on Critical Roll this season, she is just wonderful to watch... of course, they all are, literally professional D&D players.

Slippery puppet from Starstruck is one of the greatest examples of Emily’s excellence and forethought!

I think it's important to note each of these people have different strengths and weaknesses. Seeing all these habits laid out in front of you, it might be tempting to try and become a super player. Just don't be disappointed when that doesn't quite happen. You will be better at some of these than others, and the important thing isn't being all of these at once but having a mix across the table. It is a party not a one person band after all.

Don’t forget about checking your ability to make the story better. You clearly have an ability to fix the problem but you don’t take the easy way because it makes the moment better. Mercer as a player is king of this.

Liam absolutely cares more about everyone having a great time than he does about the spotlight. You can tell it in two ways: 1. His laugh. It's wholehearted, soul-deep, and so warm and pure it almost breaks your heart. And you hear it every time that chaos descends upon the table because he's breaking character and just a guy laughing with his friends. 2. Caleb's Nein-Sided Tower. The detail that he put into giving everyone the maximum comfort possible, with Matt handing him the reigns in terms of all descriptions and many scenes within that are usually handled by him as DM, show immense thought for everyone else, both in and out of character. Which is then followed up by that enabler moment for himself with (spoilers for newcomers) a sad room in the dark that he believes he (Caleb) deserves. It's brilliant, and he allows himself that, but he went the extra twenty miles for everyone else first.

You also very much need someone like Marisha in every group, as she has really good notetaking skills and it really has shown when she's not at the table in Critical Role. After watching/listening to a lot of Critical Role, I've started picking up some of Liam's little habits and incorporating them into my own sessions, whether it's little things like describing the food my character makes (and how they let one of their party members help) or looking for moments to be an enabler like he is and ask questions to draw some of the less experienced players into the game. I think the best example of this was probably the Tower in Campaign 2, as well as some of the smaller moments with Vax, particularly towards the end of Campaign 1 and you can really see how much Liam cares deeply about his friends reflected in how his characters care deeply for theirs.

Great video. I think one could easily make a video on each of the members of CR. Its easy to say they are great players, but someone new to dnd may not know which parts to try and emulate.

Liam and Laura are 90% of the reason the table dies laughing.

Every table needs a "kick the door open" player. This person has to be willing to just kick open the door, bite on the hook, make something happen when the party starts to think too much or stagnate. This players must also know when to use this gift and when to hold back. This person is a DM's best friend. Im normally a DM, so I can see what a DM is going for, and I can see my fellow players in the eyes a DM. So when the DM is throwing obvious hooks and nobody is biting, its my job to bite. If the team is standing still afraid to open a door, I kick it down and take the heat moving the plot forward. If I see another player is zoning out, I pull them into shenanigans, I ask fellow players what an action looks like to get them to temporarily DM and narrate their actions and spells. Its all to foster good fun and momentum at the table. I used to be the optimizer, but that got me into trouble focusing too much on the numbers game when I first started. When I became a Dm, I started to value character traits over optimization. Mainly in response to how my players would attach to the most random NPCs I would make. Which in my mind meant character > numbers.

This was a nice video, but I wish that there were more concrete examples. Just saying what they've done without showing them doing it is a bit confusing. I'd have liked to see an actual example of one of Axford's moments where she optimized her character, or when Wilson escalated a scene by taking a joke or moment one step higher. I could imagine those moments since I watch a lot of Dimension 20, but I've never watched Bailey or O'Brien, so I really didn't get what "Enabler" or "Initiator" could look like in a session. I liked the comment about how O'Brien describes things, I just wish that it had been described in detail, maybe even with a clip comparing him to his DM, since that was the example given

I think a lot of liams playstyle comes from his time directing, his descriptive powers and getting others to shine are so intuitive and natural.

what is interesting about Laura is she has said before in talkmachina or 4sided dive that she in videogames always worries that she will make the wrong decision, yet Jester was a chaotic hurricane that was always in the antagonist faces whenever she could

Liam is the apex of the " . . . yes! and . . ." Mentality he roles with and manages to add even more hilarity or epicness to pretty much everything

In my first and longest running campaign (still going), the veteran player started strategizing before our first long rest (still completely in character). He told me later, that in his mind, we might not be able to do so if things hit the fan the next day. That floored me. We weren't sitting across the table. We were together now, but that very well might change. This did many things, but the main ones were: 1) It really got me into thinking about what my character would do and role play him. 2) It helped us all weave the narrative, we wanted, together. 3) It allowed the GM to better plan for want was about to come next. Now, do we throw him off the rails, oh yeah! But this allows him to better setup and throw us off our own rails.

may I add another typ which (obviously) doesn't have a celebrity counterpart? the organizer, I as a DM love these players, they ask activly when the next session is, maybe help figure out who will be hosting, maybe they offer other cool things like offering to draw something or offer suggestions for buying new equipment or books and how to split the cost or maybe they are just the person making sure to remember everyones favorit snacks and drinks or making a good playlist to fit the mood of the setting. As a DM I hate being the only one to do these things and an organizer typ player not only lightens the load but also shows that the players are just as invested in the game as I am. And once the organizers did their thing everyone has more fun at the table and other qualities can really shine.

I played a lot like Laura before I even watched CR. My first campaign I could tell everyone was nervous to make decisions and was quiet. I'm an extremely anti social person as well. But my roommate was the DM an I could feel his energy in a way was low because people weren't quick to participate and we had a lot of silences. So I just tried making decisions to get others involved and get progress going. Some could say I could be "talking over people" but the way to fix this is to make others involved in my decisions but also give them a chance to object to the idea before it happens. This way progress keeps moving but gives the players time to say "maybe thats not a smart idea lets try this instead" and once I started doing this it worked. I was gone for 2 sessions and apparently everyone at the table missed me because "it got quiet a lot" and almost everyone told me not to leave again haha.

From the thumbnail, calling Liam Laura's enabler is an understatement tbh XD

Lou as the escalator in Calamity: Brennan: the city is in chaos, people are being torn to shreds by demons… Lou: I summon my dragon familiar and tell him to shut the fuck up. The Dragon: 😳 The Ring of Brass: 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

I'll refer to Robbie on Liam describing actions. In "Four Sided Dive" episode after Chetney was introduced, Robbie was talking about when they were in Session 0 for EXU prime. Robbie, who had never played a TTRPG before was sitting there with Liam and Matt at the table and liam is just detailing everything Orym was doing. And in the 4SD segment he said, "I wasn't sure how much of that was Liam being extra," and when Robbie realized we could do that all the time and how much more fun the game was he was like, "Oh cool, let's paint some pictures."

3:46-that's why the Paladin was such a funny character in the dnd movie. Everybody knows that player that might take flaws to get more character options or whatever, but they always try to mitigate those flaws as much as possible to make a powerful character that is as flawless as possible

Cannot agree more with these selections and highlighting of habits. I am a month into DM-ing for a table of all new players (we run around 8 hour sessions, which is wildly fun). 2 of these players are longtime DnD podcast listeners, but none have played. The third has, since we started playing, been absolutely in love with learning about players like these and their styles. I am really happy to say that they all contribute to the gameplay using methods and knowledge learned from great players like the ones in this video. Very well done!

While these are all good tips to improve your character, it's also important not to hold yourself to the same standards as these players. Their games have a VERY different goal than your home ones. They're playing for an audience's enjoyment; you're playing for your team's enjoyment. They have to make fast decisions because they're on a time crunch and want to keep their audience engaged. If it takes you and your team more time to make a choice, it's okay. Sometimes, that's the most realistic route. In real life, we take time to decide things because we ARE aware of the consequences. Still, it's great to have impulsive characters here and there. Just make sure you're not making all of the choices for your team.

I was thinking over it with Laura being the Initiator in C2: I think a lot of D&D games get bogged down by analysis paralysis because people overthink things, meticulously plan, etc. because they're after the "right" decision. I'm sure we've all experienced that. I think the reason this happens is that, unlike the real world, unless you have a very strict DM who will bring out an hourglass, in D&D the world DOES stop for you. Even though we're meant to imagine combat as this dynamic, fast-moving scene, in actual play you can sit there debating between spell choices for thirty minutes to make the optimal choice. This doesn't only apply to combat, either - I've seen the same sort of analysis paralysis and overthinking applied to the other two pillars of the game as well. I think this is itself a form of escapism. In real life, the world DOESN'T stop for us and so we're forced to make quick decisions all the time, and often these turn out to be the wrong ones. People live with all kinds of regret because of poor decisions made in the heat of the moment. The D&D world moving at the speed dictated by the players at the table (including the DM) means that you have the luxury of taking the time you need to make the right choice. But, it's still an illusion - we still can't be sure if our choices are the right ones until we see the consequences play out, and it does suck a lot of tension and drama and entertainment out of the game by going too far down the route of over-thinking. So, initiators are the people who make the group see that having negative consequences to poor choices can be just as escapist and even more fun in D&D as the luxury of taking one's time to make the "right" choice.

I recently started a campaign with three people who are new to DnD and over the course of a couple of sessions I've seen them open up and RP with each other and engage in the story and I am so freakin' proud of them. That's all really. I'm a very proud DM and it is experiences like that which keeps me going as a story teller. Big love to all the DM's out there who work their butt off to make their friends smile. It really is the best job in the world

These are four great examples and I think everyone you mentioned is fantastic. Emily is my favourite actual play player; her combat moves are incredible, her ability to assist and buff the other members of her party is amazing and her role play is legendary-between the chaos of her characters like in Fantasy High and A Court of Fey and Flowers to the emotionally devastating scenes like the finale of Eldermourne, she's consistently utterly magnificent.

I am an initiator and Enabler. Thank you. Helped me understand my role better.

Now I can't help but wonder what it would be like if you got this dream team of players in the same campaign.

Yes! Yes! Yes! This is a video I have thought about making a hundred times, and you made it 10x better than I ever could. Been subscribed for a bit, but about to (1) send this video to all my players, (2) promote this video on other channels, and (3) back your Patreon. I see some nay-sayers in the comments - strangely mostly DMs - but don't let them slow your roll. You're getting the hang of the Film Booth style of videos, and it creates a highly engaging loop. Collaboration skills for players are rarely discussed, and it is a shame as we see so many excellent examples in actual play. Your content encourages your players to watch actual play's analytically, discovering the skills and tactics that make such extraordinary play. Those in question are trained actors, improvisers, and storytellers, but learning from them allows us to stand on their shoulders and reach a better game. Finally, on "a rising tide raises all ships." Years ago, a co-storyteller with whom I ran very large Live Action Role Playing events had a speech he'd give about "sportsmanship." Any good player shows up to play their best game. A great player (and sportsman) shows up to help everyone else play their best game ever. Be a great player. Sorry for the wall of words. Literally my first RU-vid comment ever.

Fantastic video! Loved the insight and recognition.

Really good breakdown of positive player traits that create the “good habits” that most other content creators make(take notes, be ready etc) loved the video

This is very helpful to me. Very helpful. And your enthusiasm is infectious. Looking forward to more videos from you in the future.

The fact that I get the honor of being in your first 10k subscibers is incredible. I can't wait to see the positive impact you make on the D&D community. To be specific, I love the way you section out your videos, always have insightful dialog, and use examples of the things you're explaining. Also, the timer at the top left helps keep me engaged. Keep up the fantastic work, and I am happy to come with you on your journey!

Liam's descriptions inspired me to do something similar, but I write them out ahead of time and make an action turn sheet with default action options to choose from on my turn, so I can describe my turn and not slow down the combat.

DM: You're outdoors by a camp fire. ME: Yes AND I add fuel to the fire by throwing the halfling rogue into it. Did I do it right?......

Emily is chaos. But smart and fun chaos

The Initiatior: a good, in-character decision made quickly will almost always be better for the game than putzing around to make the 'right' decision. The Optimiser: anyone can read a guide off the internet and make a mathematically strong character. Learn the game so that you can make *your* character strong, whatever they are. The Enabler: nothing more to say about the enabling, but I absolutely want to highlight the descriptiveness. Give your fellow players something to visualise, and your GM something to work with.

No mention of the "wit" the character that makes every one laugh Sam Reigel springs to mind. Also great vid by the way.

HI, the timer in the top left is absolutely amazing. It really help keep the NPF at bay.

This is a really great video. Thanks so much!

Liam single handedly got me to playing DnD last year.

Just wanna say, I just watched two of your vids, great content man.

I love your RPG Tips about Dnd. I only hope that someday you include Footage of Dm Skills maybe from Call of Cuthulu or Pathfinder

Thank you for the useful advice!

This is some really good advice. Thank you.

Great useful video! Thanks!

My latest character fits Emily's process so well that now im proud of creating her. I took the horny alcoholic bard stereotype, gave her a bunch of traumas, and commited myself to portray the situation accurately. The result was a character almost taken out of a noir story: a total mess, but terrifyingly effective when needed. In combat she's a great support and decent blaster with some psychic spells, but her strenght comes from an RP optimization, being unable to roll below a 22 in persuasion and most of the times rolling with advantage. So, with her high charisma, class features and some clever RP, i managed to make her a rockstar that fights monsters in between concerts, being by far the party's main source of income and the one who gets them out of trouble any time they do something stupid (which is almost every session tbh).

I (and many DMs like me) have extra copies of the player's handbook for the table. Many of us would happily lend a book if it helps your enjoyment of the game. Great video!

Great video! Thanks!

I was honestly in awe of Emily during the Crown of Candy encounter Buzzybrook episode. It was really incredible seeing the level of tactical planning she could deploy, the things she could see.

I’d love to see another video like this with some more concrete examples of the players exhibiting these traits!

Keep it up just like this! No smartass that explains to me what I am doing so wrong or what you HAVE to do. Plain simple analysis. Love it so much! Cant get enough of it! !!!!!!!!!

Laura Bailey makes quick decisions? Among the whole crew she's the one who ended up taking 5 minutes for her turn the most, to the point Matt had to almost coerce her to make a decision. I literally remember shouting at the screen "Come on Laura, do SOMETHING" many times xD

As a habitual action describer myself, I have two pieces of advice, one for players and one for game masters and they both tie to a singular point: As a player: Be clear about your intentions mechanically. If my gunslinging acrobat character wants to do an inverted leap and twist shot at two enemies as he acrobatically catapults himself past them, I need to be clear that this is "one move, two attacks", not "move, jump, tumble, attack attack" As a game master: Do not punish your players for interesting combat descriptions with skill checks. If you are game mastering for said gunslinging acrobat, asking for an acrobatics check to confirm the flavor text is only going to discourage your players from saying more than "Move, attack attack". If you want there to be a chance for the character to mess up the maneuver, tie it to a roll they are already making! As long as they aren't getting any mechanical benefit for their flavor text they shouldn't be getting punished for adding it... unless they spend too much time thinking it up or delivering it, of course. (And even then, that's more of a "talk to your players" problem than a "punish them mechanically" one)

Ive been listening to here on Naddpod for years- Emily Axford always makes the most ridiculous, unorthodox moves, that just... works. like a big brain chess move, when in reality, shes just having fun. she will also min-max her characters in to fit WHO her character is. they're always strong in the silliest way possible.

For an Enabler, it can feel really bad when other players don't show the same courtesy. It can end up in the Enabler never getting their own moments, and then getting frustrated because of it.

As a fairly new Player/DM, these are often things i look for in my game and the other players. I'm more of an initiator even thou i started playing the game around mid 2022.I noticed my group i play with always shy a bit before someone takes the first step, so being the Charismatic bard that i am, i usually take this role and they love it. I feel glad i found this, wish i had it sooner. I guess better late then never tho.

I'm learning to optmize wonderfully in the new Bauldurs Gate 3, most of classes moveset transfer to the tabletop. My dnd strategizing and team p,ay has improved 100%

I know it’s such a little thing, but the timer on the top corner of the screen is such a hack for ADHD and I just wanted to thank you.

"You all share the spotlight..." 👍👍👍

Used to have a tight knit group and we all had these traits to some degree or another. The cohesion was so great. It's been damn near impossible finding a group remotely close since. This was 21 years ago.

Ok so this is the first video of yours I’ve seen and I just gotta say, this was incredibly adhd friendly. Idk if that was your intent or not, but you nailed it either way, and for that I am eternally grateful haha! 💙

The thing with Laura, and quite honestly everyone on CR and d20 is they know their DM won't punish them for failure (generally). In a lot of games, when a player fails an Insight Check against an NPC they still are super wary of them, but not players in d20, they'll lean all the way in on their failure because they know the DM won't punish them for it. Lou is just great at this (look up Prince of Shoeberg for a great example, he rolls a 1 on an insight check and, well, hilarity ensues). For the most part, even though they love their characters, these players are trained actors and they know that they're just characters, and part of the fun is them getting into messed up situations. So GMs and Players need to embrace failure.

i just watched fantasy high campaign on d20. i am new to dnd and knew nothing, i just love to see the interactivity of storytelling. at first i thought she was a little to overinvolved, then my god she drives the stories in the campaign so well, i was hooked!

I always appreciate Laura for what you mentioned. Too often a player will spend forever “Which direction do I want to move in? How far will my movement take me? Will I get attacked by a reaction?” Then they think about their spells and DCs. Then bonuses. They do that all out loud and it breaks the immersion for me. After all you are roleplaying one turn in combat (I think around 6 s)? In a high stress environment. I do believe we need time as players since we’d understand the spells way less than the character would. The character is a part of our life, but you’d assume a character knows all their magic. But it becomes a problem when it takes unfair time and feels more calculated than it would be if it were realistic.

Emily LITERALLY studies for D&D! In preparation for the finale of naddpod campaign 1, she sat in the studio pouring over the player's handbook to strategize.

I'm the guy who brings snacks for the table. Free food is always impressive. Wife made some sandwiches last time, and this week is tacos! Suffice to say, my character is safe from the DM.

Hey!! Great video so far, just wish the timer wasn’t there in the corner. Definitely subscribing :)

Laura Bailey always makes quick decisions... When it isn't combat

nice vid!

When you described the initiator, I immediately thought: Oh, that's the bard in the group I'm DMing!

Nice tips

These are all things you learn in improv theatre and they even have philosophical implications in your day to day life, if you want to let them do that. The thing that the other guy said in the comment about being excited to fail is also there.

I've been described as a mad scientist optimizer. I don't look at the highest DPS builds or try to one-up the rest of the party by breaking the combat so anyone who didn't optimize is left in the dust. Instead, I look at something generally considered underwhelming, and I think, "How can I make this viable and interesting?" I made a Battlemaster Glamour Bard who was a halfling military commander, repositioning the team into better formations if we got ambushed, giving up my own attacks to let the stronger characters attack instead, and intimidating enemies into dropping their weapons, fleeing, or breaking formation. He had almost no damage, but was a force multiplier for the party, letting others shine instead.

Hacks: 1. Be faster at making decisions 2. Learn the whole game 3. Yes, and.. 4. Play well with others

Travis is the enabler's God.

About Emily and her optimising, helping out the rogue with a sneak attack, can I ask all of you, is that meta gaming, knowing about other’s skills or spells

Great video! But needs a cat cameo 😺

I'm gonna be honest, I don't really get why people always say Emily Axeford's strength is her knowledge of the game. Cause I really don't think that's it. Many of her best moments in the game are based on moments where the rules were bent or a spell was used for something that rules as written it shouldn't be able to do (and this works in part because she's often in games where that's okay and with DMs who are very rules-flexible, especially Brennan). But she's always thinking tactically and especially creatively regardless, and it leads to some stellar plays. I think it's less that she knows dnd extremely well and more that she's extremely comfortable in a roleplaying environment and is really good at thinking on her feet, which is way more valuable than knowing the mechanics really well

I forgot the name of the song at 4:07 and it's not in the description any chance you could tell me it's name? Also I am probably doing most of these regularly, I maybe lack in enabling because I do a lot of optimizing which kinda leads to me getting a lot of spotlight but I'm also hyper aware when others want to do something and generally only try to intervene to help. I have been playing TTRPGs for most of my life, approaching the 17 year mark so certainly not something that came naturally but had to be consciously developed over time.

To me, the thing about Emily that really stands out is summed up by her saying that as a player, it is your job to find things in the game to care about.

Remember to use the players' contacts and lifepaths! They make "making it personal" so much easier.

Emily Axford, def my fav D&D player to watch. Her playing a wizard in Campaign 3 of CR was a delight and miss every second of her not being at the table.

“Making quick decisions is always better than making the right decisions.” Oh man, that is so opposite to my play style that I’m going to have to make it a core trait of one of my characters. Probably my grung bard who’s going to be a D&D version of Mr. Toad from Wind in the Willows. 😂

great points

I read the players hand book and monster manuel for fun years before I started playing😅

Emily is amazing I was blown away by her guesting on CR

Interesting. I have the exact opposite opinion on Liam. He is always the guy calling for spot light, he loves his little “just a quick scene” bits.. he’s such a story teller with RP and I’d say he is the Optimiser when it comes to mechanics (that’s why his turns always take forever as his characters can do sooo much). Emily I think is the Enabler, her characters are dialled up to 11 but as you said, she uses all that knowledge to make sure everyone at the table gets their moment. Love these vids man 😊

The thing with Laura's talent is that she knows that real people don't get to pause their life to think about how to react in the best way possible; real people have to fly by the seat of their pants and make mistakes all the time. So, really, making quick, in-character decisions makes them more realistic.

Great video but I would’ve loved to watch some specific examples!

Feel so bad for this but when you described players being scared of not making the perfect decision and stalling games to a hault the camera focused on Ashley and I went "true" lmao

Also, let’s not forget that with Emily, she will optimize AS WELL AS infuse the character into it. Prism making that bad joke before her first round where she absolutely destroys the plant monsters using her spell book familiar as a conduit for her Steelwind Strike, just to follow it up with THE SAME BAD JOKE, it tells you everything you need to know about this character. She’s much more adept and intelligent with her magic, as you’d expect from a wizard studying with the Cobalt Soul, but extremely awkward (like Deana said in their last meeting “we’re going to work on emotional intelligence while we’re abroad…”).