How Matt Mercer Made Critical Role So Successful 

It became successful because Matt asked himself how he wanted to do this.

What made Critical Role so successful? A lot of people look at the voice acting aspect and assume it's that. It's a contributing factor, sure, but by itself not enough. Critical Role shows a bunch of friends playing D&D. Not a bunch of people assembled because some exec okayed each person, but a group of people who would be playing together and just hanging out _without_ the cameras. Not people _ironically_ playing D&D while being careful to show the audience they don't really _care_ about any of this, but a bunch of players emotionally invested in their characters and who have bought in to the unfolding story. Not a comedy campaign where the object is to make the best wisecrack for the benefit of the audience and to hell with whether the story makes any sense, but an actual campaign that _contains_ comedy while telling the very serious story of a group of heroes who step up to do what no one else dares to. Critical Role showcases the kind of game that every player would want to play in and the kinds of players every DM would want at their table.

"Does your wife play?" Harloff you have no idea

I'm a simple man.. I see Mercer, I click.

WoW i dont think Christian knows how big Matt Mercer is - the dude is a legend in both humility, compassion, and good ol story telling fun

I came here because I heard about something of a girl jumping off a cliff and becoming a goldfish and dying?!

Just dropped by because of the title. Mercer will be the first to tell you, it's not just him. Mercer is AMAZING, but the players are everything a dm could ask for as well. Love them all!

Radio host thought he was in the presence of just a mere mortal.

He protecc He Attack But most of all He build the map.

It really feels like Matt was being interviewed by a guy that bullied kids who played D&D in high school. It was kinda entertaining lol

DnD has allowed me and my 10 year old son to reconnect and have fun every Friday... I have 50/50 custody of him and we are now tighter than ever because we get to fight and cast spells together as a team!!! Ty, I got my little boy back!

People being surprised about Critical Role's success is my new aesthetic.

There really is three reasons why Critical Role succeeded as well as it did. 1) Almost everyone at the table is very charismatic. It's not a chore to hear them speak or to follow their thoughts. With a random group you might get one person one person like this, but their table is regularly filled with these people. 2) Most of them are really good friends, and this comes through in game. They're easy around each other, they understand each other, and they want to cooperate with each other. 3) Mercer is a fantastic DM. I really don't have any critiques of him as a DM. He draws the players in (and the audience), does a fantastic job of listening to the whole table, gives every player a chance to shine without neglecting everyone else, works with the players both on game day and between games, knows when to say no and yes, and just makes the game fun for everyone including the viewers.

I’m 13 years old and before D&D I Was playing video games constantly and when my brother asked me if he wanted to play D&D I said wtf is that he showed it and explained it to me and I was blown away with the variety and diversity of everything in the game so I ended up playing lost mine of phandalver it was an amazing campaign for a newbie and After that I found critical role and Matthew Mercer inspired me so much since then I love D&D and now I am introducing my friends to this game and we’re going to play a game together with me as the dm -Thank you Matthew Mercer

Critical Role is not about the success, it's always is the people who play first, game next, then the show lastly. The show started all because Felicia Day asked them after they've been playing for awhile and they hesitantly agreed not knowing what would happen. But i think the show helped the game in many ways by making the players want to come as a job that they love that allows them to spend time with the best of freinds, if not family. It's amazing how many coincidences needed to happen for this to take affect.

My wife and kid play in two, alternating games. One game I DM, with two other families over the internet. The other Game is the same group but I play and my best friend DMs. 3 Kids, 4 Adults. Its been a blast.

The critical role team deserve all the success, they are truly a blessing to the nerd world. I play DND, I can watch anyone play, but I watch critical role because they have hearts of gold.

My family has started to play D&D, not as a family gathering but with our own friends in our own settings. It all started with listening the vox machina podcasts. My dream is to have my ol’ lady and I duo dm with our 3 kids and friends play in our dungeon. But until then, I’ve been able to contact with my kids in amazing ways, simply by talking about our characters, meta gaming and whatnot. Thank you Matt and crew for giving so many of us the creative inspiration and boldness to step out and not be closer nerds

A great feature of D&D is the _creativity_ and _teamwork_ it instills. With Matt's high charisma score spreading the game's popularity, he helps promote two of humanity's most invaluable traits... ...and seriously, the world could use a lot more teamwork right now.

Like thousands of others... See Mercers name and have to watch :)

Interviewer could have been much more prepared, didn't even know about Marisha, smh

I'm so happy Ken & Dorina were here to help out Harloff.

Seeing Matt Mercer and Ken Napzok sitting next to eachother fills me with so much joy. I really hope Ken and/or some of the other Collider crew guest on Crit Role at some point.

He didn't do it alone, that's how. He is an amazing writer that makes the worlds he creates feel real and alive. But all that wouldn't be enough if Marisha, Taliesin, Laura, Sam, Ashley, Travis and Liam didn't genuinely enjoy playing together. They are all immensely invested in their characters and that really resonates with people. Critical Role wouldn't be what it is without every single person in that game. They are really awesome, and everyone should check them out, good vibes and great fun.

I didn't like how condescending the interviewer seemed in this. it seemed like he wasn't taking this the least bit seriously until he heard about how much money there kick stater made. And seriously this guy should have done some research before doing an interview like this.

That moment when two things you follow combine.

when matt talks about roleplaying/ DND I weep for those who get to experience it for the first time

Roll! Roll! Critical!, Critical! Roll! Roll! Critical! Critical! Vox! Vox! Machina!

Just hearing Matt's voice is so good. Fucking dude has angelical chords even when resting.

Matt Mercer got me into d&d and I'll love him forever for it. Can't wait for the TV show! 10 seasons and a movie!

I love Mercer so much. Such a humble, genuine, good-hearted human being. So incredibly happy for all the success Critical Role has achieved. They fucking deserve it.

Jock: Two of the big high profile ones... They've both referenced your involvement... Also jock: So -- how does it catch on? Again jock: I noticed, you got a ring *everyone laughs in uncomfortable* This guy didn't even do any research. And his coworkers have to hold his hand through his veiled contempt

"IT'S HIGH NOON." I'm bummed I missed this live. I just found Critical Role not long ago and have really been enjoying it. When I found out it was hosted by the one and only McCree I was even more excited. So happy to see them be successful with their kickstarter.

Really? You interview someone and do 0 research...

7:10 "can I just beat the villain?" Matt should've respond "YOU CAN CERTAINLY TRY !" =)

I love D&D, Im trying to get my Magic friends to become more consistent with it since we’ve played off handedly; Matt Mercer just inspires me to keep delving in to the craziness that is D&D, such a cool dude

when two fandoms collide. I thought it was cute how kristian had no idea of anything.

It works because the group makes you WANT to play with them. It's not just an observer sport. I fully admit, I got into DnD because of the show

D&D Players are, for the most part, the weirdest, most bizarre, and nicest people you will ever meet.

Collider and Critical Role have converged. Am I dreaming?!

I have the shortest attention span, I only watched 3 min of this video before I got bored. But I can safely say that critical role has me hooked for episode after episode, back to back

Boundless imagination, a lot of sleepless nights spent in preparation, adapting to each and every type of player who has ever taken part in his sessions - that is how Matt Mercer keeps D&D popular in the 21st century.

Matt Mercer and everyone at Critical Role has made this world a better place. There really is no higher praise.

I think a large part of their success is that they (the cast of Critical Role) are still having fun. I mean when you're having fun people can see that and want to be a part of it. A problem with a lot of Twitch and RU-vid channels is that the participants have fun in the beginning but eventually they get bored but they continue because of the money and they start faking having fun. But people can tell when the participants are faking it and as such, the channel starts losing viewers. But that hasn't happened with Critical Role and so people come back every week for the story, for the fun, and for the sense of community.

I weep because I only discovered Critical Role 3 months ago and missed all that time I would have been a Critter from episode 1. I rejoice because I only discovered Critical Role 3 months ago and get to binge 4 years of episodes. (and all the side projects along the way) The reason for their success? The way I see it, you have a bunch of great friends having a great time doing something very creative and original. The fact that they all have hero level thespian skills just seals the deal. I just caught their Twitch debut and I'm subbed up and getting current on campaign 2. This whole thing has brought back those AD&D days from 1980's high school and beyond. Now, I've managed to convince my wife and teenagers to play and we are having such a blast! If it weren't for the unchecked language in the Crit stream we'd be watching the streams as a family....but for now I keep that treasure for myself.

Matt Mercer is honestly just a beautiful human being. Thank you for all that you do man :)

When was this recorded? Cause it is not the Geek and Sundry Critical Roll stream...They are 100% separate now from G&S and Crit Roll is its own company

WOW 2 of my favorite things come together: Collider and Critical Role!!!NIEN!!!

I love how Napzok and Mercer are friends. Makes me happy

"How Matt Mercer Made Critical Role So Successful" Honestly? With as much work as Matt puts in making the game happen (and it's a lot), Marisha puts as much (or more) work into making the business of Critical Role happen. I mean, the whole team puts a lot of effort in (onscreen and off) but there's far more resting on Marisha's shoulders than most casual observers might realize. She's a HUGE part of the Critical Role success story.

Great interviewer. He didnt know much about Matt Mercer but he asked good questions and seemed genuinely interested.

For me is the chemistry between them that it really love.

Kristian really did his homework on this one.

He's a good story teller, he has friends who are great voice actors, and he put it on Twitch. There

This dude hosting this literally lives under a rock

That's Pain and Captain Levi right there!

Me, hubby and our 4 year old happily watch critical role and the 4 year old loves our regular dnd game days.

Remember the days when we could spend time with our friends in person?

This had SO MUCH base!

Never heard of Collider. I've heard of Matt and Crit role love em.

Starting family game night with D&D this weekend.

Never been here before, came because I saw Matt Mercer :D We love you guys here in sweden too =)

it wasn't just him, it was the whole cast.

Doing wonderful work, thank you Matt for giving new life to the rpg world!!

Matt and Ken... two of my favorite nerds of all time.

Wow never heard of collider but dude.. do you not research your guest at all?

Critical role and Collider pretty much all I watch! Mercer is the man!

MATT ON COLLIDER? DA F*?

The voice of Tygra from Thundercats.

Matt Mercer talking about Critical Role on Collider. My two most watched things on youtube converging. I don't know what the hell is happening but I love it.

smart move releasing this video on a thursday lol

matt mercer is a gift to the world and we dont deserve him

2:26 dude nails the modern experience.

Is there a full interview?

Does your wife play D&D? LOL! FacePalm :)

7:10 Can I be the villain in the company...... so the financial advisor?

im glad they didn't made a deal with netflix

To some d&d is just some fancy words surrounding some dice rolls to give them some importance. To others its many lives and story's told through the medium of player action and fate. But at the end of the day, it's just a fun pastime to bond with the people at the table

I am starting a campaign with my wife and stepdaughter! I want this connection that is talked about in this video!

Critical Role and the Joe Rogan podcast have absolutely proven there is an enormous market for long form content.

Living the dream. Bless you all.

I bought all the DnD starter packs and sat down with my family... said it was too confusing to learn and now live vicariously through critical role of what could have been T_T

It was The Hair

Theres something about watching people enjoy life that alot of people like.

Whilst the majority of the reason of why Critical Role is so successful goes to the cast, the craft of the story, the banter and humour between its members and the quality of the work they do - a part of the reason is that people enjoy the prospect of just a couple of people hanging out and having fun which have attracted a large audience towards this. Matthew Mercer is fantastic and so is everyone else for their ability to improvise on the spot and build a fantastic world full of interwoven stories together. And Critters alike, adore these characters that we have invested so much time in. Looking forward to their return!

Critical Role and Collider?! Solid. Combo.

Matt Mercer best DM ever

my worlds are Colliding Critter and Schmoe

The most history Kickstarter campaign ever was Star Citizen. They raised well over $100M

Holy crap....two of my things in the same space.

You'd think you'd do some research on the person your interviewing.....

Are there videos of the animation? Where can it be found?

Ken has talked about Matt for years.

Hah 7.9 min atm and 25 days left, with the promise at 8.8 mil we get the conclusion of the animation series and ASHLEY JOHNSON DM her very first time

Holy shit you got Matt Mercer on the show? Two of my favorite worlds collide haha

"How Matt Mercer made Critical Role so successful?" Well... He plugged it a lot. Most of his interviews included him name dropping the stream which he continues to do. Dont underestimate the effect signal boosting your own work can have. Many people had no idea Matt did things besides provide the voice for Mcree, those that did may have been more familiar with his work in anime and it's reasonable to believe neither of those groups might have known about Critical Role, especially when the show was in its infancy. By being an available, approachable guy he was able to sell a show to people who didnt know it existed. It helps that theyre able to have fun together. The perfect storm of fun, stupidity, and stupid fun that is the average D&D game combined with the professional talent for performance every cast member brings to the table helped propel CR far and above its contemporaries. Yes. There had been tabletop streams for years prior to CR. But when the voice of Mcree is at a table with the voices of: Lucina from Fire Emblem Roy Mustang from Full Metal Alchemist Gaara from Naruto Shirou Emiya from Fate: Stay/Night Ellie from The Last of Us Margaret from Persona 4 Thats a winning recipe for the sort of audience D&D has typically appealed to. Combine that with the winning chemistry you get from friends who have performed and played eith eachother for years and you'll be able to draw in people who may not have cared for the game at all. In a more cynical sense it helps that the group played characters that could get anyone from nearly any walk of life into their game. The original party of; Rogue, Ranger, Fighter, Sorcerer, Cleric, Barbarian, Druid, Bard meant that people who are more like, say, Travis, who had no interest in nerdy shit could get behind Grog and Travis. They were very "marketable", objectively speaking. Lets face it, most streams of D&D at tje time was average looking people playing their hobby for an audience, while CR is fairly attractively people putting years of performaning arts to work with a group they're very comfortable with.

So when is Matt playing in the Schmoedown?

D&D has gotten a bad rep for many years until recently. We used to play it in middle school and high school there were 5 of us playing it. I feel lucky to have gotten to enjoy so many game times each week after school that not many people ever had a chance to try. A lot of times when D&D was spoken about people made fun of it. As a group we always tried to bring people in but they always turned it down. Probably fear of social backlash in high school but we didn’t care we were having a lot of fun. Give it a try. It’s a great game.

7.8 MILLION...BEHOLD THE POWER OF NEEEERRRDDS!!!!!! THE WORLD WILL BE OURS!!!! ALL OF THE BULLIES THAT MADE OUR LIVES HELL.... TREMBLE IN FEAR......

"7.8 Million?! Wow that's insane!" ... little did they know...