Some Game Mechanics Just Aren’t Fun - Vox Machina, Ep. 21 | Critical Role Demystified 

Which Slayer’s Take adventure was your favorite?

I remember watching Kash's backstory reveal and my jaw just dropped. I remember going "Wait, this guy's only a GUEST? But I wanna see his whole story arc!"

"Who's that?" *distant screams* [Forboding] "My sister"

Wil and Will were having the time of their lives here and honestly, that's what's most important.

Nothing will ever be as good as the timing at 19:36 for Travis and Laura screaming bloody murder in the other room.

I love Kashaw's backstory, because it points out something that a lot of players don't realize. Your Cleric doesn't have to be bound to one of the primordial entities, it can be the god of a minor cult. This leads to a lot of fun and interesting encounters, that would probably have been explored further if Kash had been a permeant cast member. But even as it is now, its fantastic and a good lesson for anyone trying to build a Cleric or whatever tied to gods.

It's really palpable how the group has matured compared to these early sessions. They don't see setbacks and failures as "frustrating" anymore because they've realized that they're equally valuable for the story. So they revel in the opportunity to roleplay through failure. I'm sure Matt and Liam were already familiar with the concept, but it's actually really hard to teach newer players not to take their character's shortcomings to heart, and to show them how any action that results in dramatic tension is a victory for the table, regardless of what the characters want.

Matt's face when he hears the screams from outside is perfect. Literally "I can't wait for that scene in game"

Hotis : "I'll find you!" Mike : "That's probably fine" Narrator : "Foreshadowing, is a narrative device."

Aabriya's fae-like joy in her players rolling low coupled with how Wil so gleefully leans into them would just be an absolute joy of a session to watch. :D

So this time Tiberius actually used his points correctly. Empowered spell is one of the few metamagic options that you can use along with other metamagic options

Honestly my favorite parts are Wil's fumbles because you are absolutely right. He rolls with it and makes it fun for the entire table! He is a model player. The reason that I got frustrated with Orion in this one is this, that he is clearly trying to show off and be the coolest dude in the room. Dude it's a swarm of rats, don't waste your good spells.

I think this is the first Critical Role Demystified that REALLY makes me want to go back and rewatch the episode. For years now I've always remembered this episode as Orion dragging the group down by blowing all his resources and then demanding a long rest so he could be the main character again. But hearing you recount the events maybe that's not very fair.

Watching Thorbir suffer from Will Wheaton’s terrible luck makes this one of my favorite episodes

I like the idea of "Speak with the Dead" allowing you to know what happens after their death *if* their souls are trapped within the body or around it. Knowing that some souls get stuck and don't move on adds a sadness and anxiety to games. Some games tell darker stories where this just seems thematic overall.

I would describe episodes like this like "delightfully frustrating". The party is struggling but in the end they get the job done. This is of course not something you want multiple sessions in a row but once in a while it can keep the players on their toes. And the whole Tiberius frustration like you said yourself does not seem like it should be that big of a problem.

I would liked to have Thorbir once more in the show, but it's been a fun dude and a truly fail legend. At least we have more Kash and Zahra....several times. Gosh they're so great.

"If you're wondering if he rolled a 1 on one of those attacks, why would you wonder that?" XD

I remember hearing Laura & co screaming about the carpet in the back room, and I watched this ages ago 🤣 There were a lot of frustrating moments in this one but I just loved watching Wil and his dice. What a legend.

Man I do remember this episode being frustrating but I also think the delayed reaction from the other team to the carpet's demise is probably in my top favorite meta CR moments 😂 Oddly enough the Wills' dour characters kinda fit the overall vibe of this arc really well, so I think that helps, too. They're definitely a highlight that make these episodes more enjoyable than they would have been otherwise. Also a good look into how to play a gruff character without being hard to play with!

I like that you highlight Matt's choices on nudging will&will without robbing their agency. Great DMing

Zahra and Kash are still my two favorite guest characters in all of CR. Will and Mary are just delightful.

Love the demystified series, Mike! You bring a lot of insight and clarity to things that I didn’t notice or completely understand watching on my own.

Watching the episode, and seeing Wheaton roll a Nat 20, and his immediate rant was amazing

This series actually provides me with something I've been wanting for a while. A 30-minute or so recap of Critical Role episodes featuring the best bits. I love the stories from all 3 campaigns but 4 hours every week is simply too much for me to commit to at this point in my life. So thanks for making this series mate.

Boy, that new footage dropped just in time. Happy LoVM2 release day!

It's a joy to watch you talk about CR. you obviously love it. It's so fun! You're also a good writer. I'm glad I subscribed!

I think it was Fridele who did the Han Solo “what an incredible smell you’ve discovered” quote _Monster that lives in garbage waiting for prey_ So does that mean the Death Star had an Otyugh living in it’s garbage compactor? 🤔

What was funny about Wil's low rolls is that he didn't even bother adding his modifiers. It only makes it so much more comedic, and I love it. I'm glad that Matt eventually threw Friedle a bone with Turn Undead. And Kashaw's backstory is just... horrific and tragic. Almost as horrific as Tiberius practically almost killing Keyleth with his actions. RIP Carpet. And hurray, our first Heroes' Feast as Kiki re-enacts "Be Our Guest"! (RIP Angela Lansbury.) And ironically, it wouldn't have mattered regarding Tiberius and his burnt resources; he would have been useless against a Rakshasa anyway. Immunity to magic lower than 7th. Sadly, even that progress of his would quickly be quashed soon enough. And finally, the battle with Hotis. The aftermath of which would haunt Vox Machina for many months to come. And hey, we got that AMAZING 20 from Wheaton. It was well-deserved. Finally, we reach the most controversial moment for me: the kiss. I'm glad you addressed the consent issue, and I'm glad the air was cleared later in-character. Next episode is one of my favorites. It's the episode that solidified Keyleth as my favorite of Vox Machina... and it would paint a lot of her past characterization in a whole new light.

So happy you took a moment to highlight Acq. Inc. and the Legend of Aeofel (and Wil Wheaton's subsequent PTSD when acid pits appear)!

Favorite Slayer’s take episode? So hard to pick! I love the first two and our introduction to Zara. I love how the Giants are handled. I love how finding a sword of Dragon Slaying hints at things to come. But I’ve rewatched these two episodes so much. I like the Noir setting. I’ve calculated and catalogued all of Will’s rolls compared to control rolls of my own (statistically unlikely is right!). I love the screams jn the background about the carpet. They’re both so good!

I'm so happy to be far enough into C1 that I can watch these as they come out!

Woot! A new reason to rewatch your CR video.

I would like to comment on the sorcery points with twinned and empowered spell. RAW, since you can use empowered spell even if you use another metamagic option, and you roll separately for both spells in twinned spell, these do stack, it is insane, and sorcerers are absolutely terrifying.

This was actually one of my favorite critical episodes

Kash has been my favorite guest character across all 3 campaigns (And the Blunder Games) I love the way Wil plays him, and I just love the BDE that comes from him later in the campaign.

This is a good channel. This is a good series. I like Mike.

Just subbed. I dig this alot despite being a long time fan. It is a fun breakdown.

31:23 Love the reference to Pop Culture Detective! His video essays are *very* interesting to watch and to learn from; the audio files are also very good, though I’ve only listened to a couple so far.

Thanks for continuing with these recaps! I'll be honest, I'm waiting for you to hit "The Feast," because someone here on RU-vid suggested that's where I start... But thanks for doing stuff like this, I like seeing the origins of Kash/Vesh and the Wheaton Dice Curse!

Theese episodes are phenomenal

The quickening of a spell to aid in a follow-up cantrip is actually perfectly valid RAW.

This was very well presented! Not sure how exactly I got here, but re-analysing the season 1 episodes are interesting, and I look forward to it by subbing!😁

Got them both dreading and excited for the flying cows episode Because that’s an episode I could not finish

Keep up the great content, Mike...sorry to hear about the job situation.

From what I understand, Otyugh's use their telepathy to try to lure prey closer to them before they burst out.

I hope that we get to see Thorbir at some point in the series, REALLY want to see how the writers portray his ungodly luck XD

It is my understanding that Otyughs represent and early instance of Lovecraftian horror that was popular in the fantasy literature of yore. Creatures in foul pit, dark places, rising out of the sewers - leftovers of old religions and peoples being worshipped by cultists or lost tribes. That sort of thing.

Wonderful perspective on the casting mistakes of Tibs being irrelevant after all this time. It’s easy to get indignant about as a player while watching the first time (if you know the rules on sorcery points and metamagic off the top of your head - as a gm I know I can’t). The point makes itself when Orion leaves the show. We don’t need to relitigate every mistake the guy makes on top of that.

for the record, you CAN use Empowered Spell on a spell you've already used another Metamagic on. it's like, the ONE Metamagic you can do that with, at least in the PHB.

I know its been 8 years and this happened a bunch of times etc. etc. but this (and the previous episode) were stand-outs cause Tiberius used an unprecedented *8* 3rd level spell slots and tried to use a 9th before Matt finally put his foot down. Also in hindsight and rewatching the episode I have the odd feeling the carpet getting destroyed was a fix by Matt. Tiberius goes to cast fly on the whole party so they don't need to use the carpet but Matt says a 6th level Fly wouldn't affect all of them (it would) and then calls a break when they decided to use the carpet. The party throws a ton of stuff at the sigils to no effect, and when it deactivates the carpet and Orion rolls an 18 to restore the carpet and Matt says he needed a freaking nat 20.

honestly enjoying this much more than the regular campaign xD Do more!

There’s a part of me that still wishes Will Freidel played “Plays With Squirrels” when he guest starred on these episodes lol

With them mixing around the order of events and condensing things for TLoVM, I don’t think we’ll get to see Thorbir as an actual character but maybe he’ll be in the background somewhere- maybe he’s in the background in the episodes that are out rn, I’ll have to go back and look- but I wish we got to see more of him, he was really fun and seeing Wheaton’s curse in action is always great

OMG YOU WATCH POP CULTURE DETECTIVE, I LOVE YOU!!!!! Also, I LOVED that carpet scene, I rewatched it about a 100x XD

I love Will Friedle as a performer so much. He was amazing as Eric Matthews (and contributed a lot to the later seasons by cranking his zaniness to 11 which the show happily ran with) and I love that he's amazing in his first game of D&D. Of course he came up with his own backstory with so many creative elements. Of course he incorporated a low CHA roll into comically bad memory involving in different ways to mess up Tiberius's surname. Love everything about his character, and I think D&D is such a great way to channel his creativity and improv skills and entertainer energy into something just strictly fun between projects.

This is such a good series, and it’s made me more awear when watching cr myself. I’m re-watching parts of the chroma conclave arch and it is striking how much they step on each other toes in quick decision moments. It’s not something I remember notecing in their newer stuff. They clearly learned how to give each other space to do cool stuff. It was intresting to notice, and I definetly think this series is to «blame». 😊

Somehow I had forgotten that Kashaw's backstory was laid out, end to end, through a single scene in a single episode. That is a lot for a guest character with a short run.

As someone who loves romance in dnd, ALWAYS ask before a kiss. Something like a hug, taking their hand, kiss on the cheek, ect. Might be okay as a suprise depending. But all of those can be brushed off as a friendly gesture. An overtly romantic act like kissing should be asked out of game or in game. I usually build up to it. So a hug first, then taking their hand, giving gifts, then kiss on the cheek, then make sure they're comfortable with Something overtly romantic. That way if at any point the player or character is uncomfortable it can be revealed (i.e. "when you hug him he awkwardly removes your arms and says 'don't do that again'"). You can also ask ahead of time "hey, I'd like a romance with your character, at some point they may kiss your's, is that alright?" Although I'd save that for people you know, it can be a crazy awkward conversation with strangers. With strangers let the romance naturally develope, take slow steps of intimacy. Hugging when it seems appropriate, taking their hand during a intense moment, sitting next to them a lot, giving gifts in game, then once it seems like they're receptive to these gestures ask out of game player to player. Although, to be fair, I am female. If you're a man a little more causion and asking sooner might be a good idea.

That Will Wheaton Natural 20 is just hysterical! 😂😂😂

"3k? You said you were single?" is such a good line.

I'd love to know what are your favorite sessions from c1. Watched it years ago but it'd be nice to revisit some!

Still my favorite moment of the actors disengaging from the role play for something irl is the distant yelling of Travis and Laura as they find out on the delay about the carpet and Marisha and Liam commenting on hearing them

"Will rolls another one on its saving throw... It's outrageous" i see what you did there

yeah Empower has the very specific rider that it can be used in addition to another metamagic - so tiberius was in the clear, funnily enough! Empower is one of the best metamagic picks for Blaster Sorcerors for that reason - 1 SP to get a huge potential boost in damage on top of your other effects is great

You can use empowered spell on a spell that has had another meta-magic option used on it.

Matt also may have considered Locate Creature to not technically be affecting him.

I've heard tales of Wil's bad dice luck, but god damn.

not only is Will the Nega-Percy, he is also the anti-orian, in the sense that he revels in failure and makes it part of his character and in no ways complains about it

On a complete tangent: I'd love to see Wheaton (and the CR crew, tbh) try their hands on 'The Dark Eye', just to see what the dicegods have to say the moment low rolls are successes

Does it mess up the algorithm that I upvote before I even watch these?

I want to play a dnd game from level 1-20 but it last a long time. sort of like critical role campaign 1 what is your thoughts.

In regards to Wil being a good sport about his low rolls, I feel like when you're as cursed as he is, it's learn or die XD

Ahh, mind control. Great for drama. Pain in the ass to actually play. I don't think I can recall sessions that were less fun for the people involved than the ones that heavily featured mind-controlling bosses. One DM took this onboard and made very sparing use of the tropes. The other just griped about us griping about it and continued to use them constantly.

The Wil Wheaton dice rolls are a masterful example of statistical anomalies.

I've been slowly watching through these "Critical Role Demystified" videos, and was confused at the statement that the Beholder fight was famously tough to watch. I remember that fight fondly and thinking it was actually really exciting! But when it comes to this fight/episode, I remember this one being the more frustrating one to view, definitely.

1:05 - Empowered Spell (reroll some damage dice) is one of the only options you can use on a spell that you've already used a different metamagic option on while casting. So Quickening a spell and empowering both it and one you cast with your action is fully valid RAW. It does burn through a lot of sorcery points, though (1 for each Empower, 2 for Quicken), and at least one of the spells is only level 2 in Matt's new rules (or a cantrip RAW) so you're not rerolling a huge amount of damage on that one. Potentially worth it if you roll really low on multiple large dice, though, since the expected extra damage for 1 sorc point could be high if you rolled a 3 on 3d10 for a firebolt or something. (Way below the average of 16.5, so you'd expect this sorc point to be worth 13.5 damage. That's more damage per sorc point than using two to Quicken a cantrip on a turn where you weren't already going to Quicken something.) Of course, as you say later, it seems like Tiberius is more interested in burning through resources as quickly as possible, not spending them efficiently. Like he doesn't realize that you could just *not* use your bonus action, or cast a saving-throw based spell to avoid disadvantage from being in melee. Or at most action disengage + quicken a cantrip, instead of also wasting a 3rd-level Obelisk of Stone. 11:48 - I'd say "uses" Turn Undead. Or actually I'd say "Kash Turns Undead", since the ability name lends itself to a verb form. You could say "channels Turn Undead" since it's a use of Channel Divinity, but that sounds awkward. It's not a spell so you don't "cast" it, just like you don't "cast" Second Wind, Zealous Presence, or Hexblade's Curse. (It is a magical effect, as mentioned in the generic Channel Divinity description, so it wouldn't work in an anti-magic zone. But that doesn't make it a spell.) It's important to know the difference between spells and non-spells, because for example readying a spell requires actually casting it, using the resource (spell slot) whether or not you then use your reaction to release the spell's energy or use your reaction to do something else. e.g. you can Ready a Path to the Grave without consuming a use of channel divinity until you actually do it. And RAW, it takes your concentration to ready a spell. (Matt doesn't seem to rule it that way, though, since some of his players have a hard enough time with mechanics and remembering what they're concentrating on.) And most importantly, casting (a spell) means interaction with bonus-action spells, where if you cast a spell as a bonus action, the only other thing you can cast on the same turn is a cantrip with a 1-action cast time. But non-spell abilities aren't spells at all, so they aren't limited by those spell-casting restrictions. Using the word "cast" for non-spells leads to confusion. Multiple times on CR we've seen players be unsure they could Channel Divinity on the same turn as a bonus action spell like Spiritual Weapon. Because they say "cast" for every class ability that's remotely magical. It seems to me like there are some broad general 5e design principles, and understanding them makes it easy to figure out lots of the other details, like what's a spell and what isn't. Or the difference between a saving throw and ability check: those are important key word to listen for when the DM asks for a roll, and to know which modifier to look for. The fact that CR players keep getting confused about things like that makes me think they don't understand how 5e is designed, and kind of just memorize some things without understanding the design they're part of (which makes it harder to remember.) Half of them never seem to know when they can use Guidance, seemingly not understanding that every d20 roll is either a save, check, or attacks, where every such roll adds an ability modifier and maybe your proficiency (or double or half). And that Guidance works on any ability check, but not on anything else. (And you have to have already cast it; it's 1 action and concentration, not a reaction until next edition of D&D.) Matt always has to (or chooses to) spoon-feed them the mechanics, like roll a d20 and add your Wis modifier, when they do stuff like Dispel Magic. So they don't realize they could have used Guidance on that, and Matt's oversimplification is wrong for Caleb's Stone of Good Luck which boosts all ability checks by +1. And then there's tool proficiencies. Most of them don't remember whether that part of their character sheet is a proficiency list or an inventory! Watching people stumble through mechanics is not that fun for me, but that's the price we pay for the amazing RP, storytelling, and humor we get from Critical Role. :/ In these early episodes it was understandable; they're busy people and only play once a week, for only a few months at this point. It is sometimes disappointing after 8 years, though, that most of the players still don't seem to understand basic parts of how 5e works as a game system (although most are solid on action economy and spells most of the time). Forgetting how checks are different from saves isn't like forgetting the details of the wording of one spell, though; checks vs. saves are a core mechanic. Clearly this lack of understanding of 5e rules doesn't stop them from playing, it's just bizarre to me that anyone could have so little interest in the game system they play every week. (The end of this post got more negative than I really feel most of the time, except about their (lack of) combat tactics. Their rules knowledge is mostly not terrible, but it really does surprise me when they do stuff like adding their save bonus instead of ability modifier, especially when it's higher than +5 so it's obvious it can't be their ability mod. Matt sometimes notices based on that.)

Oh, also, any chance on doing specials and such?

I do remember enjoying the other team's session a lot more than this one... I did find this one challenging to watch

Oh the wil wheaton dice curse

I loved this episode honestly. I laughed out loud at many of Wheaton's low rolls. And Kash made up for Tiberius in my opinion. Love Kash.

21:16 I mean in the one multi sesstion campaign I ran I had no big bad just a mostly nameless evil empire. But the players all had a great time so it was fine.

Just realized they've played an homage to this adventure in The Legend of Vox Machina S1. When they sit around the campfire and reminisce about their weiredst/most epic kills, Vax tells how he killed this tiger-person that looked a lot like a raksasha with a dagger to the throat and his last words were also something along the line of 'I will come back and find you' to which Vax just nonchalantly replies 'I've heard that one before'. God I love the show.

Oh I use an Otyugh in my campaign! I guess I leaned into the sentience thing so hard that the party couldn’t NOT befriend it. Kinda like a big ol’ nightmarish bulldog:)

I feel a kinship with Wil as the infamous low-roller of every table I’ve played at so far. I do relish in it, because the failures can be just as fun as the successes, as long as you have the right attitude with it.

Seriously Vax has been in danger so many times that he should consider changing his name in Princess Peach-il'dan XDXDXDXDXD

Does anyone know why Rakshasa take extra damage from such a specific source? Usually when something like that comes up it is an allusion to other materials. Like how Flesh Golems absorb lightning because of Frankenstein's monster. So why do backwards hand cat people take more damage from good people with pointy weapons?

Kash is just the best! Who'd have been surprised by that, though? I mean, could anything be better than playing D&D with Batman? Maybe playing D&D with Lion-O? (Fun fact, Matt was also part of Thundercats 2011!) I just feel so bad for Will. Not so bad I don't think it's funny, but I do feel bad for him. 😅 (Can I just say that I love that you're still doing the post-it thing? LOL!) The long rest thing … It's actually a big deal, and a fair bit of what I've learned about how to run a 5E game is learning how to make it so players *cannot* do this. Resource management is important. If you've got something powerful and finite, the notion of too good to use on a low level fight exists. I've seen DMs be very creative in giving players a boost when the parties got chewed up by low level encounters. A boost, not a full recovery. Because if it's not tense, it's not exciting. It's not a gimme, players have got to be ready to work for it, and there's got to be a genuine risk that things turn ugly. It's gotta be genuinely their game in the end. As for the ending of the episode … Kash had better apologize if he doesn't want to find himself being pecked at by a swarm of ravens down the road. Just a warning there, bud.

If you say it fast, it sounds like a bird call. Kashawgod!

I watched this and most of the episodes from 12 if not live the next day. I worked during track season on Thursday Nights. I had not played D&D since I was a kid. I did not know the rules. I had no understanding of them. I did not know O was stretching things. I only got the feeling I got from the rest of them. It was very uncomfortable. I could see the work at trying to bring a person back in. I also saw some things that made me feel icky. I will not comment on those things. Not having knolage of the rules made the things O did seem ok, but supper unfair. When I learned the rules, to the best of my ability. I saw the problem was going on long before I saw it.

I think Tiberius was so worried about the sorcery points, because he can only cast one spell per round now.

It's normal for Will Wheaton? lol Will "Dice Curse" Wheaton?

After watching mini primetime, I am not surprised Will Friedel can say insane thinks in a monotone manner, I am more surprised he is able to say thinks that a human being can actually parse

13:55 I don't think he ever made the party buy spell components, just deduct the cost

I think letting a PC, particularly one who hasn't played a lot, know they have a particular ability is better than watching someone fail because something slipped their mind. Just tell a PC to look at the thing on their sheet, it's fine, you aren't taking agency away from them, you are supplying information they would use if they remembered. Their character surely would know this anyways, and that can be the metric you use (Should the character have this information? If so, the player should as well, if they are struggling). I once had a character die, because a DM failed to supply me with information. Now of course I should have known the rules better, but in that moment I was sitting there, clearly at a loss for what to do, and making bad choices because I forgot a whole mechanic in a complex game and I was stressed out. I died, and it was like an hour later on the way home I saw something that could have gotten me out of it. It really bummed me out, and I was frustrated I had forgotten. My character wouldn't have, she was trained in this thing. My DM didn't want to give me the answers, but he also saw I was really struggling to come up with any on my own. It was a frustrating experience, and when I'm DM, I make sure that I lay out the options I see available for my players, especially when they are at a loss for what to do. I see it as part of the job, and one of the ways we approximate the expertise and training of our characters. (For those curious, it was in the Wrath of the Runelords campaign in Pathfinder. We were in the Fort Rannick, I play a human Cleric. We were fighting an Ogre with a human bane weapon, and we were in tight quarters. Our Paladin triggered a boss fight, and trying to get past my allies, I stepped too close to melee range (I forgot I could just move through my allies space at difficult terrain). I got knocked prone, and as the only human, the boss focused on me (He hated humans, hence the weapon). He managed to knock me to negative hp, but someone hit me with a potion. Unfortunately, I was now prone, within reach, and surrounded by allies which meant everything around me was difficult terrain. Casting a spell meant I would trigger an attack, getting up same thing, trying to move away at a crawl, same. Total withdrawal, couldn't move far enough into difficult terrain. I could total defense, but this guy hit like a truck and his bonus vs humans was insane. The option I forgot was Casting Defensively, with that I might have been able to extricate myself if I pulled off a spell. At worst I wouldn't trigger another attack. Totally spaced that it was even a thing.)

Waiting for Kashaw to "plant" one on Keyleth

Another issue is, when you quicken a spell as a sorcerer to cast it as a bonus action, the second spell you cast that turn must be a cantrip. You can’t cast fly and alter self in one turn, or glacial blast and telekinesis in one turn. It’s an intentional limiting condition put on the feature on he ignores it, which feels like cheating. Just fyi.

A flying carpet is best left to 15+ level play. Defeating terrain challenges shouldn't be so trivial. I think Matt planned to kill the carpet as soon as it was reasonable. I think the broom incedent was intentional too. He had a guest carry a broom of flying which he didn't need, knowing Vex would covet it. Vex gets her archery perch without the problem of it becoming cheap transport for everyone. The broom can be sent to fly alone, so it could still ferry a party over terrain challenges, and maybe winged boots would have been better. Stealing those is very implausible though, so maybe Matt had some other way of making it Vex-only.

It's important to remember that emotion is involuntary. You can't choose how to feel anymore than you can choose what color you see a rose. And if you are involuntarily being visited by the experience of frustration, that isn't your fault, and it's unreasonable to expect everyone to be able to make their facial expressions lie about their mental state vector. We're social apes, after all. That thoughtware runs as deep as we've been mammals. More on that point, I believe it may be a category error to project character frustration onto the player of that character. My character might be upset, frustrated, and winging about it, but I the player of that character, am experiencing delighted schadenfreude regarding my character's plight. To wit, I'm still having fun, in spite of, and in fact in no small part due to, my character's folly.

I need Thorbir to be in the Critical Role animation series! I'd love to see him fumble but be proud of it!