Alright everyone complaining can chill the fuck out, they gave a return date

In the wake of FCG' fate I've been thinking about death in ttrpgs, and how it kind of exists on three levels:

There’s the gameplay level, where it only makes sense for a combat-heavy, pc-based game to have a tool for resurrection because the characters are going to die a lot and players get attached to them and their plotlines.

Then there’s the narrative level, where you sort of need permanent death on occasion so as not to lose all tension and realism. On this level, sometimes the player will let their character remain dead because they find it more interesting despite there being options of resurrection, or maybe the dice simply won’t allow the resurrection to succeed.

Then, of course, there’s the in-universe level, which is the one that really twists my mind. This is a world where actual resurrection of the actual dead is entirely obtainable, often without any ill effects (I mean, they'll be traumatized, but unless you ask a necromancer to do the resurrection they won’t come back as a zombie or vampire or otherwise wrong). It’s so normal that many adventurers will have gone through it multiple times. Like, imagine actually living in a world where all that keeps you from getting a missing loved one back is the funds to buy a diamond and hire a cleric. As viewers we felt that of course Pike should bring Laudna, a complete stranger, back when asked, but how often does she get this question? How many parents have come and begged her to return their child to them? How many lovers lost but still within reach? When and how does she decide who she saves and who she doesn’t?

From this perspective, I feel like every other adventurer should have the motive/backstory of 'I lost a loved one and am working to obtain the level of power/wealth to get them back'. But of course this is a game, and resurrection is just a game mechanic meant to be practically useful.

Anyway. A story-based actual play kind of has to find a way to balance these three levels. From a narrative perspective letting FCG remain dead makes sense, respects their sacrifice, and ends their arc on a highlight. From a gameplay level it is possible to bring them back but a lot more complicated than a simple revivify. But on an in-universe level, when do you decide if you should let someone remain dead or not? Is the party selfish if they don’t choose to pursue his resurrection the way they did for Laudna? Do they even know, as characters, that it’s technically possible to save someone who's been blown to smithereens? Back in campaign 2, the moment the m9 gained access to higher level resurrection they went to get Molly back (and only failed because his body had been taken back by Lucien). At the end of c1, half the party were in denial about Vax and still looking for ways to save him, because they had always been able to before (and had the game continued longer it wouldn’t have surprised me had they found a way). Deanna was brought back decades after her death (and was kind of fucked up because of it). Bringing someone back could be saving them, showing them just how loved and appreciated they are. Or it could be saving you, forcing someone back from rest and peace into a world that's kept moving without them because you can’t handle the guilt of knowing you let them stay gone when you didn’t have to. How do you know? How would you ever know?

Sometimes self care as a DM is taking a break to be your PC with 8 INT

And we catch up with the Crown Keepers…

I’m dying DORIAN????

Yesterday, I was talking with a couple of friends about the newest Dimension 20 episode and it was brought up how killer a party the bad kids are. Their levels of optimization and total mastery of the battlefield is a sight to behold. From there, it was mentioned how Bells Hells and the Bad Kids are at the same level (level 13). And naturally, we began to compare the two parties, and it became quickly apparent that one party felt leagues ahead of the other. And that got me thinking, what do the Bad Kids have that Bells Hells don't?

And this is nothing about the players themselves. All 13 players from both CR and D20 are masters of what they do. Their level of strategy and creativity is unparalleled. And you can't say that one group of people is specifically better than the other. So then where are these problems coming from? And then I realized the problems didn’t have anything to do with the players. Not with characters or even their choices

It’s their party composition that’s the real issue.

While on the surface, BHs looks like a very diverse party, everyone in it is very locked into specific roles. We have three melee fighters (who can really only act as melee fighters), two spell casters who mostly have damaging spells (mixed in with some support stuff) and a cleric (that is really locked into their role of healing and support). Fearne is really the only character with any real versatility but because of the current party setup, she kind of has to play support or healing, otherwise the party becomes very unbalanced.

Because so many characters are unable to deviate from their “roles,” everything becomes much harder.

Look at the bad kids in comparison, Adaine can quickly switch from pure damage dealing to support moves very quickly, Fig can switch between melee to spells to straight up healing, and Fabian, who is mostly melee, is still able to take on a support role because of his levels in bard. And while they do have some more rigid roles (Kristen, Gorgug, Riz), these characters still have options via spells.

The best DND parties are the ones where the individual roles are fluid and ever changing. And because BHs setup, that becomes a difficult feat to pull off.

And then I was thinking about why.

Why they would design the party this way if it was so clearly unsteady.

But the thing is, it wasn’t supposed to be.

Because there is one word that explains exactly why the party is what is. One word that simultaneously explains and fixes everything.

One word.

Dorian.

Having a bard in the party would go miles into helping BHs and make a lot of those issues outright disappear. Dorian ,as a Swords bard, can engage in direct melee, but can also provide additional support and be another source of healing within the party. Spells like Hypnotic Pattern, Warding Wind, and Shatter are all incredibly useful within combat, and having caster that can take a hit is always a good thing.

And again, do I think that Bells Hells doing something wrong by having the party they have? Absolutely not. Despite my earlier statements, I'm genuinely impressed by their accomplishments, strategy and overall creativity. I love them all. But having a Bard in the party wouldn't hurt.

TLDR; Dorian we need you.

THEY ARE ROLLING to pick characters in the live show, no wonder no-one knew nothing, THE CAST DIDNT KNOW

The combinations the combinations, I can't stop thinking about the Combinations

"I'll see you soon"

"You will, that's a promise"

I'm alive because they made me alive.

when liam starting sobbing as he was talking and said, “i’m just really sad.” that fucking HURT

calling 911 on sam riegel for emotional damage 😭😭😭😭

honestly the fact that sam's voice was watery and wavering, and matt started to lose his composure and started tearing up because HE KNEW like we all knew too what sam was planning on doing and then. g o d . that last speech.

everyone fuckin crying. all of us behind the screens crying. god fucking damn it sam you fucking did it again but

I want to SCREAM!! not FCG!!! BABY BOY ONLY JUST FOUND OUT WHAT BEING ALIVE MEANS AND HE PULLS AN IRON GIANT AND AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA SAM FUCKING RIEGEL YOU TRAGIC HEARTBREAKING MANIACAL GENIUS

420 days. FCG made it 420 real world days before blowing himself up.

We all knew it. I’m surprised he made it over a year really.

I know there’s been a few posts on it already, but godsdamn Travis was clutch in last night’s game

Not Chetney. Chetney didn’t do shit. (jk)

But Travis Willingham. the player. the CEO. the fan.

He got his shit absolutely ganked in round 1. Fully dead. Before he got a turn. I’ve seen players rage quit after that. Hell, i’ve been a player that rage quit after that.

And he hung around, making jokes and talking strategy until he was like “ooh, a burger” and got his noms on until he was brought back up

When a TPK looked imminent, he told Matt it was okay. He knew they could move on, even from that. He was a calm and comforting presence at the table.

when Sam pulled the hail mary, he was the only one not yelling, crying, or both. He, in the moment, let his appreciation for the big move and the killer story beat shine through.

Travis did a hellova job last night, and it was easy to see why he captains the ship, and he’s someone i strive to be like as a player, a gm, and a friend

We've come a long way since Beau tried to make that deal with Isharnai.

From Critical Role C3EP91

matt ruling that the technical damage from the explosion was irrelevant due to the power and weight of fcg’s sacrifice is what really got me. even if sam rolled the max possible number on the dice, it wouldn’t have even brought otohan to below where she was before she took the health potion. mechanically speaking, she should have survived that blast by a LOT of hit points. but this was a player willingly killing their own character, beyond reviving and even potentially beyond resurrection, to give the rest of the party any advantage they could, and he rewarded that with the death of an antagonist that has haunted this campaign from the very beginning. unreal fucking plays by both matt and sam tonight.