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I admire Matthew Mercer. As far as hobbyists go, he’s one of the great role models for me and many others. Matthew Mercer is an American actor, voice actor and Dungeon Master. He’s best known for his work as a 🛒Dungeon Master in the web series Critical Role, where he leads a group of other voice actors through a campaign of Dungeons & Dragons. Critical Role has been the most successful D&D livestream since 2015 and, alongside Stranger Things, is probably one of the biggest factors in the hype around pen-and-paper games in recent years.
As Dungeon Master at Critical Role, Matthew Mercer holds a special position. He plans the story, designs and describes the game world around the players, and plays allies and monsters alike. He’s thus a very central factor in Critical Role’s success and could probably be described as the heart of the web series.
Matthew Mercer or Matt Mercer can draw on years of experience in tabletop gaming and is undoubtedly one of the best Dungeon Masters in the world. His worldbuilding, but especially his acting talent and sound effects, set the Critical Role campaign apart from other D&D sessions. Personally, I find him very, very good and have adopted much from his playing style. Matthew Mercer has also published his worlds as books: 🛒Tal’Dorei and 🛒Wildemount.
Nevertheless, Matt Mercer is only human: He sometimes makes rule-based mistakes, or he takes a long time to advance his story. That’s why, for example, I stopped following Critical Role. Personally, too little happens for me in the four hours per episode. Other fans, however, idolize Matthew Mercer. They only know his style and love it. But here begins the Matt Mercer Effect: When Critical Role fans only demand a certain style from the Dungeon Master and criticize when their own DMs aren’t as professional as Matthew himself. A utopian demand.
This is the Matt Mercer Effect
Mercer is known for providing an incredibly immersive and detailed portrayal of roleplaying that serves as inspiration for many players and Dungeon Masters. However, the Matt Mercer Effect has a slightly negative connotation, as Critical Role can set undeservedly high expectations for Dungeons and Dragons fans.
I want to clarify that the Matt Mercer Effect itself doesn’t necessarily have to be negative. Rather, it can have negative effects when players have unrealistic expectations about the quality and level of roleplaying, or when they try to simply copy Mercer’s portrayal instead of developing their own unique ideas and styles. When hobby DMs are undeservedly criticized because their worldbuilding, their roleplay, or their sound effects aren’t as good as Mercer’s, then that’s unfair and frustrating. Critical Role fans should hold back with demands and expectations and instead accept their own sessions as they are and make them a good experience for everyone at the table.
Another possible negative effect of the Matt Mercer Effect is that it can lead some players and Dungeon Masters to focus excessively on acting and theatrical performance instead of focusing on the rules and the actual game. This can cause group dynamics to suffer and make the game run less smoothly. Different players and gaming groups simply want to play the game differently. Some players love combat, others love long dialogues. A session like Critical Role would be too slow for me as well. Therefore, it’s important that players communicate with each other about what expectations they have for the game. Then a common middle ground must be found.
A final important point is that the Matt Mercer Effect leads to the responsibility for a successful Dungeons and Dragons session lying solely with the Dungeon Master. That’s nonsense. The players bear just as much responsibility. If players don’t think along, participate, listen, or are creative, even the best Dungeon Master in the world can’t help. Matthew Mercer has the advantage that besides his own talents, he also has professional actors sitting at his table who are paid once a week to participate. The differences from many home games couldn’t be clearer. Comparisons therefore don’t help much.
Matt Mercer Effect: Conclusion
It’s important to note that roleplaying is a creative expression and that every player and Dungeon Master has their own preferences, abilities, and styles. Furthermore, the end result depends on all participants in a roleplaying session and not just on the DM. So: Feel free to revere Matthew Mercer, because he deserves it. But also revere your own Dungeon Masters and work together so that your Dungeons and Dragons session remains just as memorable as Critical Role.
Matt actually writes about this himself on reddit. “People. Relax. Your DM is awesome and doing this for your enjoyment and your journey. Appreciate that, listen, build with them together and make it something unique. Drop the expectations and just have fun together as friends.”
Amen!
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