Agreed! I love that intro. Gets me fired up, too! If folks haven't watched Critical Role--available on YouTube, Twitch, and podcast--you're missing out. Jump in anywhere, any time for inspiration (although the Briarwood plot arc from Campaign One is a great, self-contained, fully realized D&D story arc; everything from that point onward is the group really hitting its stride). I aspire to that level of roleplay and creativity in our game! IMHO, Matt Mercer and the crew tapped into what I've always loved most about RPGs: that in the end, it's creative collective storytelling in the best traditions of imaginative play and improvisational theater. The DM and the rules are there to help guide the storytelling process, but it's the players that bring their characters to life and make the story compelling. And if you've watched or listened to Critical Role, then you probably know that the best moments in the show occur not when the party is deep in combat but rather when a character "pulls aside" another character for a heartfelt conversation. (Although the players themselves can make fun of their own melodrama, based on audience feedback in social media: "I pull her aside"; "I look away from him"; "I turn and walk away.") In conjunction with an email exchange I had with one of our players this weekend, this reminds me: folks, there's nothing I like better than the players exploring a roleplay opportunity for their PCs. So, please--don't ever think that you're wasting the group's time or taking away from the plot to stop for a few moments and explore something important to your PC, talk to your fellow PCs, or talk with an NPC. To me, that exploration is the point of the rest of the story. Like I said way back in Session Zero--although I'm glad to run it for our group as DM, as a player I've always been less interested in combat than I am in the story around those combat encounters. Any fantasy video game can give a more fluid, immersive battle experience; but the magic of RPGs lies in the interaction with our fellow players and the ability we have together to shape the story. I hope that's been clear, but if it hasn't, my bad! Remind me and others, if you need to, by saying something like, "My character is going to take a moment and pull this other character aside, because it's important to my character based on something in his backstory." Words like "backstory" or "it's important to my character" are good cues that we're taking a moment--or two, or ten!--for roleplay. And if you ever feel like we've sacrificed a roleplay opportunity you wanted to explore in favor of plot, shoot me an email or private message and let me know! I'll do my best to make those opportunities more available. "Now it's your turn (your turn, your turn) to roll!"
