Summary
I got significantly betterBaldur’s Gate 3because ofCritical Role, despite knowing how to play the game since launch. The award-winning turn-based RPG by Larian Studios uses the rules ofDungeons and Dragons’ fifth edition (popularly referred to as 5e) and so do most of the campaigns on the tabletop roleplaying show – the group has been moving away from 5e, as demonstrated by the creation of theIlluminated WorldsandDaggerheartTTRPG systems forCritical Role. I knew ofCritical Roleand even had a chance to interview them before the release ofThe Legend of Vox Machina.
However, I was not involved in their campaigns and was not a critter (the term is used to describe fans ofCritical Role). However, playing throughBaldur’s Gate 3at launch left me wanting to roll dice night and day. Most of the game’s systems are determined by dice rolls, even if not actively. Some of the major outcomes in the story are decided by the player’s active roll and that feeling of landing a successful natural 20 or a world-ending nat 1 always left me wanting more. That’s when I decided to visit my interviewees’ popular TTRPG channel.
Brennan Lee Mulligan Breaks Down Critical Role: Downfall, His Inspirations & Dream Final Calamity Story
Brennan Lee Mulligan talks inspirations for Critical Role: Downfall, how its story is the antithesis to Calamity, and his dream final Calamity arc.
I Started Watching Critical Role Because Of Baldur’s Gate 3
I Felt An Urge For Deep Storytelling Driven By Dice Rolls
Feeling the urge to continue witnessing great stories unfold, determined by the randomness of dice like inBaldur’s Gate 3, I jumped intoCritical Role’s channel on YouTube and started campaign 3, Bells Hells. The story was well underway and I had dozens of four-hour episodes to catch up with, butI was immediately grasped by their storytelling abilities – and further immersed by the actor-players’ talents to play their roles. It was a matter of a single Bells Hells episode to get me enthralled and consider myself a critter. When not working and playingBG3, I’d just watchCritical Role.
It did not take me long to catch up with the story of Bells Hells and then start watching them weekly. Not satisfied with having to wait,I retroactively started the second campaign, The Mighty Nein, and several other spin-offs, like Candela Obscura and the most recent Menagerie stories. While becoming a critter is a topic of its own, the fact is that hundreds of hours ofCritical Roleactually made me a betterBaldur’s Gate 3player. This is because I was simply unaware ofDnD’s 5e rules, the pillar that has sustained most ofCR’s campaigns.
Critical Role Taught Me DnD 5e Rules That Helped Me In Baldur’s Gate 3
The Award-Winning RPG’s Mechanics Aren’t Always Made Clear
After hundreds of hours of the TTRPG show on YouTube, several of the mechanics fromBG3started making a lot more sense. There were aspects of the video game that I had misunderstood or not completely grasped, and those were now clear as day.Having witnessed the group of actors use 5e rules on a near-daily basis had me quickly understand how the minutiae of the game worked. A great example of my early faulted understanding of the game’s mechanics was near the beginning of the story, right on the outskirts of theGithyanki Crèche inBaldur’s Gate 3.
For reference, I had not played a single TTRPG since middle school, which is why I was so outdated.
Before heading down into the Giths’ lair, you can find a nest of eagles on the rooftop. By talking to them, I understood that they were simply trying to survive, but when I approached them, I initiated combat. Not wanting to kill them, I was desperately trying to Disengage with Astarion so that the battle would end and I could leave. Of course, this did not work.By watching Nott use Disengage onCritical Role, I understood what that same action meant inBaldur’s Gate 3– I would simply be able to move without provoking an attack of opportunity.
Another embarrassing yet funny example of how the TTRPG show taught me to be a better player was by setting the distinction between Action and Bonus Action.I remember running the campaign and, at moments, asking why I could not use specific moves or attacks as actions or bonus actions, accordingly, and getting somewhat frustrated since I believed Bonus Action was simply a second set of actions I could take after my initial attack inBaldur’s Gate 3, without restrictions. I also learned by watchingCritical Role’s Ashton and Yasha, why Karlach’s Rage would suddenly drop in a fight.
Why Critical Role Should Move Away From D&D 5e For Its Next Campaign
With the controversy that D&D seems to always finds itself in, and a new TTRPG system on the way, should Critical Role leave for its next campaign?
Rage, of course, is a Bonus Action used in combat that vanishes if the Barbarian is not trying to attack or is hit throughout their turn. As such, activating Rage for Karlach while she was far away and spending her entire turn trying to reach enemies without actually engaging in combat would result in Rage being dropped, something I did not understand. Because ofCritical Role’s campaigns, I also started to better comprehend AC and why Shadowheart’s attacks would never land.The list of the small details inBG3that I learned or perfected because ofCritical Roleis large.
Over hundreds of hours, I also learned thatCritical Roleis not the best source forDnD-heavy gameplay mechanics. The group of actors takes of lot of liberties when it comes to gameplay, mainly for the sake of narrative. This is not a problem, per si, since they get a chance to make their stories denser and more appealing, but I’ve learned that some straight-laced players dislike it. Regardless,theDnD5e rules I learned fromCritical Roleput me on the right path to learningand becoming a betterBaldur’s Gate 3player.
This is also somewhat the game’s own fault.BG3is a mechanic-heavy game becauseDnD’s 5e is also mechanic-heavy. The problem is thatthe game does not explain a lot of its gameplay mechanics and somewhat expects all of its players to already know 5e rulesor to learn them on the go. It is intuitive enough for you to finish the entire campaign without fully understanding 5e rules – I got to Act 3 before starting to watchCritical Role– but a more active tutorial forBaldur’s Gate 3players unaccustomed to 5e rules would be very helpful.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Made One Huge Class Change That D&D Needs To Adopt
Baldur’s Gate 3 makes quite a few changes when adapting Dungeons & Dragons 5e into a video game, and there’s a warlock change the TTRPG should adopt.
Even with this issue,BG3is still well-tailored enough for players to go through the majority of its campaign and experience its great storytelling capabilities. Having both played Larian’s RPG and watched hundreds of hours ofCritical Role, I became fascinated with TTRPGs and dice. The two very distinct entertainment products triggered my curiosity and set me looking toward more systems, trying to fix up groups of friends for one-shots, and, of course, heavily awaiting thesequel toBaldur’s Gate 3, if there ever is one.
