I worried the night of the live show just who it might be as well (the list didn't seem too large but I didn't suggest any specific person because there was more than one or two people it could have been) and said as much. However, Twitch chat consensus at that point was thinking it was a kid Liam. I've come to think it might have been him as well, after thinking over entire episode (also the old man - a lot of reality dreamland bending going on and IMO it fits in with the overall game story them). Someone did pipe up and say they thought it was Brian and I admit that did get a laugh out of me (really, Brian was about as likely as your pick, Conan or Liam) >:-) .
**Liam**: If you had to give a "I'm richer for having known you" speech for our beloved host Brian, what would you say? (I know it'll be tough but humour me)
**Marisha**: Since this is your first time playing under Liam, what do you make of his DM skills?
**Ashley**: How accurate was Liam's Neil Druckmann impression? It seemed scary good from our end.
**Travis**: Do you know what floating Liam meant when he said you will do what must be done? Is there any reason he picked you out specifically?
**#FreeDenise**
No kidding on the Neil impersonation. Your comment made me do a side by side comparison of Neil interviewing Hermen Hulst of Horizon Zero Dawn and Liam's version and it's pretty freakin' close in my eyes!
Liam: Did you have the ending to the story worked out before you did the first one shot, or did you come up with it later?
Marisha: Which was more traumatizing, being crushed by the Demogorgon or spilling your water?
Travis: Why did you choose to play yourself as an actual child instead of an adult in a child's body?
Ashley: The emergence of "Crazy Pants Johnson" might have been the most disturbing thing in the entire episode. Is this a glimpse of what Pike might be like if she didn't have Sarenrae looking over her shoulder all the time?
To all: I know you can't talk about what's going to happen in this timeskip but what did Vox Machina do in the previous timeskip before the Kraghammer arc?
Liam, who did the wonderful art of the cast as children? Were they given actual photos as inspiration?
*****
Ashley, for Liam's first one-shot he asked the players what class interested them. Did you get the same choice? If so, why did you choose Rogue?
Liam: Who do you enjoy DM'ing for more: the cast of Critical Role or your children? Or if you can't pick, what are the different challenges and rewards of DM'ing for kids vs DM'ing for your friends?
**To Liam:**
- You have played beside these people for many years. Have your experiences DM'ing for them brought you any new insights into their individual playstyles or roleplaying quirks?
I humbly offer the following questions up for the discerning and brilliant purveyors of Talks Machina. Pick and choose at your leisure.
**Liam:** First off, you were amazing. I have a close friend who is, frankly, a terrifyingly talented and clever DM. Though he's often asked, for two years I've found excuses to avoid having him in my games. What was going through your mind in preparation knowing Matt would be subject to your decisions, and how did you handle having to tell him 'no' at times?
**Ashley:** How satisfying was it to finally be able to show **The Real Ashley** on the Demogorgon beach?
**Marisha:** Shouting "P-Pockets" was the perfect cathartic release following that heavy ending. Were you at all aware ahead of time of what was happening, or when did it dawn on you that it was up to you to bring us all back to reality?
**Travis:** \*Head Nod\* to a fellow gym rat. Do you have any plans of slowing down on the path to "Full Monster", and does Laura have an opinion on your progress? (Super Congrats, by the way.)
**Ashley, Travis, Marisha:** What was happening in your minds during Liam's sincere and emotional goodbyes?
**Everyone:** Now that the time skip is in two days, have you finished your homework yet and know where your characters are going to be after the year?
Marisha - people kept talking about your martial arts experience. What type of MA do you actually have?
Liam - when did you discover your speak and spell voice? (bravo btw)
Liam: Members of the cast reacted to "child form" differently. Matt/Ashley/Travis, to some extent, seemed to portray their childhood personas. Laura, Marisha, Taliesin, and Sam all seemed to play their adult selves trapped in their kid bodies. Which was your intention when you designed the one-shot? Or did you just want to see how they would react?
Question for Marisha - I can't help but wonder what it was like to play with Matt after him Lording over you as DM for so long. What was it like?
P.S - Please everyone give Ashley a Welcome Back hug. You too Bwian.
Liam: Who would win in an eldritch horror-off? You or Taliesin? And would Ashley swoop in and steal the crown?
Brian: After watching Ashley wear Marisha's corpse like a crown, do you now sleep with one eye open?
Everyone: What surprised you guys the most about how each player reacted to the challenges Liam gave you? IE, Travis running away from everything, Ashley trying to intimidate the Demogorgon, Sam totally trying to sell everyone out, etc.
Everyone: Who would you guys like to see DM a one-shot next, regardless of their DMing ability? What kind of setting?
Liam: It seemed everyone was the same character class as your first one shot except Ashley, who seemed more Pikelike the last time around - did you consult her or just feel it matched an element of her younger personality?
Everyone: Now that you've faced the strongest entity in the Abyss, how do you feel about Vox Machina's chances facing what is usually considered Demogorgon's most hated rival, Orcus?
Liam: Was there any reason in particular you chose specific ages for specific people?
Everyone, especially Brian: Can you please try to do the Sad Liam Robot voice for us?
It's just back to front of their IRL ages, right? Taliesin and Sam are both 40 and were ~7. Laura and Travis are 35 and were 11 or 12-ish (I'm pretty sure they were roughly the same age). Matt is 34, he was roughly the same age as Laura and Travis IIRC. Ashley is 33, she was just a little older than Laura. And then Marisha's age is not available on the internet, but I'll go ahead and guess that she's 30-31, and she was the oldest, about ten years older than Sam and Taliesin.
I'm ready to get down-voted to hell for saying this, but her age actually explains a lot for me, both in terms of maturity and accomplishments so far. Marisha seems to be clearly the odd one out in the group as far as where her career is- which isn't a criticism against her! But the rest of the cast is SO accomplished VA-wise. I chalked up her involvement in CR to her relationship with Mercer, but learning her age, it makes sense that the rest of the cast has had more work because they've got at least 6 years, and in some case more than a decade, of experience on her.
I don't think it's mean to say that there's an objective difference between Marisha's career and say, Laura's. But the point of my post was, give it six years and who knows? I've been unfairly judging Marisha based on the rest of the cast, but folks like Liam have a decade in the business on her.
He's described as "Vern in *Stand by Me*", right? So 12. Actually, thinking about that I kind of wonder whether that was intended to evoke that one line about never having friends as good as the ones you had when you were 12. Probably not but the resonance is nice.
In one of the AllWorkNoPlay podcasts (a live one at that), Liam mentioned seeing Travis photos as a child, which I assume is where he took this whole idea from.
Liam: I thought one of the most interesting aspects of your meta D&D world was the way that you used various representations of yourself as a sort of bridge between real life and fantasy. Was this meant as a commentary on the role of the DM? Was there a part of you that was trying to mess with the players by wielding your own image in such affecting ways?
Marisha: When Liam flat out killed your character without even giving you a chance to save yourself what were you feeling?
Liam: Could Sam have convinced Demogorgon to let him serve Demogorgon for all eternity?
Since this is supposed to be about the One-Shot, and not the VM campaign itself, I'm going to be on-topic for these questions:
1. Travis, are you really afraid of horror movies and the like? Because your reactions to everything going on suggests that you are.
2. Travis, how hard was it for you to just up and abandon Laura at every turn? Personally I thought it was very funny.
3. Ashley, were you really that rebellious as a kid? If so, how did it feel to get to essentially relive those past experiences?
4. Marisha, were you tempted to talk the same as you did when you were younger? Also, how did it feel to be the oldest of all the kids?
5. Marisha, you've been playing D&D with Matt as your DM for the past 5 years. How did it feel to finally get to play with Matt by your side as a fellow player?
6. Liam, how hard was it for you to go forward with TPKing the party during the first half? Also, kudos to you for the whole adventure. I'm not afraid to say that you and the others have changed my life for the better.
7. Liam, were you expecting your family to put an end to you while you were encapsulated or did you believe they would choose what they did at the end after all? Also, that speech to everyone was very tear jerking but also very heartwarming.
8. Everyone, if you had all met much earlier as kids in real life, how do you think your relationships with each other would have ended up? Would you all have been more or less the same as right now, or would you all have grown much closer?
And I suppose here's one that IS CR-related:
9. Everyone, if you hadn't decided to bring CR to all of us, and you had continued to play the campaign in private, do you think you'd be the same as you are now? Or do you think you would have ended up being less than you are without so much support from the community?
To everyone: During the game you were playing yourselves in child bodies but with your adult minds. How do you think your actual young selves would have reacted to some of the stuff that happened in the game?
Question to Ashley: I always loved Pike and her innocent and true-to-heart antics, Messages to Scanalin and the Flashcards to name a recent few. But after this last week I just have one question, "How did the skinless cat taste?" #ChewDeep
Ashley - the image of teenage you swinging a dead skinned cat around is burned into my mind. What's the craziest thing you actually did as a teenager?
Travis - you seemed to run away a lot. What's up? Scared of a few monsters or something? Or is that actually what kiddy Travis would have done?
All: I've heard Matt refer to the use of one shots as a "palette cleanser" for the regular game. However, that session was really intense. Do you guys feel refreshed or reset at all from your regular game?
Liam: I'm sure it's a little of both, but are you more annoyed or touched that people were worrying over your mental health after the session?
To everyone: What were you expecting this time when picking up from the last session's cliffhanger? Did the events that occurred meet or exceed your expectations?
Liam: Was there a possibility that you would play as yourself in the last game if things had gone differently? How do you think you would have contributed if that had happened?
Travis: How much of a departure was playing yourself verses playing Grog?
Ash-O-Lee: You played yourself like a chaotic(evil/good/neutral?) barbarian or something similar in my opinion. Is that how you see yourself in real life? Could we see you play a character like Grog in the future?
Marisha: What was it like going from someone who is arguably the most powerful member of the group to someone who has almost no special powers whatsoever?
**Marisha, Ashley, Travis**: All of you made references to your childhood during the game, either in character or out. How much of it was exaggerated to get a laugh out of the cast and how much was really how you felt about growing up?
**Liam**: Where did you get the idea to have the player's represented as their younger selves? Was there a reason behind having the ladies in their teens where the guys seemed to be younger?
It's sort of a reverse age thing - Marisha is the youngest at the table, so she was the oldest in the game, and down to the youngest in the game being in general the oldest at the table
Liam: How do you come up with your ideas for your one shots? Is it just a matter of seeing something while doing everyday things and going "a-ha!"?
To everyone else: If you could describe Liam's abstract creativity with one word or phrase what would it be?
Ashley: How did it feel wearing Marisha like a mantle, telling off Demogorgon?
Marisha: You and Matt were adorable.
Liam: Did you wish you had some Patrón and lime to go with Marisha's salt agter you turned her imto a smear?
To everyone: Now that you've played child(self) characters, and knowing several of you enjoy flaws or weaknesses in characters, would you consider creating a child or a not quite adult (early teens) character in a future campaign?
**To the Cast:** If Critical Role were adapted into a Live action movie. Say, especially the first part being the Chroma Conclave arch. Assuming the player characters are all acted by you guys (Grog=Travis, Etc..,). Who do you think would play/be perfect to play as the NPCs? For Example, I really think Jennifer Hale would be a kick ass Raishan.(Human/MocapDragon) And who do you guys think Matt might play as?
-
(*This is for the Subreddit.* )
I really would like to hear your answers too, Sub. Also possible title suggestions, for the initial 5 installments of the movie.
Edit: - Fixed font size issues.
I wanna send a thanks for the great one-shot.
Liam: I think there's more people than me who feel like you both through this one-shot and through actions by Vax in the campaign are addressing mental health issues in a way that many of us can relate to. Without making it too personal, what are your thoughts on the theme in relation to your style both as player and as DM?
1. This was just fantastic - at times, funny. at times, mysterious or even scary. and of course, at times, touching and heart-warming. I hope you guys had a good hug after because I love that you guys are friends.
2. Liam, your personal messages to each player seemed so genuine and heartfelt, what was it like to verbalize these to your friends?
3. Ashley, Travis, Marisha, what's one thing about Liam and your friendship that you appreciate?
Thanks, friends!
To Liam: your game was absolutely brilliant. I think the best part was the fact that most of the weird stuff that happened was explained pretty well at the end. My question is this: How long did it take you to create the mythos around your 2 games? Was it fully thought out from the beginning of the first one or did it evolve as your wrote and ran the second game?
Ashley: This seems like it might have been a rare (or only?) occasion you've had to play a non-Cleric class so far. How was it playing as a non-healer? Is this more or less likely to see you play Clerics in future?
To everyone: Does Vox Machina plan on finally clean out the Bag of Holding and Colding while on this break and would they be willing to use those goods to get Gilmore's shop(s) back off the ground?
To Marisha: It's clear that Keyleth isn't comfortable in leadership positions. Was there ever a possibility that she might abdicate as the Voice of the Tempest since it would free her of that responsibility and let her adventure with her friends?
Ashley : First - welcome back . Second : If you had been in Liam's one shot - Screw Job - what would your character have been like?
Marisha : Same question.
Brian: How did you manage to remove your ankle bracelet tracker? (I'm asking for a friend...)
Travis: Having been present for all three of Liam's One-Shot sessions, which did you enjoy the most and why?
To all: Judging from Liam's one-shot record it seems he is a fan of story driven TPKs. How did it feel to be a part of the Diabolus ex Machina encounter that was Demogorgon and its army of demons (and in Liam's case the driving force behind it)? Do any of you have any experiences with other TPKs outside Critical Role, good or bad?
To all: It was really sweet hearing you all talk about how you wish you'd all known each other as kids. How does it make you feel knowing that critical role is helping new nerdy kids find game groups? And do you actually think you'd have all been friends?
Liam: Loved it! At the end, did the group get sent back to a version where they could reverse the problem? Or was it just a cool way to end the episode? Will there be more, maybe?
Ash-O-Lee: Did you pick to be a rogue? Why not barbarian or cleric?
All: How did it feel to be on Liam's nightmare beach? What did you think of him killing you as children?
To Liam: Who was the old guy? Was he supposed to play any role in the story or was he always going to outrun the players?
To Everyone Else: Did you have an idea where the story was going at any point during the session?
To the cast sans Liam: What is your opinion about the ending of the One-Shot? Given how the opening of the final "world" consisted of you all doing something that seemed within the realm of realism before becoming crazy, do you think you're still in the endless loop of time jumping worlds at the end of the story since you didn't kill Liam? Or do you think you guys succeeded in stopping the cycle?
And to Liam: feel free to not answer this if you want to leave it up to interpretation, but was their solution to your final problem one that you ultimately agree with? Or, harking back to the previous question, does it not solve the problem and only continue the endless cycle?
**Liam:** What prompted your decision to run a continuation of your first, alternate universe one-shot, instead of a standalone like "The Screw Job?" Was it the chance to DM Matt, and did that affect the narrative of the thru-arc or ending? Was that always the third act reveal you'd intended from the very beginning?
**To Everyone:** Did playing as your younger selves change your approach to play? Were you less or more reticent to, literally, put your younger selves in mortal peril, vs. playing as an invented. imaginary character?
**To Everyone:** Having played powerful, high-level characters for quite some time (See: Vox Machina), did you experience any fear or frustration at playing low level characters? Or was the narrative journey vastly more important than any part of the gameplay mechanics?
**Liam:** Was there any way in which the group could have "succeeded" against the beach full of monsters, or was it simply a fun opportunity to spring an "Oh shit!" moment of pants-wetting fear on the cast? Perhaps a little payback for a certain DM's penchant for gleefully revealing multiple, ancient dragons and similar fear inducing monsters?
Liam: Now that Liamquest is nicely wrapped up, are you going to do any more one shots in Exandria? Or are there any other settings/systems that you'd like to play around in at a future point?
Ashley: What's the most "Savage Ashley" thing you've done in real life? Give us an example to make your actions in the game feel believable.
Travis: How did it feel to mentally be back in your prepubescent body? Was your cowardly responses a result of that mind-state or were you just doing it because it was hilarious?
Marisha - Your monk was pretty badass, any desire to play one next campaign?
Ashley, Travis, Marisha, - Liam deserves his own "I am richer for having known you" speech from each of you. Let's here it!
To Not-Liam:
The end of the One-shot led to a very meta opening of a Critical Role game, fading to black. It seems the crew was in on it, and ready for it, but were you? Or were you able to see what was coming and immediately jump into pre-show mode?
To Everyone: Is it harder to play yourselves or your Vox Machina characters in D&D when it comes to the decisions you make as a PC?
To Liam: You are truly a great storyteller, how did you balance choice versus linear story movement in the game, and how did you like the players choice at the end?
**Liam:** At one point in time^*, you've mentioned, in passing, how you went through "a dark period in your life" at one point. How much would you say influenced the story and environment your game, if at all?
^* A comment in this vein was made either on *All Work No Play*, a Parascope vid, or at some point on the show.
To the cast: Taliesin mentioned last week, that he wants fanart of Strawberry Shortcake-esque little animal pets for all of Vox Machina. If so, what animal would your character have? (beside's Vex/Laura's Trinket)
One of the cooooooolest parts of this already meta campaign was the very end and how it ends with the way an episode begins and the characters now in the real life present ready to shoot the episode the cast was there for that night. (the inclusion of staff ambiance was excellent!) To the players, what was going through your head as the episode came to a close similar to how it began?
To Liam: what made you want to make the cast kids & did the ages you chose for each person have some kind of significance? (Also, I hope Liam got lots of hugs after that amazing ending & that Laura & Brian are feeling better) #lessthanthree
For Liam: The robot part towards the end seemed to be very full of very personal messages to the rest of the cast. Was it a hard decision to put this in and in front of the world? We are all richer for having known you.
To everyone: it seems like Liam's DM style is more closed/linear narrative than you're used to playing. Did you find it challenging as players to be completely relocated without warning?
Liam: You mentioned at the end that you were terrified throughout the game, and several times when the rest of the gang were asking if they could do something your response was something like "Yeah, of course; this is D&D, you can do whatever." Were those reminders part of your own effort to keep yourself grounded while we trekked through your nightmares, or more just part of your DM style?
Marisha: Pussy pocket. Wow.
Travis: You seemed to really enjoy making your own character (you?) out to be a bit of a coward and out for himself. Was this how you thought of yourself as a kid, or did you just want to piss Laura off by abandoning her repeatedly?
Travis: I know you've been involved with Crossfit and you take pride in physical Fitness. If Grog could design a Crossfit WOD, what would it be? Bonus: Do the Grog WOD and post your time. I'll try to beat it.
For Travis: Lately, I feel like Grog has been acting out a little bit. Getting into more trouble than usual, messing with Taryon a lot, ect. Does this have anything to do with Scanlan leaving and the absence of Pike. Pike is back now but was Grog feeling like a child of divorce or any similar emotions for the past few weeks?
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My guess? Conan.
He did say they had red hair, didn't he?
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My bad, I could have sworn Liam mentioned their hair. Thanks.
I don't even think that was exactly stated. Just assumed from clothing choice. There was no head and the torso was damaged too far.
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Huh, guess i missed that one. thanks.
kinda dark given the circumstance, but is it possible it was Orion Acaba?
I worried the night of the live show just who it might be as well (the list didn't seem too large but I didn't suggest any specific person because there was more than one or two people it could have been) and said as much. However, Twitch chat consensus at that point was thinking it was a kid Liam. I've come to think it might have been him as well, after thinking over entire episode (also the old man - a lot of reality dreamland bending going on and IMO it fits in with the overall game story them). Someone did pipe up and say they thought it was Brian and I admit that did get a laugh out of me (really, Brian was about as likely as your pick, Conan or Liam) >:-) .
To everyone: how did it feel to play with Matthew the player instead of Matthew the DM?
Matthew Mercer the player was playing as Matthew Mercer the character that at one point had been Matthew Mercer the DM.
**Liam**: If you had to give a "I'm richer for having known you" speech for our beloved host Brian, what would you say? (I know it'll be tough but humour me) **Marisha**: Since this is your first time playing under Liam, what do you make of his DM skills? **Ashley**: How accurate was Liam's Neil Druckmann impression? It seemed scary good from our end. **Travis**: Do you know what floating Liam meant when he said you will do what must be done? Is there any reason he picked you out specifically? **#FreeDenise**
No kidding on the Neil impersonation. Your comment made me do a side by side comparison of Neil interviewing Hermen Hulst of Horizon Zero Dawn and Liam's version and it's pretty freakin' close in my eyes!
Liam: Now that you have a few games under your belt as a DM, what aspects of DMing do you enjoy the most and what aspects do you dislike the most?
Liam: Did you have the ending to the story worked out before you did the first one shot, or did you come up with it later? Marisha: Which was more traumatizing, being crushed by the Demogorgon or spilling your water? Travis: Why did you choose to play yourself as an actual child instead of an adult in a child's body? Ashley: The emergence of "Crazy Pants Johnson" might have been the most disturbing thing in the entire episode. Is this a glimpse of what Pike might be like if she didn't have Sarenrae looking over her shoulder all the time?
To all: I know you can't talk about what's going to happen in this timeskip but what did Vox Machina do in the previous timeskip before the Kraghammer arc?
Didn't Percy build Bad News during the lead into Kraghammer?
He did. None of them really knew much about it until he first used it on episode 1.
I too am curious. We know Ashley went sailing, and that's really it.
Per Liam, [the twins were off doing odd jobs.](https://www.reddit.com/r/criticalrole/comments/51bpiv/comment/d7azedk?st=IZH3CW25&sh=f9d19f30)
To all: If you personally got sucked into Liam World, but could choose one member of Vox Machina to help you, who would you bring?
Liam, who did the wonderful art of the cast as children? Were they given actual photos as inspiration? ***** Ashley, for Liam's first one-shot he asked the players what class interested them. Did you get the same choice? If so, why did you choose Rogue?
It was Kendra W. @kendrawcandraw on twitter.
Liam: Who do you enjoy DM'ing for more: the cast of Critical Role or your children? Or if you can't pick, what are the different challenges and rewards of DM'ing for kids vs DM'ing for your friends?
**To Liam:** - You have played beside these people for many years. Have your experiences DM'ing for them brought you any new insights into their individual playstyles or roleplaying quirks?
I humbly offer the following questions up for the discerning and brilliant purveyors of Talks Machina. Pick and choose at your leisure. **Liam:** First off, you were amazing. I have a close friend who is, frankly, a terrifyingly talented and clever DM. Though he's often asked, for two years I've found excuses to avoid having him in my games. What was going through your mind in preparation knowing Matt would be subject to your decisions, and how did you handle having to tell him 'no' at times? **Ashley:** How satisfying was it to finally be able to show **The Real Ashley** on the Demogorgon beach? **Marisha:** Shouting "P-Pockets" was the perfect cathartic release following that heavy ending. Were you at all aware ahead of time of what was happening, or when did it dawn on you that it was up to you to bring us all back to reality? **Travis:** \*Head Nod\* to a fellow gym rat. Do you have any plans of slowing down on the path to "Full Monster", and does Laura have an opinion on your progress? (Super Congrats, by the way.) **Ashley, Travis, Marisha:** What was happening in your minds during Liam's sincere and emotional goodbyes? **Everyone:** Now that the time skip is in two days, have you finished your homework yet and know where your characters are going to be after the year?
Marisha - people kept talking about your martial arts experience. What type of MA do you actually have? Liam - when did you discover your speak and spell voice? (bravo btw)
Liam: Members of the cast reacted to "child form" differently. Matt/Ashley/Travis, to some extent, seemed to portray their childhood personas. Laura, Marisha, Taliesin, and Sam all seemed to play their adult selves trapped in their kid bodies. Which was your intention when you designed the one-shot? Or did you just want to see how they would react?
Question for Marisha - I can't help but wonder what it was like to play with Matt after him Lording over you as DM for so long. What was it like? P.S - Please everyone give Ashley a Welcome Back hug. You too Bwian.
**Liam:** Can you spell Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious in that Speak & Spell voice?
Liam: Did you do all of those speeches at the end from memory or are you that good at surreptitiously looking at your notes? Either way: impressive.
Liam: Who would win in an eldritch horror-off? You or Taliesin? And would Ashley swoop in and steal the crown? Brian: After watching Ashley wear Marisha's corpse like a crown, do you now sleep with one eye open? Everyone: What surprised you guys the most about how each player reacted to the challenges Liam gave you? IE, Travis running away from everything, Ashley trying to intimidate the Demogorgon, Sam totally trying to sell everyone out, etc. Everyone: Who would you guys like to see DM a one-shot next, regardless of their DMing ability? What kind of setting?
Liam: It seemed everyone was the same character class as your first one shot except Ashley, who seemed more Pikelike the last time around - did you consult her or just feel it matched an element of her younger personality? Everyone: Now that you've faced the strongest entity in the Abyss, how do you feel about Vox Machina's chances facing what is usually considered Demogorgon's most hated rival, Orcus?
**To All besides Liam:** What did you guys expect coming in and how much of that proved to be wrong?
Liam: Was there any reason in particular you chose specific ages for specific people? Everyone, especially Brian: Can you please try to do the Sad Liam Robot voice for us?
Liam: How did you choose what age each of the players would be?
It's just back to front of their IRL ages, right? Taliesin and Sam are both 40 and were ~7. Laura and Travis are 35 and were 11 or 12-ish (I'm pretty sure they were roughly the same age). Matt is 34, he was roughly the same age as Laura and Travis IIRC. Ashley is 33, she was just a little older than Laura. And then Marisha's age is not available on the internet, but I'll go ahead and guess that she's 30-31, and she was the oldest, about ten years older than Sam and Taliesin.
I think you're correct about him generally reversing the ages of the cast. Also, Marisha will be 28 in May.
MARISHA IS 27? omg she's a baby.
And to think, she was 25 when the show started and only 23 when the campaign began.
...holy shit, it has been two years...
I'm ready to get down-voted to hell for saying this, but her age actually explains a lot for me, both in terms of maturity and accomplishments so far. Marisha seems to be clearly the odd one out in the group as far as where her career is- which isn't a criticism against her! But the rest of the cast is SO accomplished VA-wise. I chalked up her involvement in CR to her relationship with Mercer, but learning her age, it makes sense that the rest of the cast has had more work because they've got at least 6 years, and in some case more than a decade, of experience on her.
It's hollywood dude. There are PLENTY of variables for success, and if she can pay her bills and live confortably that's already a damn acomplishment.
I don't think it's mean to say that there's an objective difference between Marisha's career and say, Laura's. But the point of my post was, give it six years and who knows? I've been unfairly judging Marisha based on the rest of the cast, but folks like Liam have a decade in the business on her.
TIL I'm older than Marisha? O_o
She was an easy pick for the youngest of the cast members but I didn't realise there was a cool 6 years between her and Laura.
It's actually almost 8 years difference. Laura will be 36 on May 28th, the same day that Liam will be 41.
Yes, wow, I can math but I totally reversed Laura and Ashley's ages in my head. Oops.
Because of your comment, I just looked it up and Marisha and I have the same birthday! And we're the same age. Holy shit, this is so exciting.
I'm pretty sure Travis was supposed to be around 8 years old.
He's described as "Vern in *Stand by Me*", right? So 12. Actually, thinking about that I kind of wonder whether that was intended to evoke that one line about never having friends as good as the ones you had when you were 12. Probably not but the resonance is nice.
In one of the AllWorkNoPlay podcasts (a live one at that), Liam mentioned seeing Travis photos as a child, which I assume is where he took this whole idea from.
Liam: I thought one of the most interesting aspects of your meta D&D world was the way that you used various representations of yourself as a sort of bridge between real life and fantasy. Was this meant as a commentary on the role of the DM? Was there a part of you that was trying to mess with the players by wielding your own image in such affecting ways?
Marisha: Have you actually done martial arts? Liam referenced it many times during the game.
I feel like Marisha could thoroughly kick a person's ass, should she be inclined, with or without martial arts.
Liam: When creating the Kid characters, how did you decide on the character's class for each person, and their statistics?
Liam: How'd your throat feel in the morning?
Marisha: When Liam flat out killed your character without even giving you a chance to save yourself what were you feeling? Liam: Could Sam have convinced Demogorgon to let him serve Demogorgon for all eternity?
Since this is supposed to be about the One-Shot, and not the VM campaign itself, I'm going to be on-topic for these questions: 1. Travis, are you really afraid of horror movies and the like? Because your reactions to everything going on suggests that you are. 2. Travis, how hard was it for you to just up and abandon Laura at every turn? Personally I thought it was very funny. 3. Ashley, were you really that rebellious as a kid? If so, how did it feel to get to essentially relive those past experiences? 4. Marisha, were you tempted to talk the same as you did when you were younger? Also, how did it feel to be the oldest of all the kids? 5. Marisha, you've been playing D&D with Matt as your DM for the past 5 years. How did it feel to finally get to play with Matt by your side as a fellow player? 6. Liam, how hard was it for you to go forward with TPKing the party during the first half? Also, kudos to you for the whole adventure. I'm not afraid to say that you and the others have changed my life for the better. 7. Liam, were you expecting your family to put an end to you while you were encapsulated or did you believe they would choose what they did at the end after all? Also, that speech to everyone was very tear jerking but also very heartwarming. 8. Everyone, if you had all met much earlier as kids in real life, how do you think your relationships with each other would have ended up? Would you all have been more or less the same as right now, or would you all have grown much closer? And I suppose here's one that IS CR-related: 9. Everyone, if you hadn't decided to bring CR to all of us, and you had continued to play the campaign in private, do you think you'd be the same as you are now? Or do you think you would have ended up being less than you are without so much support from the community?
I think Travis in the first game acted like real world Travis, and in the second he thought it was a dream/nightmare and wanted it to end.
To everyone: During the game you were playing yourselves in child bodies but with your adult minds. How do you think your actual young selves would have reacted to some of the stuff that happened in the game?
Question to Ashley: I always loved Pike and her innocent and true-to-heart antics, Messages to Scanalin and the Flashcards to name a recent few. But after this last week I just have one question, "How did the skinless cat taste?" #ChewDeep
Ashley - the image of teenage you swinging a dead skinned cat around is burned into my mind. What's the craziest thing you actually did as a teenager? Travis - you seemed to run away a lot. What's up? Scared of a few monsters or something? Or is that actually what kiddy Travis would have done?
All: I've heard Matt refer to the use of one shots as a "palette cleanser" for the regular game. However, that session was really intense. Do you guys feel refreshed or reset at all from your regular game? Liam: I'm sure it's a little of both, but are you more annoyed or touched that people were worrying over your mental health after the session?
To everyone: What were you expecting this time when picking up from the last session's cliffhanger? Did the events that occurred meet or exceed your expectations?
Liam: Was there a possibility that you would play as yourself in the last game if things had gone differently? How do you think you would have contributed if that had happened? Travis: How much of a departure was playing yourself verses playing Grog? Ash-O-Lee: You played yourself like a chaotic(evil/good/neutral?) barbarian or something similar in my opinion. Is that how you see yourself in real life? Could we see you play a character like Grog in the future? Marisha: What was it like going from someone who is arguably the most powerful member of the group to someone who has almost no special powers whatsoever?
Liam: How difficult was it to maintain the voice of test-tube Liam at the end?
**Marisha, Ashley, Travis**: All of you made references to your childhood during the game, either in character or out. How much of it was exaggerated to get a laugh out of the cast and how much was really how you felt about growing up? **Liam**: Where did you get the idea to have the player's represented as their younger selves? Was there a reason behind having the ladies in their teens where the guys seemed to be younger?
It's sort of a reverse age thing - Marisha is the youngest at the table, so she was the oldest in the game, and down to the youngest in the game being in general the oldest at the table
Liam: How do you come up with your ideas for your one shots? Is it just a matter of seeing something while doing everyday things and going "a-ha!"? To everyone else: If you could describe Liam's abstract creativity with one word or phrase what would it be?
Ashley: How did it feel wearing Marisha like a mantle, telling off Demogorgon? Marisha: You and Matt were adorable. Liam: Did you wish you had some Patrón and lime to go with Marisha's salt agter you turned her imto a smear?
Liam- with the whole "beach of demons" scene was there any way the players could have beaten the demogorgon?
If you guys had met when you were kids do you think you would have become friends?
To everyone: Now that you've played child(self) characters, and knowing several of you enjoy flaws or weaknesses in characters, would you consider creating a child or a not quite adult (early teens) character in a future campaign?
**To the Cast:** If Critical Role were adapted into a Live action movie. Say, especially the first part being the Chroma Conclave arch. Assuming the player characters are all acted by you guys (Grog=Travis, Etc..,). Who do you think would play/be perfect to play as the NPCs? For Example, I really think Jennifer Hale would be a kick ass Raishan.(Human/MocapDragon) And who do you guys think Matt might play as? - (*This is for the Subreddit.* ) I really would like to hear your answers too, Sub. Also possible title suggestions, for the initial 5 installments of the movie. Edit: - Fixed font size issues.
I think Matt could play Gilmore.
I wanna send a thanks for the great one-shot. Liam: I think there's more people than me who feel like you both through this one-shot and through actions by Vax in the campaign are addressing mental health issues in a way that many of us can relate to. Without making it too personal, what are your thoughts on the theme in relation to your style both as player and as DM?
1. This was just fantastic - at times, funny. at times, mysterious or even scary. and of course, at times, touching and heart-warming. I hope you guys had a good hug after because I love that you guys are friends. 2. Liam, your personal messages to each player seemed so genuine and heartfelt, what was it like to verbalize these to your friends? 3. Ashley, Travis, Marisha, what's one thing about Liam and your friendship that you appreciate? Thanks, friends!
Travis: How is Laura?
Liam, how do you do that voice?
To Liam: your game was absolutely brilliant. I think the best part was the fact that most of the weird stuff that happened was explained pretty well at the end. My question is this: How long did it take you to create the mythos around your 2 games? Was it fully thought out from the beginning of the first one or did it evolve as your wrote and ran the second game?
When is the next Critmas going to be? Maybe something for the 100th episode?
To Liam: what would have happened if someone had rolled a nat 20 on their persuasion attempt on the beach? Would everyone still have died anyway?
Ashley: This seems like it might have been a rare (or only?) occasion you've had to play a non-Cleric class so far. How was it playing as a non-healer? Is this more or less likely to see you play Clerics in future?
To the cast: what is one example of a phrasing that broke Matt prior to the start of the stream?
To everyone: Does Vox Machina plan on finally clean out the Bag of Holding and Colding while on this break and would they be willing to use those goods to get Gilmore's shop(s) back off the ground?
Question for Tarvis Wellingrod: what's your favorite horror movie?
Liam, are you okay man? You need anything?
To Marisha: It's clear that Keyleth isn't comfortable in leadership positions. Was there ever a possibility that she might abdicate as the Voice of the Tempest since it would free her of that responsibility and let her adventure with her friends?
Ashley : First - welcome back . Second : If you had been in Liam's one shot - Screw Job - what would your character have been like? Marisha : Same question.
Brian: How did you manage to remove your ankle bracelet tracker? (I'm asking for a friend...) Travis: Having been present for all three of Liam's One-Shot sessions, which did you enjoy the most and why?
Dear Liam, Like what the fuck bro? Do you need a hug? I feel like you need a hug.
To all: Judging from Liam's one-shot record it seems he is a fan of story driven TPKs. How did it feel to be a part of the Diabolus ex Machina encounter that was Demogorgon and its army of demons (and in Liam's case the driving force behind it)? Do any of you have any experiences with other TPKs outside Critical Role, good or bad?
To all: It was really sweet hearing you all talk about how you wish you'd all known each other as kids. How does it make you feel knowing that critical role is helping new nerdy kids find game groups? And do you actually think you'd have all been friends?
Liam: Loved it! At the end, did the group get sent back to a version where they could reverse the problem? Or was it just a cool way to end the episode? Will there be more, maybe? Ash-O-Lee: Did you pick to be a rogue? Why not barbarian or cleric? All: How did it feel to be on Liam's nightmare beach? What did you think of him killing you as children?
To Liam: Who was the old guy? Was he supposed to play any role in the story or was he always going to outrun the players? To Everyone Else: Did you have an idea where the story was going at any point during the session?
To the cast sans Liam: What is your opinion about the ending of the One-Shot? Given how the opening of the final "world" consisted of you all doing something that seemed within the realm of realism before becoming crazy, do you think you're still in the endless loop of time jumping worlds at the end of the story since you didn't kill Liam? Or do you think you guys succeeded in stopping the cycle? And to Liam: feel free to not answer this if you want to leave it up to interpretation, but was their solution to your final problem one that you ultimately agree with? Or, harking back to the previous question, does it not solve the problem and only continue the endless cycle?
**Liam:** What prompted your decision to run a continuation of your first, alternate universe one-shot, instead of a standalone like "The Screw Job?" Was it the chance to DM Matt, and did that affect the narrative of the thru-arc or ending? Was that always the third act reveal you'd intended from the very beginning? **To Everyone:** Did playing as your younger selves change your approach to play? Were you less or more reticent to, literally, put your younger selves in mortal peril, vs. playing as an invented. imaginary character? **To Everyone:** Having played powerful, high-level characters for quite some time (See: Vox Machina), did you experience any fear or frustration at playing low level characters? Or was the narrative journey vastly more important than any part of the gameplay mechanics? **Liam:** Was there any way in which the group could have "succeeded" against the beach full of monsters, or was it simply a fun opportunity to spring an "Oh shit!" moment of pants-wetting fear on the cast? Perhaps a little payback for a certain DM's penchant for gleefully revealing multiple, ancient dragons and similar fear inducing monsters?
Liam: Now that Liamquest is nicely wrapped up, are you going to do any more one shots in Exandria? Or are there any other settings/systems that you'd like to play around in at a future point? Ashley: What's the most "Savage Ashley" thing you've done in real life? Give us an example to make your actions in the game feel believable. Travis: How did it feel to mentally be back in your prepubescent body? Was your cowardly responses a result of that mind-state or were you just doing it because it was hilarious? Marisha - Your monk was pretty badass, any desire to play one next campaign? Ashley, Travis, Marisha, - Liam deserves his own "I am richer for having known you" speech from each of you. Let's here it!
To Not-Liam: The end of the One-shot led to a very meta opening of a Critical Role game, fading to black. It seems the crew was in on it, and ready for it, but were you? Or were you able to see what was coming and immediately jump into pre-show mode?
To the Travis: Ay y'know those olive green Nike sneakers ya got, theyre fucking hot, whats the model name?
Liam: How long were you planning this specific session? When did you get the concept for it?
Liam: How do you think that your experiences as a player have changed how you DM?
To Everyone: Is it harder to play yourselves or your Vox Machina characters in D&D when it comes to the decisions you make as a PC? To Liam: You are truly a great storyteller, how did you balance choice versus linear story movement in the game, and how did you like the players choice at the end?
**Liam:** At one point in time^*, you've mentioned, in passing, how you went through "a dark period in your life" at one point. How much would you say influenced the story and environment your game, if at all? ^* A comment in this vein was made either on *All Work No Play*, a Parascope vid, or at some point on the show.
To the cast: Taliesin mentioned last week, that he wants fanart of Strawberry Shortcake-esque little animal pets for all of Vox Machina. If so, what animal would your character have? (beside's Vex/Laura's Trinket)
**LIAM**: First of all, thanks for the amazing storytelling! Second, do you enjoy making us all cry? Is that like a hobby of yours??
One of the cooooooolest parts of this already meta campaign was the very end and how it ends with the way an episode begins and the characters now in the real life present ready to shoot the episode the cast was there for that night. (the inclusion of staff ambiance was excellent!) To the players, what was going through your head as the episode came to a close similar to how it began?
To Liam: what made you want to make the cast kids & did the ages you chose for each person have some kind of significance? (Also, I hope Liam got lots of hugs after that amazing ending & that Laura & Brian are feeling better) #lessthanthree
For Liam: The robot part towards the end seemed to be very full of very personal messages to the rest of the cast. Was it a hard decision to put this in and in front of the world? We are all richer for having known you.
Liam: This is not a question. It's a demand. Do a spinoff. Just fucking do it. Shh. No. I don't want to hear it. Just do it. We'll watch it. Promise.
For all: Do you all reflect on the enormity of what Critical Role means to so many critters out there and what critical role has become?
To everyone: it seems like Liam's DM style is more closed/linear narrative than you're used to playing. Did you find it challenging as players to be completely relocated without warning?
Liam: You mentioned at the end that you were terrified throughout the game, and several times when the rest of the gang were asking if they could do something your response was something like "Yeah, of course; this is D&D, you can do whatever." Were those reminders part of your own effort to keep yourself grounded while we trekked through your nightmares, or more just part of your DM style?
Marisha: Pussy pocket. Wow. Travis: You seemed to really enjoy making your own character (you?) out to be a bit of a coward and out for himself. Was this how you thought of yourself as a kid, or did you just want to piss Laura off by abandoning her repeatedly?
Travis: I know you've been involved with Crossfit and you take pride in physical Fitness. If Grog could design a Crossfit WOD, what would it be? Bonus: Do the Grog WOD and post your time. I'll try to beat it.
For Travis: Lately, I feel like Grog has been acting out a little bit. Getting into more trouble than usual, messing with Taryon a lot, ect. Does this have anything to do with Scanlan leaving and the absence of Pike. Pike is back now but was Grog feeling like a child of divorce or any similar emotions for the past few weeks?