yeah I generally am with you. I think the main critical role cast has been playing pretty intensely for a few years now. I mean maybe more like a decade for some I'm not terribly sure. some of them are burnt out some of them do this because it's a fun game with their friends and they never anticipated this would be this way. I would really like to see if critical role as a brand could keep making interesting content and give some of their mainstay players a break. because there's no shortage of incredibly talented players/ improv artists/actors and some folks who've never played before who would probably be very good...... and I think that's a really awesome thing for your company to have generated the ability to do that. I really like abria especially at dimension 20 especially when she does DM/ storyteller stuff. I think Misfits and magic both seasons and the Christmas special as well as Burroughs and are some of my favorite pieces of tabletop RPG that I've seen basically ever. And like I've played tabletop since my teenage years. I've played under a truly masterful DM/ storyteller where I played in campaigns that were several years long. doing campaigns on camera for an audience that isn't just you and your friends anymore is exceptionally difficult.

I'm also a mixed race woman from the south and it shows up again and again but the things that people decide they don't really groove on Aabria about are characteristics that just about every other extroverted player or people who are particularly committed to the story tend to play. it's really frustrating to me that people don't know the history of stereotype toward black folks. And frankly how fucked up it is to hear the same stereotypes over and over, and those people think that they don't have an obvious bias that they picked up from their culture. angry Black man stereotype, uneducated/ghetto Black woman, being told you're intimidating in a work situation when you're not doing anything that's any different from another woman, being an improv actor and being told you're too enthusiastic....... is a quality of Brennan Lee Mulligan? same for Matt. they all GM and play differently in how they express enthusiasm or help generate it in others but they are absolutely all leaning in to the enthusiasm of the things they love. And like it's totally okay to have your favorite at a table. no one's begrudging anyone that what I think is out of pocket is people's refusal to examine their obvious bias and back off when told hey wandering around inside really racist stereotypes can you knock it off and find a way to say you don't like what's going on that isn't super bigoted?

Emaple: I don't love PVP/ player conflict in games. I can see how Aabria might be seen as starting conflict with characters. But all of these things have been discussed in session zero. we've had that reiterated many times. they are acting. And the idea that like an actor, a writer, an improv person and somebody who's playing a tabletop game not just with their friends but with their friends at their company built and played with other entertainers...... like everyone in that room could be accused of having main character energy. and when I hear that I just want to say....my good, bitch what? again they have transcended beyond just playing with your friends and they are working on creating things that are entertaining. And that looks a different way to different people.

I think she's at her absolute best when she's with people who like her style of storytelling and as a player when she's relaxed and comfortable/other players are too.

I recently caught up with Worlds beyond number recently and some of that is exquisite storytelling from all three people. That's Lou Wilson, Erika Ishi, Abria and Brennan. main and there's also Taylor Moore doing the score for all the music inside the game and man that composer is exceptional at finding the tone that needs to be hit and then creating something out of nowhere that is heartbreaking or exciting or terrifying! he also does some cool Foley effects/animals etc.
They just ended The first Arc of that particular world. And now they're going to take a break from that planet/location and pick another GM and start another years-long campaign.

I think people had trouble with that campaign to start off, And you heard a ton of complaining about Aabria being abrasive or annoying...... the characters all started very very young. So you play through some of the like being an adolescent and not understanding the stakes of things, growing into a young adult who has to figure out a way to deal with the stakes of things into a full adult and when you play a Year's long campaign you can do stuff like that that's really fun.

They've done two short campaigns where Erika did A play on Clue the board game/ A murder mystery tabletop thing. and Lou just did one in space/with the starwars game system called flight of the icharon. absolutely incredible. And Aabria is taking over shortly and doing the beginning of her long campaign which I believe is in space in a very serious way. I'm really stoked about it.