Critical Role: Between a Ball and a Hot Place
March 15, 2021 12:10 PM - Season 2, Episode 129 - Subscribe
Split into two teams, the Mighty Nein must contend with the dangerous surroundings of two very different planes while trying to get back home...
"We've barely escaped Trent twice! I'm not fucking around with Death books!"
posted by nubs at 4:27 PM on March 15, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by nubs at 4:27 PM on March 15, 2021 [1 favorite]
That Pusheen ad break broke me.
I usually watch the episode on Thursday until the break, sometimes stopping pre-break if I'm tired, but this time I was so keyed up from the Luc death that I ended up keeping it on until he was revived. It wasn't just the child death, it was the mood of the table (which honestly felt different than I remember in quite a while). They seemed to recover by the end of the episode, at least.
I found Yeza's reaction interesting - and understandable. I know some people wanted him to be angry and blame Veth, but it would make sense that he would think that he's the reason why Veth is tangling with the Cerberus Assemby - he doesn't know about Caleb's backstory, he did work for them, and it's not like Yeza realizes he's an NPC. So yeah, he can have a guilt complex too! But it's also interesting that Veth isn't clearing things up for him - while Yeza definitely is part of Veth's motivations, I don't get the impression that's the main reason why she's pushing for Caleb to go after Trent.
Here's hoping that the Zadash plan works out!
posted by dinty_moore at 7:35 PM on March 16, 2021
I usually watch the episode on Thursday until the break, sometimes stopping pre-break if I'm tired, but this time I was so keyed up from the Luc death that I ended up keeping it on until he was revived. It wasn't just the child death, it was the mood of the table (which honestly felt different than I remember in quite a while). They seemed to recover by the end of the episode, at least.
I found Yeza's reaction interesting - and understandable. I know some people wanted him to be angry and blame Veth, but it would make sense that he would think that he's the reason why Veth is tangling with the Cerberus Assemby - he doesn't know about Caleb's backstory, he did work for them, and it's not like Yeza realizes he's an NPC. So yeah, he can have a guilt complex too! But it's also interesting that Veth isn't clearing things up for him - while Yeza definitely is part of Veth's motivations, I don't get the impression that's the main reason why she's pushing for Caleb to go after Trent.
Here's hoping that the Zadash plan works out!
posted by dinty_moore at 7:35 PM on March 16, 2021
I know some people wanted him to be angry and blame Veth, but it would make sense that he would think that he's the reason why Veth is tangling with the Cerberus Assemby
I remain really impressed with Matt's decision to keep Veth's family & Jester's mom supportive of what's going on; the easy route to go is to have them be angry or blame them, it creates the angst that would drive some good roleplay. But by keeping them supportive, I'm actually finding it drives a different level of roleplay - of commitment and loyalty; the events of the past two/three episodes have all been driven by their fear of what would happen to their wonderful, loving family members if Trent finds them. If those relationships are different or fraught with guilt and anger, then this plays out very differently.
posted by nubs at 7:00 PM on March 21, 2021 [2 favorites]
I remain really impressed with Matt's decision to keep Veth's family & Jester's mom supportive of what's going on; the easy route to go is to have them be angry or blame them, it creates the angst that would drive some good roleplay. But by keeping them supportive, I'm actually finding it drives a different level of roleplay - of commitment and loyalty; the events of the past two/three episodes have all been driven by their fear of what would happen to their wonderful, loving family members if Trent finds them. If those relationships are different or fraught with guilt and anger, then this plays out very differently.
posted by nubs at 7:00 PM on March 21, 2021 [2 favorites]
the easy route to go is to have them be angry or blame them, it creates the angst that would drive some good roleplay. But by keeping them supportive, I'm actually finding it drives a different level of roleplay - of commitment and loyalty; the events of the past two/three episodes have all been driven by their fear of what would happen to their wonderful, loving family members if Trent finds them. If those relationships are different or fraught with guilt and anger, then this plays out very differently.
Yeah, them being supportive also drives angst, possibly more effectively - if Yeza was asking Veth to choose to give up adventuring, well, okay, I think Veth at this point would just give up adventuring, and from a play perspective that seems like a crummy thing for a DM to do to their player. But in general, it's a lot easier to rationalize making that break away with someone who is trying to make you choose.
At the break I really thought there was a chance that Veth wouldn't even go to Aeor with the rest of the nein; that she'd get to Zadash and just stay with her family (which would be a sort of awkward time to intro a new character, but I guess they'd make it work). After the conversation with Yeza, there's at least a chance that she'll continue on adventuring.
posted by dinty_moore at 7:29 PM on March 23, 2021
Yeah, them being supportive also drives angst, possibly more effectively - if Yeza was asking Veth to choose to give up adventuring, well, okay, I think Veth at this point would just give up adventuring, and from a play perspective that seems like a crummy thing for a DM to do to their player. But in general, it's a lot easier to rationalize making that break away with someone who is trying to make you choose.
At the break I really thought there was a chance that Veth wouldn't even go to Aeor with the rest of the nein; that she'd get to Zadash and just stay with her family (which would be a sort of awkward time to intro a new character, but I guess they'd make it work). After the conversation with Yeza, there's at least a chance that she'll continue on adventuring.
posted by dinty_moore at 7:29 PM on March 23, 2021
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I like that Caleb didn't steal the books. Too bad they didn't leave a note for Ryn.
posted by bleary at 4:15 PM on March 15, 2021