Dungeons & Dragons 5e players are frustrated with Baldur’s Gate 3’s influence over the game, comparing it to the “Matt Mercer Effect” created by Critical Role.
The D&D 5e era has been the most successful in the company’s history, thanks in no small part to the effect of streaming shows like Critical Role, which gave millions of people a gateway to game, showing how amazing tabletop RPGs can be.
The effect of Critical Role on the fanbase led to the creation of the “Matt Mercer Effect,” named after the main Dungeon Master on the show and the chief creative officer of its production company.
The Matt Mercer Effect refers to players who come into the hobby expecting the same standards from real-life DMs and players that they see from professionals in streaming shows. This usually leads to disappointment, as each D&D game is unique, and few people can take up the hobby full-time.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is D&D 5e’s new Matt Mercer Effect
A user on the DnD Reddit has explained their love/hate relationship with Baldur’s Gate 3, as players copy its characters and expect the rules of the tabletop RPG to match the video game. Other users quickly pointed out the similarities to Critical Role’s effect on the game.
“Oh god, are we going to ‘Mercer effect’ BG3 now?” one user wrote, while another said, “Friendship now ended with Matt Mercer Effect, now Baldur’s Gate 3 Effect is best friend. People brought to the hobby by a thing are going to lean more heavily on their knowledge of said thing; it’s just how it goes.”
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“But in BG3 it works like this!” one user said, “Instant headache. I love the game but using it’s mechanics to rules lawyer or just try and squeeze more out of your spells is straight up disruptive. Luckily I haven’t seen anyone copy one of the main characters yet, but then again I don’t play with highschoolers.”
“Oh god have we finally shut up about Matt Mercer and moved on to griping about BG3?” another user complained, “A lot of us have read this same post with different names across different eras for years now.”
The comparisons between Baldur’s Gate 3 and Critical Role’s effect on the game are made even more amusing because Matt Mercer plays Minsc, probably the most iconic character from the first two Baldur’s Gate titles, who returns for the third game as a party member.
The fact that Baldur’s Gate 3 is attracting people to D&D 5e is no bad thing, and while there are going to be some teething problems as they adjust to the different rules, it’s still the same game at heart, and their enthusiasm shouldn’t be discouraged, regardless of how they made their way to the table.
