Opinions about actual play videos

[inwils]

Hi everyone,

I was hoping that you could spend a couple of minutes to give me your views about actual play videos.

 

You might be aware, that we stream Mythras LIVE on a Saturday evening on Twitch, uploading these videos to Youtube for people to enjoy after the event.

 

However, I have noticed that these are not viewed that much at all (8 views for the last one) and I was wondering what your opinion about these videos is.

 

I really want to support the community as well as providing information for new players etc. The rules videos are doing much better than the actual play sessions.

 

So, what do you think about actual play videos? Can you suggest a different format you would prefer? Is there something you would like to see?

 

I'm not precious about them at all and I am happy to take criticism/feedback so your honest opinions would be appreciated.

 

Thank you in advance for your time in engaging with this post.

inwils

[soltakss]

While, in theory,l I would like to see Actual Play Videos, to see how other people play RQ, in practice I don't get the chance to watch them. The sound on my laptop is dead, despite me reinstalling drivers etc, so I don't watch You Tube videos on the screen. I suppose I could watch them on my phone, or Star them to watch on my Now TV box.

In my opinion, carry on doing them, as they will be useful for some people.

My advantage is that I have been playing/GMing RQ for a very long time, so I know how the game plays out. Other people who are new to RQ might want to watch other people playing to get a feel for the game.

 

[Runeblogger]

Perhaps the thing with all actual play videos is that often too much time is spent on actions that happen exactly in the same way as in every other RPG, so they don't come as useful or interesting for people who have already played the game.

[Butters]

I enjoy watching Actual play videos though, to be honest, some get lost in the mix and there is the time factor a two-hour session takes well two hours to watch so I can only one or two sessions a week but I do think they help potential new players get a grip on the rules and sometimes, more importantly, the setting.

[Matt_E]

In line with what Butters has said, if a viewer is using it to get a grip on the rules, in the video's description you might want to give a "table of contents" with times for the various pieces of the video.  That way, if I want to see a brief combat, I can jump to 7:15 or whatever, but if I'm more interested in the roleplaying aspects, I can watch just those segments.

I was going to suggest editing the video to feature just the relevant parts--here rules illustrations--, but then realized the TOC approach (a) would be MUCH easier, and (b) would allow different users to enjoy the same product, for their own reasons; there's no telling a priori what a given viewer might actually prefer.  For example, I personally wouldn't watch a video that just illustrates rules, but I would like to see roleplaying and story development.

 

[anka]

First of all, thanks for your work.

About the actual play videos, keep doing them, and do a ToC as they say before me. Next, you can use those videos and ToC to reference different situations, from close combat, ranged, roleplay a talk, how to sneak in a tower, how to fight without kill the bad guys, how to use magic and why,how to use passions and how they affected the player, etc. You can be feeding a very big library of examples to talk about. People could not have interest in the whole video, but its nice to look for examples.

Then you can do a video about combat rules, how those rules works with different situations and how they not.

Also, i like to see sessions with Mythras, there are not many on youtube and i REALLY appreciate your British accent, because im new using this system and because we are from Argentina, so easier to understand when someone talks properly to a mic.

Edited March 24, 2019 by anka

[soltakss]

OK, I have watched an hour of one of @inwils' Actual Play videos and have some observations:

• I thoroughly enjoyed it, despite expecting to have hated it
• The video came across pretty much exactly the way I GM games, which was a pleasant surprise
• The rules were explained in an unobtrusive way, through game play
• Combat took a bit longer than expected, but that might be due to everyone playing online
• I expected it to be of the ham-acting "I am playing Deiree, a half-elven sorceress whose beauty surpasses all others" style of gaming, whereas it was just as we play scenarios
• I expected it to be completely focused on the game, with no interruptions, so was pleased to hear mentions of Dukes of Hazard and various other odds and ends. The summing up of the previous session was pretty much how we do it, with neither GM nor Players having a clear recollection.
• It makes me feel that I could record our sessions as Actual Play sessions. We'd have to bleep out all the swearing, puns and bad jokes, though.

 

So, please continue to make and post these, as I think they would be very useful for people who have not Played/GMed much.

[General Kong]

I'd rather pay for the priviledge to watch paint dry ...

Actual Play Videos = Monumental Waste of Time (goes for all systems)

[jackleg2010]

I prefer to listen to AP's as a podcast. I walk nearly everywhere and I like to listen to podcasts as I walk and shop. And sometimes at work.