The Pressure Meter of Our D&D Game

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Keeping an eye on the pressure meter in D&D

Dungeons & Dragons can be stressful. As DMs we strive to create the most fun and engaging experience possible for us and the players. As players, we want to create and play characters that are the centerpiece of fantastic stories. The expectations that come with these ambitions can create enough pressure to take away from our enjoyment of our D&D game. That is why all of us, DMs and players alike, need to keep an eye on the pressure meter in our game. We need to check in with ourselves and our group, to make sure the stress of high expectations isn’t diminishing our fun.

The “Mercer Effect” for D&D Dungeon Masters

For DMs our pressure meter can go up because of the so-called “Mercer effect.” Many of us watch Critical Role or other streamed D&D games. In these games, highly skilled DMs create awesome campaigns filled with intrigue, plot twists, and emotional roleplaying. This can lead to stress for us as DMs, not just because we want our game to be as awe-inspiring as Critical Role. It also creates pressure because of expected expectations. We expect that our players expect to play in a game that feels like Critical Role. Hence, we put even more pressure on ourselves to meet those expected expectations, whether they exist or not.

In a media environment in which streamed D&D content is becoming ever more visible, and elaborate, we need to keep an especially keen eye on our pressure meter as a DM, as it rises in tandem with the success of shows like Critical Role.

The “Bailey Effect” for D&D players

As players our pressure meter can rise because of an effect similar to the “Mercer effect” — let’s call it the “Bailey effect,” named after voice actress Laura Bailey. We watch players like Laura Bailey on Critical Role create incredibly memorable, complex, and relatable characters. Naturally, we measure our own D&D characters against these creations. This immediately increases the pressure for us as D&D players.

This “Bailey Effect” also creates a feedback loop. A player explicitly or implicitly brings their high expectations into the group. In short order, other players feel compelled to measure their character creations against the highest of standards. And now, we as the DM feel pressure to create a game that matches the intensity of our players’ ambitions for their characters.

Talking about the pressure associated with our D&D game

The premier answer for any social problem that arises in our game is communication. We can regularly check in with our group to make sure no one feels overwhelmed by pressure and high expectations. During a session zero, we can explicitly set expectations for a campaign. We should emphasize the scope of our home game. We’re busy people getting together to play a game we love. When the pressure gets so high that we fret our next D&D session, we need to take a step back, and relax. As a group, periodically reinforce the purpose of playing: we’re playing to have fun.

Finding the right balance between effort and fun

For most groups, we’re not going to eliminate all pressure from our D&D game. As a DM, pre-game nervousness is ubiquitous. As players, the first moment of roleplaying in each session can be terrifying. What’s important is to find the right balance between creating a memorable D&D experience and managing our pressure meter. We want to tell fantastic stories that move us with our characters at the center of it all. But we don’t want to feel like we can’t live up to our own expectations (and our expected expectations). Finding the right balance between these two poles requires careful calibration of our collective pressure meters.

Both as individual players and DMs, and as a gaming group, this calibration is an ongoing effort. And it is the reason why we need to keep a careful eye on our pressure meter.