# Matt Mercer’s Best Critical Role Quote Is Still the Most Inspiring Line in D&D History

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/matt-mercers-best-critical-role-quote-is-still-the-most-inspiring-line-in-dd-history/
- Published: 2026-11-08T11:00:17+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-08T11:20:19+00:00
- Original publisher: Polygon
- Original article: https://www.polygon.com/matthew-mercer-dungeon-master-advice-dungeons-and-dragons/
- Topics: Gaming

## Key points

- Mercer says failure is part of learning to run games.
- Perfectionism can make tabletop sessions stressful.
- Shared storytelling matters more than following a script.

## Summary

Matthew Mercer’s advice to aspiring Dungeons & Dragons players and Dungeon Masters is that experience comes through trial and error: “sometimes you have to fail to learn better”. The article argues that accepting mistakes helps everyone focus on creating a story together, rather than trying to make every moment perfect.

In a January 2026 interview with Brennan Lee Mulligan, Mercer discussed how he prepares tabletop sessions. The writer relates that advice to their own early experience as a Dungeon Master, when tightly scripted plans and anxiety about players going off course led to unfair decisions and made games more stressful. The article says players can also overthink choices, slowing the game and putting pressure on the whole table.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.