> If you emphasize the "role playing" part, you become a character within a larger play, perhaps even the main character. So of course you don't want to die and roll a new character, just as it would be strange for a character to die in a play, but then the actor come back as a new character in the same play halfway through. The fighting and action become just flavor around playing the role, not necessarily the point in and of itself.

This is one of the things that I don't like about Critical Role. Heavy, heavy on the role-playing aspects, but you as a listener (and, one assumes, the other characters) don't know any of the characters' backstory except what's revealed bit by bit. It's more than a little challenging to follow, especially if (like me) you have podcasts on in the background while driving, etc. I'm not ignoring it, but my mind isn't always 100% on following the details.

They're very good actors, and it's a great show if that's what you are looking for. It's just not what I want.