"Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) is the fortieth special episode of Critical Role. A kimono-clad Sam Riegel sits down with a glass of wine to answer questions from a titillated home audience, as a thanks to critter support for the Pablove Foundation.
Synopsis[]
Q&A[]
- Sam's seeing not so much questions as insults about his legs, and promises they're not oiled, but naturally shiny legs.[1]
- Has the wine been aerated?[2]
- Of course. Wine is not meant to be drunk unless it's had time to breathe. Letting the flavors percolate and getting the nose going.
- Often a D&D character will evolve in unexpected ways when we start playing them. What is your favorite aspect about Nott that you hadn't planned on when you created her?[3]
- Her voice. It evolved moments before "Curious Beginnings" (2x01) started. Even when Sam did the session zero with Liam at Matt and Marisha's house he didn't have the voice yet. He's glad he gets to do that voice every week because it's weird.
- What would Nott's favorite wine be?[4]
- Like Sam Riegel, Nott would love a fruity Pinot and the robust wines of the Tuscan region of Italy. Chianti grapes are so good.
- Who likes the robe more: your wife or your husband?[5]
- His wife hasn't seen this robe yet; if she did, she would be horrified by it. But he knows for a fact that his husband has seen the robe and he said "very nice".
- Out of Scanlan Shorthalt, Taryon Darrington, and Nott, who would you sleep with, marry, and kill?[6]
- Sleep with Scanlan because he's a fine and experienced lover and he would treat Sam nicely. Probably marry Nott because she's loyal and a wonderful, very caring person. Kill Tary because he's an *sshole.
- If Scanlan met Caleb Widogast would they be friends?[7]
- Absolutely not. Caleb has no game, he's a weirdo, and all in his head. Scanlan might be interested in some of Caleb's magic but that's it.
- Nott has been extra nice to Caduceus Clay since the pirate journey began. Is she genuinely concerned for Caduceus or is she only doing it to make sure the party keeps a powerful cleric on their side?[8]
- Nott is genuinely concerned for Caduceus. She saw him get messed up by the initial journey to the boat and the escape from that craziness and she cares for his well-being. He seems different than he did before and she wants to make sure that he's okay. Nott travelled with Caleb for some time so she's used to the signs of trauma and PTSD and she recognized some of that in Caduceus, and wanted to make sure he didn't go catatonic.
- Do you ever watch previous episodes and try and pick up on details you missed while playing?[9]
- He does not because he thinks it's too long. He thinks they should make a shorter version of the show that encapsulates what happens in the show, like a 10 minute version, then he might watch it.
- Based on your experience with UCB what recommendations would you give to improve on stage improvisation?[10]
- The basics are sort of uniform whether it's short or long form improv: simply listen, say "yes", and heighten. Paying attention to your fellow players, what reality they're bringing to the table and saying "yes" is accepting whatever reality, character, or situation they're bringing. Heightening it is taking the ideas they bring to the table and exploring them more to get more details about them. You can see these techniques on the Critical Role show without even some of the cast members knowing it; when someone's having an emotional beat, the rest of the cast members go a little silent. That's because they're listening and trusting their fellow player to do something, and when it's done, they jump in with whatever idea they have. Most of bad improv is from not listening.
- What's on your socks?[11]
- Big Foot and hearts.
- Would Nott like Vax?[12]
- Would anyone like Vax? Jokes aside, Vax was a great guy and Scanlan loved him, he can be funny, witty, charming, and clever. So yes, Nott would like Vax.
- Who is Dani Carr?[13]
- She's the glue that binds together any live event that you see on this channel. Producer, writer, cheerleader, makeup artist, and performer. She's the giggle monkey who sits off screen and makes them all feel like they're charming and entertaining even when they're not. Her womanhood has not been a stumbling point and it's really fun to play a female character.
- Is it a challenge playing Nott as a female character?[14]
- Not really. Half the people Sam knows in his life are women, so he has a lot of experience talking with them and knowing who they are and what they feel. Sam hopes he's doing a good job so far. Nott is the first female character he's ever played.
- How do you feel about how Tary's books keep appearing when Caleb is on his magical book hunt?[15]
- It was super exciting to know that Tary got something published. He just wanted to be an author, to have some notoriety and leave something behind that would be lasting. Sam is also excited to see if there are any other books.
- What kind of books did you imagine Scanlan writing after finishing the Vox Machina tale?[16]
- Scanlan would focus on building his brand more. Maybe prequels, like Scanlan's Stories, a cookbook, a book on how to pick up chicks, or a guide to fatherhood (more like a "Dummy's Guide" for this one).
- How would you give Scanlan advice about being a dad?[17]
- Use that Wish spell to get a good night's sleep everyday because that's the hardest part of parenthood.
- What is your favorite meal your wife has ever made you?[18]
- That's tough; she cooks really well. She makes all sorts of meals, but Sam's favorite is the apple pie and she knows that Sam loves it.
- What's the worst wine you've ever had?[19]
- Airplane wines are usually pretty bad. The best/worst wine was when he had food poisoning in London-- the wine was excellent but it left his body in an unconventional way, unfortunately.
- What's your favorite nerdy thing to do that people don't know about?[20]
- He arranged music when he was part of an a capella group. When he graduated from college, he continue to arrange songs for other a capella groups in other colleges.
- Do you know that Nott resonates with trans fans?[21]
- He has learned that from the social medias and he's extremely pleased.
- Could you list one good day or/and one bad day in Nott's life before Campaign 2 started?[22]
- Very good and bad: when Nott and Caleb met each other in jail and were almost killed by their jailers. When they both escaped that inferno, they discovered they appreciated each other mutually and they decided to stay together.
- How is your Spice Girls one shot coming along?[23]
- It would've been great but apparently, one of the Spice Girls is not touring anymore, so that might kill the idea of the one-shot.
- You've mentioned that sometimes you tell your kids what happens on Thursdays as a bedtime story. Do they have a favorite character? Or favorite character arcs? [24]
- They love hearing the tales of the Mighty Nein and they loved the story of Vox Machina. Their favorite character is Nott the Brave, because Sam might shine a brighter spotlight on some of the things Nott does in the battles, spending more time talking about the glorious and brave things that Nott did to make the battle go well and forget the moves Beau or Caduceus made. They're still in the story, but they're not the stars of the story.
- Sam's daughter has recently been asking for Yasha, because Sam mentioned at some point that Yasha comes from a place were lots of monsters are, Xhorhas, and Sam's daughter has been fascinated by that. Sam's son has been interested in Vecna lately. Sam read him Vecna's stats and explained what a legendary action is. Also, Sam's son wants to know who are the most powerful bad guys in D&D.
- Who is Side by Sam?[25]
Sam knows who it is, but he's not going to say. But Sam sees the person almost every day of his life.
- What is this song (the background music)?[26]
- It's library-type music that played for almost an hour before the show even started and will haunt Sam's dreams.
- Was Scanlan's hatred of goblins and Nott's being a goblin purely coincidental or something you thought about beforehand?[27]
- Mostly coincidental. Liam, for both Campaign One and Campaign Two, choose Sam's character and race, so that could be coincidental on his part.
- What was your favorite All Work No Play activity this season?[28]
- Sword fighting.
- Nott collects buttons. Sam, do you collect anything?[29]
- He used to collect comic books. He collects wines and, of course, t-shirts.
- Which Fantastic 4 character is your favorite?[30]
- It used to be The Thing when he was a kid. Now it's more Mr. Fantastic, Reed Richards. Also, the Invisible Woman is up there too.
- How many kids do Pike and Scanlan have (if Scanlan has his way)?[31]
- That's up to Ashley Johnson to some extent because she knows Pike's reproductive cycle better than he does. Scanlan would probably want a bunch of kids, because if you like yourself (like Sam), then you really like your kids. Sam see a lot of himself in his children. Sam has an ego problem, so Scanlan would want tiny versions of himself.
- What's your favorite thing that you've attached to your mug or flask? What got the best reaction from the cast and crew?[32]
- The Eric Andre meme. Caleb killing his parents with the phrase "Why would Trent do this?" on it.
- What's your most memorable time randomly running into a critter?[33]
- When he was at Yosemite National Park with his family. They stopped somewhere to get water and popsicles, and the lady said she would give his kids an extra popsicle if he would take a picture with her because she loves Scanlan so much. The other one was during a security check at an airport, and the man said "Okay, you're clear to go, Mr. Shorthalt".
- Where in Virginia are you from?[34]
- Arlington, lived there until 12-13 years old then moved to New York City. He also lived in Charlottesville, Virginia when he went to the University of Virginia, a lovely town. Sam has been all over the state; it's a great one.
- Did you and Liam discuss the Mama Nott speech before or after the fact?[35]
- They never discussed the Mama speech. Sam assumed Caleb didn't hear it.
- How do you think Nott would react if someone showed a romantic interest in her?[36]
- She would be momentarily flattered but then would start questioning what's going on, because that can't be right. She has a pretty low sense of self esteem, so she would probably question the motivation and not believe it.
- What is something that you're really bad at but still enjoy?[37]
- Writing songs. Not a great songwriter but he loves it and will continue to do it. He wishes he could play an instrument better.
- Did you know that even if everyone jokes that you're never on Talks Machina, you still (according to CritRoleStats) outrank Ashley, Laura, and Matt in order of appearances?[38]
- That's hard to believe; maybe CritRoleStats got it wrong. That might be true for Ashley and it feels like Matt's on every other week.
- What's your favorite D&D Beyond bit that you've done thus far?[39]
- Sam likes the ones with special effects. So far, his favorite has been when the devil was making a deal with him because it was heady and weird.
- What was the best vacation you ever took? If you could go on vacation anywhere, where would that be?[40]
- He just went to Mexico recently and it was lovely, with his family. Most amazing vacation was the trip to Vietnam-Cambodia-Laos. In Vietnam he got to meet part of his wife's family that she had never met before.
- If you got to cast Wish in real life, what's your wish?[41]
- He wants to have 25 hours days just for him, just to enjoy himself more.
- What's your favorite book currently?[42]
- He doesn't read as much as he should, but he's still trying to read Good Omens. It's taking him forever.
- Besides your own characters, which character relationships, interactions, or dynamics do you enjoy watching the most?[43]
- There's interesting stuff between Caleb and Fjord-- they respect each other, but are both a little wary of each other. It's like two potential leaders jockeying for position but in a polite way. What Caleb does with Beau brings out a little bit of her humanity and softness. Caduceus with any NPC, the way he reads people. And he likes Ashley Johnson in real life.
- What is your favorite guilty pleasure?[44]
- Lately, watching clips of magicians on YouTube and videos of the best plays in football games. Travis would be proud.
- How do you think Campaign 1 would have gone differently if Scanlan had never come back to Vox Machina?[45]
- They would've all died; they really needed him in the last fight and they needed him in the Ioun part. And that's not just Scanlan; everybody needed to be there for it to work and if Taryon Darrington had been there instead it would not have worked.
- If Nott could switch bodies with one member of the Mighty Nein, who would it be?[46]
- Beauregard is high on the list. She's so hot and ripped, and monks can basically do anything. Jester is a cutie; Nott likes her a great deal, but Beau would be the one.
- Why didn't Scanlan use Wish the day after the last battle?[48]
- Scanlan might have tried Wish later but you can't undo something that has been done by a god. Matt confirmed that the only way Scanlan's Wish could have done anything to prevent Vax disappearing forever was right then in that moment before Vax was taken away by the The Raven Queen, but even the Wish spell could've done anything against that. Sam says Scanlan probably tried a few days later but it didn't work.
- What did you give that person at the back of the live show in New York?[49]
- That's gonna have to remain a secret. It might be illegal in some states. It was a ferret.
- After Scanbo, what's your favorite shenanigans moment?[50]
- Tary and Grog doing stuff together. A lot of Tary's shenanigans were fun to do, like for instance the prank on the beach of Dalen's Closet.
- How did you and Laura come up with Fluffernutter?[51]
- While whispering to each other during the game she asked what their code word would be and Sam wrote on her page "Fluffernutter".
- What's one musical you think everyone should see?[52]
- Dear Evan Hansen. But also, everyone should see one of those supercuts of Sam singing Scanlan's songs because tonight, it's all about Sam.
Thanks for your support of the Pablove Foundation!
Quotations[]
- Sam: Tonight we're joined by the greatest guest of all: myself.
- Sam: (about Fjord and Caleb interacting with each other) It's like watching two leaders, jockeying for position, but in a polite way.
References[]
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 1:46.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 2:09.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 3:14.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 4:47.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 5:48.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 6:14.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 7:18.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 7:49.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 9:24.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 10:04.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 12:21.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 13:04.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 14:07.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 15:17.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 16:40.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 17:26.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 19:57.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 20:33.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 21:53.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 23:44.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 24:47.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 27:47.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 29:03.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 39:45.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 32:44.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 35:25.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 36:24.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 37:34.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 39:49.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 41:58.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 43:50.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 45:25.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 46:49.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 48:08.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 49:54.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 50:28.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 51:48.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 52:49.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 53:41.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 54:56.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 56:34.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 58:30.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 1:00:23.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 1:01:44.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 1:03:23.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 1:04:35.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 1:05:28.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 1:05:44.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 1:08:00.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 1:09:23.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 1:11:45.
- ↑ See "Fireside Chat with Sam Riegel" (Sx40) at 1:13:28.
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