How the SAG-AFTRA Strike Impacts Actual Play TTRPG Shows

With SAG-AFTRA on strike, one question is whether Critical Role and other popular Actual Play shows will be able to continue production, though the answer being more complicated than you might think. This week, SAG-AFTRA went on strike after negotiations with the AMPTP failed earlier in the week. The strike essentially brings most scripted Hollywood productions to a stop, as the actors for these productions are SAG-AFTRA members. One curious question that arose during the lead up to the strike was whether Actual Play shows that feature SAG-AFTRA talent would be impacted by the strike. The answer largely boils down to what kind of agreement a specific production has with SAG-AFTRA and whether that production is on SAG-AFTRA’s Struck Work list.

When SAG-AFTRA posted their strike notice this week, it included a list of agreements that SAG-AFTRA members could not work for during the duration of the strike. Those agreements include the following:

• Producer-SAG-AFTRA Codified Basic Agreement 
• SAG-AFTRA Television Agreement (includes New Media) 
• SAG-AFTRA New Media Agreement for High Budget Original or Derivative Programs 
• Special New Media Agreements
• Low Budget Theatrical Agreement (LBA)
• Moderate Low Budget Project Agreement (MPA) 
• Ultra Low Budget Project Agreement (UPA)

The strike notice also included a prohibited list of services that were withheld, which included on-camera work, off-camera work, and promoting work done under one of the agreements listed above, which is why the cast of Oppenheimer walked out of the premiere when the strike started. 

However, SAG-AFTRA also provided a list of production agreements that their members could “and should” continue work on, which includes the following: 

• National Code of Fair Practice for Network Television Broadcasting (Network Code) 
• SAG-AFTRA-approved Interim Agreements
• Corporate/Educational & Non-Broadcast Contract (Co-Ed). Formerly “Industrial” 
• Commercials Contracts and Audio Commercials Contracts
• Live Entertainment Agreement 
• National Code of Fair Practice for Sound Recordings (Sound Recordings) and Music Video Supplement
• Television Animation Agreement and New Media Animation Agreements. 
• Interactive Media Agreement. 
• Dubbing Agreement, Negotiated Dubbing Employers Agreement and Netflix Dubbing Agreement. 

In layman’s terms, this means that SAG-AFTRA workers can continue to work on certain projects, included animated TV projects (but not animated films) and voice work for video games. Productions that work under a prohibited SAG-AFTRA agreements can also apply for a waiver so they can continue to employ SAG-AFTRA employees during the strike. 

SAG-AFTRA has a searchable database that provides a little insight as to what productions signed what agreement. The database notes, for instance, that Dimension 20 and most other Dropout projects filmed under the New Media Agreement, which is part of the SAG-AFTRA Television Agreement. Therefore, SAG-AFTRA members are prohibited from filming Dimension 20 during the strike. Keep in mind that this doesn’t prevent Dropout from releasing previously filmed Dimension 20 content. Additionally, shows filmed for the soon-to-be launched Dungeons & Dragons FAST channel were filmed under the same agreement, which means that they also can’t film new content during the strike. 

The “grey area” seems to be YouTube and Twitch channels, such as the one Critical Role uses to air new content. While SAG-AFTRA has an Influencer Agreement that covers content creators who stream on their own channel, it currently applies only to individuals and not ensembles, which means that Critical Role and other channels don’t qualify to sign the agreement. A search in SAG-AFTRA’s database does not show Critical Role or many other popular Actual Play shows. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Critical Role and other actual play shows don’t have some sort of agreement with SAG-AFTRA, but they may not fall under a standard agreement. Or, they could film Critical Role under a production name not related to the show (although a search of Critical Role’s known production companies turned up no responses) or the SAG-AFTRA database might not be complete. Likewise, it could be that Critical Role is exempt from a SAG-AFTRA agreement because their cast all has ownership in the production company. Or, it could simply be that Critical Role and other Actual Play shows don’t have a SAG-AFTRA agreement because self-funded and unedited Actual Play programs aired exclusively on Twitch and YouTube fall outside of what the union considers their purview. ComicBook.com has reached out to SAG-AFTRA for clarification and will update with any response we receive. 

Critical Role previously provided a statement to ComicBook.com, stating that they fully support the strike but would continue to release content during it. “We fully support the strike and stand in solidarity with our fellow actors,” Critical Role said. “Currently, our release schedule is not impacted by the strike, but we will continue to evaluate and take the necessary steps should it be impacted in the future.” We’ll note that Critical Role’s statement explicitly does not say whether or not they’ll continue filming during the SAG-AFTRA strike, only that their current release schedule is not impacted by the strike. 

Additionally, Polygon reached out to Glass Cannon Network, who stated that “We are extremely grateful that actual play podcasting and streaming does not fall under the purview of anyone as of yet,” as part of a lengthier reply. Glass Cannon’s statement indicates that Actual Play podcasts and shows who stream exclusively on their self-owned channels may not fall under any current SAG-AFTRA agreements, even if they work with SAG-AFTRA staff. It’s almost certain that any SAG-AFTRA members cleared their appearances on any shows, in part because SAG-AFTRA would expel any member that takes on a non-union job that should be covered by a SAG-AFTRA production agreement. 

ComicBook.com has reached out to several other Actual Play shows for clarification. As of press time, we’ve received either no on-the-record responses or no response to our queries.

This is all a long-winded way of saying that Critical Role and most Actual Play shows that air exclusively on YouTube and Twitch do not appear to impacted by the SAG-AFTRA strike, while productions like Dimension 20 that hire talent and airs on a closed platform (i.e., one that’s not open to anyone to post content on) are impacted by the SAG-AFTRA strike. Additionally, animated projects like The Legend of Vox Machina are not impacted by the strike as they fall under a different agreement than what SAG-AFTRA is striking against. There’s not a better lineation that we’ve found reading through SAG-AFTRA literature, likely because Actual Play is still a relatively new artform when compared to traditional TV, movies, and animated projects.  

If you have questions about a specific Actual Play show, you should keep an eye on their social media platforms as they’ll likely address whether they are bound by a SAG-AFTRA production contract. We’ll also be following this still ongoing and evolving story and will provide updates when applicable.