Critical Role
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"Is it Thursday Yet?"
Community to discuss anything Critical Role related.
Drop by our welcome post and share any feedback/suggestions if you have any. The FAQ post is also a thing.
What is Critical Role?
Critical Role is a group of nerdy-ass voice actors who sit around and play Dungeons & Dragons.
Streams every Thursday at 7pm PT and then rebroadcasts the following Friday at 12am and 9am PT on Twitch.
trigger warning
Due to the improv nature of Critical Role and other RPG content on our channels, some themes and situations that occur in-game may be difficult for some to handle. If certain episodes or scenes become uncomfortable, we strongly suggest taking a break or skipping that particular episode.
Your health and well-being is important to us and Psycom has a great list of international mental health resources, in case it’s useful: http://bit.ly/PsycomResources
Current shows
- Critical Role Campaign 3: Main D&D 5e campaign, streamed every Thursday at 7pm PT, except last Thursday of each month
- Candela Obscura: Horror drama campaign using their own game system, live streamed every last Thursday of each month at 7pm PT
- 4-Sided Dive: Talkshow with a roundtable discussion of 4 guests, to talk about recent episodes and answer fan questions. Streams every first Tuesday of the month at 7pm PT
- Midst: Sci-fi fantasy radio drama, airs every Wednesday on Midst.co
- Re-Slayer's Take: podcast about a lesser-known band of heroes updates Mondays 5am PST
- Tales from the Stinky Dragon New episodes air Wednesdays every two weeks.
Basic Rules
- Follow server Code of Conduct
- Be kind to others
- No spoilers in titles
- For spoiler posts, mention the episode number in the title (e.g.
[Spoiler C3E61]) - The post body can contain any spoiler up to the episode in title
- Comments should not spoil any episode after the tagged episode
- For spoiler posts, mention the episode number in the title (e.g.
Links
- Critical Role's official website
- Critical Role on Twitch
- Critical Role on YouTube
- Critical Role Podcast C1E0 - C2E19
- Beacon
- The Witch Wolf (webcomic by Loremaster Dani Carr)
Resources
- Interactive Map of Exandria
- Interactive Timeline
- Dharma Tree's Timeline
- Episode Transcripts
- Encyclopedia Exandria
- Critical Role wiki (fandom)
- Critical Role Stats
- Official Daggerheart Toolset
- The Omen Archive
- Episode Discussion Index
- CR Funny Moments (TVtropes)
- CR ABridged Art Archive
- Other Live Play TTRPGs
- CR Bibliography
(google docs spreadsheet)
(TY Dr Friedman!)
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
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State of the Role VoD
Greetings, Critters!
First things first, thank you so much for your patience while we’ve been slowly but surely bouncing back into our new normal after recent wildfires hit close to home.
Over the past several months, our creative team has been working tirelessly to map out all of the wonderful content that we will have in store for you after C3 concludes.
Upcoming Schedule
Freaky Thursday Bells Hells Charity One-Shot
- January 30th at 7pm Pacific
Featuring our beloved Campaign 3 characters, here’s what our dope ass Game Master, Matthew Mercer, has planned for you:
Two Elemental Royals have made a wager: Are modern mortal “heroes” as resilient and courageous as those of legend? Hearing of the recent, wild exploits of Bells Hells, these two entities pluck the troupe from Exandria and force a series of challenges to test their skills, wit, and ability… all while the Elementals subtly manipulate the odds between Order and Chaos to serve their bet. Weird magics weave throughout the realm, as onlookers from across the realms alter the dangers mid-contest, rending the battlefield or even swapping souls between the players! Can Bells Hells survive this series of clashes, and does either Order or Chaos truly carve the path of a hero?
For our non-canon one-shot, there are two different ways that your donations can shape our game and even more ways that you can help us raise money for an important cause that’s close to home for us.
Campaign 3 Tale Gate
- February 6th LIVE at 6pm Pacific
10 years, 3 campaigns, and hundreds of episodes. An epic for the ages deserves an epic final stream! Join our founding cast, friends, and crew for a special LIVE celebratory pre-show leading into our Bells Hells finale. Bring all of your questions, comments, and feels to the chat, as we hang out together & answer your questions!
Bells Hells Campaign 3 Finale
- February 6th at 7pm Pacific
Fair warning, dear Critters – we have crushed our previous livestream record as our finale episode of Bells Hells clocks in at over eight hours. Buckle in, grab some snacks, water, and your friends, and let’s see how 10 years of cumulative storytelling will meet its EPIC conclusion!
Fireside Chat with Matthew Mercer
- February 11th at 7pm Pacific
We’re sure that you’ll have some immediate questions after the finale, so Matthew Mercer will be hosting a special fireside chat for Beacon members to address any lingering threads from our Bells Hells campaign.
Exandria Unlimited: Divergence Premiere
- February 13th at 7pm Pacific
Exandria Unlimited: Divergence is a four-week miniseries that will pick up the pieces in the wake of Calamity. As the Prime Deities construct the Divine Gate, join us as the mortals of Exandria rebuild their shattered world and learn to live without the Gods walking among them.
Our cast includes Matthew Mercer, Liam O’Brien, Jasmine Don, Alex Ward, and Celia Rose Gooding, and will be Game Mastered by the incomparable Brennan Lee Mulligan.
Exandria Wrap-Up
- March 13th at 7pm Pacific
We’ll cover questions and topics from all three of our main campaigns (Vox Machina, Mighty Nein, and Bells Hells) as well as each of our Exandria Unlimited installments, and any other pieces of lore and worldbuilding from our novels, game materials, and anything else that’s helped us all explore and fall in love with Exandria over the past 10 years. Questions will be taken from Beacon members (Keep an eye out – question submission is coming soon!)
It’s an inexplicable honor to be able to have the opportunity to create this world and tell these stories together for the past ten years. You are a huge part of the motivation to do what we do and we are stronger because of your support.
We’re already hard at work creating the next thing that will drop on our content channels and will have another update for you in the coming months.
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Critical Role Foundation Donation and Voting Page
The recent wildfires surrounding Los Angeles have absolutely devastated our local community. Starting today, January 27th and ending on February 28th, we’ll allocate and evenly split every single Donations will be split equally between the following three organizations, outside of our 10% emergency fund allocation and any admin fees: the California Community Foundation Wildfire Recovery Fund, the Latino Community Foundation and the LA Fire Department Foundation
FREAKY THURSDAY: Bells Hells LIVE One Shot
Polling and pre-show rewards close at 6pm PT on 1/30. We will be opening up in-game rewards promptly at 7pm PT
Milestones:
- MONSTER I: A Deadly Monster is unleashed!
$35,000.00 - FREAKY THURSDAY: Players swap bodies to the right
$50,000.00 - DISPLACEMENT: Players teleported 50 ft randomly
$65,000.00 - FREAKY THURSDAY: Players swap bodies to the right
$80,000.00 - CATACLYSM: All Hazards cast their Cataclysm spell
$100,000.00 - MONSTER II: Another Deadly Monster is unleashed!
$110,000.00 - CATACLYSM: All Hazards cast their Cataclysm Spell
$140,000.00 - FREAKY THURSDAY: Players swap bodies to the right
$160,000.00 - APOCALYPSE: Meteor Swarm is cast on battlefield!
$180,000.00
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Watch the episode live on Twitch and YouTube at 7pm PST. Restreams on Twitch at midnight and the next day at 9am PST.
Runtime Break start 4h 52m 3h 06m
Episode 120: The Red End
Bell’s Hells, after trekking deep into the depths of the red moon of ill omen, Ruidus, you found yourself at the very core. After sending Ludinus’ form scattering into some oily bubbling substance, you stepped into the central chamber, where the two Ruidusborn accepted a meeting. As you watched it swell and grow to a monstrous size, and begin to step towards its exit, you all rallied around this terrifying entity. Trying to beseech your friend who seemed beyond your reach as Imogen (somewhere within the consciousness of Predathos) sought to engage with the shreds that remain of the two gods it once swallowed and forgot in history. As you battled it, trying to peel back its hardened carapace (and the blue-green crystals that armor its torso and body) you began to see opportunities to reach for your friend where you managed to free one of the two lost entities.
In a moment of crisis and panic, Laudna placed the (bequeathed) legendary mask of The Matron upon her face, discovered it was a fake (crafted by one of her own companions, Braius) and through some rapid fenagling with your terrifying Form of Dread you placed your face into it and briefly transported the consciousness of you and the rest of your troop into the Matron’s realm to have a discussion with her. There in that stretched moment of time, you came up with a very curious possibility on how to deal with the current Predathos-God situation on Exandria. After expressing this possibility in a bit of banter, your moment came to a close and you had to choose two from a number of boons that the Matron could provide.
As you stepped back out of her realm and into your conscious selves back here on the moon, you chose the recovery of some of the arcane knowledge that your group had expended as well as a brief swell of lively experience (temporarily gaining two levels from 15 to 17). Finishing destroying this entity (as it crumbled, it’s form shattering across the room in innumerable shards of broken Ruidian glass) you had a moment to breathe in the silence and process what had happened before the room itself began to shake. As (erupting from across the chamber) a massive kaiju-head Predathos (currently furious) began to burst through the ground where two of its massive claws reached out to claim vengeance and possibly reclaim its vessel. To ride out and beyond, to feast upon the quaking gods beyond the divine gate.
As these massive claws come streaking through the air (their fingers reaching, the scythe-like claws cracking in the air as it expands),
the gargantuan crested head of Predathos roars.
It’s mouth lighting up with a bright glowing-blue light, and you see a flicker of black energy inside that seems to pulse.
Previous Episode: "Predathos Awakened"
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Please note that these broadcasts are only scheduled for the times listed below.
The Re-Slayer’s Take, Season 2
Follow the escapades of the second-coolest monster hunters this side of Exandria: The Re-Slayer’s Take! After six misfit mercenaries are rejected from the elite monster hunting group, The Slayer’s Take, they band together, battling supernatural creatures across the rugged continent of Issylra.
- The Re-Slayer’s (Bonus) Take with Jasmine Chiong releases Monday, January 27th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- Episode 16 releases Monday, January 27th on Beacon at 5am Pacific
Tales From The Stinky Dragon, Second Wind
Campaign 3: Kanon
A team of trained soldiers is caught in the middle of a war between distant deities and under-dwelling devils. As they turn the tide of this celestial crusade, a voice beckons them from the beyond—destiny or doom?
- Episode 9 releases Monday, January 27th on Beacon and the Tales From The Stinky Dragon Patreon at 12am Pacific.
Critical Role Abridged
All the twists and turns of an episode of Critical Role in half the time! In Critical Role Abridged, the rich tapestry of a Critical Role campaign is lovingly distilled to its most pivotal, hilarious, and poignant moments in about 60-90 minutes per episode.
- Campaign 3, Episode 38 releases Tuesday, January 28th at 10am Pacific on YouTube
- Campaign 3, Episode 38 Podcast out Tuesday, January 28th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- Campaign 3, Episode 60 releases Tuesday, January 28th at 10am Pacific on Beacon
UNEND, Season 1
Several decades after the events of MIDST and Moonward, a supernatural ship and a remarkable crew set forth on an expedition to explore the highest heights, deepest depths, and furthest reaches of the known cosmos. But their journey is fraught with peril as they discover truths and realities far stranger than any of them could ever have imagined.
- Episode 14 releases Wednesday, January 29th on the Midst Podcast YouTube at 10am Pacific and your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- Episode 16 releases Wednesday, January 29th on Beacon, Midst.co, and for Podcast Subscribers at 5am Pacific
State of The Roll | January 2025
Join Marisha Ray, Matthew Mercer, Travis Willingham, and Ashley Johnson for the latest updates in Critical Role Land.
- Releases Thursday at 9am Pacific on Beacon and YouTube.
Critical Role Foundation Presents: Freaky Thursday
A Bells Hells Charity One-Shot
Tune in for our LIVE Critical Role Foundation Charity One-Shot to support those impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires.
This will be a live (that’s right, LIVE) stream featuring the Bells Hells cast in a non-canon adventure shaped by YOUR donations. Learn more and donate now at critrole.com/CRFLovesLA
- Airs Thursday, January 30th at 7pm Pacific on Beacon, Twitch, and YouTube
- VOD available on Beacon and YouTube after the stream ends.
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Dimension 20’s sold-out show at MSG shines a light on decades of TTRPG performance
A brief history of role-playing games played in front of live audiences.
If you’re drawn to the vibe of sitting among hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of people screaming their heads off at a roll of the dice, 2025 is your year. The calendar is currently full of live, in-person role-playing game performances with a scope and scale that’s bigger than anything that’s come before. Critical Role looms large of course, and is celebrating its first decade with a series of sold-out live shows in the US and Australia that are sure to draw big crowds. Meanwhile, Dimension 20 has plans for touring the West Coast. But first, the prolific troupe of improvisors at Dropout is mounting the single largest D&D live show in the history of the genre, with a sold-out show for nearly 20,000 fans at Madison Square Garden. And while these live shows are setting new records, it’s important to note that they’re actually part of a much longer tradition of live role-playing game performance that is, in many cases, a fair bit older than some of its current fans.
As an academic who studies the history of actual play, I’m usually encountering the difficulties of tracking modern digital shows, which now number in the tens of thousands each with dozens or potentially hundreds of hours of content. When I turned to look into the offline prehistory of people playing role-playing games for live audiences, I found a new set of challenges: while some fans of actual play likely know that shows like Dungeons & Daddies and Not Another D&D Podcast have mounted their own tours of growing size since the early 2020s, and that Glass Cannon has toured since 2018, they are just a part of the latest generation of the offline version of performed play.
An important part of the prehistory of modern actual play online is the prior decades of people playing role-playing games offline, for audiences in theatres, bars, convention halls, and college campuses across the globe. Finding information about those performances presents new challenges: hunting down old convention programs, shaking my fist at dead websites, keeping an ear out for those who remember and can tell me what it was like to be at those shows.
So far, the oldest example I’ve been able to trace is Hampshire College’s Deathfest, a battle royale-style event described as “Dungeons & Dragon’s weird cousin” that slowly accumulates an audience across the experience, as defeated players become part of the audience. The annual game has been organized for over three decades. It’s almost certain that other college campuses put on some kind of role-playing games for audiences in the 1990s and 2000s (and let us know about them in the comments!).
Similarly, conventions were an early site for audiences to watch other people play. Game designer Allan Goodall recalled in a message to Polygon a Call of Cthulhu game at the first Necronomicon in Danvers, MA, in 1993. Set during Boston’s Big Dig, the adventure features 12 players which Goodall noted included “NPC ghouls.” Tracy and Laura Hickman’s Killer Breakfast was a long-running Gen Con tradition that ran from the late 1990s to the early 2020s, sending hundreds of players to their doom in the span of just two hours.
Convention live shows met early actual play when the Acquisitions Incorporated series began performing live shows at Penny Arcade’s PAX conventions in 2010, starting with annual installments at PAX Prime until adding PAX East in 2014, West in 2016, and South, Australia, and Unplugged in 2017. The loosely-connected narrative now sprawls over a decade, but never demands too much of its audiences thanks to animated recaps helmed and narrated by Kris Straub.
Critical Role’s early live shows in 2016-2020 were primarily main campaign episodes performed in conjunction with various conventions, though the logistics of livestreaming from theatres not used to such a complex production lift meant technical issues often thwarted the troupe. By the time they returned to live shows in the 2020s, they were able to create more sophisticated recording setups for their shows, though like the rest of the company’s content the shows are now aired after recording.
In a similar way, Dimension 20 only had limited chances to perform live before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the core cast of Intrepid Heroes playing at Chicago’s C2E2 convention in 2018 and Brooklyn’s Bell House and RTX in 2019. Aabria Iyengar ran a special one-shot of Misfits and Magic at Gen Con in 2022, but the core cast didn’t play live again until April 2024, when they played six shows in four cities in a sold-out UK & Ireland tour.
In addition to colleges and conventions, comedy clubs, bars, and other nerdy event spaces have been used for improvised gameplay. This analog tradition still continues on stages like Los Angeles’ semi-scripted show Dungeon Master, which has run since the early 2010s, and Seattle-based Dungeons & Drag Queens, which has toured across the country since 2021. But the richest as-yet unexplored part of the history of live performances including role-playing games is the connection to various Fringe festivals. Fringe festivals spotlight performances created outside of theatre institutions, often small-scale, low-budget, or experimental. Fringe festivals bring together thousands or tens of thousands of shows across dozens of venues or more, and so records can be spotty or even non-existent.
DnD Improv began at the 2006 Winnipeg Fringe Festival and has run ever since. Polygon heard from comedians Ben McKenzie and Richard McKenzie (no relation), who first put together “+1 Sword,” an improvised show including D&D the duo performed for a dungeon-like basement bar at the 2009 Melbourne Fringe Festival and 2010 Melbourne Comedy Festival. The two would then create a fully-improvised comedy show Dungeon Crawl, with Ben as DM and a guest cast of comedians and improvisers, with lots of audience input. The show would run with various settings monthly until 2014, and has been performed intermittently since, including at PAX Australia. The show somewhat resembles The Twenty-Sided Tavern, now an off-Broadway show with a planned mounting in Australia, which appeared at Edinburgh Fringe. Also at Edinburgh, last year Chaosium, the National Library of Scotland, and University of Edinburgh’s History and Games Lab collaborated to sponsor a live Call of Cthulhu game.
This is still very much work in progress. There’s far more recovery work to be done to trace the history of role-playing games in live theatrical performance – whether you’re a fan, a player, or just found yourself at an improv club at just the right time, please let us know in the comments if you remember live shows that we shouldn’t forget!
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Please note that these broadcasts are only scheduled for the times listed below.
The Re-Slayer’s Take, Season 2
Follow the escapades of the second-coolest monster hunters this side of Exandria: The Re-Slayer’s Take! After six misfit mercenaries are rejected from the elite monster hunting group, The Slayer’s Take, they band together, battling supernatural creatures across the rugged continent of Issylra.
- Episode 14 releases Monday, January 20th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- Episode 15 releases Monday, January 20th on Beacon at 5am Pacific
Tales From The Stinky Dragon
Campaign 3: Kanon
A team of trained soldiers is caught in the middle of a war between distant deities and under-dwelling devils. As they turn the tide of this celestial crusade, a voice beckons them from the beyond—destiny or doom?
- Episode 9 releases Monday, January 20th on Beacon and the Tales From The Stinky Dragon Patreon at 12am Pacific.
- Episode 9 releases Wednesday, January 22nd on your favorite podcast streaming platform and the Tales From The Stinky Dragon YouTube at 12am Pacific.
Critical Role Abridged
All the twists and turns of an episode of Critical Role in half the time! In Critical Role Abridged, the rich tapestry of a Critical Role campaign is lovingly distilled to its most pivotal, hilarious, and poignant moments in about 60-90 minutes per episode.
- Campaign 3, Episode 37 releases Tuesday, January 21st at 10am Pacific on YouTube
- Campaign 3, Episode 37 Podcast out Tuesday, January 21st on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- Campaign 3, Episode 59 releases Tuesday, January 21st at 10am Pacific on Beacon
Fireside Chat with Laura Bailey
The one and only chaos-causing, dice-hoarding merch queen, Laura Bailey is heading to the Tavern for a Fireside Chat!
- Starts Tuesday, January 21st on Beacon at 7pm Pacific
- VOD available immediately after the stream ends
UNEND, Season 1
Several decades after the events of MIDST and Moonward, a supernatural ship and a remarkable crew set forth on an expedition to explore the highest heights, deepest depths, and furthest reaches of the known cosmos. But their journey is fraught with peril as they discover truths and realities far stranger than any of them could ever have imagined.
- Episode 13 releases Wednesday, January 22nd on the Midst Podcast YouTube at 10am Pacific and your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- Episode 15 releases Wednesday, January 22nd on Beacon, Midst.co, Podcast Subscribers at 5am Pacific
Narrative Telephone
Much like the game of telephone we all played in elementary school, Narrative Telephone involves a group of friends telling and re-telling a short story from one person to the next; with only their memory to help them recount what they heard. As the story inevitably changes and distorts it becomes more and more outlandish and hilarious. They then gather to watch the results and react, comment, commiserate, and joke about the chaos that ensues.
- Episode 4 releases Wednesday, January 22nd on Beacon at 12pm Pacific
- Episode 4 releases Wednesday, February 5th on YouTube at 12pm Pacific
Critical Role: Campaign 3, Episode 120
Bells Hells continue on their adventure…
- Airs Thursday, January 23rd at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
- VOD and Podcast out Thursday, January 23rd at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
- Rebroadcasts Friday, January 24th at 12am Pacific and 9am Pacific on Twitch
- VOD out Monday, January 27th at 12pm Pacific on YouTube
- Podcast out January 30th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
Critical Cooldown: Campaign 3, Episode 120
Get a backstage pass to Campaign 3, Episode 120! You’ll be right there at the table immediately after Matt says “Is it Thursday yet?”, experiencing the cast’s post-show reactions.
- Releases Thursday, January 23rd at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon
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Watch the episode live on Twitch and YouTube at 7pm PST. Restreams on Twitch at midnight and the next day at 9am PST.
Runtime Break start 4h 06m 2h 54m
Episode 119: Predathos Awakened
As you’ve watched Imogen overtaken by the essence of Predathos, and crack and grow (the multi limbs, the extension of the crystal and body), this massive entity that has essentially forced the entire timeless pantheon of Exandria into a fit of fear and desperation, now grows before you through your friend.
Imogen. In this space, your friends fade away and you sit in a dark red-black space with mist floating around. Glimmers of light on the far horizon. You just see this lightless expanse of a place between worlds. You can sense the massive sphere that is Exandria, and the realms that overlap it and beyond. Dark except for the distant red tethers of Ruidusborn. The entire population is dark to your vision but the few seeds of Predathos all of a sudden come into your essence. You can see the numerous little seeds of… you? Of us? The lines beginning to blur between you and whatever this entity is that is part of you now. Beyond that you sense their dreams woven together, where they’re all connected through this endless sleep that Predathos has been pushed into. That need to awaken; that need to be brought past the threshhold. Because beyond that darkness, there is light. Burning bright light. Numerous vibrant entities hiding in their distant golden realms. Quaking. They cannot escape and you are so hungry.
Right now Imogen is not focusing on any of you. Just standing and (you can’t tell if it’s basking or is presently not concentrating on the chamber) it’s like the distant stare of a creature that’s mind is a thousand miles away. You watch as her mouth cracks open and you see the dozens and dozens of sharp fangs as a mist escapes the open mouth and a bit of slobber drips from her chin.
Previous Episode: "The Hallowed Cage"
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Please note that these broadcasts are only scheduled for the times listed below.
Tales From The Stinky Dragon
Campaign 3: Kanon | Second Wind
Go behind the scenes of Tales from the Stinky Dragon Campaign 3: Kanon with the cast and crew as they discuss each episode, player decisions, DM secrets, and life stories in this exclusive bi-weekly show!
- Episode 8 releases Monday, January 13th on Beacon and the Tales From The Stinky Dragon Patreon at 12am Pacific.
Assassin’s Creed One-Shot
Join Game Master Matthew Mercer as he leads players Emily Piggford, Robbie Daymond, Peter Shinkoda, and Liam O’Brien in an Assassin’s Creed inspired one-shot!
- Airs Tuesday, January 14th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
- VOD and Podcast out Tuesday, January 14th at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
- VOD out Thursday, January 16th at 12pm Pacific on YouTube
- Podcast out January 21st on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
UNEND, Season 1
Several decades after the events of Midst and Moonward, a supernatural ship and a remarkable crew set forth on an expedition to explore the highest heights, deepest depths, and furthest reaches of the known cosmos. But their journey is fraught with peril as they discover truths and realities far stranger than any of them could ever have imagined.
- Episode 12 releases Wednesday, January 15th on the Midst Podcast YouTube at 10am Pacific and your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- Episode 14 releases Wednesday, January 15th on Beacon, Midst.co, Podcast Subscribers at 5am Pacific
Critical Role: Campaign 3, Episode 119
Bells Hells continue on their adventure…
- Airs Thursday, January 16th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
- VOD and Podcast out Thursday, January 16th at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
- Rebroadcasts Friday, January 17th at 12am Pacific and 9am Pacific on Twitch
- VOD out Monday, January 2oth at 12pm Pacific on YouTube
- Podcast out January 23rd on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
Critical Cooldown: Campaign 3, Episode 119
Get a backstage pass to Campaign 3, Episode 119! You’ll be right there at the table immediately after Matt says “Is it Thursday yet?”, experiencing the cast’s post-show reactions.
- Releases Thursday, January 16th at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon
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In the first Talk of the Table Roundtable special, Brian & Elliot sit down with repeat guests Dr. Emily Friedman and Taylor Moore (producer of Worlds Beyond Number) to break down the state of actual play, the big changes of the past year, and the challenges that we still have to overcome.
Talk of the Table is hosted by Elliot Davis (@morebluebs) and Brian Flaherty (@mrbrianflaherty).
“And with my left I go, ‘What motherfucker?! I can’t wear red! I am contractually obligated to wear orange and blue!'” - Dr Friedman
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Please note that these broadcasts are only scheduled for the times listed below.
The Re-Slayer’s Take, Season 2
Follow the escapades of the second-coolest monster hunters this side of Exandria: The Re-Slayer’s Take! After six misfit mercenaries are rejected from the elite monster hunting group, The Slayer’s Take, they band together, battling supernatural creatures across the rugged continent of Issylra.
- Episode 13 releases Monday, January 6th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- The Re-Slayer’s Bonus Take with Jasmine Chiong releases Monday, January 6th on Beacon at 5am Pacific
Tales From The Stinky Dragon
Campaign 3: Kanon
A team of trained soldiers is caught in the middle of a war between distant deities and under-dwelling devils. As they turn the tide of this celestial crusade, a voice beckons them from the beyond—destiny or doom?
- Episode 8 releases Monday, January 6th on Beacon and the Tales From The Stinky Dragon Patreon at 12am Pacific.
- Episode 8 releases Wednesday, January 8th on your favorite podcast streaming platform and the Tales From The Stinky Dragon YouTube at 12am Pacific.
Critical Role Abridged
All the twists and turns of an episode of Critical Role in half the time! In Critical Role Abridged, the rich tapestry of a Critical Role campaign is lovingly distilled to its most pivotal, hilarious, and poignant moments in about 60-90 minutes per episode.
- Campaign 3, Episode 36 releases Tuesday, January 7th at 10am Pacific on YouTube
- Campaign 3, Episode 36 Podcast out Tuesday, January 7th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- Campaign 3, Episode 58 releases Tuesday, January 7th at 10am Pacific on Beacon
UNEND, Season 1
Several decades after the events of MIDST and Moonward, a supernatural ship and a remarkable crew set forth on an expedition to explore the highest heights, deepest depths, and furthest reaches of the known cosmos. But their journey is fraught with peril as they discover truths and realities far stranger than any of them could ever have imagined.
- Episode 11 releases Wednesday, January 8th on the Midst Podcast YouTube at 10am Pacific and your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- Episode 13 releases Wednesday, January 8th on Beacon, Midst.co, Podcast Subscribers at 5am Pacific
Critical Role: Campaign 3, Episode 119
Bells Hells continue on their adventure…
- Airs Thursday, January 9th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
- VOD and Podcast out Thursday, January 9th at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
- Rebroadcasts Friday, January 10th at 12am Pacific and 9am Pacific on Twitch
- VOD out Monday, January 13th at 12pm Pacific on YouTube
- Podcast out January 16th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
Critical Role Cooldown: Campaign 3, Episode 119
Get a backstage pass to Campaign 3, Episode 119! You’ll be right there at the table immediately after Matt says “Is it Thursday yet?”, experiencing the cast’s post-show reactions.
- Releases Thursday, January 9th at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon
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Watch the episode live on Twitch and YouTube at 7pm PST. Restreams on Twitch at midnight and the next day at 9am PST.
Runtime Break start 5h 16m 1h 32m
Episode 118: The Hallowed Cage
Bell's Hells, with the aid of two other disparate groups of heroes, have managed to head towards the depths of Ruidus, trying to follow the footprints and current aspirations of the Ruby Vanguard and Ludinus Da'leth. After discovering through a vision that your mother was seemingly captured by Ludinus and being transferred (her abilities and possibly her physical being being transferred and destroyed into Ludinus through a newly-constructed Quintessence Array) you raced through the subterranean tunnels, befriended a number of the myceits (and the strange fungal culture that exists within the lower layers of Ruidus itself), interfaced with the core of that mycelium network and the hive mind of the myceit culture (to which you also granted the seed of the All-Minds-Burn, to whatever end that might be).
Trekking further on, bypassing some challenges, stumbling past others, eventually you came to the outer depths of the Prime Pillar (whereupon a fissure in the thick glass led you deeper within the tree trunk-like ringed layers of stone and glass revealing themselves) as you began to wind deeper into the central pillar that seems to represent a path to the core of the moon. There you came upon a troop of Exaltants that had surrounded Ludinus, keeping him contained within a psychic shell while he was on the cusp of absorbing the remnants of your mother. You then quickly sprang into action, defeating and dispelling and disrupting the concentration of these Exaltants until one by one they fell. With the last one crumbling, the shield was absolved and destroyed. A rapid series of actions pulled your mother, Liliana, from the jaws of destruction and ash and your resident blue bard here immediately locked Ludinus within a dense Force Cage spell.
In this moment, here within the outer layers of the Prime Pillar, Ludinus seems to nod with a strange bit of approval of what has just transpired. As you see the arching, flaring veins of purplish Exaltant energy crawling up around his neck and his arms, his hair beginning to float and flow around him (the essence of Liliana's Exaltant Ruidusborn gift being transferred, albeing temporarily to Martinet Ludinus Da'leth).
Here as you all stand at the immediate end of an intense conflict, you catch your breath and look face to face with what looks to be a very calm and smug villain. As you all stand there, Ludinus paces back and forth within the cage, like a calm lion, tiger, looking about the rest of your troop. A liger if you will.
L.D.:"Very well. I suppose you have your mother back. That's one thing before the end, I suppose...if it is to be the end."
Previous Episode: "Race to the Ruidian Core"
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Please note that these broadcasts are only scheduled for the times listed below.
Tales From The Stinky Dragon
Campaign 3: Kanon | Second Wind
Go behind the scenes of Tales from the Stinky Dragon Campaign 3: Kanon with the cast and crew as they discuss each episode, player decisions, DM secrets, and life stories in this exclusive bi-weekly show!
- Episode 7 releases Monday, December 30th on Beacon and the Tales From The Stinky Dragon Patreon at 12am Pacific.
Critical Role: Campaign 3, Episode 118
Bells Hells continue on their adventure…
- Airs Thursday, January 2nd at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
- VOD and Podcast out Thursday, January 2nd at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
- Rebroadcasts Friday, January 3rd at 12am Pacific and 9am Pacific on Twitch
- VOD out Monday, January 6th at 12pm Pacific on YouTube
- Podcast out January 9th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
Critical Role Cooldown:
Campaign 3, Episode 118
Get a backstage pass to Campaign 3, Episode 118! You’ll be right there at the table immediately after Matt says “Is it Thursday yet?”, experiencing the cast’s post-show reactions.
- Releases Thursday, January 2nd at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon
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Cantata Pansophical
A conclave of critters united for one goal: to write, record, and produce a rewritten version of the Hamilton soundtrack to tell the story of Vox Machina...and also some other music based on Critical Role.
Such as:
- Vecna's Sing-a-long
- Critical Concerts one and two
As of this posting, several videos are scheduled for release (on 12/29) from the amazing group on a completed project based on the adventures of
The Mighty Nein
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Please note that these broadcasts are only scheduled for the times listed below.
(No new CR broadcasts this week)
As a reminder, we’ll be taking our customary end-of-the-month break as we celebrate the holidays. Some months, we’ll air a one-shot or something new! Other months, we’ll take a short rest. This week, we’ll be taking that short rest so we hope you too can enjoy some extra downtime or get caught up on Critical Role, UNEND, and The Re-Slayer’s Take!
- We will return with Campaign 3: Bells Hells, Episode 118 on January 2nd!
Tales From The Stinky Dragon
Campaign 3: Kanon
A team of trained soldiers is caught in the middle of a war between distant deities and under-dwelling devils. As they turn the tide of this celestial crusade, a voice beckons them from the beyond—destiny or doom?
- Episode 7 releases Monday, December 23rd on Beacon and the Tales From The Stinky Dragon Patreon at 12am Pacific.
- Episode 7 releases Wednesday, December 25th on your favorite podcast streaming platform and the Tales From The Stinky Dragon YouTube at 12am Pacific.
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“A Daggerheart Critmas Story”
Game Master Matthew Mercer leads players Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, Liam O’Brien, Sam Riegel, Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, and Marisha Ray through a special Daggerheart Critmas one-shot with the spectacular Lenore Riegel (aka Momlan) serving as our Master of Ceremonies at the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion!
[Setting: ~~Grundlebrush~~Springvale Springs]
The holidays have come. A time of reflection on the year past and hope for the 'year to come' forward. A time that gathers friends and family, a reminder of the communities we cherish. During the latter half of the 1980s, in within the sleepy Midwest town of Springvale Springs, the holidays have also meant chaotic shopping, slushy road conditions, and small town drama.
But this night, the eve before Christmas itself, a gentle snowfall blankets the river-wound little town as the afternoon sun glows gently behind the darkened clouds. This afternoon, before the eve of Christmas carries a unique tension alongside the joyful excitement and anticipation, as neighbors play pleasantries while silently judging each others' decorations. Businesses prepare to close for the evening while parents dash around for last minute presents, and then the hush begins to fall across the water tower, the playground, the arcade, the mall. Christmas Eve is nearly here. But it is here in this suburbban cul-de-sac, within a modestly decorated home (this very nice abode that belongs to Mayor Cameron Blake and his newly-wedded bride, Iris Ginsburg-Blake). A central abode which is a beacon of hope for Springvale Springs. It is here that they've invited a small gathering of friends to this.
As soft incandescent light-colored strings reflect across the snow, the first group begins to arrive at the door. Here within the house itself, gentle music plays, the rooms of antique furniture (that is rarely ever used or sat upon) all arranged perfectly to present an air of affluence and importance. After all, it is the mayor. We have Bethany walking in to check in on her father.
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Please note that these broadcasts are only scheduled for the times listed below.
The Re-Slayer’s Take, Season 2
Follow the escapades of the second-coolest monster hunters this side of Exandria: The Re-Slayer’s Take! After six misfit mercenaries are rejected from the elite monster hunting group, The Slayer’s Take, they band together, battling supernatural creatures across the rugged continent of Issylra.
- Episode 12 releases Monday, December 16th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- Episode 14 releases Monday, December 16th on Beacon at 5am Pacific
Tales From The Stinky Dragon
Campaign 3: Kanon | Second Wind
Go behind the scenes of Tales from the Stinky Dragon Campaign 3: Kanon with the cast and crew as they discuss each episode, player decisions, DM secrets, and life stories in this exclusive bi-weekly show!
- Episode 6 releases Monday, December 16th on Beacon and the Tales From The Stinky Dragon Patreon at 12am Pacific.
Critical Role Abridged
All the twists and turns of an episode of Critical Role in half the time! In Critical Role Abridged, the rich tapestry of a Critical Role campaign is lovingly distilled to its most pivotal, hilarious, and poignant moments in about 60-90 minutes per episode.
- Campaign 3, Episode 35 releases Tuesday, December 17th at 10am Pacific on YouTube
- Campaign 3, Episode 35 Podcast out Tuesday, December 17th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- Campaign 3, Episode 57 releases Tuesday, December 17th at 10am Pacific on Beacon
4-Sided Dive, Episode 30
Discussing up to Campaign 3, Episode 117
Join Ashley Johnson, Liam O’Brien, Robbie Daymond, and Marisha Ray for our last 4-Sided Dive of the year!
- Airs Tuesday, December 17th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
- VOD and Podcast out Tuesday, December 17th at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
- VOD out Wednesday, December 18th on YouTube at 12pm Pacific
- Podcast out Friday, December 20th on your favorite podcast streaming service
UNEND
Season 1
Several decades after the events of MIDST and Moonward, a supernatural ship and a remarkable crew set forth on an expedition to explore the highest heights, deepest depths, and furthest reaches of the known cosmos. But their journey is fraught with peril as they discover truths and realities far stranger than any of them could ever have imagined.
- Episode 10 releases Wednesday, December 18th on the Midst Podcast YouTube at 10am Pacific and your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- Episode 12 releases Wednesday, December 18th on Beacon, Midst.co, and for Podcast Subscribers at 5am Pacific
Narrative Telephone
Much like the game of telephone we all played in elementary school, Narrative Telephone involves a group of friends telling and re-telling a short story from one person to the next; with only their memory to help them recount what they heard. As the story inevitably changes and distorts it becomes more and more outlandish and hilarious. They then gather to watch the results and react, comment, commiserate, and joke about the chaos that ensues.
- Episode 3 releases Wednesday, December 18th on Beacon at 12pm Pacific
- Episode 3 releases Wednesday, January 8th on YouTube at 12pm Pacific
A Daggerheart Critmas Story
Game Master Matthew Mercer leads players Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, Liam O’Brien, Sam Riegel, Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, and Marisha Ray through a special Daggerheart Critmas one-shot with the spectacular Lenore Riegel (aka Momlan) serving as our Master of Ceremonies.
- Airs Thursday, December 19th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
- VOD and Podcast out Thursday, December 19th at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
- Rebroadcasts Friday, December 20th at 12am Pacific and 9am Pacific on Twitch
- VOD out Monday, December 23rd at 12pm Pacific on YouTube
- Podcast out December 26th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
A Daggerheart Critmas Story
Live Show Experience!
Check out our LIVE SHOW EXPERIENCE of “A Daggerheart Critmas Story” at the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion! In this more theatrical version of the show, you’ll get a close up look at our players and experience the performance just as our audience did at the venue.
- Releases Thursday, December 19th at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon
A Daggerheart Critmas Story | VIP Pre-Show
Check out our VIP Pre-Show of “A Daggerheart Critmas Story” as the cast adds the finishing touches to their characters with our VIP Audience and answers some burning questions!
- Releases Thursday, December 19th at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon
A Daggerheart Critmas Story | Cooldown
Join Matthew Mercer, Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, Liam O’Brien, Sam Riegel, Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, and Marisha Ray as they discuss the events of “A Daggerheart Critmas Story” after their show at the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion.
- Releases Thursday, December 19th at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon
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Watch the episode live on Twitch and YouTube at 7pm PST. Restreams on Twitch at midnight and the next day at 9am PST
Runtime Break start 4h 37m 2h 20m
Episode 117: Race to the Ruidian Core
As we return to Bell's Hells, they had come back to the moon Ruidus, travelling with the hidden heroic group known as the Mighty Nein (who have since left on their portion of this plot to go and assail the Arx Creonum citadel that lies built into the Prime Pillar of this Ruidian capital city). As they shoved off on their poart of the mission and you were left to prepare for yours, a sudden vision came to Imogen, hre mother, seemingly saying her goodbye and trying to give you the strength to finish what you've started before she's gone. As you watched her essence being drained by Ludinus Da'leth, in what appears to be a more modern reconstruction of his Quintessence Array, surrounded by other exaltants holding her in place somewhere below.
We return as that moment fades from vision and you all still stand laying low within and near the core of the city Kreviris.
Previous Episode: "The Weave Mind"
20
Please note that these broadcasts are only scheduled for the times listed below.
The Re-Slayer’s Take, Season 2
Follow the escapades of the second-coolest monster hunters this side of Exandria: The Re-Slayer’s Take! After six misfit mercenaries are rejected from the elite monster hunting group, The Slayer’s Take, they band together, battling supernatural creatures across the rugged continent of Issylra.
- Episode 11 releases Monday, December 9th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- Episode 13 releases Monday, December 9th on Beacon at 5am Pacific
Tales From The Stinky Dragon
Campaign 3: Kanon
A team of trained soldiers is caught in the middle of a war between distant deities and under-dwelling devils. As they turn the tide of this celestial crusade, a voice beckons them from the beyond—destiny or doom?
- Episode 6 releases Monday, December 9th on Beacon and the Tales From The Stinky Dragon Patreon at 12am Pacific.
- Episode 6 releases Wednesday, December 11th on your favorite podcast streaming platform and the Tales From The Stinky Dragon YouTube at 12am Pacific.
Critical Role Abridged
All the twists and turns of an episode of Critical Role in half the time! In Critical Role Abridged, the rich tapestry of a Critical Role campaign is lovingly distilled to its most pivotal, hilarious, and poignant moments in about 60-90 minutes per episode.
- Campaign 3, Episode 34 releases Tuesday, December 10th at 10am Pacific on YouTube
- Campaign 3, Episode 34 Podcast out Tuesday, December 10th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- Campaign 3, Episode 56 releases Tuesday, December 10th at 10am Pacific on Beacon
Fireside Chat with Robbie Daymond
Our loveable, hilarious, and immensely talented friend, Robbie Daymond, is making his way to a Fireside Chat with our Beacon Bits!
- Starts Tuesday, December 10th on Beacon at 7pm Pacific
- VOD available immediately after the stream ends
UNEND, Season 1
Several decades after the events of MIDST and Moonward, a supernatural ship and a remarkable crew set forth on an expedition to explore the highest heights, deepest depths, and furthest reaches of the known cosmos. But their journey is fraught with peril as they discover truths and realities far stranger than any of them could ever have imagined.
- Episode 9 releases Wednesday, December 11th on the Midst Podcast YouTube at 10am Pacific and your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- Episode 11 releases Wednesday, December 11th on Beacon, Midst.co, and for Podcast Subscribers at 5am Pacific
Critical Role: Campaign 3, Episode 117
Bells Hells continue on their adventure…
- Airs Thursday, December 12th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
- VOD and Podcast out Thursday, December 12th at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
- Rebroadcasts Friday, December 13th at 12am Pacific and 9am Pacific on Twitch
- VOD out Monday, December 16th at 12pm Pacific on YouTube
- Podcast out December 19th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
Critical Cooldown: Campaign 3, Episode 117
Get a backstage pass to Campaign 3, Episode 117! You’ll be right there at the table immediately after Matt says “Is it Thursday yet?”, experiencing the cast’s post-show reactions.
- Releases Thursday, December 12th at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon
21
Please note that these broadcasts are only scheduled for the times listed below.
The Re-Slayer’s Take, Season 2
Follow the escapades of the second-coolest monster hunters this side of Exandria: The Re-Slayer’s Take! After six misfit mercenaries are rejected from the elite monster hunting group, The Slayer’s Take, they band together, battling supernatural creatures across the rugged continent of Issylra.
- Episode 10 releases Monday, December 2nd on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- Episode 12 releases Monday, December 2nd on Beacon at 5am Pacific
Tales From The Stinky Dragon, Second Wind
Campaign 3: Kanon
Go behind the scenes of Tales from the Stinky Dragon Campaign 3: Kanon with the cast and crew as they discuss each episode, player decisions, DM secrets, and life stories in this exclusive bi-weekly show!
- Episode 5 releases Monday, December 2nd on Beacon and the Tales From The Stinky Dragon Patreon at 12am Pacific.
Daggerheart: What You Need To Know!
Game Designer Matthew Mercer walks you through everything you need to know about the gaming mechanics of Daggerheart!
- Releases Monday, December 2nd on YouTube at 12pm Pacific
Be sure to check out our new Darrington Press YouTube Channel!
Critical Role Abridged
All the twists and turns of an episode of Critical Role in half the time! In Critical Role Abridged, the rich tapestry of a Critical Role campaign is lovingly distilled to its most pivotal, hilarious, and poignant moments in about 60-90 minutes per episode.
- Campaign 3, Episode 33 releases Tuesday, December 3rd at 10am Pacific on YouTube
- Campaign 3, Episode 33 Podcast out Tuesday, December 3rd on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- Campaign 3, Episode 55 releases Tuesday, December 3rd at 10am Pacific on Beacon
#EverythingIsContent
Magic: The Gathering Cards – Commander
Liam O’Brien, Ify Nwadiwe, Emily Axford, and Matthew Mercer unite for an all-new TCGplayer themed episode of Everything Is Content to play Magic: The Gathering, Commander!
- Airs Tuesday, December 3rd at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
- VOD out Tuesday, December 3rd at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
- VOD out Thursday, December 5th at 12pm Pacific on YouTube
UNEND, Season 1
Several decades after the events of MIDST and Moonward, a supernatural ship and a remarkable crew set forth on an expedition to explore the highest heights, deepest depths, and furthest reaches of the known cosmos. But their journey is fraught with peril as they discover truths and realities far stranger than any of them could ever have imagined.
- Episode 8 releases Wednesday, December 4th on the Midst Podcast YouTube at 10am Pacific and your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- Episode 10 releases Wednesday, December 4th on Beacon, Midst.co, Podcast Subscribers at 5am Pacific
Critical Role: Campaign 3, Episode 116
Bells Hells continue on their adventure…
- Airs Thursday, December 5th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
- VOD and Podcast out Thursday, December 5th at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
- Rebroadcasts Friday, December 6th at 12am Pacific and 9am Pacific on Twitch
- VOD out Monday, December 9th at 12pm Pacific on YouTube
- Podcast out December 12th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
Critical Cooldown: Campaign 3, Episode 116
Get a backstage pass to Campaign 3, Episode 116! You’ll be right there at the table immediately after Matt says “Is it Thursday yet?”, experiencing the cast’s post-show reactions.
- Releases Thursday, December 5th at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon
DAGGERHEART FIRST LOOK: WORLDBUILDING WITH CRITICAL ROLE – LIVE FROM PAXU
Critical Role founders and Daggerheart contributors take the stage at PAX Unplugged LIVE to showcase key features of Daggerheart in an interactive, collaborative panel focused on the campaign frame Beast Feast.
Panel Participants: Matthew Mercer, Ashley Johnson, Spenser Starke, Rowan Hall, Massood Haque, Dani Gage
Artist: Shaun Ellis
Moderator: Elise Rezendes
- Airs LIVE on the Darrington Press YouTube Channel at 4pm EASTERN on Friday, December 6th
Backstage Pass to our Daggerheart Critmas Show!
Get a LIVE backstage pass to our Daggerheart Critmas Show as the cast prepares for the big event!
- Airs Saturday, December 7th at 1pm EASTERN only on Beacon
- VOD available immediately after the stream ends
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Watch the episode live on Twitch and YouTube at 7pm PST. Restreams on Twitch at midnight and the next day at 9am PST
Runtime Break start 4h 48m 1h 15m
Episode 116: The Weave Mind
Last we left off, the Mighty Nein (after trekking alongside Bell's Hells to the red mooon Ruidus) keeping low within the core of the city Kreviris until they were notified that the assault on the Malleus Key had commenced (and when they were likely in the best position to separate and tackle their two separate goals). The Mighty Nein set off with the Volition waiting for a detonation on the outskirts of the Prime Pillar citadel, known as the Arx Creonum.
With a massive explosion, a portion of the outside of this stronghold was destroyed and left exposed. You trudged up these cables that were fired upon it and then some of you fell from them. But you managed to salvage the arrival.
The battle along the outskirts of the exposed portion of the citadel (the exterior battlements, where numerous Reiloran guardians were defending against the arriving attackers and yourselves as well): defeating a number of them and managing to dart into the exposed interior (among one of the many broken floor openings to the core of the stronghold).
You began to sprint down one of these long marble hallways with the sound of Gaz Tomo covering your rear, charging towards where you think the Weave Mind might be hiding within. You hear the sounds of echoing footfalls throughout distant hallways. You're uncertain to figure out at the moment if they're getting closer or further away. You also hear the sounds of shouts, the impacts and crumbling of stone, and the occasional shaking of the Arx Creonum. The chaos right now is so fresh, that you're unable to really ascertain any specific details, but you do know that there are other figures moving throughout these halls ahead and beyond.
Previous Episode: "To the Arx Creonum"
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Critical Role Cast Teases Its Future and a Potential "Passing of the Torch"
Laughing (and crying) together, the tabletop RPG giants reflect on their legacy and what comes next, from live-action to video games
by Dana Reboe
After 50 years creeping from the margins of popular culture into the mainstream, Dungeons & Dragons is now bigger than ever. Evolving beyond its roots as a pen and paper tabletop RPG (TTRPG), D&D has inspired countless imitators, novels, movies, video games and — most importantly — generations of storytellers and creators, who learned to broaden the scope of their imagination by playing the game.
It’s those storytellers now whose impact in the era of YouTube, Twitch livestreaming, and podcasting have reinvented Dungeons & Dragons for a new generation, capitalizing on the rise of longform content and direct fan engagement to build a major following and make the often daunting world of tabletop roleplaying more accessible. Among them, Critical Role has been the most prominent.
Initially began as a home game for friends, the series jumped to Geek & Sundry’s Twitch and YouTube channels as a live actual play, where a bunch of “nerdy ass voice actors” (Travis Willingham, Matthew Mercer, Marisha Ray, Laura Bailey, Ashley Johnson, Taliesin Jaffe, Sam Riegel, and Liam O’Brien) spend hundreds of hours building out their own fictional world, improvising their way through each step along the way.
Fast forward to the present and Critical Role has blossomed into so much more than its cast could have expected. After splitting from Geek & Sundry in 2018, Critical Role began its rapid expansion to other platforms, beginning with a Kickstarter that raised more than $11.3 million to create their first animated series, Prime Video’s The Legend of Vox Machina.
Today, Critical Role has evolved into a multimedia enterprise consisting of the core show (which has three campaigns), one-offs and spin-off web series, supplementary comics and books, an animated series (with another on the way) produced by their own production company, Metapigeon, and even their own subscription-based streaming platform, Beacon, which houses a whole suite of their content. They’re also moving beyond the core of D&D, developing their own tabletop gaming systems, such as Candela Obscura and soon-to-be-released Daggerheart, through their publishing arm, Darrington Press.
But after achieving so much over the course of their near-decade long journey, the team behind Critical Role is at a crossroads. With The Legend of Vox Machina recently picked up for a fourth season and their third live-play D&D campaign (Bell’s Hells) rapidly approaching its climactic end, there’s a feeling that a very large chapter is about to close. But what comes next remains a mystery to fans and the creators alike.
Rolling Stone recently sat down with the Critical Role cast to discuss their many projects, what their evolution looks like, and to reflect on the ever-growing legacy that they’ve built together.
RS It’s safe to say that there are a lot of spinning plates in the air. What has it been like to watch the brand evolve from posting snippets of your home game on Vine to a multimedia juggernaut?
Matthew Mercer: I think for a lot of us this continues to be beyond our expectations. We work so hard to make what’s in front of us the most honest and best it can be. And each time we get past that milestone, more opportunities open. It’s this perpetual momentum of looking up from our work and going, “Oh, wait, what’s happening?” And then following those threads. It’s been a very wild progression that I’m still wrapping my head around.
Travis Willingham: I would say it’s nothing short of a dream. Whether it was the live stream turning into comic books, making merch, and having a community, to the animated series and all of these evolutions, it’s been a very willful pursuit. These are things that require will and hard work, a larger team and bringing on people that are smarter and better than we are to help enrich what we’re doing. To see the fruits of this labor pay off and continue to pay off, it’s extremely rewarding. We know we’re in very rarefied air that we’re creators that own the IP and these characters and we can be involved in them. We’re able to portray them. Our DNA is all over everything that we do. So in that way, it’s extremely special. It’s something that we have lofty ambitions for and we keep trying to climb as high as we can.
RS How selective are you about including the characters you’ve created in pre-established IP like Pillars of Eternity? Are we going to see more of that in the future with characters from Vox Machina or (Campaign 2) The Mighty Nein?
Willingham: Any chance we get to dive into different worlds and work with artists and companies and dev studios we think are a good landing spot for the IP in these characters, we’re going to jump at. But it makes us hungry for more of our own stuff.
Marisha Ray: I’d say we’re very protective with our characters and our IP. If we partner with somebody, our grubby little hands are in every step of the process and all the reviews and making sure that everything still feels like our DNA is there. And that’s kind of continuing to keep that integrity and quality control while also getting really excited about seeing these partnerships because we’re nerds at heart.
RS Fans are starting to see some crossing of the streams between the campaigns. With Episode 110 of Bell’s Hells, and then The Legend of Vox Machina, you’re pushing the boundaries of your own continuity and storytelling. What are the challenges of that, as players and creatives?
Sam Riegel: The biggest challenge is keeping our voices straight in our heads because we’ve played so many different characters over the years. And Matt is so good at flipping from one character to another, to another, to another. He’s got practice, but we are dumb at it [laughs]. We’re so used to playing one character for three years. Flipping back and forth between characters we’re struggling to get to Matt’s level of expertise at that, but it’s so fun to be able to see all of the fruits of our labor and Matt’s labor come together after all these years and create really just such a full, exciting, diverse world.
Laura Bailey: Since we’re working on The Legend of Vox Machina and The Mighty Nein animated series, the characters are fresh in our heads. We’re getting to be those characters every week. So, it wasn’t like jumping in from ground zero at least with these last episodes.
RS When adapting your campaigns into animated series, how do you boil down hundreds of hours of story into something more manageable? What story beats do you decide to keep or add? What do those conversations look like?
Mercer: I mean, it’s a protracted conversation. Before planning anything like this, we have extensive writers’ rooms where the cast gets together with the writers for the season of these projects. And we break down together over weeks the important things for us as players that happened to our characters, that happened to the story and essentially piece out what is necessary to tell the story in a very fruitful and important way. And then we have to decide which ones don’t make it or how we can merge things for the adaptation, bringing forth the heart of what we enjoyed about it originally. It’s a big challenge, but it’s also a really fun puzzle to piece together.
And then to the point of having the hindsight of all this world that we’ve explored since those stories were first told, we have the opportunity now to go back and even weave them tighter together. We’ve colored in some of those fog of war, dark spots in the world’s history since we first did this. And it’s a really cool chance to further tie it all together and make the world even that much more broad and detailed and expansive. It’s a wonderful puzzle to solve together.
RS What challenges were there in developing The Legend of Vox Machina? What lessons have you learned that you’re carrying with you into creating The Mighty Nein animated series and beyond?
** Willingham:** Ours is a very unique show in that we have a billion main characters. There are seven of us walking around at any time, which we found out in animation is hard to draw. It’s a challenge for animation studios. There was a bit of a learning curve in the first couple of seasons about how many characters could be in each shot. How would scenes work? Do we need to reduce the amount of faces that are there? Just so that the animation process is simpler. We’ve seen in seasons one and two was a more honest adaptation of the campaign.
And now in season three, what we’ve really been excited to explore, utilize and sort of reveal is a divergence from some of those story beats that happened in the campaign. We’ve told that story. And a lot of those moments, as Matt mentioned, that happened in the live stream are perfectly laid in that improvised live space. And we want to replicate those if we can. But in a lot of situations, we’re looking for ways to improve the story or give fans who think they know what is coming is something new. We want to unsettle them. We want to breach their expectations and make them guess and become new fans as well. In exploring new ways that we can approach this story and sort of deliver the same sort of oomph, that ability to make you laugh one second and cry the next, that’s what’s really been exciting about the animated series.
RS I wish I could have recorded my reaction to Xerxes in The Legend of Vox Machina because my brain broke. [laughs]
Willingham: That’s what we wanted. Brain breakage.
RS As Campaign 3 draws to a close, there’s a lot of buzz about what potentially comes next. What can you tease about the next couple of years?
Ray: We have so many plans. We still have so many dreams, all those things that Travis was touching on earlier that we want to pursue, that we want to achieve. We’re looking and taking as many opportunities as we can while people are still watching us and enjoying what we do [laughs]. In terms of the channel and gameplay, we’re still going to be playing games together. We’re looking forward to maybe playing other games. Of course, we have Daggerheart that Darrington Press has been working so hard on. We’re excited to show that off in meaningful ways and also working with other creatives and other storytellers. We’re continuing to try and think outside the box as we go on, while still holding true to what we love doing, which is just a bunch of nerdy-ass voice actors playing games.
RS You’ve developed Candela Obscura, Daggerheart, and new ways of playing tabletop. For a lot of people, Critical Role is the blueprint. Does that responsibility ever weigh on you?
Ray: I feel like when we started, still playing in Laura and Travis’s living room, we got this opportunity through Geek & Sundry and Felicia Day to stream the game. Our first thought was, “Oh, putting the thing you love on the internet is kind of scary.” And then our second thought was, “If this introduces even just a handful of people to the joy that we get to experience playing tabletop games and everything that is open up to us as a group of friends, then we’ve done something.” We’ve always approached this by inviting other people to play. So, I hope that that’s still maintaining and still true to this day and even further on a wider scale. The heart of the goal is still there.
Liam O’Brien: I love it. I was one of the kids in the Eighties who was hiding in my bedroom with this stuff and didn’t know anybody who played it. And when we played it together for the first time as adults, we were so excited, like electrified by it, and to see that bubble out exponentially so that other people can do it too. And we’ve heard countless stories of friend groups, second families, like we are to each other. That is such a huge gift and just makes me happy. Like it was such a great effect of all this. And I don’t know why it happened, but it did.
RS Let’s talk about the balance between innovation and preservation. How have you found new ways to create and tell new stories while paying homage to stories from the past?
Mercer: That’s a good question. It’s trying to straddle two different diverging paths. When you’ve built an established audience, there is an instinct to cling to what’s comfortable, but also we as creators, as artists, as performers, want to perpetually challenge ourselves and surprise each other. That’s what makes this so fun for us at the table, it’s surprising each other and trying to surprise our audience. And that comes with both how we play the game and how we want to create things that are whole cloth and new. We all have so many weird ideas and inspirations that come out of playing together, that come out of riffing on ideas, dreams we have, and people we get a chance to collaborate with.
We are very lucky that we built this space where we can explore these things, both as new IP and bringing in new radical ideas into the worlds we have already created. I’ve had dreams since high school to play a game with friends in a world consistently over multiple campaigns and now getting to do so and bridge it all together in a really epic moment is something that I’ve always dreamed but even through that process it’s created all these other weird spinning off thoughts and ideas. We’re all just riffing on each other. I would say we’re cognizant of the challenge and responsibility, but also what makes all this so special is that we don’t care and we do what feels right and important to us and trust that it will resonate with other people, too.
Riegel: The first audience for anything Critical Role makes is the eight of us. Be it the live play or the scripts for animated series or new ideas that Marisha wants to put on our channel. And if we can make the eight of us entertained and laugh or cry, it usually works on a bigger scale. And if it doesn’t, at least we got eight laughs out of it.
RS You’re continuing to show the world the power of storytelling by including new perspectives; Tales from the Stinky Dragon, and MIDST. Can you talk about what goes into working with these new IPs and what you’re looking for to branch out the world?
Ray: It honestly came down to, “Oh, these people are cool and they remind us of us” [laughs]. So much of what drove those partnerships was being able to envision them as a part of the greater Critical Role and Beacon family. And both of them were really seamless fits and we’re excited to find more partners that fit that bill.
Riegel: We are a group that loves to create things, but we’re also a group that are fans of things and fans of creators. And with Metapigeon we’ve been able to develop brand new stuff, ideas that have come from within this group, as well as finding other creators out there who have ideas for graphic novels or TV series or animated series. We have features that are in development, feature films. We also have a live-action series that we recently pitched and another animated series that has nothing to do with the world of Exandria that’s already in development. We have lots of great, cool, amazing ideas. The television and film development game is hard, but there’s eight of us and we have lots of ideas. Odds are in our favor. If we have a 1% success rate, we have way more than a hundred ideas. So something is bound to stick.
RS As voice actors, video games are your bread and butter. So, is there talk amongst you of creating your own? The Critters would like to know.
Bailey: We’ve been talking about creating a video game since we first started playing together.
Willingham: I would say it’s an active pursuit on our end. The last few years we have been having necessary conversations to figure out how to do that smartly. It’s, you know, it’s an entire enterprise that’s separate from what we do on Beacon, Twitch, or YouTube, it’s separate from the animated series and it comes with its understanding that has to be undertaken. Those are all things that we’ve been actively pursuing. But the concise way of saying it is that we are starting to come to the end of a long road that we’ve been undertaking for the last couple of years.
And hopefully, we’ll have something really exciting to share, maybe around the end of the year, maybe at the beginning of 2025, just in time for our 10-year anniversary. But it’s something we’ve definitely had our minds on. Those collaborations we’ve had with various partners have been little toe dips in the pool just to see how it feels. You know, there’s a lot of upheaval in the interactive space right now. And we’ve seen studios sort of bear and weather those strains. It’s trying to become smarter about it and find out how we might fit into that larger ecosystem.
RS How have you changed as people and creatives? What have you learned about yourselves and each other in this journey?
Bailey: When we started 10 years ago, we were a bunch of slapdick actors, you know what I mean [laughs]? Who did not have a lot of responsibility outside of showing up to set, reading our script, and making sure we get a good performance. What I’m saying is I watch Travis every single day and he’s grown exponentially in these last 10 years. When we made him our CEO, it was because he knew how to incorporate our business. And he took that responsibility and he’s just grown and grown and grown so much. And to see him and Sam really undertaking that executive producer role on the animated series as well, just 24-seven noses to the grindstone, making things happen. And I’m blown away with every single member of this group, with how they’ve taken their responsibility within the company and grown it. I want to cry right now. Everybody’s grown so much as a person that it’s just been so beautiful to see.
Ashley Johnson: It’s wild to me. Now I’m going to get emotional too. You’re all making me very emotional. Put it in the article. Let me ruin the moment [laughs]. It’s wild sitting here and thinking about the 10 year journey we’ve been on, sitting down at a table, our foundation starting with collaborating and then doing everything people said not to do, which is start a company with your friends. But every step of this journey never gets old. It blows me away that we’ve been able to branch off on our own, leaving a protective umbrella of somebody else taking care of us, now we’re the umbrella and being able to sort of make our own decisions creatively. Putting a bunch of creatives and artists in a room and being like, “Okay, you guys have a business together.” And, we all trust each other so much and we love creating together because that’s where our relationship and friendship started. And thinking about the future with what we’re going to be able to do and what our plans are. I can’t wait.
RS What advice would you give yourself from 10 years ago with the knowledge that you have today?
Riegel: There was a moment. There’s been a bunch of moments over this journey where we all checked in with each other and we’re like, “Are we doing this?” I wouldn’t change any of those moments, but it’s fun to look back and just be so grateful that we said yes, that we said, “Yeah, let’s give it a shot and put our faith in each other because we’ve done so much great stuff.” And I think we’ve all become, well, I’ve become a better person as a result [laughter]. I mean, Ellen DeGeneres just released a whole comedy act about how being famous made her mean, I feel like it’s the opposite with us. We pulled a reverse Ellen. We’ve become nicer, and kinder. We have a foundation where we give money away to charities, I am so grateful that we said yes to all of those moments along the way.
Taliesin Jaffe: Never forget the rough times. Never forget how hard it was, never forget those moments of real distress, especially that unique distress that comes if you’re a creative wondering every week whether this may be the end. It was a great run. And then never get to the point where you feel like you just deserve it without any real thoughtfulness or effort.
RS How excited should the community be about what you all have cooking for the 10th anniversary?
Riegel: Mid. We’re probably going to have a newsletter [laughs]. We have so much stuff planned for next year between the live shows and The Mighty Nein animated series and new shows on Beacon and one shots and mini-series and who knows what after campaign three and merch.
Jaffe: It’s whatever delights us. That’s what’s coming up. It’s whatever delights eight people.
Ray: Our 2025 is packed.
RS When you think of legacy, what does that mean to you as a company, a brand and as people?
O’Brien: Storytelling and art tell us so much about ourselves as people. It is at the center of being a human being. And it has been for centuries and centuries. I think that’s why we’ve approached it with so much love, care, and heart. And so, if there’s a legacy from what we’ve done, I think that it lives at tables all across the world where other people are approaching the story with so much love and heart and care.
Mercer: Outside of the creative legacy and storytelling legacies, we’ve worked so hard to build the foundation of this company that we want to be the rest of our lives in a way that will shepherd everything we want to create. And in time shepherd to the next generation of storytellers. I hope to one day pass the torch to a bunch of incredible people with new ideas and new perspectives and give them the space to tell their stories. And we can be the distant creative grandparents to them and be proud from the shadows. This is an enduring opportunity to be a place that fosters that sort of experience and enables the ability of people to engage with it. And I plan to be doing this till I am withered and gray.
25
Matt and Marisha take the GQ Couple's Quiz
(youTube link)
It’s the GQ Couples Quiz, as we put Critical Role’s Marisha Ray & Matthew Mercer’s relationship to the test. What’s Matthew’s favorite couple’s vacation? What’s Marisha’s top bucket list item? What day would they both relive together? Watch to find out the answers to all these questions and more.
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