Get Well Soon Sam

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With new television seasons, live shows, and a benchmark anniversary on the horizon, Critical Role’s Travis Willingham, Marisha Ray, and Sam Riegel reflect on the past, present, and future of the Dungeons & Dragons actual-play series heard ‘round the world in Paste's latest Digital Cover Story.
article by Casey Epstein-Gross

On December 19, 2012, voice actors Liam O’Brien (Gaara in Naruto) and Sam Riegel (Donatello in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) discussed their upcoming one-time foray into the world of tabletop roleplaying games on their podcast All Work No Play: O’Brien, who last played Dungeons & Dragons when he was a sophomore in high school, explains that, normally, D&D is experienced in the form of campaigns, which are “ongoing…serial dramas,” à la “Charles Dickens,” requiring players to “get together regularly” to continue the story.

Riegel, who had never played the game, responded in disbelief: “Really?! People do this?!” People do—but not 2012 Sam and Liam. They, alongside some friends and voice-acting colleagues, were going to play a one-off run with their friend Matthew Mercer (Levi Ackerman in Attack on Titan); just a one-and-done game, or as Riegel put it, a “self-contained short story.”

13 years, millions of viewers, multiple books, a record-breaking Kickstarter campaign, a few sold-out stadium shows, a three-season Amazon Prime animated TV show (and another on the way), and hundreds upon hundreds of hours of gameplay later, it appears that their estimation may have been just a teensy bit off.

While that fateful first game (a birthday present from Mercer, who DM’d the game to O’Brien, who just wanted to recreate that good ole childhood nostalgia) took place in 2012, Critical Role did not become Critical Role proper until 2015—when Geek & Sundry’s Felicia Day, having heard about this gaggle of voice actors playing D&D together, invited the group to stream their campaign live on the company’s Twitch channel. That’s where Critical Role’s first campaign, Vox Machina, begins: in media res, three years into the friends’ home game. They had grown attached to the characters and world they had created, and didn’t want to leave it behind for the sake of a livestream that, in all likelihood, wouldn’t garner much attention in the first place.

Except, of course, it did: A few hundred viewers turned into more than 100,000, and then that soared into millions. (As of September 2024, the series’ first-ever stream has 23 million views on YouTube alone, and YouTube isn’t even the show’s primary platform.)

Eventually, Critical Role struck out on their own, forming an independent production company (Critical Role Productions LLC) and self-producing all their content. Next year, in 2025, the D&D actual-play livestream turned international phenomenon will be celebrating its official 10th anniversary. A decade might seem like a long time to spend every Thursday night rolling dice in front of a camera, but even with that milestone on the horizon, the eight friends at the heart of it all want everyone to know that Critical Role is just getting started.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am not, historically speaking, a D&D diehard myself. In fact, I came to Critical Role a severe skeptic, and only begrudgingly checked out the first episode of the crew’s second campaign, the Mighty Nein, six or so months ago, certain I’d watch an hour of it and never think about it again. I have since watched (or, often, listened to while in transit), about 480 hours of that campaign alone. In other words, it appears my estimation may have been just a teensy bit off as well.

I am far from the first to undergo such a transformation at the hands of Critical Role. Actually, I’m in very good company: Critical Role CEO Travis Willingham (Roy Mustang in Full Metal Alchemist), who is also the actor/mind/voice behind campaign characters like Grog, Fjord and Chetney, actually underwent a similar paradigm shift after O’Brien’s birthday game—which was Willingham’s first venture into tabletop roleplaying as well. “So much of my personal experience [with Dungeons & Dragons] was rooted in a pre-set bias about what it was, or that it was too nerdy or too cliche, or just not a thing that I wanted to be associated with,” he recalls. “And I was horribly, woefully wrong.”

Prior to that game, half of the eight main Critical Role founders had never touched Dungeons & Dragons before: while Dungeon Master Matthew Mercer had previously played with Taliesin Jaffe (The Flash/Barry Allen in various video games) and Marisha Ray (Margaret in Persona 4: Dancing All Night as well as the Creative Director of Critical Role, and also, adorably, Mercer’s now-wife), Liam O’Brien had only a cursory high-school experience with the game, and Sam Riegel, Travis Willingham and his wife, Laura Bailey (Abby in The Last of Us: Part II), all sat down at the table for the very first time that evening. Ashley Johnson (Ellie in The Last of Us franchise) joined the next game. None of them have wanted to get up since.

Critical Role’s astronomical success is, at once, completely mind-boggling and entirely understandable. Why would so many people spend hundreds of hours watching some nerdy-ass voice actors sit around and play Dungeons & Dragons? I know I asked myself that when I first stumbled across their YouTube channel. Now, over 100 episodes into their second campaign later, I am intimately familiar with the answer. I’m sure there are many fans (or “Critters,” as they’re often called) who were drawn to the actual-play by D&D itself, but speaking as someone who wasn’t, I can say with relative certainty that Critical Role is unlike anything else I’ve ever seen before, and that is a good thing.

It’s an entirely new narrative medium that combines appeals to so many different sensibilities that it’s almost surprising it took this long for the format to take off. It’s the worldbuilding of J.R.R. Tolkien with the parasocial intimacy of Youtuber friend groups, the sheer chance and mercuriality of professional improv with the dramatic chops of life-long actors, the slow-burn of intricately written novels with the narrative agency of… well, nothing, actually. What Critical Role offers isn’t just an amalgamation of different draws, but an entirely new form of storytelling: one in which the story feels like it’s written in real time by the characters within it, in which the fictional world is actively being shaped by its inhabitants as it actively shapes them in turn.

“It’s odd to explain, but [the characters] do kind of have their own autonomy as time goes on,” says Ray. “I think that’s something that is really a gift with this medium, and with playing it through a Let’s Play: you can have that organic development, and these characters take on a life of their own.” Her Vox Machina character, Keyleth, ended up falling in love with O’Brien’s character Vax’ildan—and none of that was planned in the slightest. It was just the way the narrative, the dynamic, naturally developed. As a long-time sucker for well-written character growth, Critical Role is my veritable Holy Grail. There are no shoehorned developments, no sudden heel-turns, just the realistic slow-burn of humanity all the way down—and it’s a long way down too, considering the massive length of Critical Role campaigns.

Riegel believes this is one of the reasons that Critical Role resonates with audiences so much: “The world’s content is getting shorter and shorter, everything becoming more and more short-term. I think there’s a real desire for longer stories, more in-depth stories, more in-depth characters.” Critical Role offers precisely that.

But it also offers something else, something no other storytelling medium can: uncertainty. Matthew Mercer builds the sandbox he lets his players run around in, but once they’re inside, the only true authorial force is the roll of a die. Exandria, the vast world of Mercer’s creation, can be turned on a dime by an ill-timed bad roll, or a particularly fortuitous good one. “There are so many great plans that should have worked and really didn’t,” Riegel says, immediately conjuring up memories of the innumerable bizarre plans that went unimaginably awry over the course of the three main campaigns. “This is a world of chance. We don’t know what’s going to happen. When something goes right, it’s just as surprising as when it goes wrong.”

With the structure of the game being as it is, there’s no such thing as a second take, a do-over. There’s no reloading a save file like a player of a video game, no rewriting a decision like an author realizing a story isn’t going in the direction they wanted. No matter what happens, the narrative has to keep moving forwards, and compared to other storytelling mediums, that in and of itself is strikingly unique. While so much of modern media is preoccupied with constructing a perfect character arc, reaching a satisfying conclusion, Critical Role’s story doesn’t have that luxury. As Willingham puts it, “Whereas other media is scripted, with beats that are planned out to take you on a defined journey—not only do we not know what we’re doing, but we’re all just hanging out with each other at the table,” and that’s how the story develops.

“It’s not just that the characters have a lot of agency, although they do, and not just that they are being piloted by, essentially, different writers as they go, although they are,” Riegel says. “It’s that we’re making decisions on the fly and then… that’s it! That sticks! We could be playing a game one night, and we have to pee, so we just say something, just because we really gotta go pee, and then… that’s it! That’s what happens in the story for the rest of the whole campaign!”

“I think there’s a certain amount of authenticity that comes with it,” Ray agrees after a laugh. “We’re riding by the seat of our pants, so these choices that we make are genuine because we’re just… reacting in real time to what is happening around us. And then there’s always two stories happening at once: there’s [the fictional narrative of the campaign] and then there’s almost a meta narrative of us as friends, as Travis said, just hanging out. Sometimes I make choices just because I want to make Sam Riegel laugh.”

And there’s the other particularly unique facet of Critical Role’s appeal: In addition to watching this fascinating Game of Thrones-style narrative that writes itself in real time, you’re also watching a friend group of eight intensely likable professional actors cracking each other up by pulling from a seemingly bottomless well of dick jokes—dick jokes that, in turn, get woven into the fabric of Mercer’s extensive narrative tapestry. Critical Role is steeped in the core friendship of its founders so thoroughly that it’s baked into the foundation of every moment; it’s an intensely collaborative process.

“That’s really what the show is,” Willingham says. “Showing people what friends can do when they get together with this kind of a format and some really vivid imaginations… We’re all such different people, personalities; I think one of the biggest feathers in our cap is that we were not cast. Like, we weren’t put together, you know? It wasn’t like ‘oh, let’s make sure we cover different bases, we’ll get the guy that plays a lot of sports [referring to himself] with the goth king [almost certainly referring to Jaffe].’ We just have immense love for each other as players and as people, and it’s this very rare lightning-in-a-bottle feeling. We’re here to make each other laugh, and we’re here to surprise each other, to catch each other off-guard, and that’s where the magic lies.”

This was evident even when speaking with the trio of Riegel, Ray and Willingham—who are, as Riegel jokes, by far the most important (they’re the “critical” of Critical Role, he quips, with the other five members being the “role”). Our conversation, not unlike those that make up Critical Role’s beloved Thursday night streams, not infrequently dissolves into extended bits and gags, for the sole purpose of, again, making each other laugh. (“It’s crazy that we’re approaching the 10-year anniversary,” Riegel says, “and we’re all in our mid-20s.” After a round of laughter, this naturally prompts an extended tangent about ritualistic sacrifice: As it turns out, the company’s new streaming service, Beacon, is actually “our phylactery,” says Willingham, referring to a D&D construct that, essentially, allows mages to live forever: “We are digital succubi.” So that’s what they mean when they say they’re just getting started—it’s a secret reference to their newfound immortality.)

Plain and simple, talking to them is just fun, and so is watching Critical Role. It’s hard not to get sucked into the series’ charm (perhaps Willingham has a point about the whole succubi thing)—simply put, people love watching friends be friends, and the cast of Critical Role are pretty great ones. “It’s why people used to like boy bands,” Riegel cracks. “Except, we’re now a boy band, and there’s girls, and… and I’m the bad boy.” (After teasing him for having the gall to call himself a bad boy, Willingham and Ray get in on the bit: “He’s got frosted tips and a bandana,” Willingham jokes. “He’s dangerous. He’s got a checkered past.” Ray adds: “He’s even got piercings.” Sometimes, I pipe in, he even wears a leather jacket.)

This dynamic is often genuinely wonderful, the close relationship between the Critical Role crew and their fanbase affirmed at the end of every episode as Matthew looks warmly at the camera and tells the audience: “We love you very much.” But this can also be a double-edged sword. Parasociality is a very real issue for all celebrities in the digital age (just look at Chappell Roan’s recent struggles), but Critical Role’s format lends itself to an even more intense version than most: fans watch the cast sit around a table, as themselves, to hang out with their real-life best friends for hours at a time. The specter of parasociality was especially present during and even after the pandemic, Ray says. “So many people were trapped at home, not seeing their friends or families, so we kind of ended up being almost like a surrogate for many people. Overall, I think that was a very great thing, and I’m so glad we were this regular, reliable source where every Thursday you could count on us coming on in your living room. But there are, of course, going to be challenges around that.”

“There can be an ownership factor that we have to grapple with, especially in terms of characters—and even ourselves as people—doing things that don’t align with the narratives in people’s heads,” Ray continues. “But it’s also a reminder that, once again, this is still our home game at the end of the day that we just kind of turned a camera on during, and we’re going to do what we’re going to do, for better or for worse.”

Although the audience itself has only grown in number and fervor since the stream’s humble beginnings, the cast does think dealing with the parasociality has gotten easier over time. “In the beginning there was a steep learning curve for all of us,” Willingham says. “The rise in success, in notoriety, especially online and on social media, certainly had its lessons for how we can interact better with our audience and with the community, but also how we can protect ourselves too. In the early, early years, we were certainly much more out there [online, interacting with fans], almost to a little bit of a detriment. Over time, we developed healthier habits in how we engaged digitally with everybody, and I think that was good for us, especially since a lot of us [such as Riegel, O’Brien, and Willingham and Bailey] are parents, and we have children now. Balance is something we constantly have to consider. We’re all so driven and so passionate about these stories that we just want to throw our entire selves into every single hour that we can, and that’s why it’s so important to be able to check in with each other and make sure everybody’s good, that there’s a healthy balance being maintained. But it’s always an ongoing conversation.”

But balance can be hard. “We, pretty much all of us, eat, sleep, and breathe Critical Role in some form or fashion,” Ray says. (Who needs sleep? Not Marisha Ray, apparently: “Eh… sleep is relative”). Critical Role is eight full-time jobs, and then some—as of 2021, the company had over 40 people in its employ, a number that surely has only increased from there. “We count ourselves lucky every day, because while so much of this is hard work and dedication, there’s a lot of luck in there as well,” Ray smiles. “We try not to take it for granted. I think that’s why we all kind of have this driving force to make the most of it while we can—while people still, for some reason, love watching us play D&D every Thursday night.”

And people love watching them play. In 2019, Critical Role fans made Kickstarter history and broke the site’s record for the most-funded TV or film project ever, pledging over $11.38 million toward a fully animated adaptation of the Vox Machina campaign. The Kickstarter’s initial aim, which seemed lofty to the members of Critical Role at the time, was to raise $750,000 to fund the production of a single 20-minute Vox Machina animated special. That goal was surpassed in under an hour.

Soon after, Amazon Prime ordered two full-length seasons—24 episodes, which is 14 more than even the updated Kickstarter campaign financed—of the Titmouse-animated series that has become The Legend of Vox Machina. For Critical Role, it became suddenly apparent that the sky itself was the limit—that, really, the sky itself was just the beginning.

“We are also constantly evaluating ourselves, like, how can we push the medium?” Willingham says. “What are some things we haven’t done before? What would excite our audience? What excites us as players, and as fans of this space?” He additionally teases some future long-term plans that “everybody is going to be extremely excited by,” calling it “something that our fans have never, ever seen before.”

The distant future aside, the next few months already hold exciting developments for Critical Role: the October 3 release of the third season of The Legend of Vox Machina on Amazon Prime is hardly a week away, and the first season of Amazon Prime’s animated series of the Mighty Nein campaign is on track for next year (“unless bad things happen,” Riegel says only a little ominously). Meanwhile, the third campaign, Bells Hells, is currently hurtling towards a dramatic climax that will likely have ramifications not only for its characters but all of Exandria—including for the main characters of the previous two campaigns, Vox Machina and the Mighty Nein. Ray confirms that it feels like a “big shake-up for Exandria” is en route, and that recent developments in the storyline have resulted in the crew “newly imagining these three campaigns as their own little trilogy.” And due to the scheduling of the two animated series and the third campaign, the cast of Critical Role is essentially working simultaneously on all three parts of this trilogy at once. To quote Willingham: “It gets a little screwy.” (“Or ‘tricksy,’ as Marisha would say,” Riegel adds, grinning at Ray.)

“Because Matthew has ended up orchestrating Campaign Three to be the climax of all three campaigns, where it’s all intertwining and intermelding,” Riegel says, “We’ll sometimes play a Campaign Three game and learn something brand new as characters that makes us have to immediately turn around the next morning and call the writers of [Amazon Prime’s] Vox Machina or Mighty Nein to be like, ‘Hey guys, we actually have to change something? We just learned that this thing we thought about the gods was not true, so we have to actually go back and rewrite this part before we ship it to get animated…’” Ray laughs, saying she actually had that exact conversation earlier that morning.

“We’re making iterative content based on a source material that is still being created in real time, and that is wild,” Ray says. (“And the source material is your husband, and he won’t talk about it with you,” Sam deadpans to Ray, who jokingly grumbles about Mercer’s frustrating refusal to tell her anything that would ruin the element of surprise. The eternal curse of dating a DM…)

One of the benefits of this odd arrangement, though, is that it allows for the series to foreshadow events that no one, at the time of the source campaign, had ever even considered. “There might be things we want to try and set up earlier in Exandria by working them into the first series,” Willingham says. “We have fun figuring out what those seeds are. How do we plant them? How can we keep our audience guessing?” He doesn’t want the animated series to read like “play-by-play recountings” of events fans have already seen; “We want to make it fresh and interesting for those that were with us from 2015-2018, and then also tee up a world that is even more exciting when we consider everything that has happened since [the original campaign] as well.”

He adds that an “unusual byproduct” of starting production on the animated series is that the consequences of character actions in-game began to feel more significant, often in a bit of a daunting way: “There started to become this sense of, like, ‘Oh, we need to do something cool’ or ‘I don’t want to mess it up,’ or ‘I don’t want to put us in too precarious of a situation for the other characters.’” Pressing that big red button feels scarier when there’s the weight of not only an audience (and a relatively judgmental one, at that) but an entire television series’ future resting on every decision made. That kind of fear can be paralyzing, which is why the Critical Role cast have had to learn to shut it out in favor of just playing the game the way they want to, the way they would back in 2013, at their home games. “Even if you make a bold choice and you roll a one and it goes horribly wrong, that can sometimes be more fun than if you succeed,” Willingham says. “We have to remind ourselves sometimes that even though there is this amazing group of Critters watching in the audience, it doesn’t mean that we have to be perfect about what we’re doing.”

“And we are still not perfect,” Riegel says. “We kind of still suck. It’s great.”

Overall, however, it hasn’t affected gameplay as much as one might think; the cast are certainly aware of the pressure, but when it comes down to it, they’re still the same people who sat down at a dining room table for Liam’s birthday twelve years ago. “We’re too goofy,” Willingham laughs. “Nothing’s going to change the way that we play our game.” Riegel adds: “We’ve always envisioned these characters in our minds as we play, so it almost feels like a natural segue to go from our imaginations to cartoon screens.”

While that might not be one of them, there are a lot of complications involved in adapting any source material into a TV show, and the massive length (with each campaign clocking in well over 400 hours) and D&D-specific mechanics of Critical Role make for even more of a challenge than most. Take the central role of magic in Dungeons & Dragons, for example: there are so many crucial moments throughout the campaign that revolve around it, and yet, what actually is its material form? A particularly climactic incident towards the end of the first campaign involves the use of a high-level casting of the spell “Counterspell,” which, as Ray says, “is such a weird, intangible concept. What does that even look like? There are so many forms of magic in Dungeons & Dragons, so trying to map them out such that their manifestations look different is something that’s absolutely discussed a lot—particularly with the Mighty Nein, because [that party] has even more spellcasters.”

That’s far from the only difference between Vox Machina and the Mighty Nein. Whereas the former campaign begins with its central heroes already knowing each other and setting off to fight evil, the latter spends many of its first hours chronicling the tales of a group of weirdos who don’t particularly like, let alone trust, one another and are only bonded together by their collective distaste for authority. The narrative structure of the campaign is different as well, with the Mighty Nein story being much more “sandbox” style, driven by the characters’ desires (or, often, aimless wandering) more than any overarching narrative, which makes it that much harder to translate into a medium as necessarily streamlined and linear as television.

“We had to crack out more than just our single whiteboard this time,” Willingham says. “The Mighty Nein campaign spanned continents, created new magic sets, and had, really, a much more complex and socioeconomically driven storyline. We had to figure out what we wanted to hit in those first two seasons, how we wanted to approach it, and how it would make sense to an audience. Because, even as players, at times, the sandbox feel of the Mighty Nein could feel confusing, like we didn’t quite know where we were going to go or where we needed to go. For the television series, it’s our job as producers and directors to make sure that we are giving a singular focus about what’s threatening to our characters, what they want, and what’s getting in the way of them achieving those things.”

That being said, however, Willingham makes sure to clarify that it will definitely “still be the Mighty Nein story.” (This one’s for you, Twitter: “I think in some of our previous commentary around it, we had said it’s a brand new story or something, and that might have been the wrong choice of words!” Yes, Critters, they saw your collective freak-out last month; don’t worry, that phrasing was hyperbolic. The show will still be the Mighty Nein you know and love!) “There’s just a new approach,” he continues. “A new approach to how the characters come together, how we hit the story beats. It’s going to be everything that everybody wants, but there will be some big changes. We started with a group of heroes in a tavern in the Legend of Vox Machina, and we will not be repeating that for the Mighty Nein… It’s been an iterative process, but one that we’ve loved, and while our fans might be surprised at first, we know that it’ll be something they love.”

And apparently, Critical Role has an extensive future planned for the small screen, even apart from the main three campaigns. Riegel talks about exploring “more film and television opportunities that don’t necessarily involve projects that are in Exandria.” This isn’t just a pipe dream, but a future that, while distant, is already well on its way to realization. Sam reveals that Critical Role is “already developing shows that are completely different IPs: some original, some from really cool creators. A couple of things are adjacent to Exandria, and then there’s a few things that are totally different in every way, shape and form.”

The dream, though, would be a video game, which “all of us are hungry to make,” Willingham says. It makes sense, considering so many of them got their start in voicing video game characters, and are so enmeshed with that world. “We’re constantly developing and talking with future potential partners about that as well.”

Evidently, the company has, by this point, expanded far beyond their main Exandrian campaigns. As made evident by the July launch of their streaming service Beacon (a move that allows the company to maintain further creative control instead of relying on third-party platforms), Critical Role is now an umbrella for a myriad of properties, series, and worlds: in addition to numerous one-shots, Critical Role and its production banner, Metapigeon, have created and/or enveloped numerous roleplaying-focused miniseries such as family-friendly campaign The Re-Slayer’s Take, ex-Rooster Teeth podcast Tales from the Stinky Dragon, the space-western epic Midst, and the investigative horror series Candela Obscura, a series that features Critical Role’s original TTRPG system of the same name, published by the company’s newly founded publishing label, Darrington Press. Candela Obscura was their first official self-developed system, but won’t be their last: the long-awaited, sprawling system Daggerheart, which is intended to be a peer to D&D itself.

Fans have long speculated about the seismic shifts the release of Daggerheart might have on the Critical Role empire, with some theorizing that the company might pivot away from D&D entirely. That is, perhaps, a bit dramatic. “You will for sure be seeing Daggerheart played by the Critical Role crew, but that certainly does not mean that we are going to be putting our Players Handbooks on the shelves,” Ray reassures.

That’s not to say, however, that no changes are in store for Critical Role now that it’s approaching the tenth year of its tenure—but they’re less changes than they are expansions. “We do have the desire to mix it up,” Ray says, “and that’s why we brought in Robbie Daymond [whose character Dorian Storm has become a permanent fixture of the third campaign]. We really want to bring in more fresh blood.” (Willingham: “And when Marisha says fresh blood, she means ritualistic sacrifice.”) She continues: “And whenever you add anything to this big cauldron, this chemistry we have going on, it’s going to alter it in some way, shape, or form, and that’s also very refreshing—to take this world that we have known for so long and breathed so deeply, and have someone come in with a fresh set of eyes.”

Getting burnt out on a passion project after it morphs into a responsibility is a tale as old as time, but a decade later, Critical Role is still going strong, in part because of its willingness to shake things up—but also simply because its founders just love what they do, almost as much as they love each other.

“I mean, the catalyst of it all is the brilliance of Matthew Mercer,” Willingham says. “I think if the setting had somehow become stale or stagnant, then we might be in trouble. But every time we go to sit at the table, Matthew has prepared a gourmet meal of imagery and location and new characters—like, we often forget that we’re on camera. We have to remind ourselves to close our mouths, stop chewing, don’t pick our noses, because it’s really hard not to just watch Matthew do his thing and be in awe of the tale that he is spinning. We’re all in a gravitational pull around him, and every once in a while we collide, and that’s where the good stuff happens.”

“It helps that we spend time as friends outside of Critical Role, and that keeps things fresh,” Riegel says. “And we, just… sort of all support each other’s weird ideas? So whatever anyone wants to do, we sort of just…do! That’s why we make all these weird shows, do all these weird promos, make all these weird ads.”

Of the campaigns themselves, Willingham adds, “I mean, if playing a 400-year-old gnome [Willingham’s current character, Chetney], a demon from the Hells [Riegel’s current character, Braius], or an undead creepy lady [Ray’s character, Laudna] is not enough to make it super interesting, then certainly our choices will be… I would say, also, that we are full of stories, and even as we’re playing the current campaign, it would be dishonest to say that, as players, we aren’t constantly thinking of new characters or new storylines we want to try.” Even after the third campaign concludes, there’s still so much more that the cast wants to explore in the future—in other words: don’t worry, Critters.

There is a real desire to expand the Critical Role IP beyond just the names of Riegel, Willingham, and Ray (the “critical”) and Mercer, Bailey, O’Brien, Johnson, and Jaffe (the “role”). As Ray says: “The conundrum that we run into from time to time is that Critical Role is this group of eight people. Those two have become synonymous. So how do you grow what the definition of Critical Role is beyond the original eight founders?”

That’s the mindset that has prompted Critical Role’s ever-growing accumulation of new content, new players, and new stories. “We want to continue to honor that,” Ray says, “and to bring in more people, and tell stories from other perspectives.” This might mean opening the doors to not only other players, but other Dungeon Masters and other game systems (both from Darrington Press and beyond) as well. “Even though we are, as Sam said, youthful mid-twenty-somethings,” Ray laughs, “We won’t be able to do this forever.” (Willingham makes a face at this). “So a lot of what we want to do is bring in fresh faces, fresh perspectives, and push the boundaries of what Critical Role can mean to our audience.”

But part of the goal is also to expand the bounds of that audience—and not because the company just wants more viewership revenue. That was never Critical Role’s raison d’être. As Willingham puts it, what Critical Role really wants is to “see how much more of a mainstream audience might be untapped”—not just for their series, their shows, but “for the stories and the interaction that goes on when you sit down at a table and roll dice with friends.” In other words: for D&D and TTRPGs in general, for the concept of joint storytelling (story-making) as a genuine platonic love language. And despite the modern renaissance of D&D in popular culture (which Critical Role served a, well, critical role in bringing about), “there is still a lot of work to be done in showing that there is a seat at the table for everybody,” from the jock to the goth kid.

“We’re always going to be trying to push the envelope and show that this can have appeal for all sorts of people. That’s what we task ourselves with,” Willingham continues. “It’s a lofty goal. But, you know, if you’re not aiming high, I don’t know what you’re doing.”

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 3 releases Monday, September 23rd on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Bonus Episode with Caroline Lux releases Monday, September 23rd on Beacon at 5am Pacific

LIVE Fireside Chat with Ashley Johnson

Join us in the tavern for a monthly Ask Me Anything (AMA) series where you can sit down with us and learn more about our Critical Role cast and guests! Questions will be curated directly from Beacon members via Discord and each episode will feature a different cast member for a 30-60 minute fireside chat. Cozy up by the fire and enjoy the deep dive with us!

• Starts Monday, September 23rd at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon

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 23 releases Tuesday, September 24th at 10am Pacific on YouTube
• Campaign 3, Episode 23 Podcast out Tuesday, September 24th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Campaign 3, Episode 45 releases Tuesday, September 24th at 10am Pacific on Beacon

#EverythingIsContent

SINK!

Set sail for an evening of adventure with Marisha Ray, Taliesin Jaffe, Johnny Stanton, Sam Rusk, and Game Master Rick Esquivias for a swashbuckling game of SINK! from Hit Point Press

Learn more about SINK!

• Airs Tuesday, September 24th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
• VOD out Tuesday, September 24th at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
• VOD out Thursday, September 26th at 12pm Pacific on YouTube

UNEND Series Trailer

Check out the official series trailer of UNEND! 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.

• Releases Wednesday, September 25th on the Midst Podcast YouTube, the Critical Role YouTube, your favorite podcast streaming service, Beacon, and Midst.co at 10am Pacific

Avast, me hearties!

September 19th is Talk Like a Pirate Day!

This year it coincides with the kickstarter of a kickass RPG supplement SINK! A DnD supplement filled with magical tattoos, adventures, lore and more. Also featuring loads of art from the infamous artist Samurai Rusk, known for their hundreds of celebrated Critical Role tattoos.

Would you like the battle map, soundtrack mp3, and additional resources for a SINK one-shot in Deep Grotto?
Here's the Google Drive link (53MB).

Personally I love that vessel-boarding/storm-the-castle aspect of pirates. There is another supplement for naval combat known as Limithron's Guide to Naval Combat available for purchase or by the link below for free.
The link to the guide itself is here (11MB)

There's more!

As of this post it has only been officially announced in an email notification. This Tuesday will feature a Critical Role episode of Everything is Content with Taliesin and Marisha playing SINK! with Samurai Rusk, Ricardo Esquivias, and Johnny Stanton IV.

The Seas beckon ye!

https://critrole.com/hype-pre-order-daggerheart-now/

After months of playtesting and refining thanks to the AMAZING feedback, from you, our incredible community, our tabletop RPG Daggerheart is nearly finished and is now available for pre-order!

This tabletop roleplaying game of epic and heartfelt tales of adventure will be published by Darrington Press in Spring 2025 in two stunning versions:

• The Daggerheart Core Set, containing a nearly 300 page hardcover rulebook and a box containing 279 art-filled cards for rich character customization.
• And a Limited Edition, which contains exquisite extras and unique art, and will never be made again! The limited edition is a gorgeous box set containing all the material found in the Daggerheart Core Set plus unique accessories and enhancements such as alternate cover art, a GM screen, a dice set, tokens, and more!

If you’re a Beacon member, be sure to enter code BEACONHEART to get 10% off on both the standard and limited editions of the game! If you join up as a Beacon member now, the code will work for you within 24 hours. Secure your copy of Daggerheart today!

To kick things off, we’re livestreaming at 2pm Pacific with our very own Matthew Mercer and Spenser Starke discussing key updates to Daggerheart since the last playtest version. We’ll be taking your questions LIVE on Beacon, Twitch, and YouTube, so be sure to join us if you can! The VOD will be available shortly thereafter.

And this is just the beginning – Daggerheart has so much art, writing, and design that we can’t wait to show you—check out the working list of credits on the Daggerheart website for a sampling of the wonderful folks making this game happen.

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 2 releases Monday, August 12th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Episode 4 releases Monday, August 12th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific Beacon!

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 22 releases Tuesday, September 17th at 10am Pacific on YouTube
• Campaign 3, Episode 22 Podcast out Tuesday, September 17th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Campaign 3, Episode 44 releases Tuesday, September 17th at 10am Pacific on Beacon

Critical Role: Campaign 3, Episode 108

Bells Hells continue on their adventure…

• Airs Thursday, September 19th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
• VOD and Podcast out Thursday, September 19th at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
• Rebroadcasts Friday, September 20th at 12am Pacific and 9am Pacific on Twitch
• VOD out Monday, September 23rd at 12pm Pacific on YouTube
• Podcast out September 26th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific

Critical Cooldown: Campaign 3, Episode 108

Get a backstage pass to Campaign 3, Episode 108! 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, September 19th at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon

With the release of Wayfinder Echoes, we were thrilled by the community's overwhelming response. Many players asked how they could support the studio. We said: spread the word. Gift copies. But ultimately we wanted to offer a special way for players to support us directly.

We knew that if we were to offer something for purchase outside the game, explicitly intended to support us, it needed to be special. We wanted a partner who had walked in our shoes—someone who understands the challenge of fully funding and bringing to life a world they love. We found the perfect partner in Critical Role, who shares our passion for creating and funding a beloved world with the help of a dedicated community!

Here’s an early sneak peek at some of the content coming in this exciting pack!

“We are huge fans of Critical Role, so we’re super excited for this collaboration, which we hope is the first of many.” said Joe Madureria, CEO of Airship Syndicate. “If players love this Supporter Pack, we’d love to make more--with Critical Role, and other IP’s in the future!”

"We want to continue to find fun and unique ways to interact with and explore Exandria” Shaunette DeTie, Critical Role’s Licensing Manager said. “Seeing the creative team at Airship bring elements from Vox Machina to life in Wayfinder has been such a treat for the entire Critical Role team and we hope that players find this collab as cool and enjoyable as we do."

This pack will go live with Wayfinder’s 1.0 launch on October 21, 2024. This pack is entirely optional and directly supports Airship Syndicate and Critical Role’s incredibly dedicated and talented teams. Players can purchase it outside the game, and directly from Steam or the PlayStation store for $19.99 USD and it includes:

The Wayfinder - Critical Role Supporter Pack comes packed with items and includes:

• 4 Character Personas. Including:
  • Grendel as Grog Strongjaw
  • Niss as Vax’ildan
  • Venomess as Vex’ahila
• 1 Trinket Mount & Saddle
• 4 Character Charms
• 15 Housing Items
• 10 Sprays

From CR's email

Critical Role Comes To Wayfinder

Bring a touch of Exandria to Evenor with new skins, mounts and items from our friends at Wayfinder! Play as Grog Strongjaw, Vax’ildan, and Vex’ahila and bring Trinket to battle as a brand new mount - try them when the game releases in full on October 21st!

The game is in early access right now and can be purchased on Steam for 30% off, or find it on the PlayStation Store.

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 30m	3h 05m

Episode 107: Under the Arch Heart's Eye

Bell's Hells, after receiving formal titles from the Voice of the Tempest amongst the many movers and shakers of Exandria who are gathered in the center of Vasselheim to decide how to tackle the threat of Ludinus, the Vanguard, and all that seems to be emerging dangerously from the Red Moon Ruidus. You all heard word that one of Ludinus' Simulacrum is travelling with the Sorrowlord Zathuda to connect with the Unseelie Court for some semblance of and additional plot that hadn't been considered.
Gathering your things, you all went and headed out to the Fey Realm, meeting up with Nana Morri. There in the Ligament Manor you gathered your thoughts, your plans, and set out to the Shrine of Gilded Gifts (an abandoned temple in the center of an abandoned fey city) where this meeting was supposed to take place. As you carefully infiltrated the surroundings of this temple, you caught the arrival of both the dark fey Unseelie emissary and its surrounding guard, as well as Ludinus, and the Sorrowlord and his terrifying dragon, Gloamglut. After quietly (with the aid of Ira Wendigoth, The Nightmare King of who you called from his hiding spot on Ruidus to help you) you quietly wiped out the entirety of the exterior guard without being noticed, and upon surrounding the exterior of the massive temple grounds, immediately brought to life the stone statue of the Arch Heart in the middle of this Arch Heart temple to distract them.
In that chaos Fearne rushed in and turned one of the two central pillars of this temple floor into mud (which both cracked some of the structural foundation of this temple and left two o the three emissary figures from the Unseelie currently held and restrained with the now muck-filled quicksand floor). As Gloamglut, the Sorrowlord, and Ludinus' Simulacrum currently finish figuring out what is happening and turn in your (Fearne) direction as you spin to flee, the rest of you on the outskirts of this templed, either the front door, or in this case, Imogen and Laudna (who are in an upper floor looking in through a series of visual slits in the stone),
It's Time to Roll Initiative.

Previous Episode: "Unseelie Interrupted"

• CritRole Recap
• Episode Discussion
• YouTube VoD
• Alternate Front End VoD

Watch the second campaign on Twitch and YouTube any time you want!

Runtime	Break start
3h 54m	1h 33m

Episode 107: Devoutness and Dicks

The Mighty Nein (after spending some time on the island of Rumblecusp in anticipation for the coming preparations of Traveler Con) you discovered a people that lived here who had lost their memories over time and some seemingly ancient entity known as Vokodo (that had taken residence beneath the mountain). Upon learning about the different mysteries and dangers throughout, you discovered a cavern full of abandoned ships.
You fought dangerous creatures around and eventually went beneath the mountain itself to fight this Vokodo creature. You learned (as it was dying) of what it seemed to be fleeing from within the Astral Sea. You escaped the boiling waters with the treasure that you had accrued from its hoard and (it seemed) freed the people of Vokodo from this clouding fog that their memories from them.
As they returned, many of them realized who they once were and decided to return to their old life. Some chose to stay with the new life they had made here, nevertheless, a night of final celebration for the villagers of Vokodo (as the village that it once was) was brought forth around a large bonfire.
You all helped them into this final night. You saw some early arrivals to the TravelerCon event begin to try and find their place amongst the vicinity. After saying your bits before the next day, you went and crashed up in Vilya's room and went to bed.
As the warm temperature of the temperate island morning begins to creep into the chamber (the seaside moisture in the air itself sticking in a sweaty way to your skin) you begin to wake up, one by one, within the comfortable interior of the tree where Vilya had taken up residence as Viridian for quite some time.
As you glance out from the elevated portion of this tree, you look into the loose thoroughfare of this village that surrounds this central space. You can see there are people walking about (some folks that are going about their common day to day business within the village of Vo, some that have gathered things and are currently packing). What looks to be a group of individuals that are in the first batch of those leaving for the day. Vilya has already left; woke up before any of you did and is not in the chamber. You can see from above that she is currently gathering with those individuals, prepping them and making sure that everyone who is leaving today has everything they need (because it is a one way trip for them).

This summer has flown by! We launched Beacon, had some fun in our Discord with AMAs and Fireside Chats, playtested Daggerheart, released the final season of Midst, journeyed Moonward, saw the DOWNFALL of Aeor, introduced The Re-Slayer’s Take, AND got to see so many of you at our convention appearances and live shows! PHEW.

And we are JUST. GETTING. STARTED. with plenty more stories to tell this Fall! Here are all the exciting new releases coming your way this season!

September 9th

The Re-Slayer’s Take, Season 2

The Re-Slayer’s Take is back with more all-ages adventure in Exandria! Returning to the table are Game Masters, George Primavera and Nick Williams alongside our main cast Jasmine Bhullar, Caroline Lux, Jasmine Chiong, and Jasper William Cartwright! This season will also have some very exciting guests including Matthew Mercer, Alex Ward, Xander Jeanneret, Ashley Johnson, and Billy Boyd!

• In Season 2 of The Re-Slayers Take, the group discovers that, despite having defeated the Timberblight, their mission is far from complete. Issylra’s shadows are still haunted by more ghosts, including some from The Re-Slayers’ own past.

September 23rd

Fireside Chat LIVE with Ashley Johnson

The wonderfully sweet and incredibly talented Ashely Johnson is heading to the tavern for an exclusive Fireside Chat with our Beacon Bits!

• This Fireside Chat will stream LIVE on September 23rd at 7pm PACIFIC only on Beacon.
• All questions will be curated directly from Beacon members via Discord.
• VOD will be available on Beacon immediately after the stream ends.

September 30th

Tales From The Stinky Dragon

We are excited to announce that we’re welcoming Tales From The Stinky Dragon to Beacon! Join the amazing former Rooster Teeth crew including Game Master Gustavo Sorola and players Barbara Dunkelman, Chris Demarais, Jon Risinger, and Blaine Gibson for the much-anticipated Campaign 3 of this beloved family-friendly D&D podcast!

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?

• Campaign 3, Episode 1 of Tales From The Stinky Dragon will premiere on Beacon and the Tales From The Stinky Dragon Patreon on September 30th at 12am PST.
• Campaign 3, Episode 1 of Tales From The Stinky Dragon will premiere on your favorite podcast streaming platform and the Tales From The Stinky Dragon YouTube on October 2nd.
• New episodes will follow every other Monday at 12am PST.
• Beacon Members and Patreon Members will receive episodes 48 hours early and have access to the exclusive Tales of the Stinky Dragon bonus show, Second Wind, where they go behind-the-scenes and deep dive into the latest episode.
• Second Wind will be released in between episodes of the series every other Monday at 12am PST

October 3rd

The Legend of Vox Machina, Season 3

Season Three of The Legend of Vox Machina is coming to Prime Video on October 3rd!

You can watch the trailer right now but TLDR – shit gets REAL. To celebrate this kick-ass new season, we’ll be hosting a Season 3 Cocktail Party LIVE on October 4th and two roundtables in a new show we’re calling Insight Additions where we can discuss all the intricate, behind-the-scenes details with you all!

Everything is at stake in the long-awaited Season Three of The Legend of Vox Machina. The Chroma Conclave’s path of destruction spreads like wildfire while the Cinder King hunts down Vox Machina. Our lovable band of misfits must rise above inner (and outer) demons to try and save their loved ones, Tal’Dorei, and all of Exandria.

• Season 3 Cocktail Party will air on October 4th on Beacon, YouTube, and Twitch.
• Insights Additions #1 will discuss Episodes 1-6 of Season 3 and it will air on October 15th at 7pm PACIFIC on Beacon, YouTube, and Twitch. The VOD will be available October 17th at 12pm Pacific on YouTube.
• Insights Additions #2 will discuss Episodes 7-12 of Season 3 and it will air on October 29th at 7pm PACIFIC on Beacon, YouTube, and Twitch. The VOD will be available October 31st at 12pm Pacific on YouTube.

October 9th

MIDST: Unend

OH. Did you think Midst was over? There’s still a whole cosmos to explore out there dear listener…From the incredible minds of Third Person (aka Xen, Matt Roen, and Sara Wile from Moonward & unreliable narrators of Midst), the audio drama UNEND will premiere October 9th on Beacon, Midst.co, your favorite podcast streaming platform, and the Midst YouTube Channel.

We have A LOT more information to share about this audio adventure. But since you’re already reading this article…here is an exclusive first peek of what it’s about!

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.

• The Official Series Trailer will be released on September 25th!
• Episode 1 will be available on October 9th at 10am PACIFIC on the Midst YouTube Channel and 5am PACIFIC on your favorite podcast streaming platform.
• Beacon Members, Fold Members, and Podcast Subscribers will receive the first three episodes of UNEND on October 9th at 5am PACIFIC and remain two weeks ahead of the free feeds.
• New Episodes will air weekly on Wednesdays in the MIDST-LE of the week.

Narrative Telephone

The beloved Narrative Telephone returns in a refreshed monthly series! Originally a way to keep telling stories together when we couldn’t be at our table, we still loved the chaotic yarns that unfurled as we told and retold one another’s tales.

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 and improvisational skills 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.

• The first episode will air October 16th at 12pm PACIFIC on Beacon and will be released on the Critical Role YouTube Channel two weeks later.

Fireside Chat LIVE with Travis Willingham

Our guiding force and CEO Travis Willingham is making his way to a Fireside Chat with our Beacon Bits!

• This Fireside Chat will stream LIVE on October 21st at 7pm PACIFIC only on Beacon.
• All questions will be curated directly from Beacon members via Discord.
• VOD will be available on Beacon immediately after the stream ends.

Special Annoucement for 2025!

Next year is the 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF CRITICAL ROLE! We couldn’t be more grateful for you critters and the endless support you have shown us this past decade and we can’t wait to kick things off with some very exciting news.

Be on the lookout in late October for more information!

Critical Role Presents:

A Daggerheart Critmas Story LIVE

Watch Daggerheart played LIVE for a special Critmas one-shot at the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden, NJ on December 7th – just across the bridge from downtown Philadelphia!

Game Master Matthew Mercer will lead players Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, Liam O’Brien, Sam Riegel, Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, and Marisha Ray through an exciting live actual play of Daggerheart with the spectacular Lenore Riegel (aka Momlan) serving as our Master of Ceremonies.

This will be a standalone Critmas themed one-shot with a new setting and characters determined during a Session Zero (which will drop ahead of the live show) using the final Daggerheart game rules.

VIP ticket holders will get to be a part of a 45-minute preshow where the cast will finalize their Session Zero and YOU can contribute suggestions that could affect the story and game ahead of the main show!

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 1 releases Monday, September 9th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Episodes 1-3 release Monday, September 9th at 5am Pacific only on Beacon.

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 21 releases Tuesday, September 10th at 10am Pacific on YouTube
• Campaign 3, Episode 21 Podcast out Tuesday, September 10th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Campaign 3, Episode 43 releases Tuesday, September 10th at 10am Pacific on Beacon

Critical Role: Campaign 3, Episode 107

Bells Hells continue on their adventure…

• Airs Thursday, September 12th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
• VOD and Podcast out Thursday, September 12th at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
• Rebroadcasts Friday, September 13th at 12am Pacific and 9am Pacific on Twitch
• VOD out Monday, September 16th at 12pm Pacific on YouTube
• Podcast out September 19th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific

Critical Cooldown: Campaign 3, Episode 107

Get a backstage pass to Campaign 3, Episode 107! 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, August 15th at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon

Whoops! Sorry for the late post!

Watch the episode live on Twitch and YouTube at 7pm PST, or VOD on Beacon. Restreams on Twitch at midnight and the next day at 9am PST

Bells Hells return to the Fey Realm in an attempt to tangle an upcoming meeting between Ludinus and the Unseelie Court...

Previous Episode: C3E105 Collecting Legends

• Critical Recap
• VOD: YouTube, Beacon
• Episode Discussion

While the Demure trend still has some momentum, I put together this little tribute with the base being the amazing piece by yghiilra.

"Don't you mean dem-'yure?"
Braius:"No."

Also keep an ear out for the completed release of the Demure Remix

Please note that these broadcasts are only scheduled for the times listed below.

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 20 releases Tuesday, September 3rd at 10am Pacific on YouTube
• Campaign 3, Episode 20 Podcast out Tuesday, September 3rd on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Campaign 3, Episode 42 releases Tuesday, September 3rd at 10am Pacific on Beacon

4-Sided Dive, Episode 27

Discussing Up to Campaign 3, Episode 105

Join Travis Willingham, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, and Laura Bailey as they discuss complicated gods, Ludinus’s plans, newly found freedoms, and their thoughts on character development!

• Airs Tuesday, September 3rd at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
• VOD and Podcast out Tuesday, September 3rd at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
• VOD out Wednesday, September 4th on YouTube at 12pm Pacific
• Podcast out Friday, September 6th on your favorite podcast streaming service

MOONWARD: A Midst Roleplaying Story

Join our three Midst Creators: Xen, Sara Wile, Matt Roen, alongside Marisha Ray and Liam O’Brien for an extra special episode of Midst Messages as they create their characters for Moonward!

• Session Zero will be available on Wednesday, September 4th at 10am Pacific on Beacon
• Session Zero will be available on Wednesday, September 4th at 10am Pacific on Midst.co

Critical Role: Campaign 3, Episode 106

Bells Hells continue on their adventure…

• Airs Thursday, September 5th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
• VOD and Podcast out Thursday, September 5th at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
• Rebroadcasts Friday, September 6th at 12am Pacific and 9am Pacific on Twitch
• VOD out Monday, September 9th at 12pm Pacific on YouTube
• Podcast out September 12th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific

Critical Cooldown: Campaign 3, Episode 106

Get a backstage pass to Campaign 3, Episode 106! 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, September 5th at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon

cross-posted from: https://sopuli.xyz/post/16578038

Penguin Random House Link

Uncover the lost years of Critical Role’s unrelentingly upbeat undead spellcaster in this original prequel novel to Laudna’s adventures with Bells Hells.

Written by USA Today bestselling author Cassandra Khaw, Critical Role: Bells Hells—What Doesn’t Break delves into the unexplored years before Laudna joined up with the crew of Bells Hells, chronicling her departure from Whitestone and her solo adventures on the road to Jrusar.

Audiobook Read by Grey Delisle, Marisha Ray, Laura Bailey and Robbie Daymond

For as long as she can remember, Laudna has had a friend. A mentor. A little voice whispering in her cropped ear, promising that, no matter how monstrous she becomes or how far she wanders, there will always be someone to guide her.

And so, Laudna is content.

But the thought of more—of life, of love, of the magic stirring in her still veins—is unrelenting in its familiarity. More is the dream of the young girl trapped behind the bloodstained walls of Whitestone, and the nightmare of the woman who now stalks the woods outside them. More, Laudna’s little voice reminds her, is dangerous. From Tal’Dorei to Marquet, the world is infested with heroes destined to rid their kingdoms of creatures like Laudna.

The little voice is right, she knows.

But still, she thinks of more. And when she reaches for that dream, what reaches back will change everything.

Event info

Details

Critical Role Presents: A Daggerheart Critmas Story LIVE
Saturday, December 7th 2024 at 7:30 PM EASTERN
Presale for Beacon members starts Thursday, September 5th at 8:00 AM PACIFIC
General Tickets available Friday, September 6th at 8:00 AM PACIFIC

Watch Daggerheart played LIVE for a special Critmas one-shot at the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden, NJ on December 7th – just across the bridge from downtown Philadelphia!

Game Master Matthew Mercer will lead players Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, Liam O’Brien, Sam Riegel, Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, and Marisha Ray through an exciting live actual play of Daggerheart with the spectacular Lenore Riegel (aka Momlan) serving as our Master of Ceremonies.

This will be a standalone Critmas themed one-shot with a new setting and characters determined during a Session Zero (which will drop ahead of the live show) using the final Daggerheart game rules.

VIP ticket holders will get to be a part of a 45-minute preshow where the cast will finalize their Session Zero and YOU can contribute suggestions that could affect the story and game ahead of the main show!

Tickets

Presale for Beacon members begins Thursday, September 5th at 8am Pacific. Please note that you must be a paid member to receive a presale code; a free trial does not include access to live event presales. To guarantee access to the presale, you must sign up for a monthly or annual membership no later than Tuesday, September 3rd at 11:59pm Pacific.

A unique presale code will be delivered to Beacon members via email on Wednesday, September 4th. If you do NOT receive a presale code by 3pm Pacific please first check your spam/junk folders, otherwise, you can email our incredible support team at [email protected].

If you miss the presale, don’t worry, we’ll have tickets available for everyone the very next day on Friday, September 6th at 8am Pacific.

Here is some extra information about our Ticket Tiers!

• $75 Standard Tier
• $100 Standard Tier
• $150 Standard Tier
• $250 VIP 3 Tier
  • Enjoy early access to merchandise, a 45-minute VIP Pre-Show, and a premium seat in the pit. Don’t miss out on this exclusive opportunity for an unforgettable event experience!
• $300 VIP 2 Tier
  • Experience an incredible night out with this VIP Package! Enjoy early access to merchandise, a 45-minute VIP Pre-Show, and a premium seat in the first 5 rows for the best view in the house!
• $450 VIP 1 Tier
  • Unlock the ultimate VIP experience with early access to merchandise, a 45-minute VIP Pre-Show, and premium “box suite” seating. Enjoy access to a private VIP lounge, front-of-line entry, a dedicated hospitality host, and in-seat merchandise delivery. Plus, receive a complimentary Critmas goodie for an extra touch of festivity. This package ensures a night of unparalleled luxury and comfort!
  • For the first time ever we’ll be offering group packages where you’ll get an entire private box suite for you and your friends with groups of 4 or 6. Otherwise individual tickets in the VIP 1 tier will be in a shared suite with other VIP attendees and listed perks. If you have any questions you can reach out to ticketmaster for more information.

Critical Role's Liam O'Brien talks the tragedy and cosmic horrors of 'Moonward,' teases the crew's next big publishing moves

by Cheryl Teh

Critical Role's new podcast, "Moonward," is a wild, four-episode dive into cosmic horrors.
"Moonward" builds on the "Midst" podcast, which Critical Role acquired in 2023.

It's now all but official that Critical Role is in its expansion era.

Once best known for the show where eight nerds played "Dungeons & Dragons" on Twitch, the business has now grown, with an aggressive push into podcasting and publishing, including novels and comics slated for release well into 2025.

CR also has two Amazon-backed animated series in the works, one of which will premiere on October 3. Through its games publishing arm, CR released a major role-playing game "Candela Obscura" last year and just rounded out its open beta for its new gaming venture, "Daggerheart."

CR rolled out "Moonward" in August, a spinoff of the company's 2023 acquisition of the "Midst" audio drama. In "Moonward," CR cofounders Liam O'Brien and Marisha Ray step into the space Western-style, cosmic horror narrative that Xen, the narrator of "Moonward," wove to explore the ruins of a fallen moon.

BI sat down with O'Brien and Xen to talk about the new podcast venture and what comes next.

INTO DARKNESS

"Midst," the podcast series that "Moonward" builds upon, was originally created by Xen, Matt Roen, and Sara Wile. Critical Role acquired "Midst" in 2023, and "Moonward" is just one part of a larger story.

Spoiler alert: In the podcast's third and fourth episodes, O'Brien's character, Walden Orlock, contends with a boatload of personal trauma. But the series ends on a hopeful note, as Orlock, piloting his spaceship, manages to help get Wile's character back to the relative safety of the planet of Midst.

Orlock, who O'Brien describes as a "nice, grumpy bear," was a homage to some of the men in his family. And the inside of Walden's spaceship was a tribute to the Burning Man community, of which O'Brien considers himself a "junior member."

"The most in-depth characters I've done on our channel are really just exploring things about my life," O'Brien said. "I love fluff. I certainly love romps, fun, and light stuff, but if anyone is familiar with my past work, I like cracking open the coconut and seeing what's in there."

And unlike CR'susual "Dungeons & Dragons" games, the narrative control in Midst didn't rest on dice rolls. As the lead narrator, Xen gave all the players the license to choose when to fail.

"Moonward" listeners will also hear Xen create the soundscape for the podcast live with their guitar and other instruments. And they'll hear Xen play the role of the enigmatic non-player character, Mother Trauma.

"There's something wonderful to me about a kind of haunted therapist who is borderline inhuman," Xen said. "Possibly some kind of potentially undead person — but he's also a mental health professional and a guidance counselor."

AND BEYOND

CR's acquisition of the "Midst" podcast doesn't just mean there'll be more of Xen, Roen, and Wile's content — there's also a series of upcoming comics set in the "Midst" universe that are rolling out soon.

Each comics issue will be a stand-alone "Midst" story, Xen said.

"We've always been pretty adamant that 'Midst' is and has always been more than just a podcast," Xen said. "We're still exploring new ways to expand that cosmos."

O'Brien, too, tells me that he's been doing a lot of "reading behind the scenes." Each of CR's eight co-founders has their own focuses, he said, and he's been helming the company's push into book publishing and graphic novels.

"Critical Role: Vox Machina — Stories Untold," for one, is an anthology scheduled for release in March, and O'Brien wrote the foreword.

"We hope to get into original, brand-new things that have nothing to do with a table or dice," O'Brien said. "And it's all just different flavors of storytelling. And I love filling my days with it."

Laura Bailey, Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, Matthew Mercer, Liam O'Brien, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, and Travis Willingham make their first apearance at AnimeNYC and discuss everything going on in Critical Role Land with a fireside chat and short Q&A.

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• 00:00:00 - Introduction & Welcome
• 00:01:17 - Guidelines for Q&A Session
• 00:04:33 - Anime NYC Experience
• 00:07:18 - Character Dynamics in Voice Acting
• 00:14:37 - Sam's New Role in Bells Hells
• 00:16:54 - Taliesin on Chronic Pain Representation
• 00:18:53 - Marisha on Adaptation Challenges
• 00:20:13 - Neal Acree's Score
• 00:22:11 - Fearne's New Look
• 00:24:17 - Q&A Session Begins
• 00:27:50 - Matt Mercer's Role in FF7
• 00:31:42 - Character Mindset Techniques
• 00:37:39 - Improv Tips for Actors
• 00:39:59 - Importance of Listening
• 00:40:55 - Audience Q&A: Presidential Campaign
• 00:42:03 - Mother's Influence on Dreams
• 00:43:40 - D&D Renaissance Impact
• 00:46:42 - Future of D&D Campaigns
• 00:51:52 - Finding the Right D&D Group
• 00:56:54 - Excitement for Critical Role's Future
• 00:58:44 - Final Thoughts and Announcements

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Heroscape: Age of Annihilation: Woll vs Mercer

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Here's a nice little video while we have a week without a new episode.

Matt still has pieces from the original Heroscape game (as mentioned in the video) and notes how they are easy to use in other rpg campaigns, too.

DAW (Deborah Ann Woll) is awesome and I will always encourage folks to learn more about her other projects. She's very passionate about the power of imagination and fantasy role play in a consistently wholesome way.

Here is her recent interview on Keeping it Real in Hollywood for a more broad background picture on the actor and here is the playlist for Children of Éarte, Deborah's own personal Live Play TTRPG game.

Please note that these broadcasts are only scheduled for the times listed below.

The Re-Slayer’s Take

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.

• A brief message from Nick and George on Monday, August 26th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am 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 19 releases Tuesday, August 27th at 10am Pacific on YouTube
• Campaign 3, Episode 19 Podcast out Tuesday, August 27th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Campaign 3, Episode 41 releases Tuesday, August 27th at 10am Pacific on Beacon

MOONWARD: A Midst Roleplaying Story

It’s the epic finale of Moonward! Join Midst Creators: Xen, Sara Wile, Matt Roen, alongside Marisha Ray and Liam O’Brien for a four-part, standalone, improvisational mini series to the destroyed moon of Midst.

• Episode 4 releases Wednesday, August 28th at 10am Pacific on the Midst Podcast YouTube Channel
• Episode 4 Podcast out August 28th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific