Happy Halloween Critters!

From a Cage-match of cast costumes and 2025 live shows galore to tongue twister Narrative Telephone challenges and UN-known happenings in UNEND, there are plenty of updates in store this week as we take a break from streaming for the last Thursday of the month - and get ready to go trick or treating!

Need a little Exandrian magic to light your way this All Hallows' Eve? There's plenty of tales from Critical Role Abridged, The Re-Slayer's Take, and behind the scenes on TikTok to tide you over to next Thursday.

Now let's get dressed up, grab our candy buckets, and head to Critical Role Land for some autumnal updates.

🔥 🎃 🔥

We're Heading Down Under In 2025

There's still time to snag tickets for our 2025 LIVE show dates in Sydney and Melbourne!
🇦🇺 Sydney - June 19, 2025
🇦🇺 Melbourne - June 25, 2025
Our general ticket sales begin this weekend, so keep an eye out - the US shows went quickly thanks to all your incredible enthusiasm. Looking to get a jump on tickets in the future? Get exclusive pre-sale access with a BEACON membership.

Narrative Telephone Is Back & Better Than Ever

Join the cast as they reunite in person for an all-new installment of Narrative Telephone! With extra effort, they'll endeavor to carefully re-create a deceptively simple yet delightfully devious ditty from the master of mirth himself Matthew Mercer, (whew), come complete the chaos with your own stitches and remixes on Instagram and TikTok and share the twisted narratives you create by tagging us.

In The Frozen UN, Four Riders Approach

A tonal shift is about to occur...

Experience UNEND Episode 4 from the creators of MIDST - now available on YouTube and wherever surreal, paranormal space exploration podcasts are found. PLUS voyage all the way through EPISODE 6 TODAY with your BEACON or Midst.co membership!

A Legendary Tome Of Adventuring Art

Celebrate the completion of Season 3 of The Legend of Vox Machina with this magnificent new art book from our friends at Dark Horse Comics and Prime Video - complete with cast commentary, character breakdowns, concept art, and a behind-the-scenes look into the creation of the show with series writer Meredith Kecskemety!

That's all the ghosts and goblins we've got for this week, thanks for sharing some of your Halloween with us.
Looking to get our latest news at the speed of magic? Get messages from Critical Role Land right on your phone and get an exclusive 15% off coupon by signing up for our handy new SMS alerts.
Until next our newsletter appears, try not to summon up anything with too many teeth, watch out for candy corn, and remember to stay kind. We'll see you next week for Episode 113 (eek)!

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

"The Sun Tree"

The party recently had an encounter with the Briarwoods. Two individuals that were responsible for a lot of strife in the background of Percival's history. Seemingly responsible for the destruction of his entire family, and have for the past five years been essentially ruling his home city and castle. They were out for a political banquet with Sovereign Uriel in Emon and the party members of Vox Machina, they were all invited to be part of this. It didn't quite go as planned. There was a scuffle and the Briarwoods absconded back to Whitestone. They send a couple assassins out to attempt to take out their driver, who was spilling information and essentially was going to be Vox Machina's way of being free of any sort of political issues (based on their actions that evening) and after much discussion and preparation and purchasing a lot of mirrors, the party took their transit over to the east-northeast towards Whitestone, where they began to traverse the Alabaster Sierras to the north (using the mountain range as opposed to going directly through the forest).
There they managed to avoid encountering a bunch of harpies that were distracted by eating the horses they left behind. They camped for the evening and began to make their way through some sort of a mountainous valley that led in towards the forest surrounding Whitestone. While they were traveling down this pass, there was a rumbling, and some sort of really fast, rapid-moving large blue creature that leaped down in front, catching them off-guard.
As this huge, blue-scaled reptilian-like creature (with multiple arms and legs) comes skittering down the side of the cliffs, blocking off the entirety of this passage, snarling at you with sharp teeth and this sparking-blue electrical energy jutting out of the corners of its mouth. I want you all to roll initiative.

We asked the Critical Role cast the meanest questions we could think of

Three Critical Role players talk priorities, the Mighty Nein show, and whether TV changed their role-play sessions

article by Tasha Robinson

With the third season of the animated series The Legend of Vox Machina wrapped, the Critical Role role-playing team is now looking forward and back at the same time — back to the Vox Machina storyline of their D&D campaign as they hope and plan for a season 4 of the TV adaptation, and forward to their next TV series. Polygon sat down with Legend of Vox Machina writer-producer Travis Willingham (the voice of goliath barbarian Grog Strongjaw) and writers Marisha Ray (half-elf druid Keyleth) and Liam O’Brien (multiclass elf Vax’ildan) to talk about different projects and hard choices.

The cast had a lot of “regerts” and wins to unpack from season 3, but they’re also looking ahead to their next animated show: Mighty Nein, an adaptation of Critical Role’s second major campaign. Which gave us a chance to ask a cruel question about their priorities and their favorite child.

This interview has been edited for clarity and concision.

Polygon: Where are you at this point in developing the Mighty Nein animated series?

Travis Willingham: We have written all of season 1. The storyboards are all being locked, if they haven’t been already. So it’s off to our overseas studio. We’re getting animation tests back and seeing things come back in color. We’ve designed all the characters. The magical spells and effects are being considered. We’re talking about music, and how it’s going to be different from Vox.
So it’s definitely more than halfway done, and I think everybody’s going to be really thrilled with the way it’s turning out. It is not going to be the same tone as Vox Machina. In Vox, they start together. They’re kind of a bunch of slap-dicks that are just making the best of their situation. But I think we did that because we knew we had a short runway to start with. [With Mighty Nein], we wanted to back up even further, and start from what I think we would call a Session Zero perspective, which is meeting the characters individually, taking our time with How do they come together? and really letting people see the earliest parts of their journeys.
Because as anyone that knows the Mighty Nein campaign would know, the characters don’t even know if they’re the good guys or the bad guys. That’s something we’re excited to explore.

Marisha Ray: Yeah, we did not start off as friends. [Everyone laughs] We did not like each other.

Polygon: What have three seasons of Legend of Vox Machina taught you that you’re taking into Mighty Nein from the beginning?

Travis: So much. I think the biggest thing from an animation perspective, which we had never endeavored at before, was that when you have seven characters on screen at the same time, it’s hard to draw. So we had to find clever ways [with The Legend of Vox Machina] to split up the group, or make sure that focus was given to certain characters. If it’s really two characters talking, does everybody else need to be there in the background?
When we were playing at the table, the motto was “Never split the party.” It is the exact opposite in animation: It’s “Try and find any opportunity to split the party.” Not just for the animation, but also so the character focus can really be there.

Polygon: Has the process of developing the shows — these condensed, intensified versions of these arcs — changed how you role-play at the table? In the backs of your minds, are you thinking, This game needs to play as a TV show someday?

Liam O'Brien Some people might think that. But if you look at the Bells Hells team we’re playing as now, they are the most Suicide Squad bunch of weirdos. You’re like, Why are they together? I mean, I know where they are now, but at the beginning, you’re like, Who are these people? What’s happening?
So it would not appear to our audience that we came in going like, OK, cartoon number three, here’s what the focus group said would be best. Everybody just gravitated toward something they thought would be fun. And that’s all we’ve ever done at the table. There are definitely moments where we’re like, “That was cool. I can totally see that animated.” But that’s an after-effect, not the goal.

Marisha: Yeah, I feel like when we got into Mighty Nein, we were like, Oh man, this group, they’re so crazy. Look at them, they’re the Suicide Squad! And then Bells Hells was like, Hold my beer. When it comes to the miniseries, like something with Calamity or any of Exandria Unlimited, we have a turn of phrase we use when doing them: “Drive it like you stole it.” You only have four episodes or eight episodes at best, so you have to go hard, go fast, commit.

But I think that’s more indicative of just having fewer episodes in a miniseries in terms of doing anything at the table differently. The only thing that really changes is, sometimes something cool will happen and we’ll be like, “Damn, that’ll be cool animated.”

Polygon: So speaking of those series, Mighty Nein and Bells Hells, here’s the meanest question I can think of for you. Amazon comes to you with one big pile of money and says, “You can use this to finish Legend of Vox Machina as you imagined it, or make a Mighty Nein show, or make a Bells Hells show, or make an original show of your choosing — but only one of those, and nothing else, ever.” What do you choose?

Liam: Meaning we have to kill off the other children? I love it! This is good.

Ray: Yeah. Ow.

Willingham: This is a Hells of Despath question. Man. I would probably hit — oh gosh. I would say Mighty Nein, because we’ve had a chance to chew on Vox Machina. And I think the larger world would be richer for it. Season 3 [of Legend of Vox Machina] ends in a nice place. If that’s the end of the story, then great, but at least we get Mighty Nein out of it.

O’Brien: That’s true, that’s true.

Willingham: That was a cold-hearted decision!

Ray: I know! It’s so hard!

Willingham: I don’t want to be the president of the United States. Don’t make me push the button!

Ray: I mean, I would love to just tap into Calamity. If they give us a big pile of money, like “This is your $100 million-an-episode, Rings of Power-level stuff”… Imagine that with Calamity.

Willingham: Now I have regerts!

Ray: It’s OK! We’re spreading it out! We’re spreading it out.

O’Brien: But a different answer — even though those are both great answers and Travis’ argument specifically sways me — however, the audience and I would feel choked to death if we don’t get to see Vox Machina, the story that we started with, finish. I love all our babies, but they’re our first child. We learned how to do everything that we’re doing with those assholes, so I’d like to see them reach the finish line.

Willingham: We covered our bases. Thank God.

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 7 releases Monday, October 28th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Episode 9 releases Monday, October 28th 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 3 releases Monday, October 28th on Beacon and the Tales From The Stinky Dragon Patreon at 12am PACIFIC.
• Episode 3 releases Wednesday, October 28th 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 28 releases Tuesday, October 29th at 10am Pacific on YouTube
• Campaign 3, Episode 28 Podcast out Tuesday, October 29th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Campaign 3, Episode 50 releases Tuesday, October 29th at 10am Pacific on Beacon

The Legend of Vox Machina

Season 3 Finale Roundtable

(Episodes 7-12)

Join some of our cast and crew for a roundtable as they discuss all the intricate, behind-the-scenes details of The Legend of Vox Machina, Season 3 Episodes 7-12.

• Airs Tuesday, October 29th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
• VOD out Tuesday, October 29th at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
• VOD out Thursday, October 31st at 10am 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 4 releases Wednesday, October 30th on the Midst Podcast YouTube at 10am Pacific and your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Episode 6 releases Wednesday, October 30th on Beacon, Midst.co, Podcast Subscribers at 5am Pacific

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 44m	2h 53m

Episode 112: The Assembling of Legends

Bells Hells and the Mighty Nein had teamed up to be the 'away squad' to head to Ruidus through the portal that was discovered in Issylra, while the rest of Exandria planned an assault on the Malleus Key (both as a distraction to allow these two groups to go unnoticed to and inside the moon itself before dividing to two different tasks:

1. The Mighty Nein head into the Arx Creonum and destroy the Weave Mind
2. Bell's Hells clamber into the depths and the core of Ruidus itself to stop the Ruby Vanguard and Ludinus from releasing Predathos.)

As you prepped for this journey, traversed to Ruidus and then teleported into the basement of the Jagged Edge Glassworks where Caleb had set up his Nein-sided Tower for an evening's rest before the final push towards their collaborative missions.
There the groups got to know each other a little better, prepared for the evening with some spells and enchantments that would last them for the coming day, and then eventually, dividing amongst their various chambers to rest for the night, while also discussing what may very well be the last night on Exandria for all of them. With that a night's rest is had and the morning comes to.
You all begin to rouse from your collective slumber and gather within the main chamber of the Nein-sided Tower.

Previous Episode: "The Nein Hells"

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

Announcement Video on the Prime youTube Channel

Chicago Live Show & C2E2

First up, we’ll return to the Windy City for a special live show and unique one-shot experience, where you, our loyal audience, will vote to decide which of the original main campaign characters the founding members of Critical Role will play for the evening. And, of course, the incomparable Matthew Mercer will be leading this story as our Game Master.

Prepare for an evening of delightful mayhem – as chaos crews and continents collide.

Our founding cast will also attend C2E2 for a weekend full of signings, photo ops, and our landmark Critical Role panel.

CHICAGO – Show & On-sale Details

Thursday, April 10, 2025 Wintrust Arena, Chicago IL

• Beacon member pre-sale: 8am Pacific / 10am Central || Monday, October 28th
• Local venue & C2E2 pre-sale: 8am Pacific / 10am Central || Tuesday, October 29th
• General on-sale: 8am Pacific / 10am Central || Wednesday, October 30th

Sydney & Melbourne

Get ready for an epic adventure Down Under as we embark on a two-city spectacular in Australia for the very first time!

Our adventure kicks off in Sydney and ends in Melbourne. For each of these live one-shots, party members from two separate Critical Role campaigns will join forces as they fight a common threat, threaded together by our Game Master, Matthew Mercer, and the entire founding cast of Critical Role.

And, every good adventurer needs a companion. How about Tom Cardy?! This multi talented powerhouse – comedian, musician, and all-around badass – will be our emcee for this two-pronged attack.

Two cities, one overarching story, familiar faces in new combinations await! SYDNEY – Show & On-sale Details

Thursday, June 19, 2025 ICC Sydney Theatre, Sydney NSW, Australia

• Beacon member pre-sale: 11am (local Sydney time) || Thursday, October 31st
• Frontier member pre-sale: 12pm (local Sydney time) || Friday, November 1st
• General on-sale: 9am (local Sydney time) || Monday, November 4th

Wednesday, June 25th, 2025, Rod Laver Arena , Melbourne VIC, Australia

• Beacon member pre-sale: 12pm (local Melbourne time) || Thursday, October 31st
• Frontier member pre-sale: 1pm (local Melbourne time) || Friday, November 1st
• General on-sale: 10am (local Melbourne time) || Monday, November 4th

Indianapolis

Get ready, Indy (well, just outside of Indy!)! We’re hitting the road with our very first one-shot set in the world of Exandria and powered by Darrington Press’s upcoming roleplaying game, Daggerheart.

Featuring the founding cast of Critical Role and led by Game Master Matthew Mercer, the adventuring party for this live show will be a melting pot of familiar faces from across Exandria.

The possibilities are endless! Will your favorite NPC officially join forces with the party? Or perhaps the next generation of adventurers will follow in their parents footsteps?

Join us live in Indianapolis to find out!

Indianapolis – Show & On-sale Details

Saturday, August 2, 2025 Fishers Event Center, Fishers, IN

• Beacon member pre-sale: 7am Pacific / 10am Eastern || Monday, October 28th
• Local venue pre-sale: 7am Pacific / 10am Eastern || Tuesday, October 29th
• General on-sale: 7am Pacific / 10am Eastern || Wednesday, October 30th

New York City and NYCC

And the final stop on our live show extravaganza is New York City – and we are formally inviting you to a very special event.

Join us for an unforgettable evening of love and peril at the legendary Radio City Music Hall in New York City, as two of our Mighty Nein lovebirds, Jester and Fjord, embark on their greatest adventure yet: marriage!

The weekend following our marital bliss x clusterfuck, our founding cast will also attend New York Comic Con for signings, photo ops, and a panel. We’ll have more information about NYCC as we get a little further into 2025.

New York City – Show & On-sale Details

Tuesday, October 7th, 2025 Radio City Music Hall, NYC

• Beacon member pre-sale: 7am Pacific / 10am Eastern || Monday, October 28th
• Local venue & NYCC pre-sale: 7am Pacific / 10am Eastern || Tuesday, October 29th
• General on-sale: 7am Pacific / 10am Eastern || Wednesday, October 30th

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 6 releases Monday, October 21st on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Episode 8 releases Monday, October 21st 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!

• Second Wind, Campaign 3: Kanon, Episode 2 releases Monday, October 21st 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 27 releases Tuesday, October 22nd at 10am Pacific on YouTube
• Campaign 3, Episode 27 Podcast out Tuesday, October 22nd on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Campaign 3, Episode 49 releases Tuesday, October 22nd 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 3 releases Wednesday, October 23rd on the Midst Podcast YouTube at 10am Pacific and your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Episode 5 releases Wednesday, October 23rd on Beacon, Midst.co, Podcast Subscribers at 5am Pacific

Critical Role: Campaign 3, Episode 112

Get ready for a spooktacular episode! Bells Hells continue on their adventure…

• Airs Thursday, October 24th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
• VOD and Podcast out Thursday, October 24th at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
• Rebroadcasts Friday, October 25th at 12am Pacific and 9am Pacific on Twitch
• VOD out Monday, October 28th at 12pm Pacific on YouTube
• Podcast out October 31st on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific

Critical Cooldown: Campaign 3, Episode 112

Get a backstage pass to Campaign 3, Episode 112! 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, October 24th at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon

Legend of Vox Machina S3e6

I would upload a proper screenshot, but Amazon won't let me.

The Witch Wolf

A webcomic about love and magic.

by Dani Carr & Bree Williams

The Witch Wolf is a story dealing with adult characters and adult themes. As the story progresses, heavy topics will be experienced and discussed. This is a supernatural romance story that dips into the gothic setting and will delve into content regarding power, consent, and sex. We will strive to always provide content warnings about these heavier topics when they come into play. But rest assured, this is also a story with a happy ending, as well as a LOT of comedy, love, and beauty. It’s going to be a roller coaster ride, but we will do our best to keep everyone reading it safe the whole time.

In general, The Witch Wolf should be considered Rated R or M for Mature, depending on your preferred scale.

We hope you enjoy!

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
3h 51m	2h 5m

Episode 111: The Nein Hells

Bell's Hells had returned to Vasselheim, having thwarted (it seems) the Unseelie reunion with the Vanguard. In doing so, eliminated one of the powerful associates of Ludinus Da'leth (the Sorrowlord Zathuda himself, the blood father to Fearne). With the information you have, you walked through the city, you gathered some supplies, and prepared yourselves for what is the looming return to the surface of Ruidus, where you and another troop are to secretly traverse once more towards the capital city of Kreviris; to delve beneath its surface into a hidden spot before infiltrating the core of the city to notify those back on Exandria that you are in position, so the assault can begin and distract the enemy forces and factions to best enable both of your teams to succeed at their goals.
After you gathered your things and said some goodbyes, ordered some alcohol, climbed into a dead titan's 'ass crack bar'. You met up with two familiar Zephran family members of Orym, who escorted you to Lake Umamu on the far western side of Issylra, where you had uncovered that secret underwater portal, the backdoor entrance to Ruidus and its hidden tunnel. Unknown to most but just a few.
As you arrived in the familiar abandoned fishing village (now partially taken over by the Zephran forces in preparation for your arrival) you set up within the nearby inn, where you had stayed before, talked amongst yourselves until your companion team arrived. One you've met a couple members of, but have been told they're referred to as The Mighty Nein, a very chaotic introduction of both sides coming to meet together was left on a final question from Laudna,
"Why are there only seven of you?"

Previous Episode: "In the Shadow of War"

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

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 5 releases Monday, October 14th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Episode 7 releases Monday, October 14th 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 2 releases Monday, October 14th on Beacon and the Tales From The Stinky Dragon Patreon at 12am PACIFIC.
• Episode 2 releases Wednesday, October 16th 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 26 releases Tuesday, October 15th at 10am Pacific on YouTube
• Campaign 3, Episode 26 Podcast out Tuesday, October 15th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Campaign 3, Episode 48 releases Tuesday, October 15th at 10am Pacific on Beacon

The Legend of Vox Machina, Season 3 Roundtable (Episodes 1-6)

Join some of our cast and crew for a roundtable as they discuss all the intricate, behind-the-scenes details of The Legend of Vox Machina, Season 3 Episodes 1-6.

• Airs Tuesday, October 15th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
• VOD out Tuesday, October 15th at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
• VOD out Thursday, October 17th 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 2 releases Wednesday, October 16th on the Midst Podcast YouTube at 10am Pacific and your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Episode 4 releases Wednesday, October 16th 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 1 releases Wednesday, October 16th on Beacon at 12pm Pacific
• Episode 1 releases Wednesday, October 30th on YouTube at 12pm Pacific

Critical Role: Campaign 3, Episode 111

Bells Hells continue on their adventure…

• Airs Thursday, October 17th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
• VOD and Podcast out Thursday, October 17th at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
• Rebroadcasts Friday, October 18th at 12am Pacific and 9am Pacific on Twitch
• VOD out Monday, October 21st at 12pm Pacific on YouTube
• Podcast out October 24th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific

Critical Cooldown: Campaign 3, Episode 111

Get a backstage pass to Campaign 3, Episode 111! 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, October 17th at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon

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	1h 51m

Episode 110: In the Shadow of War

After returning from their trek to the Fey Realm and thwarting a meeting between the Vanguard and the Unseelie to possibly put them in an advantageous position to defend themselves against the powers of Exandria.
You succeeded in speaking with the Arch Heart within his abandoned temple, as well as bringing the unfortunately slain body of Zathuda back to Nana Morri's, where he was turned into a piece of furniture.
After having some time to think of the recent events, you returned (with Morri's help) back to Exandria. Here within Vasselheim, one of the core locations where the war effort for the coming assault on Ruidus, the Vanguard, and what lies beyond has been building and mounting. You stopped into the Duskmeadow, the region of Vasselheim where the Matron of Ravens holds dominion. You went into the Raven's Crest (the great citadel of the Matron), met with some of the high priestesses of this Raven's Crest. All of you delved into the pool of blood to have communion with the Matron of Ravens. There, she was short, threatening, and eager to lead you on an unkind trial where you were forced to face a figure of dark Exandrian history long passed and two very familiar ones still entwined in your current fates. After which you learned quite a bit of her history, perhaps long hidden, and her opinion of the goings on in this wild, tangled gods' experience that seems to be mounting towards the red moon in the sky.
After this conflict and conversation, you all were sent back to Exandria proper, where you all clambered out of the blood pool and onto the darkened polished floors of the interior of the Raven's Crest. Here as you cough up the remnants of the red viscous liquid from your lungs, you look up to this trio of veiled priestess figures around.

Previous Episode: "A Test of Fate"

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

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.

• Bonus Take with Caroline Lux with releases Monday, October 7th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Episode 6 releases Monday, October 7th 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!

• Second Wind: Campaign 3, Episode 1 releases Monday, October 7th 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 25 releases Tuesday, October 8th at 10am Pacific on YouTube
• Campaign 3, Episode 25 Podcast out Tuesday, October 8th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Campaign 3, Episode 47 releases Tuesday, October 8th at 10am Pacific on Beacon

4-Sided Dive, Episode 28

Join Ashley Johnson, Matthew Mercer, Liam O’Brien, and Robbie Daymond for a spooktacular new episode of 4-Sided Dive!

• Airs Tuesday, October 8th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
• VOD and Podcast out Tuesday, October 8th at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
• VOD out Wednesday, October 10th on YouTube at 12pm Pacific
• Podcast out Friday, October 11th on your favorite podcast streaming service

10/7 AM EDIT: Apologies to Robbie Diamond

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 1 releases Wednesday, October 9th on the Midst Podcast YouTube at 5am Pacific and your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Episodes 1-3 releases Wednesday, October 9th on Beacon, Midst.co, and for various podcast subscriptions at 5am Pacific

Critical Role: Campaign 3, Episode 110

Bells Hells continue on their adventure…

• Airs Thursday, October 10th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
• VOD and Podcast out Thursday, October 10th at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
• Rebroadcasts Friday, October 11th at 12am Pacific and 9am Pacific on Twitch
• VOD out Monday, October 14th at 12pm Pacific on YouTube
• Podcast out October 17th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific

Critical Cooldown: Campaign 3, Episode 110

Get a backstage pass to Campaign 3, Episode 110??! 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, October 10th at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/44056723

Painting Each Other | The Legend of Vox Machina

The Legend of Vox Machina Season 3 premiere is right around the corner, so IGN sat down with the Critical Role team one last time before the new season hits Prime Video. This time, though, there’s a twist! We’ve challenged them with questions before, but we figured Fantastic Fest was worth cranking things up to a new level. In that spirit, we gave Liam O’Brien, Marisha Ray and Travis Willingham a mission: paint each other’s Vox Machina characters. Each of the cast and our host drew a character from the hat (Vax’ildan, Keyleth and Grog with a bonus Vex’ahlia, as there were four participants) and did their best to honor the work of their animation partners, Titmouse. There were some mixed results but, as always, plenty of shenanigans (and oodles of respect paid towards the animators who make magic happen every day — did you know painting is really hard?)

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 39m	1h 44m

Episode 109: A Test of Fate

After heading back into the Fey Realm to thwart a meeting between Ludinus Da'leth, the Sorrowlord Zathuda, and the Unseelie Court (which had been strangely absent in the goings on of the Ruby Vanguard), you managed to (one-by-one) take out their guard, assault the entire Unseelie crew, and brought down the entire abandoned temple of the Arch Heart.
Afterwards you were beckoned to a meeting with the Arch Heart (brought into their realm) where they expressed an interest in your path and a unique perspective on the current events happening in Exandria. After sharing this with you, they also implored you to speak to what you seem to imagine as the Matron of Ravens of a similar swapping of thoughts. You then took your captives, or tried to, as they rapidly attempted to escape. Dragged them back, mostly alive, other than the Sorrowlord (who was slain in his attempt to get out of your grasp) and rode back with the aid of Gloamglut (which was mourning the loss of its master), Nanna Morri in her transformed state, and your (Dorian) summoned mount. There, the Sorrowlord Zathuda (Fearne's biological father, and with her permission) whose corpse was taken to The Loom underneath Ligament Manor, where it was turned into furniture. Furniture that keeps his essence within it (which allowed you to have an extended conversation with his stretched fleshy face against a hexagonal frame, gaining maybe some dark closure or at the very least gathering some more information about some of the 'behind the scenes' of the Vanguard, and a hint to move more quickly than the window of time previously alotted.
You went to rest for the evening. Fearne and Ashton clambered to the rooftop garden of the Manor released Gloamglut from his bindings, and convinced the dragon to allow you to curl up with it for the evening. The three of you fell asleep and a night of rest after a very long and arduous day. With that the morning eventually greets all of you. The absence of Fearne and Ashton within the guest chambers marks your attention, but expecting an evening with the dragon was discussed. Meanwhile, Fearne, you and Ashton both awaken to the sound of the deep breathy slumber of Gloamglut. A chest expanding beneath you, like a massive scaled Totoro.

Previous Episode: "Looming"

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

LoVM season 3 starts on October 3 with a 3-episode weekly drop.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/20418907

The Legend of Vox Machina Season 3 premieres October 3 on Prime Video.

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 4 releases Monday, September 30th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Episode 5 releases Monday, September 30th 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 1 releases Monday, September 30th on Beacon and the Tales From The Stinky Dragon Patreon at 12am Pacific.
• Episode 1 releases Wednesday, October 2nd on your favorite podcast streaming platform and the Tales From The Stinky Dragon YouTube Channel 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 24 releases Tuesday, October 1st at 10am Pacific on YouTube
• Campaign 3, Episode 24 Podcast out Tuesday, October 1st on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Campaign 3, Episode 46 releases Tuesday, October 1st at 10am Pacific on Beacon

The Legend of Vox Machina, Season 3

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.

• Episodes 1-3 will release on Thursday, October 3rd only on Prime Video

Critical Role: Campaign 3, Episode 109

Bells Hells continue on their adventure…

• Airs Thursday, October 3rd at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
• VOD and Podcast out Thursday, October 3rd at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
• Rebroadcasts Friday, October 4th at 12am Pacific and 9am Pacific on Twitch
• VOD out Monday, October 7th at 12pm Pacific on YouTube
• Podcast out October 10th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific

Critical Cooldown: Campaign 3, Episode 109

Get a backstage pass to Campaign 3, Episode 109 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, October 3rd at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon

The Legend of Vox Machina Season 3 Launch Party!

Join the cast of The Legend of Vox Machina LIVE and celebrate the launch of Season 3 with us!

• Airs Friday, October 4th LIVE at 7pm Pacific on Beacon, Twitch, and YouTube
• VOD immediately available after the stream ends

With Legend Of Vox Machina Streaming Free Before Season 3, Critical Role Stars Talk 'Really Embracing' Changes From The Original Story

article by Laura Hurley

The days are counting down until The Legend of Vox Machina returns for Season 3 in the 2024 TV schedule on Prime Video, just over a year and a half after the second season ended a cliffhanger that was quite literally very hot. The new batch of episodes will continue adapting the story from Critical Role's first live-streamed Dungeons & Dragons campaign. The first two seasons are now available streaming free without an Amazon Prime Video subscription, and the stars opened up to CinemaBlend about making changes for the animated series.

For the final week ahead of The Legend of Vox Machina's third season premiere on October 3, Prime Video has made all 24 episodes from the first two seasons available streaming on the official YouTube account. From Vox Machina taking down their first dragon to the Season 2 cliffhanger, you can relive the highs and lows for a refresher.

As for how to prepare for what Season 3 has in store beyond the trailer, it turns out that Critical Role fans who might think they're completely spoiled on the next chapters in Vox Machina's story are in for some surprises. When I spoke with the cast – all of whom are also executive producers of the series – ahead of the premiere, they weighed in on the perks of building suspense for viewers by making changes beyond the original campaign.

Matt Mercer, the Critical Role Dungeon Master and voice of many Legend of Vox Machina characters, shared:

It's fun. As part of the adaptation process, really embracing the fact that the original campaign will always be there, we want to carry the true spirit of the original campaign through the series, but also allowing moments where we can show parts of the story that we didn't have the chance to show from the players' perspective in the original campaign, which is a surprise for everybody in a lot of cool ways.

The first two seasons already delivered some examples of scenes that don't actually include any of the original player characters, and it's safe to say that will continue into the third season. Mercer went on:

And with hindsight, [we can] go back and just change a few things here and there to better serve the overall narrative in ways that will definitely surprise original watchers of the campaign. Any of those changes are all done with consensus and excitement, and it's with the intent of serving the story more than anything, and then the benefit of also knowing that it's really going to knock a few people off their expectations.

Travis Willingham, who voices Grog and has co-written several episodes with fellow cast member Sam Riegel, shared his own take on the "task" of subverting expectations with the Prime Video adaptation of the original story. In a group interview with several of his castmates/EPs chiming in, he shared with CinemaBlend:

For us, so much of our audience has an expectation of what's coming, and it's our task to upset those expectations, and sort of redirect how the story is told, so that people may know what's coming, but the effects of it, we want it to last and have people wonder what's coming from episode to episode. So if we can do that, we feel like we've been effective in our storytelling this time through.

As for the question of whether they enjoy creating suspense even for campaign viewers who know the original story, Ashley Johnson – who voices Pike and appeared in The Last of Us' live-action TV show in a pretty perfect role after voicing Ellie for the video games – immediately responded with "Absolutely." Marisha Ray, the voice of Keyleth, shared her take:

There's a story, even if you know where it is going, [that] you can still have that element of surprise. I think that's why we as humans love stories and can watch movies or we can watch series several times over and still get that emotional response. That's on full display, especially here in Season 3.

Based on the trailer and opening title sequence, the idea of Keyleth outliving the rest of Vox Machina seems to have a part to play in Season 3. The footage also gives away that the Keyleth/Vax romance seems to be back on track after some setbacks in Season 2. Liam O'Brien, the voice of Vax'ildan, shared his thoughts on changes from table to screen:

I also see it just as an extension of what we do at the table for the eight of us. We all like shocking each other, surprising each other with moments at the table, and now we're just doing it for many more people. It's just all storytelling.

In some parting thoughts on the subject of creating suspense for fans of the original Critical Role campaign as well as show-only viewers, Travis Willingham shared:

We're fans of these type of stories, and so we've seen it when it's done well and when it's not done so well. For us, we have the advantage of knowing exactly who this story is for. We made it for ourselves, and we've made it for our fans and the people that have been here with us along the way. We think we have it dialed in pretty tight.

Also starring Laura Bailey as Vex'ahlia, Taliesin Jaffe as Percy, and Sam Riegel as Scanlan, Season 3 of the Legend of Vox Machina is going to see the group heading to hell and back as part of the mission to take down the Chroma Conclave of dragons and save Exandria.

That is, at least part of the group will definitely be going to hell, as Percy and Vex are conspicuously absent from the hell-set scenes in the trailer, although Matt Mercer gets a cameo.

The Legend of Vox Machina Season 3 will consist of twelve episodes. Like the first two seasons, Prime Video will release the episodes in batches of three per week, starting with the first three on Thursday, October 3. In the meantime, you can always revisit Seasons 1 and 2 streaming free via YouTube or via a Prime Video subscription. You can also check out CinemaBlend's picks for the best animated TV shows for more viewing options.

Get Well Soon Sam

Produced by the Beacon Bits Team: Ajorra ItsMeTay26 kaawro Windhover76 kjamesb sizzyedia violetmagik Aldriem/yamangupta JedrenBlack Edited by: JedrenBlack violetmagik Aldriem/yamangupta TPBurrows Music by: Liso812 TheDukeInPurple Written by: Windhover76 kjamesb TheDukeInPurple Assistant Writers: Ajorra voiletmagik Artwork provided by: Aldriem/yamangupta Rainingdragons Thank you to everyone who contributed time, energy, effort and love into this project. You're awesome ❤️

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