Critical Role

BrainBlow

BrainBlow

Well-Known Member
So I've noticed I'm not the only one who watches this great show that I've been passively and consistently recommending in my signatures for literal years now. And the show has resumed with some alterations after months of COVID hiatus, so now is as good a time as any to make this thread.
I know that at least @RogueLynx , @Oceanwithwaves and @Oozaga apparently watch it.

For those not in the know:
Critical Role is a creator-owned streaming show where the cast play an ongoing Dungeons & Dragons campaign, with Matthew Mercer serving as the show's Dungeon Master for the seven other cast members.l Role is a mixture of a weekly show and a modern gaming Twitch stream.
Each episode usually runs for 3 to 5 (in some cases 6) hours and is streamed live on Critical Role's Twitch channel on almost every Thursday, with possible breaks from the show being announced at least one week prior to the broadcast. The VOD is made available for subscribers of Critical Role's Twitch channel immediately after airing, before being uploaded to Critical Role's YouTube channel the following Monday, where it can be watched for free.
The Critical Role storyline occurs in a campaign that consists of a series of story arcs, which are usually played over multiple episodes. Between—or sometimes within—the major story arcs, the characters rest, resupply, or go on side quests. In addition, every player character has a backstory, an unfinished part of their personal history that can be relevant to the campaign from time to time. Sometimes, major story arcs are intrinsically tied to a character's backstory.
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Why is the show itself kind of a big deal? Well:
A huge part of the appeal is that this group of voice actor friends have basically become found family, and this game did start out in their own homes years before the stream started, so this is actually people in it for the game and friendships, and it shows. They have an intense love for each other and how the game connected them. They're not just people recruited for some stream, and it feels very genuine.
They also significantly cultivate the fan art community, so the amount of fanart this series gets is INSANE!

If you watch dubbed anime you have almost certainly heard most of the cast before, as all are voice actors, though you've probably mostly heard them in games.
- Matthew Mercer (English voice of Jojo's Jotaro and Fate's Kiritsugu Emiya, McCree in Overwatch)
- Laura Bailey (English voice of FMA's Lust, and is the wife of Travis Willingham)
- Travis Willingham (English voice of FMA's Roy Mustang)
- Marisha Ray
- Liam O'Brien (You are not prepared!)
- Sam Riegel (OBJECTION!)
- Ashley Johnson (Voice of Ellie in TLOU)
- Taliesin Jaffe
 
Here's a critical part to internalize: The show is not "too long". When you catch the bug it's simply not long enough, which is why the weekly mantra episodes end on is "Is it Thursday yet?"
This show is what BB spends all those would-be anime hours on.
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BB recommendation time!
How to get into this if you're new? The length may seem daunting, and there's a lot of content. Let BB explain.
It is recommended that you start with Campaign 2.
(that's the official playlist)
It is set after campaign 1, but it is intentionally set up so you don't need to know anything about campaign 1 in order to be able to get into it.
It's different and unrelated characters on a different continent a couple decades in the future from where the last campaign ended.
Sometimes there's Easter eggs and sometimes the players makes in-jokes and references tied to campaign 1, but that's about it.
Campaign 2 also starts with much higher production quality and and in-game assets than Campaign 1 did, which makes it much more newbie friendly as well, especially for podcast versions which also exist.

And as a fun note: They have a talkshow every week after each episode, Talks Machina, where a few of the players answer questions (and goof off immensely), hosted by Ashley Johnson's fiance, Brian w. Foster.
So if you get into the campaign then you can watch that after each episode to get in on player (and sometimes DM) perspective on the game, while they answer audience questions.

BB will explain in wonderful detail how to get into Campaign 1 if asked. (Hint: don't start from the beginning if new to Critical Role)

Convenient site for those caught up who live in different time zones: When is critical role?
 
Oceanwithwaves said:
Yeah, I even introduced my mother to it who apparently likes it a lot. It's awesome to listen to while working or at school.

Also, you were the one who actually brought up the conversation of DnD and probably made it happen in my friend group, so thousand thanks for that lol.
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You are dangerously inflating my already massive ego. Bringing more people into D&D while barely even trying? God complex in the making right there.
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New episode today, though it's at 4 in the morning in my time zone. I often do watch live, but not tonight. Renewed my twitch subscription, so I'll get up about an hour after it ends to watch it instead.
 
BrainBlow said:
You are dangerously inflating my already massive ego. Bringing more people into D&D while barely even trying? God complex in the making right there.
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My friend was actually thinking about it already, but when I started talking about it too due to having watched CR because of your banner, it moved faster than it should've. Boom, butterfly effect.
Also, you say barely even trying, but you have a pretty obvious signature XD
 
holy shit... and i thought episode 1 of Critical Rejects was bonkers... and i'm only 1 hour into episode 2 yet and according to the Youtube comments, the madness is only just beginning...
 
RogueLynx said:
Currently on episode 15 of campaign 1. Can't wait to get to episode 25 or 27 or whatever it was...
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24.
And yeah, thing is that only a single thing featured before that point in the campaign will ever be properly relevant again later. So I tend to recommend people start at 23 or 24, then watch earlier episodes if they catch the bug. 23 works like a nice introduction to the characters with an exciting rematch happening, with the next episode jumping into the more relevant story.
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C2E101:
Immediately hafta get that one out of the way:
Yeah, so, I’m not the only one that has guessed that Viridian is actually Vilya, Keyleth’s mother, right?

- She’s been on the island for THREE decades.

- Half-elf.

- Druid.

- All the water Ashari found of Vilya was a single leg. Viridian has a plant prosthetic leg.

- Also both of their names start with “Vi”.
That could be totally bonkers and might actually cause the campaigns' stories to partially intersect.

They've been goofing a lot, but it makes sense since they have been apart so long because of the quarantine. It's pretty normal in most D&D groups that have extended periods of no meetups.
The island is creepy in the uncertainty of if the memory loss comes before or after meeting the local "deity". Though if my above theory is true then I definitely hope they break this hold the creature has on the island. I really do wonder if it's a homebrew monster or something from and earlier edition. Or maybe I have totally overseen a newer thing.

So that was definitely a Bodak at the end there. Geez, and starting with it immediately behind her? Baaaaaaad deal. Especially since Matt must obviously have beefed it up to be a challenge to the whole group.
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are there still a total of 13 official classes? was the development of the Blood Hunter completed? anyone interested in helping me complete the background for a warlock? i also can't decide b/w the fiend, great old one and Blackrazor. i'm also probably never going to actually play dnd but anyway...
 
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C2E105
That disintegrate spell was a real pants-shitting moment. Basically only Yasha had enough HP to not be knocked unconscious by a failed Dex save.
Going to 0HP by the disintegrate spell is an instakill that you can't be revived from by anything less than a 9th level spell.
That's a dark alternate timeline.

Hell, even surviving with less damage is still severe if the water does not start to cool down soon.

I wonder if that... "city" was the one connected to Lucien's ambitions. Molly's backstory coming into play would be sweet as hell, and that city is seriously lovecraftian.

Organizing the islanders and traveler con will likely be messy as hell. I'm really fucking hoping The Mighty Nein can get to meet Keyleth after this, though. Even for just a cameo.

 
randomredneck said:
So, what's the appeal of watching other people play D&D? I do not get it.
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Why watch a stage play if you could play in one? Very similar dynamic to that. People do come to watch improv theater normally. This is just a more complicated version of it.

But the biggest appeal is the chemistry of those playing. With Critical Role they're all voice actors who enjoy the theatrical side of D&D. They are great friends, and it's fun to watch/listen to them specifically and how they develop their characters considerably more than the average D&D table would, and they get way deep into it, which is a joy to watch as the story progresses. And the players all love and care for each other deeply, and their chemistry is infectious.
Really, it's cooperative storytelling with D&D as the medium. Enjoying the consumption of it isn't much different than that of any other medium. Difference here is that there's no writers other than the DM's notes, which means that when the story gets intense, it gets intense! You might see familiar story patterns pop up, but unlike with a movie or TV series you really can't be sure if the heroes will succeed. Bad dice luck, poor decisions or logistical oversights, as well as any RP interaction they make, can and will have an impact on the progress of the story.
If you're someone who quickly gets exhausted with stories being predictable(or forced to be unpredictable for no reason other than to be unpredictable), this is a very liberating medium to consume. Even when a story arc develops in a way you could imagine for a movie or such, it's still never guaranteed it would, and you can see points that would be huge forks in the road of the story. I can't accurately predict where the story is going, but it's not random either.
So in that sense it really is like D&D, but when you're not the one in the story then you're able to more easily see the larger narrative that often gets confused and lost when you're managing a character and all their stuff and abilities. And while they do goof around a bunch just like any D&D table, they are all focused on seeing the story progress smoother than you'll see at most D&D tables.

Oh, and the story and characters is great.
 
C2E110
Man, Caduceus has had so many freaking good lines lately!
Trent is one of the slimiest characters the show has had yet, and my suspicion is that he's cast the Glibness spell on himself, which is why he seems so truthful.
Glibness said:
8th leveltransmutation
  • Casting Time: 1 action
  • Range: Self
  • Components: V
  • Duration: 1 hour
  • Classes: Bard, Warlock
Until the spell ends, when you make a Charisma check, you can replace the number you roll with a 15. Additionally, no matter what you say, magic that would determine if you are telling the truth indicates that you are being truthful.
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The coat orders were like throwing down a challenge to fan artists.
 
got done watching ep 4 of campaign 3 last night. Ephred's got to be my absolute favorite character to date. and i think i'm enjoying this campaign more than the previous ones. i so far like the plot more. and Marisha's absolutely brilliant as Laudna, as is Ashley as Fearne. i think i've not liked their previous characters that much.
 
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