Critical Role

Critical Role
Genre	Fantasy Dungeons & Dragons
Created by	Matthew Mercer
Based on	Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition
Starring	Travis Willingham Marisha Ray Taliesin Jaffe Ashley Johnson Liam O'Brien Laura Bailey Sam Riegel Matthew Mercer
Theme music composer	Jason C. Miller
Opening theme	"Critical Role Theme Song" (Season 1) "Critical Role Too" (Season 2, episodes 1-43) "Your Turn to Roll" (Season 2, episodes 44-present)
Ending theme	"Twin Elms" (Season 1) "Welcome to Wildemount" (Season 2)
Composers	Jason C. Miller Kevin MacLeod Justin E. Bell Colm McGuinness
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of episodes	115 (Season 1) 62 (Season 2)
Production
Production locations	Los Angeles, California
Running time	Approximately 180–360 minutes per episode
Production companies	Geek & Sundry (2015–2018) Critical Role Productions LLC (2018–present)
Original release
Network	Twitch.tv YouTube
Release	March 12, 2015 (2015-03-12)
Related
Talks Machina Critical Recap Between the Sheets Handbooker Helper All Work No Play MAME Drop Pub Draw Travis Willingham's Yeehaw Game Ranch

Critical Role is an American web series in which a group of professional voice actors play Dungeons & Dragons. The series is broadcast live on Thursdays at 7:00 pm PT on the Critical Role Twitch channel, with the video on demand (VOD) being available to Twitch subscribers immediately after the broadcast. On the Monday following the live stream, the VODs are made available for the public on Critical Role's website and uploaded to their YouTube channel.

Critical Role is also the name of the studio owned by the cast. Travis Willingham serves as the chief executive officer, Matthew Mercer as the chief creative officer, and Marisha Ray as creative director.

Campaign structure

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.

Both campaigns are set in Exandria, a world of Matthew Mercer's creation.

Campaign one

Campaign one takes place primarily in Tal'Dorei, a continent of Exandria. It follows the exploits of an adventuring party known as Vox Machina, previously known as the Super High-Intensity Team, a rag-tag group of mercenaries originally formed in the swamp-town of Stilben. It consists of Vax'ildan, Vex'ahlia, Pike, Grog, Scanlan, Tiberius, Keyleth and Percy.

Pre-series history

In their adventures prior to the start of the series, the group saved the family of Sovereign Uriel Tal'Dorei III, ruler of Tal'Dorei and its capital city of Emon. In appreciation, Uriel gave the group seats on the city council, and provided them with a residence called Greyskull Keep, which is located just outside the city. Episode 36, titled Winter's Crest in Whitestone, features a summary of the pre-series history (starting 1 hour 35 minutes into the episode), with artwork created by Wendy Sullivan Green and voice-overs provided by the cast.

The first few episodes of the forthcoming animated series will be a story set in pre-stream timeframe.

On-stream campaign

The first episode of the show aired on March 12, 2015, beginning the on-stream part of the first campaign, which concluded with its 115th and final episode on October 12, 2017.

The Kraghammer story arc (episodes 1–16) jumps in at the point in Vox Machina's story where the cast's original home game left off. It takes place primarily in the subterrenean depths of the Underdark, and culminates in a battle between Vox Machina and a dangerous beholder by the name of K'varn, who is controlling an entire city of Illithid.

The Vasselheim story arc (episodes 17–23) splits the party into two groups, who seek to prove their worth to the "Slayer's Take", a local adventurer's guild in the ancient city of Vasselheim, by taking on dangerous missions. This arc features multi-episode guest appearances by Felicia Day (Lyra), Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (Zahra), Wil Wheaton (Thorbir), and Will Friedle (Kashaw), adding a new twist to the now-divided adventuring band. This arc also includes the first episode (episode 22) that touches on a character's backstory, as Keyleth visits another druid tribe to continue her Aramenté, a journey to become the leader of her people.

The Briarwood story arc (episodes 24–38) leads Vox Machina to Percy's ancestral home, the city of Whitestone, which was once ruled by his family. The party have to fight for control over Whitestone against Lord and Lady Briarwood, who are responsible for the demise of most of the de Rolo family and have taken the city as their own. The Briarwood's ties into necromancy and a secret cult make things even more dangerous, and Vox Machina must stop them from completing a ritual that threatens to endanger the entire kingdom. During the early stages of this arc, Tiberius leaves Vox Machina for good.

The Chroma Conclave story arc (episodes 39–83) begins with the attack of four ancient chromatic dragons on Emon, the capital of Tal'Dorei, with the Sovereign and other important political figures falling in the onslaught. The dragons take control over and divide the kingdom, and in order to defeat them, Vox Machina needs more power than they currently have. They search for the "Vestiges of Divergence", famed and extremely powerful magical items from ages passed, which are scattered throughout the world. During the ongoing battles against the powerful dragons of the Chroma Conclave, the backstories of some characters are also further explored. Smaller arcs focus on Grog's herd that once exiled him, the last figure from Percy's traumatic past, as well as a strained family reunion for the twins, Vex and Vax.

The Taryon Darrington story arc (episodes 84–99) begins with the departure of Scanlan from the group, whose mental problems and disagreements with the group culminate in an argument that shakes the party. While traveling to Ank'Harel on the continent of Marquet, Vox Machina meet Taryon Darrington, an inexperienced aspiring author and adventurer. Adventuring together with Taryon, some smaller story arcs see Vox Machina helping Keyleth (who seeks to complete her Aramenté), literally traveling to hell, as well as dealing with Taryon's family, who reside in the Dwendalian Empire on the continent of Wildemount. During this arc, which is loosely defined by Scanlan's absence and Taryon's presence in the party, Pike's family also makes an appearance and her relationship with them is explored. The arc includes a one year time skip between episodes 94 and 95.

The Cult of Vecna story arc (episodes 99–115) revisits the mysterious and dangerous artifact that was activated beneath Whitestone Castle during the Briarwood story arc. Scanlan finally rejoins Vox Machina, while the party now has to fight a cult which tries to summon the evil lich demigod Vecna, who seeks to ascend to true godhood and rule Exandria. His ascension actually succeeds and he becomes the only god on this side of the Divine Gate, which keeps the other gods from directly interfering in the world they created. With the indirect help of some of the prime deities who aid them with special powers, Vox Machina are the only group of heroes who can possibly stop the "Whispered One" in one gigantic final battle.

Post-campaign

The "Vox Machina: The Search for Grog" one shot was played at a not-streamed live show on January 19, 2019, and released on YouTube and Twitch on February 23, 2019. This in-canon game explored an event that took place in the final episode of campaign one, but was not played out in detail back then because it would have disrupted the already ongoing epilogue. Several additional Vox Machina one-shots are planned.

Campaign two

The second campaign began on January 11, 2018. The story of the second campaign follows the exploits of an adventuring party known as The Mighty Nein and takes place on the continent of Wildemount, which was briefly visited during the Vox Machina campaign. The Mighty Nein campaign is set 20 years after Vox Machina's final battle against Vecna.

The Trostenwald/Alfield story arc (episodes 1–7) serves as an origin story for the new adventuring party, whose members meet for the first time in Trostenwald, a town in the south of the Dwendalian Empire. Seven very different individuals join forces to investigate a zombie attack in a circus for which two of them worked previously. After seemingly solving the mystery and freeing themselves from accusations against them, the seven individuals (Fjord, Beau, Caleb, Nott, Jester, Mollymauk and Yasha) agree to form a traveling party. They agree to travel north towards the city of Zadash, but run into trouble in the town of Alfield. After lending their assistance to the crownsguard during a gnoll attack and its aftermath, the group come up with the party name "The Mighty Nein" for the first time.

The Zadash story arc (episodes 8–18) covers the party's adventures in the city of Zadash. They come into contact with both the upper class and the underbelly of the city, do a job for the crownsguard, briefly support a secret group that fights corrupt high ranking government officials and eventually start working for The Gentleman, an enigmatic figure who controls the criminal underground of Zadash. During their time in the city, the Mighty Nein also participate in a fighting tournament and witness the beginning signs of war between the Dwendalian Empire and the Drow of the Kryn Dynasty, rulers of the eastern country of Xhorhas. Also, the Nein - unbeknownst to anyone else - "acquire" a mysterious power source that both the mages of the Empire-allied Cerberus Assembly as well as the Kryn were heavily invested in.

In the Northward story arc (episodes 19-31), the Mighty Nein leave Zadash to deal with two important missions for the Gentleman. Their first errand takes them westwards to Berleben, a town in the Labenda Swamp, and eventually into the swamp itself, where they investigate a smugglers' safe house that went dark. Their second errand takes them northwards and outside of the Empire's borders, where they are supposed to aid an ally of the Gentleman in the lawless city of Shady Creek Run. During this journey, the Mighty Nein encounter a dangerous group of slavers. Three party members are kidnapped, while the others desperately try to save them. During their fights against the slavers and their allies, the party experiences hardships, loss and grief, but also gains a new ally (Caduceus). In the aftermath of their second errand, the party returns to Zadash and - for now - finishes up their work for the Gentleman.

The False Serpent arc (episodes 32-47) leads the Mighty Nein out of the Empire on a more private mission, as they travel southwards towards the city states of the Menagerie Coast, where they hope to find out more about Fjord's strange and growing powers. After briefly visiting Jester's mother and following certain leads in the coastal city of Nicodranas, a crazy series of events leads to the Mighty Nein sailing a boat onto the Lucidian Ocean. While learning more about Fjord's powers and the ancient being that grants them to him, the party is forced into working with a cunning pirate captain and eventually ends up in Darktow, an island controlled by the pirate group known as the Revelry. After severing their ties with the pirates, Fjord figures out that continuing on his path may cause a catastrophe in the process, and the party decides to leave the ocean. They head back into the Dwendalian Empire after hearing about developments in the now ongoing war with Xhorhas, specifically a Kryn attack in the city of Felderwin, Nott's former home in the eastern part of the Empire.

In the Xhorhas story arc (ongoing from Episode 48), the Mighty Nein travel east. Arriving in Felderwin, the group learns that a halfling named Yeza was taken by the Kryn. This forces Nott to open up about herself, revealing that she hasn't always been a goblin and that Yeza is actually her husband. In search of Yeza, the Mighty Nein travel underground and into the wastelands of Xhorhas. After reaching the city of Asarius, they take on mercenary work to gain favor with the Kryn, and manage to seal a dangerous rift to the Abyss, the demonic plane. While in Asarius, Beau briefly runs into Dairon, her mentor from the "Cobalt Soul"-order and an Empire spy. As their reward, the group asks for an audience with the Bright Queen, ruler of the Kryn Dynasty, hoping to trade their favor for Yeza's freedom. During the audience in the capital, Rosohna, the party are accused of espionage. In a last effort to save their lives, Caleb pulls out the object the party "acquired" in Zadash. It turns out to be a "Beacon", a key part of the Kryn's religion that was stolen by the Cerberus Assembly, a theft that probably caused the war. The Mighty Nein are declared "heroes of the Dynasty", and Yeza is released from prison. The party agrees to take on more work for the Kryn to understand more about them and the war. On their next mission, they discover more demonic rifts, concluding that someone is causing them on purpose. Upon returning to Rosohna, they are given a house for use while they are friends of the dynasty. After further investigation the group learns the rifts are possibly part of the Dwendalian Empire’s war strategy. The group deliberate whether to tell the dynasty due to their connections to the Empire. Ultimately they decide to inform the Queen about what they’ve found, how they react only time will tell…

Cast and characters

Currently, the Critical Role cast consists of eight main cast members. A number of guest players have also appeared on the show over the years.

Main

The cast, their character(s), as well as that character's race and class for the two campaigns are listed below. When a player has taken the option of multiclassing, the classes are listed in the order taken by the player.

Actor	Campaign 1: Vox Machina (2015–17; 2019 (One-Shot))	Campaign 2: The Mighty Nein (2018-19)
Matthew Mercer	Dungeon Master
Ashley Johnson	Pike Trickfoot (gnome cleric)	Yasha Nydoorin (aasimar barbarian)
Laura Bailey	Vex'ahlia "Vex" Vessar (half-elf ranger / rogue)	Jester Lavorre (tiefling cleric)
Liam O'Brien	Vax'ildan "Vax" Vessar (half-elf rogue / paladin) Lieve’tel Toluse (elf cleric)	Caleb Widogast (human wizard)
Marisha Ray	Keyleth of the Air Ashari (half-elf druid)	Beauregard "Beau" (human monk)
Sam Riegel	Scanlan Shorthalt (gnome bard) Taryon "Tary" Darrington (human artificer)	Nott the Brave (goblin rogue)
Taliesin Jaffe	Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III (human gunslinger)	Mollymauk "Molly" Tealeaf (tiefling blood hunter) Caduceus Clay (firbolg cleric)
Travis Willingham	Grog Strongjaw (goliath barbarian / fighter) Sir Bertrand Bell (human fighter)	Fjord (half-orc warlock)

Orion Acaba played Tiberius Stormwind (dragonborn sorcerer) for Episodes 1-27 (Campaign 1), and left the show on October 15, 2015. Since then, Critical Role has not added another regular cast member.

Guests

Guests are an irregular occurrence on Critical Role and, in most cases, only stay for one or two episodes.

So far, Chris Perkins is the only guest to have appeared in both the first and second campaign.

Actor	Campaign 1 (2015–17)	Campaign 2 (2018-current)
Felicia Day	Lyra (human wizard)	N/A
Mary Elizabeth McGlynn	Zahra Hydris (tiefling warlock)	N/A
Wil Wheaton	Thorbir Falbek (dwarf fighter)	N/A
Will Friedle	Kashaw Vesh (human cleric)	N/A
Kit Buss	Lillith Anioska Daturai (tiefling wizard)	N/A
Chris Hardwick	Gern Blanston (dragonborn wizard)	N/A
Jason C. Miller	Garthok (half-orc rogue)	N/A
Christopher Perkins	Shale (goliath fighter)	Spurt (kobold inventor)
Patrick Rothfuss	Kerrek (human paladin)	N/A
Noelle Stevenson	Tova (dwarf/werebear blood hunter)	N/A
Jon Heder	Lionel "Chod" Gayheart (half-orc bard/barbarian)	N/A
Darin De Paul	Ethrid "Sprigg" Brokenbranch (gnome rogue)	N/A
Joe Manganiello	Arkhan the Cruel (red dragonborn paladin/barbarian)	N/A
Khary Payton	N/A	Shakäste (human cleric)
Mark Hulmes	N/A	Calianna (half-elf sorcerer, 1/10 black dragon)
Ashly Burch	N/A	Keg (dwarven fighter)
Sumalee Montano	N/A	Nila (firbolg druid)
Deborah Ann Woll	N/A	Twiggy (forest gnome rogue)

Background

Matthew Mercer serves as the show's Dungeon Master, who runs an ongoing Dungeons & Dragons campaign for the seven other cast members. The group's first campaign began two years prior to the start of the series as a one-off, simplified Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition game for Liam O'Brien's birthday. The players enjoyed this initial game so much that they continued to play while switching to Pathfinder. After Felicia Day heard about the private home game from Ashley Johnson, she approached the group about playing it in a live-streamed format for Geek & Sundry. In order to streamline gameplay for the show, the game's characters were converted from Pathfinder to Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition before the web series began airing on March 12, 2015.

In June 2018, Critical Role launched its own Twitch and YouTube channels, with cast member Marisha Ray being announced as the creative director of the franchise. Critical Role then started to self-produce new shows and content which did not air on Geek & Sundry's channels. The sets for their shows moved from Legendary Digital Network's studios to Critical Role's own studios in July 2018. In February 2019, Critical Role's amicable split from Geek & Sundry and Legendary Digital Networks was completed, with live broadcasts of their shows and VODs airing exclusively on Critical Role's channels. "Legacy episodes" (the entirety of Campaign 1, the first 51 episodes of Campaign 2, as well as the first 100 episodes of official discussion show Talks Machina) remain available in Geek & Sundry's archives on YouTube and Twitch.

Format

Critical Role is a mixture of a weekly show and a modern gaming Twitch stream. Each episode usually runs for 3 to 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.

Critical Role has played with a live theater audience six times: the first for episode 60, Heredity and Hats, held on July 14, 2016, at the Landmark Theatre in Los Angeles; the second for episode 62, Uninviting Waters, held on August 6, 2016, at the Hilbert Circle Theatre in Indianapolis; the third for episode 109, The Ominous March, held on August 18, 2017, at the Old National Centre in Indianapolis; the fourth for episode 29 of the second campaign, The Stalking Nightmare, held on August 3, 2018, at the Murat Theatre in Indianapolis;, the fifth for episode 37 of the second campaign, Dangerous Liaisons, held on October 4, 2018, at the United Palace Theatre in New York, and the sixth for a one-shot game called Vox Machina: The Search for Grog, held on January 19, 2019, at The Theatre at the Ace Hotel in LA.

A number of the streams have also served as a donation drive to support nonprofit organizations such as St Jude, 826LA, Extra Life, and Doctors Without Borders.

Reception

Critical response

As of January 2016, each episode of the show has been watched for more than a million minutes on Twitch, totaling over 37 million minutes watched for the whole series. Additionally, the YouTube archived videos have over 17 million views. It has amassed over 68 million views overall. On January 11, 2018, the second campaign's first episode peaked at 135 thousand viewers on Twitch and YouTube, compared to the first campaign finale's 40,000 viewers.

In a January 2016 article, Polygon described Critical Role as a "thoroughly modern" show with a business model that is still developing.

The show has caught the attention of the publishers of Dungeons & Dragons, Wizards of the Coast, who discussed it at length on two occasions on their official D&D podcast, along with cast members Matthew Mercer, Marisha Ray, Liam O'Brien, Laura Bailey and former member Orion Acaba. In an interview with the online gaming magazine Polygon, lead D&D designer Mike Mearls commented about the show, stating "It was really cool, as a guy who works on Dungeons & Dragons, to open up my Twitch app on my iPad and see Dungeons & Dragons in the first row".

Viewer responses to the show have been overwhelmingly positive, with many fans, nicknamed "Critters", creating content such as fanart, fan fiction, character-inspired music, and fan-created merchandise for the show. Fans also send in many gifts for the cast and crew, resulting in occasional "Critmas" episodes during which the gifts are opened and distributed.

The cast of Critical Role are active participants on sci-fi/comics convention circuits, appearing for panels and signings at San Diego and New York Comic Cons. For the 2015 New York con, "critical rolls" were available from one of the food vendors.

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Result	Ref
2016	Streamy Awards	Gaming	Nominated
2018	Streamy Awards	Live Streamer	Nominated
2019	Webby Awards	Video Series & Channels - Games	Won (Webby Award & People's Voice)
2019	Shorty Awards	Games	Won (Finalist & Audience Honor)

Spin-offs

Shows

One-shots

Instead of an episode in the main storyline, the series will occasionally feature a one-shot game, often with several guests replacing absent cast members. Some have a tangential relationship to the main storyline; others are fully independent adventures. Not all one-shots use the Dungeons & Dragons game system, as some are based on different, often one-page RPG games. As of February 2019, over 20 one-shots have aired, and every cast member - with the exception of Ashley Johnson - has taken up the duties of Dungeon Master/game master at least once.

Talks Machina

On September 28, 2016, Geek & Sundry announced Talks Machina, a fan-centered after/talk show hosted by Brian Wayne Foster, a close friend of the cast. On Talks Machina, the latest episode of Critical Role is discussed with some members of the cast of Critical Role, who answer fan questions and give some insight on in-game decisions. The first 100 episodes of the show were broadcast on Geek & Sundry's channels and are available via a playlist on Critical Role's website. Beginning in February 2019 and coinciding with Critical Role's split from Geek & Sundry, new episodes now air live on Critical Role's Twitch channel on Tuesdays at 18:45 PT. The VODs are available to Twitch subscribers immediately after the show and are also uploaded to YouTube on the following Thursday.

Talks Machina has been available in a podcast format since episode 101. Like the podcast version of Critical Role; there is a week's delay between the broadcast of Talks Machina on Twitch, and the corresponding podcast episode's release.

Critical Recap

Hosted by Critical Role production coordinator Dani Carr, Critical Recap quickly summarizes the events of the previous week's episode of Critical Role. Starting with Episode 11 of the second campaign, Critical Recap aired on the Geek & Sundry Twitch channel before the Critical Role live stream on Thursdays. After Critical Role's split from Geek & Sundry, new episodes of Critical Recap are now premiering on Critical Role's YouTube channel every Tuesday, while a rebroadcast airs on the Critical Role Twitch channel immediately before the Critical Role live stream on Thursdays.

Animated series

On March 4, 2019, the cast launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for a 22-minute animation called Critical Role: The Legend of Vox Machina Animated Special. The animated story will be set just before the streaming portion of the campaign started – when the players were around level seven – during a time when, canonically, there is an in-game period of roughly six months when the (then eight) members of Vox Machina were not all together at the same time. For a single 22-minute animated short, fulfilling the other campaign rewards, and the fees associated with a crowdfunding campaign; the cast projected a cost of US$750,000. Not knowing how long this would take to raise, the campaign length was set at 45 days.

Within an hour of launch, however, the Kickstarter had reached more than $1,000,000. At the end of the first full day, all of the announced stretch goals had been unlocked, and the total had reached more than $4.3 million. With four 22-minute episodes funded in first 24 hours; additional stretch goals were added, expanding the project into an animated series. The first two episodes will cover the pre-stream story arc. The subsequent episodes will adapt the Briarwoods' arc, also of the Vox Machina campaign. By March 18, 2019, eight 22-minute episodes had been funded. Finally, on April 4, 2019, the last published stretch goal of $8.8 million was reached during the airing of episode 57 of Campaign 2, pushing the total length of the animated series to ten episodes. A "secret" $10M stretch goal of Travis Willingham being filmed going around a haunted house was reached April 16. The final total raised by the kickstarter when it closed on April 19, 2019, was $11.3M. With the campaign closed, it has been one of the quickest funded in Kickstarter history, and has been the most funded Kickstarter for TV and film projects.

The cast will reprise their respective Vox Machina roles, with the exception of Orion Acaba. The animated series will be written by Jennifer Muro, and animated by Titmouse, Inc. The project is slated for release in late 2020.

Comics

Geek & Sundry produced a six-panel series of webcomics weekly from November to December 2015 that describes a "Winter's Crest Festival" that occurred pre-series. The webcomics are written by cast members Marisha Ray and Taliesin Jaffe, and feature artwork by Wendy Sullivan Green.

On July 22, 2017, at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con International, a comic book that tells the tales of the beginning of Vox Machina pre-stream and pre-game was announced. It is written by Matthew Colville, drawn by Olivia Samson (a long-time member of the Critical Role community), and colored and lettered by Chris Northrop. It was scheduled to be released before the end of 2017. On September 6, 2017, Geek & Sundry announced that they partnered with Dark Horse Comics for the comic book. They also revealed the cover for the first digital issue by Deborah Hauber and release dates. It was announced to be available digitally beginning September 20, with a physical graphic anthology to follow in Spring 2018. The first digital issue was released on September 20, 2017. A trade paperback Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins series I was announced on March 11, 2019, and is due to be released on October 15, 2019.

On March 11, 2019, a second set of six comic books was announced continuing the Vox Machina Origins stories. Also published by Dark Horse Comics, Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins series II is written by Jody Houser, drawn by Olivia Samson, colored by MSASSYK, and lettered by Ariana Maher. Issue one will release on July 10, 2019.

Campaign setting books

On August 8, 2016, Green Ronin Publishing announced that it had signed a licensing agreement with Geek & Sundry to release roleplaying game sourcebooks based on Critical Role. The announcement was made by Chris Pramas, president of Green Ronin and Ryan Copple, General Manager of Geek & Sundry, live on the 62nd episode, Uninviting Waters, at Gen Con 2016. All books in the series will use the Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition rules. The books will be written by Matthew Mercer and will be set in the world of Exandria.

The first book, titled Critical Role: Tal’Dorei Campaign Setting, is set on the continent of Tal'Dorei where most of Vox Machina’s adventures take place. The hardback edition was released at Gen Con 2017 on August 17, 2017, while the PDF version was released on July 17, 2017. On July 14, 2017, Green Ronin revealed the cover by Aaron Riley of Critical Role: Tal’Dorei Campaign Setting on Twitter.

Podcast

On the 100th episode of Critical Role, the launch of the Critical Role podcast was announced: an audio version of the game sessions. It is available on iTunes, Google Play Music, and at the Geek & Sundry website.

The first campaign's podcast episodes were released in batches of 10-15, between June 8, 2017 and January 8, 2018. Since the start of the second campaign, the podcast episodes have been released on the following Thursday.

Art books

On August 18, 2017, at a live show in Indianapolis, The Chronicles of Exandria Vol. I: The Tale of Vox Machina, a Critical Role art book was announced. It includes backstories for Vox Machina, as well as some of the NPCs. It features artwork from the community. On August 3, 2018, was announced. The Chronicles of Exandria Vol. II: The Legend of Vox Machina, a sequel to the first art book, was released November, 2018.

The first Mighty Nein art book The Chronicles of Exandria: The Mighty Nein was announced on March 11, 2019. It is expected to be published late 2019.

Video games

Obsidian's RPG Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire received a free DLC entitled Critical Role Pack on launch day, adding additional character voices and portraits. The set corresponds with eight characters from the first campaign, making up the bulk of Vox Machina. Additionally, the characters Arkhan the Cruel and Spurt the Kobold appear as playable characters in Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms. Arkhan's inclusion was announced on Talks Machina as part of a sponsorship deal.

Licensed miniature figures

In July 2018, Steamforged Games (SFG) raised approx $1.2M in a Kickstarter campaign for a collection of miniature figures based on player characters (PCs) and non-player characters (NPCs) from both Critical Role campaigns. The Kickstarter campaign included miniatures of both Vox Machina and the Mighty Nein, which will also go on commercial sale at a date not yet announced. The Kickstarter also included exclusive miniatures of Taryon Darrington, Doty, Pumat Prime, and three Pumat Sols.

In February 2019, SFG updated backers that the quality control samples received had failed to met both theirs and the Critical Role cast's standards. Due to this, and SFG's manufacturing partner stopping production for Chinese New Year, the expected fulfilment has slipped to from March 2019, to "summer 2019."

SFG also sell a "Vault" line of miniatures based on the first and second campaigns. Unlike the Kickstarter miniatures, which are manufactured using PVC, the "Vault" miniatures are produced in resin as low-volume, limited editions.

Charity involvement

On October 16, 2015, the Extra Life fundraiser episode raised over $20,000 for the Children's Miracle Network during the broadcast. This charity episode included a reappearance of the Critical Rejects, as well as three members of the Critical Role cast, Liam O'Brien, Marisha Ray, and Orion Acaba.

During the show, viewers are invited to donate money to 826LA, which is later provided in a lump sum to the charity. Donation amounts and messages appear live on the stream, and on earlier episodes, a list of donors was read at the end of each session. During Geek & Sundry's 2015 Extra Life fundraiser, a special interactive episode was broadcast. This episode alone brought in over $20,000 for the Children's Miracle Network, and the event as a whole raised over $76,000. In late November 2015, Geek & Sundry's Twitch channel held a special Doctors Without Borders fundraiser, with nearly half of the $10,000 goal being raised during the 4-hour Critical Role broadcast. In December 2015, the cast released a "Critter's Guide to Critmas" in response to the flood of gifts they were receiving from fans, asking them to instead donate to a variety of charities, with a different cast member sponsoring each charity.

In Spring 2018, the show held a charity drive for 826 LA which resulted in community members donating over $50,000, which was matched by a generous community member. This charity drive resulted in some prizes being unlocked for the community, such as discount codes for D&D Beyond and Wyrmwood Gaming, a second Fireside Chat with Matt Mercer, and a second Honey Heist run by Marisha Ray.

See also

• HarmonQuest
• The Adventure Zone

External links

• Official Critical Role Website
• Critical Role Twitch Channel
• Geek & Sundry's Critical Role page
• Critical Role Podcast