- This page is about the webseries. For the production company, see Critical Role Productions LLC.
Critical Role is a weekly web series in which a group of voice actors play Dungeon & Dragons.
History
The original cast of Critical Role had been playing D&D together for two years before they converted their home game into a livestreamed webseries. In 2015, they were approached by Felicia Day to stream their campaign live on the Geek & Sundry twitch channel. On March 12, 2015 they began streaming their first live episode, "Arrival at Kraghammer" (1x01).
The series initially aired live on the Geek & Sundry Twitch channel and YouTube, and subsequently on the Critical Role Twitch channel, on Thursdays at 7pm (Pacific Time). The first campaign and a part of the second campaign were live streamed on the Geek & Sundry Twitch channel. In February 2019, Critical Role parted ways with Geek & Sundry, launched their own Twitch and YouTube channels, and started to self-produce new shows and content under the name Critical Role Productions LLC.[1] Eventually the live broadcasts of Critical Role and VODs aired exclusively on Critical Role's channels. Episodes are archived on the Critical Role website and the Critical Role and Geek & Sundry YouTube channels.
On 17 March 2020, Critical Role announced[2] that it was suspending all live broadcasts of both the D&D stream Critical Role and Talks Machina due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the hiatus, they produced new content, as well as re-imagined versions of existing shows that followed the COVID-19 safety guidelines. Critical Role returned in a prerecorded format on 2 July 2020 with the broadcast of "Hunted at Sea" (2x100).[3]
The Show
First Campaign
→ Main article: The Campaign of Vox Machina The first campaign features a group of adventurers called Vox Machina. Although Critical Role as a show did not begin until March 12, 2015, the campaign itself started on December 8, 2012.[4] The very first session was played by Liam O'Brien, Sam Riegel, Laura Bailey, Travis Willingham, Taliesin Jaffe, and Orion Acaba, with Matthew Mercer as the Dungeon Master. All the players began the campaign with the same characters they had on the stream, with the exception of Taliesin who played a dragonborn paladin for their first session. Marisha Ray and Ashley Johnson joined the game in later sessions.
In 2015 they were approached by Felicia Day to stream their campaign live on the Geek & Sundry twitch channel. On March 12, 2015 they streamed their first live episode, "Arrival at Kraghammer" (1x01). After two-and-a-half years, eight chapters, and 115 episodes, the adventures of Vox Machina came to an end on October 12, 2017 in "The Chapter Closes" (1x115).
After the first campaign ended, the group played three canonical one-shot games featuring Vox Machina, "The Search For Grog" (Sx42), "The Search For Bob" (Sx45) and "Dalen's Closet" (Sx47).
Second Campaign
→ Main article: Campaign 2: The Mighty Nein The second campaign started on January 11, 2018. This campaign begins approximately 20 years after the end of the Vox Machina campaign with the story of the Mighty Nein. The stream began with "Curious Beginnings" (2x01), but most of the players participated in a session 0 before the stream with Matt so that they could get a feel for their characters and the setting they would be playing in.
Live Shows
→ Main article: Live Shows. Some of the episodes are performed before a live studio audience, where the cast take on adventure with a live audience gasping at every roll of the die, and cheering them on with every victory. "Heredity and Hats" (1x60) was the first episode of the series to be performed before a live studio audience.
Podcast
The logo for Critical Role Podcasts.
All the main episodes of Critical Role through Campaign 2, Episode 51 were released as a podcast version on the Geek & Sundry official website as part of the Nerdist Industries podcast network.
As of December 19, 2019, starting with Episode 20 of Campaign 2, podcasts moved to the Critical Role podcast network. The podcast links can be found though the Podcast section of the Critical Role website and via Podbean, iTunes, Google Podcasts, and on Spotify.
Openings
→ Main article: Episode Openings. Most of the Critical Role episodes begin with an opening video, usually played after the announcements.
Cast
→ Main article: Category:Cast.
Main Cast
The main cast of Critical Role.
The main cast appears in every episode of the main series, Critical Role, with a few exceptions.
- Laura Bailey as Vex'ahlia/Jester Lavorre
- Liam O'Brien as Vax'ildan/Caleb Widogast
- Taliesin Jaffe as Percy/Mollymauk Tealeaf and Caduceus Clay
- Ashley Johnson as Pike Trickfoot/Yasha
- Marisha Ray as Keyleth/Beauregard
- Sam Riegel as Scanlan Shorthalt and Taryon Darrington/Nott
- Travis Willingham as Grog/Fjord
- Matthew Mercer as the Dungeon Master
The original cast also included Orion Acaba as Tiberius Stormwind. On October 28th, 2015, at 6:40 PST, it was announced live on the Geek & Sundry Twitch channel that due to a mutual parting of ways, Orion would no longer appear on Critical Role.
Guest Stars
→ Main article: Category:Guest Stars. Occasionally, a guest star or two join the main cast. These guests play their own characters who encounter Vox Machina and/or The Mighty Nein while on their own individual journeys and decide to team up with our protagonists for as long as their goals are aligned.
- Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as Zahra Hydris
- Felicia Day as Lyra
- Will Friedle as Kashaw Vesh
- Wil Wheaton as Thorbir Falbek
- Kit Buss as Lillith Daturai
- Jason Charles Miller as Garthok
- Chris Hardwick as Gern Blanston
- Chris Perkins as Shale and Spurt
- Patrick Rothfuss as Kerrek
- Noelle Stevenson as Tova
- Jon Heder as Lionel Gayheart
- Darin De Paul as Sprigg
- Joe Manganiello as Arkhan
- Khary Payton as Shakäste
- Mark Hulmes as Calianna
- Ashly Burch as Keg
- Sumalee Montano as Nila
- Deborah Ann Woll as Twiggy
- Mica Burton as Reani
Mary Elizabeth McGlynn and Will Friedle returned on several different occasions to reprise their roles as Zahra and Kashaw. Patrick Rothfuss also returned as Kerrek for several episodes near the end of the Chroma Conclave story arc. Chris Perkins has appeared as two characters, Shale and Spurt, one in each campaign, respectively. Other guests appearing in multiple episodes include Khary Payton, Ashly Burch, Sumalee Montano, and Mica Burton.
Related Media
The Legend of Vox Machina
The Legend of Vox Machina
→ Main article: The Legend of Vox Machina. The Legend of Vox Machina is an animated series currently in production, funded by a kickstarter campaign of the same name.
In November 2019, Amazon Prime partnered on the project, to be seen exclusively on Amazon Prime Video and expanding it to two seasons totaling 24 episodes, completing the Briarwood storyline and moving "into other classic Vox Machina story arcs as well."[5] The show is now projected to premiere in the second half of 2021.[6]
Talks Machina
The logo for Talks Machina.
→ Main article: Talks Machina. Talks Machina is a talk show discussing the events of Critical Role. The show is hosted by Brian Wayne Foster, with commentary by Dani Carr. The guests usually consist of the regular cast of Critical Role, but guest players, behind-the-scenes people, and fans such as Andrew from CritRoleStats have also appeared. The original run of the show aired weekly on tuesday and featured questions submitted by fans; however, due to COVID-19, the show came back from a hiatus in a bi-weekly, pre-recorded format, with questions wwritten by Dani Carr.
Critical Recap
Critical Recap, hosted by Dani Carr, summarized the events of the previous week's episode of Critical Role, as well as offering her own thoughts on the events that transpired and what they might mean for the future. The recaps started with "Zemnian Nights" (2x11) and aired on the Geek & Sundry Twitch channel before the live streams. After the split from Geek & Sundry, new episodes of Critical Recap premiered on Critical Role's YouTube channel on Tuesdays. The final video was for "Unwanted Reunions" (2x88), with recaps thereafter appearing in written form on the Critical Role website.
The Chronicles of Exandria
The Chronicles of Exandria are art books featuring artwork from the community. They also include backstories of the main party members as well as some of the NPCs. Two have been published covering the Vox Machina Campaign and one (to date) for the second campaign.
- Vol. I: The Tale of Vox Machina: Published in November, 2017
- Vol. II: The Tale of Vox Machina: Published in November, 2018 (Deluxe Edition)
- The Chronicles of Exandria - The Mighty Nein: Published June 2, 2020.[7]
The World of Critical Role
→ Main article: The World of Critical Role: The History Behind the Epic Fantasy. Projected to release on 20 October 2020, The World of Critical Role is a non-fiction book containing archival photos and cast interviews, featuring "richly written insights into the events, characters, and locations of the adventures of Vox Machina and the Mighty Nein. Written by Liz Marsham and the cast of Critical Role, this book offers you the chance to experience the behind-the-scenes journey of how a circle of friends’ home game became the most-watched fantasy RPG livestream of all time. Hear from the players themselves about their most triumphant moments and darkest hours. And celebrate the massive community of Critters who support and expand the show’s world, through the crafts, cosplay, and art they create every day."[8]
Comics
Volume 1, cover art by Stjepan Sejic
Several comics, both online and in book form, have been produced covering the story of Vox Machina before the streams began.
Winter's Crest Festival Comic → Main article: Winter's Crest Festival comic. Marisha Ray and Taliesin Jaffe wrote a comic series with art by Wendy Sullivan Green. It told the story of Vox Machina's first Winter's Crest festival. The comic appeared on Geek&Sundry's website.
Vox Machina Origins → Main article: Vox Machina Origins. On September 20, 2017, Dark Horse Comics released a six-issue comic series titled Vox Machina Origins Volume 1 covering how some of the members of Vox Machina came to meet each other. On July 10, 2019, Dark Horse began releasing Vox Machina Origins Volume 2, another six-part miniseries continuing the adventures of the fledgling group. A third installment is set to realease on December 9th, 2020, with the same creative team as Volume 2.[9]
Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting
→ Main article: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting. The Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting is a reference book for D&D campaigns set in Tal'dorei written by Matthew Mercer with the help of James Haeck. It was published in 2017 by Green Ronin Publishing and is available in both hardcover and PDF formats.
Explorer's Guide to Wildemount
→ Main article: Explorer's Guide to Wildemount. The Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount is an extensive 5th Edition campaign guide written by Matthew Mercer and a team of designers including Chris Lockey, James Introcaso, and James Haeck. The Wildemount campaign setting was released on 17 March 2020, published by Wizards of the Coast.[10]
Merchandise
Laura Bailey is in charge of Critical Role merchandise and often announces new releases at the beginning of new episodes of Critical Role. Since the initial airing of Critical Role, merch of all shapes and forms has been created, including t-shirts, hoodies, keychains, pins, collectible figures, plushes, dice, dice accessories, blankets, mugs and prints.
In 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.
In 2020, a line of official Funko Pop figures of the members of Vox Machina was released.
In February 2020, it was announced that Critical Role had partnered with Hot Topic to sell branded apparel both online and in their stores.
Official merchandise is sold on three online shops to accomodate international shipping:
Community
Soon after the stream started, fans of the show, known as Critters, began to show their support, first by sending food during the stream, and soon after, fan art, creations, and gifts. The cast would open these gifts and thank their fans at the end of a gaming session and the segment began to be known as Critmas. The cast openly interacts with their fans via social media.
Critters are known for their dedication. Within an hour of the Legend of Vox Machina kickstarter launch, more than $1 million in funding had been raised. By the close of the campaign, “Critical Role” fans had shelled out more than $11.3 million, making the fundraiser the most successful film or television project in Kickstarter history. More than 88,000 people contributed to the campaign.
The Critter community produces an incredible amount of creative content including fanfics, cosplay, and thousands of fanart pieces. A number of fan artists have seen their work published in an official Critical Role artbook. Some Critters also write and perform original music based on the show. A group of Critters known as the Cantata Pansophical even wrote and performed a rewritten version of the Hamilton soundtrack telling the story of Vox Machina.
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Streamy Awards | Gaming | Nominated | [11] |
| 2018 | Streamy Awards | Live Streamer | Nominated | [12] |
| 2019 | Webby Awards | Video Series & Channels - Games | Won (Webby Award & People's Voice) | [13] |
| 2019 | Shorty Awards | Games | Won (Finalist & Audience Honor) | [14] |
Gallery
Check Out CRITICAL ROLE's New Intro!
External Links
- CritRole.com official website
- Critical Role on Twitch
- Geek & Sundry on Twitch
- Critical Role on YouTube
- Critical Role on Geek & Sundry
- Critical Role on Twitter
- Critical Role on Wikipedia
Community Websites
- Critical Role on reddit
- CritRoleStats
- AO3 Critical Role fanfic
- Critical Role Source
- CR Transcripts
- Critters RPG
When is Critical Role? on When is Critical Role?
Articles
- How the voices behind your favorite games and shows are re-inventing live D&D | Polygon
- 2020 "turned everything on its head" for the D&D phenomenon
References
- ↑ Spangler, Todd (March 8, 2019). "Critical Role Team, After Record-Breaking Fan Crowdfunding Response, Vows to Make 'The Best Goddamn Cartoon Anyone Has Ever Seen'". Variety. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
- ↑ The tweet announcing the hiatus and Critical Role's website post.
- ↑ YouTube video of the announcement.
- ↑ Liam O'Brien, Sam Riegel, and Travis Willingham all tweeted about their first game session together. Based on the timestamps, the game began on the night of December 8th and continued past midnight into December 9th. (Sources: Liam's tweet; Sam's tweet; Travis's tweet)
- ↑ Kickstarter update on 5 November 2019.
- ↑ Kickstarter update on 11 June 2020
- ↑ The Chronicles of Exandria - The Mighty Nein.
- ↑ Critical Role update on The World of Critical Role.
- ↑ See Critical Role's announcement and an article on IGN.
- ↑ See "Explorer's Guide to Wildemount" on Amazon
- ↑ 6th Annual Winners & Nominees. Streamy Awards. Tubefilter. Retrieved October 5, 2016.
- ↑ 8th Annual Nominees. Streamy Awards. Tubefilter. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
- ↑ "Critical Role". The Webby Awards. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- ↑ Critical Role - The Shorty Awards. ShortyAwards.com. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
Art:
| |||||||||||||
