Dungeon Master

Dungeon Master
Matthew Mercer as the Dungeon Master.
Historical Information
Also known as	DM Game Master GM Game Marshal Bunker Master Bunion Master
Notable individuals	Mark Hulmes Aabria Iyengar Matthew Mercer Brennan Lee Mulligan
Organizational Information
Type	Game Master
Duties	Plan and run the session and campaign Referee the table Arbiter of the rules

The Dungeon Master (DM), or Game Master (GM), is the planner, narrator, and referee of a tabletop role-playing game.

Dungeon Masters of Critical Role

Matthew Mercer is the DM of the first, second, and third Critical Role campaigns and some of the special episodes as well. Other people sometimes take over as the DM for a one-shot game or miniseries.

In 2021, Aabria Iyengar was the Dungeon Master of Exandria Unlimited, marking the first time someone besides Mercer was the Dungeon Master of a full campaign set in Exandria, albeit a miniseries. She later was Dungeon Master of the sequel, Exandria Unlimited: Kymal. In 2022, Brennan Lee Mulligan was the Dungeon Master for the miniseries Exandria Unlimited: Calamity. Then in 2024, Iyengar and Mulligan were both guest Dungeon Masters for arcs in Campaign 3 of the flagship show. Abubakar Salim took briefly the DM seat in the episode "Under the Arch Heart's Eye" (3x107) to play The Arch Heart's interaction with Bells Hells, the same deity he played in the miniseries Downfall.

List of Dungeon Masters

Critical Role

• Matthew Mercer
  • Campaign One: Vox Machina
  • Campaign Two: The Mighty Nein
  • Campaign Three: Bells Hells
• Aabria Iyengar
  • "Broken Roads" (3x92)
  • "Bittersweet Reunions" (3x93)
• Brennan Lee Mulligan
  • Downfall ("Downfall: Part One" (3x99), "Downfall: Part Two" (3x100), "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101))
• Abubakar Salim
  • "Under the Arch Heart's Eye" (3x107) (briefly)

Miniseries

• Brian Wayne Foster
  • UnDeadwood
• Aabria Iyengar
  • Exandria Unlimited Prime
  • Exandria Unlimited: Kymal
  • Candela Obscura: The Circle of Tide and Bone
• Matthew Mercer
  • Candela Obscura: The Circle of the Vassal and the Veil
  • The Menagerie ("Critical Role plays Daggerheart" (Sx83), "The Menagerie Returns!" (Sx84), "Ménagerie a Trois" (Sx85))
  • Age of Umbra
• Brennan Lee Mulligan
  • Exandria Unlimited: Calamity
  • Exandria Unlimited: Divergence
• Liam O'Brien
  • Candela Obscura: The Circle of the Crimson Mirror
• Spenser Starke
  • Candela Obscura: The Circle of Needle and Thread
  • "Candela Obscura Live - The Circle of the Silver Screen" (CO5x01)
• George Primavera and Nick Williams (co-GMs)
  • The Re-Slayer's Take
• Sam Riegel
  • Wildemount Wildlings (show)
• Jasper William Cartwright
  • Thresher

Specials

• Matthew Mercer
  • "Critical Trolls for Extra Life" (Sx02)
  • "D&Diesel" (Sx03)
  • "Critical Role Q&A and Battle Royale!" (Sx08)
  • "To the Poop! Goblins: A Critical Role Pathfinder One-Shot" (Sx09)
  • "Critical Role Q&A and Battle Royale: Take II" (Sx10)
  • "Deadlands One-Shot for MDA Charity!" (Sx11)
  • "Critical Role – Level 17 Battle Royale!" (Sx19)
  • "Critical Role One-Shot: Shadow of War – Part 1" (Sx22)
  • "Critical Role One-Shot: Shadow of War – Part 2" (Sx23)
  • "Critical Role One-Shot: Kobolds, Catacombs and Dragons (Oh My!)" (Sx29)
  • "Critical Role One-Shot: Epic Level Battle Royale" (Sx30)
  • "The Search For Grog" (Sx42)
  • "Stephen Colbert's D&D Adventure with Matthew Mercer" (Sx43)
  • "The Search For Bob" (Sx45)
  • "Dalen's Closet" (Sx47)
  • "The Adventures of the Darrington Brigade" (Sx49)
  • "Cinderbrush: A Monsterhearts Story" (Sx51)
  • "Doom Eternal One-Shot" (Sx52)
  • "Diablo One Shot" (Sx54)
  • "The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood - Part I: Death & Taxes" (Sx55)
  • "Vox Machina vs. Mighty Nein" (Sx57)
  • "Elden Ring One-Shot: O Ye of Little Faith" (Sx65)
  • "Dignity: An Adventure with Stephen Colbert" (Sx67)
  • "The Mighty Nein Reunited Part 1" (Sx73)
  • "The Mighty Nein Reunited Part 2" (Sx74)
  • "The Legend of Zelda One-Shot: Lookout, Here We Come!" (Sx76)
  • "The Mighty Nein Reunion: Echoes of the Solstice" (Sx79)
  • "Choose Their Adventure...Again!" (Sx81)
  • "Critical Role Presents: A Daggerheart Critmas Story Live Show" (Sx89)
  • "Assassin's Creed Shadows One-Shot" (Sx90)
  • "Freaky Thursday: A Bells Hells Charity One Shot" (Sx91)
  • "Avowed One-Shot" (Sx92)
  • "Suikoden One-Shot" (Sx93)
  • "Total Party Kill: Chicago Live 2025" (Sx95)
• Liam O'Brien
  • "Critical Role EXTRA – Liam's Quest!" (Sx12)
  • "Critical Role Extra – The Return of Liam!" (Sx15)
  • "Liam's Quest: Full Circle" (Sx16)
  • "Liam's One Shot: 'Song of the Lorelei'" (Sx36)
  • "The Night Before Critmas" (Sx41)
  • "The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood - Part III: The Golden Goose" (Sx62)
  • "Persona 5 Tactica One-Shot" (Sx80)
  • "The Elder Scrolls Online One-Shot" (Sx96)
• Sam Riegel
  • "Critical Role: Bar Room Blitz" (Sx21)
  • "Critical Role One-Shot: Once Upon a Fairytale Cruise" (Sx28)
  • "Crash Pandas: Too Trashed, Too Curious" (Sx37)
  • "Feast of Legends" (Sx48)
  • "Guest Battle Royale" (Sx64)
  • "Generation Nord" (Sx72)
• Taliesin Jaffe
  • "Critical Role One-Shot: Thursday by Night" (Sx24)
  • "Critical Role One-Shot: Thursday by Night – Part 2" (Sx25)
  • "Call of Cthulhu: Shadow of the Crystal Palace" (Sx46)
• Travis Willingham
  • "Critical Role: Grog's One-Shot" (Sx26) (in-character as Grog Strongjaw)
• Marisha Ray
  • "Trinket's Honey Heist" (Sx27)
  • "Honey Heist 2: Electric Beargaloo" (Sx35)
  • "Honey Heist 3: Tova’s Honeys" (Sx39)
  • "The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood - Part II: A Faulty Foundation" (Sx58)
  • "A Familiar Problem: Sprinkle's Incredible Journey" (Sx68)
• Laura Bailey
  • "Critical Role and the Club of Misfits" (Sx38)
• Mark Hulmes
  • "Tails of Equestria One-Shot" (Sx44)
• Ashley Johnson
  • "The Nautilus Ark: A Johnson Corp Odyssey" (Sx60)
• Ashly Burch
  • "Tiny Tina's Wonderlands One-Shot" (Sx66)
• Rick Esquivias
  • EverythingIsContent (Let's Play SINK!)
• Zac Clay
  • EverythingIsContent (Humblewood: Beyond the Canopy)

External links

• Dungeon Master on Wikipedia
• Gamemaster on Wikipedia
• Dungeon Master on The Forgotten Realms Wiki (note)