Narrative Telephone premiered during the programming hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 as one of three series the studio continued to produce, along with "AWNP: Unplugged" and "Yee-Haw Off the Ranch". Each episode, a cast member determined by a d20 roll told a story, which was then passed down in random order through the rest of the cast. The show proved so popular that it continued once broadcasts of Critical Role itself resumed in July 2020. The first season ended with the broadcast on 21 July 2020.
"Round Two" began October 20, 2020,[1] with a guest star for each episode who became the storyteller in their second appearance. It aired on the third Tuesday of each month, at 4:00 pm Pacific time, and ran from 20 October 2020 through 18 May 2021.
The third season, featuring the cast of Exandria Unlimited, began on Thursday, 23 September 2021 in the usual timeslot for Critical Role's main campaigns.
As of June 2024, new things had been "talked about" amongst the production team at Critical Role for Narrative Telephone.[2] And on September 10, 2024, new monthly episodes of Narrative Telephone were announced starting October 16.[3]
The theme song for Narrative Telephone is "In the Stars", from Cavendish Music's album "Inspiring Beauty".
Episodes[]
→ For transcripts of each of the original stories, see Narrative Telephone/Transcripts.
The tale told in the fourth episode of Season One was later incorporated into the book Critical Role: Der Katzenprinz & Other Zemnian Tales as Die Waldhexe (The Forest Witch).
Episodes containing appearances by Brian W. Foster were removed from YouTube and Twitch by Critical Role in 2023. As of October 2024 and at the beginning of season 4, episodes are first released on Beacon.tv then are released two weeks later on YouTube.
Season 1[]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Storyteller | Original airdate | Link | Runtime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Pumat's Stroll" | Matthew Mercer | 2020-04-06 | VOD | 0:33:04 |
| Pumat Sol went for a stroll, but how did the story really go? | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Jester's Tall Tale" | Laura Bailey | 2020-04-28 | VOD | 1:01:32 |
| Jester tells a tale, but how far off-course will the retold story sail? | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Scanlan's Love Story" | Sam Riegel | 2020-05-12 | VOD | 1:00:04 |
| Scanlan starts off an all new tale, but how much of the story will stay intact as it is passed throughout the line of cast? | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Widogast's Web of Words" | Liam O'Brien | 2020-05-28 | VOD | 1:14:35 |
| Liam O'Brien weaves a tale that his friends try to pass on to each other without added accent fails... | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Pike's Purple Jewel Cake" | Ashley Johnson | 2020-06-11 | VOD | 1:22:41 |
| Ashley Johnson leads off a new round of Narrative Telephone. How sweet will her revenge be? | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Story of Beau's" | Marisha Ray | 2020-06-25 | VOD | 1:06:36 |
| How much of Marisha Ray's story will survive the cast's flurry of Beaus? | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Caduceus's Cautionary Chronicle" | Taliesin Jaffe | 2020-07-07 | VOD | 1:18:27 |
| Taliesin Jaffe champions a chilling challenge with Caduceus's Cautionary Chronicle. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Grog's Vlog" | Travis Willingham | 2020-07-21 | VOD | 1:01:16 |
| Travis Willingham flexes his storytelling muscles with Grog's Vlog, and a guest appearance by Macaroni Samsonite. | ||||||
Season 2: Round 2[]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Storyteller | Original airdate | Link | Runtime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | "Return of the Matt" | Matthew Mercer | 2020-10-20 | VOD | 1:24:04 |
| A Cobalt Soul archivist interviews people who met Vox Machina on their adventures: Balgus; the farmer near Emon whose cows told of the roc; Kaylie; and Victor. Special guest: Brian Wayne Foster. | ||||||
| 10 | 2 | "Two Brothers, One Coast" | Brian Wayne Foster | 2020-11-17 | VOD | 1:24:39 |
| The father of two brothers settles their dispute with a glizzy eating contest. | ||||||
| 11 | 3 | "The Night Before Winter's Crest" | Laura Bailey | 2020-12-15 | VOD | 1:01:20 |
| Laura tells a tale of Winter’s Crest with a poetic story that's sure to go down in holiday glory, as Mica Burton joins the crew. | ||||||
| 12 | 4 | "Mica Burton Murders Cast of Critical Role" | Mica Burton | 2021-01-19 | VOD | 1:21:24 |
| Mica spins with details galore a rapid tour of linguistic shores thus unexplored by previous lores. | ||||||
| 13 | 5 | "Questions & Quackery" | Liam O'Brien | 2021-02-16 | VOD | 0:59:44 |
| Liam tells an earnest tale where the details are quite fuzzy, as the crew with guest Dani Carr try to embody the best boy Buddy. | ||||||
| 14 | 6 | "Familiar Feywild Fables" | Dani Carr | 2021-03-16 | VOD | 1:15:45 |
| Lore Keeper Dani Carr tells the tale of Frumpkin's secret Feywild identity. | ||||||
| 15 | 7 | "Chutney's Christmas Vacation" | Travis Willingham | 2021-04-20 | VOD | 1:13:17 |
| Travis Willingham lets us know what Chutney Chocolatecane has been up to, featuring special guest Aabria Iyengar. | ||||||
| 16 | 8 | "Of Heists and Horses" | Aabria Iyengar | 2021-05-18 | VOD | 1:03:50 |
| The Round 2 finale of Narrative Telephone has arrived with a story by special guest Aabria Iyengar! How will the cast fare with this tale in their care? | ||||||
Season 3[]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Storyteller | Original airdate | Link | Runtime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 1 | "The Curious Casanova" | Robbie Daymond | 2021-09-23 | VOD | 1:02:36 |
| The cast of Exandria Unlimited take on the challenge of Narrative Telephone with a story by the bard himself, Robbie Daymond! | ||||||
| 18 | 2 | "The Breakup Lettah" | Aimee Carrero | 2021-10-14 | VOD | 55:16 |
| Aimee Carrero starts off another round of Narrative Telephone with the cast of Exandria Unlimited! | ||||||
Season 4[]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Storyteller | Original airdate | Link | Runtime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | 1 | "A Florid Floral Fable" | Matthew Mercer | 2024-10-16 | VOD | 0:36:02 |
| Artagan tells the story of his encounter with Grog Strongjaw and his little adventure to Kymal. | ||||||
| 20 | 2 | "Drag Me to Hells" | Luis Carazo | 2024-11-20 | VOD | 0:35:10 |
| Zerxus Ilerez shares his heart-wrenching story and a memory of his beloved husband, Evandrin. | ||||||
| 21 | 3 | "The Case of the Desecrated Locks" | Gustavo Sorola | 2024-12-18 | VOD | 1:07:01 |
| The cast of Tales from the Stinky Dragon recount a frigid adventure from Game Master Gustavo Sorola. | ||||||
| 22 | 4 | "Lost in the Vamspyre" | Barbara Dunkelman | 2025-01-23 | VOD | 51:15 |
| Barbara Dunkelman and the rest of the Tales from the Stinky Dragon gang return, recounting a mystery from the perspective of Ellga Von Brath. | ||||||
| 23 | 5 | "Battle at the Big Top" | Jasmine Don | 2025-02-26 | VOD | 50:45 |
| Fiedra shares an action-packed tale of her life during the height of the Calamity, with the Divergence cast plus guests. | ||||||
| 24 | 6 | "A Flavorful Tale" | Celia Rose Gooding | 2025-03-26 | VOD | 52:49 |
| Celia Rose Gooding returns with a true life story from her childhood, with the Exandria Unlimited: Divergence cast plus guests. | ||||||
| 25 | 7 | "The Tragic Tale of Sir Jrumjpus Jpuljfinkjis" | Matt Young | 2025-04-23 | VOD | 1:10:17 |
| Matt Young shares and tragic and nearly unpronouceable tale of magic and timeshares, with the cast of Hello from the Magic Tavern plus guests. | ||||||
| 26 | 8 | "Dial M for Mephistopheles" | Jeremy Cobb | 2025-05-14 | Forthcoming | Forthcoming |
| Jeremy Cobb tells a creepy tale that, eventually, retains none of its creepiness, along with Jeremy's fellow 3 Black Halflings cast members plus guests. | ||||||
References[]
- ↑
Critical Role (@CriticalRole) on Twitter: "Join us on October 20th for Narrative Telephone Round 2! Each episode features a tale packed with chaotic twists and turns that our champion storytellers must recount...from memory. 👀" (2020-10-13).
- ↑
Fireside Chat LIVE With Marisha Ray at 0:57:19 (subscription required).
- ↑ See Fall Programming Announcement 2024 on YouTube at 01:55.
Art: