48-686: The third campaign of the Dungeons & Dragons web series Critical Role premiered on October 21, 2021; it is set after the conclusion of the second campaign and Exandria Unlimited . The series stars Marisha Ray , Ashley Johnson , Laura Bailey , Travis Willingham , Liam O'Brien , Taliesin Jaffe , and Sam Riegel as the players with Matthew Mercer as the Dungeon Master . Campaign three airs each Thursday at 7 p.m. PT on Critical Role Productions ' Twitch and YouTube channels and
96-432: A D&D adventure for Stephen Colbert; Colbert plays as Lucky Jack, a human fighter, seeking his temple's reliquary Dignity which was stolen during an attack on his temple which left his mentor dead. He was joined by several Critical Role cast members reprising their Mighty Nein roles at level 5. Red Nose Day donors had the ability to choose various aspects of the game between March 23 to April 1. A one-shot following
144-533: A simulcast live in Cinemark Theatres along with the regular Twitch and YouTube livestream. Critical Role will continue to be pre-recorded for the third campaign. Starting with the third campaign, the main campaign of Critical Role will not air new episodes on the last Thursday of every month; instead, other content by the studio will air in its time slot. The story is set immediately after Exandria Unlimited which took place 10 years after
192-407: A tabletop role-playing game is characterized by the following: Campaigns with deep stories are typically found in single-player video games . Cooperative multiplayer video games may also have campaigns where players assist each other with a series of challenges or goals. Progressing through them together provides a coherent story. Campaigns in video games often incorporate cutscenes to tell
240-530: A change from the previous campaign, campaign three of Critical Role will not air new episodes on the last Thursday of every month; instead, other content by the studio will air in its time slot. The third campaign's premiere was simulcast live in Cinemark Theatres along with the regular Twitch and YouTube livestream. Similarly, the 17th episode of the third campaign was simulcast in Cinemark Theatres, Landmark Theatres , and Cinépolis alongside
288-466: A fan group who submitted them to Geek & Sundry. Geek & Sundry then added these to the YouTube copies of episodes. The VODs have since been uploaded to Critical Role's own YouTube channel. The episodes of campaign one spilt by year: The second campaign began on January 11, 2018, and follows the adventuring party known as The Mighty Nein. The story is set on the continent of Wildemount, which
336-585: A group of animal familiars in Exandria. A Red Nose Day one-shot where Mercer runs a D&D adventure for Tony Hale and Sam Richardson who are joined by several Critical Role cast members. The adventure was set in the Shattered Teeth. These one-shots were made as promotions for other properties or groups. Promotional one-shot for Wendy's RPG system Feast of Legends . These one-shots are not set within Exandria, nor are they promotional. At
384-410: A summary of the pre-series history, with artwork created by Wendy Sullivan Green and voice-overs provided by the cast. The comic book, Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins , is an adaptation of the group's game before the show. The animated series, The Legend of Vox Machina , also adapts a canonic story that took place within the pre-stream time frame. Campaign one originally broadcast live on
432-514: Is Aabria Iyengar (known for other streaming shows such as Happy Jacks RPG , Dimension 20 , and Saving Throw ). Anjali Bhimani guest stars in episodes four through six. In March 2022, a two-part adventure sequel, Exandria Unlimited: Kymal , was released. It followed Dorian Storm returning to his friends after his time in Campaign Three. Daymond, Mercer, Carrero, Bhimani and Iyengar reprised their roles; Erica Lindbeck also joined
480-499: Is an anthology series and is a spin-off of the main Critical Role series. The first season was originally broadcast from June 24 to August 12, 2021. That season is set in the city of Emon on the continent of Tal'Dorei 30 years after Campaign One and 10 years after Campaign Two. The players in this season are Ashley Johnson , Robbie Daymond , Liam O'Brien , Aimee Carrero , and Matthew Mercer . The season's game master
528-522: Is largely unchanged from the second campaign, with videos of the cast and any battlemaps presented in 3-5-hour episodes. Technical changes introduced during the second campaign such as subtitles, character information and pre-recording were maintained. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic , the show had broadcast live, but has been pre-recorded since Campaign Two Episode 100. A new set, designed by professional amusement park designers Shaun Ellis and Polly Hodges,
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#1732798215357576-531: Is set on the continent of Marquet, which was briefly visited during the Vox Machina campaign. SyFy Wire highlighted that Marquet is "home to massive deserts, mountains, and even a volcano" and that it is "uncharted territory for the series". Multiple characters in this campaign are returning characters. Dorian, Orym, and Fearne premiered in Exandria Unlimited while Bertrand premiered in
624-620: The Beacon streaming service except for the last Thursday of each month. The campaign is an actual play which follows the Bells Hells, a party of adventurers who met on the continent of Marquet . The campaign begins two months before the Apogee Solstice, a celestial event which influences the ley lines of Exandria and magnifies magical abilities. The party gets drawn into the mystery surrounding Exandria's second moon Ruidus and
672-591: The Geek & Sundry Twitch and YouTube channels between March 12, 2015, and October 12, 2017, for a total of 115 episodes. Starting in November 2016, it was also broadcast live on the Alpha streaming service from Legendary Digital Networks . The show on Alpha had a unique overlay that included "real-time character sheets, damage and heal animations, and visualizations". Campaign one's closed captions were transcribed by
720-410: The one-shot "Search For Grog". Mercer noted that both Johnson and O'Brien brought character concepts they were toying with for Campaign 3 over to Exandria Unlimited, where they had the chance to develop them with Aabria Iyengar. There was no expectation to carry the characters over to Campaign 3, but the two players enjoyed the characters so much, they decided to keep using them moving forward. Daymond
768-530: The storyline of the last episode of Campaign 1 that required telling outside the time frame of the main show. Other one-shots have only a tangential relationship to the campaigns. These are set in the world of Exandria or feature established canon characters but are not considered canonical themselves. Still other one-shots have no connection at all with the campaigns or the world of Exandria. Some one-shots promote other intellectual properties commissioned by sponsors. Academics Lisa Horton and David Beard, in
816-574: The Arch Heart while also serving as the Dungeon Master. Teh noted that this is "the first time Mercer has handed over the CR reins to someone outside his regular nerdworld collaborators". Tara McCauley of The Escapist commented that unlike the previous guest Dungeon Masters for the campaign, "Salim's godly role combined Dungeon Mastering and divine intervention" by acting from the perspective of
864-553: The Arch Heart. In August 2024, Mercer started to seed the return of the players as their previous campaign parties within arcs in the third campaign which would allow the cast to "play as Vox Machina , the Mighty Nein , and Bells Hells in what would technically be the same fight, though spread out over their respective targets". In October 2024, the cast then reprised their roles as the Mighty Nein while also role-playing as
912-472: The Bells Hells. From Episode 112 to Episode 114, the cast also reprised their roles as Vox Machina in a concurrent arc focused on destroying the Malleus Key. Campaign (role-playing games) A campaign is a continuing storyline in a game. In role-playing games , it is a set of adventures . In video games, it may be a linked series of quests designed to tell a complete story. A campaign in
960-595: The Calamity. In addition to their main campaign series, Critical Role has also broadcast many one-shots – short adventures that take place within a single session of play. As of October 2023, seven of these one-shots are considered canonical ; with four listed on the show's official timeline published in June 2021. Most of the seven are epilogue episodes to one of the first two campaigns. The Search for Grog and The Search for Bob , however, cover events within
1008-672: The Mighty Nein (represented by Beauregard, Jester, Fjord and Mollymauk). The cast reprised their characters at level 15. Five warriors are pulled from different points of Exandria’s timeline to fight on Garyon Garrington’s Plunder Games – an alternate reality TV show. Various guests will reprise their characters in this Battle Royale-style player versus player game: Darin De Paul as Sprigg, Will Friedle as Kashaw Vesh, and ND Stevenson as Tova from Campaign One, Sumalee Montano as Nila from Campaign Two, and Anjali Bhimani as Fy’ra Rai from Exandria Unlimited . A Red Nose Day one-shot where Mercer runs
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#17327982153571056-541: The Prime Deities during the Downfall special. During the later part of the campaign, the cast also reprised as their Vox Machina and Mighty Nein characters from Critical Role 's previous campaigns. Additionally, the following guests have made appearances: The story takes place roughly 10 years after the events of the second campaign , shortly after the events of the limited series Exandria Unlimited . It
1104-554: The Ruby Vanguard to aid their ritual. The party interferes with the ritual preventing the release. Afterwards, Ruidus is locked in place over the Hellcatch Valley Malleus Key which allows people to travel between the moon and Exandria. The Exandrian Accord brought together nations and factions from across the world to form a military alliance in opposition to the forces of Ruidus; Bells Hells, along with
1152-463: The adventures prior to the Kraghammer arc (2015) were not formally recorded, some shorter recordings have been released by the cast. This includes audio from the first session of the campaign, which was released as a segment in the third episode of the podcast All Work No Play . Additionally, Liam O'Brien released a recording of the magic carpet being discovered by the party. Episode 36 features
1200-435: The adventuring parties Vox Machina and Mighty Nein , lend their aid as coordinated strike teams against various Ruidian targets. Campaign 3 has maintained the previous Campaign 2 main cast members, consisting of seven players and the Dungeon Master . The characters met in the city of Jrusar and later named their adventuring party the Bells Hells after a fallen member. Some of the cast played as mortal incarnations of
1248-522: The book The Routledge Handbook of Remix Studies and Digital Humanities , explained that Critical Role 's one-shots "use pastiche, parody, and other forms of obvious remix", highlighting that Critical Role has "mashed-up Harry Potter with The Breakfast Club and Peter Pan with the Wizard of Oz , and the results are entertaining, but they live and die within a single evening". They argued while these one-shots are fun and "achieve positive fan response",
1296-506: The cast announced that campaign two would end shortly, however, "the Mighty Nein's story wasn't finished". Collider reported that " Campaign 2 has spanned 100 hours of battle, 440 slain villains, and 530 total hours of dice-roll-driven adventuring. And that's not even counting the upcoming 7-hour finale". The finale aired on June 3, 2021; it was the longest episode at just over seven hours. The episodes of campaign two split by year: The third campaign premiered on October 21, 2021 with
1344-442: The cast of Critical Role finished their second Dungeons & Dragons campaign. The third campaign premiered on October 21, 2021. The Vox Machina campaign originated as the home game of the cast, played from 2012 to 2017; the show begins in medias res with the characters regrouping in the city of Emon after approximately 6 months apart and the streamed campaign picks up where the cast's original home game left off. While
1392-405: The cast. IGN reported that " Exandria Unlimited will be considered canon within the wider Critical Role story, and 'will affect future environments and timelines across the overall lore of Critical Role.' So as fans await what may come from Campaign 3 of the core CR cast, Unlimited looks to offer a new vantage point into the world of Exandria". IGN also highlighted that "it's likely not
1440-444: The crystal. The Mighty Nein must regroup after the events of the Apogee Solstice in 843 PD and deal with emerging dangers as magical chaos unfolds. They discover that Trent Ikithon has escaped and seeks revenge against Caleb and The Mighty Nein for his imprisonment. These one-shots are set within the world of Exandria or feature established characters from the main campaigns. They are not, however, deemed canonical—having no impact on
1488-510: The events of the second campaign. Several cast members reprise their roles from Exandria Unlimited . The campaign is set on the continent of Marquet, which was briefly visited during the Vox Machina campaign. SyFy Wire highlighted that Marquet is "home to massive deserts, mountains, and even a volcano" and that it is "uncharted territory for the series". The episodes of campaign three split by year: Exandria Unlimited ( ExU )
Critical Role campaign three - Misplaced Pages Continue
1536-497: The first campaign and a decade before the second campaign, Taryon Darrington recruits a new batch of adventurers for his non-profit Darrington Brigade to join him on a new adventure in Wildemount. In 837 PD, six months after the destruction of Lucien, the Mighty Nein are scattered across Wildemount. Uk'otoa's minions steal the last Cloven Crystal after attacking Fjord, Jester, and Kingsley at sea. The Mighty Nein reunite to recover
1584-608: The first two campaigns, the longest continuous appearance was Ashly Burch 's four-episode run in Campaign Two, while Bailey and Willingham were absent following the birth of their child. Daymond portrayed Dorian for the first 14 episodes of the campaign. Shortly after Daymond's departure from the main campaign, he appeared in Exandria Unlimited: Kymal for a further two episodes as Dorian. He then pre‑recorded an audio piece for episode 41. Until Daymond,
1632-457: The guests with the highest episode count had been Will Friedle and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn , who appeared in a total of seven episodes over the course of Campaign One. In Episode 92, Mercer dismissed the main cast at the ad break including "himself as Dungeon Master". The episode then picked up with Aabria Iyengar as the Dungeon Master with Mercer, Daymond, Aimee Carrero , Anjali Bhimani , and Erica Lindbeck reprising their player roles from
1680-475: The main storyline. A group of misfits find themselves swept up in a bar room brawl in a tavern on the outskirts of Jorenn Village near the Umbra Hills. Titled on Geek and Sundry as Trinket's Honey Heist . Uses the one-page RPG system called Honey Heist . Uses the one-page RPG system called Honey Heist . A 4x4 Battle Royale between Vox Machina (represented by Pike, Scanlan, Vax'ildan, and Percy) and
1728-426: The next episodes would be a three-part special titled "Downfall" with Mulligan as the Dungeon Master and the player cast as Bailey, Jaffe, Johnson, Noshir Dalal, Nick Marini, and Abubakar Salim . In 2022, Mulligan was the Dungeon Master for the limited series Exandria Unlimited: Calamity which focused on the events that triggered the Calamity. "Downfall" is set over a century into the Calamity; while officially part of
1776-462: The one-shots are also "unchallenging" and "uncomplicated" as "creative dead ends" in comparison to Critical Role 's campaigns. The following one-shots are listed as canonical parts of the official timeline. Set during the final episode of the series, Vox Machina head to Pandemonium to recover Grog's soul after his use of the Deck of Many Things . In the year 826 P.D, set roughly a decade after
1824-476: The only such story planned; the announcement for the series teases that 'Within the world of Exandria, there are an unlimited amount of stories to be told - and we have only just begun'." The second season, titled Exandria Unlimited: Calamity , was broadcast from May 26 to June 16, 2022. It follows a group of heroes from the Age of Arcanum – an age 1,500 years before the Critical Role series – who attempt to prevent
1872-684: The regular livestream as part of their 7th anniversary celebration. The campaign went on hiatus from the end of May 2022 until June 30, 2022 (during which Exandria Unlimited: Calamity aired). In May 2024, Critical Role announced that Episode 98 will be filmed live at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on June 15 before airing on June 20, 2024. Brennan Lee Mulligan hosted a Q&A before the live show. The way in which guest players were scheduled changed for Campaign Three, moving away from single-episode appearances as had been common before. In
1920-478: The spinoff Exandria Unlimited: Kymal . The following episode wrapped up the Crown Keepers storyline with the guest cast; the main cast returned after the ad break with Daymond as the only continuing guest star. At the end of Episode 98, Mulligan took Mercer's place – his monologue was the opening of a magical projection of the past witnessed by Bells Hells and Ludnius Da'leth. Critical Role then announced
1968-457: The story may be called " on rails ". Some published games have deliberately used different terms for the same concept. For instance, White Wolf uses the word Chronicle for its World of Darkness and Exalted games. The Lego Group simply uses the word Story for its Lego video games . List of Critical Role episodes#Other Critical Role episodes split by campaign and then by year, as well as one-shot episodes. In June 2021,
Critical Role campaign three - Misplaced Pages Continue
2016-515: The story, breaking up the game into alternating interactive and non-interactive sequences. In open world video games, campaigns usually consist of a series of linked quests that require players to travel to specific locations to continue the story. Players who dislike being forced to travel and complete specific quests may ignore the main story. In this sense, campaigns are the game's main story, as opposed to side quests . Heavily scripted video games that force players to progress linearly through
2064-542: The superstitions around the Ruidusborn, people born during spontaneous flares of the red moon. They eventually discover that the gods crafted Ruidus to imprison an ancient evil known as Predathos and that the Ruby Vanguard – founded and led by Martinet Ludinus Da'leth – seek to free this entity during the Apogee Solstice. The Bells Hells attempted to prevent this by targeting the Malleus Keys, magical devices built by
2112-410: The third campaign, it is advertised as a standalone special that does not require prior knowledge of Critical Role or Exandria Unlimited . Cheryl Teh of Business Insider highlighted that "Downfall" focuses on the fall of the magocracy Aeor and suggested this will "allow Mulligan to flex his storytelling chops, perhaps reprising some elements of his first EXU: Calamity run". Mulligan commented that
2160-399: The two series wrestle with very different themes so while both are about the fall of flying cities, each has a distinct story. Mulligan also highlighted that while Calamity shows the trigger of the Calamity, it was more about the end of the Age of Arcanum while Downfall occurs over a century into the Calamity and showcases that era. In the last hour of Episode 107, Salim reprised his role as
2208-595: Was briefly visited during the Vox Machina campaign. The Mighty Nein campaign is set about 20 years after Vox Machina's final battle against Vecna ; it takes place at a time where tensions are very high between the Dwendalian Empire and the Kryn Dynasty, two of Wildemount's major powers. Prior to a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the show had broadcast live, but has been pre-recorded since its return for episode 100 of Campaign Two. In May 2021,
2256-414: Was brought in a special guest to help carry them forward over into Campaign 3. Willingham's second character, Chetney, was inspired by a character he had previously played in the non-canon one-shot "The Night Before Critmas". Additionally, Mercer has brought back several player characters from previous campaigns as NPCs such as Vox Machina's Keyleth and Pike and The Mighty Nein's Caleb and Beau. The format
2304-428: Was built for the third campaign. The cast are no longer divided into socially distanced individual tables, but returned instead to a common table as had been the case prior to the pandemic. The campaign features "enhanced set designs, music, lighting and effects, along with improved sound (each actor will have an individual mic)." The show airs each Thursday at 19:00 PT on Critical Role's Twitch and YouTube channels. In
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