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Last week, tabletop gaming royalty Critical Role announced their highly anticipated fourth campaign at their Indianapolis live show. Premiering on Oct. 2, the currently untitled actual-play series will see the troupe of voice actors once again craft an intricately told fantasy saga whose improvised story and action will be determined by player decision and rolls of the dice, streaming live for fans to see.
Details are slim, but the one major revelation has created a stir online: Dimension 20’s Brennan Lee Mulligan will be taking over the Game Master’s chair for the duration of the campaign, replacing Critical Role co-founder and resident Dungeon Master Matthew Mercer. The announcement was met with a mix of excitement and trepidation across the board, with most fans being cautiously optimistic about the shakeup. Instead, Mercer will finally get a seat at the table as a player, rather than being the narrative mastermind running the show.
The news was certainly a shock to many, with concerns stemming mostly from the unknown. While Mulligan is a beloved personality in his own right in the tabletop gaming community, his position at the head of the table raises more questions than ever about what Campaign 4 will look like. After 10 years of Critical Role, the show’s highly parasocial fans (affectionately called Critters) have high expectations, on top of numerous worries about what the future holds for their virtual friends and heroes.
On top of the start date, only a tiny bit of information is currently known. Per the official reveal, the campaign is supposedly set in an entirely new world apart from Exandria, the realm in which all three previous series take place. Otherwise, fans can only speculate — but there’s plenty of IRL Critical Role lore to go off of. Here are the biggest questions we have about Critical Role’s next campaign.
Who will be in the core cast?
In the past, the group of players seen in Critical Role consisted primarily of its founders: Laura Bailey, Travis Willingham, Taliesin Jaffe, Sam Riegel, Liam O’Brien, Marisha Ray, and Ashley Johnson at the table, with Mercer serving as the Dungeon Master. With Mercer now a full-time PC (player character), it would continue the years-long trend Critical Role has followed of evolving, nurturing, and platforming new voices to add to their story, whether it’s in Exandria or beyond. Critical Role isn’t afraid to throw in guest stars at the table to add a little spice, with personal friends and colleagues dropping in for short or prolonged stints stretching back to Campaign 1.
With a new Game Master at the helm, it’s entirely possible that other changes could be made to the main crew. Will everyone be returning in full? Will there be even more new faces snagging a permanent or temporary spot? If so, there are some likely candidates that have been tossed around by fans.
Robbie Daymond is a top contender for a place in the game. Daymond is a fan-favorite, having previously appeared as Dorian Storm in Critical Role’s miniseries Exandria: Unlimited and Howard Mangrove in the group’s horror TTRPG series Candela Obscura. A permanent member of Campaign 3 (Bells Hells), appearing in nearly every single episode — and some one shots, too— Daymond has proven himself as a dynamic and resourceful player, as well as a masterful storyteller in his own right. He’s even gone on the road with the company as part of their ongoing live tour. It’s a good bet that Daymond will show up in some capacity for the next big outing.
Another solid fan pick is voice actor Darin DePaul (Overwatch), who appeared in two episodes of the first campaign as Sprigg, an elderly gnome and a steward of the Mistress Ioun. Quick-witted, effortlessly funny, DePaul brought a lightheartedness to the table during a particularly dark point in the story. His chemistry with the rest of the cast was palpable and led to him being invited back for one-shots Doom Eternal and Guest Battle Royale.
Other favorites include actress Aabria Iyengar (Dimension 20) — who DM’d the first season of Exandria Unlimited, Chris Perkins (Creative Director of Darrington Press), and actors like Christian Naavaro (13 Reasons Why), Aimee Carrero (The Menu), and Erika Ishii (Ghost of Yōtei). There have been so many people at the table across all three campaigns and miniseries, including Dimension 20 alumni Emily Axford and Lou Wilson. With Mulligan involved, will even more D20 players step in for a holistic, fandom-blending crossover extravaganza?
Will they be playing Dungeons & Dragons?
One of the biggest questions surrounding Campaign 4 is whether the group will use Darrington Press’s new Daggerheart game system or stick with Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition. Critical Role has built an empire on playing D&D, but having expanded into publishing their own systems with Candela Obscura and Daggerheart —the latter used as the basis for the recent Age of Umbra miniseries — there’s a good chance the entire framework of the main show could be overhauled to a new platform entirely.
A Daggerheart campaign is a strong possibility. Following the enthusiastic response from beta testing, the success of Age of Umbra during their weekly Thursday night slot, and, most notably, the addition of former Wizards of the Coast members Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford to the Darrington Press creative team, the buzz around the new game system is strong. It seems as though they’re making strides to move away from Dungeons & Dragons.
However, an argument could be made for Dungeons & Dragons. Since its inception, Critical Role has used 5th edition for their flagship show. D&D now has a 50-year legacy, and with Critical Role’s help, remains more popular than ever in the tabletop gaming community. It’s familiar to their central audience and is a comfort for many — serving as a gateway for players and viewers alike into the fandom.
Even though Daggerheart is the new kid on the block, it lends itself to being far more open and beginner-friendly. For starters, there is no d20 (that’s a 20-sided die) — a mainstay in Dungeons & Dragons that’s used for a majority of rolls. Instead, players rely on a 2d12 (two 12-sided die) system; one die each used for the Hope and Fear mechanic. If you roll higher in Hope, you have the power to assist allies, boost spells, or charm an enemy; if you roll higher in Fear, there will be consequences to your actions, even if the check was successful.
Initiative order (i.e. the defined sequence of player turns) has also been scrapped in place of spontaneity. Players can simply describe what they want to do, rolling their duality dice to see if they are successful or not. This lends itself to a more fluid narrative flow as opposed to the story grinding to a halt for combat. It’s better for telling a more cinematic story.
From a business standpoint, it would make sense. With three campaigns of Dungeons & Dragons under their belt, it isn’t hard to see why Critical Role may want to usher in a new era and showcase their own game. That doesn’t mean Dungeons & Dragons would necessarily be abandoned on their channel; they could just be trying something else. Not only to show off their adaptability as a company, but to welcome in new audiences curious about the system.
How will it differ tonally?
Outside of who is playing what, a major concern fans have is how the show’s storytelling and tone will change without Mercer as its creative shepherd. Mulligan has shown his prowess at the Critical Role table before in spinoffs Exandria Unlimited: Calamity and Exandria Unlimited: Divergence, not only building upon the world that Mercer created, but adding to it with the DM’s blessing. It’s clear that Mulligan has exceptional chemistry with the Critical Role cast, which potentially makes him a great fit for adventures going forward.
However, it will be an adjustment for fans who are used to Mercer’s traditional Dungeons & Dragons style of campaign — defined by longform episodes, frequent lulls in the action, and slower-paced and extended story beats. Mercer’s table feels like an at-home Dungeons & Dragons campaign, with frivolous shopping episodes, long-brewing backstory revelations, and the fostering of relationships throughout the campaign. His style has sent ripples through the tabletop community, dubbed ‘The Mercer Effect,’ saddling at-home DMs with the daunting task of living up to the expectations of players weaned on Critical Role storytelling. Mercer also brings his expansive knowledge of not only the game, but of the world itself (it’s his brain child, after all); as a human encyclopedia of Exandra, there isn’t a question asked that Matt doesn’t have the answer to readily available.
Conversely, Mulligan’s Dimension 20 campaigns (like Fantasy High and Unsleeping City) follow a more stylized method of storytelling, with an upbeat tempo tailored to a pre-recorded, edited-in-post design. Dimension 20 airs its actual play in neater, more digestible two-hour episodes, as opposed to playing out languidly in real-time like Critical Role. Mulligan’s knack for cinematic storytelling makes the faster pace of D20’s shows a treat, packed wall-to-wall with hilarious and emotional moments that command attention even in front of stadium-sized crowds.
And if Exandria Unlimited: Calamity and Divergence have proven anything, it’s that Mulligan is more than up to the task of upholding Critical Role’s more ‘home-game’ feel. Never missing a beat, he has the tendency to follow the rule of cool more liberally than Mercer does for the sake of story and allows players to flex their creativity in whatever way they see fit, so long as it leads to an entertaining story or strong character moment. Mulligan excels at improv, following the tenets of yes, and — all while rolling with the punches, resulting in some of the most dynamic storytelling in tabletop streaming history.
Will Campaign 4 be as long as previous ones?
This is a bit of a toss up. Critical Role is known for its longer style of storytelling, with campaigns spanning hundreds of four-hours episodes across multiple years. Mulligan has been known to run shorter campaigns, usually wrapping up within a year (see: Exandria Unlimited: Calamity, Fantasy High), and episodes that average around two hours. With this next series, it could finally be time to introduce a new format into the Critical Role mix.
While the notion might frighten fans who have Thursday nights perpetually blocked off on their calendars, shorter episodes could prove beneficial in giving the Critical Role founders a little bit of a break. Believe it or not, they’re pretty busy! Between running Critical Role Productions (the business), starring in the main actual play series and spin-offs, developing and voicing two animated series (The Legend of Vox Machina and The Mighty Nein), running a charity foundation, starting their own publishing arm in Darrington Press, and working on their own video game, the core cast has barely slowed down for the last decade. Not to mention that every single member of Critical Role is a successful voice actor in their own right, and continue to work regularly on non-tabletop projects..
In addition, Mulligan himself recently signed a three-year deal with Dropout on top of his Critical Role GM duties, with more episodes of Dimension 20 in the works. And while the move is an ambitious one, an argument could be made that a shorter Campaign 4 would benefit all involved to refresh both GMs’ creative chops and leave Mercer open to pursue different endeavors outside of the world of Exandria (or future ones within it).
With Mulligan being one of the most sought-after storytellers on the internet, he claims to be playing “almost as much DnD as he wants to be.” According to Mulligan, episodes of the latest season of Dimension 20 have been filmed in advance, leaving room open for him to have as much time at the table as he needs. With that, there’s hope that future episodes will be any shorter than before.
Is this a true changing of the guard?
Mercer has already made it clear that Exandria will be his life’s work, but even he needs a break. Having been in the DM role for 10 years (if we’re only counting the stream), he’s been constantly adding, expanding, and changing his world. But by his own admission, all he’s ever wanted to do is play at the table with his friends. And now, he’s got his chance.
The eventual changeover from the founders to a new generation of players on Critical Role was never really a question; it’s always been more of when it would happen. Mercer previously told Rolling Stone that fostering the future of the brand is a key part of their overall strategy: “I hope to one day pass the torch to a bunch of incredible people with new ideas and new perspectives and give them the space to tell their stories.”
Across its many spin-offs, one-shots, and live shows, Critical Role has been subtly (or not) planting the seeds for its own longevity. With the inclusion of Daymond as a full-time player in Campaign 3, multiple new DMs across their Exandria one-shots and minis, and Mulligan’s role beginning later this year, the transition is in full effect.
But much like any tale told in Critical Role, what comes next remains unwritten — at least, for the fans. What audiences can expect is the same narrative twists, roll-based chaos, and good vibes that have brought the show this far. The real question everyone should be asking themselves is who will be the first to romance Mercer’s character?
Critical Role returns on Oct 2., streaming live on Beacon, Twitch, and YouTube.
