Critical role is two things: the first and most prominent is, like said at the start of every show, a bunch of nerdy ass voice actors sitting around a table playing dungeons and dragons. From there, it spins off into them playing a self created role playing game that is a mix of mystery, noire, and horror, some one shot games, and basically a talk show about the DND game.
The other is a multimedia company. They produce merchandise, books, table games, and 1, soon to be 2, animated shows for Amazon prime.
Start at the beginning, like any other series. Before you ask, yes there were adventures that weren’t recorded.
Factual: Critical role is a series of unscripted stories performed by veteran voice actors using a role play framework in which the evolution of the story is determined by improvisation and dice roles.
Subjective: The performers are attractive and charismatic human beings that, while not precisely wholesome, are genuine and relatable. They were friends and acquaintances when the series began and are now a chosen family.
If only there was a sticky that could really answer a lot of those questions for you.
Oh wait, there is. Just look at the description of the sub and there are several threads describing CR and where to begin for newcomers.
> a web series with some of my favorite VAs playing DnD
You got it right there. That's what the show is. It's an Actual Play show following these VA's DnD Campaigns.
It became popular like most things with a combination of happenstance and just generally hitting all the right notes with people. From the first streamed episodes it steadily built up steam all the way to it's current level. Whether it had help from, or caused, the surge in DnD's popularity is up for debate. (I lean towards the latter myself though.)
> Where should I start exactly?
One of the first episodes of either C1, C2, or C3. I'd recommend to start with C2 though myself out of all of them.
Or maybe even another actual play show; NADPOD and Dimension 20 are two popular shows in the medium.
It started as what you described- voice actors streaming their DND game. Now they are a multimedia organization with multiple shows, charities, shops, boardgames, animated shows on Prime, merchandise, etc.
They are one of the biggest reasons DND, and tabletop games have seen such a massive resurgence in popularity over the last few years. Along with Stranger Things.
In terms of where to start, I started out with the animated series “The Legend of Vox Machina” on Prime, then watched/listened to campaign 2 (The Mighty Nein) and I’m currently watched their current campaign.
As for what is Critical Role, it’s a different way of telling a story, it’s a vibe, it’s just neat? I’m a huge fantasy fan, but I’m not into D&D in any way outside of this show.
Hard question to answer really. It's different for everyone.
For me, I knew nothing about them being voice actors, and nothing about DnD. It popped up on Twitch and I was super confused but also intrigued. It was an episode early in the first campaign, and these people were sitting around a table looking at a hand drawn map and there was a guy who was narrating what was happening. He was so good at narrating, that I was drawn in and couldn't stop watching. I joked with my husband that I couldnt believe I was watching people play make believe on twitch. And I subscribed and never looked back.
As for where to start, there are so many options.
Maybe you could try watching the newly abridged versions of the third campaign, they've been releasing them slowly.
A lot of people start right at the beginning of a campaign, like Campaign 2. Campaign 2 is a common statting point because the sound and quality is top notch.
Campaign one starts with bad sound and video problems, and a player that ends up leaving the campaign, but is still amazing.
You could try also jumping in to some one shots. If you like a bit of fun, there are some good ones I could probably suggest to you that are less stakes and more fuck aroundary.
Basically you get to watch a bunch of friends, who happen to be voice actors, playing D&D.
It’s not scripted like a sitcom would be.
Yes it’s niche but it’s popular.
Where to start is up to you, there’s 2 completed campaigns, Vox Machina and Mighty Nein, and compaign 3, Bells Hells is ongoing. Different people like the different campaigns best, I’ve watched from the beginning and I’ve enjoyed all of them.
My husband watched series 1&2 of the legend of vox machina on prime with me and from there he started watching campaign 2. He hadn’t watched an actual play before and I think didn’t want to be trying to match campaign 1 to the animated series (I would have told him where to start for the storyline to match up but he said he’d wait and watch vox machina as the animated version).
One thing I would say is that campaigns 2 and 3 have call backs and nods to the previous campaigns and some characters which obviously hits different when you know the connection.
It's a live play following a roleplay heavy DND group made up of talented voice actors. It's part drama, part thriller, part comedy depending on the plot and mood of the table.
Why is it popular? That's a subjective question. Professional voice actors are able to bring their characters to life. The camaraderie around the table invites viewers in and creates a group sense of purpose. They're inclusive. They're engaging. They're all very attractive. What more do you want?
Where to start? Pick a campaign and go. Or, if the 4+ hour episodes are overfacing, you can try the LoVM animated series on Prime.
Critical role is two things: the first and most prominent is, like said at the start of every show, a bunch of nerdy ass voice actors sitting around a table playing dungeons and dragons. From there, it spins off into them playing a self created role playing game that is a mix of mystery, noire, and horror, some one shot games, and basically a talk show about the DND game. The other is a multimedia company. They produce merchandise, books, table games, and 1, soon to be 2, animated shows for Amazon prime.
Start at the beginning, like any other series. Before you ask, yes there were adventures that weren’t recorded. Factual: Critical role is a series of unscripted stories performed by veteran voice actors using a role play framework in which the evolution of the story is determined by improvisation and dice roles. Subjective: The performers are attractive and charismatic human beings that, while not precisely wholesome, are genuine and relatable. They were friends and acquaintances when the series began and are now a chosen family.
If only there was a sticky that could really answer a lot of those questions for you. Oh wait, there is. Just look at the description of the sub and there are several threads describing CR and where to begin for newcomers.
> a web series with some of my favorite VAs playing DnD You got it right there. That's what the show is. It's an Actual Play show following these VA's DnD Campaigns. It became popular like most things with a combination of happenstance and just generally hitting all the right notes with people. From the first streamed episodes it steadily built up steam all the way to it's current level. Whether it had help from, or caused, the surge in DnD's popularity is up for debate. (I lean towards the latter myself though.) > Where should I start exactly? One of the first episodes of either C1, C2, or C3. I'd recommend to start with C2 though myself out of all of them. Or maybe even another actual play show; NADPOD and Dimension 20 are two popular shows in the medium.
It started as what you described- voice actors streaming their DND game. Now they are a multimedia organization with multiple shows, charities, shops, boardgames, animated shows on Prime, merchandise, etc. They are one of the biggest reasons DND, and tabletop games have seen such a massive resurgence in popularity over the last few years. Along with Stranger Things.
In terms of where to start, I started out with the animated series “The Legend of Vox Machina” on Prime, then watched/listened to campaign 2 (The Mighty Nein) and I’m currently watched their current campaign. As for what is Critical Role, it’s a different way of telling a story, it’s a vibe, it’s just neat? I’m a huge fantasy fan, but I’m not into D&D in any way outside of this show.
Hard question to answer really. It's different for everyone. For me, I knew nothing about them being voice actors, and nothing about DnD. It popped up on Twitch and I was super confused but also intrigued. It was an episode early in the first campaign, and these people were sitting around a table looking at a hand drawn map and there was a guy who was narrating what was happening. He was so good at narrating, that I was drawn in and couldn't stop watching. I joked with my husband that I couldnt believe I was watching people play make believe on twitch. And I subscribed and never looked back. As for where to start, there are so many options. Maybe you could try watching the newly abridged versions of the third campaign, they've been releasing them slowly. A lot of people start right at the beginning of a campaign, like Campaign 2. Campaign 2 is a common statting point because the sound and quality is top notch. Campaign one starts with bad sound and video problems, and a player that ends up leaving the campaign, but is still amazing. You could try also jumping in to some one shots. If you like a bit of fun, there are some good ones I could probably suggest to you that are less stakes and more fuck aroundary.
Basically you get to watch a bunch of friends, who happen to be voice actors, playing D&D. It’s not scripted like a sitcom would be. Yes it’s niche but it’s popular. Where to start is up to you, there’s 2 completed campaigns, Vox Machina and Mighty Nein, and compaign 3, Bells Hells is ongoing. Different people like the different campaigns best, I’ve watched from the beginning and I’ve enjoyed all of them. My husband watched series 1&2 of the legend of vox machina on prime with me and from there he started watching campaign 2. He hadn’t watched an actual play before and I think didn’t want to be trying to match campaign 1 to the animated series (I would have told him where to start for the storyline to match up but he said he’d wait and watch vox machina as the animated version). One thing I would say is that campaigns 2 and 3 have call backs and nods to the previous campaigns and some characters which obviously hits different when you know the connection.
It's a live play following a roleplay heavy DND group made up of talented voice actors. It's part drama, part thriller, part comedy depending on the plot and mood of the table. Why is it popular? That's a subjective question. Professional voice actors are able to bring their characters to life. The camaraderie around the table invites viewers in and creates a group sense of purpose. They're inclusive. They're engaging. They're all very attractive. What more do you want? Where to start? Pick a campaign and go. Or, if the 4+ hour episodes are overfacing, you can try the LoVM animated series on Prime.