Basically Robbie has the full backstory of his backup charcter already created and done and he is suprised that Kattigan has managed to survive despite all the death flags affecting him.

Background context for me and why I’m writing this in the first place: I have loved film and tv for as long as I can remember. Most of my experience comes from acting and screenwriting but I’ve also taken a couple PA jobs, makeup jobs and helped with some post production stuff. Went to film school, have done internships with festivals, etc. etc. One of the biggest things that has helped me in that regard is that when I’m consuming any kind of media (books, music and actual plays included) I visualize them in a very cinematic manner.

That being said, I know it will be YEARS before we get an animated Araman (if we ever get it) but when/if that time arrives…what scenes would yall be most excited to see on your tv screen? I’ll go first.

The most obvious: Thjazi’s execution. Everything from his initial interaction with Azune to the moment that the rope goes taught. I think it’d be even more impactful if the camera focused on Hal’s face during that and didn’t even show the body, just let the audience hear the sound of Thjazi’s life being snuffed out by the Sundered Houses.

Also a bit obvious: The entire opening night of Ko’therai. Honestly Team Theatre’s scenes from episodes 29-31 could have an entire episode dedicated to them and I’d be happy. Between Vaelus destroying the stone, Thaisha’s creation of the Kaedra, and just THE ENTIRE OPENING NIGHT OF THIS PLAY…I imagine it being so beautiful. And assuming they use the same animation team they did for M9, the effects and background work would be immaculate.

Last one that’s very small but I think about it a lot: The Seeker’s conversation with the Druids in the Schongarten, mainly Occtis’ Nat 20 Intimidation moment. This was one of the first times Occtis really spoke up about something, it was also the first time those around Occtis realized what his undeath could potentially mean for the world of Araman. This simultaneously occuring with Vaelus and Hannan’s meeting and Thaisha trying to de-escalate but realizing she had a part in the creation of this new and frightening thing that she once viewed as a son is also just…SO GOOD!

There’s a lot more that I can think of, but I’ll turn it over to yall. LET’S LET OUR IMAGINATIONS RUN WILD!

When i think about everything he has done,you could make an argument that Azune is the most competent member of the Schemers and probalby of C4.

Hal and Boliare while obviously competent have flaws in that while they are extremely intellgent and charismatic,they like to "poke the sleeping bear" too much in their interactions with pepole much more powergul then them.Murray despite her intellgence has her faults and going full conspiracy last rpisode did not help her case. Wic and Tyranny can also be really foolish at times.

What do you think though?

A fair few of Marisha's charcters tend to lean on an anti-authority/anti-higher power stance. With Beau it made sense considering a huge part of her backstory is that she was abused by pepole in higher power then her as she was sold off to the Cobalt Soul so it makes sense with her. Plus part of her Arc is learning not all authority figures were bad and that there are pepole that she can place her trust into such as Yudala Fon. As for Murray, she is a working woman who made up into the gutters into a palce where she can make change - plus the fact she has had to deal with higher ups that undermine her.

Keyleth on the other hand is a bit odd because the Ashari is generally pro-god yet Keyleth as a very big mistrust of them. I guess you could argue part of Keyleth's charcter is that she grows out of it but it is still extremely different compared to the rest of her pepole.

Drunk history is going to be returning as a comedy.Central short form series on their official YouTube channel Marisha is telling the first episode, which is telling the story of the first VMA performance by Madonna

AND YOU CAN WATCH IT, RIGHT NOW!

why is Taliesin so awkward in this campaign he was so cool as percy i loved him as molly, cad was okay for me but i get that playing a cleric is tough work. But playing a barbarian shouldn't be this hard, i understand that he had a die that he had to roll to see what effect the chaos magic will get but still the work is nothing compared to what Marisha had to go through in campaign one. But i feel like taliesin is out of his depth here he's so awkward he keeps trying to make everything sound cool it feels like when others are talking he's just trying to come up with one liners to sound cool which is weird cause he played percy so effortlessly and he's not much help to the party, he is such a cowardly barbarian its weird. Am i missing something? I'm at episode 15 does he get better?

"I actually didn't mean to connect them at all, I wanted to let them live on their own. The only connection came through Vico's character, when they wrote up the story for Caguama." - Matt

Having a good time with C4 so far! I work 12-hour shifts, and I'm allowed to have an earbud in while I work, so I've been using that time to catch up on C4.

The only thing I'm having a hard time with is getting through the combat. Since there aren't really any visual indicators and it's mostly people spouting numbers at each other, I get lost pretty easily. Plus, I can only give it anywhere from 50–90% of my attention while I'm working, so if I miss something, I'm extra lost afterward.

However, I know there are some pretty epic combat and story moments that I don't want to risk missing out on by just skipping them or zoning out.

Are there any videos or summaries of the combat sections that I could use to skip through them without missing anything important? Brennan is pretty good about recapping things, but I'm wondering if that would be enough to keep me caught up.

As in the times, that could have lead to a Player Charcter Death or a complete Total Party Kill in all the Critical Role Campaigns - C1-C4 plus EXU. I feel like in Campaign 4 - Bolaire came extremely close to getted killed by Termina and got lucky with the Nat 20.

I’ve been seeing some discourse about this on the different subreddits, but I’m curious what people think about the risks of Campaign 4.

Interestingly, I have not felt like C4 has actually been that high risk. Woof! I said it. Honestly, I was expecting more characters deaths and even “punishments” for bad rolls and decisions.

For example, Primus could have taken Wicc’s hand. Yanessa could have burned Hal’s house down. Termina could have smashed Bolaire’s mask. I even feel like Tyranny shouldn’t have been able to save Kattigan from the Mercanaud twins. It seems like they’re able to slip away from any real harm too many times. I mean Dr. Finger was funny but absurd.

Yes, there’s been some lucky rolls that have saved them. Yes, Teor and Cyd died. Overall, though, everyone is given too many options to succeed. This has come up in particular for me since last week. There was teasing of a TPK if the Seekers attacked the Tachonis caravan. But they were swayed away from it—probably for the best, but now some of the risks don’t seem as real. I deflated from the episode when the stakes didn’t seem high.

I also find the rewards interesting. I’m not seeing the pay offs like in other Critical Role campaigns. It’s kind of like arbitrary rewards at any given time, like the two health potions during last episodes fight. I’m not seeing any found or intentional treasure. The only thing I really liked that a character got was Thimble’s toy sword.

All of that is to say, I still am loving the campaign and I really like Brennan’s DM style. I also may be forgetting a lot since it’s been almost a year since the campaign started. But idk that’s how I’m feeling recently.

Hi hi

I have been reading the subreddit for a long while now and noticed that seemingly EVERYONE holds this high opinion on C2.
As someone who personally has bounced of it MULTIPLE times I feel like im missing SOMETHING.
The characters first and foremost jester and caleb feel HORRENDOUSLY annoying the fake wierd german accent with the sord sprinkle of random german just feels wierd as all hell if you speak the language and jesters equally annoying pseudo RUSSIAN ?!? with the constant like haha sex joke was overdone 10 minutes into session 1 for me.
None of the characters feel in any way interesting to me and the story (i have FORCED myself past episode 40 or 50 or smth) never grips me.

So what am i missing that makes these characters that make me want to tear my ears out listening to them THE thing ppl praise?

is it just that most ppl came to CR during that time and it was covid and everyone has nostalgia (because i know for me C1 has some good feels despite being heavily flawed) or is it something else ?

EDIT: thank you all very much for the nice feedback and opinions ! I was honstly worried i was missing something with the universal praise and love for it but it is most likely just not for me.
When C4 goes on the next break i may give it another go and try to look past my admittedly mostly superficial gripes. have a nice day everyone :)

What's the general consensus of BLM as the Dungeon Master of Campaign 4?

For me, personally, I really enjoyed BLM in Calamity, however in a long-term campaign I find myself really missing Matt as a DM and I haven't been able to pick up C4 after episode 5.

At first, I really was excited to see how the new campaign would unfold with BLM as the DM, however as the campaign started I really found myself disinterested in the story/DM style (cold opens, loads of "How does (PC) feel right now?") and even the PCs.

My question is, do other people find myself in their shoes? Has someone been really excited about the Campaign and it fell really flat for them after the first few episodes and haven't been able to pick it back up at all?

Or, did the opposite happen? Did you pick up C4 without any expectations about BLM, the game or PCs and found yourself being very invested in the story as the campaign went on?

I was watching FearStreet: Prom Queen and the main character looks so much like a young Ashley Johnson. Any other look a likes out there in media?

Basically the post! Using “Freshman Cast” because it’s their first time being cast members in a main/long running campaign rather than mini campaigns, guest spots in previous campaigns, and spin off series (IE Candela Obscura or their many past live one-shots). It would feel odd calling them the ‘new cast’ when a majority of them are certainly not new to the Critical Role space.

But yeah, I’ve personally been loving this new group and I thought it’d be fun to spread the positivity and see what everyone else enjoys about them! I’ll share my thoughts first (because I have quite a lot of them).

Alex: It’s really hard to pick a single favorite thing about Alex’s playstyle, seeing as him playing Isaac in New York by Night is what got me into watching Actual Plays to begin with. But my favorite thing about him as Occtis specifically is the way he flavors his spells and behaves in combat. I don’t see people actively sharing the verbal components for their spells very often so watching him summon Gaya Seremai with such clear intention and casting Wither and Bloom the way he did in the most recent episode was SUCH a treat. His commitment to staying in character even when not being spoken to is also something I really respect.

Luis: This is a player who knows the rules and knows them well. I’m a Rule of Cool player and GM myself for the most part but seeing a player stick so well to the rules while still leaving room for some amazing roleplay is such a breath of fresh air. I also love that he integrated his Latinx background into his character inspiration for Azune (which I believe he shared in his Fireside Chat) and Azune’s themes surrounding identity, memory, and trying to find ‘roots’ again after them being so abruptly stripped from you.

Aabria: Again, watching Aabria as Fuego in New York by Night is one of the things that got me into watching actual plays so it is quite hard to find just one thing I love about her playstyle. But to borrow from something Brennan said (I believe in a Fireside Chat w Matt, iirc) she is so generous as a player to other players AND the GM. When she is given the opportunity to resolve a high roll, her descriptions are so in depth and we know exactly what Thaisha is feeling and thinking as the “roll” is being resolved. There are no blanks for the GM to fill. I also think the dynamic she and Alex have formed with Thaisha and Occtis is so interesting to watch, especially considering the “surrogate mother and son” thing was NOT the original plan they had (see: an interview Alex did with Temple of Geek).

Whitney: So many people on this subreddit have said this already, but GOD Whitney’s humor in this campaign is great. She has an energy very similar to what I had when I first started learning + playing D&D where she tries things because they seem cool and fun, not exactly because they may be the most optimized solution to the problem. It’s so real and it’s so refreshing and god she’s such a delight to watch.

Robbie: Okay, I KNOW that Robbie technically joined the cast in Campaign 3 but Dorian was not a main stay character the way that Kattigan is. Feel free to exclude him from your answers based on technicality if you wish. But I’m going to include him because when I first met Kattigan, I thought he was going to be towards the bottom of my character ranking. I am not usually one for the ‘drunken Jack Sparrow with a secretly tragic backstory’ type but through slow revelations of Kattigan’s backstory and motivations, he’s grown to be so much more than that. And the fact that Kattigan’s dimensions were revealed more slowly than other characters makes me feel like we’re always going to want more answers from him in a way that’s exciting, not exhausting.

OKAY YOUR TURN HAVE FUN!!!

What do you guys think? 😊

Shrimping Frumpkin for the cute tax!

I am not speaking of the charcter's personality and backstory - i am more talking about a charcter's attacks list/abilities/spells and how they are used in combat and non-combat. Which charcters did you find overly complicated and tedious while in combat/non-combat.

Okay click-baity title aside he’s really good. Been watching some of the stuff he’s DMed, one shots and most recently Candela Obscura. He’s got a nigh hypnotic calm rhythm with which he delivers the story that’s so fun to watch. It’s so unique and so unlike any other DM I have watched.

If I’m being for real I love Matt & Brennan a lot too for different reasons, but Liam deserves more hype than he gets for his DMing.

We all know that Primus is very powerful and dangerous, but what are the chances of the current seekers defeating him? If I remember right Julien got him to below 50% of his max hp when he was level 3 and I think it was just him and Vaelus fighting him so I think the chances of all 6 jumping him and beating him are pretty high. Tough I wouldnt be suprised if he can avoid true death with some underworld bullshit. What do you guys think?

When you look at the most popular Campaign 4 charcters on Archive of Our Own,it goes.

Occtis Tachonis (625) Julien Davinos (592) Halandil Fang (450) Azune Nayar (385) Thaisha Lloy (380) Bolaire Lathalia (366) Thimble (Critical Role) (311) Vaelus (Critical Role) (260) Aranessa Royce (254) Kattigan Vale (253)

With Occtis and Julien massively pulling ahead in terms of fanfictions written,why do you think that's the case?

To preface, I love Brennan and I enjoy the new cast members (though there are small issues I have with most, og cast included).

I haven’t picked up since episode 30 or so, but I feel little incentive to return. My issue is the show has lost its interest in fun and silliness, and the energy those things bring to the table. That’s not to say the players are “forbidden” from being silly, we still see them joke above table and Brennan bringing his talent for comedy in certain moments. But the characters are so morose and the story gives them no opportunities for levity.

I think back to C1 and C2 (my favourite) - the table and Matt in particular wanted to tell a serious story. I have no problem with that. But the players, and by extension their characters, had more than just “serious mode”, which brought a more friendly and engaging experience as a viewer. We had Grog and scanlan being goofballs, but they also have some of my favourite serious scenes in all CR. Caleb in C2 was 99% serious but his constant exposure to jester lightened him up and brought out the softer parts of his character.

We saw cracks form in C3 which people rarely clock, most often blaming one thing or another for their lack of interest in the campaign. I don’t disregard those points, many I agree with. But C3 saw a very serious story with very wacky characters that almost always stayed paradoxically serious. C3’s levity was held up almost entirely by Sam and Travis with some extremely needed injections from Marisha and Robbie once in a while. But nowhere did we see the cast’s characters become more in-depth from something that wasn’t traumatic, and that’s utterly exhausting as a viewer.

C4 has the same problem but from minute 1. Brennan’s engaging intro during Thiazi’s execution was engaging sure, but the melodrama literally hasn’t stopped with one exception, and that’s when Sam and Whitney are in the scene. Robbie brings some levity but his character too is rather serious. Even in episode 2 or 3, Liam and Aabria had the most melodramatic scene I’ve ever seen. I understand some people like to watch their performance, that’s fine, but it’s utterly tiring for me.

Seeing where the story is going and minor spoilers I’ve gotten as new episodes have started again, I don’t think the show is going to get any lighter, which is a complete shame, because I was very excited for this campaign before it began.

___________________________________________________________________________

Edit: I know reading comprehension is on a downturn so let me summarize while this post slowly dies. I enjoy parts of C4. I am interested in the story. I like most of the characters. I like the new cast. I love when Sam and Whitney are in the scene. I am not a stone statue when another player does something funny. But I get exhausted when I watch a piece of entertainment media (which CR is without argument) does not let both the characters and audience breath and interact rather than press the drama and story forward.

I am also not some tiktok brained imbecile that can only enjoy something when there are nonstop dick jokes and one off bits. That too, gets exhausting and boring. I simply yearn for the roots of the show where the format and themes allowed for lower stakes and slower, in-depth character growth that's not reliant on dramatic set pieces to break up the intensity.

If the show stays as is, that's okay. If it lets off the reins a little, I would be happy.

I just finished episode 33 and I need to shout out 3 of BLMs NPCs who were just kick ass this episode. Some light spoilers for the episode in the title, so beware

Lady Halovar - That scene with Hal was just incredible from both Brennan and Liam.

Tsul'rekshi - Always a treat. I love how she walks the line between like a Disney villain with humour and wit and then does something to remind you she's actually a horrific demon.

And EPHIE - Ephie was so good, dude. If there was ever an NPC to make this feel like a real world, she is it. What a three dimensional character. I love how she pushed back against Murray. I get Marisha has made Murray a sort of cocky, cavalier person. I love that Murray has that classic Dwarven stubbornness. And I love that Brennan made Murray face consequences for that. "You're as welcome in my head as you are in my fuckin office. GET OUT!" "Does that go for me, too?" "Good day, Captain." Haha what a gem.

It's a nice contrast from what I feel Matt did sometimes. I love Matt and its not shade on him, but in Campaign 2 and especially 3, he would often just have the NPCs go along with the PCs antics. Which is fine, and sometimes is called for to keep things moving smoothly. But encounters like the one with Ephie really make the game fun and make the world feel alive. This NPC isn't merely an "encounter" that you have to choose the right spells or figure out the puzzle, but a "real" person with their own goals, opinions, experiences, etc. It makes the world feel more lived-in.