#critical-role-spoilers

1 messages · Page 6 of 1

analog sparrow
#

I just got to Robbies intro

zealous mauve
#

I skipped that shit

#

Mhm

analog sparrow
#

Sam's are entertaining

zealous mauve
#

Stats*

analog sparrow
#

Cringe but entertaining

frigid prism
vague timber
#

Absolutely, I understand they needed to do it. As a player it’s tough to know how much to participate vs sit back

frigid prism
vague timber
#

And I feel like Aabria was the only one where I was like “maybe I could use a little bit less of that”

frigid prism
#

This was probably the best way to it or like the one that had a less jarring transition to not take people out of it

#

I did like Matt’s character

analog sparrow
#

I haven't gotten to his chaos gremlin yet .. but ive heard.. things..😂

frigid prism
#

I do love all the characters so far there isn’t really one I don’t like

vague timber
#

Wick was getting a lot of hate

frigid prism
#

Generally across the board there are some that I’m. Still eh to but I don’t hate them

vague timber
#

In particular from Thaisha as well

frigid prism
vague timber
#

His family being the cause and all, even though he tried to help

frigid prism
#

For me i need to wait until a another episode comes out to get a true feel for the characters

analog sparrow
#

I get not liking Wic. I honestly was like "this isn't going to go well." Until his conversation with hal

frigid prism
#

Wick is till kinda up in the air for me still I do kinda like him but yeah I think he is gonna be an interesting character

analog sparrow
#

Oh. That's for sure. No matter who he is paired up with

frigid prism
#

There was just so much going on I need time to process it all lmao

analog sparrow
#

That's why im watching an hour at a time. 😂

#

Hour. Think for a few. Watch another

frigid prism
#

Nah I watched it all at once while making read so I wasn’t fully paying attention and got confused went back to not be confused and now I’m just processing my information lmao

#

This is why I’m currently in state of generally liking all characters cause I’m just lowkey confused

analog sparrow
#

Valid 😂

frigid prism
#

A lot of time I watch cr is at the dentist so I’ve been confused for most campaigns cause of dental work

analog sparrow
#

I watch during work. 😂😂

frigid prism
#

Dental work and Sam ad reads are an insane experience I must say

analog sparrow
#

No judging me 😂

frigid prism
#

Nah your good lmao

terse basin
#

Reminder for folks who might not have caught the pre-premiere announcements: only the first four episodes are going to be character musical chairs before they split off into the Soldiers, Schemers, and Seekers.

I thought for everything they had to cover it was done as well as it could've been 😛

frigid prism
terse basin
#

I hope this week we open with some of the characters who got less screen time last week

frigid prism
#

That makes sense

#

Hopefully

#

Honestly other than being confused sometimes with the musical chairs it’s not that bad

#

It was only confusing cause I was making bread and not paying attention lmao

terse basin
#

oh that's a mood, hahaha

frigid prism
#

Question cause I am still confused do we know who characters are in which grouping like which characters are in seekers schemers and what not

terse basin
#

I don't think we know for sure right now; I think as these first four episodes progress, we'll get a better idea. I have my own thoughts about it

frigid prism
#

I wanna hear your thoughts

analog sparrow
#

I second Danny

terse basin
#

So first, my ideas on what the three teams even mean, and I'll use spoiler tags just in case:

  • Soldiers feels kind of self-explanatory, but I don't have a good description of what they are yet, but Robbie (Kattigan), Travis (Teor), Luis (Azune), and Laura (Thimble) feel like a good start for the Soldiers table
  • Seekers feel like the ones who want to get to the bottom of what went wrong with ||Thjazi's failed escape and death||, so my starting choices for that table are Sam (Wiccander), Aabria (Thaisha), Alex (Occtis), and Liam (Hal)
  • Schemers are the ones who weren't necessarily Thjazi's enemies, but have something else in the pot other than figuring out the mystery at the heart of the campaign, so Taliesin (Bothaire), Marisha, (Magnus), Matt (Julien), and Ashley (Vaelus) start my line up for this table

Outliers:

  • Whitney (Tyranny) is CHAOS. I feel like backstory reasons will keep her with Sam, so she could end up with the Seekers, but she also has Schemer energy to me. I don't know where to place her at all yet
  • Luis and Laura could just as easily be Seekers as Soldiers, so I could honestly see them at either table
frigid prism
#

Ooooooo

#

Yessss

#

Those are good

#

I’m also wondering if Julien and Thaisha are gonna end up at the same table cause it seems like they have some history

terse basin
#

There are a couple of interparty relationship maps by folks on Reddit. I think this one is the most clear? Might also help inform table decisions

#

The more I think about it though, I actually would like if Sam and Whitney were at different tables. There has to be a reason that the Halovars are "mentoring" demons other than pure altruism

frigid prism
#

Yeah I also think they should be at different tables

#

I just love seeing all the character dynamics

wary pewter
#

Tyrrany I think winds up as a Soldier and Wiccander as a Schemer so there’s a fish-out-of-water story in both places, plus I think cross-table correspondence relationships are going to matter a lot so I think they’ll want close relationships cross-table and antagonistic ones same-table

#

I think Julien and Thaisha are going to wind up at the same table and I think it’ll be Soldiers

#

But because of Thaisha more than because of Julien

#

I am deeply enjoying this avenue of speculation though

frigid prism
#

Oo yes

#

Idk where Hal and thimble are gonna land rn now

wary pewter
#

"Seekers" feels a lot like a Hal and Thimble story

#

but also I expect there to be several characters who "float" more than usual between tables

#

(I hesitate to refer to them as floaters)

frigid prism
#

I feel for the characters who would “float” Hal would be one of them

#

But having characters like that begs the question of would those characters be “more important” than the rest

terse basin
vague timber
#

I didn’t realize Reddit was all over this take. I don’t feel very strongly about this, just something I am hesitant/cautious about

analog sparrow
#

Yeah. She has that sort of personality and definitely can start to do that.

terse basin
#

This Reddit thread is the take that I agree on re: Aabria. TL;DR, she knows who she's playing with and their play styles, and what's seen as bombarding to some works for their table.

I don't put this here to try to convince anyone, just to offer a different perspective. She's one of my favorite players for both her playstyle and what she's brought to the TTRPG space

frigid prism
#

I’ve seen people say that she was excited to start and she has a personality that can make her excitement seem like she’s bombarding or taking over the session

terse basin
#

yeah, she has a VERY big personality, but she just like me fr

ruby quiver
#

I really don't get the idea that Aabria is "aggressive" or whatever other language people choose to use when describing her play just in general. It gets put on her a lot and a lot of the language people use is... charged. To say the least

terse basin
#

I know exactly what you mean

ruby quiver
#

At worst I would just describe her as an excited player

#

(regardless as to what her characters personality is: she is just so obviously happy to be playing dnd)

terse basin
#

I don't want to get too into it, but it's very telling that a lot of those comments aren't directed at Whitney, for example, who was just as bombastic. Having been in the fandom since almost day one, it's just like when folks were hating on Marisha for character choices

#

except with more ✨ microaggressions ✨

ruby quiver
#

Yea there have definitely been similar things that happened to Marisha throughout the years and definitely a lot more language that is filled with microaggressions towards black women specifically

copper minnow
#

Sometimes I like Aabria's playstyle a lot, sometimes I think there is an issue with her inserting herself a bit too often into scenes she isnt inherently part of. Its not am massive deal to me but I get where the criticism is coming from

ruby quiver
ruby quiver
#

particularly this bit

a good chunk of ppl saw thaisha saving shadia from tyranny as inserting herself into a situation. i saw it differently: aabria pulling tyranny away from mostly interacting with 2 npcs and giving tyranny a chance to start making connections with player characters instead.
Cause thats 100% how I read the scene as it was happening. Since its probably one of the scenes I'm seeing people talk about most.

#

And speaking from experience when no PCs make an effort to. Interact with the other PCs when you are starting a new game it can get awkward.

#

So seeing people saying that she's "inserting herself" is just... makes me question if they've played before?

terse basin
#

but also if you look at what was happening there, this random demon was walking through what realistically probably used to be her family home during a funeral. Thaisha as a character had way more tact than some actual humans I know

copper minnow
ruby quiver
#

sorry, wasn't talking about you specifically. Its just been a very common topic of conversation online (usually riddled with a lot more of the aforementioned microaggressions)

#

But also she really wasn't trying to "co-DM"

terse basin
#

I also see that as a side-effect of playing so much with Brennan; between D20, WBN, and the CR side stories as both player and DM, they are very good at anticipating what the other needs from either side of the table

copper minnow
#

I also think that her play-style is maybe better suited to a smaller table? Like, if you are only 3-5 people, the dynamic around everyone getting their screen time is very different

ruby quiver
#

Whenever Aabria is a player (and this stuff is covered in the reddit thread + its comments) she is quite good about catching hooks and things like that, as well as providing things for the DM (as someone in the comments said: providing buttons to push)

And she's played a lot with Brennan in particular, so they've got a lot of experience with each other in that capacity

#

And also this comment made me chuckle a little bit

There’s nothing more painful than watching a group dither around at the top of the stairs for 10 minutes. I’m always extremely grateful as a DM to instigators like Aabria who will just jump down the stairs rather than waffle for 10 minutes about what to do. The whole table benefits from getting to spend those 10 minutes on more interesting things.

Because thats how I feel about C3. They really needed an instigator for basically the entire middle-back half of the campaign (aka as soon as they got past the initial "are the gods the good guys?" thing)

#

Since every other episode was them going back and forth on it again

vagrant kindle
#

yeah, not a fan of parties who overthink

copper minnow
#

I actually think her familiarity with brennan might work against her here, at least in the beginning stages of this game. Basically she it too comfortable for this early phase? idk.

#

at least from a viewer perspective

ruby quiver
#

From my perspective she is moreso using it to assuage the other players more than anything - and it does seem to be working (from a viewer perspective)

copper minnow
#

I do agree that instigators like her are needed and its not wrong that she drives things forward.

terse basin
#

Aabria = real life Schemer /pos

ruby quiver
copper minnow
#

its really just small moments here and there were I keep thinking "Your character isnt the focus right now, please dont interrupt" It just reminds me too much of behavior Ive seen at tables Ive been at, and what I try to avoid because I am often tempted to do the same

ruby quiver
#

Also just in general the energy at (and around, for when they were not actively sitting at the table) did seem to be a bit high strung from everyone just due to it being well. The start of the new campaign (Marisha being introduced like 3 hours in be like). So having someone who was visibly more comfortable helped bring it down some too

terse basin
#

yeah i think everyone was basically standing around the recording space waiting for their turn at the table? lots of excited energy happening in there

ruby quiver
#

Yea they mentioned it a couple of times

#

Brennan said something to the effect of "I am so close to so many people right now" despite (on camera) nobody really being that close to him (even accounting for how the table is set up - which we know how it is)

#

And mentioned how everyone is standing around off camera

vague timber
#

I think there’s a heavy amount of excitement both from players and audience. Like they all want to play so bad and we all want to watch each of them so bad

#

At this point it’s just something that caught my attention and in no way will stop me from watching the next episode on the edge of my seat

#

Anyway, sorry for bringing that energy here. We can go back to small table speculation

analog sparrow
#

Your all good!

terse basin
#

100%, no harm done

wary pewter
# terse basin [This Reddit thread](<https://www.reddit.com/r/criticalrole/comments/1nzzzz5/spo...

I agree with this

A thing they used to say about Basil Rathbone - invariably in the villain’s role, and an accomplished Olympian in fencing - was that he was good at making the hero look good (in a duel and in a scene) and Aabria has that same ability to set someone else up to shine and it often goes unnoticed by people who think she’s just being bombastic rather than deliberately being a foil

#

She DM’s from the player’s chair and it’s so great that she does and that she’s doing it with players who know to trust her

vague timber
#

I feel like any and all characters could end up on any table. It’s hard for me to guess because I also feel like they might play against tropes a little bit. For example, Wic doesn’t at all appear to be a soldier but I can see him being pulled to combat especially if he’s a sorcerer in disguise

vague timber
#

In the vein of maybe surprises as far as where they end up I think Teor could be a schemer rather than soldier. And azune as a seeker. Vaelus I could see as a soldier though it feels very much like it she’ll be seeker.

#

I also think they’ll split Wic and Tyranny, as has been said before. I don’t think Julien and thaisha will be on the same table dispute the shared history (maybe in spite of it). Idk, it’s one big sudoku board

neon coral
#

excited to learn more about the lore of c4

frigid prism
#

Same

#

I’m like 🤏 close to cosplaying octius rn

terse basin
#

it is thursday, my dudes \o/

frigid prism
#

Ayeee

frigid prism
#

I cannot wait

#

Also are these campaigns fully done live or like are they filmed then streamed??

finite tapir
analog sparrow
#

They generally are a few episodes ahead. I believe the first 4 have been filmed already

ruby quiver
flat crown
#

Oh god i'm so excited, it looks so good!

terse basin
#

They hid Anjelica Huston from me until this trailer; how dare they

analog sparrow
#

My god! That is so beautiful!!!!

frigid prism
vague timber
#

So is the idea that after these first four episodes, every week will only have one table?

terse basin
#

there's always one table 😛

but the episodes after this will have less people at said table, yeah

honest osprey
#

Shame I can't watch E2 live, but Monday Crew is fun.

flat crown
#

Wow starting ep2 with a bang

finite tapir
#

And more death saves.

#

And a flashback with Thjazi Fang.

honest osprey
#

He's gonna haunt the narrative the entire campaign isn't he?

paper dawn
#

Bringing real Wizard Witch and Wild One energy to this campaign

#

I love it

flat crown
#

Love the high arcana checks, they’re giving us so much lore

gusty pilot
ruby quiver
#

oh so the "his fairy" was very literal

honest osprey
#

Welp, turns out I didn't miss much except ad reads and the first 20 minutes.

#

Looks like I'm sitting this one through.

#

At least until the break. I still gotta wake up early tomorrow, after all!

green escarp
#

"He gets his own water" 😂

green escarp
#

Sam: Campaign 4's sweet summer child 😂

flat crown
#

I think he’s about to learn he ain’t no cleric after that break 😅

ruby quiver
#

I'm actually curious if he is going to use the cleric abilities but be flavorwise a sorc: and more specifically be a cleric who swaps Wis for Cha (mechanically)

ivory cedar
#

i have a feeling kattigan might also be a warlock but thats just a slight suspicion

#

them connecting the feeling of magic thaisha felt from the connection of kattigan and wolfric to the mask in the coffin, which we know is related to the gods somehow or at the least their realms

#

makes me wonder if wolfric is some sort of patron or something similar

frigid prism
flat crown
#

What are we feeling? Celestial Warlock or Divine Soul Sorcerer?

frigid prism
#

Hmmm

flat crown
#

Wis for cha swap would be nice, but honestly with what they are setting up with the story and the demons I feel like the family made a pact with a Devil and so a warlock. They are also establishing that he’s truly believing in that holiness of the light when compared to the rest of his family so….might still be a cleric but believing in an aspect without the physical deity to represent it?

frigid prism
#

Ooo that would be cool

green escarp
#

I wanna believe in celestial warlock, it'd be so cool tbh

#

but also the godless deity-less cleric would be too...hmm

flat crown
#

Brennan or someone in an interview mentioned that it could potentially work this way for clerics here I think

green escarp
#

Hmm, we shall see I spose 🙂

flat crown
#

I’m gonna go catch some sleep and watch the second half later. Europe time zone struggles…

paper dawn
#

MATTHEW!!!

green escarp
#

Ooooo, he's a scoundral, a rake, a knave 😂

green escarp
#

omg omg

knotty hill
#

Yea.. this is totally above board lol

ruby quiver
#

Im counting this towards my god corpses count i think

green escarp
#

they pulled a ketheric

#

holy shit

ivory cedar
#

lmao insane

green escarp
#

well...wtf man. guess we all gotta wait now. holy moly

ivory cedar
#

I guess its a divine sorcerer after all

green escarp
#

seems like it

frigid prism
#

OH MY GOD

#

TF HAPPENED

#

OTS ONLY SECOND EPISODE TOO

green escarp
#

poor sam too 😂

#

i need that as a gif rofl

frigid prism
ruby quiver
#

I did hear that correctly right - "meet your grandfather"?

frigid prism
green escarp
#

yes you did

ruby quiver
#

Cool I love being right about a thing Brennan was gonna do lol

frigid prism
#

BRENNANNNNN

knotty hill
#

Listening to the cooldown ATM

frigid prism
#

Ahhh why do we haft to wait so long first it was almost time for combat THEN THAT???!!? INSANE

frigid prism
knotty hill
#

Alright, Fun detail #1. Tyranny has known about this the whole time.

frigid prism
ruby quiver
# ruby quiver Im counting this towards my god corpses count i think

For reference I said this back in August in a few places

Can't wait for the god corpses to show up

I knew there was no way we were getting a "gods are recently dead" without there being a "the divine are being harvested and used"

Admittedly, I wasnt expecting the things to necessarily be ostensibly alive but close enough

green escarp
#

of course it's in one of the most torturous devices ever.

ruby quiver
knotty hill
#

They introduced Wick here to grandpa, basically because he was genuinely a true believer in the whole religion con here, and that would cause problems as he's complaining that the others are acting against their faith here.

ruby quiver
#

I really do love the framing of the celestials though

#

Basically a thing that happened because of the presence of the gods, and now that they arent (as im envisioning it) getting the radiation the gods let off, the celestials went wild but still have that radiation inside them

ruby quiver
#

He's the actual believer

ivory cedar
#

In this case I presume the god of the sun

ruby quiver
#

Yea but the celestials are intrinsically linked to the gods (at least based on what we got earlier in the ep) so ostensibly they are still tapping the power of the dead gods

#

Hence close enough

#

And does make me feel that this is going to be a common occurrence

knotty hill
ruby quiver
#

Thats the most obvious and likely yea

#

Im just hoping since it would be a fun twist

low socket
#

Just finished ep1 I can see the complaint people have about aabryia now, maybe it’s just first episode nerves and wanting to get her character across but she dipped into a lot of people’s scenes when her character would of been aware of stuff happening as she was very drunk hold a goats ear, namely the flower bit when Matt and the wife showed up

Other than that great episode, lots of info dumped on us and really getting all the characters linked together to set the basis

wary pewter
#

I continue to think that there’s a difference between making every scene about you (which she’s accused of), and simply being an active scene partner who’s moving scenes to more dynamic and interesting places and Aabria knows how to thread that needle

copper minnow
#

I think its not that she is trying to make these scenes about herself, and that is an accusation I see a bit rarer, but rather that not all of her attempts to interfere in scenes are good ideas and the scenes would have probably been better without her finding a reason to be there. Its not that her RP instincts are wrong all the time, just sometimes imo

low socket
#

She’s very good at what she does but sometimes she can jump into scenes when it’s not needed

violet basalt
#

I didn't know that's a compliant people really have until I opened reddit yesterday. But I can see why people feel that way, for me, personally I don't mind at all. I think it keeps the scene going. And believe me if the CR cast had a problem with Aabria, they wouldn't invite her over and over

copper minnow
#

In the end, its about like maybe 5 minutes in a 4 hour stream. I noticed it but it doesnt make me not want to watch Aabria or CR

solar summit
#

honestly, it's a second secret thing guys

#

Aabria suffers everywhere she shows up and it's not because of how she plays

peak eagle
#

Wick's grandpa is a goddamn angel? It also means that the filament tattooed into the face of him is his own grandfathers blood. That along with the iron maiden... holy this is metal as hell

violet basalt
#

It is. Me and my friend was screaming at the screen. That cliffhanger was nasty

peak eagle
#

I want next weeks episode so bad

frigid prism
#

Sammmeee

frigid prism
#

These new characters are giving me so many cosplay ideas I swear

small yew
#

I’m so excited for actual D&D. Sure the overture shit is good but it’s a fantasy novel, not D&D

knotty hill
#

Yes. Brennan said it during the cooldown.

austere merlin
#

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is a whole different setting isn't it? So all the theories about Sam's character being affected by the fall of deities in Exandria doesn't matter right? Or is it the same setting with same gods, just a different world?

honest osprey
#

Aramán is exclusively outside of Exandria.

ruby quiver
#

There are theories that its Exandria?

frigid prism
#

I think it’s confirmed that it’s not exandria

copper minnow
#

like meta-narratively, its Exandria but with a different choice regarding the gods, but its clearly not the same world

low socket
#

Only 7 gods iirc and they were killed 70 years ago

frigid prism
#

Ok yall which characters do you think are gonna have a ridiculously tragic backstory

analog sparrow
#

All of them

copper minnow
#

I mean there are 13 of them, surely one or two wont have a super tragic backstory,....right?

frigid prism
frigid prism
peak eagle
lilac gull
#

I have a theory that Thjazi's whole deal was to try and somehow bring the dead gods back to life 👀

gusty pilot
#

At the very least, Thjazi knew too much.

frigid prism
#

Thjazi def was hiding something

vague timber
#

Alright just caught up with the last hour that I had missed on Thursday. Does this confirm that Wick is a sorcerer?

ruby quiver
#

not necessarily, but likely

upbeat hinge
#

Talking about the last hour though… that ending definitely set a mood for the campaign.. insanely awesome

safe dagger
#

But yeah great ending to the episode. I'm glad we're finally moving away from that funeral that went on far too long.

gilded ether
#

Divine soul sorcerer is my guess, most def not a cleric

frigid prism
#

Sam couldn’t lie to us that wick was a cleric

runic anvil
#

Finally getting to Campaign 2. Can't believe I waited so long. So far it's pretty good.

lilac gull
#

Campaign 2 is what hooked me back into to the whole d&d scene.. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

copper minnow
#

im 90% sure he is a divine soul sorc

runic anvil
lilac gull
solar summit
#

they really click after ep 26

vague timber
#

I will say, I know that it’s pretty typical Brennan to make bad guys of capitalism/corrupt religious groups but holy cow does he do it in such unique ways.

Harvesting the celestial blood of the grandfather and putting up a church as a front is freaking nuts

vague timber
small yew
#

Idk, I don’t watch the cooldown. I don’t pay for beacon. I’m not the best person to ask for meta info lol

vague timber
#

I guess what I’m asking is if the players knew beforehand that thjazi would die or if Sam knew that he wasn’t actually a cleric etc

#

Me neither

small yew
#

They knew thjazi would die, it’s the very first thing Brennan says “Liam, someone you know is about to die.” Sam definitely knows if he’s a cleric

#

I imagine there’s vague notes on how scenes in the first episode should go. Note that Brennan tells them “you’re going to the tannery now, you arrive here” not them choosing where to go

solar summit
#

and thats why the halovars had him executed

small yew
#

if he did, the Halovars didn’t know from what the grandma told Sam’s character

ruby quiver
#

I wouldn't call "the players all individually know different things the DM has told them" "scripted beats"

#

Thats just. DnD

#

Its just communication between the players and DM

copper minnow
#

I dont things are scripted per se, but I think there is probably a lot more prep for the current events than usual in a campaign

#

like, everyone knew that thjazi would die and there would be a funeral I bet

ruby quiver
#

Honestly it feels pretty similar to a lot of both CR and D20 - I'm particularly thinking about C2

#

Where the players (generally speaking) all had a good amount of information about different things in the world themselves that was not "known" by everyone else

#

Its also just super common in D20 too (and WBN if you listen to that as well)

#

which is to say: its very Brennan

vague timber
#

Right I’m not saying that knowing their backstory is scripted beats but I’m wondering if the things the characters are figuring out (new information) is something that the players themselves already knew

#

I guess my question is if Sam knew what the candy creed was doing in secret

ruby quiver
ruby quiver
#

I can see it just as likely being "I want this general thing but don't know/want to know the specifics so you can do whatever" or he worked with brennan to figure it out

#

Just considering Brennan being Brennan and this theme of "using divine corpses/entities for power" being very on brand for him and likely tied into a lot of stuff in the world, I am personally leaning towards the latter but mixed a bit with the former

small yew
#

There’s no way Sam built his character and decided that’s how he wanted to build a cleric. It’s likely Sam built something else and they worked out the idea of Wiccander believing he’s a cleric

#

What I’m saying is that Sam KNOWS what class he is from the first minute because that’s just how D&D works

ruby quiver
#

Thats not what I meant in regards to "not wanting to know"

peak eagle
#

Is it thursday yet?

peak eagle
plush harness
#

he loves being short dont he

frigid prism
peak eagle
low socket
charred lantern
#

Am I the only one that thinks C4 so far has been way too produced?

wary pewter
#

Do you mean in terms of players making meaningful choices? I agree it’s on rails right now but I think those rails are all tracing back to decisions the players made before the campaign started and I think this is necessary preamble before they break up into squads

low socket
#

It’s setting up the world, they have prob worked a lot on the backstories to set all this up

ruby quiver
#

All it feels like to me is "early session backstory things are being used"

terse basin
#

Is Critical Role scripted? No. Except for the ads.
Are things perhaps a little bit more on rails than they would be because Brennan has a brand-new world and thirteen people to set up before they split off into their groups? Maybe. Brennan is also used to having a finite amount of episodes to tell a story in; the way he's running the Overture feels very Dimension20 to me.

I like to consider these Overture episodes being similar to the private sessions that the cast got to play in previous campaigns to get to know their characters, except this time we're getting to see those, learn those backstory beats with them, and see how they're going to inform the rest of the campaign.

Using Sam's backstory reveal last episode as an example, I'd put money on, as a whole, Sam knowing Wicander's not a cleric (duh) and knowing there's a reason for that (because he built his character), but not knowing what that reason is (because Brennan is holding that key). I fully believe Sam's surprise at the end of the episode was genuine.

Contrast that with Taliesin and Percy from C1; Taliesin knew something inspired him to build a gun, but he gave Matt free reign to develop the rest of that as he pleased

ruby quiver
#

Exactly

frigid prism
#

But I personally like the pace they are going so far with it, it’s gonna Brennan some getting used to since a lot of the campaigns he ran are shorter (I think I don’t watch a lot o dimension 20 so idk how long they run)

#

But it’s gonna be fun

ruby quiver
#

D20 episodes (and seasons) are significantly shorter than CR

#

But overall the vibe of the episodes very much does feel like an extended D20 episode

frigid prism
#

I think right now one of the challenges is balancing each character moment. Currently it seems like some characters are getting more screen time than others especially with them round robining the table groups, but I feel like it might more resolved once they spilt into there respective parties

frigid prism
ruby quiver
# frigid prism I think right now one of the challenges is balancing each character moment. Curr...

I personally suspect that (outside of some of the targeted hate: which is 80% on Aabria for. I hope obvious/previously discussed reasons) the primary issue for a lot of people is simply the number of players actively participating in the episodes and various scene changes. (this was definitely the vibe after E1, it seemed to mellow a bit in E2 even if there were more scene changes just cause the groups were smaller)

So I suspect once we hit the "proper" splits it will be mostly resolved for people

frigid prism
#

But I do wanna know who’s in what “sub-party” they are in since of previously made dynamics between characters

frigid prism
#

It’s a lot of people but I’m glad they made episodes that round robin everyone to establish previous relationships and create new dynamics so the parties seem more “full” in a sense

#

No matter how not to say messy of an execution but hopefully you get what I mean

#

I also hope boliare and Murray are at the same table I LIVE THERE DYNAMIC SO MUCH

honest osprey
#

While I do job applications, it's gonna be high time I watch C4E2 :3

frigid prism
#

DOOO ITTT

honest osprey
#

I'm still completely underwhelmed by the C4 intro.

ruby quiver
#

The first intro to the new campaigns are always a bit underwhelming imo

frigid prism
#

They’ll get there

#

As the story builds

peak eagle
#

It’s almost time again

cold hedge
#

In C4E2, was Julien mostly naked with the exception of a cloak wrapped around (I'm assuming) his whole body when he was in the carriage with his father or did I miss something?

untold haven
#

No - Julian got his stuff and hurriedly dressed.

cold hedge
small yew
#

Honestly my biggest criticism so far is that “magic good but magic illegal!!!! uh oh! don’t do magic or the government will hate you”

is SUCH a lazy trope

#

it’s way too heavy handed. the people banning magic obviously are cartoonishly evil

still sparrow
#

that seems to mirror the real world if you ask me

small yew
#

it’s a view of oppression sketched in crayon on construction paper. it’s like the government banning “Free Puppy Tuesdays” like come on

#

Many of our leaders are cartoonishly evil nowadays but even if that’s the case, I don’t think that fantasy villains have to mirror that exactly. You’d get better stories without the flatness of morality of 2025 IMO

small yew
#

I mean the trope might be cathartic but artistically it’s pretty bunk IMO

#

That being said I’m so hyped for this episode

#

Combat time!!

copper minnow
#

banning magic is not unreasonable considering what it can do

whole junco
small yew
whole junco
#

Is magic banned in the new CR campaign then?

#

I thought it was more restricted within the city that they are currently in, and that the gods dying had made magic a little unpredictable.

whole junco
small yew
#

From what I can determine, it’s gonna be completely banned within the city, or at least the sundered houses are positioning for that soon. maybe brennan lee mulligan clutches up, idk

copper minnow
#

I feel like its a bit more complicated than "banned all magic"

the clergy guys seem to be fine doing "divine" magic.

small yew
#

Still very early

small yew
copper minnow
#

and we have seen multiple people in official functions use some magic too

#

like the detect magic spell at the beginning of E1

small yew
#

I wasn’t clear enough, I mean civilian use of magic

copper minnow
#

and like, despite Matt's character being there, the other people at the funeral didnt seem super concerned with hiding their magic use

whole junco
small yew
#

the pentevral scene (idk how to spell it)

small yew
wary pewter
#

It’s been mentioned a couple of times by NPC’s that the Lords-Advisory have a new edict against the use of arcane magic that applies to at least most of the city

copper minnow
#

yeah

ruby quiver
#

an arcane magic ban isn't even new on critical role in general

#

gestures to Vasselheim

small yew
honest osprey
#

Has anyone seen the exclusive Mighty Nein clip from IGN?

honest osprey
#

Welp, time to watch C4E2 at 2x speed.

honest osprey
#

I never quite processed that Sam is not playing someone who is, in fact, small.

frigid prism
#

He’s no longer a small 5’11” but a tall 5’11”

honest osprey
#

Got caught up with C4E2.

#

Good lord.

#

Lots of setup yet again.

#

Really enjoy it, what a series of cliffhangers.

paper dawn
#

It will be such a Brennan move to not open with Wick at all. Make us wait

finite tapir
#

I kind of wish they would turn the live chats back on, but beggars can't be choosers.

honest osprey
#

It's a shaem.

#

I was really enjoying Age of Umbra's livechat. ):

#

Alas, I'm more than happy chatting with folks across Discord about the content.

#

It's almost time, gamers.

paper dawn
#

Called it

honest osprey
#

-# What was that ad read?

ruby quiver
#

I missed the first half hour, anything particular I miss?

honest osprey
ruby quiver
#

Nice

honest osprey
#

Welp, time to add to the list of "Oh I hate this character."

finite tapir
#

Which one?

prime gulch
finite tapir
#

But it made me like Wick and Tyranny a lot more.

honest osprey
ruby quiver
#

I was already loving Marishas character and this is making me love Murray even more

honest osprey
#

We go from one villain to another villainous figure, oh my lord.

#

FIRST BATTLE MAP

#

Now we get to see if this is as deadly as Brennan is warning the entire community.

frigid prism
#

This fight is…very much happening

#

Very fight….GOING NOT WELL BUT GOING

ruby quiver
#

its fine Ashley is here now

frigid prism
#

We’ll be ok

#

I hope

#

I pray

#

Ashley IS STANDING

#

GOOD SIGN??!?!

ruby quiver
#

vengeance paladin tracks

#

It is in fact a good sign

honest osprey
#

Please let Occtis and Kattigan be part of the same party. I need more Pincushion and Wulfric interactions PLEASE.

frigid prism
#

I would love that

paper dawn
#

What a first combat

#

Way to set the tone

ivory cedar
#

Vaelus is a total monster in fights damn

frigid prism
#

Vaelus came in a save the day

inner coyote
#

i missed the beginning what happened with Wick and Tyranny

honest osprey
inner coyote
#

noted

#

thx!

honest osprey
#

Grandpa is a celestial, trapped and sapped of his power. Wick is of divine blood.

inner coyote
honest osprey
#

Yet to be confirmed, but the evidence continues to pile up.

inner coyote
#

gotcha

frigid prism
#

THIS MAN IS NOT A CLERIC

honest osprey
#

Clearly circumstantial evidence. :)

#

Just a string of coincidences. :) :)

frigid prism
#

I missed a bit of the earlier episode have we seen Julien yet

near halo
#

Just a little clip of him and Teor in the beginning, but that’s it.

near halo
ivory cedar
#

i love the sense of community they're building with the characters and npc's and all their connections and whatnot

near halo
#

Me too!!🥺🥺

#

I can’t wait to see all these different relationships blossom

frigid prism
#

It’s so funnn

#

I just want more of my boy occtis

ivory cedar
#

i need more of kattigan

near halo
#

I need more of both of them 😭😭

frigid prism
#

THISSS

paper dawn
#

Hours later? Teor is dead

frigid prism
#

ITS THE THIRD EPISODE

#

MY GOD

honest osprey
#

Oh my god.

prime gulch
inner coyote
#

he's not dead yet but good god he almost got brutally murdered by demons LOL

honest osprey
#

Sam is making sure to try and sabotage his task lol

paper dawn
#

I was surprisingly wrong

honest osprey
#

Oh my god, Pincushion backstory.

frigid prism
#

Vealus having an emotional attachment to pin is my favourite thing

honest osprey
#

Oh, now THAT'S a good campaign hook.
Parties aren't being sent on missions, they're being driven out of the city. :o

frigid prism
#

I love that so much

honest osprey
#

We're seeing our first party forming!!

prime gulch
ivory cedar
#

I thought the tailors were gonna shave his fur with the shears and he was gonna be hairless 😭

honest osprey
#

SOLDIERS PARTY REVEALED!!
Travis, Laura, Sam, Whitney, Robbie.

Heading North for vengeance.

frigid prism
frigid prism
ivory cedar
#

I think Thaisha, Octis, Julien, Hal and Azune will be one

#

maybe swap azune for vaelith

honest osprey
#

Seekers and Schemers are gonna be left.
Schemers seem like they're gonna gonna be sticking with the main city of Dul'Makjar for a while.

#

The ones who do not carry active strife within the city.

prime gulch
ivory cedar
#

so then, Hal, Julien, Bolaire, Thaisha could be the schemers

honest osprey
#

We just got audible confirmation from Luis that his character has full incentive to stay in the city.

#

Julien has more positive reputation in Dul'Makjar. Unless he has direct orders to explore out in the world, he may stay behind.

frigid prism
#

I feel like this thasisha and occtis and maybe vaelus since of her connection with pin and death

#

Idk about a forth with them

honest osprey
#

Right now, I think Azure and Julien are gonna be the Schemers.

frigid prism
#

Im feeling occtis and vealus for seekers but I think schemers would be a twist

prime gulch
#

Wait; exploration in the Feywild/Shadowfell equivalents??? Seeker type adventures??

honest osprey
#

I think it's also very possible for Halandil (Liam) to be a Schemer as well.

Occtis (Alexander) and Vaelus (Ashley), especially the elf, are influenced to find out where this "stone" is located. Notably, what the stone's purpose is. This seems like a clear signal for the Seekers.

#

This episode just hit the 5-hour mark, didn't it?

#

Okay, we got our cliffhanger.

inner coyote
#

Oh dear God Julien, Vaelus and Occtis are screwed

honest osprey
#

Stroke of Midnight, the end of the episode.

frigid prism
#

AHHHHHH

#

DEAR GOD

#

IM SO SCARED

paper dawn
#

EVERY EPISODE

#

I can’t believe that we’re starting here

frigid prism
#

AHHHHH

#

I CANT WOTH THESE CHLIFF HANGERS

honest osprey
#

Next week is the final episode before we get our final two revealed parties.

#

The Seekers and Schemers.

#

We have an even split between 8 players, I'm certain.

paper dawn
#

You mean next week

#

Tomorrow is Friday

honest osprey
#

Well, it's midnight.

#

3 AM for the East Coast Folks

frigid prism
#

It’s 1am for me mountain time

#

IM ALSO LIKE CRYING

ivory cedar
#

Im so damn tired, I was already tired at 10pm when it came on 😭

frigid prism
#

So worth

#

AND OFC MY FAVOURITE ||CHARACTER IS GETTING A MAGIC ROCK PUT INSIDE HIM||

#

There it had been spoiled

#

Forgot that

honest osprey
#

I'm going to stick with my guns regarding party predictions:
Schemers: Julien (Matt), Azune (Luis), Halandil (Liam), Thaisha (Aabria)

Seekers: Occtis (Alex), Vaelus (Ashley), Murray (Marisha), Bolaire (Talisien).

#

Bolaire is mainly process of elimination.

frigid prism
#

Idk if Julien is still gonna be good in the city in the next episode

#

But eh

honest osprey
#

Murray is quickly losing her place in the city, with the thinly-veiled threats.

frigid prism
#

This is true

#

I just want my boy occtis to be ok I got too emotionally attached to him lmao

honest osprey
#

Given what just happened, it's possible to see Julien try to find answers, which puts him in a good spot to replace Bolaire in my previous prediction for the Seekers

frigid prism
#

I personally think we have our seeker table already since occtis and vaelus def have a connection and I would think thaisha is probably not gonna leave occtis and we’ll see but I don’t think Julien wants to be in city anymore

#

And with murray I think murray might stay and fight to set things right even if it costs her safety in the city, she doesn’t seem like even if she isn’t trusted she wants to leave

#

At least to me

#

I did miss a few parts of episode two but again I can be wrong

honest osprey
#

I'm gonna stick with my original prediction. We'll get our answers very soon

frigid prism
#

I’m also gonna stick to mine as well

honest osprey
#

I think it'll be fun for everyone else to make their own predictions too. We can probably paste them here when Thursday the 23rd arrives.

frigid prism
#

Oh yes I wanna see what everyone else ideas are

honest osprey
#

I'm glad I stayed through. Wouldn't have the time next week.

frigid prism
#

Same

#

Now I’m gonna try and sleep

short needle
#

So I’ve heard from Sam Riguel’s character that he’s at 18 CHARISMA.. since he is || the grandson of a celestial ||, does this mean he’s most likely going to be a sorcerer?

#

Or a warlock even?

pure ginkgo
#

Nothing of that sort has been made official yet.

#

As much as I would want to see it, he DID cast thaumaturgy at Tyranny at the funeral to put her in her place... which is not something either subclasses can do

copper minnow
ruby quiver
#

Still hoping for a cleric that uses Cha instead, especially since we know that sam wrote so much for his religion

pure ginkgo
whole cosmos
#

Hi guys. I have a question. Can i post CR related art here or is it just for discussions? just to be sure

honest osprey
#

Still recovering from no further Fox and Wolf interactions. 😭

untold haven
frigid prism
honest osprey
#

Silver lining!

frigid prism
#

I’m very close to making my own pin that I’m probably just gonna do it

honest osprey
#

Edgy Paladin softened by undead fox.

frigid prism
#

Exactly

honest osprey
#

One comment, it's REAL interesting that Wick and Katigan are in the same group.

#

Sam and Robbie both share the densest backstory material, according to BLM.
Robbie is on the top of that leaderboard.

frigid prism
#

Ooo that’s gonna be fun

#

It’s not that’s

#

I can’t wait to see who’s gonna be in what party next

finite tapir
#

I would be more concerned that Julien watched his father's head get un-skulled right in front of him and he barely reacted.

frigid prism
#

I’m scared for occtis MANS HAS A STONE BEING PUT INTO HIM

ruby quiver
#

He's a warlock no? Chances its gonna be his "patron" explanation?

frigid prism
#

Hmmmmmmm

#

Maybe???

frigid prism
#

Also what do you mean by patron I think I missed something about that

prime gulch
ruby quiver
#

Oh I thought he was a warlock

honest osprey
#

Necromancer too! This seems to carry a lot of weight with no present gods.

pure ginkgo
frigid prism
#

I wonder what is going to happen to him if he gets the stone

willow ferry
#

Stone?

gentle flint
#

Poor Matt didn't get a chance to react to such a pivotal moment for his character... I'm sure they'll make up for it next session

frigid prism
#

Exactly

knotty hill
#

Thimble's just so yoinkable in this episode lol

honest osprey
#

I hope it doesn't become a running gag. '^'

placid tusk
#

might be a little behind but not Julian rage baiting his own father

placid tusk
#

Also I knew Sam's character wasn't a cleric. When they released the stats I knew he wasn't a cleric.

honest osprey
pure ginkgo
#

And Sam confessed to having to write a whole bible so this leads to believe Kattigan has a Martin Morning type situation

#

Which to the many who probably don't know what that is was a cartoon in my youth whose main character's whole premise was waking up in each day differently sometimes it's a quirk with their hair and sometimes they're like a pirate leader with a whole boat and crew and the like

quick lintel
spice flax
#

Finnaly some action

#

Looking forward to next episode

vague timber
#

Just got caught up. I am going to put my speculation as
Seekers: Bolaire, occtis, Thaisha, Vaelus.
Schemers: Julien, Hal, Azune, Murray

#

Murray I really feel like could go either way. And I guess I’m assuming they’re going to do 5, 4, and 4 but it could be 5, 5, and 3.

frigid prism
#

Seekers so far I’m pretty solid on occtis thaisha and vaelus, but also adding Julien would be fun

honest osprey
#

We're almost there. :3c

honest osprey
copper minnow
#

having thaisha and julien in the same group would certainly up the drama

frigid prism
#

THE DRAMA

vague timber
#

I agree but I do feel like I need to be reminded… what’s their relationship?

frigid prism
#

(I am also betting on a Julien redemption arch to happen)

vague timber
#

At first I thought they might be exes but that’s Thaisha and Hal. So is Julien just Thaisha’s son’s mentor? And if so, what’s the beef

frigid prism
#

Oh yes that

#

BUT STILL DRAMA

#

I’m here for interesting story dynamics with this

copper minnow
#

they were close friends

vague timber
#

That’s right. So it’s not that just Thaisha hates him, everyone hates him

frigid prism
vague timber
#

Or just those people who are fond of Thjazi, sounds like Vaelus is pretty impartial

frigid prism
#

She’s just probably gonna end up with icctis cause she has bonded with pin

copper minnow
#

or certainly not as antagonistic as she is

#

thjazi had a lot of friends but not all of them were "family"

vague timber
#

In which case I think there would almost be more juice if Julien and Hal were on the same table

frigid prism
#

This is true

vague timber
#

I can’t see Hal getting mad at Julien but I can’t see forgiveness being that easy either

frigid prism
#

I think Murray would be at the table that may at this point in time stay in the city she doesn’t seem to be the type to run away from anything so why would she from the city BUT ALSO I COULD BE HORRIBLY WRONG

copper minnow
#

Hal would be all nice and controlled until he finds a good moment to murder Julien lol

frigid prism
frigid prism
copper minnow
#

I think she would spend more time threatening him, hence the drama

frigid prism
vague timber
#

Which is what makes me think she could be a schemer

frigid prism
#

Yeah that’s with me as well

vague timber
#

And the part that makes me think seeker is because she spent a full night studying the halfling casket

frigid prism
#

She doesn’t give me “run from the city cause everyone hates me vibes”

frigid prism
vague timber
#

Yeah I feel pretty strongly Bolaire is seeker

frigid prism
#

I can see that as well

#

Honestly I just really like the current party dynamics but WELL SEE HOW THE EPISODE FAIRS THIS WEEK

#

Bolaire and Julien both give me seeker vibes

quick lintel
#

See

#

Hal and Bolaire currently have pretty established contexts in the world

#

like they have a place they work at, that they run, that is theirs

#

which makes me think that they're staying with the schemers

frigid prism
#

That’s what I think

#

And Murray is too stubborn to leave

#

And I think azune is also staying as well

#

He though wants to leave he also is very established in his work as well

#

Also Murray will think leaving the city is backing down to the nobility AND SHES NOT ABOUT THAT

honest osprey
#

The thumbnail for E4 just showed up.

vague timber
frigid prism
frigid prism
#

The face aabria is making is so very worrying

quick lintel
#

I've sat and thought through what I think the tables will be. My final guesses before all is revealed tomorrow:

Soldiers (Revealed): Teor, Thimble, Wick, Tyrrany, Kattigan
Seekers: Julien, Murray, Occtis, Vaelus
Schemers: Hal, Bolaire, Thaisha, Azune

My thoughts for the seekers and schemers:
All four schemers have, through these past three episodes, had ties to locations within Dol Makyar created and reinforced. Hal has a house, hal has a child or maybe more?, Hal has the theater. Bolaire, the museum. Azune has his work at I believe it's the rookery. Thaisha has the family, she's working with Hal. They have good reason to stay and to fight whatver is going on.

The Seekers, by contrast, are being pushed out or have no reason to stay. Occtis needs to go on the run, people want to find him. Julien has been charged with his protection. Vaelus needs to find the stone, which now that I think about it could be the stone that is being actively put into Occtis. Murray, she was effectively fired last episode. She could stay, but I also do think she's likely to play with matt.

quick lintel
#

The only characters I think might be swapped are Thaisha and Murray, if I think I've gotten two wrong it'd be them.

frigid prism
#

My final guesses

Seekers: Julien, occtis, Thaisha, vaelus

Schemers: Hal, bolaire, Murray, azune

(Yes this is is the current party set up)

#

I just really enjoy it

cold hedge
#

Can someone tell me what accent Matt is using for Julien?

frigid prism
#

It seems like a mix of a few

#

It’s some sort of European accent mixed with a few others

#

I also cant tell what it is

cold hedge
#

Yeah I thought I was alright at guessing accents but I can't for the life of me figure out what it is

polar falcon
#

France/spain mix was my guess

frigid prism
#

It does have a very Spanish quality

#

It also sounds vaguely Italian

#

As well

#

It’s French Italian Spanish

prime gulch
frigid prism
honest osprey
#

Is it Thursday yet?

frigid prism
#

Yesss

honest osprey
#

It is time gamers.

paper dawn
#

So the theme is goth this year

#

How’s Sam gonna subvert it

ruby quiver
#

Yea Tal? Having some fun there?

finite tapir
#

That was kinda gross.

ruby quiver
#

the smile from "as if you were a brand new person"

inner coyote
#

Wait is Tal's character he literally switches bodies whenever someone puts the mask on?

ruby quiver
#

I suspect Tal is the mask yea

tired cargo
#

that's what I'm wondering now

frigid prism
#

THATS INSANE

tired cargo
#

this is my first CR campaign. are they always this macabre?

ruby quiver
#

probably some sort of spirit bound to it, but still

ruby quiver
frigid prism
#

Just gonna say I LOVE TALS FIT THIS EPISODE

inner coyote
tired cargo
#

The magic in this campaign so far has all felt pretty... eldritch? dark?

#

Brennan is really leaning in to almost like a fantasy dystopia and I'm loving it

ruby quiver
#

idk if i would necessarily agree with that

#

Mostly just that the magic is (outside of the arcane stuff) old

frigid prism
#

I love the body horror of an intro then cut to the cast dressed as vegetables

finite tapir
#

It's also the Halloween episode?

honest osprey
#

November 6th is the Soldier table. :o

tired cargo
#

idk... siphoning the essence of a false god, untold wailing multitudes of lost souls trapped in purgatory seemingly being harnessed by the Tachonis family, the feywild being corrupted by the proximity to all that, demons harvesting souls to power their corrupt schemes

ruby quiver
#

oh you mean like, plot things

inner coyote
#

LMAO oops all alex ward

ruby quiver
#

i wouldn't consider that the same as just magic generally

paper dawn
#

Aabria looks amazing

tired cargo
#

fair enough. idk. the flavor of the whole campaign just feels dark. I'm digging it.

honest osprey
#

It's mapping time! :3

frigid prism
#

Matt looks so ethereal

ruby quiver
#

that was fast

inner coyote
#

holy shit did Occtis just die?

tired cargo
#

sure seems like it

paper dawn
#

Oh wow

#

Didn’t even get to a table

#

Died in the prologue

honest osprey
#

Not sure I'm into character death this early in the campaign.

finite tapir
#

Yup. He died. Massive Damage rule -- if an attack would deal your current HP plus your max HP in damage, you instantly die with no death saves.

paper dawn
#

Especially with a table this big

finite tapir
#

But the idea of "the world isn't fair" seemed like it would be bad at first, but it's also said that they planned this assault.

paper dawn
#

Araman the Meatgrinder 😈

finite tapir
#

So I think it's okay.

ruby quiver
#

(admittedly I believe Brennan technically said these were multiple attacks so massive damage rules wouldn't have come into play. But I believe there were sufficient attacks to blow through the death saves anyway)

honest osprey
#

Eh, I'll process it. Right now I'm negative, but it'll be amazing for Aabria's character.

frigid prism
#

OH MY GOD

#

WHY DID I GET TOO ATTACHED TO A CHARACTER ON THE FORST GO

tired cargo
#

This is bonkers

brisk breach
#

Dwarven Forge looking good as always

frigid prism
#

THEYRE ALL DEAD

#

I CANT EVEN WATCH THIS RIGHT NOW

brisk breach
#

I’m really enjoying Matt’s playing

frigid prism
#

IM CRYING SCREAMING RN ALSO MATTS PLAYING IS GREAT BUT ALSO WTTDFFD

quick lintel
#

Is Brennan..
Okay?

frigid prism
#

Idk man

#

I’m emotionally distraught

brisk breach
#

Trust the process

frigid prism
#

I…don’t trust it yet….

#

I’m shaking rn

paper dawn
#

C4 is already maybe challenging C2 as my favorite critical role campaign

#

They (the players) needed this

#

They needed this lesson

#

I love Matt but he went soft on them

frigid prism
#

I love this but i am DREADING IT

tired cargo
#

What happens to Alex from here?

neon harbor
#

It's how sad Alex looks that killed me aaaa

frigid prism
#

I’m going with the delusion of all the seekers end up in the after life

honest osprey
neon harbor
frigid prism
paper dawn
neon harbor
#

Is Beacon slightly ahead of Youtube?

tired cargo
#

idk. I'm watching on YT

frigid prism
neon harbor
#

Alright~ I saw people posting things on twitter that hadn't happened yet to YT

frigid prism
#

(I’m paying the consequences of getting to emotionally attached)

neon harbor
#

It's the way he's just sat there now with nothing to do haha

paper dawn
#

I’m emotionally attached to this new setting so I’m having a great time

frigid prism
#

I’m currently on live update land else where cause I’m to stressed to watch I feel like I’m gonna vomit

#

ANYWAYS

#

IM EVENINGS GOING GREAT

tired cargo
#

I've been so excited for the setting since first hearing about it! And it's more than exceeded expectations every week

neon harbor
#

I LOVED the premise of people coming together after the death of someone~ I'm just curious how this story will last over 100 episodes

frigid prism
paper dawn
#

If they live, and after the bar fight, this should hopefully be a lesson that combat is a last resort in this game

neon harbor
#

No wonder they all had high charisma, they needed to persuade their butts outta combat haha

frigid prism
#

They all should’ve booked it or at least tired to book it

paper dawn
#

I remember getting my tuckus handed to me in my BG3 tactician playthrough in act 1, which prompted me to actually start to think tactically

tired cargo
paper dawn
#

Low

#

I think 3

frigid prism
#

THEY ARE GOING TO DIE OIT THERE I HOPE NOT

tired cargo
#

What level do you have to be to casually throw out a 6th level spell that deals 21 damage on a SAVE?

frigid prism
#

Poor Alex he didn’t get to look goth for what they did with his character HE LOOKS LIKE AN IT GUY

paper dawn
#

Brennan warned that Aramán is not balanced

tired cargo
#

like significantly so, yeah?

frigid prism
neon harbor
#

He described it like an open-world, so there are some people/areas that are simply HIGH level

#

Like an RPG

paper dawn
tired cargo
#

This seems like an attempt by Brennan to set up a BBEG or at least a miniboss that they have to run from and plan revenge, and instead the players just tried to fight them

paper dawn
#

Perhaps

#

But this definitely seems to me more like “the bad guy had a plan, and executed it”

neon harbor
#

CAST STICK ahhaa

tired cargo
#

I can picture a different world where Aabria leaps up to the balcony and climbs through the window to save Occtis and they all run out of the Palazzo (she and occtis out the window and the rest through the courtyard)

robust zealot
#

Holy.... Uhh... Brennen is not taking any prisoners tonight...

prime gulch
#

I might finally watch weekly if even half the episodes are as good as this

tired cargo
#

,,,,, wait... what's happening?

#

SHENANIGANS? OPTION A?

prime gulch
#

It’s the stone; they’re Coming Back Wrong(TM)?

frigid prism
#

HOLY SHIT

#

IVE BEEN ON AND IFF TUNING IN

ruby quiver
#

Oh? Sneak attack?

#

Was he already confirmed a rogue before this?

tired cargo
#

cool seeing Matt get asked "How do you want to do this?"

frigid prism
neon harbor
#

HAHAHA

prime gulch
#

NO

tired cargo
#

oh shit

neon harbor
#

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

paper dawn
#

👀

neon harbor
#

At least he won't be alone in the underworld 😂

frigid prism
#

NOPE NOPE NOPE IT WAS IM OUT IM DONE IM FINSIHED

#

GONNA CRY

#

IM STILL NOT WATCHING BY THIS CHATS

IT LOOKS GRIM

flat crown
#

Considering that there is 3 of them fighting and like 12 enemies… I almost expected it to go even worse, but julien is just dodgeing all hits😭

frigid prism
#

Let’s go Julien carrying this fight rn

#

I HAVE ALL THE GAITH IN HIK LAST EPISODE O HAD NONE

flat crown
#

Nah something is not right with his death, surely

tired cargo
#

come on lets get some good rolls

frigid prism
#

It’s looking a grim

#

I so wanted a nice evening…but this I am stressed

#

Emotionally exhausted

#

I hope for a occtis pulls a laudna lmao

flat crown
#

Damn Julien is on a rampage

tired cargo
ruby quiver
#

Occtis and Bolair might have a lot in common soon

frigid prism
frigid prism
#

I feel like I’m about to get on a terrifying rollercoaster at the same time I feel I just go off of a roller coaster

ruby quiver
#

Hmm flashback to his birth maybe

#

Or some dream version of it

tired cargo
#

cmon shenanigans!

frigid prism
#

SHENANIGANS FOR THE WIN

tired cargo
#

This can't be happening

#

come on Ashley

neon harbor
#

Where does Matt get his bonus action attack from?

tired cargo
#

Aranessa cast haste on him when he first ran up the stairs

neon harbor
#

He did it before the haste as well

tired cargo
#

idk then lol

#

Is it just a fighter thing?

neon harbor
#

Not that I'm aware of

quick lintel
#

and is an offhand strike

neon harbor
#

Yeah that's sort of my assumption, he mentions it a lot so I feel like it's important to his kit mechanically~

#

Oh peace off, Alex~

ruby quiver
#

Hm

tired cargo
#

🙁

ruby quiver
#

I think that might have been a good thing

paper dawn
#

I think he may have picked the wrong one

ruby quiver
#

Can only wait to see i suppose

quick lintel
honest osprey
#

My energy is at an all-time low after the pre-break events of E4.

frigid prism
honest osprey
#

I'm a GM, I don't know how it will feel.

frigid prism
#

I’ll still be looking at updates tomorrow though on other platforms

#

I just can’t watch the rest tonight

tired cargo
#

have a good night!

frigid prism
#

I’ll certainly try

tired cargo
#

I'm new to this, but I think I understood that reference

robust zealot
#

I looked into the gfuel critical role colab. It was sold out within like 20 minutes... RIP

#

lol

#

(for the collector's box, not the actual gfuel mix itself)

#

I'll be honest, I don't care about the drink mix flavors in that collector's edition, but I really wanted that stainless steel bottle

inner coyote
#

So Bolaire IS the mask goddamn that is so cool

frigid prism
#

I’m back from being sad cause I can’t sleep

#

THATS SO METAL

#

That’s so cool

#

So would that mean if the mas breaks he dies cause it seems like as long as the mask is on a new another body he can stay alive forever basically

inner coyote
#

HE LIVES

paper dawn
#

@frigid prism SHENANIGANS

neon harbor
#

WAHOO

frigid prism
robust zealot
#

Octis: "We're back baby!"

honest osprey
#

Pincushion plushie is back on the menu

#

Oh my god.

#

Pincushion is a very important fox.

frigid prism
#

I WANT MY MARKETABLE PIN PLUSHIE

honest osprey
#

I shall now call Sir Pinnifer Cushion, and spread the word about your message.

frigid prism
#

SO MUCH JUST HAPPENED

neon harbor
#

Crazzzy episode

#

I'm so tired now 😂

frigid prism
#

Me too

#

I went through the ringer tonight BUT MUURAY AND BOLIARE ARE THE TRUE MVPS HERE (at least for me)

neon harbor
#

YESSIR

#

Marisha held on to that Nat20 and it paid tf off

frigid prism
#

I’m still trying to process all of what happened in this episode

inner coyote
#

Occtis's art changed after he came back from the dead too

frigid prism
#

I didn’t notice it at first but yeah he had some slight changes he looks for undead and has bright green eyes now

#

I do. Have beacon but according to the cool down Alex wanted him to be undead so instead of making it a backstory THEY PUT IT IN THE GAME WHICH IS AN ISANEN MOVE BUT YEAH

ruby quiver
#

that tracks

#

they've done similar things in CR (and D20) before

#

I always enjoy when backstory things are made story

frigid prism
#

Same it adds a layer of story building to the characters that just works

frigid prism
#

Also I think I missed it who’s the seekers table and who’s the schemers table

quick lintel
frigid prism
quick lintel
#

It seems like those groups are set enough that we’ll be following them

ruby quiver
#

And we know people are gonna be moving around too

#

I can see Wick and Occtis in particular swapping groups

frigid prism
#

I feel like bolaire and Murray might be swapping around a lot they give me swapping group vibes

quick lintel
#

I imagine there won't be much swapping for the rest of the current arc

frigid prism
#

I think it’s more so gonna be a later arch thing

#

Maybe some meeting up and splitting off if that’s what happens with the characterss but yeah

quick lintel
#

I really think everyone is gonna go and spend quite a while doing their own stories for a the next like, few months minimum

spice flax
#

Man I done like bolairs whole deal after watching ep 4

#

But I'm glad it's out there faster than it was with Ashton

honest osprey
#

The episode emotionally exhausted me.

frigid prism
#

Same

frigid prism
#

Hey Monday crew how yall doing?!

rancid yacht
#

Still contemplating how many different ways a DM can try to bring a dead character back to life (looks around sheepishly)

cosmic stratus
#

Just started this week’s ep on YouTube the cold open got me so bad

#

Taliesin serving so bad I said holy shit out loud

frigid prism
#

Taliesin and Matt absolutely serving face distracted me from the horrors this episode brought

finite tapir
#

It certainly had one of the more brutal player character deaths I've ever seen.

frigid prism
#

It made me feel sick honestly

#

And on the episode where Alex had to be dressed as and IT guy as well

#

Cr really said: oops all Alex ward

cosmic stratus
#

Marisha is amazing so far this season I can’t wait to see more Murray

gusty pilot
#

I love Marisha’s characters so much. And Murray is no exception. A busty hill billy dwarf wizard…sure why not! 😆

frigid prism
cosmic stratus
#

She is so funny and especially her playing a divination wizard will surely lead to such awesome RP moments between her and Brennan just like this episode!!

#

I really love how Brennan handles of Nat 1s/20s, and the portent rolls have such good rp flavor potential

honest osprey
frigid prism
honest osprey
#

Gonna go check my og predictions.

#

I was so off the mark.

frigid prism
#

Wait what did you predict again??

#

I was def off on the first go before the first episode lmao

ruby quiver
#

"Summon Undead Critter" - a spell designed for Alex by Jeremy and Chris

honest osprey
frigid prism
#

Ahh I see

#

Yeah there were a few wrong but hey it’s fun

wary pewter
#

Four episodes it, all of Azune’s spotlight moments totally fell flat for me - I hope that character gets in some way interesting, hearing him spend 15 minutes an episode remembering people and feeling slightly bad about it just felt like killing time

frigid prism
#

It always feels like his moments are over shadowed by something but I’m sure he’s gonna get his moment

ruby quiver
#

Luis and Liam are very similar in that way. If you give them a chance to just talk and be dramatic in a scene on their own for a while, they will.

I remember rolling my eyes at it a few times with Caleb, and them Orym did it.. very often. And I say this as someone who loves Liam lol. He and Luis are just birds of a feather

#

Which is actually why im excited they are grouped together to start. When you put either of them with someone else in a scene it gets v nice, so im excited to see them together

frigid prism
#

Yeah I do notice that about them

#

Which is gonna be a fun table dynamic

copper minnow
#

I do agree that Azune left me the least impressed so far

frigid prism
#

The schemers and seekers table have some really interesting dynamics but I also am interested in the Sounders table but right now less so idk we’ll see next Thursday

copper minnow
#

he seems kinda ...generic? Though Im sure that will chance once he gets more sceen time at a less crowded table

frigid prism
frigid prism
#

I’m currently feeling that about the story of the soldiers table but frankly we haven’t seen them in a bit but yeah

#

I think they’ll have some super cool things happen but I think we haven’t seen them long enough for it

polar falcon
#

I liked azunes interaction with Murray the best, indicated some future direction for his character in resisting the new sundered houses order that's attempting to be established in the city

#

Luis does seem like more of a reactive than proactive player in general though

frigid prism
#

Yeah that also seems to be the same with Liam as well they do play similarly from what I’ve seen and I’ve been watching since three on and off so yeah

golden urchin
#

i think if you've seen

#

okay discord send my message before i finish typing why dont u

#

i think if you've seen Luis play in EXU, he is very reactive when setting up the stage for others, but he's is very proactive when the story is about him

frigid prism
#

Ahh ok

golden urchin
#

You should give Calamity a watch, seriously. It's imo Brennan's best and Luis' second best performance in an actual play.

frigid prism
#

I watched one episode I should watch the rest

fringe birch
#

Yes

gilded ether
#

E5 is next week guys?

copper minnow
#

yes, with the soldiers table

gilded ether
#

Cheers mate!

golden urchin
#

i love that i have a fav in every table so i genuinely dont have to worry about interest in table to table

#

Occtis, Bolaire and Tyranny are just chefs kiss

copper minnow
#

I think soldier table is my fav but yeah the others also have a lot of great characters

willow ferry
#

Come to think of it, are we ever going to return to Exandria?

copper minnow
#

I suspect they gonna do one shots there from time to time

#

and who knows, maybe C5 or C6 returns matt to the DM seat and to exandria

willow ferry
#

Eh, fair. I'm not a fan of Campaign 3.

polar falcon
#

I think they confirmed exandria would continue in live shows at least

#

And I believe they are doing another season of reslayers take which is fairly canon exandria

golden urchin
willow ferry
#

Huh, okay. I was thinking of TTRPG products for D&D. I was kind of hoping they would bring the material to the 2024 updated rules.

polar falcon
#

If c3 had been more popular I'd maybe think maybe marquet and/or isslyra books but dunno now

willow ferry
#

I wonder if Campaign 4 is more popular than 3 at that point.

vagrant totem
#

Could i deadass start campaign 4 like rn without having watched the other three

dreamy lily
#

It's a whole new world unconnected to the prior campaigns, so yes!

vagrant totem
#

Oh awesome

finite tapir
#

Critical Role just posted their new intro on their YouTube channel.

gusty pilot
#

That’s pretty slick not gonna lie. I loved the short-lived C3 live action intro too.

frigid prism
#

Tbh I kinda love the live action intros

#

I no not everyone did but there’s a fun charm about them

#

I still need to watch this one

frigid prism
#

I do like this one it’s giving Hal theatre troupe which is fun

#

(Idk how I feel about no intro song but it’s the first intro lol)

honest osprey
#

Finally.

#

We no longer have the mid intro.

#

We now have the peak intro.

frigid prism
#

They give an intro I love it

frigid prism
#

We got new thumbnail images and things for the soldiers group

loud kayak
#

So I’m someone who watches the legend of Vox Machina but hasn’t seen all of c1 on critical role. Is the Craven’s edge the same in both? Or is it the sword of Kas in CR and they had to change it for copyright purposes? Because in the series it shares a few similarities to the sword of Kas

pure ginkgo
loud kayak
#

Ah Oki, sweet

#

Ty

#

I was just curious

pure ginkgo
#

glad to use this random CR knowledge for something lol

merry laurel
#

Anyone else excited for tonight

frigid prism
#

Yessss

honest osprey
#

The full intro at last. not the mid 10-second monstrosity.

paper dawn
#

Sam is having too much fun playing a full idiot loooool

#

It’s hilarious but also fully do not ever let him speak to anyone ever

paper dawn
#

lol Kat is the opposite of Caleb

ruby quiver
#

Gotta love that, despite following his clothing pattern still, he did appropriately swap this shirt

frigid prism
#

What a way to end the episode

paper dawn
#

I like to think he had more planned considering the length of the previous few episodes and his comedian training was like “it’s funnier to end it on this”

pure ginkgo
#

I can't post pictures here but there's basically proof on beacon that Sam is a sorcerer

frigid prism
#

Oh?

pure ginkgo
#

They released little text forms character summaries and Sam's reads: Player: Sam Riegel

Pronouns: he/him

Class: Prodigy Mage

Species: Human

Starting Table: Soldiers

Starting Level: 3

Wicander is the scion of the Candescent Creed, a title and life he was exorbitantly proud of until he discovers the shadowy truth behind his family’s religion. Conflicted as to his future, Wick holds on tightly to his hopeful attitude and desire to do good in the world – even if his family is less inclined to such positivity. Now that his world is upside-down, Wick has set out to rediscover himself, determined to remain a shining light, no matter what darkness he faces.
for copyright reasons they're calling sorcerer prodigy mage... which crossed referenced with azune's page which described him as an exemplar(paladin)\prodigy mage (sorcerer) multiclass all but confirms it

frigid prism
#

Waiittt

tranquil sparrow
copper minnow
#

yeah its weird that they go with these kind of terms when the original dnd terms are all over the stream

#

and the dnd terms are also not subject to any copyright issues in the first place, at least all the stuff in the SRD

tranquil sparrow
#

That was my confusion, as well.

pure ginkgo
#

I'm assuming I really don't know I mean they even have a sorcerer class in daggerheart

tranquil sparrow
pure ginkgo
#

Yep

fading wharf
#

Who's excited for the Mighty Nein release later this month?

loud kayak
#

Does anyone else find the plot structure of Legend of Vox Machina strange?

#

Like s1 was obviously Delilah and Sylas as the villains, connected to the whispered one, but then s2 and 3 is the chroma conclave, just for s4 to go right back to the whispered one

#

Are the chroma conclave connected at all to the whispered one?

#

Ik there likely wasn’t much else they could do, but I still find the structure strange. It kinda makes the conclave feel like a side quest

vagrant kindle
#

they also searched his home, which already had the chroma conclave's insignia under the rug

pure ginkgo
#

Thordak talked about ascending himself\his offspring into godhood a bit in the series

vagrant kindle
#

i also feel like thats just when the dragons chose to strike

#

nothing like carpet bombing a city during a celebration

pure ginkgo
#

The speculations run deep, may we only pray to the be fed well

#

The thing about the whispered one is that information is anything but apparent

ruby quiver
#

The overarching plot definitely matches the og campaign thats for sure

loud kayak
#

My apologies

pure ginkgo
#

We don't know... yet

loud kayak
#

Is there any lore explanation on why the plate of the dawnmartyr couldn’t absorb Thordak’s fire when Raishan possessed his body?

pure ginkgo
#

Besides my own headcanon of a guess that the possession allowed her access into some feature that bypasses a resistance or immunity, I'd say since it is infused with her poison?

#

@loud kayak

loud kayak
#

Hmm, that could make a bit of sense

#

It might just be a plot convenience so that they didn’t just destroy her

#

But I always disliked the line “this fire burns differently”

pure ginkgo
#

Fair some lines are admittedly cheesey

pure ginkgo
#

So I wonder how the traditional "Liam tells Sam what's his character going to be" conversation went... Liam might've sent an email suggesting cleric first and then went back on it in a different email which Sam just didn't see? lol😂

paper dawn
#

My god this artwork

frigid prism
#

It’s soo good

paper dawn
#

Tieldiar loooool

inner coyote
#

YOOOO Wick is an aasimar! (probably obivious already lol)

ruby quiver
#

I believe so lol

#

went to look at the crit role wiki to double check something and his species was already updated lol

#

I also noticed that his class is listed as "Cleric (Officially)"

inner coyote
ruby quiver
#

well yea he used an aasimar ability and said it by name lol

inner coyote
#

lol

#

true

frigid prism
paper dawn
#

”shadow curse battle” ost intensifies

#

Ooo cool weapon

#

Do you think any of them are gonna die?

#

Octis was more or less planned

frigid prism
#

I HOPE NOT

paper dawn
#

We good lol

rain wharf
#

so so good

copper minnow
#

ohhhhh

fading wharf
copper minnow
#

oooof rules wise, this first real combat is a bit rough. I hope they learn the new rules characters a bit more over the coming months

#

but overall not a biggy. still a great episode

ruby quiver
#

Funniest part of the MN series is the Nott voice is far more like what Sam did for her originally before he swapped to the less voice destroyer version

merry laurel
#

The eggs with a song in them are a sick loot idea

paper dawn
#

Oh tonight is gonna be saccharine huh

paper dawn
#

Knew it 🥹

#

And there’s the other shoe

#

Matthew

paper dawn
#

M A T T H E W

willow ferry
#

What am I missing?

frigid prism
#

M A T T H E W

willow ferry
#

What's going on?

paper dawn
#

Matthew Mercer is messing with Jester’s wedding day by siccing the hag that she cupcaked and has already removed her memories of not only Yasha, but her mother

#

They’re probably not gone gone but in this magic item she’s using but still

#

M A T T H E W!!!!!!!!