The answers to our questions are finally here. Since the announcement of Critical Role’s campaign 4 earlier this month, the internet has been swirling with speculation. What system will they use? Dungeons & Dragons, or Darrington Press’s Daggerheart? Who will be a part of the cast? The original cast or new blood? Helmed by the award-winning creator, game master, and friend to the show, Brennan Lee Mulligan, campaign 4 will be played using Dungeons & Dragons (2024 rules) as well as some homebrew goodness from Darrington Press’s Jeremy Crawford and Chris Perkins.
The Who
Featuring Critical Role’s eight founders, Laura Bailey, Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, Matthew Mercer, Liam O’Brien, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, and Travis Willingham, they will be joined on this new adventure alongside Luis Carazo, Robbie Daymond, Aabria Iyengar, Whitney Moore, and Alex Ward. Traversing the world of Aramán, the gameplay will adopt a West-Marches style, tailored for a large group of players.
Marisha Ray, Creative Director, co-founder, and cast member of Critical Role, states:
“When creating the worlds that we build and explore in all of our content at Critical Role, we have always held strong to the belief that we should use the system that best supports the story we want to tell. We are certainly spoiled for choice when it comes to TTRPG systems that the cast knows and loves, so we are very excited to explore more of both Daggerheart and Dungeons and Dragons in our near (and hopefully distant) future.”
The Structure
The first four episodes will act as an overture, introducing all 13 cast members and their characters. Through delicately woven scenes, forging connections, and story beats, the adventurers will then split into 3 tables: The Soldiers, Schemers, and Seekers. For the duration of Campaign 4, our heroes (or villains?) will be tied together with overarching themes and genres.
Where To Watch
Campaign 4 will premiere with instant access on Beacon.tv as well as streamed to Critical Role’s YouTube and Twitch channels on October 2. The VOD is available to everyone the following Monday, and podcast episodes are available in two parts: the first part one week after the premiere, and the second parton the following Tuesday. Beacon members will also get exclusive access to all episodes of Critical Role Cooldown for Campaign 4, where the cameras keep rolling and you get a front row seat to the cast’s post-show reactions.
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