Critical Role

• 1. Origins And Evolution

  ›

  In March 2015, a group of professional voice actors began streaming their private Dungeons & Dragons game to the world. The show started partway through the cast's first campaign, which had been running as a home game since 2012. Matthew Mercer served as the Dungeon Master for eight players who originally gathered for Liam O'Brien's birthday party two years prior. The group played using Pathfinder rules before switching to the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons for the broadcast version. Felicia Day approached them about hosting the game on Geek & Sundry after hearing about their private sessions from Ashley Johnson. The initial pitch involved converting combat into video game mechanics, but Mercer insisted on keeping the tabletop format. The first episode aired on the 12th of March 2015, and ran until the 12th of October 2017 with 115 episodes. Orion Acaba left the show after episode 27, leaving seven main players for the remainder of the series. Fans began calling themselves "Critters" during a Q&A session at the end of episode 10 in 2016. The show moved from Geek & Sundry to its own channels in June 2018 when Critical Role Productions launched independently. By February 2019, all content migrated to the company's own platforms after finalizing a split from Legendary Digital Networks.

  4568

• 2. Campaign Histories

  ›

  The second campaign began on the 11th of January 2018, following an adventuring party known as The Mighty Nein. This story took place on the continent of Wildemount approximately twenty years after Vox Machina's final battle against Vecna. Campaign two concluded on the 3rd of June 2021, after 141 episodes with the longest single episode lasting over seven hours. A hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic occurred between March and July 2020 before returning in non-live format. The third campaign premiered on the 21st of October 2021, set on the continent of Marquet with characters meeting in the city of Jrusar. The Bells Hells party formed after a fallen member, and Riegel's character FCG sacrificed themself in Episode 91 during April 2024. Sam Riegel then took leave for cancer treatment before returning with a new character in June 2024. Campaign three ended on the 6th of February 2025, featuring the longest episode at over eight and a half hours. Campaign four premiered on the 2nd of October 2025, with Brennan Lee Mulligan as Game Master in a new setting outside Exandria. The fourth campaign uses the 2024 revision to fifth edition rules and splits players into three groups called Soldiers, Seekers, and Schemers.

  1723242598

• 3. Production Infrastructure

  ›

  Critical Role Productions launched its own Twitch and YouTube channels in June 2018, moving from Geek & Sundry studios to their own space that same month. The company finalized its split from Legendary Digital Networks by February 2019, taking full production responsibility for all shows. A custom game table designed by Wyrmwood allowed cast members to sit together while being filmed from multiple sides. The set featured a gamemaster screen inset portion with space for notes and an area for miniatures and maps used in combat. From 2016 to 2019, Critical Role was available on Legendary Digital's Alpha platform which included real-time character sheets and damage animations. The show moved to a simultaneous multi-camera setup with two cameras at players and one at the Dungeon Master. A fourth Battle Cam could be activated during combat to show close-ups of miniatures and models. Each actor received individual microphones starting with the third campaign set built in 2021. The Tavern of Tales set replaced previous designs before being swapped again for Campaign Four in 2025. Business Insider reported that Critical Role is among the highest earners on Twitch with direct payouts totaling $9,626,712 between September 2019 and September 2021.

  2023242545

• 4. Transmedia Expansion

  ›

  A Kickstarter campaign launched on the 4th of March 2019, raised $11.3 million to transform an animated special into a ten-episode series called The Legend of Vox Machina. Amazon Prime Video acquired streaming rights in November 2019 and commissioned fourteen additional episodes for a total of twenty-four across two seasons. The animated series premiered on the 28th of January 2022, adapting the full Briarwood arc plus other classic storylines from campaign one. An upcoming animated series titled Mighty Nein based on the second campaign was announced in January 2023 and premiered on the 19th of November 2025. Eight volume prequel graphic novel series Critical Role: The Mighty Nein Origins published between 2021 and 2024. Two official campaign setting guides were released including Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting and Explorer's Guide to Wildemount. A new boutique subscription service called Beacon launched in May 2024 offering immediate VOD access and exclusive shows like Critical Role Cooldown. The company also produced canonical one-shot games featuring Vox Machina after campaign one ended. These included The Search for Grog played live in Los Angeles on the 19th of January 2019, and The Adventures of the Darrington Brigade performed at Bass Concert Hall in Austin on the 23rd of November 2019.

  2026303133

• 5. Community Dynamics

  ›

  Fans nicknamed Critters create content such as fanart, fan fiction, character-inspired music, and merchandise for the show. Viewers send gifts resulting in occasional "Critmas" episodes where items are opened and distributed. By January 2016 each episode had been watched over a million minutes totaling more than thirty-seven million minutes for the whole series. The YouTube channel started in 2018 accumulated over five hundred million views by 2024 with the first campaign episode viewed fifteen million times alone. In October 2021 Business Insider reported the Twitch channel had eight hundred twenty-eight thousand followers and thirteen thousand five hundred thirty active subscribers. The Washington Post noted YouTube viewership increased by one hundred twenty-five percent since 2019 peaking at more than one hundred eighty-eight million views last year. Charity drives have raised significant funds including over seventy-six thousand dollars during Geek & Sundry's Extra Life fundraiser in late 2015. The Critical Role Foundation launched in September 2020 aiming to raise fifty thousand dollars for First Nations Development Institute initiatives. A partnership with Fathom Events aired live tour shows in eight hundred movie theaters across the United States and Australia in May 2025.

  4559607096

• 6. Cast And Leadership

  ›

  From October 2015 to February 2025, eight main cast members all remained original players throughout most of the show's run. Travis Willingham serves as chief executive officer while Matthew Mercer acts as chief creative officer. Marisha Ray holds the position of creative director and Ed Lopez is chief operating officer. Rachel Romero leads marketing as senior vice president and Ben Van Der Fluit handles business development as vice president. Orion Acaba departed after episode 27 leaving seven core players who continued through campaign two. Campaign four expanded the player count to fourteen including returning members plus Luis Carazo, Robbie Daymond, Aabria Iyengar, Whitney Moore, and Alexander Ward. Brennan Lee Mulligan took over Dungeon Master duties starting the 2nd of October 2025, creating a new setting outside Exandria. Sam Riegel typically reads sponsorship announcements which have become running gags involving loosely related skits. Prominent sponsors include D&D Beyond, Wyrmwood gaming tables, and Dwarven Forge miniature terrain. The cast declined to discuss internal strife surrounding Acaba's departure allowing fan communities to maintain positive attitudes about the group.

  4849505184