Taryon Darrington, a fictional character played by Sam Riegel, never actually published a book in the world of Exandria, yet his name became the banner for a real-world publishing empire. Darrington Press launched in October 2020 as the official tabletop game imprint for Critical Role Productions, a company that had already reshaped the landscape of actual play gaming since its split from Geek & Sundry in 2018. The imprint was initially led by Ivan Van Norman, with Matthew Mercer serving as creative advisor, and it was designed to produce board games, card games, and role-playing games without relying on the crowdfunding model that had become the industry standard. This decision to fund development internally rather than through public campaigns signaled a shift in strategy, aiming to bring a level of polish and consistency to their releases that independent crowdfunding often struggled to maintain. The name itself was a nod to the show's first campaign, where Darrington was a goblin wizard whose chaotic energy and love for books became a fan favorite, transforming a minor character into the face of a major publishing venture.
A Mixed First Impression
The first game released under the Darrington Press banner, Uk'otoa, arrived on the 27th of May 2021 to a divided reception that highlighted the challenges of translating a beloved narrative universe into mechanical gameplay. Designed by Jeb Havens and Gabriel Hicks, the semi-cooperative card game featured a visually stunning box and a detailed miniature of the titular serpent, earning praise from critics like Jonathon Dornbush of IGN for its art and components. However, the gameplay itself drew sharp criticism from Charles Theel of Polygon, who described it as a Critical Role bauble that chewed up time without delivering the friction-heavy experience fans expected. While some reviewers like Tommy Williams of GeekTyrant found the game fun and interesting, others felt it failed to capture the depth of the source material, serving more as a collector's item than a robust gaming experience. This mixed response set the stage for a company that would need to prove its design capabilities beyond the initial hype of its brand recognition.Reborn Worlds And New Systems
By the 18th of January 2022, Darrington Press had released the Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, a revised edition of the original sourcebook published by Green Ronin Publishing, which expanded the world of Exandria by over 150 pages. Chris King of Polygon called the book the Silmarillion of campaign settings, praising its encyclopedic worldbuilding and the inclusion of new factions, threats, and organizations that updated the setting for modern players. The book won the Gold Award for Best Setting at the 2022 ENNIE Awards, cementing the imprint's ability to deliver high-quality content even when their standalone games faced scrutiny. Following this success, the company released A Familiar Problem on the 25th of June 2022 for Free RPG Day, a one-page roleplaying game written by Grant Howitt and Marisha Ray that served as a charming icebreaker for new players. These releases demonstrated a growing confidence in their ability to handle both large-scale worldbuilding and bite-sized experimental designs, setting the groundwork for more ambitious projects to follow.