Critical Role Announces Publishing Company

The first game will be a board/card game called Uk’otoa. This will be followed by role playing game products including Syndicult, “an original modern magic roleplaying game designed by Matthew Mercer in which mob families jealously guard secrets and battle it out for power on the city streets.”

Announcing Darrington Press, Our Game Publishing Company | Critical Role

critrole.com

I’ve long wondered whether there might one day be the official Critical Role role playing game, and whether CR's massive influence could make a dent in WotC, the traditional 800lb gorilla.

 

[wicked cool]

It's D&D, not the Simpsons. It's less niche than it used to be, but it's never going to be the Simpsons.

Agreed. I have heard other example of twitter outrage such as Last of US 2, mulan, and even the comic industry. I'm not hearing the WOTC stuff at all so I'm wondering if i'm missing the outlet its appearing in

 

[Morrus]

Agreed. I have heard other example of twitter outrage such as Last of US 2, mulan, and even the comic industry. I'm not hearing the WOTC stuff at all so I'm wondering if i'm missing the outlet its appearing in

It’s usually all over the RPG news sites and communities. They all get discussed at length right here in giant 1000-post threads where several people get banned and then the thread gets closed.

 

[Seramus]

Mercer will never screw over D&D. They’ll dance around the edges and publish things like what they’ve announced.

This. Mercer respects D&D personally and professionally, since it brought his family together and helped inspire so many people. He will certainly publish other things, but the D&D name is sacred to him.

Now, if he keeps gaining steam then Hasbro might give him D&D. That's a future possibility.

 

[Wrathamon]

This. Mercer respects D&D personally and professionally, since it brought his family together and helped inspire so many people. He will certainly publish other things, but the D&D name is sacred to him.

Now, if he keeps gaining steam then Hasbro might give him D&D. That's a future possibility.

Also, a lot of "his world" is using 4e IP that I dont believe was in the ogl, but because he is doing a lot for the community and D&D they are scratching his back. They seem to have a really good partnership. I dont see him disrespecting that by trying to compete directly. i figure he is trying to be complementary

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

D&D is the main brand in the TTRPG industry. I guess they would rather to have WotC as godfather/partner/sponsor and not as rival. CR wants to sell fluff/lore/background, and the books about crunch for WotC.

Hasbro could mre hire outsiders for D&D. Some 3PPs have got really good ideas. If Exandria now is officially D&D world, maybe other setting by a 3PP may follow the same way. Maybe even Hasbro could hire Paizo for crunch sourcebooks (new base classes and like this).

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

IF Hasbro ever wants to divest itself of the D&D brand, they will assuredly be selling it for a lot of beans. There's no scenario where the brand is so devalued that they would give it away, no matter how good their working relationship. However, I could totally see Wizards collaborating with Darrington like they have with Kobold Press and Green Ronin.

This. Mercer respects D&D personally and professionally, since it brought his family together and helped inspire so many people. He will certainly publish other things, but the D&D name is sacred to him.

Now, if he keeps gaining steam then Hasbro might give him D&D. That's a future possibility.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

We have to remember Hasbro not only has collaborated with other companies, but also acquired someones.

Now my opinion about Darrington Press is this is how a indie videogame studio, what wants to sell games, but not to produce yet AAA. The main goal is creative freedom. It is not going to publish its own retroclone with a lot of crunch.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Now, if he keeps gaining steam then Hasbro might give him D&D. That's a future possibility.

He doesn't have any particular track record with content creation*. There's no reason to believe investors would give him the amount of money necessary to buy the brand or that Hasbro would say that he should be in charge of it within their company (or as a licensee). There are many, many, many developers and publishers who would be higher on the list than him.

That said, I can see them paying the Critical Role crew to keep playing D&D, since they've toyed with other games before and each has benefited dramatically from the attention. (The entire Monsterhearts 2 back inventory apparently vanished instantly when CR played a one-shot of the game, for instance.)

* He's a DM and has created two campaigns to date. They're better than most streaming/podcast games, but like most streamed/podcast games, Critical Role is largely about the performances, which are the best around. But I think very few people have picked up any of the Critical Role setting books and have been blown away by them as a setting. They're fine, which makes them better than most of their competitors, but I wouldn't say he's a better creator than at least a dozen designers I could name and many more I couldn't.

 

[Morrus]

That said, I can see them paying the Critical Role crew to keep playing D&D, since they've toyed with other games before and each has benefited dramatically from the attention. (The entire Monsterhearts 2 back inventory apparently vanished instantly when CR played a one-shot of the game, for instance.)

That’s possible. They do do sponsored shows. They aren’t cheap though. You’re talking $20-$30k a go.

Not that WotC can’t afford that easily.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

That’s possible. They do do sponsored shows. They aren’t cheap though. You’re talking $20-$30k a go.

Not that WotC can’t afford that easily.

I could see it as part of an overall deal.

"We'll co-publish three Critical Role books and ancillary products, but you commit to only playing D&D for the next 18 months, and have to produce a minimum of 24 shows in that time."

At the moment, though, there doesn't seem to be any particular reason for them to do so, since CR is already playing D&D and seems unlikely to stop the gravy train rolling until at least after their cartoon comes out.