Critical Role Could Critical Role launch their own RPG?

[Mort]

See having watched all of campaign one, and a bit of the other campaigns where they are not struggling nearly so much with mechanics I would say the biggest barrier to entry for them in leveraging their brand to launch a new game is not any business concern but simply that they have all gained a hard won familiarity with 5e D&D, and won't really want to have to go through putting on a show playing an unfamiliar system again (and yes they do one-shots with unfamiliar systems all the time, but that's a different, "we're just doing are best" vibe than "this is our system that we created, are endorsing, or are the most prominent practitioners of" would be).

I wouldn't be surprised if they jumped ship rather than convert to 5.5 though.

I would be VERY surprised.

The show has a close relationship with D&D Beyond, they mention it most episodes.

Forgetting that, Critical Role, unlike others, clearly actually HAVE a special license with WoTC. Their published world is essentially official as is the adventure published for it. And their content has bled into OTHER official WoTC content (I know it bled into Avernus, for example).

Further, I suspect the great majority of their fans couldn't care less about the current OGL controversy (sure, there are some, but not the for the most part) so I doubt that's a factor.

Could it happen? Sure, But it will likely be MUCH later, if ever.

 

[billd91]

I would be VERY surprised.

The show has a close relationship with D&D Beyond, they mention it most episodes.

Forgetting that, Critical Role, unlike others, clearly actually HAVE a special license with WoTC. Their published world is essentially official as is the adventure published for it. And their content has bled into OTHER official WoTC content (I know it bled into Avernus, for example).

Further, I suspect the great majority of their fans couldn't care less about the current OGL controversy (sure, there are some, but not the for the most part) so I doubt that's a factor.

Could it happen? Sure, But it will likely be MUCH later, if ever.

Many fans won’t care, but I think the principals like Matt Mercer will care.
But you’re right, there won’t be an immediate reaction. They’ve been recording a couple of weeks in advance as they have since the pandemic started.

 

[Clint_L]

I would be VERY surprised.

The show has a close relationship with D&D Beyond, they mention it most episodes.

Forgetting that, Critical Role, unlike others, clearly actually HAVE a special license with WoTC. Their published world is essentially official as is the adventure published for it. And their content has bled into OTHER official WoTC content (I know it bled into Avernus, for example).

Some of it has. On the other hand, their most recent source book, Tal'Dorei revisited, is published under the OGL.

But books are not Hasbro's focus, anyway. IP is. And I don't think Critical Role wants anything to do with the clause in OGL 1.1 that could potentially give Hasbro control over IP like CR's characters, who are definitely D&D derived.

 

[Weiley31]

Could you imagine if Critical Role/Darrington Press joined up with Paizo's ORC collective?
That would be insane if something like that happened.

 

[OB1]

Some of it has. On the other hand, their most recent source book, Tal'Dorei revisited, is published under the OGL.

But books are not Hasbro's focus, anyway. IP is. And I don't think Critical Role wants anything to do with the clause in OGL 1.1 that could potentially give Hasbro control over IP like CR's characters, who are definitely D&D derived.

CR has a custom agreement with WotC, so OGL 1.1 won't apply to them. They'll need to decide if staying with WotC will hurt their brand, and if so, I imagine Darrington Press will join Paizo's ORC hoard.

 

[Haplo781]

I would be VERY surprised.

The show has a close relationship with D&D Beyond, they mention it most episodes.

Forgetting that, Critical Role, unlike others, clearly actually HAVE a special license with WoTC. Their published world is essentially official as is the adventure published for it. And their content has bled into OTHER official WoTC content (I know it bled into Avernus, for example).

Further, I suspect the great majority of their fans couldn't care less about the current OGL controversy (sure, there are some, but not the for the most part) so I doubt that's a factor.

Could it happen? Sure, But it will likely be MUCH later, if ever.

They're currently doing a "someone is trying to kill all the gods" arc, and the gods are the last bit of official D&D product identity in Exandria.

There's a good chance they're trying to sever ties with WotC's IP before C3 ends so they can have a clean break.

 

[Mort]

Some of it has. On the other hand, their most recent source book, Tal'Dorei revisited, is published under the OGL.

But books are not Hasbro's focus, anyway. IP is. And I don't think Critical Role wants anything to do with the clause in OGL 1.1 that could potentially give Hasbro control over IP like CR's characters, who are definitely D&D derived.

That's right. If you look at Vox Machina on Amazon they very deliberately stripped any remotely obvious 5e (or even D&D) ties. The inspiration is 100% there, but none of the language, names, even spellcasting methods. They want their IP to be their own.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Many fans won’t care, but I think the principals like Matt Mercer will care.

You know who definitely cares? Brennan Lee Mulligan. I will be very interested to hear if he has any public comments at some point. He's already now DMing a new non-D&D podcast that's apparently intended to run years. Announced in late December/early January, which suggests that he knew about the OGL 1.1 fiasco at that point, via Dimension20.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

That's right. If you look at Vox Machina on Amazon they very deliberately stripped any remotely obvious 5e (or even D&D) ties. The inspiration is 100% there, but none of the language, names, even spellcasting methods. They want their IP to be their own.

Other than not bothering to explain spell slots for Pike (because, ugh, who wants to watch that?), everything in the first season looked spot-on to me, down to the lightning-breathing blue dragon.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

I would be VERY surprised.

The show has a close relationship with D&D Beyond, they mention it most episodes.

Forgetting that, Critical Role, unlike others, clearly actually HAVE a special license with WoTC. Their published world is essentially official as is the adventure published for it. And their content has bled into OTHER official WoTC content (I know it bled into Avernus, for example).

Further, I suspect the great majority of their fans couldn't care less about the current OGL controversy (sure, there are some, but not the for the most part) so I doubt that's a factor.

Could it happen? Sure, But it will likely be MUCH later, if ever.

I mean I probably overstated the likelihood. Really all I was getting at is that if they were going to drop D&D at any point in the near-ish future it will probably be when the launch of OneD&D pressures them to switch rule sets anyway, because there's both business considerations and considerations about needing to perform while grasping with a new game.

I think you're fundamentally right in recognizing that WotC recognizes Critical Role's value as their most effective brand ambassadors, that if they have any sense (far from a certain) will cut them a less short-sighted deal than those they foist on everyone else through OGL 1.1, and that even if they didn't products that would potentially be subject to OGL 1.1 are a relatively small part of the CritRole empire.

But if the public sufficiently sours on WotC, Critical Role is an entity inclined to cut ties with a toxic partner even if it doesn't really make hard business sense. They have their own brand to worry about and it has a lot of good will they don't want tarnished. I don't see this particular OGL imbroglio getting them there, but a WotC management team terrible enough at community relations to get them to this point in this controversy will most likely find other ways to absolutely alienate their fans in the next couple years on the road to the rather blasé rehash and cynical cashgrab of a product that OneD&D will most likely be. Meanwhile if serious rivals arise and make a serious play for the D&D crown, Critical Role is the belle of the ball. So I think it's more likely than you do that they jump ship, but still it requires a series of poor decisions on WotC's part, which while not improbable still don't seem particularly likely.

A few months ago I'd have considered it borderline impossible that Critcal Role switches game systems or launches their own (I might well have said something along those lines in this very thread, I can't remember and don't care to look back through 8 pages of old posts, but I certainly said such things on other threads). Now I'd say, "eh... somewhere in a bout a 10-30% range of likelihood.