Critical Role Critical Role Campaign 3 Discussion (SPOILERS)

[Burnside]

Personally, I found campaign 1 by far the most enjoyable, I checked out halfway through campaign 2 and I couldn't get into Exandria Unlimited at all (I REALY hated the DM's style for the campaign, like A LOT).

Campaign 1, for me, seemed the most "D&D like." They've adopted a much more performance art style (playing to the audience etc.) and it's just not clicking with me nearly as much.

I liked the first half of Campaign 2 better than Campaign 1, but the second half of Campaign 2 I thought was worse than all but the very early episodes of Campaign 1.

I thought Exandria Unlimited was pretty much unwatchable. Tapped out halfway through episode 2.

 

[Burnside]

anyone got a link to where I can hear it?

YouTube replay will be up on Monday, podcast version Thursday next week. To get it sooner than that, you'd need to subscribe to their Twitch channel.

 

[Charlaquin]

I think that's on purpose, he was tired of driving the narrative as Caleb, so he said he wanted to play a more back seat kind of character...

And that’s fair, but I just hope he doesn’t totally fade into the background. You can play a character who doesn’t drive the narrative but is still memorable.

Of course, it’s still only the first episode. There’ll be plenty of time for him to grow on me.

 

[TheAlkaizer]

I enjoyed it.

I agree that I don't think Travis' character is what he'll play. I don't know if that means that he'll have his real C3 character pop up sometimes later, or if he'll be playing some NPCs and other characters for Matt, or if it's a West Marches style of game.

I enjoyed all of the new characters. Especially Marisha's. Her characters have always been an acquired taste for me. I really didn't enjoy Beauregard at the start of C2, but after 20 or so episode, it seemed she found her way and I became a fan. But Laudna I've thoroughly enjoyed right out of the gate.

I know a lot of people are unhappy about the Exandria Unlimited characters returning. I didn't watch it. But personally I really enjoyed Dorian (who's confirmed to be a special guest, so probably not permanent) and Kearne. However, I found Liam's character a bit flavorless; and it's a shame because I'm a bit fan of Liam's roleplaying.

I also agree that it was a bit frontloaded with worldbuilding and names. C2 started in a small place with a circus and it was very moody but very small. I normally watch CR on YouTube with subtitles, and watching it live without subtitles made it impossible for me to understand the names of places.

 

[Mort]

My unsolicited Critical Role Campaign 3 episode 1 thoughts, having watched the first half while not paying very close attention to it.

I was fine with it by the end of the first half. However, if I was a brand new viewer I 100% would not have made it through the opening 10 minute intro/shilling section.

I get why they have to do this, but I also can't sit through it. I caught it this morning instead and fast forwarded right through it!

The first 30-40 minutes of play was really front-loaded with the standard Mercer factions, orders, and institutions that it'll take me a while to wrap my head around and which I may never care about.

Yeah, it was A LOT.

Laura is doing the young southern gothic voice she used for her Pillars of Eternity 2 character. It's great.

Laura is playing a human aberrant mind (I think) sorcerer. Marisha is a warlock/sorcerer. Warlock patron is The Undead from Van Richten's guide and I think she's a dhampir as well. Not sure what her sorcerous origin is but likely shadow.

After one half of one episode, I like Marisha's character better than Keyleth or Beau.

Taleisin's character is a non-binary earth genasi barbarian. Very cool looking visually.

FCG = Ted Lasso. At first I thought he was the little robot voiced by Slim Pickens in The Black Hole, but it's clearly Ted Lasso.

I like FCG and Laura's character, Imogen, a lot.

Liked the characters - will see where they go. Apparently Liam has picked every one of Sam's characters, not Sam. But I think this one is different enough and certainly could be interesting.

Ashley, Liam, and Robbie are playing their Exandria Unlimited characters. Travis joins late in part one as Bertram Bell, his campaign 1 back-up character. This does not feel like a long-term character for him (unlike everyone else, he does not get a character sheet). It appears there may be something to the rumors that this is a West Marches campaign or that sometimes people other than Matt will be playing NPCs.

Personally, I'm happy with this. Really disliked Exandria Unlimited! Happy to see what the players can do with the characters under Matt (and I found Robbie the most likeable of the "new" bunch so happy to see him here).

Sam inadvertently revealed he did not watch a single minute of Exandria Unlimited.

Wish I hadn't! Gave the first episode a shot and watched a the end of the finale.

Taleisin and Sam are playing unpublished subclasses for barbarian and cleric, respectively. Maybe they'll be available with the March CR adventure book.

Bold choice for Ashley to play a druid, the most technically complex class in the game. Despite playing the character in all 8 episodes of Exandria Unlimited, she did not know how her cantrips worked here.

We'll see. Druid's are a strong class, maybe she'll grow into it.

Not crazy about the new set so far. It has a weird fishbowl effect, and whenever Mercer leans in to move minis there are suddenly three of him as he appears in every camera shot at weird angles.

Yeah, I thought I'd be wowed - the way they hyped it up. So far, strictly meh, but maybe it'll show how cool it is later.

Their ability scores are higher than what you'd get with point buy or standard array, but so far they each have one really low score. Marisha has a 5 strength and Taleisin has a 6 charisma.

Supposedly it's 4d6 drop lowest, reroll if the total scores add to less than 70. Seems to work for them. For my group we always use variations of point buy.

I always learn a lot watching this show. My biggest take-away is that the first session of a campaign is hard to DM. But I think it’s better to do two things they didn’t do here:

• Start with an action sequence. Not hungover people in a bar. You’re inviting 30-40 minutes of low-energy meandering.
• Start simple. You don’t need to introduce every faction and location right away. No player or viewer is holding all of these guilds, libraries, theaters, and towers in their heads. Just intro stuff as you need it. And in session one, just intro the stuff you need for session 1.

With you there! I would NEVER start with a huge monologue like that. And to start by gradually bringing PCs in - that would be awful in a home game (IMO and IME). But this has a big performance aspect to it, so Matt takes liberties (though, it didn't work for me - would have much rather seen an action sequence to start).

 

[Mind of tempest]

YouTube replay will be up on Monday, podcast version Thursday next week. To get it sooner than that, you'd need to subscribe to their Twitch channel.

well that is Monday done then

 

[Scribe]

Taleisin is playing a literal punk rock.

Amusingly, my Wrath of the Righteous Character is the same.

Neat characters, but I just can't watch more than clips.

 

[Mort]

Amusingly, my Wrath of the Righteous Character is the same.

Neat characters, but I just can't watch more than clips.

I've found watching (or listening) at 1.5-2x speed (and then slowing down for fun fights etc.) works well. The players tend to speak so slowly that you get the gist of what they are saying just fine, even at that speed.

 

[Charlaquin]

I liked the first half of Campaign 2 better than Campaign 1, but the second half of Campaign 2 I thought was worse than all but the very early episodes of Campaign 1.

I thought Exandria Unlimited was pretty much unwatchable. Tapped out halfway through episode 2.

C1 was definitely more casual, where they’ve gotten more performative as they‘ve gone on. That works for me though because most of C1 just didn’t hold my attention outside of big climactic moments. The casual goofing around aspect was harder for me to enjoy as a passive audience than it is when I’m actually participating.

I didn’t care for Exandria Unlimited either. I liked the characters, but Abria’s has a very… cinematic DMing style that I’m not a fan of. Like, literally describing scenes like cinematography, which is not an uncommon way to DM, but I’ve never liked it when DM’s do it. Cinema is a visual medium, why would you lean on its language for verbal narration?

That said, I actually think it’s a really good thing for Critical Role to showcase different DMing styles. They have enormous influence on the hobby and I think it’s a great thing for them to show that there are other ways to DM than how Matt does it. I just happened not to like her style personally.

 

[Burnside]

I get why they have to do this, but I also can't sit through it. I caught it this morning instead and fast forwarded right through it!

I wish they'd at least do it in the middle and not the top of the show. Imagine you're a new viewer and you want to see a D&D adventure, and you're greeted with 2 minutes of Sam's (elaborate but unfortunately not very funny) musical bit and 8 minutes of shilling mostly ugly merch.

I mean, they are a huge, unassailable success so they will be just fine. But you have to know there will be a TON of first-timers giving this a shot as the first ep of a new campaign. It's weird to behave as if everybody will get your little in-jokes, and patiently sit through eight 40-somethings giggling to each other like 12-year-olds for ten minutes.