Critical Role Critical Role Campaign 4 Episode 4 is a High-Octane Rollercoaster

[Charlaquin]

What I liked about C1-2 (until the last arc) was that they feel like a bunch of nerdy ass voice actors playing Dungeons and Dragons. It still felt like games night. Now it feels like a bunch of actors attempting to develop the next series for Amazon Prime.

And I like those series. But I found these sessions so complicated and repetitive. The few I watched. Maybe it’s turned around but I have no desire to find out. I already have a job.

Based on this, I definitely don’t think it will have turned around for you. It is very much still an improvisational audio play with dice, not a candid session of a casual game night where the players happen to be voice actors.

 

[Mort]

What I liked about C1-2 (until the last arc) was that they feel like a bunch of nerdy ass voice actors playing Dungeons and Dragons. It still felt like games night. Now it feels like a bunch of actors attempting to develop the next series for Amazon Prime.

And I like those series. But I found these sessions so complicated and repetitive. The few I watched. Maybe it’s turned around but I have no desire to find out. I already have a job.

This^

I really enjoyed the game night aspect of 1-2.

I couldn't get into Exandria unlimited at all, actively disliked watching it. Tried to watch campaign 3 but fell off it.

I tried to get back into campaign 4, but it (as you basically said) feels more like people showing up for an acting gig than a D&D game night.

 

[Maxperson]

It’s very interesting to me how a lot of the audience seems to have flipped with Campaign 4. You, Clint, and I’m sure plenty of others who really enjoyed previous campaigns have fallen off, whereas myself and several others I know who couldn’t really get into previous campaigns are hooked with this one. I suspect it must have something to do with what one liked (or didn’t like) about C1-C3.

I'm in the former group. I'm still watching Campaign 4, but slowly. I really like how Brennan embraces DM fiat to improve the game. That's how fiat is done well(and how I use it). However, he's a bit too narrative for me overall.

 

[Gorck]

I’m liking C4 more than i thought I would. The Soldiers table is as much fun as i thought it would be. The Seekers table drew me in more than i anticipated. But this Schemers table - I feel like it’s going to be a tough one. I like Marisha’s and Taliesin’s characters, but I dread watching Liam and Luis ham it up and try to out-drama queen each other. And sure enough, in their first full episode, the waterworks were already flowing.

 

[OB1]

I gave up ages ago, so I don’t have many thoughts! Every now and then I read an article discussing the plot, but I just found it incredibly tedious, with constant lore dumps and endless discussion, much like a lot of Campaign 3.

I’ve been meaning to listen to more of Worlds Beyond Number, so thank you for the reminder! I’m currently re-listening to Campaign 2 and am on the Xorhas arc, so I have a bit further to go before it hits its final arc, which I will skip.

I've stuck with it, but am close to giving up. They are on the schemer's table now and the lore dumps and endless discussion have gotten worse. At least with C3, there were still moments of chaotic joy, and the characters were fun.

For WBN, Brennan's campaign is a delight, and in season 3, Lou runs a 5 episode Sci-fi campaign that is an absolute treasure. Just listened to the first episode of Abria's long form sci-fi campaign (not D&D) and I'm hooked there as well. The four of them really make a great team. I think their biggest strength is they've been trained in improv and do a great job of yes, and-ing to keep the story moving rather than running in circles. The CR team, for all of their talents, just don't as a whole have that as a strength.

 

[Charlaquin]

I’ve been liking the schemer’s table so far. I wish they would get a combat in from time to time, but I understand that isn’t really this group’s focus, and it would be kind of strain suspension of disbelief for them to get into a violent altercation without completely upturning the status quo in the city. I expected Marisha’s character to be my least favorite, but she has grown on me a fair bit, and for some reason I seem to zone out whenever the spotlight is on Liam. I like Liam and I like his character for this campaign, but for some reason he just doesn’t hold my attention like the others do this campaign.

Soldier’s table is easily my favorite. For those who miss the game night energy, that group retains the largest share of that (though I understand if it still doesn’t do it for some folks). Seekers are probably my least favorite. I enjoy the lore revelations, but they feel like the weakest group of characters to me, and they lack both the exciting action of the soldiers and the dramatic depth of the schemers. I still enjoyed watching their arc, but not as much as I’m enjoying the schemers so far, and much less than I enjoyed the soldiers’ arc.