Critical Role Issues Statement

[Cordwainer Fish]

Ah, they hired Lord Dorwin's speechwriter.

 

[darjr]

Has anyone suggested that they might be involved in a lawsuit?

Wouldn't that be public record though?

I mean it is the one legit thing I'd think would make it unwise to talk about all this.

 

[overgeeked]

Has anyone suggested that they might be involved in a lawsuit?

Wouldn't that be public record though?

I mean it is the one legit thing I'd think would make it unwise to talk about all this.

Lots of big money corporate contracts include an anti-disparagement clause. If you talk smack about your contracted partner, you get sued. So if that's what's going on, it's speculation, then it makes sense they'd release a nothing burger of a statement like that.

 

[Staffan]

Lots of big money corporate contracts include an anti-disparagement clause. If you talk smack about your contracted partner, you get sued. So if that's what's going on, it's speculation, then it makes sense they'd release a nothing burger of a statement like that.

Yeah. The statement doesn't outright say they have their hands tied, but if mine were and I still felt I had to say something, that's about what I'd say.

 

[Clint_L]

Has anyone suggested that they might be involved in a lawsuit?

Wouldn't that be public record though?

I mean it is the one legit thing I'd think would make it unwise to talk about all this.

I think lawsuits are matters of public record, but maybe a lawyer can confirm?

There may be legal negotiations going on. But I think the more likely explanation is that CR, while part of and generally aligned with the wider creative community, are also a relatively large entity with a lot of employees, and whose fate is significantly intertwined with Dungeons and Dragons and WotC. So commenting explicitly on the situation is problematic and they have to tread carefully.

I think that on this forum we have a tendency to take hyperbolic positions because most of us do not have actual skin in the game. Folks whose livelihood (or employee's livelihoods) are potentially at stake have to be more nuanced and careful.

 

[darjr]

I think lawsuits are matters of public record, but maybe a lawyer can confirm?

There may be legal negotiations going on. But I think the more likely explanation is that CR, while part of and generally aligned with the wider creative community, are also a relatively large entity with a lot of employees, and whose fate is significantly intertwined with Dungeons and Dragons and WotC. So commenting explicitly on the situation is problematic and they have to tread carefully.

I think that on this forum we have a tendency to take hyperbolic positions because most of us do not have actual skin in the game. Folks whose livelihood (or employee's livelihoods) are potentially at stake have to be more nuanced and careful.

Yea. I think the answer is probably they just are being reserved and as professional as possible

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Actual lawsuits that are actually filed in court are matters of public record. Threats of lawsuits are not. And even if a record is technically public, you have to go looking for filings in the correct venue to know about it.

The courts and the jurisdictions that control them don't make it as easy as they could, partially because of inefficient bureaucracy, partially because it would embarrass powerful people and partially so they can extort people into paying to look up electronic records as a money maker.

 

[Haplo781]

There have been many Firbolgs depicted in Critical Role, including one of the PCs and one of the most popular NPCs, so they couldn't very well leave them out of the Tal'Dorei setting. And CR just uses standard D&D rules plus some home brew content. Anyway, WotC can't own the concept of a Firbolg because, as you point out, it comes from mythological sources even if it has changed over the years and been represented in many different ways.

Fir Bolgs are creatures from Celtic mythology.

 

[Aspirinsmurf]

Yeah. The statement doesn't outright say they have their hands tied, but if mine were and I still felt I had to say something, that's about what I'd say.

This is what I'm getting here too. It looks like a statement of support from someone under a non-disparagement agreement. Time will tell if they want to stay in business with WotC going forward though. They started out playing Pathfinder.

 

[Haplo781]

This is what I'm getting here too. It looks like a statement of support from someone under a non-disparagement agreement. Time will tell if they want to stay in business with WotC going forward though.

Linda Codega asked them a question about contracts and the PR person shut it down.