Critical Role Critical Role Launches Subscription Streaming and Member Service

Critical Role announced the launch of Beacon, a subscription service for fans of Critical Role. While all existing streaming content will be available as always on Twitch and YouTube, but the service will offer exclusives such as access to an exclusive Discord server, immediate podcast and VOD recordings of live shows, early access to Critical Role Abridged and The Re-Slayer’s Take, and exclusive new shows including Critical Role Fireside Chat and Critical Role Cooldown.

Critical Role Fireside Chat will be a monthly AMA interview show featuring a different cast member. Each episode will be live streamed taking questions from the members-only Discord lasting 30-60 minutes. The first episode on May 21 will feature Matt Mercer.

Critical Role Cooldown is a backstage pass to Critical Role each week with post-show reactions, pitching plans from the cast, and more. The first ten episodes are available now starting with Campaign 3, Episode 83, and new episodes will air every Thursday following the live stream.

Members will also have access to pre-sales for events starting with Critical Role Live at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on June 15, 2024. Paid members (not free trial accounts) will have access to purchase tickets on May 20 at 10:00 AM Pacific, while general sales open the following day.

Sign-ups are open now for a free 7-day trial, which will be auto-renewed for $5.99 at the end of the trial and on each month thereafter.

 

[MNblockhead]

Worlds Beyond Number, Not Another D&D Podcast, Rotating Heroes (which I didn't like originally but have rediscovered and found to be lightweight fun), Oxventure Academy (the "D&D But Everyone's a Kobold" one-off is one of the funniest D&D things ever) and Nerd Poker round out my list.

I have a preference for funny actual plays, since IMO, a lot of the serious ones don't have players/cast who can pull off the drama at the level that I, as an audience member, really want. But professional comedians can reliably bring the funny. (That said, Worlds Beyond Number is probably 90% serious and is possibly the best "written" actual play ever.)

I like the more humorous ones as well.

I would add the first season of "The Glass Canon Podcast". The entire season was great. The early episodes of Dragon Friends were a lot of fun, but that one got old for me. But check out the initial episodes. It is by an improve comedy group from Australia. They play to a live, in-person audience, have a professional keyboardist providing music throughout. Two DM running at the same time. It was very cool when I first listened to it, but eventually they just hammed it up too much and it started annoying me, which isn't surprising because I feel that way about most improv comedy.

Also, check out Harmon Quest. It is by Dan Harmon (creator and producer of the TV series Community). He had a live show he used to put on called Harmon Town. And during one episode he was talking about D&D and asked if there were any DMs in the audience. A guy raised his hand and was asked to come on stage and run a short D&D session (though they actually ran Pathfinder). Dan was impressed enough with the DM and enjoyed it enough that he made a two season series. The players are various well-known comedians and the go back and forth between the live play before a live audience and animation. I'm pretty sure you can get it on Amazon Prime.

And I'll add my vote to @Whizbang Dustyboots recommendation for Not Another D&D Podcast. The first season was great fun. Also check out their Dungeon Court episodes (not live play, basically a Court TV comedy show where they judge players and DMs based on fact patterns submitted by fans).

 

[MNblockhead]

God I hate how commercialized this game has become. I wish the simpler dtimes would come back.

The simple has never gone away. You can still get together with a group of friends around the kitchen table with books, pencils, and paper and enjoy playing.

Besides, in the simpler times of the Stranger Things 80s, D&D was quite commercial.

Further, there are plenty of great indie games published on a shoe-string budget, available at very low cost or free, which don't have hugely popular live plays, movies, or books based off of them.

Go punk and enjoy being cool.

Us sheeple will continue enjoying our time in the herd.

 

[Distracted DM]

I don't even have the excuse of a write off. Patreon is one of those sites where the costs can really sneak up on you. Each Patreon creator you support may seem like a great deal given the small payment per month, but it is easy to start accumulating subs, and easy to forget about them. Then when you look at how much of the content you are actually using, you often realize you'd be better off just buying map/art/token/terrain/music packs item by item or pack by pack from DTRPG or your VTT's markplace.

Well here's the thing: most of the map Patreons out there? You can subscribe for a month, download most or all of their backlog, and stop after a month of sub- but that's kind of a jerk move :'D (but waaay cheaper than buying a ton of maps on dtrpg etc)
I use FoundryVTT and Moulinette Cloud module, which basically makes all the map makers' maps, assets, etc. that are on that cloud searchable and basically drag n' drop if you're a patreon of the creators. If you search "cave," it'll show you all the patreon creator maps you're subbed to with "cave" in the title/etc, as well as thumbnails of creators' work that you aren't subbed to and a link to their signup.

I've always been a "whale," able to talk myself into spending $$ on stuff I like or want to support. Easy for map patreons- you're supporting individual artists! And the convenience of Moulinette for my low-prep improv style is great! Buuut... very costly. $300+/month costly :')

 

[MNblockhead]

Well here's the thing: most of the map Patreons out there? You can subscribe for a month, download most or all of their backlog, and stop after a month of sub- but that's kind of a jerk move :'D (but waaay cheaper than buying a ton of maps on dtrpg etc)

Yeah, but Patreon is kind like Kickstarter for me. It is partly for the product and partly to support a creator. But even if I do the subscribe-quite-resubscribe game, I just don't need or use that much content any more. I find it now makes more sense to just buy what I need when I need it.

I use FoundryVTT and Moulinette Cloud module, which basically makes all the map makers' maps, assets, etc. that are on that cloud searchable and basically drag n' drop if you're a patreon of the creators. If you search "cave," it'll show you all the patreon creator maps you're subbed to with "cave" in the title/etc, as well as thumbnails of creators' work that you aren't subbed to and a link to their signup.

Yeah, I also sub for Moulinette for the art and music. I like Moulinette's soundpad for Foundry (with Tabletop Audio integration) and having the soundpad integrated with the VTT. It is much more convenient than Syrinscape. Syrinscape had integration with RealmWorks back in the day, I wonder why they don't create a good module for Foundry. The problem with Moulinette is that it is a gateway drug for subbing to more patreons.

I've always been a "whale," able to talk myself into spending $$ on stuff I like or want to support. Easy for map patreons- you're supporting individual artists! And the convenience of Moulinette for my low-prep improv style is great! Buuut... very costly. $300+/month costly :')

Yeah, same here, but I'm now needing to cut back on expenses.

 

[Meech17]

Hmm...I just looked at the pricing plans for Netflix and didn't see any annual sub options. Same with HBO Max. Ah, but Disney+ Premium does.

Yeah, admittedly I wasn't thinking of streaming services when I posted that..

I recently re-subscribed to EverQuest 2 to play on the new progression server, and they offered the 3, 6 and 12 month options. I also started a blog and WordPress does the same for their premium features.

 

[Micah Sweet]

The strength of Dimension 20 and Um, Actually has gotten me to subscribe to the low-cost Dropout service, which is about the same price. It's a price point I suspect a lot of fans won't bat an eye at, especially since the money isn't going to a faceless corporation, but to a relatively small group of people fans feel like they know and like.

I do love Dropout, particularly Um, Actually and Gamechanger. I have the same issue with Dimension 20 that I do with CR (can't sit for hours on end watching other people RP, and prefer D&D be treated more like a game and less like a show put on for the public).

 

[Micah Sweet]

I wonder if this is something every actual play series will struggle with? I don't follow Critical Role, but I've noticed other D&D podcasts I've listened to always seem to draw the ire of the fan base the further they get from their breakout season. Name The Adventure Zone, and Dungeons and Daddies. I honestly didn't know if TAZ was going to survive Graduation response.

To be fair, TAZ's Balance campaign was incredibly good, IMO better than anything CR has done as a piece of entertainment, and as a podcast it's easier to consume. Nothing TAZ has done since then matches Balance, although I liked Ethersea and hope they return to it.

Maybe I just really prefer Griffon as DM...

 

[Micah Sweet]

The CR subreddit is weird. It’s the most toxically positive place I’ve ever seen.

That's interesting. What do you mean by that?

 

[Micah Sweet]

Worlds Beyond Number, Not Another D&D Podcast, Rotating Heroes (which I didn't like originally but have rediscovered and found to be lightweight fun), Oxventure Academy (the "D&D But Everyone's a Kobold" one-off is one of the funniest D&D things ever) and Nerd Poker round out my list.

I have a preference for funny actual plays, since IMO, a lot of the serious ones don't have players/cast who can pull off the drama at the level that I, as an audience member, really want. But professional comedians can reliably bring the funny. (That said, Worlds Beyond Number is probably 90% serious and is possibly the best "written" actual play ever.)

Can you sell me on Worlds Without Number? Does it use that system?

 

[OB1]

I'll be honest, I just finished watching campaign 2 which was good, so far campaign 3 is just all over the place, still Im only on episode 7, from what Ive heard it gets worse.

I have YouTube premium, Im not interested in paying for another streaming service no matter the perks. And if they pull a Disney + on CR, then Im no longer watching CR

C3 is a slow burn and densely packed. The payoffs for the setups don't come quickly, but when they do, they're really good. In a lot of ways it plays more like an epic fantasy novel in the vein of Jordan or Sanderson.

That said, the new format of only shooting 3 episodes a month sometimes leads to the cast rehashing things as they get back into it after a break in production, and the need to set up events for production timing of guest stars sometimes gives it a bit of a 'scripted' feel, both of which I think lead to a bit of fan discontent.

Ultimately, for me, the story being woven has been worth it, and I think in the end C3 will be a masterpiece of storytelling, but it does require some patience from the audience.