Critical Role Releases New Campaign 4 Trailer

Critical Role has released a new trailer for their upcoming fourth campaign. The trailer, embedded below, lays out the overarching premise of the plot, as well as a look at the full 13-player table that will participate in the early parts of the campaign. The trailer not only explains the background of Araman, a world whose people overthrew the gods 70 years ago, but also hints at more recent conflicts.


A description of the show notes that the show opens with the planned execution of a person named Thjazi Fang. His scheduled execution leads to three groups coming together to seek the truth behind his grim fate, spinning off into its own series.

As announced earlier this year, Campaign 4 will feature three groups of players simultaneously exploring the world of Araman in what's described as a West Marches-style campaign. Early episodes will feature all thirteen players, but the show will eventually break the groups out into smaller tables, although there will still be some crossover between the groups.

Critical Role's fourth campaign starts on October 2nd.

 

[BRayne]

We know he's playing an Orc bard, so you're probably not far off.

And shares a last name with the guy whose impending execution is the reason the party comes together

 

[Chaltab]

I do hope that Brennan isn't afraid to inject some more classic D&Disms into the game. It feels like Matt has been hesitant to use the more iconic D&D monsters. Remember CR were fighting Mind Flayers and a Beholder in their first arc but I don't think we've seen either creature since the Beholder in the Sunken Temple.

I suppose it makes sense, given that Product Identity monsters can't be used for merch without WOTC's permission.

 

[TheMilkyBarKid]

That's it exactly.

The original group, especially in campaign one IMO, feels like a fun game night with friends - nerdy voice actors having fun together.

The new group, feels more like a bunch of people showing up to an improv acting gig.

I'll give it a shot, but the trailer isn't filling me with anticipation.

I feel Travis and Sam are the only ones that keep it fun and chill. They just play without to much monologuing and make fun quirky characters.

 

[bedir than]

I'm excited for this storyline. I like emphasizing a people clawing back from hopelessness to find a reason to hope and believe again

 

[Chaltab]

I feel like this notion that the more recent stuff has been uber serious and grim dark is a bit weird. Campaign 3, I mean, this is the campaign where the crew literally pretended they were shooting a pornographic film...

...in a setting where it's not even been established that cameras exist, much less cinema.

And in that same encounter someone used Command to make someone

Spoiler: TMI

'fap'.

 

[TiQuinn]

I feel like this notion that the more recent stuff has been uber serious and grim dark is a bit weird. Campaign 3, I mean, this is the campaign where the crew literally pretended they were shooting a pornographic film...

...in a setting where it's not even been established that cameras exist, much less cinema.

And in that same encounter someone used Command to make someone

Spoiler: TMI

'fap'.

It’s one episode out of 120. The majority were very different from that.

 

[Mort]

I feel like this notion that the more recent stuff has been uber serious and grim dark is a bit weird. Campaign 3, I mean, this is the campaign where the crew literally pretended they were shooting a pornographic film...

...in a setting where it's not even been established that cameras exist, much less cinema.

And in that same encounter someone used Command to make someone

Spoiler: TMI

'fap'.

As stated, that was one episode. Regardless, that was the original crew run and run by Mercer. I'm talking about the extended cast and not run by Mercer

 

[Clint_L]

Probably unpopular opinion: the acting is not good enough to be so damn theatrical and dramatic as CR was in the last campaign. Now, the prospect of having thirteen people sitting at a table talking about how much the world sucks isn’t exactly appealing.

I think there is plenty of acting talent. But there’s a reason no one goes to the improv for serious drama.

 

[Parmandur]

I think there is plenty of acting talent. But there’s a reason no one goes to the improv for serious drama.

On the other hand, the reason these improv actors have embraced D&D is that the resolution mechanics allow for improv serious drama in a way that free-form improv did not.

In an RPG, Liam O'Brian was able to improv tragic romance with Vax.

 

[billd91]

It’s one episode out of 120. The majority were very different from that.

I'm not sure the majority WAS quite so different from that. Maybe not as over the top silly, but the cast of characters was chock full o' nuts or chaos agents. Chetney, Fern, Laudna (particularly with Pâté), Fresh-Cut Grass/Braius Doomseed... all generated a fair amount of weird comic moments.
The general storyline they were engaged in may have been fairly serious for Bells Hells, but then so were most of the story lines of the other two campaigns. Vox Machina goes from the Briarwoods, to the Chroma Conclave, and finally Vecna. That's also some pretty serious stuff.
There are times I wonder if our sense of how "serious" a campaign is can be affected by how familiar the stakes and situations are. As watchers, we were familiar with vampires, necromancers, dragons, Vecna in Campaign 1, while Campaign 2 and, particularly 3, took us viewers into less familiar territory with stakes we couldn't independently assess. That imposes stresses beyond what Campaign 1 imposed.