Critical Role to Use D&D 2024 Rules For Campaign Four, Expands to Three Tables and Thirteen Players

Critical Role will continue to use Dungeons & Dragons as the play system for its upcoming campaign, with the cast expanding to three distinct tables consisting of a total of 13 players. Today, Critical Role announced new details about its new campaign, which is set to air on October 4th. The new campaign will feature the full founding cast members as players, alongside several new players. In total, the cast includes Laura Bailey, Luis Carazo, Robbie Daymond, Aabria Iyengar, Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, Matthew Mercer, Whitney Moore, Liam O’Brien, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, Alexander Ward, and Travis Willingham, with the previously announced Brennan Lee Mulligan serving as GM.

The campaign itself will be run as a "West Marches" style of campaign, with three separate groups of players exploring the world. The groups are divided into gameplay styles, with a combat-focused Soldiers group, a lore/exploration-focused Seekers group, and a intrigue-focused Schemers group. All three groups will explore the world of Araman, created by Mulligan for the campaign.

Perhaps most importantly, Critical Role will not be switching to Daggerheart for the fourth campaign. Instead, they'll be opting for the new 2024 ruleset of Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. Daggerheart will be represented at Critical Role via the Age of Umbra and "other" Actual Play series, as well as partnerships with other Actual Play troupes.

 

[Umbran]

I think if D&D was left only to fan support

As you yourself then noted, that wouldn't be the scenario. With 5e in Creative Commons, you can have professional support even if WotC isn't making the material.

I think it is important to remember that the vast majority of D&D's new players are casual players. Without the force of WotC constantly reminding everyone it exists, most of those players would find something else to do with their time.

I don't think casual players are driven by WotC publication or marketing. I think they are driven by their somewhat-less-casual friends who are playing with them.

 

[Reynard]

As you yourself then noted, that wouldn't be the scenario. With 5e in Creative Commons, you can have professional support even if WotC isn't making the material.

I was just answering the assertion that was made.

I don't think casual players are driven by WotC publication or marketing. I think they are driven by their somewhat-less-casual friends who are playing with them.

Who ARE driven by WotC's marketing.

 

[Umbran]

Who ARE driven by WotC's marketing.

Thinking about it, I really don't think so.

I don't think WotC's marketing drives anyone to play. There isn't enough of it, especially in the casual, and semi-casual spaces, to be driving play. If you aren't a pretty dedicated player, you aren't frequenting places WotC advertises to see it.

 

[Reynard]

Thinking about it, I really don't think so.

I don't think WotC's marketing drives anyone to play. There isn't enough of it, especially in the casual, and semi-casual spaces, to be driving play. If you aren't a pretty dedicated player, you aren't frequenting places WotC advertises to see it.

I disagree. Every new adventure relies on the "less casual" players buying it and running it for the truly casual.

 

[Umbran]

I disagree. Every new adventure relies on the "less casual" players buying it and running it for the truly casual.

Ah.
1) Product and marketing are not the same thing.
2) I expect you are in error in classifying WotC adventures as being more casual.

 

[kermit4karate]

I disagree. Every new adventure relies on the "less casual" players buying it and running it for the truly casual.

"Every new adventure" isn't what we've been talking about. We've been talking about D&D overall, and the claim was that if WotC stopped producing new content, D&D's popularity would immediately begin to drop.

Sorry, still disagree with that. This may be one of those "agree to disagree" type things.

 

[OB1]

I disagree. Every new adventure relies on the "less casual" players buying it and running it for the truly casual.

Exactly. D&D adventures are the biggest driving force to acquire new players. Over a decade of 5e, you could watch PHB sales bump up every time there was a new adventure released. It’s also the biggest reason WotC stayed with 5th. So that DMs have a wide range of stories to entice players with.

 

[Clint_L]

Hot take: maybe the Critical Role cast just love playing D&D as much as they've always said they do. Ashley Johnson has said in multiple interviews that, if CR all went away tomorrow, they'd still be getting together every week to play. She's waxed poetic about how much D&D, specifically, changed her life in a positive direction, even "saved" her. The others have all expressed similar sentiments. And Mercer is a lifelong DM, not to mention having worked in partnership with WotC for some years now.

And why wouldn't they love it? Imagine if your beloved weekly game had made you and your entire table fabulously wealthy and allowed you to achieve so many of your professional and creative dreams? I think you would love D&D even more than you already do!

They can love their own creations and love playing D&D.

 

[CleverNickName]

Hot take: maybe the Critical Role cast just love playing D&D as much as they've always said they do. Ashley Johnson has said in multiple interviews that, if CR all went away tomorrow, they'd still be getting together every week to play. She's waxed poetic about how much D&D, specifically, changed her life in a positive direction, even "saved" her. The others have all expressed similar sentiments. And Mercer is a lifelong DM, not to mention having worked in partnership with WotC for some years now.

And why wouldn't they love it? Imagine if your beloved weekly game had made you and your entire table fabulously wealthy and allowed you to achieve so many of your professional and creative dreams? I think you would love D&D even more than you already do!

They can love their own creations and love playing D&D.

It's no secret how the cast of Critical Role feels about D&D. They're pretty open about it. I mean, Matt Mercer says it so often it's an internet meme.

 

[Reynard]

"Every new adventure" isn't what we've been talking about. We've been talking about D&D overall, and the claim was that if WotC stopped producing new content, D&D's popularity would immediately begin to drop.

Sorry, still disagree with that. This may be one of those "agree to disagree" type things.

Sure. There's no way to know.

But I feel righteous in my conviction!