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.

 

[Seramus]

Exactly. And I think that is how Matt and crew use the name when they say "nerdy-ass voice actors playing Dungeons & Dragons" and how the public perceives it (or at least I do) -> not as an endorsement of the brand D&D specifically but of the great hobby TTRPG as a whole.

Oh yeah. I would bet money that only Matt and maybe Jaffe seriously care about the brand. Matt played many things, but genuinely loved D&D as the game of his childhood. It wasn't until the OGL issue that his faith was shaken.

Jaffe is probably very familiar with the brand, but has no grand love for it specifically, and probably enjoys lots of quirky systems.

The rest probably only mean Dungeons & Dragons in the sense of "Roleplaying Games." Oh, they might love the fireball or polymorph spell, but it's because of familiarity. Liam was just glad to play, it barely mattered what. When Ashley says D&D has improved her life, she very likely means "Roleplaying Games with her friends" has improved her life, not the brand itself.

 

[Reynard]

I certainly noticed that distancing too, and I am sure some of it was in case they wanted or needed to ditch the D&D.
But I think the main reason was the animated shows. They don't want to use WotC IP for those.

It will be interesting to see what they publish for the new setting and campaign, and how. Do they go through WotC again, or do they do everything in house? Do they have a special license, or do they just use the SRD in CC?

 

[kermit4karate]

From what I have heard, D&D could disappear and most of those game stores could pay their rent entirely with Magic. The latest Magic set (Final Fantasy) made $200 million in one day, which is potentially double what the 2014 D&D PHB made across ten years.

Nah, most game stores are barely able to keep the doors open. Most can barely pay half a dozen part-time employees who don't get any benefits like medical/dental.

How many game stores do you know with owners who own $5 million houses and drive $200,000 cars?

Sorry, I don't think most game stores make enough money to so glibbly bid adieu to something with the customer base D&D has.

 

[TiQuinn]

Nah, most game stores are barely able to keep the doors open. Most can barely pay half a dozen part-time employees who don't get any benefits like medical/dental.

How many game stores do you know with owners who own $5 million houses and drive $200,000 cars?

Sorry, I don't think most game stores make enough money to so glibbly bid adieu to something with the customer base D&D has.

If I’m judging by the games played in game stores locally and the space they dedicate to various games, I would say Magic and Warhammer matter more than D&D.

 

[kermit4karate]

If I’m judging by the games played in game stores locally and the space they dedicate to various games, I would say Magic and Warhammer matter more than D&D.

The stores don't make much money from any of it, though. That's the thing. Even if all 50 people playing Magic in the store every day (random figure) buy 2 new magic packs per day apiece, the store may earn a cool $50 from it.

Forget paying the lease. That barely covers one employee's wages for 3 hours. Gaming and selling games just aren't hugely profitable businesses until/unless one starts to approach the volume of a Magic or D&D.

Or, one has a different, higher profit margin business model like a subscription or paid membership thing.

 

[TiQuinn]

The stores don't make much money from any of it, though. That's the thing. Even if all 50 people playing Magic in the store every day (random figure) buy 2 new magic packs per day apiece, the store may earn a cool $50 from it.

Forget paying the lease. That barely covers one employee's wages for 3 hours. Gaming and selling games just aren't hugely profitable businesses until/unless one starts to approach the volume of a Magic or D&D.

Or, one has a different, higher profit
margin business model like a subscription or paid membership thing.

Such is the economics of game stores. There’s a lot of factors to their continued viability beyond just D&D. All I’m saying is that if I’m judging by the activity in the store, and the percentage of space dedicated to the games, D&D is probably not the primary driver.

 

[Scribe]

This. The average person would see a group playing Daggerheart and say to themselves “those people are playing D&D.” It’s like how the average movie going audience says “Marvel” for all things superhero now.

And all table top mini games are 'warhammer' to my wife.

 

[SkidAce]

I mean, it's at least as reasonable as the prospect of D&D ever being left to only fan support.

but it kinda was for a while already...after TSR and before WotC.

 

[bedir than]

When Ashley says D&D has improved her life, she very likely means "Roleplaying Games with her friends" has improved her life, not the brand itself.

I think we should trust a person who has been playing the game for a dozen years to know what she means when she says she loves the game that she's played professionally for a dozen years.

There's no reason to think she's an idiot or a fool.

She says D&D saved her. She knows herself better than we do.

 

[SkidAce]

D&D's massive dominance has clear negative impacts on other games. People who like other games often wish D&D was not so dominant for legitimate reasons.

I like DnD and other games.

And still never sell more than a tiny fraction of what Apple sells, based on nothing to do with quality.

Look,I like 5E but it has overstayed its welcome and the nee version is considerably worse than not only 2014, but A5E and ToV both. Yet official D&D will always be on top and fans will always say it is the best version. Watchagonado?

Enjoy my opinion that 2014 DnD is both an elegant and simple system that is a mixture of both old school game play and new innovations in the rpg industry and continue to run games for my friends?