Critical Role Critical Role's Kickstarter Breaks $1,000,000 In About An Hour!

For those hoping for a new D&D cartoon, Critical Role has just launched a Kickstarter for an animated show based on their livestream campaign. It broke a million dollars in about an hour, and has 45 days left to go...

​

"Critical Role's The Legend of Vox Machina reunites your favorite D&D heroes for a professional-quality animated special!"

Also on offer are theme song MP3s, production art prints, sticker sets, dice, playing card sets, plushies, pin sets, canvas bags, and more.

 

[Parmandur]

Well, how would that actually work?

You have a small fraction of people playing RPG's and putting that content out there for people to watch. The hobby cannot survive solely on streamers. It's not like any of the streaming dollars are going into RPG company hands. And, it's not like streamers need to play the current edition or game to put out content.

It is a concerning trend. But, hopefully, there will be enough handoff with stream watchers becoming gamers that it will keep the industry going. Certainly looks healthy right now.

Actually, the absurd number of UyouTube notifications about streaming games I get just from the WotC Channel suggests that a lot of that streaming money, in terms of ad revenue, is actually going to WotC at least.

 

[Hussar]

It’s called free advertising. Any company would love to have fans streaming their products weekly.

So long as it IS their products. It does put a lot of your eggs in someone else's basket.

To be honest though, I'm mostly playing Devil's advocate here. I do tend to agree. This is a good thing for the hobby.

 

[jmucchiello]

You have a small fraction of people playing RPG's and putting that content out there for people to watch. The hobby cannot survive solely on streamers. It's not like any of the streaming dollars are going into RPG company hands. And, it's not like streamers need to play the current edition or game to put out content.

I'm a bit confused by the concern expressed. For over 40 year the only avenue for getting into RPGs was word of mouth or being one of the very few who just bought an RPG unknowingly. Now, there's this avenue fueled by YouTube and Twitch and somehow this is bad for the RPG industry? How?

The hobby cannot survive on streamers? No, of course not, it survives on selling books. Streaming is advertising for the sales of those books. Free advertising at that. So how is this not a book to the hobby?

 

[jmucchiello]

I think it’s interesting that, give the sheer size of CR fandom, they could possibly consider launching their own Critical Role RPG which could rival D&D. Even if it didn’t, it would probably be the second biggest RPG in the world.

They would have to have someone else write that game. And I doubt Matt would want to lose access to Beholders, Gith, Mind Flayers, or Dragons of color and metal and all the other lore associated with D&D. They would also have to retool the ongoing stream.

Now campaign 3 being something other than D&D? That would be interesting. But again, I don't think Matt would want to create a new game. Or oversee someone else making one. D&D has worked for him since he was teenager. Sure, the home game was Pathfinder but PF is just D&D with serial numbers rubbed out.

 

[akr71]

They would have to have someone else write that game. And I doubt Matt would want to lose access to Beholders, Gith, Mind Flayers, or Dragons of color and metal and all the other lore associated with D&D. They would also have to retool the ongoing stream.

Now campaign 3 being something other than D&D? That would be interesting. But again, I don't think Matt would want to create a new game. Or oversee someone else making one. D&D has worked for him since he was teenager. Sure, the home game was Pathfinder but PF is just D&D with serial numbers rubbed out.

I agree. Seeing how much joy Matt got out of being a consultant on the Waterdeep books and the surprise of him being a patron in the Yawning Portal, I don't see them venturing into game design. Publishing another Campaign Guide - most likely. Publishing some of the season 1 campaign arcs - I hope so!

 

[André Soares]

The irony of the article is the CR crew is well aware of diversity issues. Mercer said he didn't know if he should voice Gillmore on the cartoon because he's a white actor and Gillmore is not white. Now, anyone who has seen the streams know Matt is Gillmore. But his first thought was the optics of him portraying a POC in a cartoon.

(Anyone wanting a reference for that can find it on the Mar 5 Q&A video. I don't know the time offset.)

This was what I was trying to say with my initial point. They are all white, that is a lack of diversity. That does not mean they are bad people or that they don't care about the topic. Criticism is a good thing, even more in a group of good people. It will make them try to be even better

 

[BookBarbarian]

This was what I was trying to say with my initial point. They are all white, that is a lack of diversity. That does not mean they are bad people or that they don't care about the topic. Criticism is a good thing, even more in a group of good people. It will make them try to be even better

If anything that criticism has prompted awareness which could be a contributing factor in the diversity of the shows guest players.

Which gives me a thought. With CR now being their own channel their is a chance we might see more CR shows. A campaign starring some already well beloved guests and their beloved characters would be low hanging fruit in that regard. They would just need the right DM.

 

[Reynard]

They would just need the right DM.

Fine. I'll do it.

 

[BookBarbarian]

Fine. I'll do it.

I appreciate you making this great sacrifice

 

[jmucchiello]

If anything that criticism has prompted awareness which could be a contributing factor in the diversity of the shows guest players.

Which gives me a thought. With CR now being their own channel their is a chance we might see more CR shows. A campaign starring some already well beloved guests and their beloved characters would be low hanging fruit in that regard. They would just need the right DM.

They would also need to find 6-7 people who are free once a week, every week for 4 hours and a DM who could handle that load. Among their prior guests there are probably only a few people who could possibly commit the time and it isn't known if they'd be willing to commit the time. Foster talks about a game he co-DMs and it is not a weekly game.

 

[BookBarbarian]

They would also need to find 6-7 people who are free once a week, every week for 4 hours and a DM who could handle that load. Among their prior guests there are probably only a few people who could possibly commit the time and it isn't known if they'd be willing to commit the time. Foster talks about a game he co-DMs and it is not a weekly game.

What do you think makes 6-7 the ideal cast number?

 

[jmucchiello]

What do you think makes 6-7 the ideal cast number?

That's they size they are use to. Sure 5 is also a good number. Big deal 5-7, is that better? (That number includes the DM. The DM is part of the cast. The cast is the players and the DM.)

Who wants to watch a game with only 3 people or with 10 people?

---

I'm amazed the average pledge per person rate has remained basically steady:

Day 1: 3545057 / 26242 = 135
Total: 7176411 / 52713 = 136

 

[BookBarbarian]

That's they size they are use to. Sure 5 is also a good number. Big deal 5-7, is that better? (That number includes the DM. The DM is part of the cast. The cast is the players and the DM.)

Yup the cast is the players and the DM. Actors who enjoy having work and getting paid for it. Now you may be right it might be very hard to find 5+ CR guests who couldn't commit to the gig.

I'm not so sure though since apart from Ashley Johnson CR seems to have done so despite the case being very prolific and busy voice actors.

Edit: 4 regulars and a rotating member like Harmonquest could be even easier.

 

[jmucchiello]

Yup the cast is the players and the DM. Actors who enjoy having work and getting paid for it. Now you may be right it might be very hard to find 5+ CR guests who couldn't commit to the gig.

I'm not so sure though since apart from Ashley Johnson CR seems to have done so despite the case being very prolific and busy voice actors.

CR exists because Liam told a random assortment of friends "I want to play D&D for my birthday." And they did. They played a 4e one-off. Then they decided to make it a regular thing and thus they played once a month or so. They all became closer friends and two years later Felicia Day said, "Hey, how about playing once a week on my web channel?" And they laughed "Who would watch that?" And thus, believing it would only last a few months, the "committed" to play once a week in perpetuity. And it didn't stop and Liam and Sam's wives were a bit unhappy that they had to be out every Thursday. But eventually came around to it. CR also benefits from 4 of the cast making up 2 wedded couples. And those couples are all close friends with the other four.

Bringing in a handful of strangers and expecting lightning to strike again would be amazing. Also, there is much more competition these days.

Oh, and they can decide "hey, this week, we aren't taking a paycheck." and it's not really an issue. Try doing that with hired help.

4 regulars and a rotating member like Harmonquest could be even easier.

Deborah Ann Woll's Relics and Rarities had that format. But they only ran for 6 episodes. Most likely because of time commitment issues. Getting people to say yes to 6 weeks in a row is much easier than "in perpetuity".

 

[BookBarbarian]

Deborah Ann Woll's Relics and Rarities had that format. But they only ran for 6 episodes. Most likely because of time commitment issues. Getting people to say yes to 6 weeks in a row is much easier than "in perpetuity".

Seasons could work. It would be a bridge between the typical format of CR and the One-Shots they do.

 

[Parmandur]

7.2 million now, with 53,000 backers.

 

[Parmandur]

$7.3 million, with 54,000 backers and counting,...

 

[Parmandur]

$7.4+ million and counting, less than $74,000 till the stretch goal, probably tomorrow.

 

[jmucchiello]

$7,508,205 pledged of $750,000 goal
55,215 backers
32 days to go

 

[Hussar]

Wow, breaking 10 TIMES what they asked for. O.O