Back to Critical Role
After finishing A Crown of Swords, I started with the next book but got stuck in the prologue. The Wheel of Times prologues are so annoying because they are very long and about characters I rarely care about. It’s a way to put you up to speed with those characters, but is very draining.
That allied with other things that were going on in my life and Critical Role crossed my YouTube suggestions again. I stopped watching Campaign 2 a while ago and a thought came to me, “what if I watch it again”. I needed to put something that could stay in the background and didn’t require me to focus on all the characters in the world, something to pull my mind away from the shitty reality I was living in.
And those I was hooked to Critical Role, yet again ^^
Although I had paused the show during what seemed like a quiet period, a few episodes later, the story took shape. The mysteries grew more complex, and the tension escalated, leading up to what I can confidently say was one of the most unforgettable moments I’ve ever seen:
What Laura did in #CriticalRoleSpoilers episode 93 of campaign 2 with the cupcakes 🧁 represents the things you only get in roleplay based storytelling.(Yes I’ve been catching up a bit 😂)
After that, the party got involved in plots that would endanger Exandria, magic from ancient civilizations and political intrigue; all of that made me pause book reading for a bit and instead focus my fiction consumption on Critical Role.
That’s how after so many hours I finished watching campaign two, with an epic final battle that just kept getting better and better. With moments that got me on the edge of my sit, and where tears peaked from my eyes.
Those moments made me remember why I love watching Critical Role. As I quickly posted, this is just another form of storytelling, but one that can make you feel more than any other. I truly believe this cast makes the most epic fiction there is to be, not because of the story, but because of the impact that it has on you. The passion, the emerging plot, the jokes and fun they have, the tears… Other mediums can hardly achieve this high emotional mix.
I really wish more people could enjoy this, but as with many good things it has, the over five-hundred hours one needs to enjoy it means this is not something for everybody. Even for me, somebody that watches at 2x (or more) it’s a big time investment.
Totally worth it for something that no other form of storytelling can offer.
Can’t replicate
After campaign two, I was so hooked that entered a completionist mode where I just went and watched every video in Critical Role’s YouTube channel. Including one-shots and the short alternative campaign of Exandria Unlimited.
Watching this other show made me remember why Critical Role is the only live-play I keep coming back to. Everything I’ve said about emerging story telling is true, but the reality is that Critical Role hooks because of its cast. Not only because they are great voice actors and know how to make you forget it’s just a story, but because they are all super nice to spend hours with and the chemistry they have between themselves is gorgeous. Basically, Critical Role is its cast. The story and events are the epic parts, but none of that works without the people.
I’ve watched my fair share of role-play shows, but none of them have managed to capture my attention and keep me invested like Critical Role. Even though I finished Exandria Unlimited, I realized that it was the cast that made the first two campaigns truly memorable. While I appreciate that Critical Role has grown into a major production house, is expanding into new territories and including other voices that deserve to be heard, I fear that this might dilute the essence of what made the show so special for me.
To Campaign 3!
At the moment of writing, I’ve made it through the first 10 episodes of campaign three, and it’s been a bit of a strange beginning with mixed emotions about carrying over some characters from Exandria Unlimited. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my apprehension about a different cast affecting my enjoyment is not an absolute. Robbie’s delightful presence in campaign three has erased any doubts I had and made the experience all the more enjoyable! And of course, my positive feelings about Robbie’s presence in campaign three are not meant to be a critique of anyone else who participated in Exandria Unlimited or any other guests. It’s simply a personal sentiment that’s difficult to articulate, based on the social dynamics and human interactions that make the show so special.
For now, Campaign 3 hasn’t hooked me completely yet, although it has a few things going for it; in-world and external.
The weird set of character choices is very interesting and is already showing many interesting interactions. It’s interesting how fresh it seems to have a robot and undead in the main cast, interesting because this is fantasy after all!
The chance to explore a new continent of Exandria is always exciting as it engages my world-building brain to its max. I’m interested to see more places besides the city where the characters started, because in my mind Marquet was mainly a dessert, but hearing things about jungles and other populated areas piques my interest.
But the thing that really makes me curious about where the campaign is going is what’s been happening in the real world with WotC. I’ve heard rumblings of God level events in this campaign, which makes me excited to see Matthew get rid of the last bit of ties that Exandria has with D&D lore. This idea just got more exciting a few days ago when they confirmed the ongoing development of their own RPG.
More Exandria to come
Exploring different worlds and immersing myself in their intricacies is a passion of mine. While I could potentially use that time to focus on writing my own material, the human brain is complex and mine is not collaborating lately. Life happens. Therefore, I find myself indulging in the vast universe of Exandria instead, not just through gameplay, but also through a novel from Critical Role.
Fiction is truly unlimited.