Happy Halloween Critters!

From a Cage-match of cast costumes and 2025 live shows galore to tongue twister Narrative Telephone challenges and UN-known happenings in UNEND, there are plenty of updates in store this week as we take a break from streaming for the last Thursday of the month - and get ready to go trick or treating!

Need a little Exandrian magic to light your way this All Hallows' Eve? There's plenty of tales from Critical Role Abridged, The Re-Slayer's Take, and behind the scenes on TikTok to tide you over to next Thursday.

Now let's get dressed up, grab our candy buckets, and head to Critical Role Land for some autumnal updates.

🔥 🎃 🔥

We're Heading Down Under In 2025

There's still time to snag tickets for our 2025 LIVE show dates in Sydney and Melbourne!
🇦🇺 Sydney - June 19, 2025
🇦🇺 Melbourne - June 25, 2025
Our general ticket sales begin this weekend, so keep an eye out - the US shows went quickly thanks to all your incredible enthusiasm. Looking to get a jump on tickets in the future? Get exclusive pre-sale access with a BEACON membership.

Narrative Telephone Is Back & Better Than Ever

Join the cast as they reunite in person for an all-new installment of Narrative Telephone! With extra effort, they'll endeavor to carefully re-create a deceptively simple yet delightfully devious ditty from the master of mirth himself Matthew Mercer, (whew), come complete the chaos with your own stitches and remixes on Instagram and TikTok and share the twisted narratives you create by tagging us.

In The Frozen UN, Four Riders Approach

A tonal shift is about to occur...

Experience UNEND Episode 4 from the creators of MIDST - now available on YouTube and wherever surreal, paranormal space exploration podcasts are found. PLUS voyage all the way through EPISODE 6 TODAY with your BEACON or Midst.co membership!

A Legendary Tome Of Adventuring Art

Celebrate the completion of Season 3 of The Legend of Vox Machina with this magnificent new art book from our friends at Dark Horse Comics and Prime Video - complete with cast commentary, character breakdowns, concept art, and a behind-the-scenes look into the creation of the show with series writer Meredith Kecskemety!

That's all the ghosts and goblins we've got for this week, thanks for sharing some of your Halloween with us.
Looking to get our latest news at the speed of magic? Get messages from Critical Role Land right on your phone and get an exclusive 15% off coupon by signing up for our handy new SMS alerts.
Until next our newsletter appears, try not to summon up anything with too many teeth, watch out for candy corn, and remember to stay kind. We'll see you next week for Episode 113 (eek)!

Watch the first campaign on Twitch and YouTube any time you want!

"The Sun Tree"

The party recently had an encounter with the Briarwoods. Two individuals that were responsible for a lot of strife in the background of Percival's history. Seemingly responsible for the destruction of his entire family, and have for the past five years been essentially ruling his home city and castle. They were out for a political banquet with Sovereign Uriel in Emon and the party members of Vox Machina, they were all invited to be part of this. It didn't quite go as planned. There was a scuffle and the Briarwoods absconded back to Whitestone. They send a couple assassins out to attempt to take out their driver, who was spilling information and essentially was going to be Vox Machina's way of being free of any sort of political issues (based on their actions that evening) and after much discussion and preparation and purchasing a lot of mirrors, the party took their transit over to the east-northeast towards Whitestone, where they began to traverse the Alabaster Sierras to the north (using the mountain range as opposed to going directly through the forest).
There they managed to avoid encountering a bunch of harpies that were distracted by eating the horses they left behind. They camped for the evening and began to make their way through some sort of a mountainous valley that led in towards the forest surrounding Whitestone. While they were traveling down this pass, there was a rumbling, and some sort of really fast, rapid-moving large blue creature that leaped down in front, catching them off-guard.
As this huge, blue-scaled reptilian-like creature (with multiple arms and legs) comes skittering down the side of the cliffs, blocking off the entirety of this passage, snarling at you with sharp teeth and this sparking-blue electrical energy jutting out of the corners of its mouth. I want you all to roll initiative.

We asked the Critical Role cast the meanest questions we could think of

Three Critical Role players talk priorities, the Mighty Nein show, and whether TV changed their role-play sessions

article by Tasha Robinson

With the third season of the animated series The Legend of Vox Machina wrapped, the Critical Role role-playing team is now looking forward and back at the same time — back to the Vox Machina storyline of their D&D campaign as they hope and plan for a season 4 of the TV adaptation, and forward to their next TV series. Polygon sat down with Legend of Vox Machina writer-producer Travis Willingham (the voice of goliath barbarian Grog Strongjaw) and writers Marisha Ray (half-elf druid Keyleth) and Liam O’Brien (multiclass elf Vax’ildan) to talk about different projects and hard choices.

The cast had a lot of “regerts” and wins to unpack from season 3, but they’re also looking ahead to their next animated show: Mighty Nein, an adaptation of Critical Role’s second major campaign. Which gave us a chance to ask a cruel question about their priorities and their favorite child.

This interview has been edited for clarity and concision.

Polygon: Where are you at this point in developing the Mighty Nein animated series?

Travis Willingham: We have written all of season 1. The storyboards are all being locked, if they haven’t been already. So it’s off to our overseas studio. We’re getting animation tests back and seeing things come back in color. We’ve designed all the characters. The magical spells and effects are being considered. We’re talking about music, and how it’s going to be different from Vox.
So it’s definitely more than halfway done, and I think everybody’s going to be really thrilled with the way it’s turning out. It is not going to be the same tone as Vox Machina. In Vox, they start together. They’re kind of a bunch of slap-dicks that are just making the best of their situation. But I think we did that because we knew we had a short runway to start with. [With Mighty Nein], we wanted to back up even further, and start from what I think we would call a Session Zero perspective, which is meeting the characters individually, taking our time with How do they come together? and really letting people see the earliest parts of their journeys.
Because as anyone that knows the Mighty Nein campaign would know, the characters don’t even know if they’re the good guys or the bad guys. That’s something we’re excited to explore.

Marisha Ray: Yeah, we did not start off as friends. [Everyone laughs] We did not like each other.

Polygon: What have three seasons of Legend of Vox Machina taught you that you’re taking into Mighty Nein from the beginning?

Travis: So much. I think the biggest thing from an animation perspective, which we had never endeavored at before, was that when you have seven characters on screen at the same time, it’s hard to draw. So we had to find clever ways [with The Legend of Vox Machina] to split up the group, or make sure that focus was given to certain characters. If it’s really two characters talking, does everybody else need to be there in the background?
When we were playing at the table, the motto was “Never split the party.” It is the exact opposite in animation: It’s “Try and find any opportunity to split the party.” Not just for the animation, but also so the character focus can really be there.

Polygon: Has the process of developing the shows — these condensed, intensified versions of these arcs — changed how you role-play at the table? In the backs of your minds, are you thinking, This game needs to play as a TV show someday?

Liam O'Brien Some people might think that. But if you look at the Bells Hells team we’re playing as now, they are the most Suicide Squad bunch of weirdos. You’re like, Why are they together? I mean, I know where they are now, but at the beginning, you’re like, Who are these people? What’s happening?
So it would not appear to our audience that we came in going like, OK, cartoon number three, here’s what the focus group said would be best. Everybody just gravitated toward something they thought would be fun. And that’s all we’ve ever done at the table. There are definitely moments where we’re like, “That was cool. I can totally see that animated.” But that’s an after-effect, not the goal.

Marisha: Yeah, I feel like when we got into Mighty Nein, we were like, Oh man, this group, they’re so crazy. Look at them, they’re the Suicide Squad! And then Bells Hells was like, Hold my beer. When it comes to the miniseries, like something with Calamity or any of Exandria Unlimited, we have a turn of phrase we use when doing them: “Drive it like you stole it.” You only have four episodes or eight episodes at best, so you have to go hard, go fast, commit.

But I think that’s more indicative of just having fewer episodes in a miniseries in terms of doing anything at the table differently. The only thing that really changes is, sometimes something cool will happen and we’ll be like, “Damn, that’ll be cool animated.”

Polygon: So speaking of those series, Mighty Nein and Bells Hells, here’s the meanest question I can think of for you. Amazon comes to you with one big pile of money and says, “You can use this to finish Legend of Vox Machina as you imagined it, or make a Mighty Nein show, or make a Bells Hells show, or make an original show of your choosing — but only one of those, and nothing else, ever.” What do you choose?

Liam: Meaning we have to kill off the other children? I love it! This is good.

Ray: Yeah. Ow.

Willingham: This is a Hells of Despath question. Man. I would probably hit — oh gosh. I would say Mighty Nein, because we’ve had a chance to chew on Vox Machina. And I think the larger world would be richer for it. Season 3 [of Legend of Vox Machina] ends in a nice place. If that’s the end of the story, then great, but at least we get Mighty Nein out of it.

O’Brien: That’s true, that’s true.

Willingham: That was a cold-hearted decision!

Ray: I know! It’s so hard!

Willingham: I don’t want to be the president of the United States. Don’t make me push the button!

Ray: I mean, I would love to just tap into Calamity. If they give us a big pile of money, like “This is your $100 million-an-episode, Rings of Power-level stuff”… Imagine that with Calamity.

Willingham: Now I have regerts!

Ray: It’s OK! We’re spreading it out! We’re spreading it out.

O’Brien: But a different answer — even though those are both great answers and Travis’ argument specifically sways me — however, the audience and I would feel choked to death if we don’t get to see Vox Machina, the story that we started with, finish. I love all our babies, but they’re our first child. We learned how to do everything that we’re doing with those assholes, so I’d like to see them reach the finish line.

Willingham: We covered our bases. Thank God.

Please note that these broadcasts are only scheduled for the times listed below.

The Re-Slayer’s Take, Season 2

Follow the escapades of the second-coolest monster hunters this side of Exandria: The Re-Slayer’s Take! After six misfit mercenaries are rejected from the elite monster hunting group, The Slayer’s Take, they band together, battling supernatural creatures across the rugged continent of Issylra.

• Episode 7 releases Monday, October 28th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Episode 9 releases Monday, October 28th on Beacon at 5am Pacific

Tales From The Stinky Dragon

Campaign 3: Kanon

A team of trained soldiers is caught in the middle of a war between distant deities and under-dwelling devils. As they turn the tide of this celestial crusade, a voice beckons them from the beyond—destiny or doom?

• Episode 3 releases Monday, October 28th on Beacon and the Tales From The Stinky Dragon Patreon at 12am PACIFIC.
• Episode 3 releases Wednesday, October 28th on your favorite podcast streaming platform and the Tales From The Stinky Dragon YouTube at 12am Pacific.

Critical Role Abridged

All the twists and turns of an episode of Critical Role in half the time! In Critical Role Abridged, the rich tapestry of a Critical Role campaign is lovingly distilled to its most pivotal, hilarious, and poignant moments in about 60-90 minutes per episode.

• Campaign 3, Episode 28 releases Tuesday, October 29th at 10am Pacific on YouTube
• Campaign 3, Episode 28 Podcast out Tuesday, October 29th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Campaign 3, Episode 50 releases Tuesday, October 29th at 10am Pacific on Beacon

The Legend of Vox Machina

Season 3 Finale Roundtable

(Episodes 7-12)

Join some of our cast and crew for a roundtable as they discuss all the intricate, behind-the-scenes details of The Legend of Vox Machina, Season 3 Episodes 7-12.

• Airs Tuesday, October 29th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
• VOD out Tuesday, October 29th at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
• VOD out Thursday, October 31st at 10am Pacific on YouTube

UNEND, Season 1

Several decades after the events of MIDST and Moonward, a supernatural ship and a remarkable crew set forth on an expedition to explore the highest heights, deepest depths, and furthest reaches of the known cosmos. But their journey is fraught with peril as they discover truths and realities far stranger than any of them could ever have imagined.

• Episode 4 releases Wednesday, October 30th on the Midst Podcast YouTube at 10am Pacific and your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Episode 6 releases Wednesday, October 30th on Beacon, Midst.co, Podcast Subscribers at 5am Pacific

Watch the episode live on Twitch and YouTube at 7pm PST. Restreams on Twitch at midnight and the next day at 9am PST

Runtime	Break start
4h 44m	2h 53m

Episode 112: The Assembling of Legends

Bells Hells and the Mighty Nein had teamed up to be the 'away squad' to head to Ruidus through the portal that was discovered in Issylra, while the rest of Exandria planned an assault on the Malleus Key (both as a distraction to allow these two groups to go unnoticed to and inside the moon itself before dividing to two different tasks:

1. The Mighty Nein head into the Arx Creonum and destroy the Weave Mind
2. Bell's Hells clamber into the depths and the core of Ruidus itself to stop the Ruby Vanguard and Ludinus from releasing Predathos.)

As you prepped for this journey, traversed to Ruidus and then teleported into the basement of the Jagged Edge Glassworks where Caleb had set up his Nein-sided Tower for an evening's rest before the final push towards their collaborative missions.
There the groups got to know each other a little better, prepared for the evening with some spells and enchantments that would last them for the coming day, and then eventually, dividing amongst their various chambers to rest for the night, while also discussing what may very well be the last night on Exandria for all of them. With that a night's rest is had and the morning comes to.
You all begin to rouse from your collective slumber and gather within the main chamber of the Nein-sided Tower.

Previous Episode: "The Nein Hells"

• CritRole Recap
• Episode Discussion
• YouTube VoD
• Alternate Front End VoD

Announcement Video on the Prime youTube Channel

Chicago Live Show & C2E2

First up, we’ll return to the Windy City for a special live show and unique one-shot experience, where you, our loyal audience, will vote to decide which of the original main campaign characters the founding members of Critical Role will play for the evening. And, of course, the incomparable Matthew Mercer will be leading this story as our Game Master.

Prepare for an evening of delightful mayhem – as chaos crews and continents collide.

Our founding cast will also attend C2E2 for a weekend full of signings, photo ops, and our landmark Critical Role panel.

CHICAGO – Show & On-sale Details

Thursday, April 10, 2025 Wintrust Arena, Chicago IL

• Beacon member pre-sale: 8am Pacific / 10am Central || Monday, October 28th
• Local venue & C2E2 pre-sale: 8am Pacific / 10am Central || Tuesday, October 29th
• General on-sale: 8am Pacific / 10am Central || Wednesday, October 30th

Sydney & Melbourne

Get ready for an epic adventure Down Under as we embark on a two-city spectacular in Australia for the very first time!

Our adventure kicks off in Sydney and ends in Melbourne. For each of these live one-shots, party members from two separate Critical Role campaigns will join forces as they fight a common threat, threaded together by our Game Master, Matthew Mercer, and the entire founding cast of Critical Role.

And, every good adventurer needs a companion. How about Tom Cardy?! This multi talented powerhouse – comedian, musician, and all-around badass – will be our emcee for this two-pronged attack.

Two cities, one overarching story, familiar faces in new combinations await! SYDNEY – Show & On-sale Details

Thursday, June 19, 2025 ICC Sydney Theatre, Sydney NSW, Australia

• Beacon member pre-sale: 11am (local Sydney time) || Thursday, October 31st
• Frontier member pre-sale: 12pm (local Sydney time) || Friday, November 1st
• General on-sale: 9am (local Sydney time) || Monday, November 4th

Wednesday, June 25th, 2025, Rod Laver Arena , Melbourne VIC, Australia

• Beacon member pre-sale: 12pm (local Melbourne time) || Thursday, October 31st
• Frontier member pre-sale: 1pm (local Melbourne time) || Friday, November 1st
• General on-sale: 10am (local Melbourne time) || Monday, November 4th

Indianapolis

Get ready, Indy (well, just outside of Indy!)! We’re hitting the road with our very first one-shot set in the world of Exandria and powered by Darrington Press’s upcoming roleplaying game, Daggerheart.

Featuring the founding cast of Critical Role and led by Game Master Matthew Mercer, the adventuring party for this live show will be a melting pot of familiar faces from across Exandria.

The possibilities are endless! Will your favorite NPC officially join forces with the party? Or perhaps the next generation of adventurers will follow in their parents footsteps?

Join us live in Indianapolis to find out!

Indianapolis – Show & On-sale Details

Saturday, August 2, 2025 Fishers Event Center, Fishers, IN

• Beacon member pre-sale: 7am Pacific / 10am Eastern || Monday, October 28th
• Local venue pre-sale: 7am Pacific / 10am Eastern || Tuesday, October 29th
• General on-sale: 7am Pacific / 10am Eastern || Wednesday, October 30th

New York City and NYCC

And the final stop on our live show extravaganza is New York City – and we are formally inviting you to a very special event.

Join us for an unforgettable evening of love and peril at the legendary Radio City Music Hall in New York City, as two of our Mighty Nein lovebirds, Jester and Fjord, embark on their greatest adventure yet: marriage!

The weekend following our marital bliss x clusterfuck, our founding cast will also attend New York Comic Con for signings, photo ops, and a panel. We’ll have more information about NYCC as we get a little further into 2025.

New York City – Show & On-sale Details

Tuesday, October 7th, 2025 Radio City Music Hall, NYC

• Beacon member pre-sale: 7am Pacific / 10am Eastern || Monday, October 28th
• Local venue & NYCC pre-sale: 7am Pacific / 10am Eastern || Tuesday, October 29th
• General on-sale: 7am Pacific / 10am Eastern || Wednesday, October 30th

Please note that these broadcasts are only scheduled for the times listed below.

The Re-Slayer’s Take, Season 2

Follow the escapades of the second-coolest monster hunters this side of Exandria: The Re-Slayer’s Take! After six misfit mercenaries are rejected from the elite monster hunting group, The Slayer’s Take, they band together, battling supernatural creatures across the rugged continent of Issylra.

• Episode 6 releases Monday, October 21st on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Episode 8 releases Monday, October 21st on Beacon at 5am Pacific

Tales From The Stinky Dragon

Second Wind – Campaign 3: Kanon

Go behind the scenes of Tales from the Stinky Dragon Campaign 3: Kanon with the cast and crew as they discuss each episode, player decisions, DM secrets, and life stories in this exclusive bi-weekly show!

• Second Wind, Campaign 3: Kanon, Episode 2 releases Monday, October 21st on Beacon and the Tales From The Stinky Dragon Patreon at 12am PACIFIC.

Critical Role Abridged

All the twists and turns of an episode of Critical Role in half the time! In Critical Role Abridged, the rich tapestry of a Critical Role campaign is lovingly distilled to its most pivotal, hilarious, and poignant moments in about 60-90 minutes per episode.

• Campaign 3, Episode 27 releases Tuesday, October 22nd at 10am Pacific on YouTube
• Campaign 3, Episode 27 Podcast out Tuesday, October 22nd on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Campaign 3, Episode 49 releases Tuesday, October 22nd at 10am Pacific on Beacon

UNEND, Season 1

Several decades after the events of MIDST and Moonward, a supernatural ship and a remarkable crew set forth on an expedition to explore the highest heights, deepest depths, and furthest reaches of the known cosmos. But their journey is fraught with peril as they discover truths and realities far stranger than any of them could ever have imagined.

• Episode 3 releases Wednesday, October 23rd on the Midst Podcast YouTube at 10am Pacific and your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Episode 5 releases Wednesday, October 23rd on Beacon, Midst.co, Podcast Subscribers at 5am Pacific

Critical Role: Campaign 3, Episode 112

Get ready for a spooktacular episode! Bells Hells continue on their adventure…

• Airs Thursday, October 24th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
• VOD and Podcast out Thursday, October 24th at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
• Rebroadcasts Friday, October 25th at 12am Pacific and 9am Pacific on Twitch
• VOD out Monday, October 28th at 12pm Pacific on YouTube
• Podcast out October 31st on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific

Critical Cooldown: Campaign 3, Episode 112

Get a backstage pass to Campaign 3, Episode 112! You’ll be right there at the table immediately after Matt says “Is it Thursday yet?”, experiencing the cast’s post-show reactions.

• Releases Thursday, October 24th at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon

Legend of Vox Machina S3e6

I would upload a proper screenshot, but Amazon won't let me.

The Witch Wolf

A webcomic about love and magic.

by Dani Carr & Bree Williams

The Witch Wolf is a story dealing with adult characters and adult themes. As the story progresses, heavy topics will be experienced and discussed. This is a supernatural romance story that dips into the gothic setting and will delve into content regarding power, consent, and sex. We will strive to always provide content warnings about these heavier topics when they come into play. But rest assured, this is also a story with a happy ending, as well as a LOT of comedy, love, and beauty. It’s going to be a roller coaster ride, but we will do our best to keep everyone reading it safe the whole time.

In general, The Witch Wolf should be considered Rated R or M for Mature, depending on your preferred scale.

We hope you enjoy!

Watch the episode live on Twitch and YouTube at 7pm PST. Restreams on Twitch at midnight and the next day at 9am PST

Runtime	Break start
3h 51m	2h 5m

Episode 111: The Nein Hells

Bell's Hells had returned to Vasselheim, having thwarted (it seems) the Unseelie reunion with the Vanguard. In doing so, eliminated one of the powerful associates of Ludinus Da'leth (the Sorrowlord Zathuda himself, the blood father to Fearne). With the information you have, you walked through the city, you gathered some supplies, and prepared yourselves for what is the looming return to the surface of Ruidus, where you and another troop are to secretly traverse once more towards the capital city of Kreviris; to delve beneath its surface into a hidden spot before infiltrating the core of the city to notify those back on Exandria that you are in position, so the assault can begin and distract the enemy forces and factions to best enable both of your teams to succeed at their goals.
After you gathered your things and said some goodbyes, ordered some alcohol, climbed into a dead titan's 'ass crack bar'. You met up with two familiar Zephran family members of Orym, who escorted you to Lake Umamu on the far western side of Issylra, where you had uncovered that secret underwater portal, the backdoor entrance to Ruidus and its hidden tunnel. Unknown to most but just a few.
As you arrived in the familiar abandoned fishing village (now partially taken over by the Zephran forces in preparation for your arrival) you set up within the nearby inn, where you had stayed before, talked amongst yourselves until your companion team arrived. One you've met a couple members of, but have been told they're referred to as The Mighty Nein, a very chaotic introduction of both sides coming to meet together was left on a final question from Laudna,
"Why are there only seven of you?"

Previous Episode: "In the Shadow of War"

• CritRole Recap
• Episode Discussion
• YouTube VoD
• Alternate Front End VoD

Please note that these broadcasts are only scheduled for the times listed below.

The Re-Slayer’s Take, Season 2

Follow the escapades of the second-coolest monster hunters this side of Exandria: The Re-Slayer’s Take! After six misfit mercenaries are rejected from the elite monster hunting group, The Slayer’s Take, they band together, battling supernatural creatures across the rugged continent of Issylra.

• Episode 5 releases Monday, October 14th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Episode 7 releases Monday, October 14th on Beacon at 5am Pacific

Tales From The Stinky Dragon

Campaign 3: Kanon

A team of trained soldiers is caught in the middle of a war between distant deities and under-dwelling devils. As they turn the tide of this celestial crusade, a voice beckons them from the beyond—destiny or doom?

• Episode 2 releases Monday, October 14th on Beacon and the Tales From The Stinky Dragon Patreon at 12am PACIFIC.
• Episode 2 releases Wednesday, October 16th on your favorite podcast streaming platform and the Tales From The Stinky Dragon YouTube at 12am Pacific.

Critical Role Abridged

All the twists and turns of an episode of Critical Role in half the time! In Critical Role Abridged, the rich tapestry of a Critical Role campaign is lovingly distilled to its most pivotal, hilarious, and poignant moments in about 60-90 minutes per episode.

• Campaign 3, Episode 26 releases Tuesday, October 15th at 10am Pacific on YouTube
• Campaign 3, Episode 26 Podcast out Tuesday, October 15th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Campaign 3, Episode 48 releases Tuesday, October 15th at 10am Pacific on Beacon

The Legend of Vox Machina, Season 3 Roundtable (Episodes 1-6)

Join some of our cast and crew for a roundtable as they discuss all the intricate, behind-the-scenes details of The Legend of Vox Machina, Season 3 Episodes 1-6.

• Airs Tuesday, October 15th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
• VOD out Tuesday, October 15th at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
• VOD out Thursday, October 17th at 12pm Pacific on YouTube

UNEND, Season 1

Several decades after the events of MIDST and Moonward, a supernatural ship and a remarkable crew set forth on an expedition to explore the highest heights, deepest depths, and furthest reaches of the known cosmos. But their journey is fraught with peril as they discover truths and realities far stranger than any of them could ever have imagined.

• Episode 2 releases Wednesday, October 16th on the Midst Podcast YouTube at 10am Pacific and your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Episode 4 releases Wednesday, October 16th on Beacon, Midst.co, Podcast Subscribers at 5am Pacific

Narrative Telephone

Much like the game of telephone we all played in elementary school, Narrative Telephone involves a group of friends telling and re-telling a short story from one person to the next; with only their memory to help them recount what they heard. As the story inevitably changes and distorts it becomes more and more outlandish and hilarious. They then gather to watch the results and react, comment, commiserate, and joke about the chaos that ensues.

• Episode 1 releases Wednesday, October 16th on Beacon at 12pm Pacific
• Episode 1 releases Wednesday, October 30th on YouTube at 12pm Pacific

Critical Role: Campaign 3, Episode 111

Bells Hells continue on their adventure…

• Airs Thursday, October 17th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
• VOD and Podcast out Thursday, October 17th at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
• Rebroadcasts Friday, October 18th at 12am Pacific and 9am Pacific on Twitch
• VOD out Monday, October 21st at 12pm Pacific on YouTube
• Podcast out October 24th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific

Critical Cooldown: Campaign 3, Episode 111

Get a backstage pass to Campaign 3, Episode 111! You’ll be right there at the table immediately after Matt says “Is it Thursday yet?”, experiencing the cast’s post-show reactions.

• Releases Thursday, October 17th at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon

Watch the episode live on Twitch and YouTube at 7pm PST. Restreams on Twitch at midnight and the next day at 9am PST

Runtime	Break start
4h 06m	1h 51m

Episode 110: In the Shadow of War

After returning from their trek to the Fey Realm and thwarting a meeting between the Vanguard and the Unseelie to possibly put them in an advantageous position to defend themselves against the powers of Exandria.
You succeeded in speaking with the Arch Heart within his abandoned temple, as well as bringing the unfortunately slain body of Zathuda back to Nana Morri's, where he was turned into a piece of furniture.
After having some time to think of the recent events, you returned (with Morri's help) back to Exandria. Here within Vasselheim, one of the core locations where the war effort for the coming assault on Ruidus, the Vanguard, and what lies beyond has been building and mounting. You stopped into the Duskmeadow, the region of Vasselheim where the Matron of Ravens holds dominion. You went into the Raven's Crest (the great citadel of the Matron), met with some of the high priestesses of this Raven's Crest. All of you delved into the pool of blood to have communion with the Matron of Ravens. There, she was short, threatening, and eager to lead you on an unkind trial where you were forced to face a figure of dark Exandrian history long passed and two very familiar ones still entwined in your current fates. After which you learned quite a bit of her history, perhaps long hidden, and her opinion of the goings on in this wild, tangled gods' experience that seems to be mounting towards the red moon in the sky.
After this conflict and conversation, you all were sent back to Exandria proper, where you all clambered out of the blood pool and onto the darkened polished floors of the interior of the Raven's Crest. Here as you cough up the remnants of the red viscous liquid from your lungs, you look up to this trio of veiled priestess figures around.

Previous Episode: "A Test of Fate"

• CritRole Recap
• Episode Discussion
• YouTube VoD
• Alternate Front End VoD

Please note that these broadcasts are only scheduled for the times listed below.

The Re-Slayer’s Take, Season 2

Follow the escapades of the second-coolest monster hunters this side of Exandria: The Re-Slayer’s Take! After six misfit mercenaries are rejected from the elite monster hunting group, The Slayer’s Take, they band together, battling supernatural creatures across the rugged continent of Issylra.

• Bonus Take with Caroline Lux with releases Monday, October 7th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Episode 6 releases Monday, October 7th on Beacon at 5am Pacific

Tales From The Stinky Dragon

Second Wind: Campaign 3 Kanon

Go behind the scenes of Tales from the Stinky Dragon Campaign 3: Kanon with the cast and crew as they discuss each episode, player decisions, DM secrets, and life stories in this exclusive bi-weekly show!

• Second Wind: Campaign 3, Episode 1 releases Monday, October 7th on Beacon and the Tales From The Stinky Dragon Patreon at 12am PACIFIC.

Critical Role Abridged

All the twists and turns of an episode of Critical Role in half the time! In Critical Role Abridged, the rich tapestry of a Critical Role campaign is lovingly distilled to its most pivotal, hilarious, and poignant moments in about 60-90 minutes per episode.

• Campaign 3, Episode 25 releases Tuesday, October 8th at 10am Pacific on YouTube
• Campaign 3, Episode 25 Podcast out Tuesday, October 8th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Campaign 3, Episode 47 releases Tuesday, October 8th at 10am Pacific on Beacon

4-Sided Dive, Episode 28

Join Ashley Johnson, Matthew Mercer, Liam O’Brien, and Robbie Daymond for a spooktacular new episode of 4-Sided Dive!

• Airs Tuesday, October 8th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
• VOD and Podcast out Tuesday, October 8th at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
• VOD out Wednesday, October 10th on YouTube at 12pm Pacific
• Podcast out Friday, October 11th on your favorite podcast streaming service

10/7 AM EDIT: Apologies to Robbie Diamond

UNEND, Season 1

Several decades after the events of MIDST and Moonward, a supernatural ship and a remarkable crew set forth on an expedition to explore the highest heights, deepest depths, and furthest reaches of the known cosmos. But their journey is fraught with peril as they discover truths and realities far stranger than any of them could ever have imagined.

• Episode 1 releases Wednesday, October 9th on the Midst Podcast YouTube at 5am Pacific and your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Episodes 1-3 releases Wednesday, October 9th on Beacon, Midst.co, and for various podcast subscriptions at 5am Pacific

Critical Role: Campaign 3, Episode 110

Bells Hells continue on their adventure…

• Airs Thursday, October 10th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
• VOD and Podcast out Thursday, October 10th at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
• Rebroadcasts Friday, October 11th at 12am Pacific and 9am Pacific on Twitch
• VOD out Monday, October 14th at 12pm Pacific on YouTube
• Podcast out October 17th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific

Critical Cooldown: Campaign 3, Episode 110

Get a backstage pass to Campaign 3, Episode 110??! You’ll be right there at the table immediately after Matt says “Is it Thursday yet?”, experiencing the cast’s post-show reactions.

• Releases Thursday, October 10th at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/44056723

Painting Each Other | The Legend of Vox Machina

The Legend of Vox Machina Season 3 premiere is right around the corner, so IGN sat down with the Critical Role team one last time before the new season hits Prime Video. This time, though, there’s a twist! We’ve challenged them with questions before, but we figured Fantastic Fest was worth cranking things up to a new level. In that spirit, we gave Liam O’Brien, Marisha Ray and Travis Willingham a mission: paint each other’s Vox Machina characters. Each of the cast and our host drew a character from the hat (Vax’ildan, Keyleth and Grog with a bonus Vex’ahlia, as there were four participants) and did their best to honor the work of their animation partners, Titmouse. There were some mixed results but, as always, plenty of shenanigans (and oodles of respect paid towards the animators who make magic happen every day — did you know painting is really hard?)

Watch the episode live on Twitch and YouTube at 7pm PST. Restreams on Twitch at midnight and the next day at 9am PST

Runtime	Break start
4h 39m	1h 44m

Episode 109: A Test of Fate

After heading back into the Fey Realm to thwart a meeting between Ludinus Da'leth, the Sorrowlord Zathuda, and the Unseelie Court (which had been strangely absent in the goings on of the Ruby Vanguard), you managed to (one-by-one) take out their guard, assault the entire Unseelie crew, and brought down the entire abandoned temple of the Arch Heart.
Afterwards you were beckoned to a meeting with the Arch Heart (brought into their realm) where they expressed an interest in your path and a unique perspective on the current events happening in Exandria. After sharing this with you, they also implored you to speak to what you seem to imagine as the Matron of Ravens of a similar swapping of thoughts. You then took your captives, or tried to, as they rapidly attempted to escape. Dragged them back, mostly alive, other than the Sorrowlord (who was slain in his attempt to get out of your grasp) and rode back with the aid of Gloamglut (which was mourning the loss of its master), Nanna Morri in her transformed state, and your (Dorian) summoned mount. There, the Sorrowlord Zathuda (Fearne's biological father, and with her permission) whose corpse was taken to The Loom underneath Ligament Manor, where it was turned into furniture. Furniture that keeps his essence within it (which allowed you to have an extended conversation with his stretched fleshy face against a hexagonal frame, gaining maybe some dark closure or at the very least gathering some more information about some of the 'behind the scenes' of the Vanguard, and a hint to move more quickly than the window of time previously alotted.
You went to rest for the evening. Fearne and Ashton clambered to the rooftop garden of the Manor released Gloamglut from his bindings, and convinced the dragon to allow you to curl up with it for the evening. The three of you fell asleep and a night of rest after a very long and arduous day. With that the morning eventually greets all of you. The absence of Fearne and Ashton within the guest chambers marks your attention, but expecting an evening with the dragon was discussed. Meanwhile, Fearne, you and Ashton both awaken to the sound of the deep breathy slumber of Gloamglut. A chest expanding beneath you, like a massive scaled Totoro.

Previous Episode: "Looming"

• CritRole Recap
• Episode Discussion
• YouTube VoD
• Alternate Front End VoD

LoVM season 3 starts on October 3 with a 3-episode weekly drop.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/20418907

The Legend of Vox Machina Season 3 premieres October 3 on Prime Video.

Please note that these broadcasts are only scheduled for the times listed below.

The Re-Slayer’s Take, Season 2

Follow the escapades of the second-coolest monster hunters this side of Exandria: The Re-Slayer’s Take! After six misfit mercenaries are rejected from the elite monster hunting group, The Slayer’s Take, they band together, battling supernatural creatures across the rugged continent of Issylra.

• Episode 4 releases Monday, September 30th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Episode 5 releases Monday, September 30th on Beacon at 5am Pacific

Tales From The Stinky Dragon, Campaign 3: Kanon

A team of trained soldiers is caught in the middle of a war between distant deities and under-dwelling devils. As they turn the tide of this celestial crusade, a voice beckons them from the beyond—destiny or doom?

• Episode 1 releases Monday, September 30th on Beacon and the Tales From The Stinky Dragon Patreon at 12am Pacific.
• Episode 1 releases Wednesday, October 2nd on your favorite podcast streaming platform and the Tales From The Stinky Dragon YouTube Channel at 12am Pacific.

Critical Role Abridged

All the twists and turns of an episode of Critical Role in half the time! In Critical Role Abridged, the rich tapestry of a Critical Role campaign is lovingly distilled to its most pivotal, hilarious, and poignant moments in about 60-90 minutes per episode.

• Campaign 3, Episode 24 releases Tuesday, October 1st at 10am Pacific on YouTube
• Campaign 3, Episode 24 Podcast out Tuesday, October 1st on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Campaign 3, Episode 46 releases Tuesday, October 1st at 10am Pacific on Beacon

The Legend of Vox Machina, Season 3

Everything is at stake in the long-awaited Season Three of The Legend of Vox Machina. The Chroma Conclave’s path of destruction spreads like wildfire while the Cinder King hunts down Vox Machina. Our lovable band of misfits must rise above inner (and outer) demons to try and save their loved ones, Tal’Dorei, and all of Exandria.

• Episodes 1-3 will release on Thursday, October 3rd only on Prime Video

Critical Role: Campaign 3, Episode 109

Bells Hells continue on their adventure…

• Airs Thursday, October 3rd at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
• VOD and Podcast out Thursday, October 3rd at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
• Rebroadcasts Friday, October 4th at 12am Pacific and 9am Pacific on Twitch
• VOD out Monday, October 7th at 12pm Pacific on YouTube
• Podcast out October 10th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific

Critical Cooldown: Campaign 3, Episode 109

Get a backstage pass to Campaign 3, Episode 109 You’ll be right there at the table immediately after Matt says “Is it Thursday yet?”, experiencing the cast’s post-show reactions.

• Releases Thursday, October 3rd at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon

The Legend of Vox Machina Season 3 Launch Party!

Join the cast of The Legend of Vox Machina LIVE and celebrate the launch of Season 3 with us!

• Airs Friday, October 4th LIVE at 7pm Pacific on Beacon, Twitch, and YouTube
• VOD immediately available after the stream ends

With Legend Of Vox Machina Streaming Free Before Season 3, Critical Role Stars Talk 'Really Embracing' Changes From The Original Story

article by Laura Hurley

The days are counting down until The Legend of Vox Machina returns for Season 3 in the 2024 TV schedule on Prime Video, just over a year and a half after the second season ended a cliffhanger that was quite literally very hot. The new batch of episodes will continue adapting the story from Critical Role's first live-streamed Dungeons & Dragons campaign. The first two seasons are now available streaming free without an Amazon Prime Video subscription, and the stars opened up to CinemaBlend about making changes for the animated series.

For the final week ahead of The Legend of Vox Machina's third season premiere on October 3, Prime Video has made all 24 episodes from the first two seasons available streaming on the official YouTube account. From Vox Machina taking down their first dragon to the Season 2 cliffhanger, you can relive the highs and lows for a refresher.

As for how to prepare for what Season 3 has in store beyond the trailer, it turns out that Critical Role fans who might think they're completely spoiled on the next chapters in Vox Machina's story are in for some surprises. When I spoke with the cast – all of whom are also executive producers of the series – ahead of the premiere, they weighed in on the perks of building suspense for viewers by making changes beyond the original campaign.

Matt Mercer, the Critical Role Dungeon Master and voice of many Legend of Vox Machina characters, shared:

It's fun. As part of the adaptation process, really embracing the fact that the original campaign will always be there, we want to carry the true spirit of the original campaign through the series, but also allowing moments where we can show parts of the story that we didn't have the chance to show from the players' perspective in the original campaign, which is a surprise for everybody in a lot of cool ways.

The first two seasons already delivered some examples of scenes that don't actually include any of the original player characters, and it's safe to say that will continue into the third season. Mercer went on:

And with hindsight, [we can] go back and just change a few things here and there to better serve the overall narrative in ways that will definitely surprise original watchers of the campaign. Any of those changes are all done with consensus and excitement, and it's with the intent of serving the story more than anything, and then the benefit of also knowing that it's really going to knock a few people off their expectations.

Travis Willingham, who voices Grog and has co-written several episodes with fellow cast member Sam Riegel, shared his own take on the "task" of subverting expectations with the Prime Video adaptation of the original story. In a group interview with several of his castmates/EPs chiming in, he shared with CinemaBlend:

For us, so much of our audience has an expectation of what's coming, and it's our task to upset those expectations, and sort of redirect how the story is told, so that people may know what's coming, but the effects of it, we want it to last and have people wonder what's coming from episode to episode. So if we can do that, we feel like we've been effective in our storytelling this time through.

As for the question of whether they enjoy creating suspense even for campaign viewers who know the original story, Ashley Johnson – who voices Pike and appeared in The Last of Us' live-action TV show in a pretty perfect role after voicing Ellie for the video games – immediately responded with "Absolutely." Marisha Ray, the voice of Keyleth, shared her take:

There's a story, even if you know where it is going, [that] you can still have that element of surprise. I think that's why we as humans love stories and can watch movies or we can watch series several times over and still get that emotional response. That's on full display, especially here in Season 3.

Based on the trailer and opening title sequence, the idea of Keyleth outliving the rest of Vox Machina seems to have a part to play in Season 3. The footage also gives away that the Keyleth/Vax romance seems to be back on track after some setbacks in Season 2. Liam O'Brien, the voice of Vax'ildan, shared his thoughts on changes from table to screen:

I also see it just as an extension of what we do at the table for the eight of us. We all like shocking each other, surprising each other with moments at the table, and now we're just doing it for many more people. It's just all storytelling.

In some parting thoughts on the subject of creating suspense for fans of the original Critical Role campaign as well as show-only viewers, Travis Willingham shared:

We're fans of these type of stories, and so we've seen it when it's done well and when it's not done so well. For us, we have the advantage of knowing exactly who this story is for. We made it for ourselves, and we've made it for our fans and the people that have been here with us along the way. We think we have it dialed in pretty tight.

Also starring Laura Bailey as Vex'ahlia, Taliesin Jaffe as Percy, and Sam Riegel as Scanlan, Season 3 of the Legend of Vox Machina is going to see the group heading to hell and back as part of the mission to take down the Chroma Conclave of dragons and save Exandria.

That is, at least part of the group will definitely be going to hell, as Percy and Vex are conspicuously absent from the hell-set scenes in the trailer, although Matt Mercer gets a cameo.

The Legend of Vox Machina Season 3 will consist of twelve episodes. Like the first two seasons, Prime Video will release the episodes in batches of three per week, starting with the first three on Thursday, October 3. In the meantime, you can always revisit Seasons 1 and 2 streaming free via YouTube or via a Prime Video subscription. You can also check out CinemaBlend's picks for the best animated TV shows for more viewing options.

Get Well Soon Sam

Produced by the Beacon Bits Team: Ajorra ItsMeTay26 kaawro Windhover76 kjamesb sizzyedia violetmagik Aldriem/yamangupta JedrenBlack Edited by: JedrenBlack violetmagik Aldriem/yamangupta TPBurrows Music by: Liso812 TheDukeInPurple Written by: Windhover76 kjamesb TheDukeInPurple Assistant Writers: Ajorra voiletmagik Artwork provided by: Aldriem/yamangupta Rainingdragons Thank you to everyone who contributed time, energy, effort and love into this project. You're awesome ❤️

Please note that these broadcasts are only scheduled for the times listed below.

The Re-Slayer’s Take

Season 2

Follow the escapades of the second-coolest monster hunters this side of Exandria: The Re-Slayer’s Take! After six misfit mercenaries are rejected from the elite monster hunting group, The Slayer’s Take, they band together, battling supernatural creatures across the rugged continent of Issylra.

• Episode 3 releases Monday, September 23rd on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Bonus Episode with Caroline Lux releases Monday, September 23rd on Beacon at 5am Pacific

LIVE Fireside Chat with Ashley Johnson

Join us in the tavern for a monthly Ask Me Anything (AMA) series where you can sit down with us and learn more about our Critical Role cast and guests! Questions will be curated directly from Beacon members via Discord and each episode will feature a different cast member for a 30-60 minute fireside chat. Cozy up by the fire and enjoy the deep dive with us!

• Starts Monday, September 23rd at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon

Critical Role Abridged

All the twists and turns of an episode of Critical Role in half the time! In Critical Role Abridged, the rich tapestry of a Critical Role campaign is lovingly distilled to its most pivotal, hilarious, and poignant moments in about 60-90 minutes per episode.

• Campaign 3, Episode 23 releases Tuesday, September 24th at 10am Pacific on YouTube
• Campaign 3, Episode 23 Podcast out Tuesday, September 24th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
• Campaign 3, Episode 45 releases Tuesday, September 24th at 10am Pacific on Beacon

#EverythingIsContent

SINK!

Set sail for an evening of adventure with Marisha Ray, Taliesin Jaffe, Johnny Stanton, Sam Rusk, and Game Master Rick Esquivias for a swashbuckling game of SINK! from Hit Point Press

Learn more about SINK!

• Airs Tuesday, September 24th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
• VOD out Tuesday, September 24th at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
• VOD out Thursday, September 26th at 12pm Pacific on YouTube

UNEND Series Trailer

Check out the official series trailer of UNEND! Several decades after the events of MIDST and Moonward, a supernatural ship and a remarkable crew set forth on an expedition to explore the highest heights, deepest depths, and furthest reaches of the known cosmos. But their journey is fraught with peril as they discover truths and realities far stranger than any of them could ever have imagined.

• Releases Wednesday, September 25th on the Midst Podcast YouTube, the Critical Role YouTube, your favorite podcast streaming service, Beacon, and Midst.co at 10am Pacific

Avast, me hearties!

September 19th is Talk Like a Pirate Day!

This year it coincides with the kickstarter of a kickass RPG supplement SINK! A DnD supplement filled with magical tattoos, adventures, lore and more. Also featuring loads of art from the infamous artist Samurai Rusk, known for their hundreds of celebrated Critical Role tattoos.

Would you like the battle map, soundtrack mp3, and additional resources for a SINK one-shot in Deep Grotto?
Here's the Google Drive link (53MB).

Personally I love that vessel-boarding/storm-the-castle aspect of pirates. There is another supplement for naval combat known as Limithron's Guide to Naval Combat available for purchase or by the link below for free.
The link to the guide itself is here (11MB)

There's more!

As of this post it has only been officially announced in an email notification. This Tuesday will feature a Critical Role episode of Everything is Content with Taliesin and Marisha playing SINK! with Samurai Rusk, Ricardo Esquivias, and Johnny Stanton IV.

The Seas beckon ye!