Legendary Dungeons & Dragons streaming troupe Critical Role is striking out on its own to publish four of its very own tabletop games, all of which are currently slated to release in 2021. This is a huge lateral move for the talented roleplayers, who have gone from slowly building their own world and adventures within the framework of D&D to helping to pioneer its own tabletop ventures.
Critical Role came onto the scene in March 2015 with its titular web series on Geek and Sundry, in which professional voice actors play a game of Dungeons & Dragons, headed up by the lauded Matthew Mercer as Dungeon Master. The series was hugely popular on Twitch and YouTube, with every episode having been watched over a million times, and spawning a dedicated fanbase of Critters. Critical Role Productions that same year and took over streaming of the series in 2018, and has since expanded into a lineup of projects that includes its flagship web series, licensed miniature figures, and even a Kickstarter-funded animated series.
Darrington Press is the company's first foray into publishing its own tabletop games, which has already announced four games set to be released in 2021. In a press release, Critical Role has announced its newest adventure: establishing a tabletop game publishing company, and it's taking some of the titans of tabletop gaming along with it. Matthew Mercer will be flexing his muscles as Darrington's Creative Advisor. His custom world from Critical Role, Exandria, will feature in some of Darrington's future titles, including Uk’otoa, the first in the company's 2021 quarterly lineup. Joining him to lead this new venture is co-owner of Hunters Entertainment Ivan Van Norman, who already has ten years of experience in the industry under his belt.
Uk’otoa is Darrington's flagship title and is set to launch in Q1 2021; it's a semi-cooperative tactical card game created by Jeb Havens that will run players $29.99 when it releases on Critical Role's online shop in the UK, US, and Australia, and hobby shops in the US. In Q2 2021, Darrington Press will launch Critical Role Adventures, a cooperative campaign game through Mercer's world of Exandria. Syndicult, a modern magic RPG featuring mob families battling with magic for control, will follow in Q3. Finally, just in time for Christmas in Q4 will be Guardians of Matrimonia, a cooperative card game of players versus monsters. Player details and price tags of the latter three games are yet unknown.
Quickly exploding out of niche obscurity into making its own permanent mark on the world of pen and paper, this is a huge move for Critical Role to make. This year has been a tough one for the tabletop world - while video games have soared under COVID-19 lockdowns and precautions, Mercer and company and tabletop aficionados everywhere had to reinvent what it means to play in a party.
For the ultra-talented group to continue to forge its own path and roll figurative natural 20s despite facing these hardships alongside its audience (and now, playerbase), it's hard to wish Critical Role anything but the best. While these small tabletop games will seem like novelties compared to the epic journeys through Wildemount the troupe's viewers are accustomed to, a breakout waiting for expansions and sequels could be lurking among the recently announced quartet.
Source: Critical Role