First off, I'd like to see a CR campaign that has a sort of Fantasy High-style campaign. I can just imagine Talisan being some sort of teacher character, maybe the grandson of Arthur Augefort. Secondly, I'm still waiting for Dimension20's Crown of Candy to become fully available to watch for free here on TH-cam. I don't have the means to pay for a Dropout account and watch each episode there
While a shorter run time could potentially good for the audience, cutting down on time will likely make CR sessions as a dnd show more "show" and less "dnd" in that due to time constraints there is less room for the characters to just be in the moment and goof around. Some of the best character moments in previous campaigns were able to happen because of that space that allows stories and characters to form more organically.
I mean, I'd still watch it. But I'd be severely disappointed. Started watching in 2020 with C1E1. Been caught up to live for about a year, including EXU. I crave the story, and agree with previous commenter that a shorter runtime would hurt CR's style of play. Honestly, I get a little sad when the runtime is less than 4.5 hours. ETA: I watched D20 before starting CR. It was actually my introduction to Matt in their evil campaign. After I found CR, I've watched D20 less and less because of the story and character moments I love in CR. I'd simply rather spend my time there.
As someone who has seen every episode of every D20 season and Critical Role.. here are my "hot" takes regarding each. Coming from CR into D20 made me wish D20 was actually longer form content. While I do like the seasonal aspect of things, my attachment to the characters/settings for D20 can only go so far. I don't have enough time with them to really form the bonds that I do when I watch Critical Role. You mention cutting out certain things, but those are the things I personally enjoy seeing. The "short" form format of D20 also lends to very heavy railroading. Introducing Hot Take 1. We knew from season 1 of Fantasy High the format was RP episode into a Combat episode (While that shifts here and there we knew to expect combat every other episode). It doesn't allow the characters to do fun wild off stuff because I know Brennan has a goal to get to, they have a filming schedule and we ultimately know was viewers.. we will end with a big-bad boss fight. Hot Take 2: Sometimes D20 feels less like Dungeons and Dragons tabletop and much more episodic television. I think Critical Role has an identity and to attempt to change it based off of what D20 does, would make it lose it's identity. Fans of CR come for those long episodes and the shopping episodes. Those are the bits that make it feel like our home games. It's why so many people can relate to CR more than they might D20. It's why the fandom runs as deep as it does because we have so much MORE of them to spark our own stories from and feel so connected to them. CR Campaign one spoiler ahead!! At the end of the campaign, returning to the shopkeeper than once scammed him out of gold and then offering him an absurd amount of money to teach him to read, is one of those "full circle" moments. Yes it took us 200 hours to get here but dang did we love seeing that. I love D20.. I love that I can binge a whole season in the time it takes me to watch 2-3 episodes of Critical Role. I love the format and the format leading to how incredible their set design can be. I also love how when I watch Critical Role, the map that Matt brings out (Although usually 100x better than anything I can do as a DM) makes me feel more "at home" with CR because it reminds me of my own DnD campaigns. I love them each individually and to try to compare each to one another feels wrong. They have the same umbrella of "dungeons and dragons" but they do their own thing each under it VERY well. Critical Role is meant to feel like your own home game. We are supposed to see the shopping episodes and the side paths. D20 fills a void in the DnD media space perfectly. We watch it like television and expect new stories/seasons to come out frequently. We watch CR for the long haul and the arcs. Nobody should adjust anything and both CR and D20 should keep doing what they are doing.
A big thing that makes critical role so great is the random out of character, and sometimes in character, side things. Campaign 3 was rushing to the end goal the entire time. I would have loved a side quest, like the chroma conclave, from campaign 1. I want the 4+ hour episodes all the way to level 20
If the four-hour version is a little too long for you, you might find the shorter CR Abridged episode more suitable. Each episode is designed to be one or one-and-a-half hours in length.
Abridged CR is fantastic, and a great tool for getting new fans into the lore, it's just coming out a bit too slowly and not for every camapign. (In our opinion anyway!).
Probably because you don't understand American Football 🤣 Kidding aside, Critical Role could easily do some pretty epic things. Wembley Stadium is no joke. But we also have to keep in mind a good amount of the Dimension 20 staff are independently well known and most of them got their start in NYC. This event is a perfect confluence of events - I would never look at this and say "This is a standard". The superbowl isn't a "standard", its an exception by definition.
I love Critical Role and I love Dimension 20. I like Professional Football and I like College Football. In both instances they are the same but different.
@@SkaMacanan The first comment made was literally “has D20 become the new standard for live play” what ar u talking about buddy. Imagine watching a news channel about something. And then getting pissed off that the largest thing in that category gets talked about. Grow up
@@TheCharacterSheetno it won't. You no nothing this isn't the first time you completely fucked up when it comes to critical role. Cr will not repeat what dimension 20. Just stop do your research.
I would definitely prefer shorter episodes of CR. It would have to keep the "you're at the table" vibe, though. I love that about CR - all the little stuff in between play. Too much editing would hurt that vibe, I think.
I like both. D20 is a show. Like going to the improv or comedy night. Musical or play. It is entertaining. More railroad and directed ( limited series. ) CR gives me epic saga ( c2 personal fav), open ended -> anything can happen, and the feeling like I get playing at the table with my friends. Each are now in a different niche. Personally while d20 is entertaining, CRgives me the moments that stay with me.
I feel like C2 of Critical Role was boosted by the personal stories of the cast and characters and Mollymwuk/Lucien's clandestine outer space plot was a shock that everyone loved because it was a surprise and had a somewhat balanced and structured lead up but C3 started with the clandestine plot already in mind and was too big to handle, it lost direction fast.
I think D20 is doing phenomenal work and I also think critical role is still doing great with what they do best. D20 has carved out a significant place with their own style of content. I hope Critical Role sticks with what they do best and continue to crush it with their long form format.
Critical Role has been doing abridge eps of C3 so I feel like this is something they've been thinking about. It's may be prudent for when C4 starts to post the abridged eps a week after the live stream (like they do for the podcast) allowing people to basically have their pick. Personally I like see the extra "fluffy" and banter that happen during a full session but I would be more likely to rewatch a campaign if a abridge version was available.
I disagree that CR needs to see how d20 will do it. Like YOU said, d20 developed a unique style that was different from CR and that created a shared and separate fan base. Why would CR COPY the style when they are a different style? It’s their domain and d20 has their own domain. some people like long-standing campaigns some like short. I feel the same sentiment with “catching up” with d20’s 3 seasons of their candy campaign. It was overwhelming too. stupid to say the one’s success means the other needs to switch up.
I missed watched every episode of c3 for a year. I really liked it. Then life happened and I got 2 episodes behind and i was 8 hours behind and haven't seen anything with C3 since. The 4/5 hour run times were great when I was unemployed and in college, I can't do them anymore.
I usually watch one episode over a week and not in one sitting so 4 hours over the week. Cutting it down into shorter games if still one episode a week we'd be looking down the barrel of 8 year campaigns what they should do is have the main campaign and another live play with mini series in it giving beacon more contents and viewers more to watch a permanent ExU cast and could use some of the players from the other shows they've acquired.
I don't mind the longer runtime because I do not watch it live any longer, i prefer to watch a replay and then I can pause ti or go up to the break and then watch the second half some other time. I do think there is a market for shorter runtime episodes but I think the full version gives you the tabletop vibe that i don't get as much from D20. I like them both but i don't think one should emulate the other, I prefer that they are different.
What exactly it is about the success of D20s live show that you think might get them to change how they do things for Campaign 4? I mean, I wasn't there, and there was never a chance of me getting to go, so I don't know how the show went. So you're just going to have to spell out how a single live show can have any influence over a pre-recorded series. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I'm guessing all the things that usually get edited out during D20s usual seasons were still included in the live show. Y'know, since it was live.
I love Critical Role and I love D20! However, you can come for D20 but stay for the other amazing shows that Dropout has to offer. Critical Role is starting to do that with Beacon and some of their other shows like Unend (and that whole universe), the re-slayers take, etc. I feel like they need more DND/TTRPG content! Give us more Candela Obscura! Give us more fun one shots like their holiday episodes. Their Valentine's Day/M&M Burner episode with Ally Beardsley and Erika Ishi was so much fun! We could get a multi-year campaign that doesn't necessarily need to back to back but there could be "side quests" thrown in there. Some of the OG cast or fun guest stars guesting in these shorter form campaigns or hoping in an out like Campaign one guest stars. The Undeadwood short campaign (by he who shall not be named) was really fun too; it would be interesting to see a weird western or a melding of genres with DND/TTRPGs. These suggestions may sound like some of the things that CD20 does but these are two totally different creative teams; say magic high school and you get MisMag from Aabria, Fantasy High from Brennan and the Critmas episode from Matt that could totally be expanded into a full campaign. Some of the other content that Critical Roll is doing like Narrative Telephone need to be built out as well. Having other shows like this and their after episode talks/four sided dives are great to rewatch to to catch up with episodes if we don't subscribe to Beacon and get the Cool Downs. They used to have a show called Pub Draw with Babs Tarr; that was so fun to have a Bob Ross style class to learn how to draw. Critical Role has a lot on its plate but bringing in other creatives to have other shows/campaigns outside and within the world of Exandria/Dagger Heart/Candlea Obscura and New Faire will help to take some stress off of the main cast but also (like Geek and Sundry did with Critical Role) help new creatives and maybe other DM's launch platforms of their own.
I would argue. It’s not the best way to spend 3 to 4 hours on a Thursday night. I’ve been part of the Monday crew for three years now and usually just get through it while I’m commuting at 1.5x.
I live on the East Coast, I have a hard time waking up for work almost every Friday as those episodes keep me up til 2-3 in the morning. Would going to bed early be nice? sure. Would I want to give up any of it though, not really. I didn't get into Critical Role until the first episodes of Vox Machiina released, I then proceeded to watch the entire esxisting campaigns beginning to end, I think when I finally caught up they were 4 or 5 episodes into Bells Hells. This is the only campaign I have watched almost entirely live and I don't want less critical role content. While yeah it may have negative effects on my sleep patterns, I will take some mild insomnia and extra caffeine to escapee into a fantasy world for a night.
I love Critical Role (I even own Wildemount book), but I’ve never finished even an episode of this show. I simply don’t have 4-5 hours to watch it. If they change their format to be shorter this would be amazing for me
@ChryssaBL But everything is a subscription these days. Economies are struggling, money is tight so people have to make choices in their entertainment. CR has Beacon now but apart from the aftershow reactions and theorising there isn't much on there that I want. So long as I can still get the Campaign for free I will. Can't say the same for Dropout and D20 which requires *another* subscription to even start. Plus I lost my job at the start of the year so am right now especially conscious of money. Got a bunch of interviews lined up so will hopefully turn around soon but I agree with @Hathur Pay to Watch is a massive disincentive.
I think the best thing that CR could do for season 4 is...keep doing what they have been doing from the start; play D&D with the cast we love and the DM we love. New campaign, new continent or world...but D&D. I think campaign 1 and 2 were probably slightly more popular than 3 due to C3 feeling like a sprint to predathos the entire campaign. I think if they ditch D&D entirely it will go downhill.
D20 seems to be more about game & less about storytelling. CR tries to be a balance but leans more on storytelling which is what imo makes it interesting to watch.
I heavily disagree, i much prefer the longer episodes than shorter ones, the out of and in character moments and the intermissions play a big part in the character and cast development for me. I think both should keep model they are using CR is amazing with longer episodes and i think it wouldnt fit the cast and the way they play changing to shorter eps, on the other hand D20 is amazing with shorter eps and faster campaigns, its possible to enjoy both without problem, no one needs to change because of the other.
Critical Role is already copying D20s way by releasing those abridged episodes of older episodes with a lot of the fluff edited out. I'm sure when Campaign 4 starts those abridged episodes will be released alongside the longer episodes to encourage viewership.
i think d20 and cr's casts have entirely different skillsets. i think d20's intrepid heroes are entertainers. they perform, they CAN have deeply in character moments, they can attempt to move you but at the end of the day that is not what their calling is. their instinct is to make you laugh, to blow up the moment into the most ridiculously funny it can get. on the other hand, cr's cast is made up of actors. they can be funny but they are not trained to be, they're trained to be immersed in their character and their motivations, to explore the story. that makes two completely different shows and thats okay.
To me what makes Dimension 20's live shows more entertaining is that their cast has far more experience with improv comedy. Brennan, Emily and Brian especially are masters at improv. Sam is an incredible improviser and Liam and Laura are some of the best role-players around, but some of the cast has not so great improv skills, to the point that it's almost been cringy at times. However, I still would want a 4 hour version just to get enough of my Critical Role fix. LOL
I agree. I won’t call anyone out specifically but there are times someone gets the story focus for a bit and they’re just not as good at improv and don’t have that back and forth chemistry with Matt that others have and it gets real boring. But each character deserves their time to shine, so you can’t really skip those character spotlights. It definitely lowers the level of entertainment though. But it’s something I’ll put up with for the overall experience of the campaign. More so than anything recently with critical role, I’ve been disappointed with the plot lines available to the group. I don’t know if Matt didn’t have another plot line or if the players missed opportunities to follow those threads. But for a campaign as long as critical role’s I keep expecting multiple, like in campaign 1.
I mean CR has and will have successful live shows throughout its past. None on the large scale that is MSG obviously. But like I went to the first and either the second or third Gencon live shows and if you knew what Gencon was they were successful. I didn't know what Gencon was until CR's live show brought me there. That first year I didn't even go to the con I literally just went for the live show. But I live like 1 hr 40 minutes/2hrs from Indy. If this CR 10th anniversary pops off the way it seems like it could and CR continues its multimedia success with the show and potentially the video game in the future I could easily see them on a MSG level. They're even doing a sort of network D20 like subscribing with their Beacon service I think it's called.
authenticity play and no editing is the charm of critical role I hate shows that cut the fat it feels so fake so I hope they don't I fucking love shopping episodes some of them are so damn hilarious
To me this was the problem with C3, it being prerecorded. It lost the magic, the feel, at least to me. I wouldn't mind a shorter run time, if they went back to live, but if its gonna stay prerecorded, i don't see a need for the change.
I don't know, I just never got into D20, it just never hit me the way CR has... although I really hated CR's Season 3, they best turn it around for Season 4.
For me personally, I think this nailed it exactly. Shorter episodes that cut out a LOT of the chaff. While Dimension 20 isn't my thing story-wise, I do recognize they built their success with really smart practices, and production that was far more digestible to fans who may not be able to sit through that long an episode on a weeknight. I watch another live-play podcast that also cuts things down to about an hour, and cuts out all of the shopping episodes (they are so, so dreary to watch) and beach episodes and other side stuff that is fun at the table, but to some, miserable to watch. I'm personally down to see Crit Role's next campaign maybe slot in 2 hours per episode instead of five plus. But we'll have to see.
That is crazy the full garden cool this is great also critical role is different from 20 one shorted and edited and one is longer and slow bun seeing all the things happening that and they did it first with no framework so there are 2 great ways to do this content
Yeah I really like that Critical Role is not edited. Seeing a gaming session in its entirety really gives you that vicarious experience. As someone who doesn't have many opportunities to play D&D, I really enjoy that aspect. However, I would be down for seeing other edited livestreams like if Re-Slayers Take or Tales from the Stinky Dragon filmed their campaigns.
Would you be down for a 3 hour version of Critical Role starting with campaign 4? Let us know in the comments!
First off, I'd like to see a CR campaign that has a sort of Fantasy High-style campaign. I can just imagine Talisan being some sort of teacher character, maybe the grandson of Arthur Augefort.
Secondly, I'm still waiting for Dimension20's Crown of Candy to become fully available to watch for free here on TH-cam. I don't have the means to pay for a Dropout account and watch each episode there
While a shorter run time could potentially good for the audience, cutting down on time will likely make CR sessions as a dnd show more "show" and less "dnd" in that due to time constraints there is less room for the characters to just be in the moment and goof around. Some of the best character moments in previous campaigns were able to happen because of that space that allows stories and characters to form more organically.
I mean, I'd still watch it. But I'd be severely disappointed. Started watching in 2020 with C1E1. Been caught up to live for about a year, including EXU. I crave the story, and agree with previous commenter that a shorter runtime would hurt CR's style of play. Honestly, I get a little sad when the runtime is less than 4.5 hours.
ETA: I watched D20 before starting CR. It was actually my introduction to Matt in their evil campaign. After I found CR, I've watched D20 less and less because of the story and character moments I love in CR. I'd simply rather spend my time there.
I think they will continue the abridged version. Maybe with campaign 4 have them come out like a week after each episode as their shorter content.
@@SilverScribe85 You don't have $6 and a debit card? Bruh.
As someone who has seen every episode of every D20 season and Critical Role.. here are my "hot" takes regarding each.
Coming from CR into D20 made me wish D20 was actually longer form content. While I do like the seasonal aspect of things, my attachment to the characters/settings for D20 can only go so far. I don't have enough time with them to really form the bonds that I do when I watch Critical Role. You mention cutting out certain things, but those are the things I personally enjoy seeing. The "short" form format of D20 also lends to very heavy railroading. Introducing Hot Take 1. We knew from season 1 of Fantasy High the format was RP episode into a Combat episode (While that shifts here and there we knew to expect combat every other episode). It doesn't allow the characters to do fun wild off stuff because I know Brennan has a goal to get to, they have a filming schedule and we ultimately know was viewers.. we will end with a big-bad boss fight.
Hot Take 2: Sometimes D20 feels less like Dungeons and Dragons tabletop and much more episodic television. I think Critical Role has an identity and to attempt to change it based off of what D20 does, would make it lose it's identity. Fans of CR come for those long episodes and the shopping episodes. Those are the bits that make it feel like our home games. It's why so many people can relate to CR more than they might D20. It's why the fandom runs as deep as it does because we have so much MORE of them to spark our own stories from and feel so connected to them. CR Campaign one spoiler ahead!! At the end of the campaign, returning to the shopkeeper than once scammed him out of gold and then offering him an absurd amount of money to teach him to read, is one of those "full circle" moments. Yes it took us 200 hours to get here but dang did we love seeing that.
I love D20.. I love that I can binge a whole season in the time it takes me to watch 2-3 episodes of Critical Role. I love the format and the format leading to how incredible their set design can be. I also love how when I watch Critical Role, the map that Matt brings out (Although usually 100x better than anything I can do as a DM) makes me feel more "at home" with CR because it reminds me of my own DnD campaigns. I love them each individually and to try to compare each to one another feels wrong. They have the same umbrella of "dungeons and dragons" but they do their own thing each under it VERY well. Critical Role is meant to feel like your own home game. We are supposed to see the shopping episodes and the side paths. D20 fills a void in the DnD media space perfectly. We watch it like television and expect new stories/seasons to come out frequently. We watch CR for the long haul and the arcs. Nobody should adjust anything and both CR and D20 should keep doing what they are doing.
Well said!
Really based take! Perfectly said.
A big thing that makes critical role so great is the random out of character, and sometimes in character, side things. Campaign 3 was rushing to the end goal the entire time. I would have loved a side quest, like the chroma conclave, from campaign 1. I want the 4+ hour episodes all the way to level 20
I'm literally there just to watch all the stupid faces they make at each other while stuff is happening. Please don't trim that out.
I love long episodes of Critical Role. When I see that it’s going to run long, I’m excited
yep, even if I can't watch it all at one sitting, when I see a 5 hour plus runtime I know something big is about to happen
If the four-hour version is a little too long for you, you might find the shorter CR Abridged episode more suitable. Each episode is designed to be one or one-and-a-half hours in length.
Abridged CR is fantastic, and a great tool for getting new fans into the lore, it's just coming out a bit too slowly and not for every camapign. (In our opinion anyway!).
Why do I feel like Jester's wedding is gonna break serious ticket sale records much more than American Football?
We think the world tour is going to pull in some crazy numbers, especially in australia
Probably because you don't understand American Football 🤣 Kidding aside, Critical Role could easily do some pretty epic things. Wembley Stadium is no joke. But we also have to keep in mind a good amount of the Dimension 20 staff are independently well known and most of them got their start in NYC. This event is a perfect confluence of events - I would never look at this and say "This is a standard". The superbowl isn't a "standard", its an exception by definition.
I love Critical Role and I love Dimension 20. I like Professional Football and I like College Football. In both instances they are the same but different.
Someone once said the difference was like LOTR and Discworld.
D20 does d something good WHY make it about critical Role? Just make a video celebrating D20 🤦🏾♂️
Because what they did was so big it will literally impact the other major actual plays out there!
Came here for TTRPG news, I've mever unsubscribed so fast from all this CR shilling.
@@SkaMacanan The first comment made was literally “has D20 become the new standard for live play” what ar u talking about buddy.
Imagine watching a news channel about something. And then getting pissed off that the largest thing in that category gets talked about. Grow up
@@TheCharacterSheetno it won't. You no nothing this isn't the first time you completely fucked up when it comes to critical role.
Cr will not repeat what dimension 20. Just stop do your research.
I would definitely prefer shorter episodes of CR. It would have to keep the "you're at the table" vibe, though. I love that about CR - all the little stuff in between play. Too much editing would hurt that vibe, I think.
Yeah, 3 hours kind of hits that sweet spot of longer story telling but not a ton of "wasted" time for lack of a better term
I like both.
D20 is a show. Like going to the improv or comedy night. Musical or play. It is entertaining. More railroad and directed ( limited series. )
CR gives me epic saga ( c2 personal fav), open ended -> anything can happen, and the feeling like I get playing at the table with my friends.
Each are now in a different niche. Personally while d20 is entertaining, CRgives me the moments that stay with me.
I feel like C2 of Critical Role was boosted by the personal stories of the cast and characters and Mollymwuk/Lucien's clandestine outer space plot was a shock that everyone loved because it was a surprise and had a somewhat balanced and structured lead up but C3 started with the clandestine plot already in mind and was too big to handle, it lost direction fast.
I think D20 is doing phenomenal work and I also think critical role is still doing great with what they do best. D20 has carved out a significant place with their own style of content. I hope Critical Role sticks with what they do best and continue to crush it with their long form format.
Critical Role has been doing abridge eps of C3 so I feel like this is something they've been thinking about. It's may be prudent for when C4 starts to post the abridged eps a week after the live stream (like they do for the podcast) allowing people to basically have their pick. Personally I like see the extra "fluffy" and banter that happen during a full session but I would be more likely to rewatch a campaign if a abridge version was available.
I disagree that CR needs to see how d20 will do it. Like YOU said, d20 developed a unique style that was different from CR and that created a shared and separate fan base. Why would CR COPY the style when they are a different style? It’s their domain and d20 has their own domain.
some people like long-standing campaigns some like short. I feel the same sentiment with “catching up” with d20’s 3 seasons of their candy campaign. It was overwhelming too.
stupid to say the one’s success means the other needs to switch up.
They already have that. It's called Critical Role: Abridged. They started taking their Campaign 3 episodes and trimmed them to about 1 - 1:30 hours.
I missed watched every episode of c3 for a year. I really liked it. Then life happened and I got 2 episodes behind and i was 8 hours behind and haven't seen anything with C3 since. The 4/5 hour run times were great when I was unemployed and in college, I can't do them anymore.
i was there at the garden! the show was great and the interactive parts was great
I usually watch one episode over a week and not in one sitting so 4 hours over the week. Cutting it down into shorter games if still one episode a week we'd be looking down the barrel of 8 year campaigns what they should do is have the main campaign and another live play with mini series in it giving beacon more contents and viewers more to watch a permanent ExU cast and could use some of the players from the other shows they've acquired.
Critical Role is in their end game of campaign 3 right now. It definitely feels like they have it primed for BIG changes going forward.
Critical Role already has a shortened version for people who want that - the abridged episodes they are doing of campaign 3 are under 2 hours each.
I don't mind the longer runtime because I do not watch it live any longer, i prefer to watch a replay and then I can pause ti or go up to the break and then watch the second half some other time. I do think there is a market for shorter runtime episodes but I think the full version gives you the tabletop vibe that i don't get as much from D20. I like them both but i don't think one should emulate the other, I prefer that they are different.
What exactly it is about the success of D20s live show that you think might get them to change how they do things for Campaign 4? I mean, I wasn't there, and there was never a chance of me getting to go, so I don't know how the show went. So you're just going to have to spell out how a single live show can have any influence over a pre-recorded series. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I'm guessing all the things that usually get edited out during D20s usual seasons were still included in the live show. Y'know, since it was live.
I love Critical Role and I love D20! However, you can come for D20 but stay for the other amazing shows that Dropout has to offer. Critical Role is starting to do that with Beacon and some of their other shows like Unend (and that whole universe), the re-slayers take, etc. I feel like they need more DND/TTRPG content! Give us more Candela Obscura! Give us more fun one shots like their holiday episodes. Their Valentine's Day/M&M Burner episode with Ally Beardsley and Erika Ishi was so much fun! We could get a multi-year campaign that doesn't necessarily need to back to back but there could be "side quests" thrown in there. Some of the OG cast or fun guest stars guesting in these shorter form campaigns or hoping in an out like Campaign one guest stars. The Undeadwood short campaign (by he who shall not be named) was really fun too; it would be interesting to see a weird western or a melding of genres with DND/TTRPGs. These suggestions may sound like some of the things that CD20 does but these are two totally different creative teams; say magic high school and you get MisMag from Aabria, Fantasy High from Brennan and the Critmas episode from Matt that could totally be expanded into a full campaign. Some of the other content that Critical Roll is doing like Narrative Telephone need to be built out as well. Having other shows like this and their after episode talks/four sided dives are great to rewatch to to catch up with episodes if we don't subscribe to Beacon and get the Cool Downs. They used to have a show called Pub Draw with Babs Tarr; that was so fun to have a Bob Ross style class to learn how to draw. Critical Role has a lot on its plate but bringing in other creatives to have other shows/campaigns outside and within the world of Exandria/Dagger Heart/Candlea Obscura and New Faire will help to take some stress off of the main cast but also (like Geek and Sundry did with Critical Role) help new creatives and maybe other DM's launch platforms of their own.
They are both fantastic, and you know the Critical Role crew is cheering their D20 friends on with their success.
I would argue. It’s not the best way to spend 3 to 4 hours on a Thursday night. I’ve been part of the Monday crew for three years now and usually just get through it while I’m commuting at 1.5x.
The UKs High Rollers who are celebrating 9 yr & also had a Live show event last year has an average run time of 3 hrs.
I live on the East Coast, I have a hard time waking up for work almost every Friday as those episodes keep me up til 2-3 in the morning. Would going to bed early be nice? sure. Would I want to give up any of it though, not really. I didn't get into Critical Role until the first episodes of Vox Machiina released, I then proceeded to watch the entire esxisting campaigns beginning to end, I think when I finally caught up they were 4 or 5 episodes into Bells Hells. This is the only campaign I have watched almost entirely live and I don't want less critical role content. While yeah it may have negative effects on my sleep patterns, I will take some mild insomnia and extra caffeine to escapee into a fantasy world for a night.
I love Critical Role (I even own Wildemount book), but I’ve never finished even an episode of this show. I simply don’t have 4-5 hours to watch it. If they change their format to be shorter this would be amazing for me
I don't want CR to cut down on episode length tbf... There are room for both shows imo. let CR do their thing and let D20 do theirs.
Is Dimension 20 still pay to watch? I never watched it because you needed a paid subscription, where CR is free. Has that changed in recent years?
It's $6 a month and comes with a bunch of other great stuff. I was literally laughing out loud on the train earlier today.
@ChryssaBL
But everything is a subscription these days. Economies are struggling, money is tight so people have to make choices in their entertainment.
CR has Beacon now but apart from the aftershow reactions and theorising there isn't much on there that I want. So long as I can still get the Campaign for free I will.
Can't say the same for Dropout and D20 which requires *another* subscription to even start.
Plus I lost my job at the start of the year so am right now especially conscious of money. Got a bunch of interviews lined up so will hopefully turn around soon but I agree with @Hathur Pay to Watch is a massive disincentive.
There’s a bunch of free stuff on their TH-cam channel. Some of the old campaigns. My personal favorite escape from bloodkeep is free
I think the best thing that CR could do for season 4 is...keep doing what they have been doing from the start; play D&D with the cast we love and the DM we love. New campaign, new continent or world...but D&D. I think campaign 1 and 2 were probably slightly more popular than 3 due to C3 feeling like a sprint to predathos the entire campaign. I think if they ditch D&D entirely it will go downhill.
I was at the event and it was amazing
D20 seems to be more about game & less about storytelling. CR tries to be a balance but leans more on storytelling which is what imo makes it interesting to watch.
Commentaries like this video serve to highlight just how neurodivergent I am😂
I heavily disagree, i much prefer the longer episodes than shorter ones, the out of and in character moments and the intermissions play a big part in the character and cast development for me. I think both should keep model they are using CR is amazing with longer episodes and i think it wouldnt fit the cast and the way they play changing to shorter eps, on the other hand D20 is amazing with shorter eps and faster campaigns, its possible to enjoy both without problem, no one needs to change because of the other.
Critical Role is already copying D20s way by releasing those abridged episodes of older episodes with a lot of the fluff edited out. I'm sure when Campaign 4 starts those abridged episodes will be released alongside the longer episodes to encourage viewership.
Huzzah,, apple's and orange's Buddy. Hoping for the best for both companies.
i think d20 and cr's casts have entirely different skillsets. i think d20's intrepid heroes are entertainers. they perform, they CAN have deeply in character moments, they can attempt to move you but at the end of the day that is not what their calling is. their instinct is to make you laugh, to blow up the moment into the most ridiculously funny it can get. on the other hand, cr's cast is made up of actors. they can be funny but they are not trained to be, they're trained to be immersed in their character and their motivations, to explore the story. that makes two completely different shows and thats okay.
Acquisitions incorporated is the only one I’ve seen live and I enjoyed it
I like the out of character rants, sometimes they are the best parts I am not fond of paying the same for less, so we would have to look in to that.
To me what makes Dimension 20's live shows more entertaining is that their cast has far more experience with improv comedy. Brennan, Emily and Brian especially are masters at improv. Sam is an incredible improviser and Liam and Laura are some of the best role-players around, but some of the cast has not so great improv skills, to the point that it's almost been cringy at times.
However, I still would want a 4 hour version just to get enough of my Critical Role fix. LOL
I agree. I won’t call anyone out specifically but there are times someone gets the story focus for a bit and they’re just not as good at improv and don’t have that back and forth chemistry with Matt that others have and it gets real boring. But each character deserves their time to shine, so you can’t really skip those character spotlights. It definitely lowers the level of entertainment though. But it’s something I’ll put up with for the overall experience of the campaign. More so than anything recently with critical role, I’ve been disappointed with the plot lines available to the group. I don’t know if Matt didn’t have another plot line or if the players missed opportunities to follow those threads. But for a campaign as long as critical role’s I keep expecting multiple, like in campaign 1.
I mean CR has and will have successful live shows throughout its past. None on the large scale that is MSG obviously. But like I went to the first and either the second or third Gencon live shows and if you knew what Gencon was they were successful. I didn't know what Gencon was until CR's live show brought me there. That first year I didn't even go to the con I literally just went for the live show. But I live like 1 hr 40 minutes/2hrs from Indy.
If this CR 10th anniversary pops off the way it seems like it could and CR continues its multimedia success with the show and potentially the video game in the future I could easily see them on a MSG level. They're even doing a sort of network D20 like subscribing with their Beacon service I think it's called.
authenticity play and no editing is the charm of critical role I hate shows that cut the fat it feels so fake so I hope they don't I fucking love shopping episodes some of them are so damn hilarious
To me this was the problem with C3, it being prerecorded. It lost the magic, the feel, at least to me. I wouldn't mind a shorter run time, if they went back to live, but if its gonna stay prerecorded, i don't see a need for the change.
I don't know, I just never got into D20, it just never hit me the way CR has... although I really hated CR's Season 3, they best turn it around for Season 4.
I likoe long episodes too Critical role is good as it is
I like CR however I stopped watching as I just don’t have the time. I end up just watching 30min secondary roundups.
For me personally, I think this nailed it exactly. Shorter episodes that cut out a LOT of the chaff. While Dimension 20 isn't my thing story-wise, I do recognize they built their success with really smart practices, and production that was far more digestible to fans who may not be able to sit through that long an episode on a weeknight.
I watch another live-play podcast that also cuts things down to about an hour, and cuts out all of the shopping episodes (they are so, so dreary to watch) and beach episodes and other side stuff that is fun at the table, but to some, miserable to watch. I'm personally down to see Crit Role's next campaign maybe slot in 2 hours per episode instead of five plus. But we'll have to see.
That is crazy the full garden cool this is great also critical role is different from 20 one shorted and edited and one is longer and slow bun seeing all the things happening that and they did it first with no framework so there are 2 great ways to do this content
Yeah I really like that Critical Role is not edited. Seeing a gaming session in its entirety really gives you that vicarious experience. As someone who doesn't have many opportunities to play D&D, I really enjoy that aspect. However, I would be down for seeing other edited livestreams like if Re-Slayers Take or Tales from the Stinky Dragon filmed their campaigns.
@ having both edited and not edited is better variety is always better
I think one thing about CR is people LOVE investing into the LORE. They wanna live in Exandria as long as possible