Yes, you read the title correctly. That was not a typo. All three Critical Role campaigns, although different, are all unique masterpieces in their own right. Out of the three campaigns played, there’s not one that deserves the title of “worst,” so “not-the-best” is the correct term in this situation.
For those who don’t follow, Critical Role is a web series where eight very talented voice actors sit together and play Dungeons & Dragons. There have been three separate main campaigns so far: Vox Machina (115 episodes), The Mighty Nein (141 episodes), and Bell’s Hells (current campaign, 51 episodes so far).
Each Thursday night, all eight artists get together for their weekly Twitch stream, which lasts anywhere from three to six hours per episode. Folks may be familiar with Amazon Prime Video’s The Legend of Vox Machina animated show. That delightful show adapts the first campaign, Vox Machina, which started out in the YouTube channel Geek and Sundry (now integrated into the Nerdist family).
What makes Critical Role such a big hit?
Dungeons & Dragons is a role-playing game where players either use the theater of the mind or miniatures with terrains and maps for visuals, make up their own characters, and go on adventures alone or with a party in order to defeat big bads and restore peace and quiet to some faraway land. Dice rolls control your destiny and how well you do in battle. Rolling high numbers means easy going, and rolling low can trump plans for success.
Matt Mercer, the Game Master, has created the world of Exandria, where all three campaigns take place. Players and actors/voice actors Ashley Johnson, Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, Liam O’Brien, Taliesin Jaffe, Marisha Ray, and Sam Riegel are constantly having to problem-solve while staying in-character. Accidental deaths, seemingly impossible encounters, and emotional moments that break the cast (and audience) are all on the table. It’s a nerdy rollercoaster of emotions and an incredible display of talent from the critically acclaimed cast.
How do the campaigns rank in my book?
For the purposes of this article I will only be talking about the three big main campaigns: Vox Machina, The Mighty Nein and Bell’s Hells. The difficult part of ranking these campaigns is that no campaign has ever been perfect. As many epic parts as there were, we also must remember the episodes where things were either slow or not much happened in the stream. Keeping that in mind, here are my personal thoughts on the campaigns so far.
Most Not-The-Best Critical Role Campaign: Bell’s Hells
Players and characters:
- Ashley Johnson: Fearne Calloway
- Taliesin Jaffe: Ashton Greymore
- Sam Riegel: Fresh Cut Grass
- Marisha Ray: Laudna
- Laura Bailey: Imogen Temult
- Travis Willingham: Chetney Pock O’Pea
- Liam O’Brian: Orym of the Air Ashari
Campaign Three, or Bell’s Hells, is set on the world of Exandria (as are all of the campaigns) and follows the adventures of a group of unlikely heroes. Bell’s Hells is made up of Ashton, Laudna, Fresh Cut Grass, Imogen, Chetney, Orym and Fearne. The campaign has a very complex story full of twists and turns. The characters are still being fleshed out and the world is very expansive. The combat and battles are very intense and keep viewers on the edge of their seats.
It all sounds great, so why is it in third place? I personally had moments where I could not pay attention to where the story was going because it was… a little boring. Or a dialogue went on for way too long. Or the drama got dialed up to 11 too quickly. Hell’s Bells has a really fun and interesting story, but it feels like a bit of a slow burn.
I still absolutely adore the show and characters, especially Laudna. And Paté.