The first time I heard about Critical Role was at Gen Con in 2019. The cast of Critical Role was doing a live show, and my friend was thrilled. He had tickets to go, and he said it was the highlight of his convention. Earlier this year, I figured I’d watch the first episode on YouTube because why not? I was still at home and wasn’t sure when I would be vaccinated. I was surprised at how easily I have become invested in their campaign. For the past month, all I have been watching is Critical Role.

For those completely new to Critical Role, it’s a Dungeons & Dragons campaign GMed by voice actor Matthew Mercer and his other voice actor friends. Every show is streamed live on Thursday nights, Pacific Standard Time, and uploaded to their YouTube channel. Originally, Critical Role was a private campaign Mercer had, but they decided to partner with Geek & Sundry and start airing their episodes on their channel in 2015. All of the episodes of Critical Role can be watched on YouTube.

When I started watching Critical Role, I went back to the beginning with episode #1 of their first campaign, Vox Machina. There were some recommendations to start with their second campaign, The Mighty Nein, since it was more refined with better video quality; however, I wanted to start from the beginning. In my experience, I would recommend watching Critical Role from the start. It’s fun to witness the chemistry the players have. It’s tough to pick a favorite character because all the characters serve a role in the story.

Another reason I’m enjoying Critical Role is that it’s easy to follow along. I have listened to other D&D podcasts where I couldn’t quite keep up with the game. It helps that Critical Role has a recap told by Mercer and story introductions narrated by each cast member. I usually skip over their backstories, but every ten episodes or so, I will listen to them in full just to keep their stories fresh in my mind. I prefer watching Critical Role on their YouTube channel versus listening to the podcast.

Additionally, I love how Critical Role gives back to the community. In the beginning, Critical Role was taking donations for 826LA, which focused on creating opportunities for kids. Now, they have their own non-profit. I think it’s admirable that they give back to their community.

I wish I had started watching Critical Role sooner than I am now. It’s such a fun group to watch, and they all seem to get along with and care for each other. Critical Role has gotten me through some hectic workweeks, along with making me look forward to the end of the day. It’s been a true escape to leave the stresses of work in my office and come aboard Vox Machina and their adventures through Tal’Dorei.