While I was at the Critical Role live show in Chicago, they had recently announced a two-part horror series titled Thesher. Thresher uses the rules of Candela Obscura with a completely different setting. The world of Thresher was developed by Matt Linton and Jacqueline Emerson. If any of those names ring a bell, Jacqueline Emerson played Foxface in The Hunger Games. The game features a cast of talented actors, including Noshir Dalal (whom I have talked about extensively on the blog), Jacqueline Emerson, Jane Douglas, Mark / Mara Hulmes, and Abubakar Salim. Jasper William Cartwright was the GM for this series, and I have been a big fan of his podcast, Three Black Halflings. I watched Thresher as soon as both episodes were released, and this series was fabulous.

In the first episode, it sets the stage for the story. The five characters are sent to investigate a distress signal sent by Admiral Anders. Each character has their own reason for being there. For example, Betty (played by Mark / Mara Hulmes) is looking for her brother. The other character’s motives are murky, as horror tabletop tends to be. When the characters arrive at the station, they learn that only one person survived, a mysterious Dr. Blackwell. After encountering mysterious fish-like entities, they realize how truly in danger they are and question how they plan on making it out.

I loved every bit of this. I liked how each episode wasn’t too long. I find that, even when I watch Critical Role, my attention span starts to wane. Having episodes at two and a half hours or less, I can pay attention to what’s going on. I like how Candela Obscura is used in a completely different setting. If someone wanted to play Candela but didn’t like the already pre-created world, this proves that you can take the system and modify it into any setting. I liked how the characters had to make rolls to determine if they would panic and lose oxygen. It added to the high stakes of the adventure, and it made it realistic. If I were diving deep underwater and there was darkness all around me, I’d panic too.

As horror tabletop often does, shit hits the fan in the second episode. Without providing spoilers, there is one character who is working against the group, and the reveal of that was epic. My jaw dropped as I listened to the episode because I assumed that everyone would be working together without ill intent. This was not true. There were other reveals made about another character potentially lying about their identity, and that reveal was also well done. Thresher pulled me in, and that is fully due to the cast of the show.

Immediately after finishing Thresher, I watched the cooldown to both episodes. The cooldown is exclusive to Beacon members, and it lets the cast talk about what happened and how things went down. It was interesting listening to the cast because there were little nuggets of information that would foreshadow what happened at the end. I missed these, but I’d love to rewatch Thresher knowing what I know now.

Thresher is a perfect example of why I love horror tabletop games. It’s setting the stakes high from the get-go and allowing the cast to get creative as to how they are going to try to escape. If I ever become a GM or a gamemaster, horror would be my jam. I’m not sure if I will ever have the time to learn a game system and write my story, but Thresher has inspired me to do so.

I’m halfway through The Mighty Nein, Critical Role’s second campaign. I started watching The Mighty Nein in 2023 shortly after finishing Vox Machina. I had a slower start since The Mighty Nein is very different from Vox Machina, and I had trouble getting into it. On top of that, Critical Role isn’t the only thing I watch, so in between watching other shows or movies, that’s slowed down how quickly I can get through each episode. With that said, I’m committed to trying to finish the campaign before the end of the year. Since I’m halfway through, I thought I would summarize my favorite moments thus far in the campaign.

Character Personalities

Some of the moments I distinctly remember are when the characters’ personalities begin to shine. There’s Jester (played by Laura Bailey), who carries baked goods with her, but not a healer’s kit. Beau (played by Marisha Ray) is a bit abrasive. Beau’s mentor, Dairon, becomes a critical NPC in the story and helps shape Beau beyond her tough personality. There’s Fjord (played by Travis Willingham) with his mysterious visions and his pirate background. I have talked extensively about Fjord already, as he’s one of my favorite characters from this campaign. There are many moments from the earlier episodes where each character starts to stand out from the other that I think have been great to watch.

Meeting Kiri + The Other Animal Companions

This campaign introduces more furry companions that seem to pop up. I think this adds levity to the campaign, especially in darker moments. There’s Frumpkin, Caleb’s familiar, who, for the most part, appears as an orange kitty. There’s Kiri, a bird creature that The Mighty Nein saved in the swamp. Finally, there are the animals the crew buys, including Nugget, Sprinkle, and Professor Thaddeus. These moments are cute, especially when they rescue Kiri. When I think back to the first seventy episodes of The Mighty Nein, the animals instantly pop into my head as a memorable moment.

Introducing Caduceus

In the first twenty-six episodes, Mollymauk (played by Taliesin Jaffe) was a part of The Mighty Nein until they were killed in combat. Shortly after, Taliesin brought a new character, Caduceus, to the group. I believe Caduceus is a much better fit with the other characters than Mollymauk was. Caduceus heals more often than Jester does, leaving Jester to do what she wants whenever she wants. Caduceus has a calmer demeanor, and I have loved Caduceus’s bond with Fjord. Caduceus has been a standout character to me, and while Molly was the character that was created initially, I like Caduceus so much more.

Fjord’s Pirate Arc

I have written extensively about Fjord’s pirate arc, so I won’t go into too much detail now. Avantika is one of the best NPCs in this campaign.

The Orphanmaker

Yasha (played by Ashley Johnson) isn’t around for most of this campaign as she was filming Blindspot in New York. While Yasha hasn’t been around, there’s a brief moment where Ashley is back for a few episodes. During a combat encounter, an enemy called Yasha “Orphanmaker,” much to the surprise of the other players. As they investigate, Yasha appears mind-controlled, and The Mighty Nein are forced to leave her behind. That was a tough episode as the group tries to get Yasha to come with them, but to no avail. I know things work out in the end, but not sure how that plays out. While I have had some things spoiled for this campaign, this is not one of them.

I’m glad I powered through watching this campaign. I can understand why this campaign is considered the fan favorite. I’m currently at episode #78 and have been making real progress. I’m curious to see how the rest of the campaign plays out.

I am always looking for new Vampire: The Masquerade live plays or podcasts to listen to. One of the most-watched or infamous live plays out there is LA By Night, which streamed on Geek & Sundry. LA By Night’s popularity led to the creation of NY By Night. Both LA By Night and NY By Night feature Jason Carl as the storyteller. I could listen to all the things that Jason Carl does. The way he tells a Vampire story is enthralling. I finished listening to the first season of NY By Night, and it was so good. I have already started watching season two.

NY By Night’s first season features an Anarch coterie. For context, Anarchs are a group of vampires who don’t want to live by the rules. They want to be able to live, feed, and not be watched by the Camarilla, the governing group of vampires. The four players in this Anarch coterie are Issac Brooks (played by Alexander Ward), Serif (played by Mayanna Berin), Fuego Walker (played by Aabria Iyengar), and Rey (played by Joey Rassool). The coterie is forced to work together, and in the first episode, they have to find someone who owes money to a very powerful enemy.

Alexander Ward appears in both Ny By Night and LA By Night as one of the main characters. His portrayal of Issac is unsettling in the sense that he’s polite, but the gestures he makes, it make it difficult to predict what he will do next. I loved Aabria’s portrayal of Fuego. She’s a classic Ventrue, and there are times when Aabria is vibing to the music in a way that’s natural to her clan. Rey’s story is interesting as he has more of a bond with the Camarilla than the others do, which comes out throughout the story. Serif is also an interesting character, and I would have liked to learn more about her relationship with her mom and her sire. Each episode in this series would fly by, and a lot of that has to do with the actors and, of course, Jason Carl being the storyteller.

Another interesting thing about NY By Night specifically is how this campaign ties into the other Vampire: The Masquerade video games. There are appearances by characters in this campaign that specifically show up in Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York and Vampire: The Masquerade – Shadows of New York. I was not expecting that, and it makes me want to replay these games after watching this series.

There are two seasons of NY By Night. The second season features a Camarilla coterie with an all-new cast. There was supposed to be a third season, but it never happened. Once I finish with NY By Night, I’m tempted to watch LA By Night. I probably should have started with LA By Night since that would have been in chronological order. If you’re looking for a live play series that focuses more on roleplay and less on combat, NY By Night is one I would recommend.

Captain America: Brave New World was released on Valentine’s Day. I watched The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+, so I was hyped for this movie. This was supposed to be the movie that would establish Sam Wilson as the new Captain America, setting the stage for the future of the MCU. Captain America: Brave New World was underwhelming, and Anthony Mackie deserved a better debut movie than whatever this movie was trying to be.

Sam Wilson (played by Anthony Mackie) and Joaquin Torres (played by Danny Ramirez) are sent to Mexico to retrieve an item that’s being sold to a mercenary group. After successfully retrieving the item, Sam and Joaquin are invited to the White House. Sam asks Isaiah Bradley (played by Carl Lumbly) to accompany him even though Isaiah has mixed feelings about coming along. During a presentation, Isaiah attacks President Thaddeus Ross (played by Harrison Ford), which is uncharacteristic of Isaiah. Although stopped by Sam, Isaiah is arrested and claims he’s innocent. He doesn’t remember attacking the president, and Sam is determined to uncover what’s going on and how Isaiah got looped into this.

When I think back to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, that movie is centered on Captain America. He has his allies, which are obviously Black Widow and, eventually, Sam Wilson. In Captain America: Brave New World, I felt Sam Wilson wasn’t the star of his own movie. There’s a lot of build-up linking all these events together. I wish this movie focused more on Sam’s relationships with his allies. Sam, being a mentor to Joaquin, how did they meet? Why did Sam feel connected to him? I would have loved to see more moments with Sam and Isaiah, or Isaiah specifically teaching Joaquin a thing or two. Instead, Isaiah is in prison for the majority of the movie. It feels like a waste since Sam feels protective of Isaiah and deeply cares for him. If Captain America: Brave New World followed the pattern set in The Winter Soldier, I think this movie would have been excellent.

Another critique I had of Captain America: Brave New World is that the movie was slow. This should be exciting! Sam has military training and excels at hand-to-hand combat, so why did I feel bored while watching this? I would have liked to see more from Joaquin. Aside from one hand-to-hand combat in an underground bunker and him in the air, that’s about it. He has earned the title of Falcon, so let’s see why! I think injuring him in the latter half of the movie was a mistake. He could have shown up at the end when Red Hulk started trashing the White House.

Captain America: Brave New World made some questionable choices. This movie relies on viewers having seen The Incredible Hulk and Eternals. Why would you link to a movie that everyone pretends doesn’t exist? That was a choice. This is what I mean by the build-up. Since it’s been a bit since The Incredible Hulk’s release, there is a lot that has to be explained, so instead of giving Sam Wilson more screen time, you have to link these things together. It bogged down the movie and wasn’t satisfying. Instead, I think Captain America: Brave New World should have centered on Sidewinder (played by Giancarlo Esposito) and had Sam and all his allies go after him. This way, you can have an action-packed movie while building the relationships that Sam has.

It sounds like I hated the movie. I didn’t. It’s like the classic parent line, “I’m not mad, I’m disappointed”. That’s how I feel towards Captain America: Brave New World. The MCU is capable of making great films, and this was not one of them.

At one point in time, Critical Role had one of the most successful Kickstarter projects of all time. The Legend of Vox Machina began as a Kickstarter campaign, which Critical Role advertised during their live stream. The campaign was immensely successful, leading to the show launching on Amazon Prime. I started watching the show by myself, but my husband became interested, and I ended up restarting season #1 and watching the series with him. The Legend of Vox Machina is an exciting rendition of the popular campaign.

The Legend of Vox Machina follows the seven members of Vox Machina. Each member is voiced by the same player who portrayed them in the campaign. There’s Vex (played by Laura Bailey), Vax (played by Liam O’Brien), Percy Fredrickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III (played by Taliesin Jaffe), Pike Trickfoot (played by Ashley Johnson), Keyleth of the Air Ashari (played by Marisha Ray), Scanlan Shorthalt (played by Sam Riegel), and Grog Strongjaw (played by Travis Willingham). Each character has their own back story that comes into play throughout the seasons. Vox Machina teams up to take on several powerful enemies, including The Briarwoods and The Chroma Conclave. Exandria needs Vox Machina, but are they ready to embrace becoming heroes?

The Legend of Vox Machina is such a delight to watch. It felt like I was reliving the campaign all over again. I felt the characters’ personalities were on point with who they were in the campaign. Grog’s humor comes out in some of the lighthearted statements he makes. Keyleth’s insecurities and being afraid to embrace her role as an Ashari. As someone who watched the campaign and the show, it felt like they were one and the same.

I can’t talk about the show without talking about the villains. The Briarwoods are one of my favorite adversaries that came out of Critical Role’s first campaign. I remember watching Taliesin’s reaction on the livestream when Matt mentions them. As a TTRPG player, I have been there! The shock when something is relevant to your character is presented in-game. I get it. The Briarwoods having a full season dedicated to them was much needed. The Chroma Conclave pops up in the later seasons, and they are scary. The amount of damage they did to Exandria is surreal to watch. I loved seeing all of this come to life.

With all adaptations, there will be changes. The first change I thought was interesting was the romances. In the show, it felt that Vex and Percy’s relationship developed quickly, while Keyleth and Vax’s relationship was a slow burn. In the campaign, that’s the opposite. I thought that was interesting. I could see why this was changed, as it helped provide the revenge arc of Vex taking on Anna Ripley, and it helps to develop Vex’s feelings for Percy to sell this portion of the story. Vex and Percy’s relationship was so beautiful because it took time to develop. While those changes were made, the original Vex and Percy moments are faithful to the campaign. Vex, opening her door completely naked, is exactly what Laura did to Taliesin. I believe someone clipped side-by-side of the campaign versus the show, and it’s worth it to watch because they are identical.

The second change that I feel is not talked about enough is Kash. Kashaw (played by Will Friedle both in the campaign and the show) appears with Vox Machina at pivotal moments throughout the series. In the campaign, Kashaw lives to the end. However, in the show, Kashaw is killed by Thordak and accepts his death by going to The Raven Queen. I was so unprepared for this because it was drastically different. I understand things have to change, but this feels like a huge change. I’d hate to see other NPCs get killed off if they were left living in the original campaign.

The Legend of Vox Machina was a joy to watch, and I’m looking forward to what will be adapted in later seasons. It feels like I’m rewatching the original campaign that made me a fan of Critical Role to begin with.

I remember Blue Beetle being released in theaters, but I missed my chance to go. The DCU was kind of a mess with James Gunn trying to figure out what was canon or not. Blue Beetle, I felt, got lost in that shuffle. When my husband and I were deciding what we wanted to watch, he encouraged me to watch Blue Beetle with him because he really enjoyed it. Blue Beetle was a solid movie from DC, and I’d love to see Blue Beetle pop up in future DCU movies.

Blue Beetle follows Jaime Reyes (played by Xolo Maridueña) as he flies home to see family after graduating from college. He gets a job cleaning a rich mansion belonging to Victoria Kord (played by Susan Sarandon). Jaime overhears an argument between Victoria and Jenny Kord (played by Bruna Marquezine). After standing up for Jenny, Jaime and his sister, Milagro (played by Belissa Escobedo), are fired from the job. Jenny promises Jaime she can get him a job at her father’s company, Kord Industries. Jaime arrives at Kord the next day, where he bumps into an anxiety-ridden Jenny. She gives Jaime an enclosed package and tells him not to open it. Jaime shows it to his family, revealing that he has a blue scarab. The scarab attaches to Jaime, which freaks out his family. Victoria realizes the scarab is gone and will do everything to retrieve it.

The DCU’s track record is not great, so it’s nice that Blue Beetle is a good movie. I liked Xolo as Jaime Reyes. I think he embodies the character and brings a Spider-Man-youth to the role. Jaime’s family is easily the best part of the film. George Lopez plays Jaime’s Uncle Rudy and is hilarious. There’s a scene where Uncle Rudy explores the original Blue Beetle’s stuff, and he is thrilled. Nana, played by Adriana Barraza, has her time to shine and shows up to protect her grandson. Jaime’s connection to his culture and family is a core feature of this film.

Regarding the villain, I think it’s easy to say that Susan Sarandon is not a memorable villain. However, I think Victoria has her moments. She is shown through flashbacks of going to foreign countries and how the weapons she helped create would destroy countries. Her right-hand man, Carpax (played by Raoul Max Trujillo), is a victim. He was saved but forced to participate in Victoria’s experiments. Victoria violates many human rights, but because she’s rich, she gets away with it. Victoria, being a villain, is almost too real. She may not be able to go hand in hand with Jaime, but I’d argue that what Victoria does is even scarier.

The real question worth addressing is whether Blue Beetle is canon in James Gunn’s DCU? According to a quick internet search, the answer is yes. Although it’s not clear how Blue Beetle as a character will fit into his future projects. It would be a dream to see Blue Beetle show up in a live adaptation of Young Justice, as that was my first introduction to Blue Beetle as a character.

Blue Beetle is well worth the watch. I thought the movie had character and life to it, which is something the DCU needs.

Critical Role uploaded their State of the Role, in which they share what’s coming up next. In this State of the Role, Critical Role made some big announcements, specifically the end of their third campaign (also known as Bells Hells) and a new series that will air after the campaign finale. While I’m behind on Bells Hells as I’m still watching Mighty Nein, this is still big as it leaves a question unanswered: What will Critical Role’s fourth campaign be? I wanted to break down everything that was revealed in the State of the Role in more detail.

Bells Hells Campaign Finale on February 6th

Bells Hells will conclude on Thursday, February 6th. The finale will be over eight hours in length. In the State of the Role video, a discussion was held regarding the temporary suspension of filming due to the fires in California. As a side note, the California fires are devastating. My heart goes out to anyone impacted or who lost their homes in the fires.

I’m curious as to how Bells Hells will wrap. While I have fallen behind, it’s clear from what I have read about the campaign that this might be world-ending, which could impact the previous campaigns and the fate of those characters. I would be sad if the ending of this campaign led to killing off Vox Machina, for example, in an apocalyptic event.

I would like to see their fourth campaign taking place hundreds of years in the future. It would be nice for fans to get a fresh start and to be able to follow along without having to watch the other campaigns.

Exandria Unlimited: Divergence

After the finale airs, Critical Role’s next mini-series will be called Exandria Unlimited: Divergence. Brennan Lee Mulligan is the DM with Matthew Mercer, Liam O’Brien, Jasmine Don, Alex Ward, and Celia Rose. Alex Ward is coming back to Critical Role!! I could not be more excited. Alex Ward is one of my favorite TTRPG players in this space. He specifically is in Vampire: The Masquerade live plays, and I like that Alex brings focus to other TTRPG systems. I will watch the heck out of this series even if I have not seen or watched any of the other Exandria short series. I may not understand everything, but I will be here for it. This was easily the most exciting thing that came out of State of the Role.

Campaign Four Predictions

This leads me to the final discussion point: What will Critical Role’s fourth campaign be? The big question is whether Critical Role will do another Dungeons & Dragons campaign or will they highlight their system, Daggerheart? I would watch campaign four regardless of the TTRPG system. If Critical Role were to use Daggerheart, I think it would be smart from a business perspective. TTRPGs remind me of trading card games in the sense that for them to be successful, you need players to play them regularly. If players aren’t playing Daggerheart, books won’t be bought, and the system could fade into obscurity. However, if Critical Role uses Daggerheart, will they isolate fans who aren’t interested in Daggerheart at all?

As mentioned, I would watch Critical Role, whether they use Dungeons & Dragons or Daggerheart. I like the chemistry of the cast, and I want to put my Beacon subscription to good use. As a side note, whatever happened to Candela Obscura? I’d love another circle or Candela mini-series. If I had to predict, I think Critical Role would utilize Dungeons & Dragons, but I could see Daggerheart popping up again as it gets closer to its full release and Gen Con specifically.

I’m curious to see what happens and how everything unfolds. I will be waiting for Exandria Unlimited: Divergence to drop on Beacon in the wake of Bells Hells and their choices made in the grand finale.

CW: Death of Children (will be referenced, but I won’t go into detail. It’s featured in one episode). That episode is difficult to watch.

My husband has been following DC and their TV and film schedule. James Gunn is at the helm, and I’m curious about his projects and how they will be received by fans. The DC film universe has always been disorganized, which is a shame because there’s so much potential. One of the first projects in James Gunn’s schedule is an animated show called Creature Commandos. My husband watched it, so he encouraged me to do the same. We watched the show together last weekend. Without knowing anything about Creature Commandos, I thought the show did an excellent job showcasing the characters in only seven episodes.

Creature Commandos takes place after The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker. Amanda Waller (voiced by Viola Davis) has to change tactics after her daughter revealed Suicide Squad’s existence to the public. Amanda decides to form a new superhero group called Creature Commandos, and since they aren’t human beings, there’s no way she’s violating any human rights laws, right? Amanda tasks Rick Flag Sr. (voiced by Frank Grillo) to lead the group. The group consists of The Bride (voiced by Indira Varma), G.I. Robot, Weasel (both G.I. Robot and Weasel are voiced by Sean Gunn), Doctor Phosphorus (voiced by Alan Tudyk), and Nina Mazursky (voiced by Zoë Chao). Creature Commando’s first mission is to protect a princess from an assassination attempt.

I enjoyed this show more than I thought I would. To be fair, I didn’t know much about the show before watching it. G.I. Robot is a Nazi-killing robot who needs to be protected at all costs. The way G.I. Robot smiles when Rick Flag tells him the enemies are Nazis, it was adorable. I liked the friendship that was formed between Bride and Nina. The characters worked well together, and all had their own reasons as to why they ended up on this team.

Before watching Creature Commandos, I’d recommend reading the episode description for episode four ahead of time. The content warning I posted above is for this episode. The fourth episode details Weasel’s back story, and my husband warned me about this episode before I watched it. The episode involves the death of children, and I SOBBED. James Gunn, how could you do this to me? I was sobbing so hard that my husband had to stop the show and ask if I was okay to continue, which I was, but he had to promise me that nothing else bad was going to happen. I did not expect this episode to get to me as much as it had, but it was so upsetting. This episode is worth watching because it provides more backstory to Weasel, who is in The Suicide Squad movie. Be prepared to have a tissue box nearby.

Creature Commandos is a strong start for the DC universe. I would be open to watching another season of Creature Commandos if renewed for a second season. I want to dive into the Creature Commandos comics and learn more about this team. I love The Suicide Squad, so I’d love this ragtag anti-hero team.

Since being a part of a regular Vampire: The Masquerade game, I have fully dived into all things World of Darkness. I had started watching a live play on the World of Darkness YouTube channel called New York By Night. I fell off from watching the rest of the episodes consistently, but have now gotten back into a rhythm with watching thirty minutes or so at a time. It was around this time that I saw this video called Project Ghostlight pop up on my social media. I follow Alexander Ward on various social media platforms as he’s a TTRPG player and actor who appears in New York By Night. In this announcement, he is going to be the storyteller for a new chronicle and live play series, Project Ghostlight.

Alexander Ward is one of my favorite TTRPG players to watch. In New York By Night specifically, he is so unsettling. It goes beyond roleplaying a character. His mannerisms with his vampire, Issac, are creepy. He smiles abnormally wide, which fits the character he’s trying to portray. I have watched bits and pieces of LA By Night which Alexander Ward is also in. I haven’t finished the series, but in the twenty minutes I watched, he acts differently as the Nosferatu vampire, Jasper. If that wasn’t enough, Alexander was also a guest on Critical Role’s Candela Obscura series, and his circle is one of my favorites. To hear that he will be the storyteller this time instead of a player in Project Ghostlight, I’m excited. I’m curious to see what type of story he will weave.

I have been struggling to find Vampire: The Masquerade live plays and podcasts still producing new content. I have been listening to Canada By Night, which I adore, but I’m always looking for other options. I like seeing what other players do in their stories and what types of characters they create. Project Ghostlight has the potential to bring Vampire: The Masquerade more mainstream. I’d love to see more players get exposed to this game that I love so much.

I haven’t subscribed to Project Ghostlight’s Patreon yet. My hope is they will drop the episodes on YouTube as well. If they don’t, I would be open to subscribing, as I don’t want to miss out on this new chronicle. If you have any Vampire: The Masquerade, Werewolf: The Apocalypse, or Hunter: The Reckoning live play recommendations, I’d love to hear them in the comments below.