Why Critical Role Should Move Away From D&D 5e For Its Next Campaign (2024)

Critical Role has used Dungeons & Dragons' fifth edition ever since it debuted back in 2015. With its simple, easy to understand mechanics, well-known reputation, and relatively fast gameplay for a tabletop game, it made it the perfect system for the streaming show, so much so that other shows, like Dimension 20, have followed in the same vein. Still, with the constant controversy that Wizards of the Coast seems to find itself in, Critical Role could look at leaving the system behind.

This wouldn't be the first time the Critical Role cast has switched systems, nor would it be the first big company to leave the IP behind. When it was nothing but a home game between friends, the Critical Role cast used Pathfinder's second edition, before switching to DnD for the stream. Should they leave, they will follow the path of Larian Studios, which has declared the studio won't develop Baldur's Gate 4, despite the success of BG3.

Moving Critical Role Away From D&D 5e

In order for Critical Role to move away from DnD, it would need to separate itself from the IP so that people can better distinguish the two. The company has already started its own tabletop gaming print called Darrington Press, creating a myriad of games such as Candela Obscura and Uk’otoa, with the latter being set in Matt Mercer's world of Exandria. Critical Role is slowly becoming more than just a streaming show. It is becoming an entertainment company centered around its own IPs.

Another advantage the company has comes from the world in which its games are set not being the typical DnD world. Matt Mercer has crafted his own, and has made a lot of homebrew content to make DnD work for this world. Some of this has even been printed as official Dungeons & Dragons content, such as the Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, which added subclasses like the Echo Knight, Chronurgist, and Graviturgist. Were Critical Role to move to its own system, the need for workarounds would be a thing of the past.

It isn't as though the Critical Role cast and characters have only been seen in DnD related content. They have, of course, appeared in their own show, The Legend of Vox Machina, but they have also shown up in other games. One example is the characters of Campaign One appearing in Pillars of Eternity 2 as a free DLC pack. The original cast retained their roles, with their portraits and voices being available for players to use. This was back in 2018, before The Legend of Vox Machina Kickstarter.

Wizards of the Coast, despite having quite the beloved cash cow in its hands, isn't the most beloved company. In early 2023, it was leaked that the company wanted to monetize the Open Game License for DnD, which had always been free since its release. This went down badly with the fans, who protested for weeks until WOTC retracted the decision, but the damage had already been done and many decided to boycott DnD.

More recently, Wizards of the Coast came under fire for using AI-generated images for Magic: The Gathering promotional art in early 2024. This was not announced by the company, but was pointed out after its release by viewers who noticed the image seemed off. The promotional image has since been removed from Magic: The Gathering's Twitter page after multiple apologies were posted. WOTC still insists on using AI, stating that it wants to explore using it for DnD.

What TTRPG Should Critical Role Use Instead Of D&D?

Since the cast has already used Pathfinder 2e, it would be logical to use that again, since they should already know the system, but this presents a few issues. For one, Pathfinder is based on an older form of DnD, specifically 3.5e, which is known for being notoriously complicated. This wouldn't make it a good watch, which is important for a streaming show, and would do more harm than help for a company looking to split from DnD.

For the show to thrive, and for the brilliant roleplaying talent of the cast to shine, it would need a simpler system, which also fits into Matt Mercer's world, so that a massive amount of homebrew (which is inherently harder to follow) doesn't need to be used. Thankfully, Critical Role seems to be making its own solution through Darrington Press. The company has announced its own fantasy TTRPG, set in Exandria, called Daggerheart.

Daggerheart Is A New Tabletop Challenger For D&D

Daggerheart is currently in beta and requires some fine-tuning, especially to differentiate it from DnD, but there is enough to see the promise that the game has. Since it is made by Critical Role, with Matt Mercer likely at the helm of its creation, he can add whatever he wants without having to worry about homebrew, whether that be classes, races, or even basic rules. The system is easy to understand, and Critical Role's YouTube channel has pushed it heavily, making many guides on how to play it.

With one shots being played in its pre-release version, as well as the TTRPG community posting reviews in waves, it is clear that there is interest. Critical Role has a strong and loyal community, which proved itself with the Kickstarter for the Prime series, and the company is bringing these fans to bear to get them to support its new RPG system. The only connection Critical Role has to DnD is the system, and it isn't as though Dungeons & Dragons will stay in its fifth edition forever.

With Wizards of the Coast stating that a revised edition of 5e is on its way for late 2024, fan-dubbed DnD 5.5e, this may be the best time to jump ship. With players converting systems, if 5.5e doesn't connect with fans, then many could look for alternatives, such as Daggerheart. This way, Critical Role can truly stand apart from Dungeons & Dragons, stopping any controversy, like with the OGL, from affecting it.

Source: Critical Role/YouTube

Critical Role

Fantasy

Adventure

Livestreamed weekly on Twitch since 2015, Critical Role brings together a group of professional voice actors as they play through a series of elaborate Dungeons and Dragons campaigns. Originally produced by Geek & Sundry, the series garnered a large and devoted fanbase during the first campaign, allowing the cast to create their own company in 2018. Matthew Mercer heads each campaign as Dungeon Master, with a cast that includes Ashley Johnson, Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, Liam O'Brien, Taliesin Jaffe, and Marisha Ray.

Cast

Matthew Mercer , Sam Riegel , travis willingham , Laura Bailey , marisha ray , Orion Acaba , Taliesin Jaffe , Liam O'Brien , Ashley Johnson

Release Date

March 12, 2015

Seasons

3

Network

YouTube TV

Streaming Service(s)

YouTube , Twitch

Writers

Sam Riegel

Directors

marisha ray

Showrunner

Brandon Auman