Critical Role Productions

Multimedia production companyTemplate:SHORTDESC:Multimedia production company

* Film and television production
* Marisha Ray
* Taliesin Jaffe
* Ashley Johnson
* Liam O'Brien
* Laura Bailey
* Sam Riegel
* Matthew Mercer (CCO)
* Marisha Ray (creative director)
* Ed Lopez (COO)
* Rachel Romero (SVP of marketing)

**Critical Role Productions, LLC** is a multimedia production company incorporated in 2015 by the members of the creator-owned streaming show *Critical Role*. The first two shows from the company, *Critical Role* and *Talks Machina*, originally premiered on Geek & Sundry. The company moved to their own studio space in 2018, and began putting out new shows on their own Twitch and YouTube channels. A split from Legendary Digital Networks was completed in early 2019, at which point Critical Role Productions took over production responsibility and since then has continued to launch new shows independently.

Critical Role Productions uses several trade names for various forms of media production such as the gaming imprint Darrington Press, the record label Scanlan Shorthalt Music, and the film and television production banner Metapigeon. They also launched a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Critical Role Foundation, in 2020 to manage various charity projects by the company. In 2023, Critical Role Productions signed a film and television first-look deal with Amazon Studios.

## History

### Geek & Sundry era (2015–19)

Critical Role Productions was founded by the members of the creator-owned D&D streaming show *Critical Role* in 2015. The group had originally begun playing at home in 2012. Felicia Day approached the group about playing it in a live-streamed format for Geek & Sundry, after hearing about the group's private tabletop role-playing game from Ashley Johnson. In order to streamline gameplay for the show, the game's characters were converted from *Pathfinder* to *Dungeons & Dragons* 5th edition before the web series began airing on March 12, 2015. The company's first show, *Critical Role*, was a huge success. The company's second show, *Talks Machina*, then premiered on Geek & Sundry and Alpha, Legendary Digital Networks' subscription streaming service, in 2016.

In June 2018, Critical Role launched its own Twitch and YouTube channels, with cast member Marisha Ray being announced as the creative director of the franchise. Critical Role then started to self-produce new shows and content which did not air on Geek & Sundry's channels. The sets for *Critical Role* and *Talks Machina* moved from Legendary Digital Network's studios to Critical Role's own studios in July 2018.

The eight founders—the cast members of *Critical Role* itself―"own equity stakes in the company".
As of 2019[update], Travis Willingham serves as chief executive officer, Matthew Mercer as chief creative officer, and Marisha Ray as creative director. Several senior Legendary Digital staff members joined Critical Role during the split, with head of digital strategy and operations Ed Lopez becoming chief operating officer, vice president of marketing Rachel Romero becoming senior vice president of marketing at Critical Role, and Ben Van Der Fluit becoming senior vice president of business development.

### Independent studio (2019–present)

Critical Role's split from Geek & Sundry and Legendary Digital Networks completed in February 2019. From this point Critical Role took over production responsibility of the *Critical Role* and *Talks Machina* shows, with live broadcasts of their shows and the video on demand (VOD) now airing exclusively on Critical Role's own channels. The disengagement from Legendary's streaming service Alpha would cancel *Talks Machina: After Dark*, which had been exclusive to the service. Some "legacy episodes" (currently the entirety of Campaign 1, the first 19 episodes of Campaign 2, as well as the corresponding episodes of official discussion show *Talks Machina*) remain available in Geek & Sundry's archives on YouTube and Twitch. Beginning in December 2019, some older content was migrated from Geek & Sundry to Critical Role's channels.

On March 4, 2019, Critical Role launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for a 22-minute animation called *Critical Role: The Legend of Vox Machina Animated Special*. The final total raised by the Kickstarter when it closed on April 19, 2019, was $11.3M turning the intended animated special into a ten episode animated series. When the campaign closed, it was one of the most quickly funded in Kickstarter history, and was the most funded Kickstarter for TV and film projects. In November 2019, Amazon Prime Video announced that they had acquired the streaming rights to *The Legend of Vox Machina*, and had commissioned 14 additional episodes (two additional episodes for season 1 and a second season of 12 episodes). The project was originally slated for release in late 2020, however the COVID-19 pandemic delayed release until 2022.

In September 2019, Critical Role announced it had "entered into licensing agreements with Funko, McFarlane Toys, Penguin Random House, and Ripple Junction" to produce merchandise such as apparel and collectibles. Critical Role aired a sponsored one-shot using the *Feast of Legends* RPG system—developed by fast-food chain Wendy's—on October 3, 2019. Following a strong negative response from some Critical Role fans the Critical Role team removed the VOD, and announced via Twitter that they had donated their profits from the sponsorship. Shelly Jones, in an essay in the book *Watch Us Roll* (2021), commented that decision was "presumably" made by the show's "development team for purposes of branding and controlling the criticism circulating about the failed experiment". In the first half of 2020, a claim was made online that Critical Role had retained the services of a sensitivity reader but had not paid the individual. As a result, the company called in an outside counsel to investigate the claims. Whilst the investigation concluded the claims in Critical Role's favor; the person who made the original claim tweeted that they had not been contacted during the investigation.

The coronavirus pandemic caused major scheduling changes for Critical Role Productions beginning in March 2020. This included a four month hiatus for *Critical Role* itself, the launch of new remote format shows such as *Narrative Telephone,* and new remote formats for other shows including *Talks Machina*. A number of other shows were placed on hiatus, including *Pub Draw, Mame Drop* and *All Work No Play*. Darrington Press, a "new board and card game publishing brand", was announced by Critical Role in October 2020. In August 2021, Brian W. Foster, host of *Talks Machina* and other shows, left the company to pursue other "creative endeavors", a move which effectively ended *Talks Machina* and *Between the Sheets,* the latter of which had been on hiatus since the pandemic. *Critical Role* returned to the pre-pandemic common table format with the launch of Campaign Three in October 2021, while a new aftershow launched in 2022 in the form of *4-Sided Dive*.

A leak of Twitch data in October 2021 revealed that Critical Role is among the highest earners on Twitch; the company received a total direct payout of $9,626,712 between September 2019 and September 2021 from Twitch in gross income from subscriptions and ad revenue. *BBC News* commented that this list of payments is unlikely to "account for tax paid on income" and that "many, if not all, of these top streamers are effectively large-scale media operations, with their own employees and business expenses - so the numbers do not represent 'take-home pay' for those listed". *Business Insider* highlighted that "Critical Role has grown into a full-fledged media company. [...] Its LinkedIn page lists employees in roles including marketing, business development, photography, editing, and even one person responsible for keeping track of the lore, or details in its fantasy world". *Variety* reported that, as of October 2021[update], the company has expanded to "about 40 employees (including the eight founders)" and it "has received no funding from outside investors".

In June 2022, Critical Role launched a new record label, Scanlan Shorthalt Music, to release original music inspired by *Critical Role* and the Exandria setting. Along with the label announcement, they released their first album titled *Welcome to Tal'Dorei*. The new project is led by Ray and Senior Producer Maxwell James.

In January 2023, it was announced that Critical Role Productions had signed a first-look deal with Amazon Studios to create film and television series, while also announcing an animated series based on the Mighty Nein campaign. *Variety* reported that "under the deal with Amazon Studios, Critical Role will continue to produce under its production banner, Metapigeon". In March 2023, Metapigeon announced that it had purchased the space-western science fiction podcast *Midst*; this is the first time that Critical Role has acquired outside intellectual property. The podcast was released with remastered audio along with an ad-free subscription option. In July 2023, Critical Role Productions removed almost all content featuring former host Foster on their channels. On the potential impact of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike on Critical Role's Twitch and YouTube content, Critical Role stated:

> "We fully support the strike and stand in solidarity with our fellow actors. Currently, our release schedule is not impacted by the strike, but we will continue to evaluate and take the necessary steps should it be impacted in the future".
>
>

## Broadcast

Critical Role Productions primarily broadcasts on the Critical Role Twitch and YouTube channels. This includes both livestreaming and VOD. A number of shows formerly broadcast on Legendary's Alpha service from 2017-19. The company's animated show, *The Legend of Vox Machina* (2022), is available on Amazon Prime Video.

### Podcasts

The *Critical Role* podcast was announced during the 100th episode of the first campaign. It is an audio version of the game sessions. As well as the Critical Role website, the podcast is available on iTunes, Google Play Music, and Spotify. The first campaign's podcast episodes were released in batches of 10–15, between June 8, 2017 and January 8, 2018. Someone listening at 1.5x speed can get through the first campaign in just over 298 hours, or around 224 hours at double speed. The podcast episodes for the second campaign have been released on the Thursday after the episode streamed on Twitch. In an essay on live-streamed tabletop RPGs, Friedman notes "fans [of Critical Role] often recommend that a listener supplement their experience with strategic viewing of notable visual moments".

*Talks Machina* was also released in a podcast format from episode 101 until its conclusion. Like the podcast version of *Critical Role*; there was a week's delay between the broadcast of *Talks Machina* on Twitch, and the corresponding podcast episode's release.

The *Midst* podcast has an ad-free subscription option that includes an early release schedule and other bonus content.

## Productions

The company produces and broadcasts the following shows from its Burbank Studio location:

### Current programming

#### *Critical Role* and podcast (2015)

*Critical Role* is the "main series" of the studio. The series is broadcast on Thursdays at 19:00 PT on the Critical Role Twitch and YouTube channels, with the VOD being available to Twitch subscribers immediately after the broadcast. The VODs are made available for the public via the YouTube channel on the Monday after the live stream. As part of social distancing requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic the show has switched to a pre-recorded format. The show's third campaign premiered on October 21, 2021.

#### *#EverythingIsContent* (2018)

A show of no fixed format. Several *#EverythingIsContent* episodes have had sponsored content. The show can be something of a testbed for the studio too; with *Pub Draw* and *MAME Drop* originally piloted as episodes of *#EverythingIsContent*.

#### *Crit Recap Animated* (2020)

An animated spinoff of *Critical Recap* hosted by Dani Carr. *Crit Recap Animated* is co-written by Carr, Kyle Shire and Marisha Ray with animation by Offworld Studios. The show retells Campaign 2 story arcs in short, 5- to 10-minute episodes. Episode 1 premiered in December 2020 and introduced the main characters of the Mighty Nein. The show completed Campaign 2 in August 2022.

#### *Exandria Unlimited* (ExU) (2021)

An anthology web series and spin-off of *Critical Role*. The first season of *ExU* featured a canon *Critical Role* story set in the city of Emon on the continent of Tal'Dorei 30 years after Campaign One and 10 years after Campaign Two. Helmed by Aabria Iyengar as the Dungeon Master, it was originally broadcast from June 24 to August 12, 2021. A two-part continuation was released at the end of March 2022. The second season, titled *Exandria Unlimited: Calamity*, premiered on May 26, 2022. It follows a group of heroes from the Age of Arcanum who attempt to prevent the Calamity and is led by Brennan Lee Mulligan as the Dungeon Master.

#### *The Legend of Vox Machina* (2022)

The animated series based on events in campaign one. The first ten episodes of season one were financed through a Kickstarter campaign, with Amazon picking up distribution and green-lighting an additional 14 episodes (two additional episodes for the first season and a 12 episode second season). The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the release schedule from Fall 2020; it premiered on January 28, 2022. In October 2022, Amazon renewed the series for a third season, ahead of the second season's premiere on January 20, 2023.

#### *4-Sided Dive* (2022)

Four *Critical Role* cast members answer fan submitted questions "pulled from a Tower of Inquiry, which is basically a Jenga tower". The host is randomly selected by the roll of a d20 die. *4-Sided Dive* replaced *Talks Machina*.

#### *Midst* (2023)

*Midst* is a semi-improvised space-western audio drama focused on "three protagonists – a crotchety outlaw, a struggling cultist and a diabolical bastard – as their paths intersect in unexpected ways" in the town of Stationary Hill after the mysterious civilization known as the Trust becomes interested in the islet of Midst where the town is located. It began streaming in 2020 and was originally produced by the studio Third Person which was made of the podcast's three anonymous narrators; the podcast won multiple awards at the New Jersey WebFest in 2021 and 2022. The science fiction podcast was acquired by Metapigeon in March 2023 and the first two seasons were rebroadcast by Critical Role starting in April 2023. This weekly rerelease includes remastered audio, a new video format and a planned new third season.

#### *Candela Obscura* (2023)

A horror–themed actual play episodic web series, using the new Illuminated Worlds System designed by Darrington Press; *Candela Obscura* was created by Taliesin Jaffe and Chris Lockey, with Steve Failows and Maxwell James as producers, and with Spenser Starke and Rowan Hall as the game's lead designers and writers. Since May 25, 2023,[update] it has aired on the last Thursday of the month. Each episode focuses on a new investigation; Jaffe also serves as the show's Lightkeeper who provides the characters each mission. The cast of the first three episode story arc is composed of Laura Bailey, Ashley Johnson, Anjali Bhimani, Robbie Daymond with Matthew Mercer as the game master. The cast of the second three episode story arc is composed of Travis Willingham, Brennan Lee Mulligan, Zehra Fazal, Luis Carazo, and Marisha Ray with Starke as the game master.

### Future programing

#### *Mighty Nein*

In January 2023, it was announced that the second campaign will receive an animated television adaptation for Amazon Prime Video titled *Mighty Nein.* The series will be executive produced by Tasha Huo, Sam Riegel, Travis Willingham, Chris Prynoski, Shannon Prynoski, Antonio Canobbio and Ben Kalina; Metapigeon, Amazon Studios, and Titmouse will serve as the production companies.

### Former programming

#### *All Work No Play* and podcast (2018–2020)

Liam O'Brien and Sam Riegel catch up over a drink and try a new activity each episode. The show was developed from Liam and Sam's original AWNP podcast (2012–2017), which predates the home game that would become *Critical Role*. Season one aired in 2018 and season two aired in 2020.

#### *AWNP: Unplugged* (2020)

Sam Riegel and Liam O'Brien catch-up via video chat during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each episode after the first has also featured another *Critical Role* cast member, or a friend of the cast, as a guest (also joining via video chat). Andy Wilson, for *Bleeding Cool*, highlighted the show as "a Zoom chat between friends, mostly about their dogs, their kids, and how they were dealing with the lockdown, and how much they missed each other. It was an exercise in human connection, and it was so beautifully simple. It also garnered hundreds of thousands of views every week".

#### *Between the Sheets* (2018–2019)

Brian W. Foster interviews a different guest each episode. Non-*Critical Role* guests included Logic and Amanda Palmer. Season one aired in 2018 and season two aired in 2019. Season 3 was scheduled to premiere on August 5, 2020, however, the show's production went on un-planned hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 and then Foster left the company in 2021. In July 2023, this show was removed from Critical Role's channels.

#### *Critter Hug* (2020–2021)

A to-camera show starring Mica Burton and Matt Mercer. The hosts introduce and talk around topics relevant to the "Critter" community. Only the first episode of the show was aired before California's COVID-19 pandemic lockdown measures began. Two further episodes were broadcast in 2021.

#### *Critical Recap* (2018-2019)

A look back on previous episodes of Critical Role hosted by Dani Carr, production coordinator for Critical Role. Starting with Episode 11 of Campaign two, *Critical Recap* aired on the Geek & Sundry Twitch channel before the *Critical Role* live stream on Thursdays. After Critical Role's split from Geek & Sundry, new episodes of *Critical Recap* premiered on Critical Role's YouTube channel every Tuesday, while a rebroadcast aired on the Critical Role Twitch channel immediately before the *Critical Role* live stream on Thursdays. On YouTube, "as a standalone stream", the show had "roughly 20-50,000 views per recap". The video format for *Critical Recap* was last used for episode 88 of Campaign two. Beginning 2020, the show was replaced by a written recap made available on the *Critical Role* website. An animated version of the show was launched in December 2020.

#### *Handbooker Helper* (2018-2020)

A series of introductory to-camera videos on the different elements of Dungeons and Dragons hosted by different members of the Critical Role cast. The show's name is a parody of Hamburger Helper and a reference to the *Player's Handbook*. Though not a requirement to watch, the *Critical Role* campaigns are often alluded to through inside jokes and other meta-references. A total of 42 episodes of *Handbooker Helper* were released before the series concluded in June 2019. In preparation for a Valentine's Day one-shot, an episode of *Handbooker Helper* explaining the basics of the *Monsterhearts 2* role-playing game was released February 6, 2020.

#### *MAME Drop* (2019)

Taliesin Jaffe and guest(s) play old-school arcade games on the studio's MAME cabinet.

#### *Mini Primetime* (2019–2020)

A show hosted by Will Friedle on how to improve painting techniques, specifically for Dungeons & Dragons miniatures. Season one aired in 2019, and was followed by a 2020 special under Talks Machina's "After Dark" branding.

#### *Mighty Vibes* (2020–2021)

A playlist of songs curated to the aesthetic of one, or more, of the members of the Mighty Nein and Vox Machina. Songs play over a looped animation featuring said member. Sound clips recorded by the players of the featured character or characters are interspersed throughout the playlist.

#### *Narrative Telephone* (2020–2021)

The *Critical Role* cast and guests play a socially distanced version of Telephone using pre-recorded video messages.

#### *Pub Draw* (2019)

Marisha Ray is taught how to improve her drawing by comic book artist, and Critter, Babs Tarr. Seasons one and two aired in 2019.

#### *UnDeadwood* (2019)

A four-part limited series in which Brian W. Foster GMs a game based on the HBO series *Deadwood*, using the *Deadlands* RPG system. In July 2023, this show was removed from Critical Role's channels.

#### *Talks Machina* and podcast (2016-2021)

An aftershow hosted by Brian W. Foster, in which he and a few cast members discussed the most recent installment of *Critical Role*. The show aired live on Twitch at 18:45 PT on Tuesdays. In its original format, the cast answered fan questions on in-game events, decisions, or character development. Weekly competitions were held for fan content, with prizes for the winners, such as "fan art of the week" and "cosplay of the week". The winners were announced in interlude segments. Originally, the first 100 episodes of *Talks Machina* were broadcast on Geek & Sundry's channels. Beginning in February 2019, as part of Critical Role's split from Geek & Sundry, new episodes began airing on the *Critical Role* Twitch channel. The VODs were available to Twitch subscribers immediately after the initial broadcast, and were also uploaded to YouTube on the following Thursday. Beginning in December 2019, as part of the migration of older content to the *Critical Role* channels, some episodes of *Talks Machina* were deleted from Geek & Sundry's channels and re-uploaded to the official *Critical Role* channels. The show was on hiatus from March to September 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It returned in a biweekly, remote pre-recorded format until its cancelation shortly before the end of Campaign Two. YouTube views hovered "around 130-190,000 – or roughly 25 percent of the views of the [*Critical Role*] VOD itself". In July 2023, this show was removed from Critical Role's channels.

#### *Talks Machina: After Dark* (2017-2019)

"An extended after show for our after show", which would air exclusively on Alpha shortly after the conclusion of *Talks Machina* each week. The cast would respond to questions directly from the chat. The show ended its run after Critical Role split from Legendary and disengaged from Alpha. It was announced that the *After Dark* suspension was temporary, though the show never returned. The *After Dark* branding was later applied to a Mini Primetime special in 2020.

#### *Travis Willingham's Yeehaw Game Ranch* (2019)

Travis Willingham and Brian W. Foster play video games. In July 2023, this show was removed from Critical Role's channels.

#### *Yee-Haw Off the Ranch* (2020)

An at home version of *Travis Willingham's Yeehaw Game Ranch* starring Ashley Johnson and Brian W. Foster during the COVID-19 pandemic. In July 2023, this show was removed from Critical Role's channels.

## Licensed works and related products

*Critical Role*'s commercial success has led to many other related products, including a prequel comic series *Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins*, art books, a novel *Kith & Kin*, two campaign setting books (*Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting* and *Explorer's Guide to Wildemount*), and an animated series. Hobby and toy stores sell miniatures and other collectibles related to *Critical Role*.

## Reception

In March 2020, CNBC reported that "since amicably parting ways with Geek & Sundry in 2018, Critical Role has become its own media company, with hundreds of thousands of subscribers across several social media platforms, and more than 120 million views on YouTube. [...] Critical Role has offered a diverse line-up of D&D games. There's the long-form fantasy campaign that the whole group participates in weekly and then there are shorter-form series like 'Undeadwood,' a western themed game, that may interest the same fan base, or entice new viewers who are more interested in that genre".

By January 2021, Critical Role had 220 million views across the channel with 44,000 paid subscribers on Twitch that month and the first episode of Campaign One had been watched 15 million times on YouTube. During the last 10 months of Campaign Two, between August 2020 and May 2021, Twitch subscriptions averaged around 27,000 paid subscribers. *Business Insider* reported, before the premiere of Campaign Three in October 2021, that the official Twitch channel had 828,000 followers and 13,530 active subscribers while the official YouTube channel had 1.4 million subscribers. *Variety* reported "historically, C.R.'s Twitch channel has attracted 60,000-75,000 live viewers for each episode. Factoring in on-demand plays on Twitch and YouTube, the total per-episode audience has ranged from 1.2 million to 1.5 million, according to Willingham. In the past 12 months, the audience has grown more than 23% on Twitch and nearly 50% on YouTube year over year. That said, Critical Role remains relatively small compared with other popular creators and digital media properties: It has 818,000 followers on Twitch (the platform's most popular streamers have 10 million or more)".

Emily Friedman, in the book *Roleplaying Games in the Digital Age: Essays on Transmedia Storytelling, Tabletop RPGs and Fandom* (2021), highlighted that "while *Talks Machina* offers the potential for additional narrative details, its chief appeal is how it creates an informal, even chaotic space for the players within the social frame, and is a mediated space where fans are names and their labor showcased through the intermediaries of Foster and Carr, who are not players but viewers of the show, and who have become beloved in their own right. Other livestreams (*Game Ranch*, *MAME Drop*) have subsequently leaned into this parasocial pleasure, allowing for more time 'with' the cast".

On January 5, 2023, Linda Codega reported that io9 had received a leaked copy of the Open Game License 1.1 (OGL1.1). Both the *Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting* sourcebook and its updated edition, *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn*, were published under the original OGL, which has allowed a wide range of unofficial commercial derivative work based on the mechanics of *Dungeons and Dragons* to be produced since 2000. The language reportedly within OGL1.1 would revoke the original OGL and would be much more restrictive to third party content creators. Critical Role's official statement made no mention of the OGL; instead it spoke to Critical Role's support of the tabletop game community, and that *Critical Role* is where it is because of that community. The statement also mentioned "stand[ing] by" developers of "new [TTRPG] system[s]". While some were disappointed by the statement, others thought it was a legally shrewd statement. *ICv2* commented that "Critical Role likely needed to walk a fine line between not criticizing one of their biggest sponsors (WotC/D&D Beyond) while, at the same time, quelling their fan base's simmering outrage. Their company was clearly stuck between a proverbial 'rock and a hard place,' as backing one party over any of the others in this conflict could potentially be a detrimental financial decision for them". In the *ComicBook.com* podcast *The Character Sheet*, Christian Hoffer speculated that Critical Role could be under contract to use the 5th edition system for the remainder of *Campaign 3*, and that there might be "non-disparity clauses" preventing them from speaking out against Hasbro, its subsidiaries, and its products. In an interview with Codega, Ray stated "it's important to have an environment that does allow these creators; independent, big, small, to create and make new things. Whichever way allows the community to do that, that's where we're going to stand and support". On the draft OGL1.2 separating some *Dungeons & Dragons* content into a Creative Commons license, Mercer stated it was "a grandiose step in a grandiose direction. And I am very eager to see where it goes from here".

On *Critical Role*'s eighth anniversary, Christian Hoffer of *ComicBook.com* highlighted the growth of the brand and stated it is "a Hollywood success story unlike any other. And perhaps the most fascinating part is that it seems like their story is just beginning. In addition to flagship show and portfolio of current and upcoming animated projects, *Critical Role* has also released soundtracks, an impressive array of merchandise, and a bevy of spin-off shows that periodically air on the channel. The business of Critical Role (led by Willingham and Ray, who are CEO and creative director, respectively) moves very deliberately, but they have yet to discover a ceiling for just how big the Critical Role empire can grow".

### Accolades

The Critical Role channel has won the following awards:

## Charity involvement

Critical Role Productions and Stephen Colbert teamed up for Red Nose Day for a special one-on-one adventure with Matthew Mercer as Dungeon Master that aired on May 23, 2019. Fans were able to donate to the cause and vote for elements of the adventure such as Colbert's companion, his class, his legendary weapon, and the villain. In the one-shot campaign, Colbert played a half-elf bard named Capo, and had a bee named Eric as a companion. The event raised $117,176.20 for the charity.

### Critical Role Foundation

Critical Role Productions launched a new 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Critical Role Foundation, in September 2020 with the mission statement: "to leave the world better than we found it". Ashley Johnson has been named president of the organization with Matthew Mercer, Eduardo Lopez, Rachel Romero, and Mark Koro as officers and board members. Critical Role Foundation states that 85% of donation funds will go to partner non-profits, 10% will be allocated into an emergency fund, and 5% will be allocated to administrative fees and operating expenses. The emergency fund will allow the foundation "to donate funds in the event of natural disasters and other unforeseen events that require immediate humanitarian assistance". CBR reported that "Critical Role Foundation will partner with other organizations in the nonprofit sector that share the same values as *Critical Role* and its community, in addition to raising emergency relief funds to be put toward immediate humanitarian aid as needed".

In an interview, Johnson said "We've worked with a handful of nonprofits over the years that focus on causes that *Critical Role* and the community care most about. These charities include 826LA, Red Nose Day, OSD, Pablove and OutRight International, and since we began streaming in 2015, the *Critical Role* community has raised well over half a million dollars for these organizations. [...] We wanted to go the 501(c)(3) route so that donors are able to do tax-deductible donations. [...] CRF is definitely going to have a presence within the wider *Critical Role* world, but it's going to act as a separate entity tied to the main one".

In 2022, the Critical Role Foundation won two 2022 Shorty Impact Awards – the Gold Honor in "Best Fundraising Campaign" and the Audience Honor in "Best Influencer & Celebrity Partnership" – for its Red Nose Day campaign with Colbert titled "Choose Stephen's Adventure… Again!". This campaign "raised over $423K for Red Nose Day" which is a "252% increase over the 2019" campaign.

## Notes

1. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Bunge, Nicole (June 18, 2018). "'Critical Role' Goes Solo". *ICv2*. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
2. ↑ CRITICAL ROLE PRODUCTIONS, LLC. OpenCorporates. Retrieved on September 23, 2019.
3. ↑ Furniss, Zack (2016-02-26). Inside Critical Role: The Live D&D show led by voices you might recognize (english).
4. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Burlingame, Russ (September 29, 2016). "With Critical Role, Geek & Sundry Score A Hit By Bringing Friends Together For D&D". *Comicbook.com*. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
5. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Shea, Brian (December 22, 2016). "How Popular Voice Actors Took A D&D Game Global With Critical Role". *Game Informer*. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
6. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Sheehan, Gavin (June 8, 2017). "'Critical Role' Is About To Throw A Nat 100 On Episodes". *Bleeding Cool*. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
7. ↑ Travis Willingham, Marisha Ray, and Matthew Mercer: "Critical Role" Talks at Google. Google (December 17, 2018). Retrieved on December 19, 2018.
8. ↑ Carbonell, Curtis D. (2019). "Chapter 3: Dungeons and Dragons Multiverse". *Dread Trident: Tabletop Role-Playing Games and the Modern Fantastic*. Liverpool: Oxford University Press. pp. 107–108. ISBN 978-1-78962-468-7. OCLC 1129971339. https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1129971339.
9. ↑ Twitch D&D Show 'Critical Role' Is Helping Fuel The Game's Renaissance (en-AU) (2017-06-09).
10. ↑ Presenting Talks Machina (en) (2016-11-07).
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Spangler, Todd (September 28, 2016). "Legendary Digital Sets 'Alpha' Subscription VOD Launch Plans, With Nerdist and Geek & Sundry Programming Slate". *Variety*. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
12. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Hoffer, Christian (June 18, 2018). "Critical Role Teases New Content With Opening of New Studio, Twitch and Youtube Channel". *Comicbook.com*. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Phillips, Jevon (2019-11-06). They started out playing Dungeons & Dragons. Now they're coming to Amazon Prime (en-US).
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Whitten, Sarah (2020-03-14). How Critical Role helped spark a Dungeons & Dragons renaissance (en).
15. ↑ Critical Role separates from Geek & Sundry to create new shows (2018-06-19).
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Spangler, Todd (October 14, 2021). Inside Critical Role's Growing D&D Fantasy Empire and the Making of 'The Legend of Vox Machina' for Amazon (en-US).
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Critical Role. The Webby Awards.
18. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>"Watch ECCC: Critical Role cast talks about the animated series and reads a new scene". *Syfy Wire*. March 17, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
19. ↑ Alpha Update (en) (October 27, 2016).
20. ↑ Rachel Romero | Critical Role (March 28, 2018).
21. ↑ Ben Van Der Fluit (March 27, 2018).
22. ↑ Romero, Rachel (February 19, 2019). Critical Role and Talks Machina broadcast updates. Critical Role. Retrieved on February 24, 2019.
23. ↑ Thomas, Jeremy (February 19, 2019). D&D Streaming Series Critical Role Leaves Geek & Sundry, Moves to Its Own Channel (en-US).
24. ↑ Romero, Rachel (February 19, 2019). Critical Role and Talks Machina broadcast updates. Critical Role. Retrieved on February 24, 2019.
25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Willingham, Travis (December 20, 2019). End of 2019 Fireside Chat. Critical Role.
26. ↑ Critical Role: The Legend of Vox Machina Animated Special. Retrieved on March 4, 2019.
27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Whitten, Sarah (March 4, 2019). "Critical Role fans finance Dungeons & Dragons Kickstarter in an hour". CNBC. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
28. ↑ Update #16: THANK YOU. (April 19, 2019).
29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 Spangler, Todd (November 5, 2019). Amazon Orders Two Seasons of Critical Role's Animated D&D Series. *Variety*. Retrieved on November 5, 2019.
30. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Spangler, Todd (March 5, 2019). "Critical Role Expands 'Vox Machina' Animated D&D Special to 88 Minutes, Tops $4.3 Million Raised in One Day". *Variety*. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
31. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Dornbush, Jonathon (March 7, 2019). "Update: Critical Role Kickstarter Breaks Record, Reveals Episode Plans". *IGN*. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Hoffer, Christian. "Critical Role Confirms Animated Series Delayed Due to COVID-19". comicbook.com. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
33. ↑ Critical Role's "The Legend Of Vox Machina" Delayed (en-US) (2020-06-15).
34. ↑ Francisco, Eric (November 18, 2020). Critical Role: 2020 "turned everything on its head" for the D&D phenomenon (en).
35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 Template:Cite magazine
36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 Hall, Charlie (2021-12-20). Critical Role animated series will premiere earlier than expected (en-US).
37. ↑ Critical Role Is Getting Funko Pop!, Action Figures, and More (en) (September 27, 2019).
38. ↑ Critical Role appoints Collaborations Licensing (en-in) (September 28, 2019).
39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Williamson, Evan (October 14, 2019). "Wendy's expands its focus beyond food". *Western Courier*. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
40. ↑ Sherwood, I-Hsien (2019-10-04). Wendy's new role-playing game lets players (and their dice) defend 'Freshtovia' from frozen beef (en).
41. ↑ Kaplan, Avery (2019-10-03). Here's how to watch the CRITICAL ROLE demo of the Wendy's tabletop RPG, FEAST OF LEGENDS (en-US).
42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 RPG: Critical Role Faces Backlash After Wendy's RPG One Shot (en-US) (2019-10-09).
43. ↑ 43.0 43.1  *The Routledge Handbook of Remix Studies and Digital Humanities*. Eduardo Navas, Owen Gallagher, xtine burrough. New York, NY. 2021. ISBN 978-0-429-35587-5. OCLC 1227865379. https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1227865379. "Neither the game itself nor quality of the Critical Role performance was really at issue [...]. Accepting financial support from Wendy's was read among some fans as a tacit acceptance of political positions held by Wendy's. [...] To bring Critical Role into contact with Wendy's was not just bringing professional voice actors into Freshtovia; a whole array of political issues were brought into the mix at the same time. The Critical Role staff scrubbed nearly all evidence of the video from their official feeds and records. The community was significantly jarred by the mashup, not of D&D and fast food, but escapism and politics."
44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 44.2 <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Girdwood, Andrew (July 7, 2020). "Critical Role officially denies any wrongdoing with a consultant". *Geek Native*. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
45. ↑ Jones, Shelly (2021). "Actual Play Audience as Archive: Analyzing the Critical Role Fandom". *Watch Us Roll: Essays on Actual Play and Performance in Tabletop Role-Playing Games*. Jefferson, North Carolina. pp. 136–157. ISBN 978-1-4766-4343-4. OCLC 1267420585. https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1267420585.
46. ↑ Template:Citation
47. ↑ Dornbush, Jonathon (October 27, 2020). Critical Role Announces New Board Game Publishing Label, Darrington Press; 4 Games Planned for 2021.
48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 Long-Time Critical Role Cast Member Leaves (en) (August 16, 2021).
49. ↑ HYPE: Celebrate Critical Role's 7-Year Anniversary With an Entire Week of Fun! | Critical Role (en-US) (2022-03-14).
50. ↑ 50.0 50.1 <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>"Twitch confirms massive data breach". *BBC News*. 2021-10-06. Retrieved 2021-10-06. Some versions shared online point to well known streamers, including Dungeons & Dragons channel CriticalRole, Canadian xQC and American Summit1g, as being among the top earners.
51. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Grayson, Nathan (October 6, 2021). "Massive Twitch hack reveals streamers' pay, with top stars making millions". *The Washington Post*. Retrieved October 6, 2021. The highest paid Twitch channel of all is not an individual, but rather a collective; “Critical Role,” a long-running tabletop role-playing show, is listed as having been paid $9,626,712.16 since 2019. For some in the tabletop role-playing community, this has been cause for reflection.
52. ↑ Biazzi, Leonardo (2021-10-06). CriticalRole, xQc, summit1g, and Tfue among the highest earners on Twitch, according to leak (en-US). "The money could refer to subscription, ad revenue, and bits these channels gathered during the period. Critical Role tops the chart with a direct payout of $9,626,712, followed by xQc with $8,454,427."
53. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>"Twitch hacker leaks entire source code and streamers' incomes for the past three years". *MarketWatch*. October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021. The leaked data does apparently reveal just how much money popular Twitch streamers are earning directly from Twitch. Some 81 have been paid more than $1 million by Twitch since August 2019, likely from subscriptions and advertising revenue, according to the leaked documents. Topping the list is Critical Role, which streams Dungeons & Dragons sessions, which has scored more than $9.6 million from Twitch payouts in the past two years, according to the leaked documents.
54. ↑ 54.0 54.1 54.2 Espinosa, Michael (October 9, 2021). A Twitch channel known for 'Dungeons and Dragons' earned over $9 million in the last 2 years, the highest payout listed in the data leak (en-US).
55. ↑ Critical Role Launches New Record Label, First Album Out Now (en) (June 21, 2022).
56. ↑ Sheehan, Gavin (June 21, 2022). Critical Role Launches New Record Label & Soundtrack (en).
57. ↑ Critical Role launches a record label to produce a fantasy ambiance soundtrack (en) (June 22, 2022).
58. ↑ 58.0 58.1 Spangler, Todd (2023-01-25). Amazon Inks Critical Role to Overall TV and First-Look Film Deal, Greenlights 'Mighty Nein' Animated Series (en-US).
59. ↑ Critical Role's Mighty Nein Heads to Prime Video (en) (2023-01-25).
60. ↑ 60.0 60.1 60.2 60.3 Spangler, Todd (March 29, 2023). Critical Role Makes First Entertainment Acquisition, Buying Sci-Fi Podcast 'Midst' From Its Three Anonymous Founders (en-US).
61. ↑ 61.0 61.1 Critical Role Buys Midst Podcast (en) (March 29, 2023).
62. ↑ 62.0 62.1 62.2 Tyrrell, Caitlin (March 29, 2023). Critical Role's Metapigeon Acquires Sci-Fi Fantasy Podcast Midst (en).
63. ↑ 63.0 63.1 63.2 63.3 63.4 63.5 Law, Eric (July 10, 2023). Critical Role Removes Hundreds of Videos from YouTube (en).
64. ↑ Hall, Charlie (2023-07-14). Actors' strike will likely have no impact on your favorite actual play series (en-US).
65. ↑ Hoffer, Christian (July 14, 2023). Critical Role Releases Statement on Actors' Strike (en).
66. ↑ 66.0 66.1 66.2 66.3 66.4 66.5 66.6 66.7 Friedman, Emily C. (2021). "Narrative Time in a Live-Streamed Tabletop RPG". *Roleplaying Games in the Digital Age: Essays on Transmedia Storytelling, Tabletop RPGs and Fandom*. Stephanie Hedge, Jennifer Grouling. McFarland. pp. 187–204. ISBN 978-1-4766-4201-7. OCLC 1239982762. https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1239982762.
67. ↑ 67.0 67.1 <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Power, Ed (January 17, 2021). "You gotta roll with it: How livestreaming made Dungeons and Dragons cool". *The Independent*. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
68. ↑ Spangler, Todd (2019-03-02). Legendary Is Shutting Down Alpha Streaming Service From Nerdist, Geek & Sundry (en-US).
69. ↑ 69.0 69.1 Radulovic, Petrana (2019-11-05). Two seasons of the Critical Role animated series coming to Amazon Prime (en).
70. ↑ 70.0 70.1 Critical Role Celebrates Their 100th Episode Tonight!. Geek & Sundry (June 8, 2017). Retrieved on June 9, 2017.
71. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Lancaster, Luke (June 8, 2017). "Critical Role rolls on to 100 episodes of live-action D&D". *CNET*. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
72. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Kenreck, Todd (June 8, 2017). "Critical Role's 100th Episode Tonight Is A Milestone For D&D". *Forbes*. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
73. ↑ Vox Machina EP. 115 - The Chapter Closes. Geek & Sundry (January 8, 2018).
74. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>"Here's Where You Can Watch and Listen to Critical Role's New Campaign". Geek & Sundry. January 10, 2018. Archived from the original on January 11, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
75. ↑ Talks Machina. Critical Role. Retrieved on March 24, 2019. "Talks Machina (starting with Episode 101) will also be available moving forward in podcast format"
76. ↑ 76.0 76.1 Hype: Listen to our New Sci-Fantasy Audio Drama, Midst! (en-US) (March 29, 2023).
77. ↑ 77.0 77.1 77.2 Critical Role Announces Two New Shows (en) (March 14, 2022).
78. ↑ Starting today, Critical Role and Talks Machina will now air on both Twitch AND YouTube! Twitch will still be the BEST place to engage with our community with a moderated live chat and immediate access to VODS for Twitch subscribers. The VODs for both Critical Role and Talks Machina will continue to be uploaded to YouTube following their regular schedule, which is Mondays at 12pm Pacific for Critical Role and Thursdays at 12pm Pacific for Talks Machina. <3. Critical Role (January 21, 2021).
79. ↑ WIRE Buzz: Critical Role is back, Vagrant Queen canceled & The Beach House terrifies in new trailer (en) (2020-06-26).
80. ↑ Spangler, Todd (2021-09-30). Critical Role Sets Campaign 3 Premiere Date, Will Simulcast First Episode in Cinemark Theaters (en-US).
81. ↑ Hall, Charlie (2021-09-30). Critical Role's full season 3 begins next month, live online and in movie theaters (en-US).
82. ↑ 82.0 82.1 82.2 82.3 Romero, Rachel (2019-09-25). HYPE: Fall Programming Schedule | Critical Role (en-US).
83. ↑ Critical Role: Best Moments in the First Animated Recap (en-US) (2020-12-27).
84. ↑ Critical Role Unleashes Critical Cuteness With Crit Recap Animated (en-US) (2020-12-24).
85. ↑ Programming Schedule: Week of August 1, 2022 | Critical Role (August 2022).
86. ↑ Critical Role Announces Exandria Unlimited (en) (2021-06-10).
87. ↑ King, Chris (2021-06-10). Critical Role's next campaign launches this month with a new Dungeon Master (en).
88. ↑ Critical Role's next show is Exandria Unlimited (en-US) (2021-06-10).
89. ↑ Critical Role Stars Lift the Lid on Their New Show, Exandria Unlimited (en-us) (2021-06-10).
90. ↑ 90.0 90.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2022-03-14). Critical Role Announces Two New Shows In Latest Video (en).
91. ↑ Hall, Charlie (2022-05-13). Critical Role and Dimension 20 are crossing the streams for a new actual play series (en-US).
92. ↑ HYPE! Exandria Unlimited: Calamity Premieres Thursday, May 26th! (en-US) (2022-05-12).
93. ↑ Otterson, Joe (October 7, 2022). 'Legend of Vox Machina' Renewed for Season 3 at Amazon.
94. ↑ Cao, Caroline (October 7, 2022). Legend of Vox Machina season 2 and season 3 plans revealed at NYCC (en-US).
95. ↑ Moreau, Jordan (December 15, 2022). 'Legend of Vox Machina' Season 2 Trailer: Critical Role's Chroma Conclave Comes to Life (en-US).
96. ↑ Radulovic, Petrana (2022-03-14). Critical Role announces two new series to celebrate its 7th anniversary (en-US).
97. ↑ Critical Role's new talk show has a problem (en) (2022-05-26).
98. ↑ Template:Cite tweet
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100. ↑ Template:Cite tweet
101. ↑ 2021 Fiction Podcast Nominations (en).
102. ↑ 2022 Fiction Podcast Award Winners (en).
103. ↑ Codega, Linda (May 9, 2023). Critical Role Teases a Spooky New Game—and a New System, Too (en).
104. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Hoffer, Christian (May 9, 2023). "Critical Role Announces Candela Obscura, New Ongoing TTRPG Series and Game". *Comicbook.com*. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
105. ↑ Stretch, Andrew (May 9, 2023). Critical Role Announces Horror Series Candela Obscura, First To Use Illuminated Worlds System (en).
106. ↑ Critical Role presents Candela Obscura! (en-US) (July 22, 2023).
107. ↑ Spangler, Todd (2023-01-25). Amazon Inks Critical Role to Overall TV and First-Look Film Deal, Greenlights 'Mighty Nein' Animated Series (en-US).
108. ↑ Critical Role's Mighty Nein Heads to Prime Video (en) (2023-01-25).
109. ↑ All Work No Play: Hot Tub Spectacular (S1, EP8) (en-US) (November 18, 2018).
110. ↑ Important Broadcast Update (March 2020) (17 March 2020). Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved on March 17, 2020.
111. ↑ 111.0 111.1 <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Granshaw, Lisa (29 August 2018). "Exclusive: Watch Critical Role's first Handbooker Helper episode and find out what's coming next". *Syfy Wire*. Archived from the original on 10 July 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
112. ↑ Critical Role Ends Live Broadcasts Due to Coronavirus (en) (March 17, 2020).
113. ↑ 113.0 113.1 113.2 113.3 113.4 Bloom, David. Critical Role Pushed To New Path For Its Pandemic Programming (en).
114. ↑ Wilson, Andy (July 30, 2020). YouTube, Late-Night & More: In Praise of Lo-Fi Television.
115. ↑ Granshaw, Lisa (2018-09-19). Exclusive: Critical Role's Brian W. Foster on the debut of their new show, Between the Sheets (en).
116. ↑ Between the Sheets (en-US).
117. ↑ Sheehan, Gavin (March 17, 2020). "Critical Role" Suspends Their Broadcasts Due To Coronavirus.
118. ↑ Hoffer, Christian (May 4, 2020). Critical Role Launches New Monthly Show (en).
119. ↑ The First Episode of Critical Role's New Show, Critter Hug, Is Now Live (en) (May 5, 2020).
120. ↑ Carr, Dani (March 22, 2018). Critical Recap: Campaign 2, Episodes 1 - 10 -- The Story So Far. Geek & Sundry. Retrieved on February 3, 2019.
121. ↑ PSA: Recap is moving to a written format on Critrole.com in 2020, penned by the inimitable Dani herself! (en) (December 17, 2019). Retrieved on January 6, 2020.
122. ↑ Hoffer, Christian (August 22, 2018). 'Critical Role' to Explain 'Dungeons & Dragons' Basics in New Weekly Show (en).
123. ↑ 123.0 123.1 Rachel, Romero (2019-06-26). Summer Programming Schedule | Critical Role (en-US).
124. ↑ Handbooker Helper: Monsterhearts 2 (en). Retrieved on February 10, 2020.
125. ↑ I Talked to Taliesin Jaffe and Liam O'Brien About CRITICAL ROLE: THE CHRONICLES OF EXANDRIA - THE MIGHTY NEIN (en-US) (2020). "Taliesin: Oh man, we had to drop MAME Drop show to make creative space for some of the new stuff we’re developing. I think it’s probably gonna be a while before new episodes, but I’m sure the crazy stuff that’s coming down the track it’s gonna be more than worth it."
126. ↑ Granshaw, Lisa (2019-10-30). Exclusive: Will Friedle on painting minis, Critical Role and his new series Mini Primetime (en).
127. ↑ Will Friedle dishes on hosting Critical Role's new series Mini Primetime (en-US) (2019-11-13).
128. ↑ Mini Primetime: After Dark (en).
129. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Bradley, Adam (2021-03-24). "The Black Nerds Redefining the Culture". *The New York Times*. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
130. ↑ Plante, Corey (April 20, 2019). Critical Role: How Babs Tarr Brings D&D Characters to Life on 'Pub Draw' (en).
131. ↑ 131.0 131.1 131.2 Bingeworthy: 'Critical Role' Productions Edition (en) (2020-03-31).
132. ↑ Granshaw, Lisa (2019-10-20). Exclusive: Brian W. Foster dishes on Critical Role's new show UnDeadwood (en).
133. ↑ Ray, Marisha (June 25, 2020). State of the Role: Critical Role Return Updates. Critical Role.
134. ↑ Hoffer, Christian (June 25, 2020). Critical Role to Return on July 2nd (en).
135. ↑ 135.0 135.1 Granshaw, Lisa (2020-09-11). Critical Role's Brian W. Foster reflects on Talks Machina's triumphant quarantine return (en).
136. ↑ In case you missed it live… Talks Machina will return on September 15th at 7pm Pacific with new episodes airing every other week! Get hyped for more banter from your faves. Oh! And @BrianWFoster will be there too. (en). @CriticalRole (September 4, 2020).
137. ↑  Template:Cite tweet
138. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Roepel, Ashley (21 February 2019). "Talks Machina Celebrates 100 Episodes". *The Nerd Stash*. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021.
139. ↑ Fireside Chat | Talks Machina.
140. ↑ Home.
141. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Johnston, Rich (September 20, 2017). "Critical Role Gets A Comic Book Origin For The Vox Machina, Out Now". *Bleeding Cool*. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
142. ↑ Hoffer, Christian (July 10, 2019). Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins II #1 Review: Capturing the Spirit of the Beloved D&D Web Series (en).
143. ↑ Romero, Rachel (August 18, 2017). Announcing the First Critical Role Art Book!. Geek & Sundry.
144. ↑ Romero, Rachel (March 11, 2019). HYPE: Dark Horse Comic Series Updates & The Mighty Nein Art Book. Critical Role.
145. ↑ Whitbrook, James (2021-03-25). Critical Role's Sibling Tag Team Is Getting Its Own Prequel Novel (en-us).
146. ↑ REVIEW: Critical Role Novel Vox Machina - Kith & Kin Provides a New Way to Explore Exandria (en-US) (2021-11-19).
147. ↑ Sass, Evan (August 14, 2016). Geek & Sundry Partners with Green Ronin to Create RPG Books Based on its Groundbreaking Show - Critical Role. Green Ronin Publishing.
148. ↑ Hall, Charlie (January 13, 2020). The next D&D book is a Critical Role tie-in (en).
149. ↑ Critical Role Is Getting Funko Pop!, Action Figures, and More (en) (September 27, 2019).
150. ↑ We Review The Critical Role Funko POP Collection (December 23, 2020).
151. ↑ CriticalRole's Subs Count and Statistics (en).
152. ↑ 152.0 152.1 <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Codega, Linda (January 5, 2023). "Dungeons & Dragons' New License Tightens Its Grip on Competition". *Gizmodo*. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
153. ↑ Mercer, Matthew; Haeck, James (2017). *Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting*. Seattle, WA: Green Ronin Publishing. pp. 143. ISBN 978-1-934547-84-7. OCLC 1000342575.
154. ↑ Mercer, Matthew (2022). *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn*. James Haeck, Hannah Rose, Genel Jumalon, Lauren Walsh, Andy Law, Laura Bailey, Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, Liam O'Brien, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, Travis Willingham, John Stavropoulos, Aabria Iyengar (Revised ed.). Los Angeles, California. pp. 280. ISBN 978-1-7373725-0-9. OCLC 1298901488. https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1298901488.
155. ↑ Walsh, Kit (2023-01-10). Beware the Gifts of Dragons: How D&D's Open Gaming License May Have Become a Trap for Creators (en).
156. ↑ 156.0 156.1 Template:Cite tweet
157. ↑ Stephenson, Cassidy (2023-01-14). Critical Role Responds to the WotC OGL Controversy, Supports Content Creators (en).
158. ↑ Orland, Kyle (2023-01-17). Game makers stage mass exodus from Dungeons & Dragons' "open" license (en-us).
159. ↑ 159.0 159.1 159.2 Critical Role Issues Ambiguous Response to 'D&D' OGL 1.1 Controversy (en) (January 17, 2023).
160. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Borgonia, Geoff (January 16, 2023). "D&D fans angered at WoTC insider email and Critical Role over OGL 1.1 response". *Xfire*. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
161. ↑ 161.0 161.1 <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Law, Eric (January 16, 2023). "Critical Role Releases Official Statement on Dungeons and Dragons OGL Controversy". *Game Rant*. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
162. ↑ Template:Cite AV media
163. ↑ 163.0 163.1 Critical Role's Cast Supports Independent Creators and New Systems (en) (2023-01-23).
164. ↑ Hoffer, Christian (March 12, 2023). Critical Role Celebrates 8th Anniversary (en).
165. ↑ Critical Role. The Webby Awards.
166. ↑ Critical Role - The Shorty Awards.
167. ↑ Critical Role - The Shorty Awards.
168. ↑ Sources for this event are:

	* <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Hoffer, Christian (May 15, 2019). "Chose Stephen Colbert's 'Dungeons & Dragons' Adventure for Charity". *Comicbook.com*. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
	* <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Fisher, Jessica (May 17, 2019). "Stephen Colbert Participating in Dungeons and Dragons Event for Charity". *GeekTyrant*. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
	* <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Thomas, Jeremy (May 16, 2019). "Stephen Colbert is Playing D&D With Critical Role's Matthew Mercer For Red Nose Day". *411Mania*. Archived from the original on May 20, 2019. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
	* <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Haeck, James (May 23, 2019). "Stephen Colbert Plays D&D with Matthew Mercer". *D&D Beyond*. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
	* <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Thomas, Jeremy (May 27, 2019). "Critical Role Releases Stephen Colbert's D&D Mini-Adventure For Red Nose Day". *411Mania*. Archived from the original on May 29, 2019. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
169. ↑ Alexander, Julia (2020-10-07). Critical Role's next big move is a charity organization that fans can donate to all year round (en).
170. ↑ 170.0 170.1 Puc, Samantha (2020-09-24). Critical Role Announces 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Foundation (en-US).
171. ↑ Critical Role Foundation | Critical Role (en-US) (2020-09-24).
172. ↑ Puc, Samantha (2020-09-24). INTERVIEW: Critical Role Foundation President Ashley Johnson Says Critters Inspired New Nonprofit (en-US).
173. ↑ Choose Stephen's Adventure… Again! | The 7th Shorty Impact Awards (October 26, 2022).

## References

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