Critical Role

Critical Role is a surprisingly engaging show, told through constant improvisation performed by some of the hardest hitters in the Voice Acting business, through the game "Dungeons and Dragons" lead by Matthew Mercer. Critical Role takes place in the high fantasy world of Exandria, and centers around the group of adventurers called Vox Machina. Vox Machina consists of Goliath barbarian Grog (Travis Willingham), human gunslinger Percival (Taliesin Jaffe), Dragonborn Sorcerer Tiberius (Orion Acaba), half-elf druid Keyleth (Marisha Ray), gnome cleric Pike (Ashley Johnson), gnome bard Scanlan (Sam Riegel) and the half-elven twins, the ranger Vex'ahlia (Laura Bailey) and her brother, the rogue Vax'ildan (Liam O'Brien). The story starts in-medias-res as the group are entering the dwarven city of Kraghammer. They don't manage to be there long before they start attracting attention and trouble. What makes the show isn't the story itself, which might surprise most who try to watch the show. It's the characters, their inter- personal relationships, struggles, and the impact they have on the world around them that makes the show what it is. Despite having no visuals at all, this show is intensely visual, through the amazingly graphic storytelling of Matthew Mercer. If you possess even a smidgen of ability to imagine, Matthew Mercer handles the rest. He'll paint castles in your mind, after which the remaining cast will fill the castle with life, laughter, and tears of both joy and sorrow. Being that the show is running on 300+ hours, and isn't done yet, with the average episode being 3 hours, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone with a short attention span. But if that isn't an issue, I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys stories about people. Even if you don't like fantasy, you'll quite quickly discover that the fantasy is just the setting of the story, but that the backbone of Critical Role is the characters. I've seen 300 hours of this show, and I'd happily watch 300 more.

9 voice actors get together and play Dungeons and Dragons, live, for our entertainment. The voice acting experience of everyone involved is outstanding and they have played these character for the better part of 2 years and so they are truly emotional when one of their party is on the brink of death; REAL TEARS PEOPLE! If you're a fan of fantasy and great story telling, if you were ever embarrassed by your basement hobby, if you wanted to learn about table top role playing, but, didn't know where to go, I highly recommend Geek & Sundry's Critical Role. I laugh, I cry, I RAGE! But, mostly, I love, love, love Critical Role. By far the most genuine and entertaining show out there at the moment.

#Critter4Life

10/10 all the feels.

Honestly, I never thought I would like this show. As a D&D player (and DM) myself, I've always thought that watching someone play without playing yourself to be extremely boring. 54 episodes later, I have to say: that was not the case with Critical Role.

How can watching 8 people talk and roll dice make you laugh or cry?

I've found that listening to Matt's descriptions would paint a picture before my eyes. It was just like watching a movie, only way better. Because fails are awesome too here. Characters are not always ready or prepared, they sometimes don't really know what to say. And that makes them more real. Through the players' voices, I can hear their characters. I've come to the point where i really believe that Ashley and Sam are gnomes, and Travis is a Goliath.

This show made me want to be a better DM, and a better player. Matthew, I one day will be as prepared as you are! I know the chances of the cast ever reading this, but if any of you ever do, thank you for letting me watch and have fun with you.

This show is epic, the story telling is top notch. And the real emotions of these voice actors as they are truly connected to their characters is unbelievable! Matthew Mercer is a world creating genius and just waiting for Thursday proper to roll around so that I can watch is almost torture. This is by far my favorite streaming show of all time.

Critical Role is an excellent display of just how much fun you can have playing the classic 'pen and paper' game of Dungeons and Dragons. Bringing the old radio plays from the 20s into a modern day setting (the internet) these highly talented voice actors all inject fun, enthusiasm and entertainment into their characters.

Matthew Mercer (Halo 4, Diablo 3) takes on the role of the Game Master, the person responsible for maintaining the story, who guides the players through their journey in a world of his creation. Every shopkeeper, tavern owner and wandering monster is brought to life by his quirky and intelligent style.

On occasion the story can wane due to the size of the party and due to the budgets available to web shows the sound quality will sometimes go awry I was unable to rate it as a 10, but the quality of voice acting involved will rival any movie, TV show or video game. If you love playing the game itself or want to pick up some helpful tips this show is not something you can afford to miss.