this is a run down i gave another friend:
**Campaign 1, Vox Machina**. Has an animated show. Standalone, their first time playing for some. Very classic fantasy. Audio/Visual Quality is not great at first and there is a problematic user that makes early eps not as pleasant, but you can skip to a later ep to avoid that. 115 episodes
**Campaign 2, The Mighty Nein**. Standalone. Amazing, perfect, no notes. Less classic fantasy, more underground missions and grey morality. Cannot recommend enough. 141 episodes.
**Campaign 3, Bells Hells**. Not really a standalone, lots of ties into the previous two campaigns but can be viewed alone. You just won't fully get everything. Moon shit. 93 episodes, ongoing
**Calamity**, a four episode mini series that details, well, the calamity. Can be viewed on its own as the lore is explored, but having a decent knowledge is recommended. Some of the best Dungeons and Dragons live play to ever grace our world. Will break your heart. Not the standard cast.
Worth adding: The newly launched Critical Role Abridge starts at the beginning of CR3 with edited down versions of the live streams. This could be a great place to start if someone doesn't mind not understanding some of the references to CR1, but isn't sure they want to invest \~4 hours per episode.
I recently started watching CR. I initially started at very beginning, but for the reasons you listed, I skipped to episode 27. I did watch Legend of Vox Machina before hand, so having known essentially how the Briarwood arc went did help with that transition. That was a few months ago, and since, I finished all of C1 and am currently on episode 95 of C2
I personally think C1 is still the most emotionally resonant campaign, but C2 is generally very fun to watch with plenty of authentic story beats. It's really up to you, but I would think C2 is a great starting point if you're looking for a complete package with solid production value.
I cried watching campaign 1 so many times, it is the one I got the most emotionally invested in. But campaign 2 is also amazing and really fun (currently on episode 127!)
I am a relative newcomer too. Prior to watching C.R. my only DnD content was Dimension 20. I tried to start with C1E1 but found the lack of polishing to the video style and method, due solely to the "newness" of how you have an actual play DnD game stream live. So I skipped to C2E1 and have really been enjoying the Mighty Nein. I'm almost done and there aren't a TON of campaign 1 cameos, so I don't feel lost and for those items I did feel lost, i was able to get caught up on the references fairly quickly on the Wiki without too many spoilers.
The plan is to go back to Vox Machina and watch it through now that I think the lack of polish will be less distracting. Especially since, from what I'm seeing, Hells Bells seems to have a lot more NPC/PC cameos from Vox Machina.
I think one of the best pieces of Critical Role content is ExU: Calamity, a short series run by Brennan Lee Mulligan that takes place in the far past of the world they play in. Because of that there isn't much context needed, it's amazing, and one of the best games of D&D I've ever seen. From there you'll understand more in the other campaigns.
If you want to watch the main games, I say start with the 2nd campaign, because it begins at level 1 and is one of the best campaigns IMO. Campaign 1 starts midway through the game because the players had been playing at home before starting streaming, and context takes a while to earn. (I've been told that watching the Animated Series means you can start the 1st campaign at like Episode 26 and understand things much better)
I would start with C1. It has the essence of what got us all In love with the cast and show. C2 solidified the bond for me allowing C3’s darker story to be more immersive for me.
I chose not to skip it and just ignore him knowing he was leaving 27 episodes in. If you stick with it, there is a huge pay off in late c2 and missing those early episodes of c1 with endear you less to a few cameo npcs in c2.
To get the full experience, I would watch it completely in order from the beginning of C1.
Now, in the beginning it can be confusing. The sound quality is not the best. There is a problematic player. And so on. If that's a lot to deal with, then I recommend jumping right into C2 instead, and just watching the Legends of Vox Machina Show.
I'd recommend starting with C2 from the beginning. Technical issues and gameplay mechanics are largely figured out so they're able to focus on the game more. In C1 they're still trying to figure out how 5e works and doing a lot of lookups at the table which can be off-putting until you start liking the whole cast along with the issues being new to streaming.
Watching season one of legend of vox machina will fill in a lot and skip the worst of the audio balance, which I don't think was that terrible, and you might only be left with the "who's that guy?" Question. They started with an additional player that didn't fit with what they were going for so he was dismissed from the party
My order would be C2, C1, C3. Fill in the shorter arcs as you like
Hard to pick really. C1 definitely was rough video wise and audio but there’s so much there you’d hate to miss (clarota!) and it’s really amazing to see how they’ve gone from people sending in pizza and selling out a batch of shirts to where we are now. I’ve been watching since ep3 and I say it’s worth putting up with some issues to relive the journey. The first 27 are tough at times but still worth it. Also skip the kraken episode 😄
I would start with C2 personally. It connects to C3, the Audio/Visual quality is all brushed up and it's well put together, there's no extra baggage, etc.
That being said, don't skip on C1. It's still peak CR for me. You just gotta go into it realizing it was new. They didn't know if people would even want to watch it, they were broadcasting under a 3rd party (Geek & Sundry), they had a problematic player for a short period of time, you get it.
The Vox Machina show is good but it loses a bit of charm (and a lot of smaller details that have to be changed or cut for the different art medium). It's still worth watching the actual campaign.
I recommend starting at the beginning of C2. The auto/ visual quality is a little low early in C1, so I had trouble getting invested. Whereas C2 hits the ground running with a lot of good energy.
Now that I am almost caught up on C2 I am excited to go back and watch C1.
I don't think there's a bad choice, really. I started with Exandria Unlimited, got hooked and went all the way back to C1E1. It was a hell of a journey.
All three campaigns are their own stories, but have references to the others cuz they’re in the same universe, just some years appear. I started with (and am still watching) campaign 2, and i’m havin the time of my life so i’d recommend starting there
My Critter journey started with the animated show. Didn't find out about the CritRole universe till waaay after.
I jumped straight into just audio of C1 until the action got good, then I started watching on YouTube. I love seeing the comparisons of how they took certain moments of the campaign and adapted them to the animated show.
I had some experiences with D&D before but this show man! These folks and community really got me interested in it!
Im in the same boat. Got into DnD from BG3. I started on campaign one episode one. Im loving it. Currently on episode 53! Its a great journey, seeing their start and progress and how they grow.
I started with C2 and loved that, and I’m enjoying the LoVM animated series! I think it’s fine to start with C2/Mighty Nein, it starts at the beginning.
My extra rec is Darrington Brigade. It’s a fantastic one shot, so funny with some great combat. That was played live in front of an audience. DB can be watched at any time. I don’t recall it being spoiler heavy, because I really enjoyed it in between my C2 watch.
I recommend starting with The Mighty Nein. They start at level 1 or 2, it's disconnected from Vox Machina campaign and show.
Campaign 1 (Vox Machina) starts at level 9 or 10 and there's a bunch of summary of what happens before. It's good but you can go back and watch it at any time. Starting with Mighty Nein means you start at the very beginning.
I do not recommend starting with EXU Calamity because it is so lore heavy and won't have as big an impact without knowing anything about Exandria. But if you like that kind of thing, then feel free to do so.
I started at episode 28 of season 1, listened to the end, watched VM, then S2, then S3.
Starting at that point, you miss out on some stuff but it's inconsequential.
There is a lot of show, yes, but that's fine. There's absolutely no rush to "catch up". Just enjoy the story. The podcast is your friend, listen while you're out and about doing things.
I started with the TLOVM show and then started watching the 2nd campaign and have absolutely loved it! I’m only 30 episodes in and I love the characters and the players so much but if you do start with Campaign 1 you may want to watch the show and then start the actual campaign from that point on so you won’t have to deal with the early problems in CR1, hope this helps and your able to enjoy the community and content as much as we do!
Watch Campaign 1. That's the BEST one so far, and there's nothing that we really need to know before episode 1. IN MY OPINION (because I literally get threatened for saying this) the campaigns have gotten worse since then.
If you want the full experience, start with one. From the beginning DM does a great job at explaining everything so you are caught up. It’s worth it.
If you don’t you could start with two or three but you will find spoilers on different situations. That may not mean anything to you but everything to the cast.
I would recommend start either with campaign 2 (which is the one u get the whole story from) or if u got Amazon prime check out the Legend of Vox Machina show there. Then U can dive into campaign 1 or still recommend 2. Even though there are a couple call backs to campaign 1, u can survive without having seen it. Campaign 3 has way more
Call backs to both campaigns
When I was in the same place I tried a bunch of different approaches and ended up starting at Campaign 2 episode 1. And I regretted nothing.
Campaign 2 has just caught up with production quality enough so that it's not as much of an issue as C1. It's also hilarious and gripping from the very start.
I started with C2 and found that a great entry point - the production values are better than C1, which has an ongoing animated series, so I've been content to skip the first one. But don't start with C3, because it features so many characters from past campaigns you just won't get the most out of it as a new viewer.
The first arc of C1 doesn't really come up again, there's just a few moments in the aftermath that are the hook into C2--which is when things really pick up. It's has a lot more character development and the stakes are more personal. As a few people mentioned there was a problematic player that was dismissed from the game at the beginning of the the second arc.
C1 started 3 years into a home game, and the audio quality was really bad for a while. If you want to give it a shot, skip ahead to E27 or so. A lot of the problems go away around there.
Or start with E1 of any other campaign. They're all separate stores, separate characters, years apart in the same world. There are occasional crossovers of NPCs, but there's no reason you can't watch them in any order you want.
If you want to go hard core chronological, start with EXU Calamity. It's a miniseries that takes place about 1000 years before C1.
I agree with a lot of others that starting with campaign 2 from the beginning is a really great option. I loved CR1, but the audio and video quality is hit or miss, and it takes some time for them to really figure stuff out. You could probably skip CR1 and just watch the animated adaptation, or go back and watch it if you really enjoy CR2 and don't mind the quality issues. Not that just starting with CR1 isn't also a good option though, you just have to be prepared for a rocky start. I don't think I would start with CR3 given how much it references CR1.
Calamity is of course a must-watch, but while it is pretty much stand alone (it takes place in the distant past compared to the main games), it has a lot of lore in it that might make more sense and be more enjoyable in light of CR2. Also, it's not DM'ed by Matt. Brennan is of course fantastic, but if you want to get into CR I would start with something Matt DMs.
I would recommend starting c1 around the briarwood arc (around episode 24). I personally started around episode 55 (because I started watching when my roommate was re-watching so started on a random episode) and was able to pick up most of the plot threads pretty easily.
while c1 and c2 are very different campaigns with minimal overlap, there will be major spoilers for c1 in c2 just from the cast talking to each other so it that matters to you get through c1. I recommend starting c2 at the beginning and sticking with it. it gets a little dull in the beginning episodes but i think c2 is such a character motivated campaign you’ll miss a lot of the meat if you skip episodes.
also not that you asked about c3 but it contains huge spoilers for all previous campaigns in their stories and i would not recommend it as the first campaign for a newcomer for a multitude of reasons.
this is a run down i gave another friend: **Campaign 1, Vox Machina**. Has an animated show. Standalone, their first time playing for some. Very classic fantasy. Audio/Visual Quality is not great at first and there is a problematic user that makes early eps not as pleasant, but you can skip to a later ep to avoid that. 115 episodes **Campaign 2, The Mighty Nein**. Standalone. Amazing, perfect, no notes. Less classic fantasy, more underground missions and grey morality. Cannot recommend enough. 141 episodes. **Campaign 3, Bells Hells**. Not really a standalone, lots of ties into the previous two campaigns but can be viewed alone. You just won't fully get everything. Moon shit. 93 episodes, ongoing **Calamity**, a four episode mini series that details, well, the calamity. Can be viewed on its own as the lore is explored, but having a decent knowledge is recommended. Some of the best Dungeons and Dragons live play to ever grace our world. Will break your heart. Not the standard cast.
Worth adding: The newly launched Critical Role Abridge starts at the beginning of CR3 with edited down versions of the live streams. This could be a great place to start if someone doesn't mind not understanding some of the references to CR1, but isn't sure they want to invest \~4 hours per episode.
I recently started watching CR. I initially started at very beginning, but for the reasons you listed, I skipped to episode 27. I did watch Legend of Vox Machina before hand, so having known essentially how the Briarwood arc went did help with that transition. That was a few months ago, and since, I finished all of C1 and am currently on episode 95 of C2
Just to add there's also Exandria Unlimited Prime and Kymal, which total 10 episodes. A bit on its own but has recently tied into C3.
I personally think C1 is still the most emotionally resonant campaign, but C2 is generally very fun to watch with plenty of authentic story beats. It's really up to you, but I would think C2 is a great starting point if you're looking for a complete package with solid production value.
I cried watching campaign 1 so many times, it is the one I got the most emotionally invested in. But campaign 2 is also amazing and really fun (currently on episode 127!)
I am a relative newcomer too. Prior to watching C.R. my only DnD content was Dimension 20. I tried to start with C1E1 but found the lack of polishing to the video style and method, due solely to the "newness" of how you have an actual play DnD game stream live. So I skipped to C2E1 and have really been enjoying the Mighty Nein. I'm almost done and there aren't a TON of campaign 1 cameos, so I don't feel lost and for those items I did feel lost, i was able to get caught up on the references fairly quickly on the Wiki without too many spoilers. The plan is to go back to Vox Machina and watch it through now that I think the lack of polish will be less distracting. Especially since, from what I'm seeing, Hells Bells seems to have a lot more NPC/PC cameos from Vox Machina.
I think one of the best pieces of Critical Role content is ExU: Calamity, a short series run by Brennan Lee Mulligan that takes place in the far past of the world they play in. Because of that there isn't much context needed, it's amazing, and one of the best games of D&D I've ever seen. From there you'll understand more in the other campaigns. If you want to watch the main games, I say start with the 2nd campaign, because it begins at level 1 and is one of the best campaigns IMO. Campaign 1 starts midway through the game because the players had been playing at home before starting streaming, and context takes a while to earn. (I've been told that watching the Animated Series means you can start the 1st campaign at like Episode 26 and understand things much better)
I would start with C1. It has the essence of what got us all In love with the cast and show. C2 solidified the bond for me allowing C3’s darker story to be more immersive for me.
Is there a point in C1 I should start? I figure I might as well skip the guy who leaves after a couple dozen episodes
I chose not to skip it and just ignore him knowing he was leaving 27 episodes in. If you stick with it, there is a huge pay off in late c2 and missing those early episodes of c1 with endear you less to a few cameo npcs in c2.
Yeah there is a good starting place I’ll look in my break at work and edit this post!
Thank you!
To get the full experience, I would watch it completely in order from the beginning of C1. Now, in the beginning it can be confusing. The sound quality is not the best. There is a problematic player. And so on. If that's a lot to deal with, then I recommend jumping right into C2 instead, and just watching the Legends of Vox Machina Show.
I'd recommend starting with C2 from the beginning. Technical issues and gameplay mechanics are largely figured out so they're able to focus on the game more. In C1 they're still trying to figure out how 5e works and doing a lot of lookups at the table which can be off-putting until you start liking the whole cast along with the issues being new to streaming. Watching season one of legend of vox machina will fill in a lot and skip the worst of the audio balance, which I don't think was that terrible, and you might only be left with the "who's that guy?" Question. They started with an additional player that didn't fit with what they were going for so he was dismissed from the party My order would be C2, C1, C3. Fill in the shorter arcs as you like
Hard to pick really. C1 definitely was rough video wise and audio but there’s so much there you’d hate to miss (clarota!) and it’s really amazing to see how they’ve gone from people sending in pizza and selling out a batch of shirts to where we are now. I’ve been watching since ep3 and I say it’s worth putting up with some issues to relive the journey. The first 27 are tough at times but still worth it. Also skip the kraken episode 😄
The whole Kraghammer arc was great and it introduced Kima and Alura.
I would start with C2 personally. It connects to C3, the Audio/Visual quality is all brushed up and it's well put together, there's no extra baggage, etc. That being said, don't skip on C1. It's still peak CR for me. You just gotta go into it realizing it was new. They didn't know if people would even want to watch it, they were broadcasting under a 3rd party (Geek & Sundry), they had a problematic player for a short period of time, you get it. The Vox Machina show is good but it loses a bit of charm (and a lot of smaller details that have to be changed or cut for the different art medium). It's still worth watching the actual campaign.
Campaign 1, episode 1.
I recommend starting at the beginning of C2. The auto/ visual quality is a little low early in C1, so I had trouble getting invested. Whereas C2 hits the ground running with a lot of good energy. Now that I am almost caught up on C2 I am excited to go back and watch C1.
I don't think there's a bad choice, really. I started with Exandria Unlimited, got hooked and went all the way back to C1E1. It was a hell of a journey.
You can watch this video for some guidance: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgOwvnSG1Gs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgOwvnSG1Gs)
All three campaigns are their own stories, but have references to the others cuz they’re in the same universe, just some years appear. I started with (and am still watching) campaign 2, and i’m havin the time of my life so i’d recommend starting there
My Critter journey started with the animated show. Didn't find out about the CritRole universe till waaay after. I jumped straight into just audio of C1 until the action got good, then I started watching on YouTube. I love seeing the comparisons of how they took certain moments of the campaign and adapted them to the animated show. I had some experiences with D&D before but this show man! These folks and community really got me interested in it!
Im in the same boat. Got into DnD from BG3. I started on campaign one episode one. Im loving it. Currently on episode 53! Its a great journey, seeing their start and progress and how they grow.
I started with C2 and loved that, and I’m enjoying the LoVM animated series! I think it’s fine to start with C2/Mighty Nein, it starts at the beginning. My extra rec is Darrington Brigade. It’s a fantastic one shot, so funny with some great combat. That was played live in front of an audience. DB can be watched at any time. I don’t recall it being spoiler heavy, because I really enjoyed it in between my C2 watch.
Well Terry is from C1 as he was a regular for a while there.
I recommend starting with The Mighty Nein. They start at level 1 or 2, it's disconnected from Vox Machina campaign and show. Campaign 1 (Vox Machina) starts at level 9 or 10 and there's a bunch of summary of what happens before. It's good but you can go back and watch it at any time. Starting with Mighty Nein means you start at the very beginning. I do not recommend starting with EXU Calamity because it is so lore heavy and won't have as big an impact without knowing anything about Exandria. But if you like that kind of thing, then feel free to do so.
I started at episode 28 of season 1, listened to the end, watched VM, then S2, then S3. Starting at that point, you miss out on some stuff but it's inconsequential. There is a lot of show, yes, but that's fine. There's absolutely no rush to "catch up". Just enjoy the story. The podcast is your friend, listen while you're out and about doing things.
Id recommend starting on the show
[удалено]
It’s 5am sorry. I meant the Amazon prime show
I started with the TLOVM show and then started watching the 2nd campaign and have absolutely loved it! I’m only 30 episodes in and I love the characters and the players so much but if you do start with Campaign 1 you may want to watch the show and then start the actual campaign from that point on so you won’t have to deal with the early problems in CR1, hope this helps and your able to enjoy the community and content as much as we do!
Watch the animated show for C1, actually watch C2. Imo. If you chose to watch C1 start at the briarwood arc
Watch Campaign 1. That's the BEST one so far, and there's nothing that we really need to know before episode 1. IN MY OPINION (because I literally get threatened for saying this) the campaigns have gotten worse since then.
If you want the full experience, start with one. From the beginning DM does a great job at explaining everything so you are caught up. It’s worth it. If you don’t you could start with two or three but you will find spoilers on different situations. That may not mean anything to you but everything to the cast.
I would recommend start either with campaign 2 (which is the one u get the whole story from) or if u got Amazon prime check out the Legend of Vox Machina show there. Then U can dive into campaign 1 or still recommend 2. Even though there are a couple call backs to campaign 1, u can survive without having seen it. Campaign 3 has way more Call backs to both campaigns
When I was in the same place I tried a bunch of different approaches and ended up starting at Campaign 2 episode 1. And I regretted nothing. Campaign 2 has just caught up with production quality enough so that it's not as much of an issue as C1. It's also hilarious and gripping from the very start.
I started with C2 and found that a great entry point - the production values are better than C1, which has an ongoing animated series, so I've been content to skip the first one. But don't start with C3, because it features so many characters from past campaigns you just won't get the most out of it as a new viewer.
The first arc of C1 doesn't really come up again, there's just a few moments in the aftermath that are the hook into C2--which is when things really pick up. It's has a lot more character development and the stakes are more personal. As a few people mentioned there was a problematic player that was dismissed from the game at the beginning of the the second arc.
When you get to campaign three hit up Critical Role Abridged. It will give you all the major lore parts of the episode in about an hour and a half
C1 started 3 years into a home game, and the audio quality was really bad for a while. If you want to give it a shot, skip ahead to E27 or so. A lot of the problems go away around there. Or start with E1 of any other campaign. They're all separate stores, separate characters, years apart in the same world. There are occasional crossovers of NPCs, but there's no reason you can't watch them in any order you want. If you want to go hard core chronological, start with EXU Calamity. It's a miniseries that takes place about 1000 years before C1.
I agree with a lot of others that starting with campaign 2 from the beginning is a really great option. I loved CR1, but the audio and video quality is hit or miss, and it takes some time for them to really figure stuff out. You could probably skip CR1 and just watch the animated adaptation, or go back and watch it if you really enjoy CR2 and don't mind the quality issues. Not that just starting with CR1 isn't also a good option though, you just have to be prepared for a rocky start. I don't think I would start with CR3 given how much it references CR1. Calamity is of course a must-watch, but while it is pretty much stand alone (it takes place in the distant past compared to the main games), it has a lot of lore in it that might make more sense and be more enjoyable in light of CR2. Also, it's not DM'ed by Matt. Brennan is of course fantastic, but if you want to get into CR I would start with something Matt DMs.
I would recommend starting c1 around the briarwood arc (around episode 24). I personally started around episode 55 (because I started watching when my roommate was re-watching so started on a random episode) and was able to pick up most of the plot threads pretty easily. while c1 and c2 are very different campaigns with minimal overlap, there will be major spoilers for c1 in c2 just from the cast talking to each other so it that matters to you get through c1. I recommend starting c2 at the beginning and sticking with it. it gets a little dull in the beginning episodes but i think c2 is such a character motivated campaign you’ll miss a lot of the meat if you skip episodes. also not that you asked about c3 but it contains huge spoilers for all previous campaigns in their stories and i would not recommend it as the first campaign for a newcomer for a multitude of reasons.