While promoting the latest episode of animated series Crit Recap, Critical Role cast member, Marisha Ray (8.13), confirmed a third campaign was on the horizon for the massively popular Dungeons & Dragons actual play series. Ray described Crit Recap, originally meant to catch up fans on the adventures of campaign two’s Mighty Nein, as “now designed to get you caught up on Campaign 2 before Campaign 3” (Twitter).
A third campaign has been hinted at by the Critical Role team since early June, when the Mighty Nein said an emotional goodbye after three years of gameplay. Critical Role’s fanbase, known as Critters, had their Dungeons & Dragons needs briefly met by eight-episode summer campaign, Exandria Unlimited. However, with Exandria Unlimited coming to an end last week, Critters now face their first Thursday with no news of what comes next from Critical Role‘s adventurers.
Exandria Unlimited Game Maser, Aabria Iyengar (The Department of Mysteries), indicated that her story may have a second season, even including a post-credits scene, after Thursday’s final episode. The short, summer campaign saw stalwart Critical Role Game Master, Matthew Mercer (Overwatch), step in as a player in the world of Tal’Dorei, which he created. Critical Role alums Liam O’Brien (Carmen Sandiego) and Ashley Johnson (The Last of Us) joined Mercer and newcomers Robbie Daymond (Spider-Man), Aimee Carrero (Elena of Avalor, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power) and Anjali Bhimani (Apex Legends, Overwatch) at the table. With plenty of loose ends, and a tease for season two, in Exandria Unlimited’s finale, Critters have been left to wonder about both the fate of both the Crown Keepers and Critical Role‘s third campaign.
Critical Role’s first and second campaign, as well as Exandria Unlimited, were set in the same shared universe of Exandria. Details about campaign three loom large in fans’ minds, though Ray’s Wednesday tweet seemed to indicate that Critical Role’s next story will likewise be set in Exandria, as knowing more about the Mighty Nein could serve to help fans “catch up,” via Twitter. With Exandria Unlimited setting a precedent for both new players and Game Masters to step into Mercer’s sandbox, it’s possible that the cast for campaign three might not be exactly the same as prior campaigns.
While Ray’s Wednesday tweet provided Critters with a comforting confirmation that campaign three is on its way, the precise details of Critical Role’s next campaign remain under wraps for the time being. In addition to awaiting further information about campaign three, Critical Role fans are likewise eager to discover more about the fate and future of Exandria Unlimited’s Crown Keepers.
Behind the scenes, Critical Role confirmed the departure of company-wide producer and host of Talks Machina, Brian Foster (Critical Role, UnDeadwood), on Twitter, leaving yet another unanswered question for fans. Whether Talks Machina will continue with a new host for Critical Role’s third campaign is one, of many, insights fans hope to gain from future announcements about campaign three.