Critical Role

For the most part, though, most people know me from the TTRPG space, specifically the D&D space, which is at least where I started.

I got my kind of shine being spotlit by the Critical Role cast.

back in 2019, and then things just kind of skyrocketed from there.

I mean, I've always been an actor and vocalist, but then I kind of brought that barddom into the TTRPG world in my own little way.

It's just a lot.

We're in a weird, not a weird, but just a unique scenario.

Cause I'm like, I think we all started with one of the big ones, which was either critical role or dimension 20 or something like that, where it's just like this very big spotlight on something that was a bit big part of our life for a long time.

And I'm like,

You started to dip into some Magic the Gathering shorts, which have been fucking hilarious.

And also, you're on Critical Role.

You just finished up...

Age of Umbra.

Yes.

It is so weird to hear people still introduce me like that.

Like, oh, also, you're on Critical Role.

It's crazy.

and talk about the history of actual plays, where they first started, how they grew in popularity.

What is it that makes people sit down and want to watch other people sit around and, you know, play a game together? We'll get some great sort of insights and anecdotes about the start of Critical Role and how that was all at first a bit janky, but that was sort of part of its appeal as well.

And much, much more.

It's a really interesting chat.

And this is all in the 2000s.

Kind of as you know, as we're finally getting the kind of download abilities and hosting abilities that make this kind of work possible.

And, you know, I suppose moving on from that, I mean, why do you think, because obviously, you know, if we think of like the big ones that are the biggest critical role is, what was that, 2016 was it, I think? 2015.

2015, yeah.

This story begins with the most nerdy thing I could possibly say, a Dungeons and Dragons live show in Edinburgh Castle.

If you haven't heard of Critical Role, please let me be the one to introduce you.

They are a bunch of voice actors whose voices you've probably heard all playing D&D and their fan base has grown so large that they now have two shows on Amazon Prime and tour internationally to do live shows.

I see they're planning on doing a live show in Edinburgh Castle.

I recently just actually this month when we're recording, not when this is coming out, the episode, the interview I put out was about AP theory and about like media studies and about the medium as an entertainment form that is kind of still like blowing up, but becoming obviously something that's a little more mainstream, right? Like we've had.

The Critical Role in the Dimension 20s and, you know, the Adventure Zones on tours and live shows and huge and big.

Right.

Madison Square Garden.

It's like I think of that.

And then I think of like I can draw a line to that and the finale to that.

Campaign one of Critical Role, where they were also, like, running through and, like, and finding all of their allies and finding who had come to surprise them and join them and, like, and rally.

And that, like, big... moment where all of your choices all of your efforts all of the things that you had done are now culminating in a way that you can see and feel in the game I think that that's something that I love to see present at a at a table as well and I think it's obviously something that works so well in the video game and and the translation works

[laughs]

Um, but like watching like clips of Critical Role, for instance-

Mm-hmm

... and seeing how, like they do their character voices even when they're like rolling dice and-