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- Season 0
- Episode 7
Building RPG Encounters! (Game Master Tips)
Critical Role - S0 - E7
Come hither as Matt Mercer tells you how to be a better GM / DM. Today’s episode shows you how to build engaging encounters: everything from enemy creation and difficulty level to shaping battlefield terrain.
Critical Role: Season 0 - 57 Episode s
0x1 - Critical Role Panel: How to Score A Massive Hit
July 9, 2015
Not everyone gets to go to Comic-Con or watch some of the great talks there like the Critical Role panel on our Conival stage this year. We understand, and we’re here to help. Grab your dice. We saved you a front row seat to one of the biggest panels to hit our venue this year at Comic-Con. Matthew Mercer hosts all of your favorite players as they talk about what it takes to make the show and how it all comes together. It takes way more than dice and a little imagination to make something as epic as Critical Role work. You need to the right people and one of the best dungeon masters around. Find out about not only about how the group formed but how they each found their way into tabletop gaming. Fan art, stories from the front lines of gaming, and what makes them love the game so much; the team over at Critical Role answers all of your questions and more.
0x2 - Critical Role: Critical Trolls for Extra Life!
October 3, 2015
Vox Moronica joins forces with some familiar faces running new characters for a night of mayhem, all in support of the local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. This one-off adventure was streamed as part of Board Game Appreciation Weekend for Extra Life 2015.
0x3 - Critical Role: D&Diesel
October 19, 2015
Welcome adventurers! Vin Diesel, star of the upcoming movie, The Last Witch Hunter, may have faced off against gangs and intergalactic monsters, but does he have what it takes to step into the world of Dungeons & Dragons? Geek & Sundry and Nerdist throw the action star into a world filled with danger around every turn, a few friends, and more than a few monsters to vanquish. Guided by our very own Matt Mercer (Critical Role), Vin Diesel will be joined by Nerdist’s Dan Casey (The Dan Cave), Jessica Chobot (Nerdist News), Laura Bailey (Critical Role), and Travis Willingham (Critical Role) as they set out on a brand new adventure filled with excitement, fun, and hopefully, plenty of critical rolls.
0x4 - Critical Role: November Critmas
November 5, 2015
The November 5th Critmas episode was so long it had to be split and posted as its own special.
0x5 - Critical Role: December Critmas
December 10, 2015
Critmas time is here Happiness and cheer Fun for all that Critters call Their favorite time of the year (or month) This last week marked Critmas once again. In case you missed the festivities, here’s your chance to catch them once again.
0x6 - Critical Role: The Story of Vox Machina
January 6, 2016
The Story of Vox Machina takes you through the group’s first quests with the team narrating and guiding you every step of the way. Illustrations take you to major turning points in their quest to vanquish a malevolent lich or to save one of their own from a terrible fate. Watch their first meeting with Percy. Explore the city streets of Emon. Ride on that faithful magic carpet to safety from the crumbling tower. Even if you know every story of the Vox Machina inside and out, this is a great video to show other people who might be wondering where you disappear off to every Thursday night.
0x7 - Building RPG Encounters! (Game Master Tips)
January 19, 2016
Come hither as Matt Mercer tells you how to be a better GM / DM. Today’s episode shows you how to build engaging encounters: everything from enemy creation and difficulty level to shaping battlefield terrain.
0x8 - How to Create Non-Player Characters for RPGs (Game Master Tips)
January 26, 2016
Come hither as Matt Mercer tells you how to be a better GM / DM. Today’s episode he teaches you how to create NPCs—both good and evil.
0x9 - Preparing for the Unexpected! (Game Master Tips)
February 2, 2016
Come hither as Critical Role’s Matt Mercer tells you how to be a better GM / DM. Today’s episode shows you how to roll with the unexpected player choices!
0x10 - Building RPG Social Encounters! (Game Master Tips)
February 9, 2016
Come hither as Critical Role’s Matt Mercer tells you how to be a better GM / DM. In today’s episode he shows you how to build social and other non-combat encounters!
0x11 - The Rule of Cool! (Game Master Tips)
February 16, 2016
Come hither as Critical Role’s Matt Mercer tells you how to be a better GM / DM. In today’s episode he shows you how to roll with the punches, and supsend
0x12 - Critical Role Panel: Wizard World Portland
February 20, 2016
Matthew Mercer and cast host a panel at Wizard World Comic Con in Portland. Panel takes place on the main stage and Mercer and cast put on a lively Q&A with the Critters in attendance.
0x13 - RPG Etiquette! (Game Master Tips)
February 23, 2016
Come hither as Critical Role’s Matt Mercer tells you how to be a better GM / DM. In today’s episode he has some word on RPG etiquette
0x14 - Critical Role Q&A and Battle Royale!
February 25, 2016
Matt Mercer and the gang hold a Q&A to answer questions from fans before engaging in a four-way free for all.
0x15 - Rewarding Your Players! (Game Master Tips)
February 26, 2016
If there’s one thing Playable Characters like more than setting things on fire, it’s treasure. It’s an incredible motivator and not giving out enough treasure is a great way to make PCs grumpy. Give out too much, though, and suddenly their power will spiral out of control! Here are some tips to help you give out just the right amount of treasure in your game.
0x16 - Critical Role Invades GameSpot
March 22, 2016
A few of the Critical Role members including: Matthew Mercer, Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, and Marisha Ray went to the GameSpot office to play some Dungeons and Dragons with Alexa and Danny.
0x17 - Critical Sloth
April 9, 2016
A few of the Critical Role crew (Taliesin Jaffe and Liam O'Brien) along with guest DM Ivan Van Norman and special guests Felicia Day and Sid the Sloth play a one-shot game of Dungeons and Dragons.
0x18 - Critical Role x Kinda Funny: Dungeons & Dragons (1)
April 11, 2016
0x19 - Critical Role x Kinda Funny: Dungeons & Dragons (2)
April 12, 2016
0x20 - Critical Role x Kinda Funny: Dungeons & Dragons (3)
April 13, 2016
0x21 - Critical Role x Kinda Funny: Dungeons & Dragons (4)
April 14, 2016
0x22 - TO THE POOP! - The Goblins
April 18, 2016
Critical Role Pathfinder One-Shot for International Tabletop Day 2016.
0x23 - Critical Role Q&A and Battle Royale: Take II
May 26, 2016
This week on Critical Role, Matt Mercer hosts a Question & Answer session and battle royale with Taliesin Jaffe, Marisha Ray, Ashley Johnson, and Liam O’Brien.
0x24 - Critical Role and GameSpot at E3 2016
June 16, 2016
0x25 - Deadlands One-Shot for MDA Charity!
June 28, 2016
To support Geek and Sundry's and Amy Poehler Smart Girl's charity stream which benefited MDA, Matt Mercer, Marisha Ray, Liam O'Brien, Laura Bailey, and Travis Willingham teamed up for a one-shot campaign in the western roleplaying game Deadlands. Audience members were allowed to make donations in order to "buy" Fate chips for players, which had the power to re-roll or add dice to rolls. With a high enough donation, a generous audience member could add a single sentence that could completely change the game.
0x26 - Critical Role Extra - Liam's Quest!
June 30, 2016
This week on Critical Role, Liam O’Brien take the DM chair as Laura Bailey, Sam Riegel, Taliesin Jaffe, and Travis Willingham go on their own epic adventure of danger and hula hoops.
0x27 - Critical Role's 'The Dating Game' Panel – SDCC 2016
July 25, 2016
Matthew Mercer and the cast of Critical Role field questions from the audience at San Diego Comic Con 2016, starting off with a Vox Machina Dating Game.
0x28 - Critical Role Answers Your Questions at SDCC!
July 25, 2016
Matthew Mercer and the cast of Critical Role answer questions in their second panel at San Diego Comic Con 2016.
0x29 - Critical Role Extra - The Return of Liam!
September 1, 2016
The man in the black hat returns, and this time, he’s bringing some guests along for the ride. Mary McGlynn and Ashly Burch join Travis, Sam, and Laura as Liam takes the DM seat yet again for this episode of Critical Role. Who will live, who will die, and who will have the best looking mustache? (For that last one, the answer is Obby.)
0x30 - Setting up your Gamemaster's Screen! (Game Master Tips)
October 20, 2016
Matt Mercer is back with another round of tips and tricks for aspiring and skilled Game Masters alike. Today, he’s giving us a bird’s eye view of what’s behind his game master screen so you can get a good idea of what you may like to have behind yours.
0x31 - Improv and the Unexpected (Game Master Tips)
October 27, 2016
Matt Mercer is back for another round of Game Master Tips! Regardless of all the planning and plotting and scheming and dreaming, your players will deviate from the your prescribed path. This week, Matt will be giving a few helpful hints on how to plan for those little detours.
0x32 - Getting Players To Roleplay (Game Master Tips)
November 3, 2016
Matthew Mercer teaches us how to get your group to roleplay, because sometimes it doesn't come naturally. Character background stories, engaging conversation comfortably, and leaving your comfort zone are just a few ways to get started.
0x33 - How to Customize Creatures (Game Master Tips)
November 10, 2016
Customizing the creatures and characters in your campaign can add a nice flavor to the experience. How you customize is dependent on many factors: party size, mobility, recovery ability, story relevancy, and more.
0x34 - Creating Magical Items (Game Master Tips)
November 17, 2016
Part of any great campaign is having custom items in your arsenal, but before you do, you'll need to consider the enchantment levels, distribution rules, and more.
0x35 - Fixing GM Mistakes! (Game Master Tips)
November 24, 2016
Game Masters create beautiful worlds, creatures, items and more, but mistakes can easily be made. One small mistake can throw everything off. Matt Mercer runs us through common mistakes and ways to resolve them!
0x36 - Player Character Deaths (Game Master Tips)
December 1, 2016
Player death is inevitable in a campaign, and Matt Mercer gives us some tips to handle the event properly. Thematics, last words, mourning, and properly moving on are just a few ways to help soften the blow.
0x37 - Frequently Asked Questions about RPGs! (Game Master Tips)
March 16, 2016
Come hither as Critical Role’s Matt Mercer tells you how to be a better GM / DM. In today’s season finale, he answers some frequently asked questions.
0x38 - How to Run an EVIL RPG Campaign! (Game Master Tips)
December 8, 2016
Are your adventurers making questionable decisions? Are they becoming evil? Do you want to run an evil campaign the right way? Matt Mercer shows us how to keep things on track even with Murder Hobos in this installment of GM Tips!
0x39 - Creating Homebrew Content in RPGS! (Game Master Tips)
February 23, 2017
Matt Mercer offers helpful tips and tricks for creating homebrew content for your campaign.
0x40 - Write One-Shot RPG Campaigns! (Game Master Tips)
March 2, 2017
Matthew Mercer outlines a basic structure to designing your own one-shot, and gives some tips to make them better.
0x41 - Roleplaying Against Type in D&D! (GM Tips w/ Matt Mercer)
March 9, 2017
Choosing personality archetypes can lead to fun characters, and the real meat comes from the backstory and the experience. Game Master Matt Mercer lays out a few tips for roleplaying against type in this episode of GM Tips!
0x42 - How to Prevent RPG Game Master Burnout! (GM Tips w/ Matt Mercer)
March 16, 2017
0x43 - Talking CRITICAL ROLE Live From WONDERCON! (Talks Machina)
April 7, 2017
Brian Wayne Foster is joined by the cast of Critical Role - live in Anaheim at WonderCon 2017! The cast talks about their Critical Role experiences, from inspiring their audience, to entering Hell and drinking ale, and answer some great questions from the audience. Beef jerky is not included, unfortunately.
0x44 - Critical Role Extra - Liam's Quest: Full Circle
April 20, 2017
Liam takes control once again, as we follow our cast through the darkest timeline.
0x45 - Fireside Q&A with Matthew Mercer
April 28, 2017
Matthew Mercer sits down by the fireside with a comfortable robe and some port wine to answer your questions, whatever they may be. Turn down the lights and turn up the fire, for this intimate two-hour Q&A session.
0x46 - Level 17 Battle Royale!
May 25, 2017
It’s a Critical Role one shot as Grog, Keyleth, Percy, Vex, and Taryon battle for the pleasure of an strange, all-powerful being!
0x47 - Beyond Critical Role at MomoCon 2017
May 26, 2017
**** Spoilers E98 **** Matt Mercer, Marisha Ray, Taliesin Jaffe and Brian Wayne Foster are talking about Critical Role, their experiences and take questions from the audience. (Friday panel)
0x48 - Talks Machina with Critical Role at MomoCon 2017
May 27, 2017
Join Brian W. Foster (Host of Talks Machina) as he moderates a special episode featuring Matthew Mercer, Marisha Ray, and Taliesin Jaffe from Critical Role. Cast members will discuss the latest adventures of Vox Machina and answers your questions. (Saturday panel)
0x49 - Talks Machina with Critical Role at SDCC 2017
July 22, 2017
During San Diego Comic-Con 2017, Brian Wayne Foster was joined by the whole cast of Critical Role to talk announcements, Critical Role, and answer questions from the audience!
0x50 - Bar Room Blitz - A Sam Riegel One-Shot
August 31, 2017
In a bustling tavern nestled on the outskirts of the winter worn village of Jorenn, an unlikely collection of misfits find themselves swept up in a bar room brawl for the ages.
0x51 - Critical Role One-Shot - Shadow of War (1)
October 3, 2017
The cast of Critical Role sit down to play a special one-shot RPG inspired by the upcoming video game Middle-earth: Shadow of War! Matt Mercer DMs this adventure with players Laura Bailey, Darin De Paul, Sam Riegel and Travis Willingham adventuring through Mordor as a group of orcs from the Marauder tribe against a mysterious new enemy.
0x52 - Critical Role One-Shot - Shadow of War (2)
October 9, 2017
This week, Critical Role sits down to play a special one-shot RPG inspired by the upcoming video game Middle-earth: Shadow of War. Join Dungeon Master and voice actor Matthew Mercer as he leads fellow voice actors Laura Bailey, Darin De Paul, Sam Riegel and Travis Willingham through Mordor as a group of Orcs from the Marauder tribe against a mysterious new enemy.
0x53 - Critical Role One-Shot: Thursday By Night (1)
October 19, 2017
In this week’s special one-shot, our Storyteller Taliesin Jaffe takes the Critical Role cast through a dark yet strangely familiar world of vampires, werewolves, and other assorted creatures of the night in Vampire the Masquerade!
0x54 - Critical Role One-Shot: Thursday By Night (2)
October 26, 2017
In part two of our special one-shot, our Storyteller Taliesin Jaffe takes the Critical Role cast through a dark yet strangely familiar world of vampires, werewolves, and other assorted creatures of the night in Vampire the Masquerade!
0x55 - Critical Role: Grog's One-Shot
November 2, 2017
This week, Travis Willingham takes over for a Grog Strongjaw one-shot called… Bunions & Flagons!
0x56 - Critical Role One-Shot: Trinket's Honey Heist
November 9, 2017
This week, Marisha Ray took over the DM chair to play Honey Heist – a one-page roleplaying game where players play criminal bears who have two stats, criminal and bear, and their only goal is to raid HoneyCon 2017.
0x57 - Critical Role One-Shot: Sam's One-Shot
November 16, 2017
This week, Sam Rigel took the DM chair (in his words, “for the second time ever”) to sail with a talented cast on a fairytale singles cruise for love and a storybook happy ending.