Creating Characters for Candela Obscura: Tide & Bone

Get a behind the scenes look at the character creation session for Candela Obscura: Tide & Bone!
Guided by game master Aabria Iyengar, players Sam Riegel, Noshir Dalal, Gina Darling, Ashly Burch, and Liam O’Brien select their roles, choose their specialties, and forge their chapter relationships using the Illuminated Worlds System.
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Candela Obscura is an ongoing monthly horror drama that follows an esoteric order of investigators as they use centuries of knowledge to fight back against a mysterious source of corruption and bleed. Leveraging gaming as a story mechanic, the series features the Candela Obscura tabletop roleplaying game from Darrington Press, which is built on the Illuminated Worlds system.
Candela Obscura: Tide & Bone stars Sam Riegel, Noshir Dalal, Gina Darling, Ashly Burch, and Liam O’Brien with a story led by gamemaster Aabria Iyengar.
Originally Created by Taliesin Jaffe and Chris Lockey
Game Design and Writing by Spenser Starke and Rowan Hall
Directed by Steve Failows
Produced by Maxwell James and Steve Failows
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[@NinjaDeathSlap]

'This is a space for working things out. It's okay to come in with only half an idea...' Noshir: 'That's cool. Should I go first? Here's the fourth draft of my novella...'

[@NoshirDalal]

Huge props to the hair, makeup, and wardrobe teams that transformed us for our Circle. Cuz damn... I am such a dork in real life. Hahahahaha

[@joecurran910]

The day I started watching this Circle, your character met Aloy in Horizon: Forbidden West. My brain short circuited.

[@jule4772]

Critical Role, a show created by and for dorks 😀

[@billberndtson]

Isn't "I am such a dork" the password to get into Critical Role Studios?

[@Misfit_Kitten]

A *silver-tongued* dork - you could read the phone book and we'd hang on your every word!

[@hadesblackplays]

dude, i know i've been saying this with every episode of tide & boone but you did amazing, we need more of you in Critical Role

[@zlatan_2197]

Damn Noshir looks like completely different person here. And it's not just the makeup, it's complete transformation of demeanor and voice, fantastic actor.

[@NinjaDeathSlap]

Man came in with an original scary nursery rhyme and an idea for a monster so good Aabria just took it with no notes. He understood the asignment.

[@katybechnikova2821]

I was very suprised that he doesn't look like an Ahole IRL. I mean it makes sense but....damn...

[@amandasampson1904]

New theory: if Noshir, Liam, Brennan, and Luis were to sit at the CR table at the same time, the sheer amount of dramatic talent on display would be so overwhelming that the cameras might not be able to handle it. I know TTRPG tables need the "balance factor" amongst players, but the performances from those four in Candela & EXU: Calamity have been among the top highlights of CR storytelling the past two years and they deserve their flowers for breathing fresh life into the CR channel and their commitment to storytelling. (Edit to add: all guests and guest DM's have been top notch this year!)

[@nagstah9203]

oooo and add sam as the wildcard no one expects, lol yeah right, the tragic clown that breaks us all... " ¡Ah! Ríe, payaso, a su amor roto! Ríete de la pena que envenena tu corazón!" - Leoncavallo. I Pagliacci

[@jule4772]

that would be the dream!

[@nagstah9203]

Three brothers and their father returning from the war having various stages of ptsd and shellshock only to find their mother and sister brutally murdered by the enemy and their little brother who saw it all and couldn't do anything but haven't told anyone about it... cue intro music 🎶 Mat if you would please set the scene.. 😳

[@samuraiko]

WHO DO I THROW MONEY AT TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN?! I will beg, borrow, steal, sacrifice on dark altars, and make brownies for everyone at CR for a month straight if I can have this. (And I make REALLY godsdamned good brownies.)

[@mattbriddell9246]

You'd have to have Travis, Sam and Ashley on the other side to balance it out with all their clowning.

[@ogreboy8843]

Me: "This whole speech is for Sam." Sam: "This whole speech is for me."

[@jared4034]

I think sam is gonna get fucked up

[@TakeWalker]

I'm pretty sure I could just listen to Noshir narrate literally anything, forever.

[@silentinfinity]

Yup.

[@lostinmydreams4561]

This is my first Critical Role video I've watched and I literally stopped in my tracks to listen to him setting the scene for his character. He spoke so mesmerizing, he is very talented

[@dreaeves6381]

I love the fact that Liam already had Cosmo’s voice in full effect.

[@Mark-ki7ic]

Send that man a AARP card !!!

[@katminor597]

i love how, toward the end, when Noshir and Ashly are discussing the boundaries of their characters' relationship and Aabria is making her shippy squeaky noises and then Noshir's just 'hold my beer, i have a headcanon locked and loaded'

[@astrosplorer]

Liam saying he and his father were the only survivors and then introducing a brother and no one picked it up X'D

[@raven-starcatcher]

I was grinning the whole time watching this, knowing in my heart that Liam and Sam already had the scheme thought out. Masterpieces, both of them

[@mistermerced]

the nursery rhyme gave me GOOSEBUMPS! this backstory is amazing!

[@doccerebrum5449]

I do love when Aabria the rules lawyer combines with the mad scientist dm and creates the custom mechanics of the Beast

[@numbernine5894]

TIMESTAMPS!! 6:20 The tone for the game 9:55 Theming 14:30 Character pitches start- Noshir 15:45 Nursery rhyme and backstory, ends 28:30 30:50 His mechanics 31:45 Ashly 32:45 Hyde oh shit! 35:55 How aware are you of your monstrous conterpart? 36:55 What does Candela think about you? 39:05 Is Candela, by it's nature, good? 41:35 Liam 43:55 Aabria's face is gold 46:00 A family connection 46:50 What what happened on that ship happened, did it work? 48:10 What fire you do need to put out? 48:40 Cosmo's father needs some noodling 50:20 Gina 51:05 Lighting change! 57:40 Sam 59:40 Aabria asking the important questions 1:00:30 Ashly's pitch 1:01:30 Aabria's had enough 1:02:55 'Are you a believer?' 1:05:15 Mermaid 1:06:10 Mechanics 1:07:05 What's the nature of your physical interactions with the world? 1:11:35 A DOG???? Also character relationships, I guess (Sam) 1:13:30 Gina 1:21:20 Liam 1:22:00 Aabria pulls out a really good bed noise 1:23:50 Ashly 1:28:40 Noshir 1:32:30 Circle names! If there's anything I've missed reply and I'll add it in :)

[@flandomaltrizian4603]

Well done

[@marsipio1733]

Thank you!!

[@rbc_rehsu]

Just heads up that cicle names were at like 1:32:32

[@JoshKeatonFan]

Why is this comment not Pinned to the top? Critical Role doesn't care anymore!

[@Caitydid561]

@@JoshKeatonFan The timestamp comments are rarely pinned when it's not Flando making them. I think it's just who they're used to seeing doing them.

[@Vergilius78]

As a RPG player of untold years, it's a rare and special thing to watch a relatively new player in action and get absolutely blown away. Hats off to Noshir here, it's super inspiring to watch the work he put into his character. Makes you want to go out and start up a new campaign all over again.

[@latiajacquise]

I was listening to this while working and the next thing I knew it was 20 minutes later, I wasn't working, and I was fully engrossed in Noshir's backstory. Holy f*ck.

[@thathiefsandiego]

Same! lol

[@thathiefsandiego]

OMG, Noshir looks like a baby in here and then BAM! bees and hives and horror and milky eye o_o These people are great. I was simping for Aabria the whole time because her make up and hair was ON POINT the whole show.

[@GinaDarlingChannel]

It’s almost weird seeing us in normal clothes ahah

[@tylerboyce4081]

Eh, normal and weird are a matter of perspective.

[@user-gt6ye8cr4z]

Your performance was so great. I really hope you all comeback and do another candela and not meet similar fates. cheers mate

[@Frank-ju8qr]

Loved you and the rest of the cast on this miniseries, thank you!

[@NoshirDalal]

You're always looking fabulous, what the hell you talking about, Gina.

[@sweebos]

​@@tylerboyce4081 It's weird not to be weird. NODDERS

[@brittanyhuffman3701]

Got dayum, Noshir has quite the smile. He embodied his character so well, holy crap. Everybody’s costumes and makeup was damn fine as hell

[@zacharymoses2743]

All I know is after seeing 3 of these Creating Characters session. (I know this is to showcase the mechanics of Candela Obscura. And, I know the main cast creating characters for the main campaigns and doing session 0s privately lets them go to their roots of a Home Game) But, my word! It would be amazing to see something similar to this for Critical Role Campaign 4!

[@Frantasia]

that was insane, and i think also a great video on session zeros in general. Setting expectations and boundaries, pitching stuff, figuring out how you want things to be and interact. I loved it. That being said. DAMN I HOPED WE'D BE ABLE TO SEE WHEN Y'ALL CAME UP WITH OSCAR BEING COSMO'S DAD!

[@raven-starcatcher]

I personally think Liam and Sam already came up with it _before the cc_ and that they held the secret tight the whole time here. Which is insane if true, and I believe in my heart of hearts that it is.

[@lizzelloart]

Liam said that Cosmo was in Candela with his father, then later his brother, then his son, and now his grandson. 😉

[@fuelbot]

I love that they're releasing these. It's been so cool to see how they form their characters for this stuff. Liam's commitment to character always blows me away.

[@InkyPetrel]

(edited for rogue punctuation) *watches in full chinhands mode * Noshir just walked in and set that backstory bar in the stratosphere, huh. Not just the story, but the telling. Sitting here transfixed, with my coffee forgotten in my hand, listening to Raj's story. Everyone was incredible during the game, but I wasn't expecting THEATRE from the session zero. I would have been so curious to see Sam and Liam working their way (workintheirway) from this version of their characters to what they landed on for the show (staying deliberately vague here for spoiler reasons). That conversation must have taken some wild turns. Understandably a lot of things were refined off camera and in the 1-1 sessions with Aabria, I just WISH we could have seen the moment when certain decisions were made :D Long may the Age of Aabria continue.

[@scarletsongstress450]

I absolutely ADORED this table. The synergy of this group was PEAK I loved the connections. Noshir and Gina KILLLLLLEEEDDDD IT I really hope we get to see them in more series beyond this~ I adore Aabria's style for this system. Having played and ADORED Forbidden West, seeing Noshir and Ashly interacting was so wonderful

Noshir is a great storyteller. Like Dayum.

[@ActualSwampWitch]

I need to see Mr. Noshir in 1000 more episodes of literally anything?? He came to the table with pure fire and he was devastating during the campaign jfc. Where has this man been this entire time? I want his flavour of drama injected into everything.

[@keixsy]

Aabria is so real for this 4:25 also Talesin better be the big bad guy DM at the end if this series

[@chaplinsgirl]

Watching this was delightful! Watching Noshir talk about his character was mesmerizing. Everyone was great. The synergy was such a pleasure to see.

[@impresarioe6824]

I'm looking for Noshir and realizing that's Noshir😂😂😂😂😂.....please bring this man back for another campaign!!!!

[@jule4772]

I need Aabria Iyengar confidence and assertiveness

[@efrainlopez3782]

Guys this cricle was amazing. The 1st episode really hooked me into this story and the ending absolutely destroyed me. Great arc ❤

[@kleogeorgiadis5186]

Yo Nashir is such an amazing story teller! Everything about the way he delivered his backstory was so incredible!!! He had everyone hooked including me. Actually amazing!

[@PancakeMonster359]

I like that Liam was the one who cracked the most jokes here. Also enjoyed all their banter and how they bounce off of each other during character creation

[@5ku1ly]

Man, I'd love to see some videos of the hair/makeup and costume deparments doing their work. That'd be dope. Please and thank you.

[@trashpanda1878]

I am so happy that these are being released. One thing I would love if they brought back were the one on ones the player has with the DM like they did on the first chapter. It's just fun to see little details get fleshed out that it feels like we missed here with it cutting off after the circle name was picked.

[@NavidSensei]

the back and forth between Ashley and Liam is a combo I didn't know I needed.

[@musstakrakish]

I really feel like these should be the first episode of every campaign. I'd get a lot more out of these characters

[@rbc_rehsu]

I so love these as insight how it worked and how it came to be and i always love these especially for this circle. Especially since i wanna try running a candela game myself soon i love these

[@Karmic_Guide]

I love these Creating Character episodes! A real highlight of the series

[@amandaclark-tutsch1677]

These are such great learning tools as well that help demonstrate creating a safe space to explore, establishing group dynamics, and respect at the game table, the collaborative story you're all agreeing to tell!

[@Guari_H]

I see all of Candela episodes, but my most like ones are session 0s and GMs vids. Cast's laugh, character concept, rough idea connected with actual sessions... these make me have fun and enjoy story sessions more. I really wanna thank and praise all of them for good play. Thanks!

[@lyntoncollins2758]

Yeah, then it is a bit of - "Hello, I am Percy" - *lighter voice* "Yes, I am Percy" - *Inconsequential Feeb* - "I am also Percy" - gets old real quick.

[@muttshouse]

Loved this behind the scenes info. I really appreciated how good Sam can be in a serious light and not goofing all the time. I have gained respect for him as a performer. I love these CO series! Love the high production quality too. I think what CR crew doesn't understand why they are popular - it's their friendship and interaction that is the "magic dust". Not just the stories. I loved the Tide and Bone cast and Aabriya. They would have awesome chemistry in a non-serious game. I wonder if they could do a "funny version" of Tide and Bone.

[@mtheoryx83]

I love the early "Sam, you gotta lock it down" moment... great that Sam understood that direction (and it showed, holy hecc)

[@Leukotrieneb4]

I dunno but i enjoy watching this creation process more than the series

[@Sbjuhr]

same ^^

[@masonzale9780]

I have only watched these and not the series so far lol

[@WyldJezter]

Same! I wish we had this for Critical Role

[@aaronbourque5494]

Not MORE that the series, but I do enjoy watching them quite a bit.

[@hel117]

I feel like this as a player too. Like character creation and getting to meet everyone and plot and discover Themes is the best bit

[@emythelemon]

i absolutely LOVE getting to see this session zero and Aabria laying out tone and expectations very clearly engaging with the people who are about to be at her table. love her so much!! its not only interesting for learning about Candela but also how to do a session zero for any game!

[@RegalMermaid]

Gina’s childhood story has me SOBBING - so good!

[@DarthRioBarbossa]

Oh my. No bits in the circle, so all the bits had to be stored in character creation!! What a fun time you all had!

[@TheOwlslayer]

Absolutely love these sort of behind-the-scenes peeks into character creation!

[@Amaradeia]

AABRIA's BACKK IN THE DM SEAT!!! Woooooooooooooooo!! As stupid as it sounds, she was the first woman DM I ever saw and I love her creativity. ♥

[@Dillium]

is it wierd i wait for the character creation video to then binge the series?

[@Erik-ic4fw]

I mean that's what I do lmao

[@aurori11]

i do the same, i like going into it knowing what the players already know as a group

[@RomanDaySaverTM]

Great approach. Used it with first two seasons!

[@phobiawitch835]

I’m actually watching all 3 CC videos, and after I watch the CC for the first table, I plannto rewatch all 3 Assignments from each Circle.

[@fuelbot]

I'm not super into Candela, so I find that the CC videos go a long way towards helping me get more interested in them.

[@owlcat9692]

Ashly: I want you to be in control of the beast Aabria 🥰 Also Ashly: DO I HAVE ANY CONTROL OVER THE BEAST RIGHT NOW SO IT WON'T DO THIS?? 😧

[@wayfarervisual]

Always cool to see the creation process. Always gives me some insights and ideas. Great cast as always!!!

[@gandolf7777]

I love these videos. We get to see the seeds of what was to come, and how they first started compared to how we know they end up.

[@amandalogan89]

Love love love seeing the building of these characters and a glimpse of how the story comes into being

[@Nightwng2k]

So the twist for Cosmo and Oscar was done off camera. Probably a lot of details we discover during the 3 episodes were done off camera as well.

[@bigsarge2085]

Appreciate the creative process!

[@quantumforest7905]

Oh, dang, I'm actually awake for this right now. Nice. Hello from Down Undah!

[@JelenedraKTulsa]

100% Need Noshir to be in the next Calamity mini-campaign or some extended arc in CR. Please and thank you. He SHOOKETH me as Bode in Jedi Survivor and this was just transcendent.

[@user-gt6ye8cr4z]

i love this!!!! i loved the ending of tide and bone. the performances were so good.

[@vem-chan8975]

Aabria gave a frame for how the session was going so clearly, I am impressed

[@gweterings]

Might be harder to edit to a coherent vid, but I'd love to see one of the one on ones as well some day! Crafting some more character depth, secrets and values

[@Misfit_Kitten]

IMMEDIATE Old Man - oh, we're in for a treat!

[@Zachsharp]

Love behind the scenes. Perfect video.

[@taramup]

This was so much fun to watch. I really love behind scenes stuff.

[@kawawangkowboy9566]

So I don't really like Candela Obscura. But I'm committed to binging this because I absolutely *love* Aabria Iyengar

[@JM-zd1dt]

Aabria is just amazing in everything.

[@nylonlord]

Please please please let us have a GM’s of Newfaire Roundtable with Matt, Spencer and Aabria!

[@Welter87]

It was incredible to see Sam serious and dark side

[@sarahraynore6713]

I love hearing Aabria talk about her gaming philosophy

[@asimplemoth5342]

Okay as a gm these session zeros are such a good resource

[@OtakuSapien]

The biggest difference is seeing everyone with their normal hair. (Sidenote: I want that Sokka shirt)

[@gregorywladecki5382]

I liked this more than the actual episodes. Super fun.

[@darkroselight3835]

This is very cool BTS! I'd love to see more stuff like this. Seeing the different ways people create characters is facinating. I'm ones of those people who makes play lists and pintrist boards. I love setting up backstory and motive, so you know what drives your characters actions.

[@Songbird_-qv7qu]

If @NoshirDalal could just sit and read to me an jane austen audible or even a dark romance.... that would be fucking amazing

[@oaster2000]

Aabria saying "Aim for Sam" and that being seriously what happens.

[@alexcruzpr]

"Fop: a man who is concerned with his clothes and appearance in an affected and excessive way; a dandy."

[@trajanthegreat2928]

Liam doesn’t break character until the DVD commentary

[@bonetower]

I love that they release these after the fact, getting to see how things alter and change!

[@popinjayishuman]

I love these so much. I hope they do this when they start playing daggerheart.

[@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll]

This! Would be extra valuable with a new game (which one presumes they want to make as easy & inspiring as possible for people to try).

[@Shiraiame]

How is it possible for a human to be as cool as Aabriya? I just love her so much!

[@Maxx.3104]

Personal Timestamps 0:40 Legit so cute idk why 2:57 The old man voice 5:33 Liam’s Secret 32:43 The real Liam 41:33 Liam’s Turn 1:00:45 Love this running bit 1:06:29 Smooth Criminal 1:10:25 Old man jokes 1:11:40 - 1:35:13 Relationships

[@GlitterGutter]

this circle was aaaaaaaaaaamazing!!!

[@nohtopia]

as an aspiring dm thank you for releasing this video ahaha i look up to aabria so much and i have no idea how to do a session zero

[@Hippu95]

Haven’t had time to watch Candela catching up with campaign 3, but I’m now all caught up and might as well start with this one ☺️

[@PancakeMonster359]

1 minute in and Liam's already fused with Cosmo Grimm

[@Draedaja]

I wonder how they went from this to "here's bugs!" and "actually, it's the other way around" xD

[@SamuelKTennis]

Let me get this straight, just so I am no longer confused... I am watching a Character Creation episode uploaded three days ago for an episode I watched sometime last year or so... I am wandering through a rift in space/time and glimpsing reality out of logical sequence... You 'Critical Role' peeps come up with the best story lines ;-)

[@Revi_Skycrusher]

"we have 3 episodes, they are a month apart, so thateans we have a beautiful audience that's going to forget 90% of the shit" Yes that's me, so I've been really good and patient and waited for all the episodes to come out so I could binge :D

[@cross-stitchingqueen9464]

So, when I first watched this I thought her name was madam Glass. Then I turned on the CC and I was corrected. Loved this session.

[@ogreboy8843]

Also, Dickout Fishtop is an amazing name for an NPC.

[@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll]

"thick with creepy-deepy" is a phrase I did not know I needed in my vocabulary (01:03:30 ish)

[@abowlofsangria3412]

The "You can call me Cary" never fails XD

[@elroyfromny]

1:11:30 who is the pug and where did he come from?

[@syncrossus]

It's so great to see an actual session 0 being run by Critical Role, good job leading by example.

[@ColtonGamingTV]

Noshir Dalal would make a great Dracula.

[@weirdasfluff]

Its cute that Aabria thinks we dont rewatch the episodes over and over between new episodes.

[@HeyBuddiesClips]

*Every time noshir speaks* me: “Charles.” 🥰

[@GioTheVax]

Biggest tragedy of the season is that they never worked in "My name is Fuck Around and this is my grandson Find Out!"

[@ZorgoXorgon]

Spoilers! When did the "Oscar is forever old and is actually Cosmo's dad" idea come in? Was that during the game? If so, holy crap that's awesome! I was watching this simply to hear that idea be discussed as I assumed it was a secret in character creation that all at the table knew to be revealed to the audience. Since they didn't discuss it, it's either locked behind the one on one's with Aabria or actually developed IN GAME and if it's the second one, I am mind blown at how masterfully a core character change can be set up by the DM and acted out by the players because of and during a session. Regardless, this is top tier role play and acting that I should not expect at any home game table, but dang it's entertaining!

[@pitri38]

I love these Session 0 vids so much! Thank you for posting them for every Circle so far 🫶🏻

[@emiliobustamante2401]

Aabria holding Spencer at gunpoint just off-screen to prevent him from stepping in to correct her about THE LORE

[@mugi-wharingan8150]

NEW DUDE IS A BEAST!!!!!!!!