The Trail and the Toll | Critical Role | Campaign 3, Episode 3

[@flandomaltrizian4603]

HEY, there might be some SPOILERS under the thing 1:10 Flashbacks 4:10 Episode Starts 5:40 Sam calls out Ashley 7:50 Recap Ends 9:45 Team names 11:35 Laudna just walks like that 16:05 Straight ahead 17:35 The Whispering Werewolf 19:50 Team Back Door is vibing 21:25 Laudna message 23:50 Bertrand has bad knees 26:00 Not Dani’s fault 29:20 Do your best to not look like you’re hitting on Bertrand 30:25 Bertrand’s disguise 31:50 Bertrand being inconspicuous 35:20 Swing your arms as you walk 43:30 Laudna’s strength 47:45 Orym hasn’t gotten used to Laudna 48:40 Let’s just split up 49:45 Finally getting some light 53:15 FCG and Ashton talk about soul-touched 59:35 Bertrand the lookout 1:04:05 Laudna has bad circulation 1:11:00 Coast is clear 1:12:50 KAKAW 1:17:05 Making my way 1:25:45 Things pop off 1:28:30 Room service 1:30:05 Destroy all furniture 1:31:45 Break Starts 1:40:25 Art Montage 1:42:25 Break Ends 1:42:55 Map out 1:44:40 Bertrand to the rescue 1:46:05 Rollies 1:47:15 Battle begins 1:50:05 Laudna could be shooting from the bar 1:53:40 Bertrand is winded 2:04:05 Happy Laudna and mad Laudna sound the same 2:11:40 Everyone is scared of Laudna 2:14:10 Bertrand doesn’t like snakes 2:28:05 Get over here 2:32:05 Bert and Fearnie 2:35:05 Bertrand's betrayal 2:38:10 DM’s pet 2:38:50 Robbie is still mad at Travis 2:45:50 FCG organizes the linen closet 2:49:25 Solid Snake 2:50:20 HDYWTDT 2:54:35 Laudna and Imogen see each other 3:07:40 Imogen and Dorian got loud 3:09:05 Getting off the balcony 3:14:20 Shade creepers 3:20:40 Cake 3:22:05 Thinking about names 3:23:45 FCG eating cake 3:25:10 Why is most of the house dark? 3:25:45 What creatures could have killed FCG’s friends? 3:28:30 Does Eshteros just constantly bake cakes? 3:29:20 How did you come a by this retirement? 3:32:15 Tragic 3:35:10 Danas was there the whole time 3:37:30 The theater kid gets his revenge 3:40:15 Bertrand’s Bellends 3:41:20 Fearne can heal if she wants to 3:42:30 Tight sleeves 3:46:25 Frequent Spire Miles 3:48:20 Bertrand’s music tastes 3:51:45 Bertrand is turning up tonight 3:54:05 Breaking Milo’s nose 3:56:10 Breaking Zhudonna’s nose 3:59:05 Imogen’s dream 4:01:00 Bertrand’s last stand 4:05:20 More dream 4:08:25 Episode Ends The in-game start date for the episode was in the year 836. Sam’s flask(?) says “Team Full Frontal and Team Back Door” with check marks corresponding to which team FCG is currently on. Matt has said on Twitter that this was the plan from the beginning, that Travis wanted his true character to come in later, and Travis knew that it might mean Bertrand met a grim end. Looking forward to meeting a new character soon. Any moments I missed? Feel free to post them here. Is it Thursday yet?

[@hunterpowers2568]

Thank you ❤️

[@Marpaws]

good job !

[@randomman8797]

ITS BEEN 32 SECONDS FLANDO

[@Bobthekraken]

FLANDOOOO!!!

[@C00kiesAplenty]

You are a god

[@Zalied]

travis trying his hardest to get his character alone, robbie trying his hardest to prevent that

[@B3RyL]

This was definitely discussed between Travis and Matt, but Robbie most likely caught on to what was about to happen, and seeing him desperately trying to prevent that warms my heart. Robbie is such a sweetheart.

[@Zalied]

@@B3RyL oh ya and I wouldn't be surprised if stuff like this wasn't even at least slightly known by the others it was just funny watching the 2 trying so hard to do opposite things

[@B3RyL]

@@Zalied Both funny, and heart-wrenching. That "I appreciate your good nature, but I want to walk." was the moment Robbie knew he had to back off and let Bertrand go. You can see it in his demeanor and speech that he feels defeated even though he saw it coming.

[@brennankita8752]

Could any of you tell what Travis whispered just before they signed off?

[@jinperegrinus]

@@brennankita8752 He said "Lieve'tel". Idk how much you know of the one offs for the Vox Machina campaign so forgive me if I'm just saying things you already know but anyway: in Search for Grog and Search for Bob, Travis played Bertrand and Liam played Lieve'tel (who was attracted to Bertrand) but it seems they grew apart in some way or another between that time and here and she winds up being Bertrand's last thoughts.

[@OtherSara]

I can’t wait to hear 2,500 people whisper along with Laudna’s telepathy at a live show.

[@B3RyL]

I can't get over the fact that this started as a Halloween joke that somehow became canon feature of Laudna's message cantrip.

[@grandmamaroquet-bennet9581]

YESSSS OMG THATS AMAZING!! Now I really hope that happens

[@ashleycook6025]

My swear jar us now dedicated to getting to a live production just so I can join in the cacophony of whispers in Loudna's messages. UNLESS I'm asked ahead of time not to in which case I'll sit quietly and enjoy myself.

[@blacklitlantern]

YAAAAAAAS

[@KarlEller]

@@B3RyL I think she has something similar to the Gathered Whispers Dark Gift from Van Richten's Guide, where you learn the Message cantrips and it is delivered by a spirit rather than the usual way. That or they've decided to flavour her Message cantrip that way.

[@MythMakerMusik]

Sam: "Bert and Fearnie" Audience: "You can't unring that bell."

[@Pluveus]

Spoilers: Matt: But I can.

[@michaellewis1545]

@@Pluveus Since when has that stop a ship or fan art.

[@Pluveus]

@@michaellewis1545 Oh I know, if you say ghost ship people respond with "Ahoy!" and then probably the other thing Marine is known for saying. But they won't be roomies unless Laudna's like, "I have a crazy idea, let's go to Wildmount for a coastal vacation."

[@TakeWalker]

how to derail a game in three words

[@goblinphreak2132]

I am waiting for fan art!

[@LoafErikson]

Bertrand: "What are you doing?" Imogen: "What do you mean" Bertrand: "Don't you have a disguise?!" Imogen: "I don't have a disguise, Bertrand. Plus, I mean, it's a tavern. People come to drink." Bertrand: "Did you use my name??" *everyone loses it, laughing* Imogen: *nervously* "Barry? B-Barry?" Bertrand: "Same letter????" This interaction >

[@timfriday9106]

I had to rewind and rewatch cuz i was laughing so hard and i laughed almost as hard the second time. I could probably just watch these guys do anything. they're all just kind of naturally entertaining.

[@joshstromer5640]

Yeah Travis wanted to press Laura there and she wasn't ready 😂

[@cryhwks]

Yeah, they have good chemistry, they should maybe consider dating? LoL.

[@Ginric99]

Travis comic timing is just perfect.

[@JacobMinger]

This whole scene was amazing 😂

[@Christian-ir2mb]

I really hope the laudna creepy message group effort is something that will last the whole campaign, it is so damn funny and creepy at the same time.

[@scottatkins6915]

It's got that same vibe as ukatoa (ukatoa-ukatoa...) from campaign 2. So i think it's there to stay, as long as she uses message

[@cholulahotsauce6166]

Fingies crossed

[@mrjek01]

I absolutely love it..more opportunity for their creativity. That part where one of the voices said "kill" and Orym was like "what was that last part?" Just killed me.

[@bennettmarshall6141]

@@qxuto8545 Nah, I can see this sticking around. They might switch up what voice they do, but I feel like the echoing will remain a staple.

[@asdfffs]

Oh that's not going anywhere, it's gonna escalate to the point where the receiver has no idea what the actual message is :P

[@cliponbowties4799]

Imogen is usually very smart, but with Bertrand, they're the "my last two braincells" meme

[@anthonydonnelly1157]

Like when Aang and Sokka do anything in Avatar, lol.

[@dustingaethje1332]

@@anthonydonnelly1157 On point 🤣🤣🤣

[@SamraK64]

They're perfect

[@devinmasters1588]

Man it’s almost like they’re married

[@jordanholweg3018]

It's the penny and uncle gadget conundrum lol

[@liamifortner4323]

The random interjections by Travis during Laudna’s whispers get me every time. “I’ll rip your skin off.” LMAO

[@gavinlangston603]

The delayed "kill" at one point was golden.

[@biancahebert2426]

Sounds like someone speaking parseltongue. The cast is so great in their interactions with each other in and out of character makes the whispers amazing !

[@AuspexAO]

It reminds me of SHODAN's (an evil AI from System Shock) and her vocal emulation that is a chorus of sorts. It's really creepy when it says something and the high pitched member of the chorus comes in late with the last word. They always make sure it's a word like “meeeat”:lol.

[@bros4654]

@@gavinlangston603 Oh.... I thought he said "Gill", the d20 that she's always yelling at. Lol

[@elijahandcompamy8640]

@@gavinlangston603 And all you hear is "What was that last part?"

[@peter_parkour]

Laudna: Imogen's great. She can handle herself. Everything's totally under control. Imogen: **crying** Where the f*ck am I?

[@yuki97kira]

Im making a short comic of this

[@Sp4c3gl1d3r]

@@yuki97kira please share link would love to see it

[@yuki97kira]

@@Sp4c3gl1d3r ive been... Shamefully i admitted ive been binging till episode 7...i... Ehm im hoping to do it one day and ill be sure to send the link to you

[@luisdesouza4666]

23:04

[@FatalFrostbyte29]

@@yuki97kira link

[@kingdomrains]

No matter how many campaigns there are, no matter how great the enemies they face, Critical Role's greatest obstacle will always be completely ordinary doors.

[@DaDunge]

Mainly because they overthink them.

[@turtlemasterroshi]

And chairs

[@valacarno]

I wonder, what's special about the chair?.. Everybody keeps talking about the chair. Is it some specific type of chair? Can I roll an Investigation on it?

[@zippomage]

@@DaDunge they didn't overthink the inn door. it was just them rolls

[@tunerrestorations]

Doors chairs tables and rugs.

[@potatonatermagee2750]

Matt giving Dorian advantage for no reason than to just give a backhand smack is the best thing ever

[@B3RyL]

Even gods know that sometimes Bertrand deserves a healthy smack.

[@sergantawesom]

That’s the rule of cool. Cool shit deserves a better chance sometimes.

[@Wildtrexkid]

inspiration and advantage can be earned through roleplay and being fitting for the moments. its one of the main ways the books recommend to DMs to incentivise players to engage in more roleplaying or actions that make sense for the character, even if the person isn't comfortable with acting a character fully as long as they are following actions the character would. most common example i would give is making up a REALLY good lie and smooth talking it when trying to deceive.

[@draconicfeline6177]

That was a delight of a scene, I love it.

[@pvic6959]

2:36:00!!

[@1606Mickey]

I love how critical role is still just a regular dnd game on a base level. As you can tell from Sams' "I got distracted, I don't have a pencil and Ashley isn't wearing any socks."

[@xelloskaczor5051]

Yep just a regular 9.000.000$ game with nerdy ass celebrities that go to award shows and win them playing your regular ol' super customized professional homebrews on 1000$+ maps made by run of the mill average DM with only 3? books published about his Pathfinder inspired world.

[@linds7076]

To be fair, she wore flip flops and had taken them off so she could cross her legs comfortably. It’s not like she took off her tennis shoes in the studio or something like Sam implied with the airplane reference.

[@Gardienne96]

And then the last bit comes and you remember they're all professionals that are *very* good at their job.

[@ivaniawren5014]

@@xelloskaczor5051 late to the reply but just because people make a lot of money, doesn't mean they can't enjoy a game. Weird gatekeeping is Wierd gatekeeping no matter who you're trying to exclude.

[@forsaken696]

@@ivaniawren5014 huh

[@UrbanCohort]

Can we all appreciate that Team Backdoor and Team Full Frontal went inside, blew it, and proceeded to enact Plan B?

[@tovahwulf]

I... Wow. Holy shit lmfao.

[@Ginric99]

As a DM I love this, my current party after 18 months playing still forget to plan, they just organized a warehouse heist and all 7 party members individually did different things without pre warning anyone else including 1 Getting himself delivered in a big box 1 Turning into a snake to sneak into the warehouse 2 getting jobs as guards inside and then not discussing with the party what they planned to do once inside. That kind of chaos is so fun to run :).

[@peterandreasson9959]

Im more dissapointed that the team going inside is not named team penetration

[@CinereoTheRogue]

Good catch, there, mate. That’s damn clever.😂

[@Anddrew914]

If only they'd managed to go in the back door

[@Mickkeyson]

"Did you use my name?!" "Barry... Barry?" "Same letter!!?" Pure gold!

[@CaptainAlphabetical]

The group: "We are capable of dealing any threat!" *random Locked Door appears* The group: " Aww shit..."

[@electricbluetiramisu3713]

Here they go again

[@nicholasepsilon3534]

whitestone doors man.. they're BBEG's on their own right.

[@kawaiku]

This is still going on!!? Amazing!!

[@bonniefazman9065]

Doors indeed are a menace to all D&D Players. I should know, I am one.

[@CaptainAlphabetical]

@@bonniefazman9065 You're a door?

[@ZirNocoIad]

Matt: We’ll pick up from there next week Ashley: No, we’re gonna do it right now! Ashley speaking for all of us

[@k0pstl939]

In a few months when ppl are starting to catch up theres gonna be a few comments like "those of us binging don't have to lol" or smth like that

[@KingslayerSrb]

Well she is the President

[@kieran163]

@@KingslayerSrb and the voice of the famed tv and movie star Gail

[@thedanabides9]

I still wanna know how Gail balanced the budget by selling her POG collection. Those things were like 5 cents each...how many POGS did this legend have?

[@bobloerakker7010]

Isn't it 2 weeks?🤔

[@gailonebell2154]

Travis is an epic role player. He genuinely acts as his character would in these chaotic situations and it makes the games so much better.

[@DrVagax]

The DM not having to do all the roleplaying makes a game so much more fun for everyone

[@morgan-fp8tr]

I back Travis to be the least meta gamey player at the table. Which makes sense because someone needs to balance out Laura bailey 😆

[@taco8951]

@@morgan-fp8tr Travis also seems to lean more for the big crazy battles or just random bad shit happening. He seems to live for those moments.

[@CinereoTheRogue]

I would say he knows how to balance meta gaming. So many of the battles, even story decisions, Travis is a master strategist, which inherently requires a removed, objective, “Meta,” view. He’s just that good of an actor. A compliment from one to another; Acting is a craft, not a talent.

[@droidgeist]

Liam is the least meta-gamey. More than anyone, he says "I don't know that" or "we don't know that" and refuses to act on meta knowledge.

[@lorenordeanjohnson]

Moment of appreciation for Liam's commitment to Orym being scared to shit by Laudna like all the time

[@kitten-inside]

Scared and confused. I think there was a movie...

[@JubioHDX]

@@kitten-inside Dazed and Confused but close

[@droidgeist]

100%, and its an under-appreciated skill in role-playing. It's like pro-wrestling - there has to be another person selling the moves, providing the right reactions to make the entire spectacle fun.

[@jkbarber99]

Liam's real fear of Marisha's elbows could have fueled this character's acting LOL

[@dragonflyghter6854]

I love how Bertrand is basically pulling a Kronk by over-narrating what he’s doing during the chase

[@noahhamilton9004]

Is he doing his own theme music?

[@rimurutempest4945]

You bet he’s doing his own theme music

[@ayiepersona4]

oh yes, it's all coming together

[@qrrbrbirbel2]

@@rimurutempest4945 baddup-bab-badabadabadup dahdah-dah-baddabupbuuuuuuuuuuuuu~

[@criticallol3039]

I wonder if BB ever made spinach puffs as well?

[@carrotandpeas]

All of Taliesin's characters have this energy towards their parties of "I may be a chaotic bastard, but you people scare me"

[@michaelyoung7261]

And his characters are always good, helpful, genuine people.

[@aleccheckmate2283]

Your profile picture is amazing !

[@cassodembreankia2076]

I didn’t even think of that until you said it but you are 100% correct

[@divinityquartz3428]

Its because he immerses in the world while everyone else memes through it. His characters are from that world. Everyone else is kinda just livin there.

[@jacobbuchanan6076]

I mean that's him irl with the group. You know being an eldritch being and all

[@Reepicheep-1]

Love how Matt was blindsided by the first Creepy Laudna Whisper, now he's an enthusiastic participant.

[@Tacti_cat]

Laudna is such a unique character imo, All the cast are wonderful but she's so against the norm.

[@alanandrews4726]

​@@Tacti_catShe's so creepy/ cheerful

[@g.rathbone764]

“We can make a very loud noise.” *”SO CAN I, HOLY SHIT!”* I love it when Ashton gets angry

[@hillhouseproductions]

Same 😂

[@Moobeus]

I love that Laura is dressed practically identically to how “she” was last week 😂😂😂 Matt nailed that costume.

[@csarmii]

Oh, Matt was suy to look like Laura? I couldn't figure out why they were dressed so weird. Makes more sense.

[@jacquestrahan8405]

I feel like she saw Matt dressed like that and was like, "hmm I actually like that look. Gonna wear that next week. Thanks Matt for the idea." Lol

[@jasonreed7522]

@@csarmii they were dressed up for Halloween, every year they dress up on the last Thursday of October (closest to the holiday). One memorable time is when they dressed up as characters they voiced in the past (Liam as Gara, Matt as McCree, Marisha as "Soldier B" [in honor of all the no fame jobs they pulled in the beginning of their careers]).

[@nxtsoaveragejoe6644]

I think the only one that disappointed was Liam's costume. Everybody else was really spot on

[@maxinesenior596]

@@nxtsoaveragejoe6644 well but of course, he dressed as "Ashley Jenkins" not "Ashley Johnson"

[@mitchelnext1]

The part where they realized that they didn't know what their goal was during the stakeout was very funny to me

[@Allantitan]

Wait I forget do they ever have a plan beyond fucking shit up?

[@supernukey419]

@@Allantitan Do they need one?

[@Allantitan]

@@supernukey419 nope

[@thanesgames9685]

You could see it coming in the last episode.

[@RandyMoonihoawa]

It took them over an hour to get inside a building with nobody guarding it. lol

[@majere666]

Marisha has created the perfect character to go with her very physical acting style and I love it so much.

[@danielgriff2659]

I see Tim Burton's Corpse Bride in my mind's eye when Laudna acts and speaks.

[@dark3rthanshadows]

@@danielgriff2659 a mix of corpse bride and the ring girl .

[@bionicdragon5]

Instead of accidentally punching people in the face, she's actively trying to give Travis a heart attack.

[@devynthurman8444]

@@danielgriff2659 I keep thinking of Laudna as like, if Bellatrix Lestrange pulled a "not Slytherin" and ended up in Hufflepuff

[@alexandertiberius1098]

She's the one Disney princess who's curse was way too bad.

[@EricWestcott1]

Ashley's "Back door sort of became full frontal, and now they're inside" great line

[@divinityquartz3428]

and i still don't know how they left that one alone

[@IaIaCthulhuFtagn]

@@divinityquartz3428 They probably recognized there wasn't anything they could add to make it any better.

[@matthewpaugh7741]

I wanted someone to yell out "Hey!! Phrasing!" the entire time 🤣

[@EricWestcott1]

@@matthewpaugh7741 I atleast expected Laura to be face down

[@philipmiethke7985]

Dead serious for a moment, Robbie is an amazing addition.

[@louisst-amand9207]

Is he joining official cast or not? I'm confused still

[@n1pah132]

@@louisst-amand9207 Apparently he's just a guest but we don't know how long he'll stick around. I wouldn't mind him being a permanent cast member though

[@carpediem3991]

Love him, but he's a voice of reason.... No place in a CR campaign loll

[@MP-vj1yx]

@@n1pah132 I definitely want him to stay

[@evelynnsophia7631]

Robbie is super fun, hopefully he sticks around. Same thing with Ashley, I like that she's been in all the episodes so far because I lover her and Fearne!

[@Overlord99762]

Matt: You caught the eye of Sir Bertrand Bell Travis: *old man noises*

[@hilarygladstone6037]

Maybe he can bring back Chutney 😂

[@Piemasta9000]

@@hilarygladstone6037 ha, thats what I told my roommate

[@Riverfall_]

@@hilarygladstone6037 This comment aged too well!

[@hilarygladstone6037]

@@Riverfall_ We all got our wish!!!

[@anastacianikitina5080]

I like how Liam's character is not broody or dark this campaign and everyone decided 'no, that's not right' and made Laudna's messages sound fucking monstrous

[@arcaneobject]

It’s like they said “no trauma? Okay bet.”

[@rooski1191]

Honestly... Poor Dorian. He didn't want Bertrand to go out on his own. He almost went with him. I feel like you can even see it on Robbie's face. Our poor Air Genasi cinnamon roll is going to feel so guilty.

[@konstance13]

I think everyone had some idea of what was gonna happen, with Travis making so many foreshadowing quotes and then the way they responded ie Ashley buying him a drink, Laura thanking him, Robbie playing a song. But I'm wondering if some of them thought he would just leave the campaign, not get legit murdered. That all being said, I am actually really excited to see how they're gonna role-play reactions to his death. Like you said, I think Dorian will feel guilty, and Orym may as well since he seems to put on lot of value on lives. It's definitely gonna mess with Imogen since she dreamt it.

[@sleepyboldhijack]

@@konstance13 I know Travis knew he was going to die but not how where or when

[@a.garcha199]

@@sleepyboldhijack he clearly knew lol, "Oh I'm just gonna wonder off on my own at the end of an episode conveniently placed for a cliffhanger moment," Matt very clearly told him to separate from the group near the end.

[@jlokison]

There was multiple times that Travis went off on his own in the last episode and this. I think he didn't know exactly what Matt had planned, just that once he brought the party together and got the quest started for Esteros, Bertrand's job was done.

[@a.garcha199]

@@jlokisonwas there? Because the only times I can think of he actually had reason for doing so outside of plot convenience. When did he randomly go off on his own with no motive ?

[@jesnoggle13]

Ashley: “we forgot about resting and stuff…”. Famous last words often in DND.

[@Ekkaisara]

Short rests are a necessity

[@SylviusTheMad]

Bertrand reminds me of a boss I once had. He was well past retirement age, and was very proud of how productive he was, insisting he never slept more than 3 hours each night. But if you ever stopped by his office, he was always snoring in his chair.

[@baden4617]

hopefully he had a heart of gold behind all that boasting as well

[@SylviusTheMad]

@@baden4617 The kindest CEO I have ever known.

[@julienserriere2395]

Well he didn't lie at least! He was just catching up during the day XD

[@Ardanian]

Episode 3 and it's confirmed, Travis made this character just to break his wife as much as possible. No other reason than to troll her completely. Good show

[@gothelismyfave]

This wasn't the first time Travis has used Bertrand, actually. He was originally in one of Vox Machina's epilogues, while Grog was "indisposed" (I say it that way to avoid spoilers)

[@ladyhella7560]

​@@gothelismyfaveoooh, so he actually knows Vox Maquina, I thought he was bullshitting

[@Kubimaruicedragon]

Yeah! It makes this all the more hysterical! Part of me will think that this is payback for the romancing of Fjord. 😁

[@sophietinnefeld-wilson2924]

And then he succeeded in making a totally non-romanceae character. (No spoilers for a few episodes after this)

[@Vegas242]

​@@sophietinnefeld-wilson2924 Non-romanceable? What do you mean? That man is a silver fox, he gets *all* the 300+ year old elven ladies.

[@Mizar007]

Battle raging around him, the cries of his allies in the darkness, Fresh Cut Grass arranged the laundry to a degree never before seen by anyone living or dead.

[@DeathnoteBB]

That part was adorable 🥺

[@cshairydude]

His Kryten moment.

[@redsnake7mc]

I laughed so hard

[@bonniefazman9065]

*Insert holy music*

[@steadili4416]

Scrolling comments at the start of this vid… this is the stuff I’m looking for lol

[@mattwilcoxuk]

"Every once in a while you need to see the sunrise, might be that night for me" ... Oh, Bertrand.

[@tylergriffin3667]

I was expecting some kind of "Finally made it and can die complete and with dignity" kind of walk into the night and disappear/pass in sleep or something. But NOPE

[@konstance13]

@@tylergriffin3667 ikr. So many moments that felt like foreshadowing with how Travis was talking about things finally turning around, Dorian playing for him, Fearne buying him a drink, Imogen thanking him, etc. It definitely felt like the others were maybe preparing for goodbye, but not this way.

[@RDehuvyne]

@@konstance13 As far as I have heard they all knew Bertrand wasn't Travis's real character for C3 (pretty obvious with him being 2 levels head of everyone), but only Matt knew when/how he would depart. They are such good close friends and professionals though of improve that I'm sure they were reading some sort of feeling in the group that the moment was approaching so were setting up a nice farewell for him in their own little ways.

[@youtubey9887]

yup. we knew something was gonna happen. At best, thought maybe they leave him behind for fears of slowing them down/too old. Was expecting he would fall with them around but without any heal available, kinda hit the party hard and help them bond more.

[@erbgorre]

@@youtubey9887 yeah, matt confirmed that travis wanted have his real C3 character enter in a bit later and brought bell back with the intention of having him go out on a grim note, basically. with how heavily and repeatedly he insisted on taking that walk alone you could definitely tell they had this one planned as part of the story. doesnt take anything away from it tho, it was very well done, and bell was played brilliantly as the frustratingly lovable old geezer ;D

[@SableScimitar]

Can we just take a moment for how perfect Laura's "You done made me cuss" was? She is nailing this accent

[@jshu-_-]

She's from the South so I like to think this is a comfort character for her in some ways.

[@PrettyGuardian]

@@jshu-_- I agree with you 100%. I lived in Texas for 4 years and there's a certain authenticity in her accent that you don't hear from most actors just phoning in a stereotyped accent.

[@ellizandrastormhaven7355]

Wait what was the time stamp?

[@charleshayes1700]

I'm a southerner, born and bred. A military brat, I was born in Florida to a pair of Georgians and raised in Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia and I can assure you that her Texan accent is authentic.

[@SableScimitar]

@@ellizandrastormhaven7355 16:31 ish!

[@Oliver_JW]

Matt: "At a glance, it's a man. Older, refined. Walking proudly into the tempest before he's gone." Just that one sentence wrecked me. For someone to meet their end proudly, to not hesitate to meet it hits me hard.

[@konstance13]

Bertrand saying "Did you use my name?" is the hardest I've laughed in a while. Just perfect delivery.

[@cryophile]

"My knees feel like they have knives in them. God, I miss cartilage."

[@andrecanis4894]

And Liam really had to fight not to spit out his drink at that exact moment. Love it. Perfectly timed.

[@jimmysoup6047]

Laura is so good. She just becomes her character. Accent, mannerisms, gestures. Even while Laura is listening to Matt's narrating, she's listening in character. She brings Imogen to life. Excellent.

[@carbonzl1994]

The skills of a professional voice actress at work.

[@jimmysoup6047]

@@carbonzl1994 Oh I know! I'm just so continually impressed. They're all good, and Matt's just plain genius. But Laura and Travis... man'o'man. Watching people who are genuinely and grossly good at what they do and so thoroughly enjoy it on top, it's amazing.

[@yojayoung]

I know. After getting used to Laura as Jester, I don't even see Laura as Laura when she is playing Imogen. She is like a whole new person...

[@michaelyoung7261]

Laura, Travis, Sam, … maybe Talisen, and most certainly Matt and all his NPCs are excellent actors in their own right, but pour so much life into their characters

[@allynborland]

Yes, she is one of the best roleplayer's I have seen.

[@theprincess3872]

Bertrand, weirdly insistent all of a sudden: Actually I want to go for a walk Every single critter simultaneously: oh no

[@bloodcrowe984]

@@zolis921 Even the part where all critters go "oh no!" is part of the script

[@skytheneko]

@@zolis921 Not scripted, but obviously planned, yeah

[@snikerz5886]

If you are going to spoil the ending of the episode at least have the decency to mark it as a spoiler

[@tinkercat8268]

Come on my guy I don’t get to see these on Thursday’s. Let us Monday babies live!

[@skytheneko]

I mean, obviously the comments are gonna be filled with people talking about the episode. You enter at your own discretion

[@Hunter-lm6to]

40:15 has to be the funniest part I’ve seen so far. As everyone’s echoing the word door, Travis whispers “pull your skin off” 💀

[@gladepixie9733]

Just the way they organically decided that Laudna's messages would be terrifying to receive is maybe my favorite part of campaign 3.

[@biawolf9668]

that shit had me dying lmao, just hearing travis chime in with that

[@_KingRaz]

After I heard it the first time, I tried to watch it over and over again and literally missed it every time because I was laughing so hard knowing that it was coming

[@maryl8614]

I keep rewinding the whispers because I swear he whispers some random creepy thing for each whisper.

[@jtreview7506]

I love how Matt introduced this extremely intimidating badass Orc guy, who has been shown to be very strong and scary and a stern imposing person, and the let’s him become extremely personable with just a simple mention of the fact that he likes to bake, and that he might not be the best at it, but still takes pride in it, it makes him endearing and probably helps with the fact that he’ll be a staple in the series for some time

[@Fab4Sunrises]

oh i hope his baking is a running storyline. "Welcome back, I see you're all level 10, I've made macarons"

[@ashlarta8538]

@@Fab4Sunrises Oh I love this idea! As the party advances, so does Eshteross’ baking skills, and when they visit him late game he’ll bake them a Croquembouche or something

[@jessemartinez7940]

He must be protected at all cost

[@martypaxton7668]

Matt loves to put the twist in there. and keep you guessing. but definitely like the character

[@AshtonMonitor]

@@jessemartinez7940 absolutely. He is precious.

[@Poodlestroop]

“DOES NO ONE CRIME??” I love Ashton so much.

[@MyCarnageExtreme]

"SO CAN I, HOLY SHIT!" I love him as well ahsaushausha

[@SandbagsYoutube]

Gonna be a lot of good quotes from Tal this campaign me thinks

[@emmadavis535]

He's just a regular guy with all these weirdos! XD

[@loganfalvo7349]

@@SandbagsKZbin like "lovely lizard locks" when Fearn wild shaped

[@SandbagsYoutube]

@@loganfalvo7349 Fearn is already my favorite character Ashley has played I think, that vapid, unrepentant, insatiably curious, whimsical, perfectly... fey, fey....She is captivating. Honestly, 10/10 so far on all of their characters, can't wait to see the final installment. #whothefckisTravisgonnabe

[@shelliedisalvo6559]

"we should watch our show" ...the most relatable thing theyve ever said

[@Kris-wo4pj]

I feel like they just need dani to recap for them real quick before each show. Or just send them a summary after each show.

[@phobiawitch835]

Eshteros being embarrassed he forgot the frosting just broke my heart, AGGH! I HOPE HE STAYS FOREVER!!! And bakes more cakes.

[@kamiitto7574]

Yep forever ^-^

[@lordchipo]

The whispering with message is the best addition that everyone was in on.

[@Murderdoll13]

My favorite gag so far 😂

[@jessicascoullar3737]

Even Matt was joining in which was great.

[@anarikvogel8335]

The stuff Travis says during the whispers…”peel your skin off”

[@cryophile]

I'm pretty sure Liam's reaction was partly genuine.

[@killjoyyt5859]

I gotta say cocaine on that one

[@grouchypseudopod354]

I low key hope that Dorian remains a consistent character, he's definitely a perfect balance to this madness

[@WiseSageBum]

Him and Orym are the sensible ones barely reigning in the madness

[@tomaszskowronski1406]

@@WiseSageBum Mom and Dad of the Bellends

[@drajion8976]

I thought they were only ok in Exandria, I think they fit in perfectly with this eccentric group of super weirdoes. Something about Laudna and Orym’s dynamic is fantastic and Dorian is great as the party dad next to Ashton as the grumpy grandpa

[@thatone3590]

@@drajion8976 My god you're right. Ashton is the grumpy grampa. Specifically the kinda sketchy one who'll teach you how to pick locks or let you have a beer without telling your parents.

[@krspy8849]

@@ocularpatdown at first i really didnt like Ashton but he is growing on me..

[@lizzyarceo2202]

I love how Laudna's messages are the direct opposite of Jester's, but honestly, just as entertaining 🤣

[@jasonreed7522]

Jester casting "Sending": super up beat bundle of joy with no concept of personal boundaries/timezones. (You pooping? Asked of everyone) Laudna casting message: Whispers of Uka'toa leaking in to creep you out, but her words are generally to the point. Nott casting message: ... You can reply to this message.

[@jothamfunclara6583]

@@jasonreed7522 Caduceus casting message: n/a

[@johnjaeger3746]

Perhaps even more so. Like Jason said, I get the Uka'toa vibe when the cast does it, but creepier and I love it. Plus the random bits of evil too. I definitely heard "kill" something in there

[@sleepyboldhijack]

@@johnjaeger3746 I dunno why but Spoilers I only get somnovem vibes

[@SandbagsYoutube]

I love how quickly the cast(even Matt) jumped on echoing the whispers

[@Obelisk492]

Little thing but Liam saying counterspell in his Caleb voice gave me goosebumps. I miss the Nein..

[@Raymondlav]

The eldirich blast from marisha makes me miss fjord

[@bookmarkyourthoughtsblog]

I still rewatch campaign 2 as my comfort show when I'm having a rough day lol

[@STINKERMCGEE]

I can't wait for esteros's cakes to ramp up in quality the more the group comes back successfully.

[@wreckitremy]

And before they leave on a mission, at some point he'll be like, " I will see you when you return. Maybe there will be cake" 😆

[@TalesofTuram]

Yes

[@sahilhussain7328]

You know if there's a wedding between PC's Esteros is making the wedding cake

[@hopesndreams5033]

@@sahilhussain7328 I would CRY

[@jthompson7024]

You could tell this episode specifically that Travis was having so much fun embodying Bertrand again. He was an absolute joy to watch this week

[@JosefDerKaiser]

It's, uh, a shame.

[@zeterzero4356]

@@JosefDerKaiser You say that....and then next week we meet THE SON OF BERTRAND BELL!!!

[@remzzo]

@@zeterzero4356 I want Travis to play THE LONG LOST AUNT OF BERTRAND BELL!!!

[@zeterzero4356]

@@remzzo THE TRAGICALLY UNKNOWN 2ND COUSIN OF BERTRAND BELL!!!

[@JosefDerKaiser]

@@zeterzero4356 I don't believe for one second that that man has gotten laid.

[@voadicia9593]

Picturing FCG adorably saying "get over here" and then impaling the creature is so funny to me.

[@Sturmjager]

"Come on down!"

[@MrWingedRats]

Might as well finish 'em!

[@isaacgraff8288]

The fan art will be fun

[@DragonSouled79]

"Git over here if that's alright!"

[@SnarkyRogue]

Alternatively, Scorpion yelling "Smiley day to ya" in his gruff voice while pulling someone in with the chain lol

[@LeeJ2512]

My favourite moment is when Ashton uses lightning damage and says "I get a little power of Thor there." and Travis quietly says in his Thor voice "...granted..."

[@SamiG23]

“Just two creepy things looking at each other.” Cue Matt and Marisha snarling at each other. 1:51:23

[@mayaenglish5424]

I feel like that's going to be a running theme this campaign and I'm here for it! Just Husband and Wife trying to out creepy each other, True love at it's finest.

[@Drekromancer]

@@mayaenglish5424 Honestly. Ladies, get yourself a man who looks at you with the same blend of terror and delight that Matt gives Marisha when she pantomimes weaving a cat's cradle out of bloody sinews.

[@mayaenglish5424]

@@Drekromancer lol totally! I mean honestly, Matt in general is a pretty great template for guys, (people in general) if they want people to like them. The man's a sweetie AND funny!

[@divinityquartz3428]

ah yes flirting between husband and wife

[@Hildragon]

Animate that shit!

[@VAroaddog]

Loving Ashley so far in C3. She is so involved in all the conversations and humor. She has always been so quiet until put into the spotlight by the story. Nice to see her interacting more often.

[@AltrTheEgo]

I really think just how Pike and Yasha were, they didn't allow for Ashley to be as humourous as she wants to be, because with fearne it is natural haha

[@darklord884]

I'm with the other responder. I don't know much about Pike, but Yasha was definitely more of the shy gentle giant with occasional bouts of murderous rage in battle. She was really only expressive if she could bounce off the weirdness of the others in her party. Fearne is more active because she is an actively mischievous fey, so she has a reason to be loud and in there where Yasha would just sit quietly and pick flowers or observe.

[@paulchavez3039]

Yeah did Blindside get cancelled?

[@sybariticcupboardrat3763]

@@darklord884 Pike was a kind and soft spoken (mostly), but not necessarily shy character. Ashley though is very much an introvert (she'll be the first to say so). She's talked about how her on and off again schedule on the show made her less comfortable with playing the game, as most of her working life is doing scripted acting. So Pike seemed quiet too. Yasha got noticeably more interactive after Ashley was able to be on the show for a decent uninterrupted period. She started showing how much she shares Travis' lack of impulse control. Fearne's creation shows her improved comfort with improv.

[@darklord884]

@@sybariticcupboardrat3763 Huh. Interesting. Fearne certainly seems more openly weird than the reserved Pike or shy Yasha. Glad she stuck around then. Not that her leaving would have been good in the first place, she's a sweetie. And thanks for the information to you as well, dear stranger!

[@tofton1977]

Matt: "we pick up from there, next week..." Ashley: "No, we gonna do it right now!"

[@miriambailey3557]

and in that moment, I swear, we were all Ashley

[@fardareismai4495]

She does that often and I must say I completely agree lol. It's how I always feel in my home game as well

[@brettcardon4552]

I love her. Her excitement for the game is what a good DM hopes for.

[@Nathan-oe8ut]

Orym: "I kick the door open..." Dorian: " I run into the darkness to find Orym!" I fucking love characters like Orym and Dorian, lot's of heart

[@gacha_xxtuber2218]

Same

[@MrManly101]

"Jazz, I don't fuck with." Bertrand 'Death Flag' Bell.

[@frizider2]

Was that a reference to an older campaign or?

[@MrManly101]

@@frizider2 Nah, just a line from this ep followed by the fact he keeps throwing up death flags 😅

[@jamespryor5967]

@@MrManly101 Not anymore.

[@jgrado3]

I love how Travis went out of his way to Make Bertrand… not someone you’d want in your party… but honestly all of his “betrayals” just endear him even more. I’m giving him the Pike defense: “He’s smart. He’s a good boy. And he’s not slow; he just has a lot left to learn.”

[@ajerqureshi6411]

I wouldn’t call them “betrayals” but he was definitely a party member that seemed so ill-suited for the job. I actually liked how Travis was able to make Bertrand’s uselessness endearing and fun for the story despite not being much help.

[@anathem9982]

Probably my favorite moment of him was when he tried to throw his glass of scotch onto Eshteross while he was burning, which would have actually been a really cool moment........then Travis rolls badly and hits Fearne instead

[@aroszcao5785]

@@ajerqureshi6411 I] p I

[@Chibipayne]

Travis was having so much fun as bertrand though and we got to see his comedic side a lot more! It was great!

[@Hana_145]

Same He was so useless, but I loved him T_T

[@lord6617]

Fearne ascribes to the Laura Bailey school of healing.

[@jonsimpson6240]

Honestly in 5th, it's the way to go. When getting low in older editions you had a serious risk of being straight killed when you went down by overflowing negatives.

[@thenopegun9294]

"Does nobody here crime?!" Yet another gem from Taliesin.

[@sammiewilliams256]

Can we all just take a moment to appreciate Laura's dedication to eating pretend cake

[@BFDudes]

Her and Travis do have a child, so she gets a lot of practice :D

[@Ribula1]

I mean, its Laura. She roleplays solely to do stuff like these.

[@matthiasmarinosciHex]

And we all know the truth about the cake... Edit:typo

[@luka188]

It was so good, it felt like she was truly eating an invisible slice of cake

[@Companion92]

@@luka188 Your wording gave me Night Vale flashbacks

[@Mr.HotDogShirtGuy]

I love how Taliesen? Sam? throws in different words into Laudna’s whispers like “deathhh…” and “kill…”

[@NorthWriter]

Yeah, and I think Travis was doing some of that “backwards” whispering that really added a lot to the “radio head.”

[@happydragon7095]

That's only my favorite thing. It adds to her spooky quality...

[@redsnake7mc]

She is absolutely terrifying but also 100 per cent kind.

[@tedcraboli8021]

@@NorthWriter at one point he made Matt laugh by whispering “pull off your skin”

[@bionicdragon5]

Meanwhile, Fearn's two steps away from being a serial killer, and everyone assumes she's joking. I love these guys.

[@katiesharpe1624]

I love how Robbie took the traditional horny bard trope and made him this adorably charming theatre kid

[@horserage]

Wait, he has aspects of trad horny bard?

[@JoshtheOverlander]

That's basically what I did with my bard during a Zelda homebrew. He was the youngest in the party and a Rito, and he was supremely oblivious and naive, but unbelievably peppy.

[@katiesharpe1624]

@@JoshtheOverlander My bard is the runaway Princess who fled her responsibilities as ruler in favour of adventure and discovery

[@JoshtheOverlander]

@@katiesharpe1624 Is it strange that I'm picturing a Disney Princess?

[@katiesharpe1624]

​@@JoshtheOverlander not an inaccurate assessment...the innocence of a Disney Princess with the innate bardic ability to cause complete chaos and mischief on a whim...she swapped a handful of the rangers arrows for whistling arrows without him noticing...

[@Heatstruct]

i love that during the "perfect" ad read by Sam, Matt sees the tarrasque and immediately says: That's fucking awesome! Do we get to keep that!?! I'm gonna keep it. That's mine now." it may have started as a question but ended in a statement of fact. That tarrasque is 100% going to be seen again as a boss on critical role.

[@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll]

My bet is it'll feature in one of the next few one-shots. (Not the battle royale, since that doesn't need outside foes, but anything set in a DnD-style 'verse.)

[@Karina-Jay]

Oh he is so using that in this campaign, there’s no way he can resist not throwing a tarrasque at the party when he has a fun new toy to play with. It is going to be hilarious! 🤣

[@Allantitan]

@@Karina-Jay I can totally having them “dream” that they beat a giant “creature” only to wake up and see it approaching

[@Ginric99]

As a DM who has run a trrrasque fight they are actually tactically pretty dull. The Terrasque has a pretty defined attack pattern and, due to its size, you basically need to have it in a large open space. The party really have one way to combat it, hit it hard with everything they can until it’s dead. It is possibly one of the most boring boss fights I have run.

[@phoenixdzk]

That tarrasque is from Dingo Doodle's fool's gold campaign, another fabulous D&D story I don't really see matt running one of those for his game but i can see it for a one shot, or a sidequest that finally kills Grog

[@oscarpines7927]

I really like the image of Eshteross baking in his kitchen just like "I hope they're back soon... this COULD last but I reeeeaally wanna eat it soon..."

[@anthonydonnelly1157]

Just him in an apron shouting, "Evelyn! Do we have any butter?!" over his shoulder is quite an image.

[@ccloudleaf]

Honestly something so simple as baking a thing bring a reality and life to characters and they story. These are real people and with Eshteross you can tell there's a lot of history there. He was a main character at some point and now a really cool NPC :)

[@DeathnoteBB]

@@ccloudleaf He was a main character??

[@ccloudleaf]

@@DeathnoteBB No im just imagining his own story

[@cliffcoats3543]

"We forgot about, like, resting and stuff." "Yup."

[@spirto1279]

I just love Matt and Travis looking at eachother more and more as the session draws to a close, they both know what's coming

[@curtisholsinger6023]

I'm still just so happy that Travis brought Bertrand Bell into this game!! He's like a Gilderoy Lockhart with actual talent!

[@hhylobates4098]

Makes me wonder what he /actually/ did to get to the level of experience he was in Search for Grog/Bob/Frog. Sure he was a braggart, but he was still a badass

[@ilmari1452]

@@hhylobates4098 I suspect what competence he had then was hard won with thirty years' experience. And thirty years more took it away from him. 💁🏻‍♂️ He was never the sort of prodigy who worked himself up to superhuman power in a year like the typical D&D PC; but he'd slowly and steadily attained the same level of power.

[@princemills6022]

I agree. I really enjoy Bertrand.

[@FlorentiusIV]

There's a fun theory that Bertrand might've been the man Grog gave his wish card to from the deck of many things and in addition to wishing being a lord of the quadroads he also wished to be a capable fighter.

[@kindle1951]

@@FlorentiusIV wow.. you sir, that's a nice info.

[@scottbruckner4653]

DND Creators sponsoring other DND Creators. What a time to be alive.

[@AxxLAfriku]

One thing! Just one thing! Please tell IT to me: WHY tf do I have so many fans even though no KZbinr is unprettier than I am? WORLDWIDE!!!! WHY??? Tell me, dear wco

[@PhantomFox77]

And to think this specific instance started with a birthday gift, and a monkey singing karaoke

[@bigbundle3223]

part of me wonders what CRs rates are, do these kickstarters really have nordvpn money?

[@ziwuri]

@@bigbundle3223 Well first of all CR is swimming in it. Suprisingly, when every Twitch streamer's revenue was leaked, it turned out CR literally makes the most out of any Twitch channel. That's millions of dollars, just from Twitch donations, not including KZbin adsense, merch, live events and sponsors (and whatever else).

[@daisykid3]

We love to see a community supporting fellow community members!!! 🙌

[@raehjg]

Bertrand was endearing. He’s this boisterous old dude who’s not good at at anything, kinda lonely, definitely a loser, but had such passion for adventures. Kudos to Travis for making this temporary character so memorable ❤️

[@bros4654]

Ditto. There's a little of Bertrand inside all of us, even if we haven't made it there yet.

[@WhiffleWaffles]

I wish he could've been here for a bit longer...

[@KarlOlofsson]

Fuck, I really liked how Travis got into role playing much more with this cool dude....

[@yeshevishman]

I want a Bertrand whispering GPS voice!

[@ghostparty2062]

Wait he's only temporary? He's my favourite 😢

[@jonatassilva2605]

"I'm gonna liquify you" Boi Taliessan is having way too much fun as a barbarian.

[@testfire3000]

That was one of many great lines from Tal this episode.

[@gilgwaththefae]

Somewhere in the darkness, a voice declares, "I used to be an adventurer like you, until I took a coffee table to the knee."

[@ZirNocoIad]

Dorian, running into the shadows: Oh, this is advanced darkness

[@fiorasvante]

Advanced Dungeons & Darkness

[@Overlord99762]

JUST LIKE THE SIMULATIONS

[@drewdeckard5753]

FCG tidying up hotel linens while everyone else is fighting for their lives is next level characterization

[@Wacked]

More timestamps!

[@drewdeckard5753]

@@Wacked 2:45:38

[@stevesmith5883]

Can't wait to see what crazy antics Sam gets up to with FCG, cause surely there will be some.

[@animatedpencilstudios6704]

Matt: “It’s a sealed door” Me, not paying attention: Isildur?!

[@johnrafferty4364]

Depending on how you word it your not wrong 😂 its a sealed door! Cast it into the fire

[@samanthapalker1476]

Destroy it!

[@Daffietjuh00]

Oh no, Lord Estheross made them a CAKE? Well, now I'll be forced to love him forever that's so adorable

[@Drekromancer]

@The Bronze Scribe Same. Just wait till Fearne turns into a puppy.

[@disastermollymauk289]

I felt the same way man

[@laurens.6940]

This way it stings all the more when he turns out to be a Big Bad Guy

[@allypearlman5569]

@@laurens.6940 oh god that would be so good. Previous big bads have been so definitively evil, a lawful good figure going too far would make for a very interesting villian.

[@bulldozer8950]

@@allypearlman5569 the issue with that is I think the group would just go along with him. I mean they’re morally dubious at best, I think he’d have to go REALLY far past normal lawful goodness to make them turn against him

[@bdmngs5884]

"I'm gonna liquify you." is such a good line. The idea of this hammer half way in the wall, looking each other in the eyes, and a straight delivery with just excitement in the face; so good.

[@TheNightstar86]

Time stamp 1:59:34. Epic line. Kinda want it on a t-shirt?

[@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll]

Ashton radiates so much joy at doing violence. Like Mad Sweeney in American Gods, fighting "fer the sheer unholy feckin' delight of it!" Must be a lot of fun to play.

[@anradhofficial4652]

@@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll Having played a patois speaking orc pirate with a greatsword, yes. Just yes. Shame about his inevitable early death.

[@ancomrook]

Laudna: “I guess I’m just confused on the goals.” Fearne: “I think I lost track” Ashton: “There’s NOTHING happening in there....-_-“

[@lefttyroooo]

Orym, sitting in the pitch darkness with Fearn scratching at the door and Laudna whispering in his ear: "Yeah, NOTHINGS HAPPENING"

[@ChevaliersEmeraude]

I find it funny, because here's the thing: I never DMed, but there are plans of me being one for a group of friends, who haven't played before. And one of my worry is that the sessions might run too short. But seeing CR not being able to properly plan the simple act of entering and investigating a warehouse, well, that adds a lot of time to a session, apparently! :p

[@NoticeMS]

@@ChevaliersEmeraude I just DMed for the first time for a bunch of relatively new/completely new players, a oneshot i thought it would take maybe 3 hours, it took five. Always aim low and expect higher xD

[@zachwillett5853]

@@ChevaliersEmeraude Oh, *believe me* there's any NUMBER of distractions that can stretch out a play session. Then again, there will be any number of ways the team can just bypass everything you had planned and blow right into improv time with ChevaliersEmeraude.

[@chipsalom]

@@ChevaliersEmeraude yes, exactly. As a DM, one of the most powerful tools; to make things both extra FUN and to allow time to really fly is to not railroad your players. Have a good imagination, a LOOSE idea of all sorts of ways to roleplay/improv your ideas with them, and a number of quest hooks they can choose from. Beyond that, just jot down ideas of various NPCs you can pull out of the hat for different situations, it doesn't need to be extreme. Then, just be there, but let the players really explore. I've played a number of different ways. The DMs that were the most fun were the ones there as referees primarily, not there to overly control the story. Giving the players the freedom to really feel like they have agency? That'll make time FLY! We used to have 8 hour sessions and it'd still feel too short :). And know that it'll take some practice to hone the rough edges. Let the first long while be sloppy and don't be hard on yourself or them.

[@iridiumSerpent]

I love how Liam manages to stay in character through pretty much everything

[@danielgriff2659]

I think Liam IS his characters..I think he leaves himself at home or off-camera. We see Liam seriously role-playing almost all the time.

[@MrJacobHarrelson]

Travis is such a funny player and it’s so nice to see him really use his comedy chops again with Bertrand!

[@toneypriceless8170]

Weelllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

[@brookeannschrock]

can’t wait to see more of what he does!

[@MiguelPereira-yw8rg]

low blow dude hahahaha

[@dylantaylor3599]

@@toneypriceless8170 they do not know but we do 🤫

[@wavejunkie]

I know what you mean! I’m only about 20ish episodes into campaign 2 and I’m loving this Mollymauk character and the way Talesin plays him!

[@LunaChuu00]

I think that a lot of people are loving Robbie’s/Dorian’s chemistry in the group and so do I, so I hope CR make an executive decision to keep him for the whole campaign even if he was supposed to be a guest character for a while. Get more guests on top of him but let him stay he’s so good.

[@roxelmillian7242]

Wait? So he is suppose to be a guest character? Noooo 😭 Do you think it's going to be because of the death of Bertrand? Or maybe his backstory? Or the spider queen? All would be curious ways of him leaving. I just hope we get more of his backstory before he leaves.

[@masontaylor7708]

Yes! He's grown on me so much!

[@berndarndt9924]

I don't think 9 players help cr much. The space is made for 8 & not for nine. However they could invite guests whenever cr members can't come.

[@zetadelta5859]

He’s not supposed to be. I’ve seen it on a lot of sites, even Critical Role I believe, say he’s a core member of the party, unless that means something different

[@laurens.6940]

I bet, or reallllly hope, that they are going to have "recurring guests" ie secondary player characters this time. There have been so many interesting guest characters that we have only gotten a tiny glimpse of...see Debbie Ann Woler as Twiggie from last campaign. I will never get over the completely unexplored story of Twiggie and her captor Sir Cadigan (p sure thats not his actual name but it's been a while (it's been a whiiiiiile...)) I hope she comes back for campaign 3! At the very least, we'll probably see that side-story in a cartoon or comic...I hope 😣 Edit: in general I think the party missed some cool story beats last time that Matt was laying out for them. The mysterious "collectors" of rare magical items (and also live beings), the disappearing children at the border of Xorhas...

[@aspanmartin]

Idk why, but “no debts between us” almost made me cry…

[@katenawolfenstein9468]

DORIAN AND ORYM HAVE SUCH A GREAT DYNAMIC I LOVE THEM

[@cheyennedouthitt5921]

I was coloring when they said that and I just had to set down my pencil and sigh

[@ore0hn0]

They're so good I love them some much ❤️❤️❤️ I only started CR this Summer and I started with ExU so getting more of those characters is making me so happy.

[@daanlytens2985]

Me too! I was searching for someone who had commented this.. No cringe, no overdone, just pure kindness. This was just amazing.

[@HalenShredder]

There's a lot, and I mean, A LOT of examples of Matt being an excellent storyteller, but the ending to this episode is just so goddamn good.

[@Scywalker123]

Came here to say this...He just continues to top himself. It's one thing to be an excellent writer, but to deliver it live to a room full of talented people and millions watching is just incredible.

[@theolabbe6572]

That is the best and only way for Laudna to cast message from now on

[@hhylobates4098]

Paté did say theres a voice in her head, and Matt's joined in on the echoing whispers so it basically canon now 👻 wonder what will come of it.....(plenty theories of what her patron is....Whispered One?)

[@trevorgreenough6141]

I hope it stays, that such flavour

[@KumaoftheForest]

Vax is her Patron, I’m calling it

[@Ziaotic]

@@KumaoftheForest the champion of the Raven Queen supporting and empowering an undead creature...? doubt

[@morgan.williams76]

@@hhylobates4098 matt wanted in on those shenanigans. Think it's hilarious that the person most scared by laudna is the instigator

[@flutterbree]

Travis has WAY too much fun playing a senile old man pretending he knows it all. It's like he's already preparing to be a grandpa

[@mixmastermind]

It keeps happening.

[@gutwads]

Dorian is seriously so sweet for staying up with Bertrand so he wouldn't' be alone, reminds me of my favorite people

[@octolingo1892]

I love how the door is knocked on and Imogen immediately goes to the lie of “Dorian and I were doing things” like that’s great

[@SeerOfTime577]

WOW, that ending was absolutely phenomenal. The rapid switching between Imogen's dream/vision and Bertrand's confrontation, the new studio lighting, Matt's narration-- CHILLS.

[@ashtontitancards2486]

Favorite Quote by Ashton: "Does no one crime?!"

[@ccloudleaf]

Also I'M GONNA LIQUIFY YOU. Honestly so many good moments from every character. They are fucking masters at this seriously. And I'm loving way more out of Ashley this Camp. so far.

[@DeathnoteBB]

Taliesin checking if Ashton heard they were having another round cause Ashton would have turned around for free beer

[@ccloudleaf]

@@DeathnoteBB hahaha sooo good

[@zoobeeda]

"Does no one spice ?"

[@logisniper9863]

Travis just staring at Matt when Bertrand ducks into the alley is peak just "Welp, this is how it ends"

[@nicholasepsilon3534]

it had to happen... couldn't have been taliesans character again.

[@Migalouch]

Kind of had to expect it with Bertrand being 2 levels higher. I think Matt and him planned something like this to give a nice seriousness to the season.

[@pvic6959]

I always thought bertie wasnt going to stay very long... but that was not what i was expecting LOL

[@SomeYouTubeTraveler]

He was basically the Phil Coulsen of the new party

[@jeromemartel3916]

@@SomeKZbinTraveler The Shawn Bean of the party. The universe continuity couldn't continue if he don't die in a story.

[@DoobDoobles]

I really did not expect Bertrand to be my favorite character going into this but lord everything Travis does with him is just.. too much for me to handle.

[@NumberCaboose]

I think all of us need someone in our lives who laughs just as hard at our jokes as Robbie laughs at Travis's jokes. EDIT FOR POPULARITY: I cannot wait to see the fallout for Robbie's character given the circumstances at the conclusion!

[@PlanetLovingMom]

Robbie is adorable, and I love hearing him laugh. It's contagious!

[@ClaireDuhLune]

Ive been my own joke wingman for years now.

[@PlanetLovingMom]

@@ClaireDuhLune Aww 😟

[@deathbykonami5487]

23:00 Laudna: Imogen's great, she's got everything totally in control! [cut to a panicked chibi Imogen lost in the middle of the Lantern Spire] Imogen: [panicked] Where the fuck am I!? Bertrand: [mentally] Go straight and turn left in a 100 meters.

[@jonathonbartos5420]

Like the jump-cut in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: "Brody's got friends in every city and village from here to the Sudan. He speaks a dozen languages, and knows every local custom. He'll blend in, disappear, you'll never see him again. With any luck, he's got the Grail already." [Cut to Brody sticking out like a sore thumb] "Does anyone here speak English? Or even Ancient Greek?"

[@davwalsr]

Love how Travis just keeps quiet about Bertrand being outside the inn when shit goes down. That’s my favorite type of DnD - knowing something that nobody else does and keeping silent about it.

[@Fosterpython]

Having Marisha say "That's a good druid right there" is definitely high praise.

[@owlstar_cherryblossom8326]

as a person who played many campaigns with a druid includeing my favorite one where i got a giant interdimensional owls egg as a reward this is true

[@bionicdragon5]

I mean, Fearne hasn't yeeted herself off a mountain yet, so the bar's pretty low.

[@Adanu191]

Not especially. She was great as her monk and great so far in this... but she couldn't roleplay a druid.

[@Tabnito]

@@Adanu191 and she never read her spells thats a focus point of her character ter it's even in the animated series how bad of a druid she was (for 80% of the campaign)

[@jonatassilva2605]

@@Tabnito Yuuuup. She was really good as a monk, but boi did it show that the class carried her gameplay wise on VM. Wich was a blessing in disguise, since, even if she went for something different, VM DESPERETLY relied on Keyleth outside of combat. Scanlan was useful, but Keyleth carried that team outside of combat.(and sometimes in combat as well)

[@TheReykjavik]

"Is it good news or bad new" "yes" Fucking perfect, more Laudna pls

[@cryophile]

She is genuinely unsettling.

[@TheReykjavik]

@@cryophile Absolutely unsettling, I love it.

[@badwolfCR]

I love Marisha’s smirk when Liam asks what Laudna’s hand feels like. Can’t wait to find out more of her backstory!

[@quazorgemash]

I'm thinking undead or at least closely linked

[@sorreldendy3940]

I'm calling it that she's somehow related to the hag in C2

[@benteelgersma9303]

@@sorreldendy3940 I'm thinking she is one of the people that were hanged from the Sun Tree in Whitestone in C1

[@quazorgemash]

@@sorreldendy3940 I've thought hag too. What with the long fingers and growing in her form of dread

[@matthewcawley1462]

she pretty much described the feel of a waxy cadaver. she states the whitestone incident happened when she was a young woman but still seems unnaturally young even though it happened long ago at this point. she has a ghoulish undead form. she seems a little put out/surprised when she finds out the De Rolos lived on. States no real knowledge about it but the bird skull is eerily similar to Percy's cursed form as well as she puppets it like Percy was symbolically puppeted by Vecna on top of that Percy was the only real P name (crit stats). Laudna sounds like Vecna (really big leap for sure). She hears whispers/voices. I do like Bente Elgersma's theory of one that was hanged on the Sun Tree. I think she might be a revenant variant or a sentient ghoul made by Sylas Briarwoods vampirism. Im torn between thinking shes a De Rolo herself or something like a maid during the coup. Was an undead husk for a time which forced her isolation before getting a type of sentience, probably after the Briarwoods defeat. Since she was created by the Briarwoods powers (in whatever shape that takes) she gets her warlock powers from Vecna/Vecna is able to live on slightly through Laudna in some lichy way but the powers are severely weakened from his defeat so Laudna has full control and Vecna is nothing more then a whispered voice in the back of her head.

[@robf.311]

Robbie saying “I meant to trip [Bertrand], not kill him” ….if only he knew

[@dakoata121212]

Would love to see a full game session from Matt’s point of view! A cam on the whole cast from his eyes perspective and a camera looking in behind the DM screen. To see in action what info he has available and how he tracks things and operates during the game. That would be so cool!