Candela Obscura: Vassal & Veil | Episode 1 | The Cold Embrace

[@BlursedBatman]

I Love that Taliesin is so kind to let them borrow decor from his home

[@CCgivemeawedgy]

You have to help your -underlings- friends every now and then.

[@666macksweet]

i would love see his home

[@swearimnotarobot3746]

He even gave them some of his clothes. So generous

[@nickm9102]

Please, everyone knows that the stuff they borrowed are Talison's recent acquisitions that he hasn't decided what to do with yet. All his home furnishings are much older.

[@Pro_Butcher_Amateur_Human]

This is the smaller dining hall in Talesin's home that he usually uses to entertain his victims before he drains their essence to maintain his eternal life.

[@Suntas]

Love how Ashley is literally playing the pov character for the audience.

[@ForestRaptor]

Super smart way to initiate a game!

[@Apeiron242]

That's called an "audience stand in". Like Harry Potter and Neo in their first movies. They represent us.

[@evanvandesteeg8169]

​​@@Apeiron242 Neo:woah!

[@jakemaxgross]

@@evanvandesteeg8169I know king fu

[@evanvandesteeg8169]

@@jakemaxgross woah Reloaded!

[@FranciscoIannello]

Fun Fact : Taliesin didn't know he was being filmed for the intro sequence, he was just doing his usual routine.

[@theloonyboi]

Good to know

[@novakazenaru]

sounds like Talisen

[@IdentifiantE.S]

That’s true 💯

[@AaronVgoat]

I always thought Taliesin assumed they were always being recorded thus explaining their flamboyant macabre nature. 🙃

[@theninjacalledbasilisk7770]

🤣🤣🤣🤣✨️✨️✨️

[@superskolinskolin2423]

"You were very brave today" and "I have never seen someone hide as well as you" are two sentences I rarely hear right after another

[@anttisaarilampi]

Reminds me of Brave Sir Robin

[@flandomaltrizian4603]

HEY, there might be some SPOILERS under the thing 1:55 EPISODE STARTS 4:25 Recap Ends, Auggie intro 6:40 Donald 10:40 The explosion 12:15 Howard Margrove intro 18:00 Arlo Black intro 20:40 Charlotte Eaves intro 25:25 Auggie is back 34:00 Alexandra 41:45 Auggie meets the crew 42:55 Explaining magic 47:45 Arlo gets bled 49:45 Candela Obscura 54:50 The team starts dropping secrets immediately 1:00:00 We all care for each other deeply 1:00:55 Hypothesis 1:02:55 Trauma bonding 1:07:35 Distracting the guard 1:10:50 Searching the apartment 1:16:25 Donald returns 1:18:35 Seducing the guard 1:21:30 Communing with Donald 1:25:30 Let them in (love the Apocalypse style abilities) 1:31:20 Metagaming pigeon messaging 1:35:10 BREAK STARTS 1:45:15 BREAK ENDS 1:48:00 Clara 1:50:00 Layla 1:55:35 Still learning the terminology 1:57:20 Doctor of Philosophy 2:06:40 Parkour 2:09:30 The Steel 2:20:45 Charlotte and Howard 2:30:40 In or out 2:38:10 Dice pools are hard 2:39:15 Arlo can’t drive 2:45:45 Howard gets bled 2:55:35 Maverick roll (and Auggie takes a hit) 3:02:40 Finding the cylinder (Arlo’s ward) 3:06:40 The Entity 3:07:40 Blood sacrifice (ghost trap) 3:11:40 The Gilded Rainbow and Reggie 3:13:05 Charlotte goes off 3:15:50 Alexandra wraps things up 3:20:20 Auggie is living rent free 3:22:35 C-minus 3:23:20 End moves 3:24:55 Discussing resources 3:28:35 Arlo getting stitched and refreshed 3:30:30 Auggie getting stitched and refreshed 3:34:00 Charlotte gets refreshed 3:37:15 Episode Ends Gonna be honest, I’m less confident in my ability to stamp for horror given that I usually focus on jokes and stuff. I’ll work on it. Any moments I missed? Feel free to post them here. Is it Thursday yet?

[@pokemonmusiclover5]

Yay flando

[@taterjtot12]

Flando is literally a god

[@Coilla85]

Again, so quick! Thank you!

[@samuraiko]

Go, Flando, go! (And thank you as always!)

[@phoebica]

Thank you, al always. We appreciate your work - horror or high fantasy.

[@wythore]

As someone that is still on Campaign One of Critical Role but decided to check this out , the difference in quality is ASTRONOMICAL!!

[@Sanyaenyenwa]

Yeah, the production value in those early episodes was rough. No budget to speak of, tech cobbled together with whatever Geek&Sundry had lying around by a crew of, like, two people while sharing the same set with a whole bunch of other shows. They've come a long way since.

[@antoinevinat9868]

@@Sanyaenyenwa that was real rpg back then.. now the prod feel to mutch .. still watching though ;)

[@AbisexualCarpenter]

It’s been a ride

[@fly1ing891]

It was a group who decided to stream their home game, now they made it a proper show. Both have their charm

[@adamdyota4285]

oh youre in for a fantastic journey my friend

[@HecHocceH]

Find yourself someone who'll listen to you how Ashley listens to Matt.

[@wibkesworld3208]

Second that! ❤

[@vworpin9945]

Her and Travis too, just enthralled. Such a complement for Matt I'm sure :D

[@jameswingate9404]

nt😅g😅 a jo 😊😅😊w

[@ASquared544]

So not much unless it’s in abject horror? (Joke, comedy, not a jab)

[@sheilaparker9779]

Matt is a exceptional story teller. My husband reads lots of books and he was reading a series that I caught him laughing at and asked him what was going on in the story he was reading and he started reading from the book. He also is a good story teller and gave all the characters of the book a voice and read it in the voices of what he would think they would sound like and I was so fascinated by the stories he read all the books of the series to me. That was the only series he ever did this because mostly I am not that interested in other books he is and have my own style of books I like to read. But it was a series had several books The one that he started doing this with was "People of the Earth" Which was the third book in the series so I made him go back to the ones before that one which he already read through but was happy to do so again. So if you ever want a good book series to read I recommend that one.

[@nyyyco]

Holy smokes. That astronomical clock behind Matt is actually moving. Set builders outdid themselves. So amazing 🤯

[@Melkimund]

Isn't it digital?

[@feitocomfruta]

@@MelkimundNope! Flip This Bitch, their set designers, built a mechanical wall clock, it’s 100% analog.

[@WanderNeatly]

Pretty sure they're green screens. Especially because they always site their production crew. But yes, either way, they are talented

[@thenecrosanct4906]

@@WanderNeatly A production crew can make physical things as well. But the clock is real. Matt said in an interview that they can hear its gears as they play, so no green screen or digital projection.

[@jasonarendt9076]

@@thenecrosanct4906 if it is physical how come the shadows never change position under it? and why does Matt not cast a shadow on it?

[@ignatius2510]

The opening sequence feels like a montage of Talisen’s weekend routine😂

[@plasticmans3036]

wonder what kind of role Taliesin's character would play in this campaign

[@nirobu]

​@@plasticmans3036The ancient, immortal founder of Candela Obscura who is only awakened Winter-Soldier-style when shit REALLY hits the fan

[@captaincokecan]

That's his living room in one of the lower levels of the pyramid he lives in whilst also being the pyramid himself. Its very metaphysical but south facing so nice this time of year

[@carlopaez3380]

Its literally a "Get Ready With Me" Taliesen edition

[@timd4524]

Which is about as far as I got before I fell asleep in this rules light CoC

[@amandalogan89]

Ashley as a confused newsie is absolutely DELIGHTFUL! Her expressions this whole time 😂

[@maxwellfujs6124]

She is eating up the camera, it’s awesome.

[@xommul79]

This is her normal expression after playing for years.

[@operative2136]

I love that they're doing this series. Don't get me wrong - I love the hell out of their high fantasy stuff. But I think this is a real opportunity to change things up a bit, and give the cast and crew a bit of a change of pace and give Matt a chance to stretch his creative legs so to speak.

[@deathbykonami5487]

Each chapter is 3 episodes long and might follow different circles of Candela Obscura.

[@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll]

And even his actual legs (and back) since he's standing throughout

[@ChicCanyon]

This is more commercial than creative outlet

[@deathbykonami5487]

@@ChicCanyon What the hell is that supposed to mean? They're not just doing this to make money. They're a close group of friends that enjoy playing tabletop together and have been for over 10 years.

[@ChicCanyon]

@@deathbykonami5487 lol cool story

[@togroglog2457]

It's amazing how this show changed "Aww, it's the last Thursday of the month." To "Oh man I can't wait for the last Thursday of the month!!!"

[@JanTuts]

It's super weird though that they only make the VOD available on KZbin _two weeks later on Thursday,_ rather than the next Monday like with CR... So for the Monday squad, there's still an empty week, and then a week that has both CR and Candela.

[@caramel7050]

@@JanTuts the 2 week delay is super lame, but i think its related to their contract with twitch

[@JanTuts]

​@@caramel7050 Hmm, yes, perhaps their legacy contract with Twitch only makes exceptions for the "Critical Role" _show_ itself, not the whole channel, and they had to re-negotiated being allowed to simulstream "Candela Obscura" on Twitch and KZbin, but as a compromise had to delay its KZbin VODs with 2 weeks. Or something like that.

[@feitocomfruta]

@@JanTutsthey learned their lesson, Chapter 2 is on the same “Monday after” schedule now.

[@FireWolf583]

I don’t think they really had high hopes for this game style. Their crew member and friend created it so this was a way for the team to test it out and get content out. I feel like their schedule was weird because they weren’t sure if anyone would like it. But since it’s obvious people love the old timey setting and the guest actors, they’ve expanded on it and fixed the schedule.

[@ShaggyRogers1]

trauma bonding is such a cool choice mechanic. What a cool way to encourage people to coordinate and pool their resources on problems.

[@zoltanszaszi2264]

I love that this Victorian urban fantasy thriller operates with our culturally engrained Englishness of a romanticized late-19th-century London vibe, underscored by the cast collectively playing out the two (2) most notable English stereotypes the world knows and loves: Everyone: *acting sophisticated and refined* Ashley: A BLAST BLEW UP IN ME FACE INNIT (I don't mean the accent but rather the vibe)

[@burnt-croissants]

just a correction from a history buff: the timeline wouldn’t be the Victorian era (circa 19th century) because it was often pre-automobiles. The Industrial Revolution had just begun, after all. Steam and clockwork gadgets were just being mass created. Prohibition was during the 1920s so it would lean more in the Roaring 20s if this hypothetical place was set in a fictional U.S.

[@skylark7921]

⁠​⁠@@burnt-croissantsit’s specifically stated to be turn of the century, so 🤷‍♀️

[@magnum_cx8805]

@@skylark7921 Wouldn’t turn of the century rather be Edwardian?

[@mrplumbe7318]

The Talisen section goes so smoothly into the intro. Gave me chills...

[@G.F.SF55]

Ikr I didn't even notice that it wasn't part of the intro before I read your comment

[@IronCrown]

They actually just took a panning shot of Talieson's empty living chamber. He just kinda shows up on some viewings of the VOD.

[@lunavixrn5651]

During the introductions, just the characters who are present are illuminated, Laura and Robbie are literally in shade when Auggie is introduced. So cool

[@FireWolf583]

It’s really cool and makes it easy to focus on the characters individually. Sometimes when they have large groups of players it gets hard to follow along and remember who is who.

[@elio8]

They should do this in the games in general. It “ sets the stage” . But maybe just for important moments.

[@samuraiko]

I absolutely LOVED this. The production crew utterly outdid themselves with this one, the art team, the costumes, the design team, the cast, the music, the story, the EVERYTHING. I'm not only champing at the bit to see the rest of this arc, but I'm already imagining either Taliesin or Liam GMing the next arc with a new cast and new adventures. CR, at whom should I be throwing money to get all this delicious music?!

[@xanathar8659]

It was made by Colm McGuiness as far as I know (amazing composer, also did welcome to wildemount) but I can't find it anywhere so I don't think it's public yet :(

[@fawnzii1979]

some of the background music is from the game DREDGE if that helps!

[@samuraiko]

@@fawnzii1979 Oh nice! Any idea which tracks are showing up at which points?

[@CassBlast5]

OMG thank you for being a person who knows that horses don’t chomp, they champ

[@wolverinehobbit1]

As long as they don’t bring Marisha Ray on for the next one then I’ll be so excited

[@masterjaczor9892]

I really love that Charlotte got refreshed by taking a day off and helping a kind old woman by just simply telling her a story. And it always brings a smile to my face hearing Matt Mercer talk like a kind old grandmother.

[@shadow-faye]

Matt was born for the role of kind old grandmother

[@FireWolf583]

Matt doing older people’s voices is just so funny to me cause half of them sound exactly the same

[@ApequH]

43:45 I love Auggie's face going "WTF, Dudes!! are you hearing this!!!" While everyone else is calm and elegant

[@davidmacgregor6093]

I know Auggie’s a different character, but the whole “fuck you in particular” attitude just has me hearing Ellie with an accent and I love it! 😂

[@Mediados]

That's the great thing about actors. They play different characters, but always bring the thing that makes them as people unique into every one of them.

[@vafscamp]

Waaaaay back when I listened to campaign 2 and Yasha yells "GET THE F@CK OUT OF MY TENT" I thought immediately of Ellie

[@jackiecozzie4803]

@@Mediados yes this is one of the best things about theatre, you get to see so many different takes on one role

[@Mediados]

@@jackiecozzie4803 Theater is honestly what I like the least about acting. In my experience, they try to be as special, disgusting, repulsive and abstract as possible just for the sake of it. And all of that inside a rehashed story from between 50-200 years ago. For me, animation is where entertainment can unfold its true potential.

[@jackiecozzie4803]

@@Mediados i love animation too but did you really have to put down an entire other art form for it? what do you mean by "special, repulsive, disgusting and abstract"?? most theatre isn't abstract at all? I would consider movies like spiderverse (excellent, two of the best movies I've ever seen) more abstract than most plays or musicals I know

[@marquonuk]

I like the way when the fire is described by Matt as starting to get warm, Ashley takes off her fingerless gloves! Nice roleplaying detail. :-)

[@krumnut]

I love Anjali she brings such mom energy to the table every time.

[@ghomerhust]

agreed. she's always so animated and gets into her characters beautifully

[@LWT1331]

Don't care for her that much. Maybe she'll grow on me.

[@Gemini053]

@@LWT1331 Has she grown on you yet? 😂

[@rasputsuko]

Just with her facial expressions I knew who Charlotte was before she was introduced

[@FireWolf583]

She looks very in character and in general happy to be there which is awesome

[@d4cndev]

Auggie's face of "what the fuck is going on" all the time is so lovely

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

Ashley's characters are always so great, and Augie is arguably the best yet.

[@zoltanszaszi2264]

You can see hints of Yasha and Fearne with the foul mouth of Pike.

[@feitocomfruta]

Auggie is the heart of the circle, the one they all wish didn’t have to see the reality of the Thinnings and the Bleed. They’ve all seen these horrors before, but Auggie hasn’t. It’s why Charlotte’s so hyper protective of him.

[@OnionBun]

goddamn you really gotta appreciate robbie's range. It is such a turn around from Dorian's unsure stance, to this.... love it.

[@morganmcinroy4211]

Did you see him playing the Goron cosplayer?

[@Lexfinity]

Prompto is still my favorite

[@ThomasUfnalCrowlake]

I was more focused on Laura doing an androgynous character after three extremely feminine (though in different ways) CR characters, but you are so right that this is a great jump, too!

[@zlatan_2197]

​@@ThomasUfnalCrowlake I'm not sure her character is androgynous at all.

[@Ada-el9kh]

​@@ThomasUfnalCrowlake how is she androgynous?

[@comicstrider4851]

So nice of Taliesin to let the crew film in his basement

[@themacias]

What do you mean "basement"? This is his old babyroom.

[@apino9754]

Nice to see how he's redecorated since the CoC One-shot!

[@JB-xl2jc]

​@@themaciasFascinating, I did not know they had masonry back 6 billion years ago

[@billystokes3917]

@@JB-xl2jc Neither did I, but Taliesin almost definitely created such fine masonry the moment he was born from that pod.

[@Lukasaske]

@@billystokes3917 No no no, he built it before he was born.

[@akanemerlo7142]

This needs to be a full on series, it’s so good. Laura’s acting is unmatched, Charlotte is such a great character 😩 i wish this were animated too.

[@btomlin2383]

Agreed on all accounts. Laura maintains character practically the whole episode. Facial expressions, head movements, the idle gloved hand motions, etc..

[@akanemerlo7142]

@@btomlin2383 literally, even the way she coughs is on character. I love everyone in this table, but the way Laura acts, it’s way too good. She’s amazing.

[@lydiahood7725]

@@akanemerlo7142 Laura is by far the best actress of all the ones to have been on any Critical Role campaigns, she has always been significantly ahead of everybody else in her performances. Matt is probably about the second best of the bunch, the rest is very variable some are pretty good, some are fairly flat, I mean look at Ashley, she tend to be fairly static in term of character, every characters she plays tend to be very similar no matter if they are a teen boy scoundrel or a barbarian woman.

[@Fenristhegreat]

Anjali and Robbie are both *so* good at this. I love it when the guests fit the medium so well.

[@jongalonja9233]

I love that the Lightkeeper is Marisha's character from the Call of Cthulhu oneshot

[@lindakenny2956]

Thank you so much for pointing this out, I completely missed it.

[@rickrack4325]

I was like "I know I've heard that name before!" Thank you

[@castlejames4736]

I went back and listened to that one-shot since that connection was made xD

[@BouncingTribbles]

That explains why it's being recommended to me on the sidebar

[@Kasino80]

You're right it is!!!

[@earlofbroadst]

*insert joke about Taliesin being an immortal/Eldritch being who's very kind to let the CR crew film somewhere in his home*

[@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll]

Listen, we take the care and feeding of this meme very seriously around here.

[@Kasino80]

It really is getting old (though not as old as Taliesin).

[@Wertical93]

hey hey hey did you guys hear the one how that's his daily/weekly/monthly routine? hilarious stuff!

[@cheshirehat8355]

Have you seen my hat?

[@jeremytitus9519]

Haha yeah “joke” that’s definitely what it is 😅

[@scottmefford6917]

IDK who did the costuming for this, but both Anjali and Laura are absolutely stunning in this period garb. Well done ❤

[@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll]

Jenny Newman (jennernugen) is their wardrobe wizard! Always does a great job.

[@scottmefford6917]

@@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll Thanks for the Intel, I shall try to remember that.

[@tinius9276]

I have to give it to Robbie and Ashley as well. Robbie looks straight like his character portrait, and ashley is living her character beautifully. A testament to costuming and acting in this series for sure.

[@RPG_Angie]

@@tinius9276 I particularly like the ominous glint on Robbie's glasses whenever his overhead light is off.

[@TheQuirkyNerd]

@@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEllDid they also do wardrobe for that Deadwood RPG? That was also fantastic costume choices.

[@tinyrogue1320]

Goodness, I cannot _describe_ my joy at seeing Anjali participating again!!! I don't know why, but I just love her so much :D She's great!

[@rickrack4325]

I am just like you, except I do know why: this woman is the very embodiment of CHARISMA. The way she projects her characters out into the world is just riveting. I remember seeing her for the first time in ExU with Aabria when they were still split-screening because of covid, and then mid-episode they add her to the screen as Fy'Ra Rai is introduced and she starts with "DARK BEING!", and I'm like mind blown, who the hell is that gal? And since then Undeadwood, the DOOM oneshot and now this, and I can confidently say she's my favourite CR guest of all times.

[@adamdyota4285]

Travis Willingham, the CEO of Critical Role Matt Mercer, the DM who's been carrying all of its main campaign thus far Marisha Ray, the creative director who brought all marvelous ideas into flesh Laura Bailey, the merchant of CR's baubles and merchandises Ashley Johnson, the president of CR Foundation Liam O'Brien and Sam Riegel, the ones who started it all and now, Lord of the Darkness, The Ageless One, Taliesin Jaffe, the creator of CR's own tabletop game :D

[@gannongarfin1634]

Wait, Liam and Sam started this?

[@MrMix1212]

I don't think that's accurate. Sam and Liam spoke about joining them on an old podcast if I recall.

[@BrotherPraetus]

@@MrMix1212 they certainly encouraged it, since it was also, originally, just supposed to be a one-shot and they kept pressing for more.

[@FireWolf583]

@@gannongarfin1634 well all of them used to do campaigns in Matt's basement YEARS ago and at some point they decided to make a KZbin channel and make longer campaigns. They started off working with Geek and Sundry then in 2018 they moved to their own studio.

[@rachelclaw]

The original CR campaign started because Liam asked Matt to GM a oneshot for his birthday, and they decided to keep doing it. I believe Sa was somehow influential in starting them streaming, but I'm not sure.@@gannongarfin1634

[@rosesleeps]

This is pure brilliance: the story, the setting, the costumes, the improv acting, the SET. I need more. Can't wait for the full setting book so we can fully play in this sandbox.

[@kariissmol9172]

What set? Thats Taliesins guest bedroom!

[@rosesleeps]

@@kariissmol9172 Ah, yes, I forgot. How kind of him to let them film in his Lair

[@Grom1477]

This series is the perfection of what ttrpg can ever be

[@Ziaotic]

don't forget the theme and break music that were composed for the series

[@ateneaenlasestrellas632]

Everybody is talking about the background, clothes and stuff (which is awesome), but the smooth transitions from the logo to the character sheet on the bottom left part of the screen 👌 This is so well made, I'm loving every detail of this ❤

[@angus3876]

The introduction to this is giving me strong Del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosity vibes. I can not wait to see more.

[@christopherkowalczyk4405]

The opening made me think of penny dreadful.

[@jessemayan65]

you mean Taliesin's basement?

[@rebeccabarnet6746]

Just started watching this but I'm loving Robbie's cranky professor vibe. Dorian's time with Chetney really peaking through 😂

[@ezekieldiamadaiii3763]

Every time Matt Mercer says "the Shiver" it takes all of my willpower not to say "and quiff"

[@RPG_Angie]

Up with this comment! It must be seen!

[@RPG_Angie]

Especially at this moment: 48:43 XD

[@mirjamschreurs8813]

For real 😂😂

[@eartheclipse8]

@@RPG_Angie lmao he should really stop putting shiver and quiver together in the same sentence xD

[@raimett]

@@eartheclipse8 Oh he's on a quest for redemption it seems :D

[@Saberwolf71]

I love the "cosplay" and I really love how closely the character portraits resemble it. Also, glad to see that Matt was able to incoporate a vest into his costume, can't have him being without. In all seriousness, I am really digging the "vibe" of the world mythos and the game. Looking forward to the opportunity to play it myself.

[@panthersnbraves]

Laura has played such strong characters. Watching her nervously fidget with her glove is very telling about her character.

[@Saberwolf71]

@@panthersnbraves - I noticed that too, clearly a great bit of acting to have developed a "tell" or "tic" that she is acting out at the table.

[@nourtney2178]

I got stuck on the fact we can see Matt’s wrists without bracelets

[@Saberwolf71]

@@nourtney2178 - LOL, I didn't even notice, I wonder if it caused him to break out in hives being without them? Thank goodness, he has every reason to wear a vest at least.

[@FireWolf583]

Matt being in a vest and tie is just doing things for me 😳 he looks great

[@nicooooo0]

I love that Matt can play with the lights and focus them on specific players during their individual scenes

[@Brenonfire]

Finally, a CR campaign I can watch from the beginning instead of being years behind!

[@wolfranger5526]

same

[@silorion9967]

Starting recently can be rough, I get it. I liked to listen to episodes at work, got through two a day somtimes.

[@erikwilliams1562]

It's a good feeling

[@Blasted2Oblivion]

It's a bit of a double edged sword though. Sure, you aren't years behind but you also have to wait for each new episode.

[@JohnFleshman]

As Usual the story telling is On Point! Ashley is So good at looking exactly as I would expect a pauper with no experience in paranormal shit to look.

[@CodenameHyena]

I keep imagining the scenes in the style of the Arcane series, god I love this

[@Thinkingmakesitso.]

That would be amazing

[@googoogaga7986]

Damn that style would be PERFECTTTT for an animated version of this series, the dark fantasy vibes aaaa

[@nickgrout2502]

I was seeing Dishonored style myself, but Arcane absolutely works too

[@luciferkingofdeath1647]

This comment /pos

[@zoltanszaszi2264]

Yeah, you're not wrong, I was thinking the same thing. Victorian urban fantasy mixed with steampunk.

[@justincase4708]

Robbie: He's an older gentleman at 52 years of age..... Me (age 53): Ouch

[@donalddouds6033]

Glad I’m not the only one that felt personally attacked by that line LOL

[@alissapyrich1891]

Me at 55 ... So it's come to this, has it?

[@justincase4708]

@@alissapyrich1891 Well, mentally, I'm only 5-ish.

[@jaydee6574]

I mean, 50 is half of 100 right? You still have 50 more to live😅

[@QemeH]

1907-equivalent in the US-equivalent, this means he has an average of 0.6 years left to live, so... he's quite old for his society.

[@alyssatheexcellent]

I really like how swallowable these shorter games tend to be. Sure we don’t get as much character build but as someone who has never played any RPGs and wants to start- this seems very doable and fun with kinda low commitment just to try!

[@stepanserdyuk4589]

Anjali is like that cool auntie who's always in on the fun

[@bennett_7273]

Laura's smirk when Ashley said "Got you a big thick one" made me chuckle

[@muffininacup4060]

timestamp?

[@octolingo1892]

It’s near the beginning; when Auggie goes to Donald’s place

[@veasnamakara5941]

@@muffininacup4060 around 8:00

[@ForestRaptor]

She's really evolved her self-control over the past 8 years XD But almost completely loses it at 1:11:58 Never change Laura Bailey, That's my kind of gutter humour!

[@erikwilliams1562]

Goddammit had to rewind to find it

[@R3dS0ulSnak3]

I adore how they are all so patient with each other as they try this out n learn their characters.

[@AngryShellback]

Matt is brilliant as usual, Laura, Robbie, Anjali and Ashley are a spectacular cast. This is definitely an Role Playing heavy, and Game Master descriptive heavy system... Waiting for Episode 2.

[@FireWolf583]

I love how this series gives old timey, steampunk, wild western, supernatural, and 1920s vibes all at once. The outfits really sell it and the accents make you feel like you’re there with them. Shoutout to the guys who created this new form of roleplay for those looking for a new challenge while still enjoying the story.

[@Brittanysplittany]

The acting was stellar and production amazing. The music deserves its own album. I can totally imagine a chill background video now with Candela Obscura music and an animation in his office, titled something like "Studying with Dr Margrove"

[@alexadre2142]

You can feel how much they worked on it and how hard they wanted this to be successful. Outdid themselves once again, good luck guys!

[@Pooples123]

Matthew Mercers' range of voices is insane and I love it so much

[@TheChaosCleric]

I’ve been waiting for this since it was announced- and the CR crew did NOT DISAPPOINT! This is freaking amazing and I can’t wait for how this turns out! I’m a sucker for eldritch horror, so this is just making my brain very VERY happy. This story is ever weaving and I am here for the freaking ride.

[@madtophatter1020]

Everyones character intro: you are respectfully handed a letter by a bald spectacled fedora man Auggie intro: you fuckin exploded

[@optimistprime3192]

I read that like how Arin of Game Grumps described his car that caught fire: “Your character.... *_exploded_* “

[@MrFiendFyre]

​@@optimistprime3192solid GG reference, also i can goddamn hear it now 😂

[@mistamemewide]

@@optimistprime3192 GOD DAMMIT I HEAR THAT NOW

[@jackwriter1908]

It reminds me a bit of how Abria introduced Evan Kelmp, by saying _The bird is snatched by a dark shadow out of the air, which you don't see._ And of Brennans _I want you to do so in the knowledge that you lungs are filled with blood._ Auggie's Intro reminds me of those.

[@anxious_panda2268]

I just hear it Grog's voice when he told Vex "You fucking died."

[@freakincages]

Auggie: * handing over the newspaper * Gotta good thick one for you t’day. Laura Bailey: 😏😏

[@ForestRaptor]

*smile* *raise eyebrow* *smirk knowingly* but at 1:11:58 she shoots herself in the foot and has to reaaaaallly wind it back. Robbie there "yeeeeees? :P" lil troll boy XD

[@jeissanascimento]

Laura Bailey everybody

[@JerichosFishStand]

Laura's character voice is like, "I give myself very good advice, but the darn nargles always spoil everything."

[@themeanlesbeann]

I was trying to place why it sounded familiar. Looney Luna inspiration for sure.

[@zoltanszaszi2264]

The mannerisms are so on point too. The wide eyes, the head tilt, the nod for emphasis

[@theopkingdom3433]

That's exactly what I thought. Victorian Luna. ☺️

[@gallantgatsby]

It's so cool CR is making a series about Taliesin's teenage years.

[@joluoto]

Ah yes, I remember it well, it was some time before that debacle with Atlantis. An annoyingly wet affair that was.

[@Starbean89]

@@joluoto if possible please tell me what happened during the Atlantis affair. It seems like it would be a lovely fireside chat over tea

[@enterthedungeon]

The production value of this show is incredible. The cast and Matt have really created something special

[@michaelyap7135]

Candela Obscura is another animated series in the making!

[@Lomadias]

Matt's ability to go with the flow of the players, in the most creative and supportive ways is fucking outstanding. All of them have this insane improv skill and it's a joy to watch.

[@SarahRoseCO10]

"The police that look over...for some...the city" I like the class consciousness put in here and there.

[@nickgrout2502]

It only gets stronger in the quickstart guide

[@Amaradeia]

Looovvveee Robbie!! This stuffy professor is so not what I expected from him and he plays it so well!

[@padenbang7375]

New system and genre aside, there is such a difference in engagement for the cast in Candela. Things are played much MUCH more seriously. Its all RP. No table talk. No whispered conversations. No OOC jokes. Hardly any OOC comments. The cast is completely engaged for the entirety. Paying attention, taking notes, truly immersed. This is a whole new thing for CR, and im fuggin here for it! Im curious how the fans (and the cast) will enjoy the new buttoned down style. A step in a new direction for sure. Thanks CR for continuing to innovate and shake things up 🤘🏻

[@feanaro2712]

"The dice gods do not want me to enter the building." Ha! Lots of great moments, but Laura's delivery there really made me laugh out loud.

[@TakeWalker]

The opening for this is absolutely fantastic. :O Such a delight to have Anjali back again! :D Layla was an amazing character from the word 'go'. And I'm glad this isn't just a one-shot, as these tend to be! But was anyone else expecting Taleisin to be the game master though?

[@EmeraldVideosNL]

I know I was. I'm more than a little disappointed that he's not even a player or a Lightkeeper NPC.

[@symphonixblades]

not really no. They stated that Taleisin was the narrator role for this chapter , they also stated that a chapter lasts 3 episodes and each chapter might have a different circle with different players and maybe different GMs .

[@PixieMeetsCrossbow]

I love Auggie ❤ Auggie and Charlotte’s relationship is so precious 🥹

[@gacha_xxtuber2218]

I absolutely adore reading through the comments & seeing the ones about them filming in Taliesin’s basement- they’re all hysterical😂😂 That being said, I hope they thanked Taliesin for being so kind as to lock them in the basement for 4 hours.

[@Mike-vn3lt]

12:00 was all it took for me to be hooked for the whole story. Mercers storytelling just Does. Not. Miss.

[@amymurata]

Anytime "Pool Hall Ashley" comes out is a good day

[@wolfranger5526]

Wow. A perfect story, a perfect set, perfect costumes, perfect cast, perfect mechanics, an all around perfect show. I can't decide who i like more Auggie or The Professor such funny characters. Will be waiting anxiously for the next adventure for the Circle of the Vassal and the Veil. Thank you KZbin recommendations. Sucked in immediately.

[@ravager2-636]

“Extra extra read all about it! “ “Shit Weird.! And the People Weirdly Normal..” I’m going to enjoy this series I can already tell..

[@benp6361]

mrs. Bailey's in char. acting is outrageously good. i'm adoring it.

[@PalasDiner]

Love Taliesins voice !! Perfect for this kind of story❤

[@G.F.SF55]

IKR ✨

[@lefterismplanas4977]

I was honestly expecting him to be the dm

[@vintagedxisy39]

Just noticed the little smile Laura makes at 16:36 when Matt mentions the blue feather on the fedora - Vex will be with her in every universe, it seems 😊

[@stevengoodloe3893]

The opening has a kind of Penny Dreadful vibe. I'm into it.

[@danieldaza2141]

I love the ilumitation trick as if this was theater, that was so freaking cool

[@okthen623]

Something about Layla's voice is so unique from other Matt Mercer (TM) voices. Its raspy and her voice cracks occasionally which implies that either shes shouting pretty often (pretty likely for a "bully" character) or breathing contaminated air (also likely for a street urchin in this coal based London-esque town) or both. Her speech is also slurred yet snippy which reads as a general lack of respect towards anyone she talking to and a quick wit from growing up on the outskirts of society. Just her voice tells you everything you need to know about her and *I love it.*

[@jacklegend5798]

The way Matt laughed when Robbie said, "Doctor of Philosophy" absolutely gives me life.

[@Blasted2Oblivion]

It was probably the funniest thing I have heard in a while.

[@Kardellan]

I love the dynamic between Auggie and Charlotte. It's just so wonderful, I've watched this over 5 times. ❤

[@thienpool]

Matt is great at getting us invested in NPCs, poor Donald.... I wanted to know more of his backstory :( and his sister was due to visit :(((

[@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll]

I was thinking, "Whew, at least Matt was merciful and didn't let us spend too much time getting to know him first, or this would have hit even harder"

[@erikwilliams1562]

RIGHT?!

[@mistamemewide]

I do not care, I will protect Auggie for the rest of my life. Boy did great this episode.

[@robertschott1765]

I'm hoping for behind the scenes of the new set. I really love the clockwork behind Matt. The set and lighting were perfect storytelling accents and sell the vibe of this so well. Kudos to the set design crew.

[@bauer_simon]

This is amazing! The production quality is so high for this. The set and the costumes are amazing. WE NEED MERCH!

[@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll]

A Critter of my acquaintance already got the CO shirt and claims it is one of the extremely soft ones, and I am frankly a bit upset at her for sharing that, because I already liked the design a lot and I *was* going to hold off on a merch purchase until a bit later. 💸

[@christabelle__]

It would be just as amazing without the production value - having watched Critical Role Campaign 1 when they were still basically unheard of? Yeah, still massively enjoyable with terrible sound and video quality, lol!

[@Tem-Wizard]

We need period merch.

[@TheOrderOfDanos]

I'll admit, i've never been much of a fan of CR. I didn't care much for the other systems/universes as much as i tried to get into them, or had friends slide content into my DMs about it. Having discovered Candela Obscura recently, I have to say, the quality of this game, the universe and the characters and roleplaying has absolutely pulled me in with a magical force. I'm committing to actually getting through this whole thing, I've never attempted to watch an entire RP campaign in this way, but you've grabbed my attention by the collar.

[@danielarosindo]

I love this, I couldn't see live, but my mouth is constantly falling from the sheer genius they created here

[@IslaMcTear]

This a not usually my style of story, I prefer high fantasy but when CR does something I have to check it out and honestly I'm hooked. Brilliant from start to finish, can only echo what the rest of the comments say about the costumes and design all the details - bring on episode 2!

[@Flushedfox]

laura rolled so bad through this whole thing shes such a treat! the whole cast is truly hilarious. love robbie and anjali

[@jeremyoliviervoice]

This was so AWESOME! I hope to see Taliesin in future episodes. It's so great to see Robbie and Anjali at the table again. Robbie has a great Snidely Whiplash vibe going on that really adds to the atmosphere! Keep a light in the dark all!!!

[@moore2life_2012]

Cool now i know for sure that we were 25 minutes in when my Autistic, Echolalia speech kindergartner heard our dear Ashley Johnson yell "Holy Shit!" Once and LATCHED ON to those words right down to the cadence and enunciation for 2 weeks😅🤦‍♀️! I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking Tal's house is very empty at the moment since all his decor is at the studio.

[@DSas2300]

This is a no flex zone

[@JoaoFerreira-fx3xp]

Not sure if this was done on purpose: because the DM screen fits well with all the frames in the video, whenever Matt leans over it it looks like he's coming out of the screen in this cool 3D effect

[@vicentefernandez9084]

This episode was amazing, but its greatest gift to the world was a million Ashley Johnson reaction shots ❤

[@CidZAER]

I like the way Ashley plays off Matt's NPCs, and I'm seeing a little bit of Brennan's influence in the sound effects Matt's putting into his narrative; integrating, not imitating. I really love popping into this channel once in a while and seeing how all the relevant players and DMs are influencing each other to improve constantly. You're all masters of your crafts already, but even a master can pick up a trick or two

[@gutahell]

I know you won't probably ever see this, but I just loved the aftermath RP of treating wounds and diving into some of the characters backstory, please do it every session :)

[@allison6842]

Charlotte is such an amazing mom friend in this! I love how well auggie and charlotte interact!! I cannot help but laugh its so similar to one of my characters named Charlie who is the mom friend

[@teevell1069]

"I have many diverse and rich relationships in my life" My brain: Insight check! So nice to see Robbie back.

[@brandonevans670]

I got to meet Anjali, last weekend, at Dreamhack Dallas! It was a great experience. She signed my new dm bag that I bought from Misty Mountain Gaming. It was the highlight of the event even though I went mainly for the last CSGO IEM. Bumped into her at the booth while looking at leather bags.

[@HMSBeardsley]

I cannot express how much I love Candela Obscura. The system and show feel like they were tailor made with my personal beloved tropes and aesthetics in mind. I cannot wait for the next episode and for the core book!

[@wadetalon]

Anjalie is always mesmerising in every character she portrays on Actual Plays.

[@EzraColdsGarage]

I love that Matt understands how to use a pause as punctuation and the careful use for dramatic effect.

[@EnragedCeilingFan]

I immediately love Auggie. Like straight away. (edit) Just finished watching. Auggie is god damn adorable, and I love him and Charlotte's mother-son dynamic. That's it, that's all I have to say.