Finding out the Legend of The Story of Vox Machina

[@Xynflame]

You might wanna check out the campaign to show scene comparisons. It's nice to see how certain big scenes went down on the table

[@nnofs]

Yeah I was thinking about checking out them out, been seeing a lot of those videos pop up since I started watching this show.

[@chipsalom]

It's been an amazing adaptation so far. They change some little things as is necessity adapting 400+ hours (campaign 1 alone!) but keep the trajectory and iconic lines and moments, cursed door battles, etc. I'm proud to have helped fund the Kickstarter, not as a brag, just as a true moment of being a part of helping create this amazing show.

[@andrewclark3740]

I’ve watched the whole stream and everything in the show so far. The story is really close to how the stream went and the changes they’ve made made sense or are hints to things to come, or just there to condense things it seems. Fucking love the show and can’t recommend it enough!

[@arandomnamegoeshere]

I've always found calling this the "Legend of Vox Machina" as inspired. Key here is the word "legend." Legends are sometimes based on history - on actual events. But even where there is historical bases, it's often using history to tell a story. They're not documentary; not always complete deviations from an actual event but crafted with less interest in accurate details than story. They're narrative - entertaining. That's what this series is. It's taking the actual play that went down in front of a camera and distilling it in to a cohesive story. The adaptation is excellent. There's a lot of these great moments at the table that get captured in the animation. There's occasional little nods to story beats or mechanics or other minutia that also get their brief nod. It delivers on the essence of what the Critical Role crew put together as they played their game. And does it in a way that one doesn't have to know anything about the game to appreciate. To that note - it doesn't negate the value of the actual campaign footage. If one wants more of the game feel... the actual play is the place to go. That's where all the player snacking and joking and dice rattling happens. That's the feel of a fun table. Its what many of us found captured in our dining rooms around a table some random Saturday night. None of that is lost or negated by the story of the Legend of Vox Machina.

[@vgexpert20001]

I watched LoVM before Critical Role, but my interest definitely peaked after season 1. By the time season 2 rolled out I was already a veteran who caught up with all 3 campaigns (it was during the pandemic so I had A LOT of spare time to binge watch) and was excited to see what theyd adapt or change from the campaign. Knowing what to expect for season 3 is driving me crazy and I'm crossing my fingers for certain moments to be adapted for the show!

[@nnofs]

Been hearing that Season 3 should have some insane moments! I can't wait either!

[@passenthrualaska3293]

I've watched all of Campaign 1, and have rewatched several parts. Watched Campaign 2 all the way through more than once, and I'm not going to say how many scenes I've rewatched, let alone how many times. Fully up to date on Campaign 3... and I LOVE the animation. 😍 I am filled with pure excitement and anticipation about the future of the animated incarnation of the story. With Campaign 2's adventures already in production even the mention of a possible late 2025 release, leads me into thinking about the possibility of Campaign 3 being taken up once The Legend of Vox Machina has been told. Which lets them seed the animated canonic universe with SO MUCH foresight about where the world is going to be way down the road... I dare to hope because I believe it can be EPIC. 😊

[@neintales1224]

So far as someone who's watched Campaign 1 and 2 multiple times and most of 3, just needing to catch up a bit... I'm really thrilled by the animated series. I know S3 is going to start some MAJOR deviations from how the campaign went- but because of how good changes have been so far I trust it will still be good. I may miss a few scenes if they get left out, but I'm looking forward to other stuff like hearing there might be a tie in to the Calamity short campaign. I am *guessing* that because they're going to plan to start the Mighty Nein show (second campaign) before LOVM is done, they may be compressing time and starting to tie some overlying things together a bit between all the campaigns as well as just trying to smooth out the rough spots you'd get from trying to turn 1000's of hours of content into seasons of a 30min or wev show. I'm used to movies based on books I like being different from the books also and maybe just have made peace with that idea a bit more than some of the upset people out there. And if the changes are ones that will bring people in who just cannot watch the full campaigns of live play- well, I really again welcome them. It gives me something to be excited about with friends and acquaintances who otherwise wouldn't really touch Critical Role because live plays aren't their thing or they just haven't got the time.

[@Dipolar_Diamond_Eriker]

I started with the show. I have since listened to a bit of C1 and a bit of C2 but not a lot at all. I have tried to learn everything I can about VM though. I love it so much. I have even been spoiled for a few things but I was asking for it because I was trying to learn so much too soon. I am waiting for a few plot points but won’t be hurt if they don’t happen “just so”. I want a good show while respecting the hell out of the characters and the campaign they spent hours playing through. I think that is what we are getting. Thank for all the great reactions and the editing. I know that was hard. Reactions make me smile. You made me happy. Thanks again.

[@nnofs]

@@Dipolar_Diamond_Eriker I’ve been spoiled on stuff the exact same way lol. Just looking for stuff on a series I love, i’ve been lucky to avoid spoilers on this show though. I appreciate you watching the reactions! I’ve had a fun time watching so far! Glad you enjoyed me watch these 2 seasons!

[@OrioshQaaaa]

Original campaign is 115 episodes with a runtime about 4 hours each. That is 460hours+ of content. Even if they do 5 seasons of the show it will be around 30 hours. So, imagine how much they have to cut. I personally love the adaptation. They changed some things, moved around some events or even completely cut them and in some cases they added something new to make a better story. Is it accurate to the campaign? Kinda? Should it be? No. They stayed true to the characters, their relationships and personalities, thats what matters. If you want truly authentic and 100% canon experience you should watch the campaign, if you don't have time for that The Legend of Vox Machina is perfect. We, campaign enjoyers just have more details and permanent the smug expression, because we know what is to come. :)

[@nnofs]

I don't think I'd have enough time to sink into the campaign (it's not a no though) but I definitely like hearing how you all feel about the show, and my reactions of it. I definitely stopped viewing The Legend of Vox Machina as a 'game' after like half of season 1 (since i remember people commenting on me talking about why they couldn't do this over that or blah blah), was for sure a good choice since watching it this way definitely made me appreciate it a lot more.

[@CC-of5xl]

​@nnofs best way to "watch" the campaign is to listen to it while doing other stuff. I listened to it while playing videogames and watching sports

[@nnofs]

@@CC-of5xl hmm, I see. I still might just react to it but idk if that would be enjoyable to watch.

[@CC-of5xl]

@@nnofs that's not a bad idea as it'll give you a reason to invest in it as the biggest struggle most people have with watching DnD games is getting that initial hook. Most people I know it's usually taken multiple episodes to start enjoying it as it's a very different type of entertainment.

[@nnofs]

@@CC-of5xl I would do it, but it will definitely be a large time investment, which these next months are not being nice with. Got bangers dropping left and right lol

[@KestralWolfe]

Having been with Critical Role since they entered Kraghammer, I can honestly say that I am loving the show. Most especially that Ashley (Pike) gets to be with everyone this time. At table, she had to miss a ton of sessions, as she had landed a tv show, and had moved to NY. But now, she's able to experience the whole of the story with the friends she loves! It's awesome.

[@nnofs]

@@KestralWolfe Thats cool, I’d assume most of the time she was there, though I was told that some of with pike and her faith in season one was possibly new or made up for the show since she wasn’t there. Idk if thats true or not but I liked how they were able to make her feel more impactful than just a healer.

[@KestralWolfe]

@@nnofs Yes! That's exactly why they did that. =D She was gone a lot of the campaign, sadly, with the show Blind Spot. She did, however, come back when filming allowed, and skyped in as often as possible.

[@Spherrum]

For the most part fans adore the show. Sure, some are grumpy because a lot of stuff was cut out, some things were changed or not as emphasizes as they should've been. But most people understand that when it comes to adapting such a gigantic chunk of content to a different medium it's as good as it can get. The voice actors doing incredible job voicing the characters they themselves created and played for years, most of the important scenes and moments are there, the heart and soul of the original is there, and they change just enough to keep the fans who know what's gonna happen excited. But still, it's impossible to get everything right and please everyone. I personally miss certain character dynamics and arcs. Like Vax' and Grog's prank war, Percy's and Keyleths's sibling-like relationship with constant arguments about civilization vs nature, Scanlan hating Trinket and so on. And some VM characters are not quite the same personality-wise. For example, in the show Keyleth is a lot more adorable and likeable, but less... deep, i guess? At this point in the story she is very depressed, because she took the massacre of the fire Ashari A LOT harder than in the show. I remember her having a full blown mental breakdown with tears and screams when she learned about the attack and Allura had to calm her down. This, plus all her responsibilities and pressure on top of the same as a member of Vox Machina, on top of the fact that she knows that if she succeeds her journey/aramente she'll live for over a thousand years and outlive all her friends and Vax, made her extremely reluctatnt when it comes to advancing her romance with Vax. And there is another aspect of her character arc that i think is not going to work as well as it should if they include it into season 3 because they already missed a few important set-ups for it.

[@nnofs]

Yeah, I understand. Shame they had to cut out so much but then again that's just how it is. As someone that knows pretty much nothing about their campaign outside what you've all told me watching this, it's interesting how they managed to even think of condensing this into an animated series. Since just the quantity of stuff you'd have to comb over would make me not want to do it.

[@billbishop6109]

I found Critical Role shortly after campaign 2 started, and have since seen all of campaign 1as well. I think they have adapted the campaign very well to animation, and though they did have to cut out soo much stuff, I think they were able to keep the heart of Vox Machina intact. They also included a ton of easter eggs for the followers of the campaign to find, which I enjoyed immensely. One issue I had basically boils down to copyright problems, not using exactly D&D spells and monsters so they wouldn't be directly connected to Wizards of the Coast. That will have changed with the scandal at the beginning of 2023 causing most of the ruleset to be placed into Creative Commons, bypassing most copyright issues. Also would have been fun listening to Sam sing parodies of famous pop songs, musicals etc, but no way could they afford all the royalties for that.

[@nnofs]

Sick! and Yeah, I'm not well versed in the D&D stuff but I can relate since I for one know that copyright is a B, might not be fully the same thing but yeah. It was cool hearing him sing those songs at the end of the episodes, sad I couldn't keep most of them in myself lol.

[@billbishop6109]

@@nnofs Yeah you've got to check out a compilation of Scanlan's songs, it's a blast and shouldn't be spoilery at all.

[@gong63]

I like how they mention Ashly Burch's writing credits without mentioning she's the voice of Aloy, Chloe Price, and Tiny Tina.

[@nnofs]

@@gong63 “ It’s just Ashly Burch bro, what you mean? “

[@erictighe1683]

I have watched Caimpaign 1 three times Campaign 2 working on third watch through and up to date on campaign 3. So a Fan. I think the adaption has been great. Changes have to be made, you can't do word for word, just a fact in adaptions. But the feel is there and written for non-fans to understand, but also lots of easter eggs for Criters.

[@sammiebray1661]

Honestly I loved the adaptation. They changed a few things, but they were good changes (mostly). The only change they made that I wasn’t a fan of initially but go over was how Zahara and Vex interacted. It was no where near any where contentious as it was in the show. But I still loved it. And I loved the art style. One of the art directors also worked on Young Justice which is one of my favorite shows aswell.

[@Debrutsideno]

I’m a longtime critter. I started watching early campaign 1. I also backed the kickstarter. The adaptation is fantastic. Some things have to change to have it make sense in animated form. But they stay true to the overall story arcs. I’ve never loved a story/IP more than I love Critical Role. The long term storytelling is so rewarding if you watch the weekly show. It also helps that the cast all seem like genuinely good people. They have an amazing commitment to staying creator owned and I enjoy watching them have success. Overall I love the animated series and oh boy are you in for a fun ride with the show they are making that follows their second campaign.

[@Debrutsideno]

I will add the one change for the animated show I was most disappointed in. It was that the Sun Tree in Whitestone doesn’t talk to Keyleth. Look up Sun Tree clips from their D&D game. But I understand the change and I’m sure there was a lot of discussion about that change in the writers room.

[@nnofs]

@@Debrutsideno Thats cool, you’re definitely on some OG stuff with that 😭😂. I have definitely been enjoying the characters the most for sure, and it’s not just Vox Machina. I’m glad that side characters are given some love too, it makes the world feel more alive as well. Yeah I’ve heard some crazy stuff about their other Campaigns so I definitely can’t wait to see what happens!

[@nnofs]

@@Debrutsideno Oh yeah, I remember that she talks to trees and all that. Shame we didn’t hear any “talk back” at all, even if it’s like incoherent, gibberish or like a language we “can’t understand” type of thing.

[@itsnooya8862]

My thoughts on how well Vox Machina is adapted depends on what they do in Season 3 and beyond, which has some of my favorite moments. There's obviously hundreds of hours of cut content and that's the nature of this, but I want to wait on my opinion before it starts to get personal and hope it elevates my personal favorites. As an example, I think the Kevdak fight and Vex's necrotic death was perfectly adapted because the energy at the table in the original felt almost identical to the show's moment, but I still miss some of the more smaller moments in between the major beats that inevitably get cut.

[@nnofs]

I see, I've been hearing about Season 3 and that it should contain most of the craziest stuff. So I'm really excited to see some of the stuff everyone's so hyped about.

[@CC-of5xl]

It's a decent adaptation and the changes I'm fine with. If I had one complaint though I'll say I expected better character dialogue considering their roleplayed scenes were usually better than what's been in the animated show so far. That probably has something to do with them having like 5 million writers lol.

[@nnofs]

@@CC-of5xl it be like that, too many chefs in the kitchen sometimes.

[@CC-of5xl]

@@nnofs I'll say some of the characters they've hit really well though like they've either done justice to over improved Keyleth, Vex, Vax and Pike. But Scanlan, Grog and Percy I feel were all better in the live game.

[@gaara_of_the_desert1118]

The craziest thing is that 95% of the original story is 100s of hours of improv and they had to adapt that into a cohesive story then shrink it down to fit a tv show.

[@nnofs]

Couldn't even imagine trying to condense that tbh

[@zennou1269]

Now watch Scavenger's Reign

[@nnofs]

@@zennou1269 I watched an episode, that was enough

[@adiboobruh6453]

I think the difference is, it's animated - so it's adapted to be more friendly for new watchers, so they've cut a lot out - however, the things they have kept are more than brilliant adaptations. Even if some has changed, it's been refreshing to be caught off guard by some of the changes; the animation is unreal so it brings the campaign to life in a way only the campaign watchers would understand. I'd recommend starting it. But just keep in mind there may be another season of Legend of Vox Machina. 🫡

[@nnofs]

@@adiboobruh6453 I’d have to sink a good few hours into the Campaign to react to it so I won’t have time for it, honestly for a few months. But it’s definitely a huge maybe on stuff to watch.