San Diego Comic-Con 2023 | Critical Role: Making Candela Obscura!

[@estoy1001]

"Everybody has a weird thing that doesn't make sense to anybody else. Explain it to them. Form a bond" - Taliesin Jaffe, 2023.

[@troikas3353]

"Can it survive Sam Riegel" is such a hyper specific testing metric and yet.. I really can't argue its potential for being deeply informative.

[@starsgears9200]

Sam WILL find a way to break any game you give him in the funniest way possible.

[@Butterzzzz]

Sam would be an amazing reporter archetype

[@hornist34]

"Can it survive Sam Riegel AND Emily Axford?"

[@usseg]

We now need a chapter with sam playing all the characters

[@Blue_Lunacy]

This make sense since you can see that Sam is very good at the mechanical side of the game.

[@FlowNeffets]

4:44 that explanation by Marisha is great. Indeed: the best horror (e.g. in Steven King's books) is not appearing when bad things are done by monsters. It's appearing when humans are the source of the horror themselves

[@Wolf-yt5rz]

Totally agree, to be honest, which one is more horrifying? cult leader Obed Marsh ? cultist Old Whateley? the possesser Ephraim Waite? Reanimator Herbert West? the undead Joseph Curwen? cannibalistic ancesters of Delapore? or a cosmic squid you don’t actually know what it wants?

[@KristenWood317]

"I don't like Elder Gods you can name drop." And only Tal would have this as his normal drunken rant.

[@MourningStarSageDP]

He just doesn't want his true name to accidentally get dropped.

[@queenannsrevenge100]

Funny thing, Lovecraft said as much in some of his letters to his writers’ circle - that they should invent their own and not depend solely on his creations.

[@youngmultiverser9311]

What if it’s an elder god you know the name of but you can’t pronounce it?

[@Wolf-yt5rz]

Well, according to “Through the Gates of the Silver Key”, H.P. clearly presented all names and shapes of eldritch beings are false, beyond the ultimate gate, or should we say all realities are only mere shadow of archetypes, all in one and one in all.

[@OneWingedAngelsBand]

This only proves that Taliesin is the king of the Elder Gods. Smart, because too much name recall will create a following. Even Cthulhu should know his place, and that is beneath the almighty Taliesin. 😅

[@sabrimik6602]

Anjali's bit on hope is just so beautiful and so well put. I love this show sm

[@RecklessFables]

Yeah. When I run "horror" it almost always ends up being more like Pulp Cthulhu or when my players are feeling extra The A-Team vs. Cthulhu

[@MaverickPilgrim]

Anjali Bhimani, @ 7:10 gives the actual, original, classic, definition of the Horror genre.

[@xnmrry]

As someone who makes mock Uranium Glass as part of their art practice, I was so excited to see it on set. [ 17:31 ] It didn’t surprise me to hear that its part of Taliesin’s collection.

[@rachelriesling9112]

As someone who rarely finds it when searching for beach glass on the shores of Lake Michigan, I was excited to hear Taliesin mentioning he collected it and it was on set!!

[@j_dobb13]

I recently had a dm who was so bad with consent and talking to us as players. He said the campaign was sci-fi but the first session was just horror and continued to be that way and a player at the table didn’t like horror. He described triggers and pushed for things that multiple players didn’t feel comfortable about and didn’t ask us anything, or apologize. He also was problematic outside of dnd. It was a terrible experience, so I’m so glad that people at CR and even Dimension 20 say and advocate for consent with players.

[@maiacostea3624]

I want Ivan Van Norman to GM a Candela Obscura chapter SO SO BAD!!! I've loved him since Dread, he's he king of horror TTRPG!!!

[@samuraiko]

I *LOVED* him in Madness.

[@fidellerosa]

fully agreed

[@Atomy111]

Call of Cthulhu Taliesin

[@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll]

Full agreement. I've missed seeing Ivan GM in general.

[@keitichandesu]

I still go back and watch him GM Outbreak Undead with Smosh Games

[@violet_gaymer]

I have now played two sessions of a home game of the game and I totally agree with what Robbie said about doing cool stuff at the table. The first session we played for over 6 hours because we were having so much fun and didn't want it to end (at the time we weren't planning on making it a campaign). I am a huge fan of horror and I truly love this game system and the world and all the incredibly fun, dark, and yet hopeful stories that are possible within. Can't wait for the full release to delve even deeper into the cosmic horror!

[@LittleLeafLee]

The way Laura was so confused when Ashley’s name wasn’t called and she didn’t come out on stage with all of them 😂

[@hsmoscout]

still can't get over ashley not being part of this panel at first cuz she didn't respond to an email in time

[@anlemeinthegame1637]

Sounds like something Fearne would do, heh.

[@andrewlaverghetta715]

What?! Really?

[@pedrostormrage]

38:45 "Very early iterations of this game, there was kind of an unofficial 'can it survive Sam Riegel'?" The Riegel test: asks if a game system is able to withstand highly chaotic players.

[@imthestein]

“Cosmic horror but intimate”. Oh, I love that description

[@isaiahwelch8066]

I love the discussion at roughly 29:35, about how in CO, players can "choose their own Scar," as Ashley says, and then they go into the whole idea of children choosing a worse punishment than parents ever would. Yet, at the same time, there you have Taliesin playing Ashton in Campaign 3, saying in a rant, "I'll believe the gods, when they choose me. And unlike them, I'll actually listen" -- and then Matt being like, "Don't give me an undefined challenge like that! You don't know the powers with which you play with, Taliesin!" In other words: Never give a DM open-ended character challenges, because a DM like Matt _will_ find a way to not only exceed your expectations, but will do things that, had you never made the choice to have unqualified challenges, but will make it worse than even you could have expected. (Moral lesson of TTRPGs today)

[@kohakuaiko]

Which episode?

[@isaiahwelch8066]

@@kohakuaiko : Ep. 65, roughly about 3:20:00 or so

[@jenniferd.7233]

I was so confused as to why people specifically in Colorado get to choose their scar. I’m a dummy.

[@truboomer154]

YEAAAAAA ASHLEY JUST WANTED TO BE A NEWSIE LET’S FREAKING GOOOOOO

[@rebeccabarnet6746]

I'm only 20 minutes in and yes to everything Talisen has said about Lovecraft. Yes to Anjali's bit on hope. Talisen's ADHD recommendation lol 😂 I fricken love these guys Ashley showing up late because she forgot to reply to the email 😂 she's such a mood.

[@jenniferwilkinson2750]

'Horror with hope!' Thank you, Anjali for articulating this. I am with you on not always enjoying straight up horror if no hope.

[@samuraiko]

Gods, please give me Ivan as either a GM or player in a chapter of Candela Obscura. After watching him run Sagas of Sundry: Madness, and then seeing CO, I have been champing at the bit to see Ivan at that table one way or the other.

[@dmeep]

where does one find sagas of sundry madness?

[@timeisaweirdsoup]

​@@dmeepyou can find it here on KZbin, someone uploaded them again

[@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll]

@@dmeep seek and ye shall find. try abbreviating the first three words, as in the distress signal

[@cameronmannila4191]

​@@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEllThank you SOOOO MUCH, I went looking for this a couple years ago and couldn't find it.

[@antonioacosta568]

His work on critical role is pretty underrated I find. Loved what him and foster did with Undeadwood.

[@saphari22]

As soon as the question "what do you want to see in the future for Candela Obscura" my brain immediately screamed "ANIMATED SERIES!"

[@ffreed]

With a Mike Mignola-esque art style!

[@saphari22]

@@ffreed YEEEEEEEES!!

[@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll]

I think I may want comic books even more than a show adaptation for this. Both the streamed games in comics format, and potentially new stories (or source them from fans' games!) from this world.

[@ccbot5000]

*vague spoilers for ep 3?* Anjali’s bit about hope in horror around the 7:30 mark is SO good in the context of the ending of this first CO chapter

[@rosevanzeeland904]

I am so beyond pleased to learn that Taliesin has a uranium glass collection (Somehow I never noticed it on the set? Too focused on the cast, I guess - I might have to go back and rewatch just to ogle the props!)

[@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll]

I think I remember Taliesin enthusing about uranium glass back on Gather Your Party at some point. Probably the same episode where he used highlighters as makeup because they show up in cool ways under UV light.

[@astranger448]

A week ago I had no idea what this whole d&d thing is about but hey, I am an avid PC gamer. Unless you live under a rock, you know that Baldur's Gate III will release in a week. Little do I care, not my type of game but the folks at Larian( BGIII studio) pay their taxes where I do and that got me on the internets all curious about that d&d thing. Now I'm binge watching Critical Role. There is a lot of fun and laughter but then, on the turn of a dice, things turn real and serious. I've seen Marisha 'kill' a fellow character because she had to and then the whole table going to pieces because she had to. My analytical half knows this is play but the part of me that tries (often in vain) to stay connected to humanity all of a sudden felt very connected to humanity indeed. I needed that.

[@mrs.babzubo7530]

"Look it it can give you cancer!" XD save this man at all cost

[@sombrashadow0013]

I was confused when Tal mentioned issues about Lovecraft. I ended up doing some research, and I totally understand now.

[@Samara0-0Ray]

"I don't like Cthulu" He's so brave and so right

[@Blue_Lunacy]

I hope we will get to see the SDCC Fire Side chat panel as well.

[@theanyktos]

We will, it'll be out monday

[@Jdn33315]

@@theanyktoswhere did you hear that? If you don’t mind me asking?

[@theanyktos]

@@Jdn33315 I'm fairly sure it was on either the Critical Role Twitter or one of the casts, but I can't remember exactly, sorry. Might've been in a reply to a tweet asking about it

[@blazypika2]

3:24 i'm with taliesin here. my issue with lovecraftian horror and generally the idea of eldritch gods is that wgat makes then scary is the unknown about them but once you unravel that and you always do, they are not scary anymore. eldritch gods are scary as long as they don't actually appear and it's hard to have anything involving them like that.

[@BigKlingy]

Not quite the same thing but it reminds me of how the Xenomorph is a lot scarier in the original Alien, where you rarely get a good look at it. It loses a lot once you can fully see the creature.

[@blazypika2]

@@BigKlingy another good example is the mind flayer in stranger things. in season 2 it was scary as hell since there was a lot of mystery behind it but since in season 3 we already knew what it was it wasn't as scary despite the fact it came to the real world using meat form made of human flesh.

[@jazzycat8917]

@@blazypika2 Jaws is the quintessional example. That shark is goofy as hell when you actually can see it properly, but its presence is terrifying up until that point.

[@TTHJJD100]

I think something mentioned early on is that human interaction is what makes cosmic horror good, not the big nasty creatures but the people exploiting forgotten and slumbering things for their own gain. Something cultist simulator and candela does well, which is that what's cosmic is a dream reality that's just beyond us and directly interacts with places and people. It creates real intrigue beyond a single cult worshipping a god on some island in the middle of buck nowhere.

[@Blue_Lunacy]

15:49 to paraphrase Oscar Issac: Robbie's ethnic hip and booty were too big for the costume and the set.

[@rhysosborne6960]

I don't want this cast to go. But at the same time I want to see the new chapter

[@alainaespinoza3343]

Anjali is the absolute BEST I love that woman 57:43

[@Waterflame]

Thank you *so much* for having good captions on this video!

[@David_Blake91]

Wow, Ivan sure grew a MAJESTIC beard since I last saw him! :O Also seconding, that we need him either running, or playing in a Candela-arc!

[@busy_raccooon]

... i think he recently won some beard (moustache?) championship in germany xD

[@sybariticcupboardrat3763]

I just went on a rant yesterday about how I don't usually give two shits about Lovecraft horror for pretty much the same reason Taliesin was talking about. That genre relies on fear of the unknown, fear of something so beyond our comprehension that it can drive you mad. My problem is it was created back when even educated people didn't know half the crap about branches of science that teens have to learn to graduate high school nowadays. After a hundred years of modern sci-fi, stuff like deep space, aliens, and alternate dimensions are just common tropes, not automatically mysterious or spooky.

[@Samuel-sg2iv]

Bro watching these panels always gives me such nostalgic joy, like being a kid again, i love it.

[@joanak17]

Can't wait for the second chapter!! 🕯️🕯️

[@sinbycosvi9]

Guys the CR SDCC fireside chat will be up on Monday!!

[@charlesyung5049]

People may fear horror games…but horror games fear Sam Riegel 😂

[@TheNoobchat]

I wish Taliesin would GM or do more one-shots sometime

[@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll]

Hear, hear!

[@andrewaulenback8561]

A lovely look at the inside perspective of the slow development of a different, genre-focused game. Especially appreciate the acknowledgement of Powered by the Apocalypse game design like Blades in the Dark. It i a solid core mechanical system to build from, and seems to suit Candela Obscura really well.

[@alexfirefly1956]

I really hope Ivan will GM a season of Candela Obscura some time as well. He was amazing in S.O.S.

[@XavierBakunawa]

... Where's Ashley?? 24:28 Oop, never mind, there she is.

[@secretsalute]

You'll find out in about 20 minutes.

[@aivreeirvine]

I love that Ash needed to take a second and smell the sharpie during that panel! She is amazing ❤️😂 @52:52

[@themonkslair]

What a great Happy Birthday surprise; Way to go Aneesh...🎉

[@thomasnissen1402]

Release the bonus cut :D i am so excited, this is such a great show already. Chapter 2 cast looks redonk!

[@panthersnbraves]

I was struck by an early comment about it being ready and then released out into the world. I hope folks realize that a different company wouldn't have continued to play test and refine, but would have looked at the deadline and shipped a subpar version instead.

[@aonceinorbit310]

ONCE AGAIN I AM ASKING FOR CRITICAL ROLE TO MAKE A FULL CAMPAIGN OF CANDELA OBSCURA THAT JUST SWITCHES BETWEEN ALL THE THREE CIRCLES THEY’RE DOING PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE I AM BEGGING FOR MY LIFE

[@kyusango3311]

just curious but did anybody else think taliesin was gonna be the GM for candela obscura? seeing him in most if not all the ads i just thought he was gonna be running it.(not that matthew didn't kill it, great job!)

[@cady.moriarty]

Man, if I had to go back and change one thing about Critical Role, I would add Robbie to the cast from the beginning. Campaign One. Don't get me wrong, I have loved a lot of the guests, I'm looking at you, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, but damn if he doesn't round out that table well. P.S. Of course Taliesin is an ancient horror that can't be named.

[@rebeccabarnet6746]

Agreed! I'm watching early CR now and man I miss the vibe that Robbie brings to the table with everyone. Candela, EXU, CR main campaigns. He's always perfect.

[@PeTTs0n88]

@24:45 - Literally Fearne. 😅

[@KKRDM]

I've missed these types of panels more than I realized

[@DMingThoughts]

I think you can totally play as a party of Boogie Smalls if you mix Candela Obscura and Scooby Doo gang. :D

[@YTsucks300]

I did nothing but scream at the sneak peek! I'm so excited for Chapter 2!

[@skullsquad900]

I think it's more that Lovecraftian Horror hasn't been portrayed correctly in most media recently, and that it's hilarious that they're doing it right while trying to avoid it XD

[@G.F.SF55]

Well they love the consepts, but don't love if their project was supporting/being associated with the bad of their origins Valid imo

[@HeathsHarleyQuinn]

​@@G.F.SF55they played call of Cthulhu on the show. Tal ran it.

[@minusxero]

It's also, and it has been discussed in the panel and elsewhere in the CR world, that having horror that wasn't tied to HP Lovecraft in general was very important. Lovecraft was racist, pure and simple. And not in a "that's what it was at the time" way. Even in his time, people were saying, "dude, that's REALLY racist." And he made those racist beliefs a huge part of his work. Whether it's portrayed correctly or not, having a space that is free of that is something that Taliesin is really adamant about.

[@yozen1995]

@@minusxero Didn't he lightening up and end up dating a jewish woman in his later years.

[@musculusmouse]

​@@yozen1995 he married a woman named sonia greene who was jewish, but only because she had been "well assimilated" (her real name was sonia haft shafirkin which is very jewish). he was essentially a white supremacist in his youth, but later on in life his views went from wanting minorities to completely assimilate, to supporting the preservation of various cultures living together. however he still very much believed that specifically white english people were the rightful rulers over other ethnicities by virtue of natural superiority (he seriously didn't like the irish for example)

[@marvinhubregtse5776]

16:54 god she's precious she looks so dignified and dainty ... and has such gremlin energy its so funny

[@TheCharacterSheet]

Can't wait for the next chapter of Candela Obscura!

[@campfirecompanions]

Cosmic Horror is a fascinating genre that has captivated everyone that I have introduced them to (H.P. Lovecraft for example). It's a shame there hasn't been as big a following for it so fingers crossed Candela Obscura introduces your fantastic fanbase to more of it. You can tell Matt is a huge fan of it with the creatures he's introduced over the campaigns (The Abomination from Campaign 2 comes to mind).

[@Will_Grey]

What Tal actually meant was "I dislike my fellow Elder gods."

[@lawlerjohnp]

Now Boogie Smalls and Sam’s baseball player are going to have to do an ad.

[@TheSpectacledSteve]

ahh yess leave it to the Eldritch being to own a Uranium glass

[@meowpurpur]

The game system is literally a mix of Fate Core and Vampire The Masquerade.

[@cannoneermike]

I'm such an Anjali stan UGHHHH I just fucking adore this woman

[@joemucchiello4542]

I totally enjoyed that rendition of Happy Birthday.

[@shampoovta]

Putting the humanity back in horror is basically the M.A.S.H. TV show. 😄

[@WessZombeeeehs]

I need Flandom! My ADHD needs the timestamps

[@Martha-Novalin-]

They really said "Make horror great again". And I'd love to have a drunken (or any) conversation with Taliesin.

[@Tricksterbelle]

Yay Taliesin collects uranium glass too!

[@rootyful]

Excuse me, can we talk some more about Taliesin's Uranium Glass??

[@kohakuaiko]

Yes, please. I too collect old dishes (Corning ware, Pyrex, and milk glass).

[@gregsteele806]

I wonder if Tal has a radioactive / ghostly wubbie stashed somewhere.

[@richardholloway6189]

There is a very aged idol of talesin made of uranium glass in an attic somewhere….

[@cmmndrblu]

Candela is the unit of brightness Its one of the big 9

[@619Tenchu]

BIDET, Hellooooo bees and Smiley day to y'all!!!

[@qazwsxedcrfv1005]

Is this safe to watch if you haven't watched the final episode?

[@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll]

Yes, no story spoilers!

[@youngmultiverser9311]

In defence of Cthulhu he’s rarely had a chance to be actually scary outside of a book. I mean there’s both a movie and a videogame with his name and neither are about CTHULU!

[@eb4305]

Ash’s advice at the end is very good.

[@IamHereReadingBooks]

God!! So exited for the next chapter!!

[@midnightslampoetry9237]

please post the q&a panel!!

[@dydchilensis240]

This is the only contet of comicon i am exited for this year.

[@darcybhaiwala7057]

I feel like Anjali could give great life advice

[@Johanna-rp5il]

Anjali is such a delight!

[@ChandlerFaye]

Ivan! I went to school with him and it's always so fun to see how long his beard is these days lmao

[@brunatendrich5213]

Amazing panel! Love you guys ❤

[@cristianosouza7052]

this game system is sick man! i love it! great show! Congrats! I LOVE U ASHLEY!

[@ikeekieeki]

the worst horror Matt put Anjali through was the big reveal of the boss fight in Ravening War

[@DJWidget]

I think I last saw Ivan in Undeadwood - those chops are insane!

[@RealKeetz]

I want more episodes. I NEED MORE EPISODES. Please bring this world back to me soon... 😍

[@feitocomfruta]

I think they may have at least 3 chapters planned (Vassal and Veil, Needle and Thread, and another one) from how they were talking about it. But we know for sure we have it through end of October… CHAPTER 2 PART THREE WOULD BE OCTOBER 26, PEAK SPOOKY SEASON?!??!? Oh dear gods, I’m not going to be ready.

[@RealKeetz]

@@feitocomfruta Ohhhhhhh yeah...we're eating good this year for TTRPGS! 😋

[@CreativeSteve69]

Wait when did these guys do thier pannel this year at comic con???? I so would've waited in line the day of this year. But never noticed it in my guidebook or its title. Sadly if it was on the weekend, I only had thursday/friday this year. :( so thanks for recording n releasing this critical role. Hope you guys come to the con again soon.

[@keitichandesu]

Iirc both panels were on Saturday. Apparently they're releasing the Critical Role panel Monday.

[@radicaladz]

Marisha: This is a crazy turnout for a show that only has two episodes right now. Me, having only just dropped the second episode of my AP podcast after a grueling edit: Heh. Yeah. 😅

[@radicaladz]

I've attempted to say which podcast a couple times on here, but the comments keep disappearing - it's also possible I'm just a scatterbrain and keep forgetting to post. I'll say one last time that we are Tales From The Arclight.

[@Peter_Cordes]

@@radicaladz KZbin auto-deletes comments after a few minutes based on some filters, presumably to try to catch spam. (Or mentions of sensitive or adult subjects?) Almost anything with a link gets auto-deleted, at least on most channels. It's a big pain since it doesn't just reject the post when you try to post, it shows up but then if you try to edit you get an error saving it. And if you refresh the page it's not there. So it makes it less convenient for actual spammers to test the filter... if they were just causally doing it manually like normal people with good intentions would. I expect it's pretty easy to automate tools that post and then check later for deletions. Your final attempt to post the name of your actual-play show is still up, BTW, so you finally beat the algorithm. :)

[@dpando9]

Thank goodness for captions. Can't hear the cast that well but the crowd is load and clear

[@gregfougere7447]

Idea, how about a take of a circle inches game system using the trope of some monsters bump the darkness back, hellboy for example.....where the chapters could cause bleed just by existing?

[@geerhoar]

I love my Cthulhu plushie. Sniff!

[@anniebell6846]

Content deliciousness thank you guys for those who aren’t able to Con .

[@G.F.SF55]

Ayeeeeee, been looking for this one!

[@Braincleaner]

I.V.N has awesome facial hair! great to see him and robbie hosting/MC'ing these events as part of the CR family, not a beat missed :)

[@ffreed]

Now I’m wanting to see Anjali play Boogie Smalls in a one-shot or short campaign.

[@EricOdinson]

Ivan, you mad lad, your facial hair is a trip.

[@LilFrahOfficial]

Candela Obscura is similar to Memento Moro an Italian gdr

[@kathrynwilliams2302]

Of course Taliesin can't stand Cthulhu... they probably went to school together, wherever eldritch beings go. Cthulhu is just another Regina George to him.

[@0num4]

We are the monsters.