The Ruse Travis Accomplished

Travis had so much fun with that really tricksy acronym! It's no question that the reveal totally astounded everyone. Anyway, have a rad Thursday all!
Please tag spoilers in your comments!
All clips belong to Critical Role: / criticalrole

[@BriannaZumbro]

I also make dice now! etsy.com/shop/StarlightDice

[@masaichi453]

Had to get the Phoenix Fire dice, the liquid core is just too hot to resist

[@BriannaZumbro]

@@masaichi453omg thank you so much! I’m working on your order now and will get it out to you as soon as I can!

[@lprocks555]

The anger in Sam’s voice when he realized he fell for his own game (turn a funny joke into a big backstory reveal)

[@toonman5099]

Little confused and forgetting the context. Can you please clarify? T^T

[@lprocks555]

@@toonman5099 sam has a habit of introducing something seemingly innocuous as a joke and then later subverting it to drop lore about his character/create a big emotional moment. examples include fresh cut grass being a therapy bot, nott being afraid of water and late-campaign scanlan. travis did the same thing here when he revealed that chetney was commissioned by the cerberus assembly when he worked for the rexxentrum toy authority (the rta tattooed on his arm which everyone thought meant "recognize the alpha"). hope that cleared things up! i tried to keep things vague in case you haven't seen the other campaigns

[@toonman5099]

@@lprocks555 Gotcha, wasn't sure if it was the general "plays the long game" thing or something else specific. XD

[@karlmbeal]

@@toonman5099 the one eyed monster destroyed his companion named Pussy

[@gaines8807]

Watching Travis’ face right before lol he knew he said the wrong thing 😂😂😂

[@LightingbladeShen]

Campaign 1: Sam bamboozles everyone Campaign 2: Sam bamboozles everyone Campaign 3: travis bamboozles everyone and Sam is livid that he now knows how it feels

[@nivyan]

8:48 Is when Matt realises Travis attempts to give an explanation to *the chair*

[@Droolbaby]

Matt's look when all the work he put into the Lore and Backstory has just been tossed out of the window...Travis set Matt up for the ol' okie-doke and hit a home run...hahaha

[@ItsAnotherDanny]

9:05 is when Ashley realizes.

[@Sovann_the_Mighty]

I'm really glad someone else pointed this out 😂

[@raviath7273]

Personally, I think it's actually the other way around. We wont know for sure until Matt and Travis talk about it more. But, I'm of the theory that Matt and Travis planned to foreshadow Chet with the chairs and agreeing R.T.A is for the Toy Authority. Which to me, explains why Matt had such an expression after Travis suddenly tried to tie it into his famous Alpha saying at 1:59 Matt's expression just screams to me something like "I can't believe this mother fucker changed it...! and it fits too! ... I'm out." Which is also why Matt wanted to get revenge. Going on to debunk his Alpha wolf status over all.

[@nivyan]

@@raviath7273 I like that, but I don't feel like Travis' body language supports that. It's not like he looks over at Matt to 'verify' or check whether he's about to stop him - he seems talking purely by his own volition. But we're both guessing, are you in the US? Can you ask them at the next comic con from me? :)

[@seanmcgcostumes]

10:21 “Remember: there’s an Alpha within all of you… by power of the Rexxentrum Toy Authority. 😬” The grimace he pulls at the end of it gets me every. single. time. 😂

[@existential_sad_boi]

I never noticed how wide eyed Travis got when Marisha made a guess about the RTA being the "Royal Tinkering Academy" knowing she really wasnt that far off lmfaooooooooooo

[@hokutoulrik7345]

Yup! 😂

[@Daredhnu]

He barely responded to her saying that, he didn't get wide eyed, he just nodded along, I swear you people exaggerate everything.

[@BigBossMan257]

Marisha is insanely good at detective work! Even when she guesses, its not that far off lmao

[@abaddonarts1129]

I don't think I ever remembered that he said "Recognize the Alpha" even way back in the Christmas Oneshot. That makes it so much funnier to me as a reference

[@StrifeAiray]

FCG: "How many other people have that tattoo?!" Chetney: "........." FCG: "HOW MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE THAT TATTOO?!" Chetney: "Couple dozen......."

[@DryBonz1]

Laura's genuine shock and disgust immediately after is the cherry on top for me.

[@abdulazizalrakban4643]

So that's like 40?

[@AC1O1]

@@abdulazizalrakban4643 2 dozen = 24

[@Droolbaby]

"It's very ELITE!!!! It's ELITE!!!!"

[@SuperHalofan64]

​@abdulazizalrakban4643 considering a couple usually means 2 or 3, it's between 24 and 36 people

[@birdjericho]

I love the look on his face when he says the full title of the union. He knows FULL WELL what he's revealing. But I think the one thing he DIDN'T anticipate was FCG being the one to take him to town! Sam Riegel: "How dare you! Long cons are MY game!" But he does it with love at the end there, it's SO good. XD

[@JimmiHoevring]

To be fair, Travis did a long con in Campaign 2...

[@u.s.s.chucklefucker1657]

​@@JimmiHoevringwhat was the long con?

[@JimmiHoevring]

@@u.s.s.chucklefucker1657 I don't want to spoil the surprise for anyone.... So I'll say: Google it... It's out there..

[@britnicox3929]

It’s kind of sweet how he means in an “everyone has an alpha in them and you don’t have to listen to anyone” personal empowerment thing and not the douche way it sounds at first

[@HenriqueErzinger]

"it's not really an alpha male tattoo, but ..." "Alpha what...?" He never said anything about it being a male thing hahaha

[@aidenharper6013]

I know, i got kinda mad at Matt when he immediately shit on the "Alpha" thing when it came up, and just kinda threw Travis under the bus a bit. I know it wasn't intentional, it seemed almost automatic from Mercer but it was still kinda oof

[@texteel]

chetney: "recognize in you the traits a leader needs, cultivate and improve them, and you will be the best version of yourself" matt: "I will overwrite whatever travis wanted with chetney, that character is stupid because I said so"

[@BoojumFed]

@@texteel Nah, that had almost nothing to do with Travis or Chetney; that was Matt instinctively providing a PSA to audience members potentially falling down a rabbit-hole of emotionally crippling nonsense. Still slightly cringy in it's own way, what with him interrupting the description of how Travis' version is much more universal and wholesome than it's real-world counterpart, but nowhere near the undermining of a core personality trait that you seem to be describing...

[@texteel]

@@BoojumFed the character will only be as smart or as stupid as I write it to be. If a GM for any reasons says "that character is dumber than what you wrote it to be", it is a major overreach and breach of trust.

[@whoragaming7753]

so everyone is just gonna skip over that Ruse Travis Accomplished is also RTA , bwahahaha😂

[@ChrisHendricks]

Brilliant. Love it.

[@am3703]

I've been bamboozled, well played

[@johnymey4034]

Daaaaaaamn ! Nice

[@CollinWootan]

This is turning into some VFD shit, and I love that

[@Introbulus]

Oh dang *we* have been tricked.

[@astralluna]

this compilation is only serving to remind me why chetney is one of my favorite characters ever. seeing travis try to keep a straight face while saying this bullshit has added three years to my lifespan

[@zlatan_2197]

Laura would have passed that intelligence check even with natural one, Matt was so eager to debunk alpha theory 😂

[@intelli-gent9863]

Yeah that was really petty imo 😅

[@purplewolfranger22]

@@intelli-gent9863 incredibly

[@chad8767]

@@intelli-gent9863 It was funny, they do banter like this all the time. Especially going back to the old Talks Machina stuff. They know they all love each other but also love giving each other hard times.

[@kevinryan917]

Except he didn't debunk anything😂😂😂 Alphas exist is multiple species. As a matter of fact, they are especially common in primates.

[@Blackwind_Legacy]

@@kevinryan917 but they don't... the whole idea was debunked by the very scientist who came up with it in the first place. Are there hierarchies? Yes, but the alpha theory was debunked. Unless you know of another scientific study that was peer reviewed and accepted that supports it. Or let me guess, you know better than a scientist?

[@angriestjoker]

I love how everyone was so obsessed with the chair in c2 to the point of Travis making it his sole goal to make its perceived deadlines canon 😂

[@existential_sad_boi]

i thought he was referring to the first combat encounter in this campaign

[@joxerthemighty9148]

YES !! " But, what is with the chair?! " the eternal question returns once more !!

[@kaeleastlord]

​@existential_sad_boi nope. He was referring to when the MN were tracking Nott's husband and they found a basement room that had been ransacked except for a chair placed in the middle. It was an ongoing thing for them to figure out the purpose of the chair. It even got a question during Talks Machina.

[@Intrafacial86]

Just remember: there's an enchanted homicidal piece of furniture within all of you. Recognize the armchair!

[@mikfhan]

A group of mimics is called a "union" xD

[@Kalah_]

Can't believe Travis managed to keep a straight face once Sam shouted "It's a union!?" :D

[@Addy0302]

I like to think that Matt backed away because he knew what it actually stood for and wasn't expecting "Recognise the Alpha"

[@savingpyro]

Matt just sitting there and dying when FCG is yelling at Chet🤣🤣

[@GreyAcumen]

"HOW MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE THAT TATTOO? HOW MANY!?"

[@savingpyro]

@@GreyAcumen "IT'S A UNION THING!!"

[@GhettPhocqued]

IT WAS YOUR JOB!?!?!

[@savingpyro]

@@GhettPhocqued I WAS TRYING TO SO LOYALTY!!

[@BronwynErb]

The best thing is the full realization of the chair from the mighty nien, and how quickly Matt catches on to that

[@kingskelett6265]

3:23 Marisha was so close to it ^^ Also glad to see another compilation from you.

[@Austin123.]

Didn't even recognize that especially if you look at Travis's face. He's like yep you're right.

[@GreyAcumen]

@@Austin123. - he is 100% going "oh fuck, she almost got a direct hit! play it cool travis! Don't spill the beans!"

[@thanesgames9685]

Her intuition is off the chart sometimes. Or maybe she sneaks onto Matt's computer at night :D :D :D

[@diggis79]

@@GreyAcumen I was wondering if that was the point he decided it meant something like that.

[@cassidycrane3581]

It's funny to think about how Laudna, Ashton, and Orim still don't know what RTA really stands for!!!

[@rnrgaming4579]

I think only Taliesin mentioned he method acts Ashton on their side so he knows really absolutely nothing. It might not ever come up to him. It's Marisha and Liam who I think see the episodes back in their free time

[@joshallen3165]

Matt silently putting his head in hands once Travis officially canonises the fuckin killer chair from C2 is so god damn funny

[@ephemispriest8069]

I love how the party regularly made insight checks on him... except when it came to the tattoo. Heh.

[@joxerthemighty9148]

truth. it hit them sooo hard with the stupidity / character attitude they just fell into it >.< blind side success was an easy check

[@altaron]

Anyone noticed how the "Ruse Travis Accomplished" is _also_ RTA?

[@NullRageGaming]

3:24 Need someone to edit in Travis' alarm siren routine here as Marisha nearly knew the truth but then fell for Travis' high deception roll.

[@lowrezshez]

Matt losing it at the Union bit has healed me

[@green_dragon_knight]

Even when Travis isn’t playing Grog he is just so much smarter than he acts. When things get dangerous for the party you see how switched on Travis is, looking out for everyone and making plans

[@thisisridiculous337]

I can't believe he fully acted out forgetting what he said RTA meant to Orym it was there the whole timeeeee

[@nicholaselliott339]

He is hundreds of years old. Great RP by Travis...

[@ala4sox02]

He said "Alpha what?" because Orym said "Alpha male"

[@dig8634]

@@ala4sox02 I don't think he was pretending to forget *or* being confused about Orym saying "male". Orym wasn't there when Chetney talked about it with Imogen, so Travis used that to make it seem like Orym was into the idea of alpha males. Liam accidentally used meta knowledge his character shouldn't have, and then Chetney acts surprised because Orym knew about this acronym Chetney seemingly made up entirely on his own

[@jeroen92]

When Travis talked about getting red robes Matts eyes went wide, foreshadowing :)

[@Ashtor1337]

I mean Matt has warned everyone a few times that Travis is the Ultimate troll.

[@Wanttowrite]

To everyone claiming Travis only came up with real meaning after Marisha said something, remember, this is a man who had his C2 character fake an accent for a good portion of that campaign. He can and has done the long game before. And will again.

[@Verylengthyapple]

9:37 THE FLINCH HAHAH 10:28 HIS FACE

[@DaxVerus]

The fact travis played the LONG con and also used a funny phrase he barely muttered as the basis to a joke, that is some commitment.

[@shannononeill482]

LOLOL I love Matt's very quiet "that's not a thing" (00:35) And Travis bringing up *THE CHAIR* from CR2...it's just a chair...LOLOL This whole long con was priceless

[@SmallLab129]

I KNEW IT

[@Lrbearclaw]

Remember how the Hells met in C3. It was being attacked by enchanted furniture that NEVER got an explanation.

[@Takesis]

Ira enchanted those furniture

[@T0NI_]

@@Lrbearclaw It was explained. Ira was making stuff that animated inanimate objects. He did this as a job for Treshi and his faction in Jrusar to create chaos and stuff in the city so that the "incompetent" city guards could be replaced by the Paragons Call

[@Bishopbosco]

​@@T0NI_ Maybe Ira just imported them from Rexentrum...😀

[@kenco8679]

cant believe I missed the C2 reference about the chair. 8:59 dang.

[@zachwillett5853]

Not just c2. Bell's Hells had to fight animate furniture several times in their first few months.

[@savingpyro]

I caught that reference and legit lol'd. And then FCG was like "you made enchanted furniture?" Travis was behind the party al along!

[@kenco8679]

@zachwillett5853 True. But the mentioning of the furniture moving to the middle of the room is what I was thinking of. 🤔

[@kenco8679]

@savingpyro it was me, Barry. I was the one who made the Ikea furniture come to life.

[@savingpyro]

@@kenco8679 Oh yeah absolutely.

[@yorkumz1127]

3:24 Marisha got sooooo close, she might have inspired the real backstory with this guess.

[@HexiiSky]

its crazy how close marisha was with the " royal tinkering academy"

[@askthepizzaguy]

Absolutely. Nearly dead on, she got that it was part of his job, and that it was mundane stuff, and that it had nothing to do with alphas.

[@rozohwell]

I didn't even realise Travis was referencing The Chair from C2 when he mentioned about enchanted chairs. My first thought was the enchanted furniture that attacked them right at the beginning of the campaign. Did they ever actually work out why that happened??

[@Burninbodies]

Ira was working with stuff that animated furniture. It was revealed when they fought him early on.

[@rozohwell]

@@Burninbodies ahhh I remember now, thanks!

[@frostyjdog7645]

I just picture FCG holding chetney up by the collar of his shirt demanding to know how many has the tattoo

[@FromTheGrave47]

That Christmas clip at the end blew my mind right out of my head😂 it's been a long time coming lmao

[@johnhagala3622]

Travis’ look of guilt/sadness as FCG was yelling “HOW MANY?!?”

[@ArthurTorrias]

Chetney created the word "hangry." Canon.

[@An_Axident]

The title is phenomenal. The Ruse Travis Accomplished

[@toonman5099]

Love the repeating RTA not only in the video title, but also the couple times in the description. lol

[@BriannaZumbro]

I definitely put too much thought into it 😂 Also congrats on being the first person to notice the ones in the description!

[@toonman5099]

@@BriannaZumbro I'm not sure if I'm the FIRST to notice it, but I will accept being the first to comment on it. XD

[@nauroticdax]

What I loved the most about the whole RTA thing chet had going on was how everyone EVERYONE even matt upon hearing it assumed it was talking about douchebag alpha male crap when actually it was a super wholesome self empowerment thing and then of course the other thing. also the pathetic look travis gives when he says "there is an alpha in all of us...by power of the rexxentrum toy authority" is just the perfect encapsulation of how silly chet must've felt in that moment

[@Matisyahuwu]

I'm SO sad nobody immediately picked up on Liam's "Dick in the Peanut Butter" joke

[@Daredhnu]

This is absolutely crazy, Travis is the GOAT, absolutely love the chaotic energy he's bringing to campaign 3.

[@samurai137x]

The return of the queen

[@anim8tdfan]

One of the best reveals in the campaign so far.

[@jonc9889]

OMG The way FCG get so upset by the revelation! 🤣

[@blaze4111]

this goes as far back as the nightmare before chrismas one-shot.

[@hillwarrior6]

Amazing. Great job getting all of those clips together in one place. Much appreciated.

[@BriannaZumbro]

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@joseph-xb5uf]

every clip, matt is slowly going bananas and i love it

[@chrystellight]

xD OKAY NOT THE TITLE ALSO BEING 'R.T.A.' I LOVE IT

[@Avenz0r]

The fact Marisha almost solved it at the beginning 😂

[@dawsondawn2787]

9:19 i love how you can see the EXACT moment Travis realizes he fucked up/said to much. Had me crying from laughing so goddamn hard

[@chrisschlesiger8493]

Oh, no. He knew FULL well what he was doing with that reveal. That face was all acting. It was perfect.

[@TransoceanicOutreach]

What?!? He organized the whole conversation so that he could make the reveal as pseudo-naturally as possible....and you think he didn't do it on purpose? Are you a human being or an AI?

[@adambrekka4913]

IT’S A UNION???

[@goldosprey]

Watch Fearne and FRIEDA just vibe while the rest just panic at RTA's meaning

[@sesimie]

This is why Travis is a perfect RPG-er. He makes Thematic sense with catch phrases!

[@user-zx7hj8uy4t]

You can SEE when Travis is talking about the chairs. Matt’s just “oh Jesus, this guy”.

[@DaveTh3Ninja]

This whole arc is so good. We are all so tired. I love that Critical Role gets how tired we all are.

[@DaveTh3Ninja]

Deanna: "I know he's a toxic idiot but I would STILL hit that. I'm sorry."

[@codybeames1534]

Marisha was damn near on the money too when he first "revealed" it. Wild.

[@mjr8888]

I love it that Travis finally decided to drop what RTA actually meant to see if anyone picked it up, and the cast was quick on the draw

[@EthalaRide]

8:54 I love how thats a reference to series 2 with everyone being weirded out by the single chair in the wrecked room, where nott's husband had been interigated before we met him.

[@methylphenidate1270]

I LOVE Travis's face after saying "by power of the Rexxentruum Toy Authority"

[@marsipio1733]

I love this bit!! 😂 absolutely fantastic

[@zendoclone1]

the fact that this makes mercer so mad is hilarious.

[@Galimod]

I am absolutely floored I NEVER connected his RTA with the Xmas special… amazing 😂

[@rachelalaimo4065]

I love how matt refused to give into them about the chair in C2, so travis did it himself 😂

[@slimj091]

8:47 Matt: Oh dear lord help us.

[@neojb1989]

Welcome baaaaaaaack! For as long as you will be, hype!

[@styx_n_stonz]

Ruse Travis Accomplished I see what you did there

[@Kenners1990]

How did i miss this lore drop. Ive seen it all this is insane.

[@Grandeathknight]

Matt laughing nonstop in that second minute at Travis' antics is hilarious

[@ArkStClair]

2:00 the look of pure anger on matts face😂😂😂

[@TacticalReaper56]

I like that Travis gets the nuance of the Alpha thing. Sure its douche, at its core tho its self empowerment. Hes not saying it because its edgy or cool. Hes saying it because theres nothing wrong with wanting to be or feel stronger, fuck the rest in the process.genuinely sam was had and was rightfully pissed 😂

[@nthnthms1212]

The face he makes at the end. CLASSIC.

[@yaelglor]

I know he meant the Chair, as in the gag from C2, but consider- he might have made the three wooden chairs that Caleb remembers in the 8th floor of his tower.

[@bmalloy0]

HOW DARE YOU But it fits.

[@codygarton7177]

when travis said what RTA meant you could see the rage bubbling up from within Matt

[@dorian4404]

Playing the double long game. I looove this character, I love that Travis gets to have so much fun

[@ramibasheer7670]

The face palms are iconic.

[@rhd42]

One of the funniest reveals ever. Great long game. Extremely well-played by Travis.

[@Aarson20]

I like how the title of the video also has RTA, nicely done.

[@XanderDarks]

i just realized the title of this video is also RTA lol good work on that!

[@davidlosey431]

The real ruse is the reference to the chair in campaign 2

[@StevenJQuinlan]

The absolute snap of Laura's head coming around is a thing to behold. You can just hear her thinking 'you motherfucker'

[@lanteanboy]

Godfuckin dammit, I just noticed how many RTAs you put in the title AND description.

[@TheRusty]

Ruse Travis Accomplished GOD DAMN IT

[@legendofkelamentura]

Oh god. Just got the callback to “The Chair” in Campaign 2

[@vatatheoanonymous3705]

"after I changed" Wow. A masterclass on patience and subtlety, and from Travis no less(no offense).

[@brunovillar1606]

I see what you did there...the Ruse Travis Accomplished -> RTA. NIcely done and nice video

[@insidiouscoil8474]

Lmao!! Wow that went on for how long? That was great.

[@Liv-bf3wk]

The title “The Ruse Travis Accomplished” is an acrostic. Clever.

[@violent___serenity]

It’s a union?! 😂

[@MaedayMisfit]

Its ELITE

[@cactapus1562]

I heard he enchanted murder chairs that move to the middle of the room i thought he was bringing us to an old mighty nein bit

[@allthenamesiwantedweretaken]

Should've totally included the few times Chutney in the Critmas Special mentioned the *ruse.*

[@cwengel22]

Gotta love Travis's "And in that moment, he knew that he F'ed up" look @9:18

[@hyperfreeze2714]

there was indeed an Alpha in Deanna at one point

[@Neomagi125]

Re watching this has reminded me that the party now owns a bag oh holding AND a portable hole. Can't wait till one goes inside of the other and chaos as a result.

[@jacobgalloway1392]

They did do that… no explosion though….