Critical Role Announces Age of Umbra Daggerheart Campaign, Starting May 29th

An 8-part Daggerheart miniseries is coming from Critical Role. Announced today, Age of Umbra is a new Actual Play series featuring Matthew Mercer as game master and co-founders Ashley Johnson, Laura Bailey, Liam O’Brien, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, Taliesin Jaffe, and Travis Willingham as players. The new miniseries will take up the bulk of the summer months, providing more of a break to the core cast ahead of an assumed fourth full-length D&D campaign.

Daggerheart is a new TTRPG developed by Critical Role's Darrington Press. Although the base game is intended to be a high fantasy RPG, the game includes several "campaign frames" that add additional rules for specific types of stories. Age of Umbra was developed by Mercer and draws inspiration from games like Dark Souls, Tainted Grail, and Kingdom Death: Monster.

The miniseries will air on Beacon, Twitch, and YouTube, with episodes airing every Thursday. The first episode debuts on May 29th, with Session 0 airing on various Critical Role platforms on May 22nd.

The full description of the series can be found below:

Age of Umbra

is an eight-part Daggerheart mini-series from Critical Role of dark, survival fantasy, debuting May 29 on Beacon, Twitch, and YouTube. Set in the Halcyon Domain, a world abandoned by gods and consumed by darkness, the series begins by following five people from the isolated community of Desperloch as they fight to protect their own in the face of rising horrors.

The Halcyon Domain is a lethal, foreboding land where the souls of the dead are cursed to return as twisted, nightmarish forms. A dark, ethereal mass known as the Umbra roams and holds these fiendish monstrosities, further corrupting anything it touches. Sacred Pyres keep the corruption at bay, and small communities endure through cooperation. Out in the beyond, whispers speak of ancient secrets and powers, wonders of a lost age, ready for discovery to those brave enough (or foolish enough) to seek them.

Game Master Matthew Mercer leads fellow Critical Role co-founders Ashley Johnson, Laura Bailey, Liam O’Brien, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, Taliesin Jaffe, and Travis Willingham in a high-stakes actual play exploring hope, sacrifice, and survival in a world where death is only the beginning.

 

[zakael19]

If they are enjoying it, what's the problem?

I just hope we dont get a bunch of "I tried DH and it was cool, but mostly just 5e so we decided to go back to the game that has our bespoke subclass my one player really wants" and then when asked the table didn't take advantage of any of the really cool design they've put in here.

Likewise hopefully people dont watch AoU and go "huh, seems cool but why bother not doing 5e..."

 

[overgeeked]

I just hope we dont get a bunch of "I tried DH and it was cool, but mostly just 5e so we decided to go back to the game that has our bespoke subclass my one player really wants" and then when asked the table didn't take advantage of any of the really cool design they've put in here.

Likewise hopefully people dont watch AoU and go "huh, seems cool but why bother not doing 5e..."

Exactly. They need to show off what’s unique about the game. Really showcase what it can do that 5E can’t. Here’s to hoping this is an intentional ramp up.

 

[overgeeked]

Since there seems to be a wave of BS about the Daggerheart license here’s a video with some chat on the topic. Relevant bits start just over an hour in.

 

[Mannahnin]

This whole discussion is whetting my interest, actually. While my personal taste MOSTLY runs more to OSR, this seems pretty solid and like it could appeal to my more character- and narrative-focused brother and a couple of our other friends.

 

[Elvish Lore]

The more the game shows others that it's not just D&D but rolling 2d12 instead, the better. Because otherwise why change rpgs, and especially why change to one that has 75% less character options and abilities and spells?

Showing the game is fundamentally different and more than story-focused than 5e is a good thing.

 

[Reynard]

The more the game shows others that it's not just D&D but rolling 2d12 instead, the better. Because otherwise why change rpgs, and especially why change to one that has 75% less character options and abilities and spells?

Showing the game is fundamentally different and more than story-focused than 5e is a good thing.

Or, showing that it isn't some completely alien experience will make it easier to convince folks to give it a try.

In a perfect world, there would be Umbra but also something more deeply fun and narrative. Maybe get Mulligan to run Beast Feast or something? Are there streamers well known for narrative/PbtA games?

 

[Reynard]

I started Ep 2. The Velk fight was GREAT fun. The temptation to "risk it all" is powerful indeed.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

BG3 completely outshone both Solasta (as the fellow D&D game) and D:OS 1+2 (as the fellow Larian games), it was clearly the combination of D&D with Larian's efforts and dedication.

Folks either going all the credit to Larian or D&D 5e hame system, or a mix of the two and not enough credit to The Forgotten Realms setting. Even in games that use the setting, but D&D rules, like AFR in MtG, FR sold well. The Forgotten Realms was HUGE part of BG3s success.

Anyways I think CR's next long campaign with be 2024 D&D.

Because

1. Exandria is designed with D&D in mind.
2. CR's partners like Amazon & WotC want it to be D&D and not barely tested in the market place system. DH needs to be tested in the market place for at least 2 years with growing sales before Amazon would concider a TV series based on the DH game system.
3. It's like Matt has already started planning the next campaign.

 

[Reynard]

2. CR's partners like Amazon & WotC want it to be D&D and not barely tested in the market place system. DH needs to be tested in the market place for at least 2 years with growing sales before Amazon would concider a TV series based on the DH game system.

I am not sure how relevant this might be. There are YEARS of CR stories to be made into Amazon shows and given how long most shows last, the shows will end before they run the well dry. Besides, it isn't like Vox Machina is D&D branded.

3. It's like Matt has already started planning the next campaign.

ANd DH has been in development a while.

I can't imagine Matt planning a campaign that could not work in either D&D or DH, especially given that (so far anyway) Matt runs DH a lot closer to D&D style than the game is written to be.

 

[zedturtle]

2. CR's partners like Amazon & WotC want it to be D&D and not barely tested in the market place system. DH needs to be tested in the market place for at least 2 years with growing sales before Amazon would concider a TV series based on the DH game system..

I doubt very strongly that Amazon cares (and likely many of the execs don't understand at all) what system the source material comes from.

WotC might well prefer a 5e-based show, but unless they sign a huge sponsorship deal (to my knowledge they don't sponsor CR at all these days), I doubt they get a vote.