Critical Role‘s next show will be an eight episode mini-campaign set after the events of both Campaign 1 and Campaign 2. Critical Role has announced Exandria Unlimited, a new eight-episode series featuring a mix of current Critical Role cast members and new players. The cast will include existing cast members Matthew Mercer, Ashley Johnson, and Liam O’Brien, along with veteran voice actors Aimee Carrero (Elena of Avalor, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power) and Robbie Daymond (Marvel’s Spider-Man, Sailor Moon.) Aabria Iyengar will serve as the Game Master for the show. Exandria Unlimited will also be considered part of Critical Role‘s canon – events that happen in the show will affect future environments and timelines in future Critical Role campaigns.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Speaking to ComicBook.com via a video interview, cast member Liam O’Brien spoke about bringing in a group of newcomers to both the show and Dungeons & Dragons in general for a mini-campaign. “We’ve got a great mix of the old guard of Critical Role, fresh talent, and both a super experienced game master, and then two brand new players,” O’Brien said. “Watching Aimee and Robbie, for me, it’s been like when we would do Christmas morning with the kids. You’re remembering when you were there, going, “Oh, my gosh. I remember believing in Santa” and I remember the wonder of being a kid for a second time. And watching [Aimee] have your, “how do you want to do this” moment before we were even doing the official episode, seeing it layer in for you game after game has been the best, for both Aimee and Robbie.”
Details about Exandria Unlimited are being kept under wraps, but Critical Role did reveal that the new show will take place 30 years after Campaign 1 (featuring Vox Machina) and 10 years after Campaign 2. The mini-campaign begins in Emon, the former home of Vox Machina which is still recovering from a devastating dragon attack that took place during Campaign 1.
When asked about returning to familiar settings, cast member Aimee Carrero (a Critical Role fan turned player) said that it was special watching the veteran players react to familiar settings. “It’s such a joy to watch the players kind of wade into those crossovers because it’s emotional,” Carrero said. “I think it’s emotional when you spend so much time in this world and then you maybe see…I can’t say anything. But it’s cool to watch people who have walked through those halls, if you will. Walking through them again as different characters, knowing the Easter eggs and also just being really affected by them is really fun to watch.”
“It’s strange to see familiar places with a time jump, told through the lens of a different game master,” O’Brien added. “I also don’t want to talk about where we go, but there is overlap in places that fans are familiar with from the first campaign. We’ll be bubbling up in different ways and fun ways and coming at them from different angle.”
Critical Role also confirmed that there would be a full-length Campaign 3, but said further updates could be expected towards the end of the summer.
Both O’Brien and Carrero noted that they hoped Exandria Unlimited would serve as a gateway to Critical Role and serve as a “jumping on point” for those interested in the show but intimidated by wading into two full-length campaigns. “I think it’s a really good time for people who have been curious about the Critical Role universe and maybe feel overwhelmed by the amount of story that’s already available,” Carerro said. “This feels like a nice gateway into the world because it is limited, even though the title is Exandria Unlimited, but it is a limited story of the series. And I think from my perspective, having been an audience member, if I’m just starting out into this world, or even if I’m like an experienced player or an experienced watcher, I think this is just like a really perfect time to dip your toe in the water if you’re interested, because it’s very easy to catch up.” You can check out our full interview with O’Brien and Carrero here.
Exandria Unlimited will launch on June 24th at 7 PM PT on Critical Role‘s Twitch and YouTube channels. A podcast version of Exandria Unlimited will also be available one week after its initial airing and can be found on the Critical Role podcast feed on major podcast platforms.
