Is Critical Role Leaving Dungeons & Dragons?

As Campaign 3 enters its final act and Critical Role scries into the new year, inquiring minds have begun to wonder whether the impending release of Daggerheart might signal the retirement of Dungeons & Dragons as the show’s primary TTRPG system. Let’s dive into some of the factors that have led fans to speculate that Critical Role will switch over to Daggerheart for its next campaign.

Will Critical Role Leave Dungeons & Dragons?

While Critical Role and Dungeons & Dragons are nearly synonymous to many, Vox Machina’s home game notably started in Pathfinder. Dungeons & Dragons has since served as the system across all three of the show’s main campaigns, though the channel has often highlighted alternate TTRPG narratives in the form of one-shots and miniseries. These efforts have increased in recent years with productions like the horror anthology Candela Obscura and the radically diceless Moonward: A Midst Roleplaying Story. In tandem with these projects, the Critical Role brand has distanced itself from Dungeons & Dragons-specific verbiage to broader TTRPG umbrella terms. This intentional shift in language over recent years served as one of the first signs that Critical Role sought to establish itself as a voice in tabletop storytelling not married to any specific system.

Critical Role officially announced the development of their own TTRPG systems Daggerheart and Candela Obscura‘s Illuminated Worlds during last year’s inaugural State of the Press. The fans who had already begun to suspect that Critical Role might part ways with Dungeons & Dragons perked up when they heard Daggerheart would be conducive to the long-form fantasy storytelling that made the company a success. This year saw Daggerheart roll-out in open Beta and the accompanying actual play adventures of The Menagerie. Though the party’s hijinks were unconnected to Exandrian lore, Critical Role slated its first Daggerheart live show set in Exandria for 2025.

As Critical Role approaches its tenth anniversary and Daggerheart‘s Spring 2025 publication draws near, firm details such as the upcoming Daggerheart live show set in Exandria paired with tactfully evasive answers about a potential Campaign 4 from the cast and crew have served as breadcrumbs for those who suspect major changes may be in store for Exandria in the new year.

Why Would Critical Role Want to Leave Dungeons & Dragons?

On the surface Critical Role and Dungeons & Dragons may appear to have a symbiotic relationship, but there are plenty of reasons why the actual play series might desire to create some distance from D&D. From the Open Gaming License scandal to Hasbro’s massive layoffs last holiday season, Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast has been embroiled in several scandals over the years that has soured some players on the brand. Though the various ebbs and flows in Dungeons & Dragons‘ public reputation over the years haven’t necessarily impacted Critical Role‘s relationship with the game too overtly, a switch over to Daggerheart would free the brand from an affiliation with a larger corporation whose decisions remain outside of their control.

In the speculation surrounding Critical Role‘s potential pivot to Daggerheart, there is a faction of the audience who project their personal antagonism toward Wizards of the Coast onto their hope that the show will break away from Dungeons & Dragons entirely. Conversely, there are diehard D&D purists who argue it would be unwise for the show to depart from such a strong and established brand. Ultimately, Critical Role will make the decision they feel is best for them as they embark on their next chapter of storytelling post-Campaign 3, which may even involve a combination of Dungeons & Dragons adventures and Daggerheart ones (in addition to other systems).

Critical Role closed the year by dropping the surprise final episode of 4-Sided Dive for Campaign 3, signaling that Bells Hells’ journey is about to come to an end. So, even though Critical Role has yet to confirm any details about a potential Campaign 4, including what system it will be played in, fans can expect those answers to come early in the new year, putting the speculation to rest once and for all.