Nonfiction

The World of Critical Role

The World of Critical Role

  • Downloads：1447
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-03-27 12:18:55
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Liz Marsham
  • ISBN：0593157435
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Dive deep into the history of the world’s most popular fantasy RPG livestream with the cast of Critical Role in this definitive guide featuring never-before-seen illustrations and photos。

From its unassuming beginnings as a casual home game between friends to the role-playing phenomenon it is today， Critical Role has become the stuff of legend。 These pages chronicle how a circle of friends who all happen to be talented voice actors built the most-watched tabletop role-playing livestream of all time。

Discover dazzling new illustrations and richly written insights into the locations， characters， and adventures featured in the hundreds of episodes across Critical Role’s two campaigns， Vox Machina and the Mighty Nein。 Go behind the scenes with archival photos and exclusive interviews with Dungeon Master Matt Mercer and the entire Critical Role cast as they explore their characters’ most triumphant moments and darkest hours。 And celebrate the massive community of Critters who support and expand the show’s world through a highlighted tour of the crafts， cosplay， and art they create every day。

Featuring a foreword from the cast， lush illustrations， and the inside story you won’t find anywhere else， this book is your indispensable guide to Critical Role。 The adventure begins！

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Reviews

David Blessing ，

This book oozes positivity。 Given that it is somewhat of a retrospective on Critical Role， I would expect nothing less。

Dave ，

Mainly for fans， but has a lot of info about the folks behind Critical Role， with great art。

Shaun Dyer ，

The World of Critical Role: The History Behind the Epic Fantasy is a wonderful companion piece to the brilliant show。 Anyone who knows me will know that I'm a sucker for Critical Role。 I've listened to all of the podcast， read the graphic novels and literally bought the t-shirt。 This was always going to be a home run for me， and unsurprisingly， I loved it。This book goes into the characters and the story of the games and goes back to the home game that spawned it all。 It is almost as amazing how The World of Critical Role: The History Behind the Epic Fantasy is a wonderful companion piece to the brilliant show。 Anyone who knows me will know that I'm a sucker for Critical Role。 I've listened to all of the podcast， read the graphic novels and literally bought the t-shirt。 This was always going to be a home run for me， and unsurprisingly， I loved it。This book goes into the characters and the story of the games and goes back to the home game that spawned it all。 It is almost as amazing how this came to be as the effect it has had on the community and the wider world。This little show spawned a TV show， graphic novel， charity， and a whole community of the most wonderful， welcoming， talented people in the world and this book covers them all。 There are deep dives on all of the players， a look a the community and the charity work and a whole bunch of amazing art。 This is basically one giant Critter hug that just makes you smile。If you're a fan of the show， you'll love this book。 If you're not， well， read it anyway to get a story of how a few people and a few dice changed the world for the better。 It is a great story。 。。。more

Andrea O'Brien ，

My little Critter heart is just bursting。 💓I was hesitant to read this because I don't usually delve into non-fiction。 But I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the cast behind the characters。 I loved hearing their voices explain the importance of the game to their lives。 And it helped me to appreciate the show even more。 The fact boxes and abundance of pictures made this read so humanizing。 The pictures of their old home games - just friends hanging out and enjoying one another warmed my heart。 T My little Critter heart is just bursting。 💓I was hesitant to read this because I don't usually delve into non-fiction。 But I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the cast behind the characters。 I loved hearing their voices explain the importance of the game to their lives。 And it helped me to appreciate the show even more。 The fact boxes and abundance of pictures made this read so humanizing。 The pictures of their old home games - just friends hanging out and enjoying one another warmed my heart。 Through the photos I felt connected to the CR cast as gamers。 They were my favourite part of the book。 。。。more

D' ，

A fun look into the world of Critical Role。 It's the greatest hits moments of campaign one and two thus far and some backstory on the cast and beginnings of the show。 Physically， the book is gorgeous to look at。 The cover， paper， and binding are all of fine quality。 If you are just getting into Critical Role this is a fine introduction。 If you are looking for a deeper dive behind the scenes of the production of the show the content is surface level at best。 Still， very enjoyable and a quick read A fun look into the world of Critical Role。 It's the greatest hits moments of campaign one and two thus far and some backstory on the cast and beginnings of the show。 Physically， the book is gorgeous to look at。 The cover， paper， and binding are all of fine quality。 If you are just getting into Critical Role this is a fine introduction。 If you are looking for a deeper dive behind the scenes of the production of the show the content is surface level at best。 Still， very enjoyable and a quick read。 。。。more

Kyle ，

I love Critical Role。 This book made my heart happy。 I'm one content Critter。 <3 I love Critical Role。 This book made my heart happy。 I'm one content Critter。 <3 。。。more

Kelley Goewey ，

I loved it。 It was fun and it moved along quickly。 The art was amazing， as expected。 I literally gasped when I saw the picture of the Chroma Conclave。 I think the anecdotes were well chosen and the cast contributions were very naturally integrated。 I laughed out loud a lot， which is always a plus for me！

Rachel Zimmermann ，

A fun look behind the scenes of the show， cast， and company。

Violetgray ，

Who is this book even for and why was it written？ Fans of the show already know all the stuff 。 People that don’t know it will most likely get lost in all the references。 I was hoping that with CritRole expanding this would elaborate more on the roles they take on like Laura handling Merch or Ashley doing the foundation work。Or dive more into the world and character building。 Or at least that it would have lots of cool never before seen pictures。 Nope。 It’s like the Tl;Dr version of existing con Who is this book even for and why was it written？ Fans of the show already know all the stuff 。 People that don’t know it will most likely get lost in all the references。 I was hoping that with CritRole expanding this would elaborate more on the roles they take on like Laura handling Merch or Ashley doing the foundation work。Or dive more into the world and character building。 Or at least that it would have lots of cool never before seen pictures。 Nope。 It’s like the Tl;Dr version of existing content but leaving out a lot of good stuff， like the deep dives into their personal stories from Between the Sheets。 If you watch talks， between the sheets and all the other content， you already know all of the things mentioned in this book。 The book is readable so there’s that。 。。。more

Yani ，

For a fan of Critical Role， this is a lovely book。 Yes， quite a bit of this information is available in other forms。 Namely the Between the Sheets shows， and the games themselves， from both campaigns。 But as someone who only really joined the fandom in Campaign 2 and has watched "selected highlights" from Campaign 1， there was a lot here I wasn't aware of。But honestly， the best part of this book is hearing from the cast about their thoughts about characters and events from both campaigns。And the For a fan of Critical Role， this is a lovely book。 Yes， quite a bit of this information is available in other forms。 Namely the Between the Sheets shows， and the games themselves， from both campaigns。 But as someone who only really joined the fandom in Campaign 2 and has watched "selected highlights" from Campaign 1， there was a lot here I wasn't aware of。But honestly， the best part of this book is hearing from the cast about their thoughts about characters and events from both campaigns。And the little nuggets of trivia。I can see this book getting updated or revised or otherwise revisited once Campaign 2 is over， but it also stands as a nice monument to a place in time for Critical Role as a company， Critical Role as a group of people and Critical Role as a D&D game。 。。。more

Christine Hoage ，

As soon as I picked it up， I knew that I was holding a book of quality。 It comes across as a coffee table book with amazing art and pictures。 But once you start reading it， you realize it is so much more！ Somehow it manages to be an homage to the talented and special people who came together to create Critical Role but it is also as if they are giving back in their respect and admiration for their fans， Critters。 I absolutely loved hearing the stories behind “the story” and feeling like I was ge As soon as I picked it up， I knew that I was holding a book of quality。 It comes across as a coffee table book with amazing art and pictures。 But once you start reading it， you realize it is so much more！ Somehow it manages to be an homage to the talented and special people who came together to create Critical Role but it is also as if they are giving back in their respect and admiration for their fans， Critters。 I absolutely loved hearing the stories behind “the story” and feeling like I was getting to know each actor/gamer better。 My only concern is that there are spoilers galore if you are not caught up with both campaigns。 。。。more

Jeffrey Vaicunas ，

Priceless to any fan of the show， I can't count the number of times I would turn a page and immediately feel the need to tell my gaming group about a fact or anecdote Priceless to any fan of the show， I can't count the number of times I would turn a page and immediately feel the need to tell my gaming group about a fact or anecdote 。。。more

Ryan Cooper ，

The World of Critical Role is one of storytellers。 From Matt's fictional world and the player characters within， to the lives of the cast and how they came together。 And in telling their story， this book provides some wonderful insights into both worlds that make Critical Role。This book walks a bit if a fine line， as the book has several distinct audiences。 It's clearly for fans of the show first and foremost， as it goes into in depth discussions of character backstories and motivations。 It cove The World of Critical Role is one of storytellers。 From Matt's fictional world and the player characters within， to the lives of the cast and how they came together。 And in telling their story， this book provides some wonderful insights into both worlds that make Critical Role。This book walks a bit if a fine line， as the book has several distinct audiences。 It's clearly for fans of the show first and foremost， as it goes into in depth discussions of character backstories and motivations。 It covers items that have become important to the characters， and critical moments in their lives。 In this， they do very well at giving insight that fans might not be aware of， like a look behind the curtain。The next audience would be those interested in the business and community sides of the Critical Role production。 In this way， I think it does well。 The interviews with the cast members that make up the majority of the book's material are very well done。 They give a picture of what it was like for the crew from it's inception， through the expansion into what it is today。Lastly， and this is a bit different， they try and include enough information for someone who is interested in Critical Role， but unfamiliar with D&D or the show's structure。 They start with a description of how D&D works， and at time will explain why rolls are important， and what impact they have on the game。 In this I think they do well in boiling down a very daunting task。 They focus on how this is a unique storytelling medium， and don't get bogged down in describing the intricate details or rules of the game。 For me reading this book， as a fan of the show， and interested in the characters and the people， this book was a delight to read。 I learned things about the characters and players that helped me to understand them better， and feel closer to this hobby I love。 It was comforting。 And I cannot overstate how beautiful the artwork is。 Stunning。I would recommend this book for any fan of CR， and to those who are interested in it， and looking to understand why so many people love it。 If I had one note， it's that I wish it had a statement somewhere of at what point in Campaign 2 it covers。 I am not caught up with the second campaign， and skipped a page or two that contained clear spoilers。 。。。more

Veronica Cook ，

Critical Role is a Dungeons and Dragons live stream played by 8 voice actors。 I love watching the show and this book is filled with stories about how their game started， how their game first got on the internet and highlight of the stream and subsequent phenomena （other shows now on the Critical Role channel）。 As a proud Critter （show fan）， I enjoyed learning even more about these actors and getting insight into some of my favorite show moments。

Rhys Causon ，

I went into this book knowing I was going to like it but the question was， how much am I going to like it？ Turns out， I liked it a lot。 Reading some parts of this book took me back in time and made me remember watching or listening to the episodes。 Whether that was listening to the character introductions in my room or watching the big boss battle after a busy day in Florida。 I found myself smiling so much during this book as I read it。 And that’s something it has in common with Critical Role， i I went into this book knowing I was going to like it but the question was， how much am I going to like it？ Turns out， I liked it a lot。 Reading some parts of this book took me back in time and made me remember watching or listening to the episodes。 Whether that was listening to the character introductions in my room or watching the big boss battle after a busy day in Florida。 I found myself smiling so much during this book as I read it。 And that’s something it has in common with Critical Role， it makes me happy to engage with。 Which is always the important thing。 So I can definitely recommend this book to any fellow Critters that haven’t read it already。 It’s well researched， has great behind the scenes pictures and insight into how the cast feel about how their game has changed their lives。 Easily worthy of 5 stars from me。 。。。more

Hannah Hopper ，

As others have mentioned， it’s hard to figure out who the book is for。 As a fan of Critical Role， there was no new information that I learned。 But if you’re wanting to learn more about CR， I’d think this has too many spoilers of massive moments。I listened to the audiobook and loved Mary Elizabeth’s performance。 I missed out on a lot of the artwork and photos that the book has within it， so maybe one day I’ll buy the hardback book to have as a coffee table book。

Amanda ，

As someone who only discovered Critical Role in the last year or so， I found this book amazing。 It does have “spoilers” for things that happened in the campaigns I haven’t seen yet but considering the very large amount of hours I have left to watch of both campaigns I didn’t mind。 I actually found it helpful because now I feel like I can watch with their live streams weekly on Thursdays without feeling completely lost and like I don’t really know these characters。 And then in between I can watch As someone who only discovered Critical Role in the last year or so， I found this book amazing。 It does have “spoilers” for things that happened in the campaigns I haven’t seen yet but considering the very large amount of hours I have left to watch of both campaigns I didn’t mind。 I actually found it helpful because now I feel like I can watch with their live streams weekly on Thursdays without feeling completely lost and like I don’t really know these characters。 And then in between I can watch old episodes。 This book also made me so much more in love with the cast than I already was， but even more I felt so in love with the community I have found myself now entering。 Lastly I found this book helpful in telling me about a lot of other ways Critical Role branches off that I may be interested in checking out， as well as talking about the individual casts One Shot episodes so I know which ones of those I want to watch right away etc。 It was just a really eye opening book and written brilliantly。 。。。more

Alexandra ，

I knew quite a bit of what is in this book prior to reading， because I am a Critter， but it gave me a slightly different perspective on some of the events that happened during the game and during the growth of this wonderful world。 The only reason it took me 2 days to read this book is because I read it twice - once via audiobook - Mary Elizabeth is a great narrator - and once physically。 Such a great book for Critters and those curious about the Critical Role world; it explains the nuances of t I knew quite a bit of what is in this book prior to reading， because I am a Critter， but it gave me a slightly different perspective on some of the events that happened during the game and during the growth of this wonderful world。 The only reason it took me 2 days to read this book is because I read it twice - once via audiobook - Mary Elizabeth is a great narrator - and once physically。 Such a great book for Critters and those curious about the Critical Role world; it explains the nuances of the D&D gameplay simply for those who have never played and without being tiresome for those of us who are very familiar with it。 If you weren't a Critter prior to reading this book， I will be once you're done。 。。。more

Jessica ，

An absolutely fascinating read。 Most of the information I already knew from other media， however it was presented in a pretty nice way。 It feels like a book I can loan to family and friends when they ask me "whats so special about Dungeons and Dragons？" or "what's so cool about Critical Role？"。 My husband who has seen some episodes in passing really enjoyed reading this book as well。 An absolutely fascinating read。 Most of the information I already knew from other media， however it was presented in a pretty nice way。 It feels like a book I can loan to family and friends when they ask me "whats so special about Dungeons and Dragons？" or "what's so cool about Critical Role？"。 My husband who has seen some episodes in passing really enjoyed reading this book as well。 。。。more

Victoria Hawco ，

How lucky I have been to have known you all， how lucky indeed。

Christine Watson ，

As a longtime fan of Critical Role and having followed several of the cast members' work prior to the show， it was a delight to hear this book was being created。 It does a fantastic job of providing history of the show's humble beginnings and how the community helped develop it into the powerhouse it is becoming today。 While some of the reflections on campaign moments may seem like old news to longtime fans or spoilery for newcomers， I still felt like there was context to spark new knowledge or As a longtime fan of Critical Role and having followed several of the cast members' work prior to the show， it was a delight to hear this book was being created。 It does a fantastic job of providing history of the show's humble beginnings and how the community helped develop it into the powerhouse it is becoming today。 While some of the reflections on campaign moments may seem like old news to longtime fans or spoilery for newcomers， I still felt like there was context to spark new knowledge or leave a sense of mystery on what transpired， respectively。 One of my favorite components of this book is highlights on fans' part with the show through their gifts， art， cosplay， and other creative endeavors; it delights me to see familiar faces and names mentioned， especially when they are close friends of yours。 Plus personally being in one of the pictures featured is quite the delightful surprise！ Overall， this book isn't just an overview of the history of Critical Role; it's a time capsule for the cast and fans alike， where we can reflect on favorite moments in the show and personal memories associated with them。 。。。more

Ani ，

I felt like I was going down a long road titled "memory lane" or a museum of scenes from campaign one and two。 I feel like I should write a bill out for how many times I had to get a tissue from my tissue box。 I'm happy to add this to my collection， without a doubt。 I felt like I was going down a long road titled "memory lane" or a museum of scenes from campaign one and two。 I feel like I should write a bill out for how many times I had to get a tissue from my tissue box。 I'm happy to add this to my collection， without a doubt。 。。。more

Kyle Buohl ，

For any fan of the absolute empire that Critical Role has been creating， this is a must read。 Marsham does a great job balancing not only the lore of the fictional world Matt created right alongside the lore of the real world that this cast has created。 The artwork throughout the book is stunning， and my only qualm being the print is quite small for a book of this size， causing my eyes to be tired after only a few hours pouring over the book。 I suppose if not for that then the book would be doub For any fan of the absolute empire that Critical Role has been creating， this is a must read。 Marsham does a great job balancing not only the lore of the fictional world Matt created right alongside the lore of the real world that this cast has created。 The artwork throughout the book is stunning， and my only qualm being the print is quite small for a book of this size， causing my eyes to be tired after only a few hours pouring over the book。 I suppose if not for that then the book would be double the length， but something to consider when purchasing hardcopy or an alternative。 。。。more

Danielle Van Enk ，

Such a good book for whoever loves CR and wants an insight into what goes on beyond the weekly stream

Caleb Finley ，

“The adventure begins，They were always beside you。Your nerdy best friends，And the DM to guide you。”Critical Role is a weekly Dungeons & Dragons game that is streamed online。 The group of friends and voice-actors gather around the table to battle， adventure， and cause chaos within the world of Exandria。 ‘The World of Critical Role: The History Behind the Epic Fantasy’ tells the story of how the cast of Critical Role found each other and how their love of RPGs built a great fandom。 I have my fianc “The adventure begins，They were always beside you。Your nerdy best friends，And the DM to guide you。”Critical Role is a weekly Dungeons & Dragons game that is streamed online。 The group of friends and voice-actors gather around the table to battle， adventure， and cause chaos within the world of Exandria。 ‘The World of Critical Role: The History Behind the Epic Fantasy’ tells the story of how the cast of Critical Role found each other and how their love of RPGs built a great fandom。 I have my fiancé to thank for getting me into Critical Role， as well as D&D。 Growing up， I always thought it was for basement dwellers and weirdos， but it’s not。 It is for those of us who enjoy storytelling。 It’s a chance for friends to meet， tell a story， roll dice and beat shit up！ This book inspired me so much， as I am currently preparing to DM （Dungeon Master） my first campaign and I’m bringing my best friends along for the ride。 。。。more

Erika ，

i really liked this book。 it was a nice introduction to all the players and characters of both campaigns and the art was amazing。

Perí ，

Introducción al mundo de Critical Role。 El libro está compuesto por entrevistas y anécdotas de la primer y segunda campañas de D&D recopiladas por Liz Marsham。

Brittany Cavness ，

I have spent toooooo many hours listening to these guys play D&D。 What is not to love？ A bunch of nerdy voice actors and actresses getting together to play a good ole' game of Dungeons and Dragons。 I have spent toooooo many hours listening to these guys play D&D。 What is not to love？ A bunch of nerdy voice actors and actresses getting together to play a good ole' game of Dungeons and Dragons。 。。。more

David Schwarm ，

So， the greatest D&D Table of All Time wrote a book。。。and to review， here are the top 5 D&D Tables of all Time:1。 Critical Role - Mercer2。 Ptolus - Cook3。 Greyhawk - Gygax4。 PAX - Perkins5。 Ben's RPG Pile - BenFight me。This book has some background， some player motivation， some interesting moments--basically a CR highlight reel。 A bit self congratulatory at times， but I am not sure what else this could be--these guys have done SO much for our community & this book is a good way to introduce that So， the greatest D&D Table of All Time wrote a book。。。and to review， here are the top 5 D&D Tables of all Time:1。 Critical Role - Mercer2。 Ptolus - Cook3。 Greyhawk - Gygax4。 PAX - Perkins5。 Ben's RPG Pile - BenFight me。This book has some background， some player motivation， some interesting moments--basically a CR highlight reel。 A bit self congratulatory at times， but I am not sure what else this could be--these guys have done SO much for our community & this book is a good way to introduce that to people not familiar with CR or just starting out--worth checking out and supporting。 。。。more

Rachael Arsenault ，

A wonderful look into the history， growth， and future of Critical Role as a show and a community。 Probably a bit much for casual fans， but I definitely recommend it for anyone who wants a deep dive on the cast， characters， and world of this show/company。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The World of Critical Role

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The World of Critical Role&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The World of Critical Role&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0