By Diego Higuera
The cast of Critical Role, consisting of Matthew Mercer, Marisha Ray, Ashley Johnson, Taliesin Jaffe, Liam O’Brien, Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, and Sam Riegel, returned to Ballroom 20 at San Diego Comic-Con to the delight of their massive fan base. With over 25,000 regular viewers on their Twitch streams and an impressive 2.03 million subscribers on YouTube, it came as no surprise that Ballroom 20 was filled with ecstatic critters. The fireside chat and cast Q&A was hosted by Robbie Daymond, known for his role as Critical Role‘s Dorian Storm.
The first question was directed to Mercer, asking about the experience of developing and publishing their own games. He took command of the room, expressing, “It’s been wild and weird! As a gamer myself, playing these games while having the opportunity to bring together so many talented people to create our own games has been an incredible journey. We never imagined it would be this cool and enjoyable. We’re having a great time with it, and we’re eagerly looking forward to the things we’ve already released, the upcoming releases, and the projects we’re currently developing—although we can’t divulge the details yet. It’s going to be a lot of fun for all of us.”
After a couple more questions, the cast discussed their favorite events from the newest campaign and how Mercer’s ability to craft stories surprises them when they least expect it.
Willingham shared that his favorite moment was realizing the constant danger they faced: “I love that we have two if not more characters that if you push them hard enough, they will kill the entire party. So I love smacking FCG [Fresh Cut Grass, Riegel’s character] and almost having him go [after] the whole group. That was only topped by Imogen turning into a nuclear bomb. I know I have this private desire to irritate Imogen until she explodes”, he added, which filled the room with laughter.
Finally Mercer was asked how he felt being able to pull off some major plot points that were over 7 years in the making. He admitted feeling a mix of excitement and fear, describing it as “Planting seeds and making comments and doing little fractions of world-building with a loose idea of how they could connect.” He went on, “‘I’d love to get to this next campaign or two campaigns later, if we ever get there,’ and then now that we’re here, I’m like, ‘Wow, she gets to do it.’ I get to actually open this tiny capsule that I sent six, seven years ago and connected with this thing. So I’m very excited and I’m very nervous”.
Then, the cast invited fans to line up and introduce their own questions to the fireside chat. While most questions were heartwarming or humorous, one question had the entire room contemplating the future of Critical Role.
A fan asked Willingham, “Will we ever find out who Fjord’s parents are?” The room fell silent, eagerly awaiting Willingham’s response, and he simply stated, “Well, you know there’s that animated series?” referring to the upcoming Mighty Nein animated series.
The crowd erupted into cheers and Willingham wasn’t even done. “We are certainly doing the live show in London,” he said, “so I think it’s safe to say we are not done with those character by a long shot.”
The chat with the cast of Critical Role provided an unforgettable experience filled with laughter, insights into game development, and the enduring magic of Mercer’s storytelling. The camaraderie among the cast members and their excitement for future projects, including the upcoming animated series and live show, left fans eagerly anticipating the continuation of their beloved characters’ journeys in the world of Critical Role.
Miss any of our earlier SDCC ’23 coverage? Find it all here!
