Yo just as an FYI since I know critical role can be super intimidating to get into, EXU and EXU Calamity will be a good place to start, especially if the EXU Calamity stuff has caught your attention.
Calamity is gonna be a 4-part mini series (nowhere near as much content as a like 130-part campaign) and it has a lot of super interesting lore for the other campaigns without being super directly involved. There will inevitably be bits that get big reactions from the cast where ur like ‘what’ but remember that’s fine! And even people who have seen all CR content will see those moments and be like ‘wait why is that getting such a big reaction’ (read: me having to look up who Purvan Suul is despite having seen all of C2&3 and nearly all of C1)
As I’m sure you’re aware, Calamity is, by it’s nature, a tragedy. It is no secret that almost certainly everyone in this campaign will die. And while that’s sad in itself, it can also provide some comfort in the fact that like, this is an integral part of the CR backstory, and we kinda don’t have to worry about the fates of the characters because they are already sealed.
Basically this is a long winded way of saying that if Critical Role has started to catch your attention, you’re in a good position to start watching Calamity, see how you like it, and use it as a stepping stone to the rest of the Exandria. And if you have any questions or anything pls feel free to ask
That's good to know! I am definitely intimidated by CR - I've seen so much about it and I know it's very beloved. It did feel like a huge commitment, though. But they've caught my interest now, for sure.
I'm definitely super intrigued by the story so far - they picked the right folks from Dimension 20 to pull me in, and I've really enjoyed the other PCs too. Luis is so amazing, he's a really good actor, it's been so much fun to watch him and Brennan work off each other. I'm fully committed to finishing Calamity, I need to know how these beautiful, arrogant fools make the apocalypse happen, haha.
And I'm glad at least even some CR fans have a little trouble keeping up with the lore. For one, it makes me feel better about my relative cluelessness, and for another, it speaks to the depth and breadth of the world-building. I don't know how much, if any, Dimension 20 you've seen, but most of Brennan's worlds are pretty self-contained within their own seasons/series. So there's a ton of content there, but it's broken down into smaller parts and different settings. Getting into a more vast world will take some adjustment, but I'm super intrigued!
The general premise of Calamity is so interesting to me - I'm a sucker for a story that starts out with all the characters doomed. I read the wiki a bit to understand how serious the consequences of their actions will be, and damn... they really fuck shit up, lmao. But they're all so likeable and sympathetic, I know it's going to be (wonderfully) heartbreaking when they reach that inevitable conclusion. That premise pulled me in a lot too, and Lou, Aabria, and Brennan just sealed the deal. And now I'm getting to know the CR folks too.
So to borrow what you said, this is basically a long-winded way of saying that my interest is absolutely piqued and I'm probably going to try to start Critical Role, once Calamity is done. (There's a new season of D20 out too, and I can only balance so many campaign details at once, haha.) Thanks for giving me your viewpoint on it! I'm excited to see more.
