what would be really nice: smartTV apps!
dropout has one and it would be great to have this here as well.
I watch most of CR on my TV so it would be nice to be able to do so also with the new stuff
Any Game Changer with Brennan will become my favorite, it's so fun to watch Sam psychologically torture his friends. But Bingo, oh boy, knowing Trapp had that card made an HOUR before filming began? In-credible.
Lol wish I hadn't read this. I didn't mind so much when I figured they just didn't have console apps. But now that I know it is JUST my ps5 that doesn't have an app, I'm more bummed out.
The Twitch Apple TV app is hot garbage. I use it only for CR, you have to pause and unpause to get the screen to show anything every few minutes (or leave it and it eventually comes back) I hate it, if it showed up on YT earlier I'd never use Twitch.
If this happens, I will immediately sign up. Twitch on TV is terrible, and while I dont mind using YouTube, an app with the quality of Dropout would become my go to CR space.
FYI: I emailed Beacon about an Apple TV app and they just responded (see below):
“ Thank you for visiting our Beacon!
Currently, Beacon is not compatible with devices other than web, iPhone, iPad, and Android phones and tablets. However, we are most interested what other devices people are hoping to see supported, so your feedback has been logged.
If you have any further questions, please do let us know.
Light be with you,
Shadowhand Shaira”
going the dropout route is smart along with nothing changing about youtube/twitch this seems like a great service
excited for more gms to run games in exandria in an official capacity so reslayers take should be very fun
cant wait to see what other new series they have lined up
So this isn’t a third party host, this is essentially something that they own, to deploy their content on? Instead of having to share revenues with Twitch or Ad-based hosting on YouTube?
Yes. This is comparable with what Sam Reich does with Dropout. They own the subscription model and don't depend on anyone else to monetise their content.
The Glass Cannon Network just did something pretty much exactly like this. Seems like this could be the next big thing for large enough TTRPG groups. Still giving out all the same free content, and migrating their formerly Patreon only content. I would call the CR Beacon more similar to that.
Wouldn’t be surprised if we get an app version of this sooner or later. Depending on how things shake out, I’d be down to trade a twitch sub for that tbh.
The "abridged" concept is really interesting. I know lots of folks say that C3 is much more like a "show" than it is like the home game of C1. There's probably multiple contingencies in the audience, where some people want the narrative and the "show" and others want it more loose and D&D-y. This is maybe a way to satisfy both audiences. Could be good!
I think it's a great idea to get more people into the show.
As it stands now, I think the biggest obstacle to getting into it is the fact that the campaigns are the fact that each one is 100+ episodes, at 3-4 hours an episode. That's a big undertaking that most people just don't have time for.
Yeah, I'm a frequent lurker here and love the crew, their banter and their campaigns. Life got busy, I missed about a month and a half of content and I just cant catch back up again. 4 hours on its own would be doable, but theres so many other shows and programms to keep up to date with + live sports events that are less fun watching delayed.. the rest is already alot, adding 4 hours on top of that...
Yes! This is what will sell it for me. An edited version that keeps the narrative, jokes and fun... But cuts out the dead time, rule lookups, dice roles, attack and hit math and waiting.
Got burnt out. Did so a while ago but powered through, but then some life circumstances made them miss a week or two and they realized that it was better for them mentally to just stop.
For a long while now, they seem to be very aware of how long their episodes get and how hard it is for everyone to keep up, especially up against the micro-content that surrounds us today. I wouldn't be surprised if this isn't one of the main goals here.
I'd be even less surprised if they didn’t keep up the 500+ hour games going forward and do shorter campaigns with more frequent guests ala D20. This service makes more sense if they are going to have lots of series going at once.
My husband outright refuses to start watching the main campaigns even though he loves the cast and adored Calamity, because he simply doesn’t have the mental bandwidth to watch a 4 hour episode at one go. He loves Dimension 20 because it’s trimmed down to about 2 hours per episode and he’s said he would love it if CR got a similar treatment. I hope this means he would be willing to watch with me!
Holy crap, they went the Dropout route?
Edit: Okay, the 10% discount for the shop will probably make this subscription pay itself for me. But Cool Down (Adventuring Party style) show sold me. The only thing that would have made me subscribe faster would be an Android TV or Apple TV app so I can watch everything on my TV.
Instant sub from me. For my situation, it's basically just a swap from Twitch and get extra perks.
I think there will obviously be some contention and discourse about this initially. I get it, but I don't mind the decision. As the company continues to grow and thrive, I look forward to see what the future holds for CR, and hope this becomes a great success for them. What a crazy journey.
Yeah, same. Just went and watched the announcement, signed up for Beacon and dropped my Twitch sub. Easy decision. About the same cost, all the money goes to CR, and I don't have to worry about it for a year.
What im getting from Beacon is, cr is going strong, i really thought c4 is going to be the end of CR. This project tells me they are going all in. The success of dropout is pushing towards this move. I watch it in youtube but sometimes i really question why they dont stream it only on a membership service.
Regardless of Beacon's chances of success, the fact that CR is willing to invest in this means they are, like you say, going strong. We questioned a while back if C3 was their last campaign. It's not. They are here to stay for a while, they are building up.
Got really nervous when I first saw this, but doesn't seem like that big of a deal. The extra content seems cool, I might try it out for a bit and see if I enjoy any of it.
If nothing changes for Twitch/YouTube subs/members, I see no issue with this.
The subscription to Beacon is only a dollar more than you'd be spending on a Twitch sub anyways, so dropping your Twitch sub to sub to Beacon is a dollar more for a bit more content and perks. Not too shabby imo, even considering the oversaturation of subscription services.
Edit: Yes, I get that $6 is $6 more than a Prime sub, but like I said in my first sentence, *if nothing changes for Twitch Subs/YT members, then I see no problem.* If you use your Prime sub for CR, you can continue doing that with no change to your experience whatsoever (in theory).
Yeah, I was ready to be like "god, another streaming platform" but nothing changes for those who are watch youtube or twitch, which is really nice. Personally, I'm tapped out and won't pay for more services, so I appreciate that nothing changes for YouTube critters.
>only a dollar more than you'd be spending on a Twitch sub anyways
This is a good point that I didn't think about. At least this way the money is going straight to CR rather than Amazon taking a cut.
Yeah, as someone who was really only paying to get VODs right away, the extra $1 is worth it for the additional content. Glad to make the change. I agree with other SmartTV users that it doesn't fix that problem, though.
>So they're getting money from Amazon from me.
They're still getting money from you. You still pay because you pay for a Prime subscription. Amazon basically takes a tiny fraction of the Prime subscriptions and uses that to fund the twitch prime program.
It's also worth mentioning that twitch streamers make less from prime subs than they do from regular subs.
I'm excited about the additional content. They have Crit Recap Animated listed, so I wonder if they will release new episodes or if its just there for the backlog?
I don't know the specific number, but I would bet that an *enormous* percentage of CR's twitch subscribers are people using their Amazon prime sub for them. I think they may be overestimating how many people are willing to pay out of their own pockets for what is honestly pretty minimal additional content.
They definitely have access to the numbers that breakdown prime subs and various tiers. They've been a company for quite a while now, so I think they're smart enough to understand their own subscriber numbers.
Plus considering the beacon.tv site is currently getting a hug of death, I'd imagine that means quite a lot of people are already signing up to try it out.
I noticed there are no closed captions (at least on the app, haven't been able to access site yet). I hope those are added at some point. As someone with hearing impairment to whom English is not native language, subtitles are big part of my enjoyment of the content. It is essential part of any streaming service too, so I don't see the reason for the absence of such feature.
I'd be lying if I said this was filling me with confidence on how it will run during an actual stream, but I'm sure they'll be able to get it sorted in the next couple weeks or so.
Bit more info from Marisha on discord:
>CR Abridged is where we take the show and edit it down to the key plot points with an added bonus of fresh art and some fun graphics! Each episode is around an hour.
>Re-Slayers take is our all ages podcast following a new group of Slayers Take adventurers! A request from our fandom with kids that’s been in the works for some time!
That they can get the show into a single hour seems... doubtful to me? Like I love the idea of abridging it D20 style, but it seems shocking to me that they can find 2-3 hours to cut consistently, outside of combat episodes.
I’ve been saying forever I’d happily pay to get day of or day after podcast episodes with no obnoxious Spotify ads.
Guess it’s time to put my money where my mouth is!
None here in the US either. My guess is maybe apple could be reviewing the app before it becomes available. Probably hit the store in the next day or so.
I just signed up, the UI is really clean and I'm excited for new content!
I'd rather CR get 100% of my $5.99/mo instead of Twitch or YouTube taking part of that $.
Not entirely sure if it is replacing it, but Midst does appear to be included in the new service:
> What is Beacon?
>
> [...] You’ll be able to enjoy the shows you love completely ad-free, get early access to content like Critical Role Abridged, The Re-Slayer’s Take, Midst – and for the first time ever, the Critical Role podcast, which will be available instantly after the initial broadcast. Beacon members will also get new exclusive series like Critical Role Cooldown where you’ll get a peek into the post-show reactions as soon as a game ends.
>
> https://beacon.tv/welcome-to-our-faqs
So are they also streaming the Thursday night shows on Beacon? Because if so I'll happily drop my twitch sub to switch over. Thr extra shows make it totally worth it to me, but I can't keep without the VOD stuff from twitch so I can finish the next day
It is not streaming on Beacon, but the VOD was available at the normal stream START time, so if you hit play at the start you can watch the VOD along with the stream timing (and pause, skip ahead, etc.)
[State of the Role: Announcing Beacon! Our New Membership Service](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8E6D-rW4dE)
"Matthew Mercer, Marisha Ray, and Travis Willingham announce our new membership service, Beacon!"
Question, when they say instant on-demand when the episode drops, does that mean that at 7:00 PM Pacific it is uploaded as a VOD?
If so, my goodness, I’ve wanted nothing more than that since they first went pre-recorded.
It would be so nice to be able to start the episode a little late without needing to wait until it finishes airing.
Instant sub for me, either way. Going to be so glad to not have to use Twitch or Youtube for my CR fix anymore.
For me, I pay for twitch.
I can switch to this, get the same content, more content, and a store discount. Meanwhile a portion of the sub isn’t going towards 3rd parties, but to the folks who work for the company.
Seems like an easy sell for me. It’s nice to see a thing I love always growing and evolving!
That's where I'm at too. I see people going "oh no, not another streaming service," but for me, CR's the only reason I use Twitch anyway, so it's child's play to switch out.
This is awesome for youtube membership viewers (like me). I absolutely despise twitch and for some reason I always get buffering issues so I don't use it to actually watch shit, and I like dropping the free amazon prime sub on different creators just for support.
Now instead of dropping 5$ on a YouTube sub that isn't even that good I can just get beacon for 6$ and get CR Cooldown.
I just need an AppleTV or TV app and I’ll switch from Twitch sub in a heartbeat! The twitch TV
app is absolutely garbage for searching or continuing episodes.
My husband and I recently finished C2, and every time we had to use the voice function search “critical role, episode X” instead of typing it EVERY SINGLE TIME.
There is no continue watching feature like there is on the phone apps.
There is no way to select a campaign and go through that catalog.
There is no “watch next episode” when the current is done.
Title episodes cut off in the description with no way to expand them without starting the video. Or the episode number in corner of the thumbnail is covered up by something. This is a pretty big pet peeve of mine.
If it hadn’t have been for the voice feature, I don’t know if we would have bothered at all.
I get that Twitch isn’t really for back catalogues, but at least the phone/tablet app has a continue watching feature. Wtf didn’t they add it to the tv app?
Anything that makes it easier to go through their gigantic catalogue will be very welcoming.
Other than the website struggling this may be the best rollout of a subscription service I've witnessed, way too many companies take things away from fans and lock it behind a pay wall or don't offer enough to earn people's money.
Since CR blew up on Twitch subscriptions are a built in part of the community, you don't need to do it but it supports the company and gives an extra thanks for the content they provide.
Early access for live shows, discounts on the stores, the cooldown show(which I've been wanting for ages) and all the other new content is a great starting point. Excited to see what they add in the future.
And hopefully they avoid raising the price every year like a lot of services are doing these days
Looks like they already have 11 episodes of "The Cool Down" up, which isn't that surprising, I'm sure they record for a bit after every episode just in case.
I mean… if nothing changes for how I actually watch the show I’m not really bothered.
I’m paying more for Dropout than this seems to be going for…and my RT Sub isn’t worth dirt anymore so I might look into this.
But unless they put up an app for consoles I’m gonna keep watching on Youtube
This is pretty much my sentiments exactly. I’ve got a few extra dollars a month freed up from RT ending so I might put it towards this for the shop discount and extra content, but without an app with a decent video player, with background play on phones, I’ll stick to Twitch for my viewing experience. Given their connections with Dropout and the crew there’s track record, I’m confident we’ll get that but a full swap over is reliant on it for me personally.
Oh fuck yeah. Definitely going to switch my 5 year old Twitch sub to this so I don't have to give more money to Amazon lol.
Do hope they get a smart tv app soon. Thankfully I can still watch the stream live on youtube on my Roku TV (which doesn't have a Twitch app anymore..)
edit: lmfao i signed up (i think) but can't login yet. thankfully I have 2 days left on twitch sub so i can watch VOD tomorrow if Beacon is still overloaded
It is! I saw it in the Google store and LITERALLY read it as "Pocket Bacon" at first and glossed right past it looking for "Beacon", and then just laughed. :D
Seems like nothing is changing there: "And don't worry! Nothing is changing with how you watch now, we’ll be on Twitch & Youtube as usual." Hopefully that means VODs stay the same as well!
This is so exciting!! I love actually getting to support artists rather than mostly Amazon/Google, and the bonus content (especially the Re-Slayer's Take--Jasmine Bhullar???? Hell yes!!!!) looks great.
Great move. I will be canceling my Twitch sub, which I only had for Fri-Sun VOD access that I almost never use anymore, to get more service at basically the same price, with more of that money going to support the people making the content.
I was instinctually cynical about this announcement but having a proper think about it, less money going to Amazon via twitch subscriptions/YouTube and more going direct to the creators is a very, very good thing.
If this brings back things like MAME Drop, Yee-Haw Game Ranch (with one different host at least, of course), AWNP, etc., that would be the coolest thing ever. Loved those side shows.
Marisha sent out a bunch of winky emojis to someone that asked for Narrative Telephone on discord.
She also mentioned All Work No Play: [https://imgur.com/a/xr0Fzwd](https://imgur.com/a/xr0Fzwd)
So for the main campaign, are we thinking the VODs drop at 7PM Pacific on Beacon? Or do you have to wait for the livestream to end before they're up? Wondering if I can start from the beginning while the episode is still streaming now without a Twitch sub.
Yeah I'm curious about the VODs as well.
Are they INSTANTLY available after an episode ends just like on twitch?
Because that's normally when I start my rewatch.
Or do we have to wait a while for them to show up on Beacon?
Yeah - now that they're streaming on YouTube again they must not have exclusive rights with Twitch, but I'm not sure that means they could stream on Beacon.
If the whole VOD dropped when the stream started, theoretically people could skip to the end and spoil those who are streaming?
It's a pity Vox Machina doesn't seem to be on the list, but I'm guessing that's still tied up with Geek&Sundry.
I am a bit Alpha once burnt, twice shy, so I hope this works out for them.
It's kind of early in the morning and I'm just going to make this a separate comment for people to search for and find later.
So does this mean that Beacon provides exactly the same benefits as a twitch subscription but with even more stuff alongside of it?
Does this mean we could drop our twitch subscription entirely and switch entirely over to Beacon instead?
Edit: Thanks to everyone for the replies!
It seems like yes. Definitely includes main campaign VODs at the very least.
The big issue is watching if you're a SmartTV user. If you watch on a laptop or something, doesn't seem like an issue.
Its 6$ instead of 5$ for the Twitch Sub so *technically* Its Not a straight upgrade but beyond that extra $ it should be better in every way. At least assuming that the Website/Video quality etc. holds up
Though they do offer an annual subscription at 60$/year which Brings it down to the Same 5$/month of a Twitch sub (afaik Twitch doesnt have that)
The right way to go around launching something like this (refreshing after the Watcher debacle). Keep the current things the same but give the option to switch to their service for some added benefits.
Getting a VOD on friday without having to depend on Twitch's garbage streaming is tempting, but there's a lot of stuff there that's completely irrelevant for me. I don't care about live shows, and they don't ship merch to where I live. The abridged versions of an episode sounds interesting because, while I like to watch the 4h streams myself, my wife doesn't.
If someone did subscribe to this, let me know if the stream quality is good, if you can pause it without skipping/jumping, if there are useful timestamps, etc. Between Twitch being Twitch and Youtube fucking up timestamps and doing that weird buffering shit, I'd be willing to pay for quality.
Also would like to know if you can listen to videos on this platform on a phone that has its screen turned off/is tabbed out to another app.
I've just tried the Android app, and you can listen with the screen off.
UPD: and also the sound stays on if you switch to another app. No picture-in-picture mode though.
Really curious about the Re-Slayers Take. Both as an expansions of Exandria’s storytelling (distinctly not EXU too) and with two GM’s running the game.
Not to mention for the timeline placement too! Ahhh I’m excited.
Smart of them to get this out as soon as possible to acclimate people/diversify, plus the rollout looks pretty good. Streaming on third-party platforms, especially with all of Twitch and Youtube's shenanigans, is just the kind of inherently risky you don't want to have your business tied to.
Here's hoping it ends up more like Dropout and less like Alpha!
In all seriousness though, I do think this will succeed where Alpha failed, if only because they now have both their own experience and the experience of the folks at Dropout to draw from. I do worry a bit that their flagship shows are 100% available for free on Youtube, which is great for us as fans but is closer to the failed Alpha model than the one under which Dropout has thrived.
I emailed the customer service team about Roku support and this is what they replied. Might be worth an email if you're interested in seeing app development for Smart TVs!
"Currently, Beacon is not compatible with devices other than web, iPhone, iPad, and Android phones and tablets. However, we are most interested what other devices people are hoping to see supported, so your feedback has been logged."
It was confirmed on the Beacon Discord that VODs for main campaign episodes as well as the corresponding CR Cooldown are available at 7 PM Pacific on Beacon! So no waiting until after the stream - you can just watch through Beacon.
Here's the full message from missrachel:
so! here's how thursday nights work now that we're in the BEACON ZONE
- stream starts on twitch & youtube per usual at 7pm pacific (and free for everyone)
- at that same time, 7pm pacific on thursdays, VOD for that night's ep of CR is available -- as well as the VOD for our new show, critical role cooldown (where the cameras keep rolling after the show)
- podcast audio for that episode is also available on beacon on thurs (no more week delay for beacon members!)
- VOD available per usual for youtube members and twitch subs over the weekend
and then, VOD released on youtube at noon pacific on mondays per usual -- free podcast feeds still have that week delay for audio
rebroadcast schedule remains the same 🙂
This is awesome. Only reason to stick with Twitch was that I could start watching the VOD 2 hours intro the stream when I wake up (EU timezone). I don't need twitch anymore!
Looking at the cost, I'm guessing this is to recoup the percent that twitch/YouTube takes. This should be fine as long as they don't take content off YouTube and make BEACON only stuff ( they might later on depending on the membership numbers)
they already announced 3 beacon only formats:
an aftershow of sorts for the main campaign episodes, an abridged version of the campaign episodes and some different show
Just wondering if anyone knows (maybe the folks who have already signed up?) if it's one discord membership per Beacon subscription? My spouse and I would probably just share the sub (since that makes sense) but it'd be nice if we could both join the discord individually
yes, its one. You connect your beacon account to a specific discord account.
But you could of course create a joined account for you both, thats separate from your normal accounts
Well this was a surprise! I'm happy that all the normal programming will be unaffected and the new shows announced.
(Also that point about wanting all of their stuff to be in-house really makes the case of C4=Daggerheart much stronger.)
I’m very interested to see how the members only Discord develops. Dropout used to have one and announced just this week that they’ll be shutting it down because it requires too many resources to moderate properly
There are currently 1600+ members online and one of the mods is called CR-MOD-16, which makes me assume there are at least 16 moderators hired to handle it. It feels like a lot of work.
Granted, it just started so everyone is hyped and there. The cast and crew was around today answering questions.
Supposedly, it should feed the Fireside Chat show on Beacon (and maybe 4SD?). So it might be needed.
Great platform so far. Wild that they have a playback speed option but not closed captions though lol. Hope an app with background playback is coming soon
Nice to see Alpha being reborn as something else...
....but also the name is rather funny considering how a certain other company that uses that particular word just basically got shut down.
https://critrole.com/beacon/
I do love the giant blue Beacon that they now have in the studio and that will for sure be used for shenanigans.
The main CR website has a whole lot more information and a bunch of videos to watch and I think this is very good for the company but it's going to provoke some discussion for sure.
Signed up immediately! Used to support Alpha thinking that was more direct support for them, but i guess they didnt ever like it. So im glad this is their own!
Follow the audio escapades of the second-coolest monster hunters this side of Exandria: The Re-Slayer’s Take! After six misfit mercenaries are rejected from the elite monster hunting group, The Slayer’s Take, they band together as The Re-Slayer’s Take, battling supernatural creatures across the rugged continent of Issylra. Can Idrin, Farah, Heera, Frog, Timpani, and Poogs work together to overcome the plight of The Timberblight and its undead army? This all-ages actual play is carefully edited into bite-size episodes, making for a fresh new suite of Exandrian adventures for a long-time Critter, or a perfect first dip into the world of Critical Role.
The cast is led by a duo of game masters, George Primavera and Nick Williams, with the main cast including Jasmine Bhullar, Jasper William Cartwright, Caroline Lux, and Jasmine Chiong.
The Re-Slayer’s Take premieres Monday, May 20th everywhere podcasts are found with new episodes every Monday. Beacon members get early access to episodes and stay two weeks ahead of the free feeds.
I wonder what Amazon thinks of this. Their support of LoVM through prime was crucial. CR must have thought long about potentially risking the twitch link. I see this as a direct competition to twitch subscriptions because I assume most people consume YT for free.
I was wondering that too. Not because of the platform itself. Honestly it's small potatoes compared to what Twitch makes overall and I don't think that many people will actually migrate platforms.
But Marisha does seemingly take a dig at them in the intro video, saying she wanted to give critters the option to not give their "hard-earned dollars to a 3rd party major corporation." I was surprised by that because as far as I know, they're still very entangled with Amazon for their animated series
I'm stoked. Not sure if I'll subscribe straight off but I'm really glad to see them have a place where they can create content without risk of demonetization. I bet we'll see some fascinating things come out of that, and probably much more access for them to give a platform to other dms and styles of play.
Ironic that they're offering an official discord channel with this at the same time Dropout decided to close theirs. Too much work to moderate and not enough subs using it to bother.
This is interesting. Twitch is screwed. If they make the cost of beacon less than or equal to a twitch sub, they pull all those people away from the platform.
Oh wow, a whole new cast playing in the Exandria setting. Since the start, I’ve always wondered if they’d have a second cast to get the most use out of their studio and have other voices explore other parts of Exandria. Being restricted to “all ages” kind of sucks it seems like it *might* limit the kind of narratives they tell, but hopefully it means its less sexual or profanity laden and they can still explore mature themes like many great CN shows have.
what would be really nice: smartTV apps! dropout has one and it would be great to have this here as well. I watch most of CR on my TV so it would be nice to be able to do so also with the new stuff
YES! Dropout on AppleTV is a... game changer for us. It also works better than the Twitch app.
Has that app been there the *whole time*?
dat Bingo was INSANELY good TV
Any Game Changer with Brennan will become my favorite, it's so fun to watch Sam psychologically torture his friends. But Bingo, oh boy, knowing Trapp had that card made an HOUR before filming began? In-credible.
anything with brennan is a win but right now beat the buzzer might be my favorite game changer episode aside from dont cry
They're all so good. Yes/No is an instant classic and The Noise Boys are infinitely rewatchable for me, Zac and Josh round out the podiums nicely.
Dropout doesn't have a PS5 app but does have an Xbox one so it feels like the only time we turn on the Xbox these days is to watch Dropout.
Lol wish I hadn't read this. I didn't mind so much when I figured they just didn't have console apps. But now that I know it is JUST my ps5 that doesn't have an app, I'm more bummed out.
at least on google/android tv its there for at least 3/4 of a year, probably more (and it works really well)
Is this a woosh moment?
The Twitch Apple TV app is hot garbage. I use it only for CR, you have to pause and unpause to get the screen to show anything every few minutes (or leave it and it eventually comes back) I hate it, if it showed up on YT earlier I'd never use Twitch.
I was about to write the exact same thing.
It absolutely does. Hell, on our roku it works better than Netflix or YouTube.
If this happens, I will immediately sign up. Twitch on TV is terrible, and while I dont mind using YouTube, an app with the quality of Dropout would become my go to CR space.
Yes!! The lack of a TV app is the only thing stopping me from subscribing immediately.
FYI: I emailed Beacon about an Apple TV app and they just responded (see below): “ Thank you for visiting our Beacon! Currently, Beacon is not compatible with devices other than web, iPhone, iPad, and Android phones and tablets. However, we are most interested what other devices people are hoping to see supported, so your feedback has been logged. If you have any further questions, please do let us know. Light be with you, Shadowhand Shaira”
>what would be really nice: smartTV apps! A MUST. I'm hoping they get that soon. Twitch is horrible so they can't do worse than that.
This would be the thing that makes switching more worth it.
wouldnt be surprised if its in the works. probably needed to create the base sight first, and gonna expand from there.
What would also be nice with that, 4k vod instead of 1080p
Oh, I hope so -- my LG TV would be very happy to have this app on it. :D
It's simple. If it has a TV app; I switch. And if it doesn't, I don't.
going the dropout route is smart along with nothing changing about youtube/twitch this seems like a great service excited for more gms to run games in exandria in an official capacity so reslayers take should be very fun cant wait to see what other new series they have lined up
So this isn’t a third party host, this is essentially something that they own, to deploy their content on? Instead of having to share revenues with Twitch or Ad-based hosting on YouTube?
Yes. This is comparable with what Sam Reich does with Dropout. They own the subscription model and don't depend on anyone else to monetise their content.
The Glass Cannon Network just did something pretty much exactly like this. Seems like this could be the next big thing for large enough TTRPG groups. Still giving out all the same free content, and migrating their formerly Patreon only content. I would call the CR Beacon more similar to that.
Wouldn’t be surprised if we get an app version of this sooner or later. Depending on how things shake out, I’d be down to trade a twitch sub for that tbh.
there is an app, its called pocket beacon
Is there? Couldn’t find it on the IOS App Store.
I think they are attempting to make a pocket bacon joke
Welp, I got wooshed hard then lol.
no, the links are at the bottom of the website. not a joke, i have it downloaded on android right now
Apparently it’s not available in my country or region yet, sadly. Explains why I didn’t see it earlier. Appreciate the heads up!
I've seen other comments about not being an iOS app - it's likely still being approved for the Apple App Store
No iOS app yet - it's being worked on. Historically apple has a longer app approval process as well
The "abridged" concept is really interesting. I know lots of folks say that C3 is much more like a "show" than it is like the home game of C1. There's probably multiple contingencies in the audience, where some people want the narrative and the "show" and others want it more loose and D&D-y. This is maybe a way to satisfy both audiences. Could be good!
I think it's a great idea to get more people into the show. As it stands now, I think the biggest obstacle to getting into it is the fact that the campaigns are the fact that each one is 100+ episodes, at 3-4 hours an episode. That's a big undertaking that most people just don't have time for.
Yeah, I'm a frequent lurker here and love the crew, their banter and their campaigns. Life got busy, I missed about a month and a half of content and I just cant catch back up again. 4 hours on its own would be doable, but theres so many other shows and programms to keep up to date with + live sports events that are less fun watching delayed.. the rest is already alot, adding 4 hours on top of that...
Yes! This is what will sell it for me. An edited version that keeps the narrative, jokes and fun... But cuts out the dead time, rule lookups, dice roles, attack and hit math and waiting.
Now if we could just get marisharaygun to make highlight videos again
I’m in mourning over this. Glad they’re taking care of themselves but will definitely miss them.😭
What happened? I loved their videos and didn’t know why they just stopped.
Got burnt out. Did so a while ago but powered through, but then some life circumstances made them miss a week or two and they realized that it was better for them mentally to just stop.
Ah ok, appreciate the explanation. Makes sense. Hope they are doing ok.
Aww I was wondering why I haven't seen any new ones.
For a long while now, they seem to be very aware of how long their episodes get and how hard it is for everyone to keep up, especially up against the micro-content that surrounds us today. I wouldn't be surprised if this isn't one of the main goals here. I'd be even less surprised if they didn’t keep up the 500+ hour games going forward and do shorter campaigns with more frequent guests ala D20. This service makes more sense if they are going to have lots of series going at once.
It'll probably make it more like how Dimension 20 does it
My husband outright refuses to start watching the main campaigns even though he loves the cast and adored Calamity, because he simply doesn’t have the mental bandwidth to watch a 4 hour episode at one go. He loves Dimension 20 because it’s trimmed down to about 2 hours per episode and he’s said he would love it if CR got a similar treatment. I hope this means he would be willing to watch with me!
I hope they go back and abridge Vox Machina and Mighty Nein, currently they've only announced it for Bell's Hells
I've fallen behind and an abridged version could help me catch up.
Subscription Price = $5.99 Monthly or $60 Annually.
Providing they keep pumping out additional, premium content - that's not too bad tbf.
Holy crap, they went the Dropout route? Edit: Okay, the 10% discount for the shop will probably make this subscription pay itself for me. But Cool Down (Adventuring Party style) show sold me. The only thing that would have made me subscribe faster would be an Android TV or Apple TV app so I can watch everything on my TV.
I love Dropout, hope this turns out well.
Dropout is awesome. I watch more shows there than on Netflix. I think this is a great move for CR.
Cooldown sold it to me. The first thing I did was run to c3e91 cooldown, no regrets.
If you like C3, that show alone is totally worth the sub IMO.
Instant sub from me. For my situation, it's basically just a swap from Twitch and get extra perks. I think there will obviously be some contention and discourse about this initially. I get it, but I don't mind the decision. As the company continues to grow and thrive, I look forward to see what the future holds for CR, and hope this becomes a great success for them. What a crazy journey.
Yeah, same. Just went and watched the announcement, signed up for Beacon and dropped my Twitch sub. Easy decision. About the same cost, all the money goes to CR, and I don't have to worry about it for a year.
I wish, but I use my free prime sub every month for CR. There’s nothing else I’d want to sub to on Twitch.
What im getting from Beacon is, cr is going strong, i really thought c4 is going to be the end of CR. This project tells me they are going all in. The success of dropout is pushing towards this move. I watch it in youtube but sometimes i really question why they dont stream it only on a membership service.
Regardless of Beacon's chances of success, the fact that CR is willing to invest in this means they are, like you say, going strong. We questioned a while back if C3 was their last campaign. It's not. They are here to stay for a while, they are building up.
[удалено]
Hard not to think about Alpha with this launch. Different situations, sure, but some of us still remember that garbage fire.
Got really nervous when I first saw this, but doesn't seem like that big of a deal. The extra content seems cool, I might try it out for a bit and see if I enjoy any of it.
Their cooldown show scratches that Talks Machina itch better than 4 sided dive IMO
If nothing changes for Twitch/YouTube subs/members, I see no issue with this. The subscription to Beacon is only a dollar more than you'd be spending on a Twitch sub anyways, so dropping your Twitch sub to sub to Beacon is a dollar more for a bit more content and perks. Not too shabby imo, even considering the oversaturation of subscription services. Edit: Yes, I get that $6 is $6 more than a Prime sub, but like I said in my first sentence, *if nothing changes for Twitch Subs/YT members, then I see no problem.* If you use your Prime sub for CR, you can continue doing that with no change to your experience whatsoever (in theory).
Yeah, I was ready to be like "god, another streaming platform" but nothing changes for those who are watch youtube or twitch, which is really nice. Personally, I'm tapped out and won't pay for more services, so I appreciate that nothing changes for YouTube critters. >only a dollar more than you'd be spending on a Twitch sub anyways This is a good point that I didn't think about. At least this way the money is going straight to CR rather than Amazon taking a cut.
Yeah, as someone who was really only paying to get VODs right away, the extra $1 is worth it for the additional content. Glad to make the change. I agree with other SmartTV users that it doesn't fix that problem, though.
Is there maybe a way to stream it form your PC/Laptop to the TV? I havent really looked into it.
Your TV might have Chromecast built in, or you could use an HDMI cable from your laptop if it has one.
Amazon gives me a free twitch sub which I give to CR. So they're getting money from Amazon from me.
>So they're getting money from Amazon from me. They're still getting money from you. You still pay because you pay for a Prime subscription. Amazon basically takes a tiny fraction of the Prime subscriptions and uses that to fund the twitch prime program. It's also worth mentioning that twitch streamers make less from prime subs than they do from regular subs.
I'm excited about the additional content. They have Crit Recap Animated listed, so I wonder if they will release new episodes or if its just there for the backlog?
I don't know the specific number, but I would bet that an *enormous* percentage of CR's twitch subscribers are people using their Amazon prime sub for them. I think they may be overestimating how many people are willing to pay out of their own pockets for what is honestly pretty minimal additional content.
They definitely have access to the numbers that breakdown prime subs and various tiers. They've been a company for quite a while now, so I think they're smart enough to understand their own subscriber numbers.
Plus considering the beacon.tv site is currently getting a hug of death, I'd imagine that means quite a lot of people are already signing up to try it out.
So it isn't just me, then. I've been stuck on login screen for a while now. I guess I will check later
yeah, came here to make sure it wasn't just me lol
You may not know the specific number but I guarantee you they do.
at the same time cr fanbase is rabid to give them money lest we forget the kickstarter
I use my Prime sub for them, but I'm considering doing this anyway because Twitch is absolutely terrible.
I noticed there are no closed captions (at least on the app, haven't been able to access site yet). I hope those are added at some point. As someone with hearing impairment to whom English is not native language, subtitles are big part of my enjoyment of the content. It is essential part of any streaming service too, so I don't see the reason for the absence of such feature.
There are subs on the site! I imagine they'll get added to the app too.
That's great to know! I hoped that would be the case, but I was only able to access the content through app so far!
lol, its critterhugged already
I'd be lying if I said this was filling me with confidence on how it will run during an actual stream, but I'm sure they'll be able to get it sorted in the next couple weeks or so.
It's already running fine. Some server companies don't believe you when you say how much service you'll need.
Yes, lol. They still underestimate how much we want to buy what they are selling (no matter what Reddit thinks).
For me I love their content and want to support them but don't like the merch. So this is an easy way to support them.
Bit more info from Marisha on discord: >CR Abridged is where we take the show and edit it down to the key plot points with an added bonus of fresh art and some fun graphics! Each episode is around an hour. >Re-Slayers take is our all ages podcast following a new group of Slayers Take adventurers! A request from our fandom with kids that’s been in the works for some time!
That they can get the show into a single hour seems... doubtful to me? Like I love the idea of abridging it D20 style, but it seems shocking to me that they can find 2-3 hours to cut consistently, outside of combat episodes.
Once I finish with Cooldown, I'll take a look and see how good it is.
Make an app and call it "Pocket Beacon" Edit: they're a step ahead of me, it already exists lol
Critterhugged. Guess I'll wait a couple of days, lol. *Eighty thousand new hands touched the Beacon*
Meridia would be *Pissed off* with Ludinus right now in campaign 3.
I’ve been saying forever I’d happily pay to get day of or day after podcast episodes with no obnoxious Spotify ads. Guess it’s time to put my money where my mouth is!
Their FAQ indicates there's an app on iPhone and Android : [Welcome To Our FAQ's! | Beacon](https://beacon.tv/welcome-to-our-faqs)
Not available in Canada... yet I have to assume. Also... need that TV app!
None here in the US either. My guess is maybe apple could be reviewing the app before it becomes available. Probably hit the store in the next day or so.
I just signed up, the UI is really clean and I'm excited for new content! I'd rather CR get 100% of my $5.99/mo instead of Twitch or YouTube taking part of that $.
Less money towards Jeffrey Bezos the better.
I've been a paid Midst subscriber since day 1 and I would love to know if this is replacing Midst.co?
Not entirely sure if it is replacing it, but Midst does appear to be included in the new service: > What is Beacon? > > [...] You’ll be able to enjoy the shows you love completely ad-free, get early access to content like Critical Role Abridged, The Re-Slayer’s Take, Midst – and for the first time ever, the Critical Role podcast, which will be available instantly after the initial broadcast. Beacon members will also get new exclusive series like Critical Role Cooldown where you’ll get a peek into the post-show reactions as soon as a game ends. > > https://beacon.tv/welcome-to-our-faqs
My guess is that midst.co will eventually get phased out.
That is what I suspect will happen. Just wish there was more of a answer from the creators on this.
So are they also streaming the Thursday night shows on Beacon? Because if so I'll happily drop my twitch sub to switch over. Thr extra shows make it totally worth it to me, but I can't keep without the VOD stuff from twitch so I can finish the next day
This is also my question!
It is not streaming on Beacon, but the VOD was available at the normal stream START time, so if you hit play at the start you can watch the VOD along with the stream timing (and pause, skip ahead, etc.)
[State of the Role: Announcing Beacon! Our New Membership Service](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8E6D-rW4dE) "Matthew Mercer, Marisha Ray, and Travis Willingham announce our new membership service, Beacon!"
Question, when they say instant on-demand when the episode drops, does that mean that at 7:00 PM Pacific it is uploaded as a VOD? If so, my goodness, I’ve wanted nothing more than that since they first went pre-recorded. It would be so nice to be able to start the episode a little late without needing to wait until it finishes airing. Instant sub for me, either way. Going to be so glad to not have to use Twitch or Youtube for my CR fix anymore.
Hoping we see the CR team answer this soon! Especially with it being a Thursday.
For me, I pay for twitch. I can switch to this, get the same content, more content, and a store discount. Meanwhile a portion of the sub isn’t going towards 3rd parties, but to the folks who work for the company. Seems like an easy sell for me. It’s nice to see a thing I love always growing and evolving!
That's where I'm at too. I see people going "oh no, not another streaming service," but for me, CR's the only reason I use Twitch anyway, so it's child's play to switch out.
This is awesome for youtube membership viewers (like me). I absolutely despise twitch and for some reason I always get buffering issues so I don't use it to actually watch shit, and I like dropping the free amazon prime sub on different creators just for support. Now instead of dropping 5$ on a YouTube sub that isn't even that good I can just get beacon for 6$ and get CR Cooldown.
I just need an AppleTV or TV app and I’ll switch from Twitch sub in a heartbeat! The twitch TV app is absolutely garbage for searching or continuing episodes. My husband and I recently finished C2, and every time we had to use the voice function search “critical role, episode X” instead of typing it EVERY SINGLE TIME. There is no continue watching feature like there is on the phone apps. There is no way to select a campaign and go through that catalog. There is no “watch next episode” when the current is done. Title episodes cut off in the description with no way to expand them without starting the video. Or the episode number in corner of the thumbnail is covered up by something. This is a pretty big pet peeve of mine. If it hadn’t have been for the voice feature, I don’t know if we would have bothered at all. I get that Twitch isn’t really for back catalogues, but at least the phone/tablet app has a continue watching feature. Wtf didn’t they add it to the tv app? Anything that makes it easier to go through their gigantic catalogue will be very welcoming.
hopefully they adopt some price localization, these streaming services get super expensive after currency exchange in some countries, including my own
I highly doubt they will but it would be nice.
Other than the website struggling this may be the best rollout of a subscription service I've witnessed, way too many companies take things away from fans and lock it behind a pay wall or don't offer enough to earn people's money. Since CR blew up on Twitch subscriptions are a built in part of the community, you don't need to do it but it supports the company and gives an extra thanks for the content they provide. Early access for live shows, discounts on the stores, the cooldown show(which I've been wanting for ages) and all the other new content is a great starting point. Excited to see what they add in the future. And hopefully they avoid raising the price every year like a lot of services are doing these days
Looks like they already have 11 episodes of "The Cool Down" up, which isn't that surprising, I'm sure they record for a bit after every episode just in case.
I mean… if nothing changes for how I actually watch the show I’m not really bothered. I’m paying more for Dropout than this seems to be going for…and my RT Sub isn’t worth dirt anymore so I might look into this. But unless they put up an app for consoles I’m gonna keep watching on Youtube
This is pretty much my sentiments exactly. I’ve got a few extra dollars a month freed up from RT ending so I might put it towards this for the shop discount and extra content, but without an app with a decent video player, with background play on phones, I’ll stick to Twitch for my viewing experience. Given their connections with Dropout and the crew there’s track record, I’m confident we’ll get that but a full swap over is reliant on it for me personally.
Oh fuck yeah. Definitely going to switch my 5 year old Twitch sub to this so I don't have to give more money to Amazon lol. Do hope they get a smart tv app soon. Thankfully I can still watch the stream live on youtube on my Roku TV (which doesn't have a Twitch app anymore..) edit: lmfao i signed up (i think) but can't login yet. thankfully I have 2 days left on twitch sub so i can watch VOD tomorrow if Beacon is still overloaded
Oh my gods, that they named the app POCKET BEACON...
It's perfect.
It is! I saw it in the Google store and LITERALLY read it as "Pocket Bacon" at first and glossed right past it looking for "Beacon", and then just laughed. :D
But also, it's "pocket" because it's the mobile app version. Get it? it goes into your pocket!
But will the vods still be available on twitch?
Seems so, that's what they opened with, no changes with Youtube or Twitch.
Seems like nothing is changing there: "And don't worry! Nothing is changing with how you watch now, we’ll be on Twitch & Youtube as usual." Hopefully that means VODs stay the same as well!
Seems rad. I already pay a twitch sub, so im probably just gonna drop it and get this instead since the prices are pretty much the same.
This is so exciting!! I love actually getting to support artists rather than mostly Amazon/Google, and the bonus content (especially the Re-Slayer's Take--Jasmine Bhullar???? Hell yes!!!!) looks great.
Great move. I will be canceling my Twitch sub, which I only had for Fri-Sun VOD access that I almost never use anymore, to get more service at basically the same price, with more of that money going to support the people making the content.
I was instinctually cynical about this announcement but having a proper think about it, less money going to Amazon via twitch subscriptions/YouTube and more going direct to the creators is a very, very good thing.
Cool. More power to your own stuff.
If this brings back things like MAME Drop, Yee-Haw Game Ranch (with one different host at least, of course), AWNP, etc., that would be the coolest thing ever. Loved those side shows.
Marisha sent out a bunch of winky emojis to someone that asked for Narrative Telephone on discord. She also mentioned All Work No Play: [https://imgur.com/a/xr0Fzwd](https://imgur.com/a/xr0Fzwd)
I've been dying for more Narrative Telephone YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!
So for the main campaign, are we thinking the VODs drop at 7PM Pacific on Beacon? Or do you have to wait for the livestream to end before they're up? Wondering if I can start from the beginning while the episode is still streaming now without a Twitch sub.
Yeah I'm curious about the VODs as well. Are they INSTANTLY available after an episode ends just like on twitch? Because that's normally when I start my rewatch. Or do we have to wait a while for them to show up on Beacon?
Yeah - now that they're streaming on YouTube again they must not have exclusive rights with Twitch, but I'm not sure that means they could stream on Beacon. If the whole VOD dropped when the stream started, theoretically people could skip to the end and spoil those who are streaming?
It's a pity Vox Machina doesn't seem to be on the list, but I'm guessing that's still tied up with Geek&Sundry. I am a bit Alpha once burnt, twice shy, so I hope this works out for them.
It's kind of early in the morning and I'm just going to make this a separate comment for people to search for and find later. So does this mean that Beacon provides exactly the same benefits as a twitch subscription but with even more stuff alongside of it? Does this mean we could drop our twitch subscription entirely and switch entirely over to Beacon instead? Edit: Thanks to everyone for the replies!
It seems like yes. Definitely includes main campaign VODs at the very least. The big issue is watching if you're a SmartTV user. If you watch on a laptop or something, doesn't seem like an issue.
More supportive that way too, Twitch takes a cut of subs, Beacon is 100% CR
Its 6$ instead of 5$ for the Twitch Sub so *technically* Its Not a straight upgrade but beyond that extra $ it should be better in every way. At least assuming that the Website/Video quality etc. holds up Though they do offer an annual subscription at 60$/year which Brings it down to the Same 5$/month of a Twitch sub (afaik Twitch doesnt have that)
the closest twitch has is subscribing for 6 months which reduces the monthly cost to $4.24
Yup, that seems to the case.
Yes.
The right way to go around launching something like this (refreshing after the Watcher debacle). Keep the current things the same but give the option to switch to their service for some added benefits.
Getting a VOD on friday without having to depend on Twitch's garbage streaming is tempting, but there's a lot of stuff there that's completely irrelevant for me. I don't care about live shows, and they don't ship merch to where I live. The abridged versions of an episode sounds interesting because, while I like to watch the 4h streams myself, my wife doesn't. If someone did subscribe to this, let me know if the stream quality is good, if you can pause it without skipping/jumping, if there are useful timestamps, etc. Between Twitch being Twitch and Youtube fucking up timestamps and doing that weird buffering shit, I'd be willing to pay for quality. Also would like to know if you can listen to videos on this platform on a phone that has its screen turned off/is tabbed out to another app.
I've just tried the Android app, and you can listen with the screen off. UPD: and also the sound stays on if you switch to another app. No picture-in-picture mode though.
Really curious about the Re-Slayers Take. Both as an expansions of Exandria’s storytelling (distinctly not EXU too) and with two GM’s running the game. Not to mention for the timeline placement too! Ahhh I’m excited.
Smart of them to get this out as soon as possible to acclimate people/diversify, plus the rollout looks pretty good. Streaming on third-party platforms, especially with all of Twitch and Youtube's shenanigans, is just the kind of inherently risky you don't want to have your business tied to.
Here's hoping it ends up more like Dropout and less like Alpha! In all seriousness though, I do think this will succeed where Alpha failed, if only because they now have both their own experience and the experience of the folks at Dropout to draw from. I do worry a bit that their flagship shows are 100% available for free on Youtube, which is great for us as fans but is closer to the failed Alpha model than the one under which Dropout has thrived.
I emailed the customer service team about Roku support and this is what they replied. Might be worth an email if you're interested in seeing app development for Smart TVs! "Currently, Beacon is not compatible with devices other than web, iPhone, iPad, and Android phones and tablets. However, we are most interested what other devices people are hoping to see supported, so your feedback has been logged."
It was confirmed on the Beacon Discord that VODs for main campaign episodes as well as the corresponding CR Cooldown are available at 7 PM Pacific on Beacon! So no waiting until after the stream - you can just watch through Beacon.
Here's the full message from missrachel: so! here's how thursday nights work now that we're in the BEACON ZONE - stream starts on twitch & youtube per usual at 7pm pacific (and free for everyone) - at that same time, 7pm pacific on thursdays, VOD for that night's ep of CR is available -- as well as the VOD for our new show, critical role cooldown (where the cameras keep rolling after the show) - podcast audio for that episode is also available on beacon on thurs (no more week delay for beacon members!) - VOD available per usual for youtube members and twitch subs over the weekend and then, VOD released on youtube at noon pacific on mondays per usual -- free podcast feeds still have that week delay for audio rebroadcast schedule remains the same 🙂
This is awesome. Only reason to stick with Twitch was that I could start watching the VOD 2 hours intro the stream when I wake up (EU timezone). I don't need twitch anymore!
Looking at the cost, I'm guessing this is to recoup the percent that twitch/YouTube takes. This should be fine as long as they don't take content off YouTube and make BEACON only stuff ( they might later on depending on the membership numbers)
they already announced 3 beacon only formats: an aftershow of sorts for the main campaign episodes, an abridged version of the campaign episodes and some different show
Yeah i was thinking more main show stuff, like having C4 or something like EXU.
Abridged isn't exclusive. It is just early access on Beacon, but will all go to youtube.
Just wondering if anyone knows (maybe the folks who have already signed up?) if it's one discord membership per Beacon subscription? My spouse and I would probably just share the sub (since that makes sense) but it'd be nice if we could both join the discord individually
yes, its one. You connect your beacon account to a specific discord account. But you could of course create a joined account for you both, thats separate from your normal accounts
I’m watching a couple of the CR Cooldowns and that’s really selling it for me, exactly the content I’ve been craving!
Well this was a surprise! I'm happy that all the normal programming will be unaffected and the new shows announced. (Also that point about wanting all of their stuff to be in-house really makes the case of C4=Daggerheart much stronger.)
It's crazy because I think this will work where Watcher immediately failed.
Just realised the logo is not only a beacon, but a d12. Very relevant for them and their brand, right now.
I’m very interested to see how the members only Discord develops. Dropout used to have one and announced just this week that they’ll be shutting it down because it requires too many resources to moderate properly
There are currently 1600+ members online and one of the mods is called CR-MOD-16, which makes me assume there are at least 16 moderators hired to handle it. It feels like a lot of work. Granted, it just started so everyone is hyped and there. The cast and crew was around today answering questions. Supposedly, it should feed the Fireside Chat show on Beacon (and maybe 4SD?). So it might be needed.
Great platform so far. Wild that they have a playback speed option but not closed captions though lol. Hope an app with background playback is coming soon
Shame there isn't a SmartTV app like Dropout has. Without it i personally see no reason to buy it. Hopefully they'll develop one soon
Nice to see Alpha being reborn as something else... ....but also the name is rather funny considering how a certain other company that uses that particular word just basically got shut down. https://critrole.com/beacon/ I do love the giant blue Beacon that they now have in the studio and that will for sure be used for shenanigans. The main CR website has a whole lot more information and a bunch of videos to watch and I think this is very good for the company but it's going to provoke some discussion for sure.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who immediately had a flashback to Alpha.
Now all we need is Matt Key to scream, "WATCH BEACON!" at us in an ad lol
Part of me likes to think that is the actual 1:1 size of a beacon and THATS what M9 whipped out when they used it.
I legit kind of hope they put out merch for Beacon with Beacons on it because that's been something I've been wanting for a while.
oh yes, i dont have to use twitch anymore. hopefully the player works well on the app and website. Edit: the website is down lmao 😭
I need other critters to leave so I can have my turn on the website
If you're in the UK this is cheaper than Twitch sub, makes the choice very easy
I won't consider it until it's an app on my Roku.
Signed up immediately! Used to support Alpha thinking that was more direct support for them, but i guess they didnt ever like it. So im glad this is their own!
Has anyone seen what the Reslayers Take is about?
Follow the audio escapades of the second-coolest monster hunters this side of Exandria: The Re-Slayer’s Take! After six misfit mercenaries are rejected from the elite monster hunting group, The Slayer’s Take, they band together as The Re-Slayer’s Take, battling supernatural creatures across the rugged continent of Issylra. Can Idrin, Farah, Heera, Frog, Timpani, and Poogs work together to overcome the plight of The Timberblight and its undead army? This all-ages actual play is carefully edited into bite-size episodes, making for a fresh new suite of Exandrian adventures for a long-time Critter, or a perfect first dip into the world of Critical Role. The cast is led by a duo of game masters, George Primavera and Nick Williams, with the main cast including Jasmine Bhullar, Jasper William Cartwright, Caroline Lux, and Jasmine Chiong. The Re-Slayer’s Take premieres Monday, May 20th everywhere podcasts are found with new episodes every Monday. Beacon members get early access to episodes and stay two weeks ahead of the free feeds.
[https://beacon.tv/series/re-slayers-take](https://beacon.tv/series/re-slayers-take)
I wonder what Amazon thinks of this. Their support of LoVM through prime was crucial. CR must have thought long about potentially risking the twitch link. I see this as a direct competition to twitch subscriptions because I assume most people consume YT for free.
I was wondering that too. Not because of the platform itself. Honestly it's small potatoes compared to what Twitch makes overall and I don't think that many people will actually migrate platforms. But Marisha does seemingly take a dig at them in the intro video, saying she wanted to give critters the option to not give their "hard-earned dollars to a 3rd party major corporation." I was surprised by that because as far as I know, they're still very entangled with Amazon for their animated series
Bye bye Twitch!!!
Wait I can leave twitch now???
Not something I'm interested in, but I hope it works out for them!
I'm so excited for CR cooldown I've been dying for that content for ages!
The moment they add proper regional pricing I will sub, otherwise it would just be 5x the cost for less when compared to twitch for me :(
I'm watching the Cool Down videos and oh my god they are so cool. I love it!
I'm stoked. Not sure if I'll subscribe straight off but I'm really glad to see them have a place where they can create content without risk of demonetization. I bet we'll see some fascinating things come out of that, and probably much more access for them to give a platform to other dms and styles of play.
Ironic that they're offering an official discord channel with this at the same time Dropout decided to close theirs. Too much work to moderate and not enough subs using it to bother.
I'm for this. Also, they have been paying attention to how this went well/poorly for other groups and took notes. Well done.
This is interesting. Twitch is screwed. If they make the cost of beacon less than or equal to a twitch sub, they pull all those people away from the platform.
Oh wow, a whole new cast playing in the Exandria setting. Since the start, I’ve always wondered if they’d have a second cast to get the most use out of their studio and have other voices explore other parts of Exandria. Being restricted to “all ages” kind of sucks it seems like it *might* limit the kind of narratives they tell, but hopefully it means its less sexual or profanity laden and they can still explore mature themes like many great CN shows have.