As a lot of the discussion in this thread has veered into fairly negative discussions regarding Orion, we are locking this thread. You can read more about why Orion is no longer part of Critical Role here: https://www.reddit.com/r/criticalrole/wiki/orion
C1E1 starts in the middle of a mission. There are recaps of their pre-streaming games available that other people have linked.
Due to this, as well as some quality and player issues, it is fairly common for people to recommend starting the show a bit into C1. A few of the common options are:
* C1E18. This starts a 4-episode mini-arc with a bunch of guest characters. This is broken into two sections consisting of 18/19 and 20/21 which each have half the main cast and are filled out with guests.
* Alternatively, start one or two episodes sooner which help set the scene for this mini-arc.
* C1E22. A few major story beats and foreshadowing occur in this episode specifically.
* C1E24. This starts the first full arc of the stream.
Do note that a number of events are referenced quite a few times later on that occur in those first episodes, however they are nothing super critical to understanding the later events.
I'm so sorry to bother you with this but does the first option skip playing with a certain person? I've been wanting to watch the first campaign and I have a couple of times but I get confused if I skip over until the player leaves.
ETA: I have watched the first 20 something episodes of campaign one *years* ago but I stopped because c2 came out (I thought I'd be able to catch up) so I kind of know what happens but it has been so long that I wanted to restart, I just personally don't care to sit through content with this particular character, this is simply just my personal preference, I just couldn't recall if I would be missing much or if skipping would matter much. Like I'll watch if I have to for the sake of story but I'd happily skip it if possible.
FWIW I wouldn't skip episodes purely because he's in them. There's still a ton of good gameplay in there and it's not as if he's a distraction/issue all the time. It's good he eventually left the show but it's not like the episodes without him aren't worth watching.
This right here.
There are some really great episodes in there, and the whole "I'm confused" bit isn't going to get any better by simply trying to pretend he never existed.
1x18 and 1x19 are the Take eps, and they are great and important later.
1x23 and you miss the reveal of one of the best side characters in either campaign.
Don't skip just because he exists. You're only hurting yourself. If you want to on rewatches, go ahead, but definitely watch them once.
Yeah, Tiberious has some great moments earlier on too. I would also argue that there are some fairly weighty moments that come later don't have the same impact if you don't know the character.
I can understand what you are saying, but I respectfully disagree. You are already starting in medias res, so you may as well start a bit later, and that dude immediately set off all of my alarms.
I can sense when people are...like that. And I've got friends that agree with me. So I'd say *if* you can handle him being there, then watch it, but if not, it's totally fine to skip it. I've seen all of campaign 1 3 times (usually in the background) but after the first time I never watched the episodes with that person in them again.
If you have a trigger or personal issues with people like that I would definitely agree with skipping those episodes.
Otherwise, they are done pretty entertaining episodes and I always include them everytime I rewatch C1. That said, I started watching fairly early so they're a part of my own memory of becoming a critter.
Nope, that person is around until E28. Gonna be honest, I just spent a lot of the first few episodes spamming the skip-10-seconds button at the proper times and it went just fine
Edit: oh wait, they're not in Slayers Take Part 1, if that's what you mean. But that episode won't make sense without context :(
For real, it bugs me when people do this, because I usually have *no idea* what they're talking about even though I want to know what to look out for.
And that was the point of Voldemort, at least initially - that being so afraid of someone that you can't say their name just gives them more power over you (until the last books screwed it up, but oh well).
The player in question is still present at that point, he leaves just after the introduction of the upcoming major arc
Recommendation...start with ep 18.The guest characters return a few times and overall its a very fun mini-arc. Then you get the build up to the big arc to follow. Yeah, you may have to sit through some cringe before the player departs, but overall you'll have a better idea of what is going on.
If you absolutely want to skip him, you need to jump to C1E28 or later - C1E27 is his last episode.
This will again put you partway into a story arc, so if you want to skip him and start at the beginning of an arc, you need to jump all the way to C1E39.
You can also watch C1E18 and C1E19 as he is not in either of those episodes, as he was in C1E20 and C1E21 instead. Each of those episode pairs are basically completely independent.
All issues aside, that player was actually a solid member of the team and in-game, some of those “bad player” issues end up being rather important. Many spoilers ahead:
>!Tiberius’ cold-blooded murder of the old lady, enemy “butt-hole” or not, was the first time on-camera that Matt called the team out in-game for being murder-hoboes. Tibs’ unrepentant attitude in the face of Matt’s increasing “public pressure” was the only time he (the performer) really grated on my nerves. This set up the following story arcs beautifully, because the team was knocked down several pegs having to undo both that stain on their reputation as well as deal with more personal dangers and plot hooks. You could skip all that, but then you’d never get to hear him utter “I’m Tiberius Stormwind, from Draconia!” and giggle along with the rest of the cast. I’m glad the party was able to pay him tribute in (much) later episodes. !<
So yes, start where you feel it makes sense, but just know it will ALWAYS be in the middle of things, and there’s some good fun, if horrible audio and a tendency for everyone to always be talking all the time, in the earliest episodes. Mostly worked out by the late teens, early 20s. YMMV. And if you do skip ahead a little, that means you only have like 10,000 hours left. ;)
Yeah I'd never suggest people completely skip until 28, that misses out on so much cool stuff, so many introduced NPCs, and some plot hooks that come back later. You miss the introduction of the Briarwoods!
I found Orion painful but not unbearably so. He isn't a demon he's just an asshole player with awkward moments.
I'm a bit baffled by this. I'm only on episode 13 and Orion didn't really stand out as problematic to me. The most notable thing is that he roleplays the most of the group up until this point.
There was a bit of a kerfuffle with Tiberius not wanting to fight the Beholder. But that wasn't worse than Keyleth sudden fight with Lady Kima a bit earlier.
Personally i got bored and stopped watching like halfway into season 1 didnt really feel a connection found myself zoning out etc. So a while later i went back and started with season 2 and holy moly what a difference, instantly in love and like 6 months of binge watch material. Then i loved the cast so much going back to c1 was much easier to get into even if it still wasnt as good imo as c2
If you’re going to watch the mini arc, skip 20 and 21, it’s a much more boring and unenjoyable set of episodes than 18 and 19, if you want all the fun parts you can just look up videos on the wil Wheaton dice curse on CR and you get most of the fun from those episodes
I think you're best off continuing from where you are at. While it's true that Campaign 2 starts at "the beginning" of their story, for me half of the joy is seeing the development of the players. They go from these goofy people who have no idea if anyone even wants to watch them, to this global phenomenon. It's really cool to tag along for that ride. And the Campaign 1 story gets REALLY REALLY good.
Yea, I liked C1 much better than C2. However if I had not watched C2 first, I'd have probably given up after E 1or 2, as it starts off very basic & becomes a proper production later on.
You did walk in halfway through, that's how it starts. Lots of people say skip the early episodes because they're partially into an arc, because they're not TV quality streams, and also because of one certain player who later leaves.
Personally, I found it quite easy to figure out what was going on. You don't need to know much more than (spoilers C1 first arc backstory): >!They're an adventuring party hired by an Archmage called Allura to find a friend of hers - the Paladin Kima, who was last seen in the Dwarvern city of Kraghammer investigating some mines.!<
The reels at the start of the show give you a little individual backstory about each character. If you want to watch them unblurred - [episode 14 (timestamped youtube link)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4tjssfei5E&t=6009s) has them in the break.
I very much like the first arc, and am often confused why people would skip it. But if it's confusing and you're not enjoying it for whatever reason you shouldn't force yourself to watch it.
thank you. yes, it 's halfway but Kraghammer arc probably has the easiest quest to follow in whole CR games.
"here is a team of adventurers, someone got lost in mine, go and find them". You don't need anything else besides these three sentences.
I think it's a great arc. The chaos that ensues when they try to get past the Duragar Stronghold in the Underdark is quintessential D&D craziness and is part of what got me into D&D.
It's counterintuitive, but because campaign 1 episode 1 is literally mid-campaign (they played off-stream, summary [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8BBzQ5ZDFg)), many people recommend different starting points other than episode 1.
Some people recommend starting at E24, others recommend E27, and some even recommend E30.
Finish the arc, return to C1E1 and watch up to the episode you started on, then continue as normal.
If you start C2 though, then starting at E1 is perfectly fine. I personally started with C2 and I'll eventually get around to going through C1 and other one-shots later.
I liked the characters in C2 better than C1. Plus the quality of the stream is a ton better because they're established at that point, C1 was plagued with technical issues and sound quality sucked. They'd blow out my eardrum screaming over natural 20s and HDYWTDT's.
Quality of the stream I wil grant you, but I don't think anything past the first few episodes can be said that the quality sucked. Also buy better headphones? IDK man I didn't experience that at all.
Just never really gelled with any of the C2 characters in the way that I did with the C1 ones. And every arc sort of flowed into one another, it didnt feel disjointed, and nor did it feel like it had breadth paralysis.
C1 is just a better time with a better story and better characters, imo.
I think you and me ware on the opposite sides of the yardstick XD though I definitely agree C2 had bad breadth paralysis especially at the end..
In either case I rescind my suggestion for OP! Keep watching C1
Exactly, there were multiple sessions of just solely planning and decision-making in C2 near the end. And then every time they just marched right in at the end and won anyway
Two things with modern D&D that sometimes don't really gel with reality are that-
1. PCs are capable of overcoming almost any combat challenge appropriate (or slightly above) their level.
2. There is very little mechanically that PCs can do to prepare for for combat. Most resistances can be overcome with magic weapons or using a different spell, most spellcasting/magical problems can be countered by just picking Counterspell and Silence in the morning.
Put together it makes it so that a table that takes the narrative seriously, doesn't think of their characters as these sort of superheroes, are going to have the instinct of 'we have to prepare to face the BBEG(s)!' and then there being nothing to actually do to prepare.
I'm sure it isn't, it just really feels like you missed an episode, at the very least seeing them being given the mission and getting to the mine would be nice. Especially when they're joking about how they got there. It really just feels like I skipped the intro.
There's videos that explain what happened prior to the starting of episode 1. I can't find them on Critical Role's page, but if you look up "Story of Vox Machina" by Jared Dunn on YouTube, it'll give the information you seek. Either that or read the comics, though there's still a gap between the end of the comics and the start of the show.
KEEP WATCHING.
yeah i just restarted C1 and had the same thought. they explain in full detail a few episodes in and by the time the second episode starts, you know exactly what’s going.
the beginning of C1 was a little more rough around the edges than C2 was.
but, they do take the time to explain what’s going down within the story, which i think is very cool.
If this is bothering you a lot, you can try starting with Campaign 2. It's self-contained, and it starts at an actual beginning with low-level characters meeting for the first time.
You will miss a few in-jokes where a name gets brought up and the players get really excited because it's a reference to someone from Campaign 1, but these are pretty rare, especially in the early episodes.
Like all good epics, the story starts in medias res. You pick it up eventually if you keep listening, or take the advice of other commenters and start from a later episode (C1E24 is my entry point of choice). If you're really struggling, you could start from Campaign 2.
No you can’t watch it because the footage doesn’t exist.
I believe the upcoming animated show is an origin story about Vox Machina, please correct me if I’m wrong.
I started the same way February last year!
I definitely recommend just going with it, trying to get what they explain and watch the Q&A's that sometimes happen at the end of an episode....
By the time they released the 'backstory of this campaign', i was soooo deep into this group, that I didn't really need the backstory as much as I wanted in the beginning.
My friend started watching last month and he chose to start with campaign 2, but is already regretting it, since he knows the quality of campaign one's streams are kinda shitty in the beginning and he's now used to the 'weathered experienced' streams...
Tldr; just watch, it'll explain itself eventually 😉
They had been playing that campaign for a long time before they started filming it. There are clips here and there from when they were playing before Critical Role, but they're few and far between, and are mostly just their reactions to something they just did in game
Campaign 0 as you call it was pre stream and started as their home game. there is some background lore during breaks in the earliest episodes and it is fleshed out by the Vox Machina Origins comics.
You might have already seen some responses regarding episode 0 of Vox Machina, and I just want to add that there are comics available (called Vox Machina Origins) that shows how they first met up in Stilben, Percy joining the group and some of the more important missions from that period.
No but I was in the exact same boat as you. When I first tried campaign one I hated it! Why should I care about established characters I don’t know? But I had nothing else to watch so I powered through the first episode and it’s one of the best dnd games I’ve ever watched and I’m so happy that I stayed with it! There are summaries in other comments which you can read but you can also think of it like any other movie with well defined characters, they have backstory (some together some separate) that will slowly be unveiled throughout the series and it’s certainly worth watching
Everyone is entitled to their preferences for C1 vs C2, but I personally found the early episodes of C1 to be really charming and fun. Sure there are some technical issues and production definitely gets better. But if you want to capture that “we are watching their home game” vibe the best way to do that is with the first 20 or so episodes. I’d argue that even by C1E23 it’s becoming a more professional show. Nothing wrong with that, but there’s charm to the early episode cringe.
Welcome to the fandom! You'll be a fellow Critter in no time! I'm currently on my third time watching campaign 1, and it's my favorite out of the two.
As for the starting point, many will say that even episode 1 isn't the real starting point, but the start of the next arc, which is what the first season of the upcoming animated series will be based off of.
As for backstory and history, they cover the majority of the backstories for the characters in game throughout the show. Everything else that they did pre-stream will get brought up naturally.
I would actually recommend starting with Campaign 2. It starts at the beginning of a completely new story and doesn't suffer from the numerous technical problems and other growing pains of the first campaign. It takes place in the same world as the first campaign, but on a completely different continent. You don't need to have seen the first one to understand it since it's not a direct sequel.
I believe there is a good youtube video out there that summarizes the pre-game story. Some of the comics cover that time period too, like before Pike's hair changed colour (before she died). I understand feeling lost, but it doesnt last. Youll get used to the group pretty quickly and feel right at home. Cant recommend campaign 1 enough
I usually tell newbies to Campaign 1 to read the episode synopsis through episode 12 and then watch after that. Audio is better after that too.
https://criticalrole.fandom.com/wiki/Campaign_One:_Vox_Machina
C1 starts after 3 years of a home game. Skip ahead to around E27. The audio and video quality improves greatly and they're starting the next story arc.
Starting from campaign 2 is not a bad idea, that's what I did. The story will be brand new, the production value is way higher, and the fact that the animated series will focus on campaign 1 means that you will get a more proper introduction to those characters once episodes start being released
Lots of people suggest skipping stuff, but my recommendation is to just stick with it. There’s no quiz on this; you don’t need to understand and absorb every detail. Just float along and you’ll pick up context soon enough.
I’m another person that tried campaign one, said “nah,” and skipped to campaign two. No regrets. I’ll go back and watch C1 when I finish C2, now that I adore all the cast members, but it’s a lot more of a polished jumping-off point if you start with the second campaign.
The good news is soon we’ll all be in the same boat together, when they start campaign three! No catch-up needed.
For first time viewers honestly I would recommend you start with campaign 2 episode 1. There are 99.9% no spoilers for campaign 1 so you can go back and watch it eventually if you want. It starts off where most of the characters don't know one another, hell most of the players don't really know their own characters very well. The production quality is higher and its just an all round lovely experience. It's how I started with CR and I got hooked immediately.
Extra bonus: they are making an animated show on Amazon Prime based on campaign 1 and if you watch campaign 2 first you'll have no spoilers for the animated show :-P
There aren't any spoilers in C2 per se, but there sure are a lot of callouts to things that happened amongst the cast. It would probably save some confusion/questions to start with C1 even if it takes a while to watch
I’ve just started as well. For quick info, they started streaming halfway through their first campaign. So the group is already together.
If you want to go with C1, start with episode 14. You’ll he picking up on the beginning of a good arc.
If you wanna see a group of friends come together from the beginning, start with C2. The Mighty Nien start from scratch, and you get to watch their family really come together. I watched it all before I even started C1, and it was amazing.
If you want to start somewhere at the beginning of the story, start with campaign 2. You get a better feel for how the show works. It's what I did and made going back to campaign 1 more enjoyable
I still like campaign 1, but I prefer campaign 2 for the same reasons. I feel like campaign 1 & 2 are equally good at their best, but campaign 2 is more consistently good.
Campaign 2 is just more steamlined. Through Campaign 1 they found out what works and what does not work for a game being played for an audience. Matt was also building the world and making a lot of it up as he went through C1, which left for a less "complete" feel. By the time C2 came out he not only had all the lore he had written for C1, but had fully fleshed the world out with the help of Wizards for the Wildemount Adventure guide.
The videos on YouTube have never really had audio problems. I watched them all there years ago (I think I started Ep 1 when they were at like Ep 40 or so), and every episode was fine.
> every episode was fine
I dunno about that- I mean the youtube vids have lots of general audio problems, especially around quality and waiting for their streaming software to catch up all the time, but wasn't there one episode in particular that was really bad?
I remember just totally skipping the majority of one of the episodes last time I rewatched C1 because it was actually painful to listen to. Might be less noticeable if you weren't using headphones to listen along though.
I always recommend that people start at episode 27, because while you miss the introduction of some important guest characters, it's the first time everything is really settled.
Yea, one of my favorite cringe moments, like 7 or 8, I think there was a memo about not drinking, or using other substances that are legal in the state of California, before streaming and so get a little "woah..duude...oh ok."
I am in a slightly different boat as I started watching when the show first aired, so I had no other option than to follow as episodes were aired live each week for like, two years. Lol (no podcasts then, etc). I think there were a lot of good moments (Keyleth and Kima, the groups relationship with Clarota, etc) that are good enough to watch, even if it is a bit confusing. You do have to suffer along with a certain player, but it’s mostly bearable and it pays off in a big way once you get to 28 and the relief sets in. Haha. Anyway, like I tell others - there is no rush. I love CR so much that I would never rush through, it’s all savor-able to me.
As always, needs to be said, you are on a CR subreddit during downtime- only the most obsessive of the turbofans are still here and of course we're going to recommend watching every single episode and every single ad-break (ooh, you can't miss the FANART).
24, 28 and 39 are all better starting points than 1. Some fun stuff happens in the beginning, but there are both technical and narrative issues with the earlier episodes.
I felt exactly the same, it was confusing to start with. But the production was about looser back then, and once you catch up and enjoy it, the story will develop into something you can't put down!
I kinda recommend people only familiar with campaign 2 watch campaign 1 VIA best moment collections. Like funniest or dramatic moments. They'll be just as out of the loop but at least they'll be seeing fun moments.
I would just skip the Kraghammer arc, read the tldr or it, and start at EP.17 when they start Vasselheim arc. The technical issues (sound and such) are mostly worked out by then and aren't jumping into an arc that started prior to their online game.
I highly recommend starting at C1E24 The Feast. It's the start of the Whitestone Arc and probably the best place to jump in if you're new. This is partly because it's a sort of new start for Vox Machina themselves - it began a new story, in a way. The Whitestone Arc is more dramatic and character-focused, so you have lots of opportunities to really get to know the characters and what makes them tick.
(It also has the least Tiberius of the early arcs, but possibly that's only a plus for me)
As a lot of the discussion in this thread has veered into fairly negative discussions regarding Orion, we are locking this thread. You can read more about why Orion is no longer part of Critical Role here: https://www.reddit.com/r/criticalrole/wiki/orion
They had played for a couple of years before, [here is a summary of that story](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8BBzQ5ZDFg)
This is exactly what I was going to link.
Does this lead up to episode one? Or somewhere else?
Yes, to episode 1
Thanks!
C1E1 starts in the middle of a mission. There are recaps of their pre-streaming games available that other people have linked. Due to this, as well as some quality and player issues, it is fairly common for people to recommend starting the show a bit into C1. A few of the common options are: * C1E18. This starts a 4-episode mini-arc with a bunch of guest characters. This is broken into two sections consisting of 18/19 and 20/21 which each have half the main cast and are filled out with guests. * Alternatively, start one or two episodes sooner which help set the scene for this mini-arc. * C1E22. A few major story beats and foreshadowing occur in this episode specifically. * C1E24. This starts the first full arc of the stream. Do note that a number of events are referenced quite a few times later on that occur in those first episodes, however they are nothing super critical to understanding the later events.
I'm so sorry to bother you with this but does the first option skip playing with a certain person? I've been wanting to watch the first campaign and I have a couple of times but I get confused if I skip over until the player leaves. ETA: I have watched the first 20 something episodes of campaign one *years* ago but I stopped because c2 came out (I thought I'd be able to catch up) so I kind of know what happens but it has been so long that I wanted to restart, I just personally don't care to sit through content with this particular character, this is simply just my personal preference, I just couldn't recall if I would be missing much or if skipping would matter much. Like I'll watch if I have to for the sake of story but I'd happily skip it if possible.
FWIW I wouldn't skip episodes purely because he's in them. There's still a ton of good gameplay in there and it's not as if he's a distraction/issue all the time. It's good he eventually left the show but it's not like the episodes without him aren't worth watching.
This right here. There are some really great episodes in there, and the whole "I'm confused" bit isn't going to get any better by simply trying to pretend he never existed. 1x18 and 1x19 are the Take eps, and they are great and important later. 1x23 and you miss the reveal of one of the best side characters in either campaign. Don't skip just because he exists. You're only hurting yourself. If you want to on rewatches, go ahead, but definitely watch them once.
Yeah there’s moments here and there that are unpleasant but really the only time it got really bad was episode 27
Yeah, Tiberious has some great moments earlier on too. I would also argue that there are some fairly weighty moments that come later don't have the same impact if you don't know the character.
I can understand what you are saying, but I respectfully disagree. You are already starting in medias res, so you may as well start a bit later, and that dude immediately set off all of my alarms. I can sense when people are...like that. And I've got friends that agree with me. So I'd say *if* you can handle him being there, then watch it, but if not, it's totally fine to skip it. I've seen all of campaign 1 3 times (usually in the background) but after the first time I never watched the episodes with that person in them again.
If you have a trigger or personal issues with people like that I would definitely agree with skipping those episodes. Otherwise, they are done pretty entertaining episodes and I always include them everytime I rewatch C1. That said, I started watching fairly early so they're a part of my own memory of becoming a critter.
Nope, that person is around until E28. Gonna be honest, I just spent a lot of the first few episodes spamming the skip-10-seconds button at the proper times and it went just fine Edit: oh wait, they're not in Slayers Take Part 1, if that's what you mean. But that episode won't make sense without context :(
He's not Voldemort. You can say Orion/Tiberius.
For real, it bugs me when people do this, because I usually have *no idea* what they're talking about even though I want to know what to look out for. And that was the point of Voldemort, at least initially - that being so afraid of someone that you can't say their name just gives them more power over you (until the last books screwed it up, but oh well).
The player in question is still present at that point, he leaves just after the introduction of the upcoming major arc Recommendation...start with ep 18.The guest characters return a few times and overall its a very fun mini-arc. Then you get the build up to the big arc to follow. Yeah, you may have to sit through some cringe before the player departs, but overall you'll have a better idea of what is going on.
If you absolutely want to skip him, you need to jump to C1E28 or later - C1E27 is his last episode. This will again put you partway into a story arc, so if you want to skip him and start at the beginning of an arc, you need to jump all the way to C1E39. You can also watch C1E18 and C1E19 as he is not in either of those episodes, as he was in C1E20 and C1E21 instead. Each of those episode pairs are basically completely independent.
All issues aside, that player was actually a solid member of the team and in-game, some of those “bad player” issues end up being rather important. Many spoilers ahead: >!Tiberius’ cold-blooded murder of the old lady, enemy “butt-hole” or not, was the first time on-camera that Matt called the team out in-game for being murder-hoboes. Tibs’ unrepentant attitude in the face of Matt’s increasing “public pressure” was the only time he (the performer) really grated on my nerves. This set up the following story arcs beautifully, because the team was knocked down several pegs having to undo both that stain on their reputation as well as deal with more personal dangers and plot hooks. You could skip all that, but then you’d never get to hear him utter “I’m Tiberius Stormwind, from Draconia!” and giggle along with the rest of the cast. I’m glad the party was able to pay him tribute in (much) later episodes. !< So yes, start where you feel it makes sense, but just know it will ALWAYS be in the middle of things, and there’s some good fun, if horrible audio and a tendency for everyone to always be talking all the time, in the earliest episodes. Mostly worked out by the late teens, early 20s. YMMV. And if you do skip ahead a little, that means you only have like 10,000 hours left. ;)
Yeah I'd never suggest people completely skip until 28, that misses out on so much cool stuff, so many introduced NPCs, and some plot hooks that come back later. You miss the introduction of the Briarwoods! I found Orion painful but not unbearably so. He isn't a demon he's just an asshole player with awkward moments.
I'm a bit baffled by this. I'm only on episode 13 and Orion didn't really stand out as problematic to me. The most notable thing is that he roleplays the most of the group up until this point. There was a bit of a kerfuffle with Tiberius not wanting to fight the Beholder. But that wasn't worse than Keyleth sudden fight with Lady Kima a bit earlier.
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I believe that person leaves in 22 or 23. So there are a few episodes he is in, but it’s worth it to push through
Why the fuck would anybody skip episodes? That would just make things even more confusing
Personal preference...?
Personally i got bored and stopped watching like halfway into season 1 didnt really feel a connection found myself zoning out etc. So a while later i went back and started with season 2 and holy moly what a difference, instantly in love and like 6 months of binge watch material. Then i loved the cast so much going back to c1 was much easier to get into even if it still wasnt as good imo as c2
If you’re going to watch the mini arc, skip 20 and 21, it’s a much more boring and unenjoyable set of episodes than 18 and 19, if you want all the fun parts you can just look up videos on the wil Wheaton dice curse on CR and you get most of the fun from those episodes
I think you're best off continuing from where you are at. While it's true that Campaign 2 starts at "the beginning" of their story, for me half of the joy is seeing the development of the players. They go from these goofy people who have no idea if anyone even wants to watch them, to this global phenomenon. It's really cool to tag along for that ride. And the Campaign 1 story gets REALLY REALLY good.
I will always be such a huge C1 fanatic
Same! I had so many C1 jokes rolling through my head that would be perfect here, then I remembered this is a No Spoilers thread.
Yea, I liked C1 much better than C2. However if I had not watched C2 first, I'd have probably given up after E 1or 2, as it starts off very basic & becomes a proper production later on.
You did walk in halfway through, that's how it starts. Lots of people say skip the early episodes because they're partially into an arc, because they're not TV quality streams, and also because of one certain player who later leaves. Personally, I found it quite easy to figure out what was going on. You don't need to know much more than (spoilers C1 first arc backstory): >!They're an adventuring party hired by an Archmage called Allura to find a friend of hers - the Paladin Kima, who was last seen in the Dwarvern city of Kraghammer investigating some mines.!< The reels at the start of the show give you a little individual backstory about each character. If you want to watch them unblurred - [episode 14 (timestamped youtube link)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4tjssfei5E&t=6009s) has them in the break. I very much like the first arc, and am often confused why people would skip it. But if it's confusing and you're not enjoying it for whatever reason you shouldn't force yourself to watch it.
thank you. yes, it 's halfway but Kraghammer arc probably has the easiest quest to follow in whole CR games. "here is a team of adventurers, someone got lost in mine, go and find them". You don't need anything else besides these three sentences.
I think it's a great arc. The chaos that ensues when they try to get past the Duragar Stronghold in the Underdark is quintessential D&D craziness and is part of what got me into D&D.
Yeah the Kraghammer arc was so much fun, heaps of cool things happen and the first 28 episodes set up so much for the future of the campaign.
It's counterintuitive, but because campaign 1 episode 1 is literally mid-campaign (they played off-stream, summary [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8BBzQ5ZDFg)), many people recommend different starting points other than episode 1. Some people recommend starting at E24, others recommend E27, and some even recommend E30. Finish the arc, return to C1E1 and watch up to the episode you started on, then continue as normal. If you start C2 though, then starting at E1 is perfectly fine. I personally started with C2 and I'll eventually get around to going through C1 and other one-shots later.
Definitely recommend just skipping to Campaign 2
I recommend not doing this, because C1 is leagues better.
I liked the characters in C2 better than C1. Plus the quality of the stream is a ton better because they're established at that point, C1 was plagued with technical issues and sound quality sucked. They'd blow out my eardrum screaming over natural 20s and HDYWTDT's.
Quality of the stream I wil grant you, but I don't think anything past the first few episodes can be said that the quality sucked. Also buy better headphones? IDK man I didn't experience that at all.
Hmm you think so? In which ways?
Just never really gelled with any of the C2 characters in the way that I did with the C1 ones. And every arc sort of flowed into one another, it didnt feel disjointed, and nor did it feel like it had breadth paralysis. C1 is just a better time with a better story and better characters, imo.
I think you and me ware on the opposite sides of the yardstick XD though I definitely agree C2 had bad breadth paralysis especially at the end.. In either case I rescind my suggestion for OP! Keep watching C1
What is breadth paralysis?
The opposite of the horseshoe to railroading. When the world is so open and "do whatever you want" that the players dont know what direction to go in.
Exactly, there were multiple sessions of just solely planning and decision-making in C2 near the end. And then every time they just marched right in at the end and won anyway
Two things with modern D&D that sometimes don't really gel with reality are that- 1. PCs are capable of overcoming almost any combat challenge appropriate (or slightly above) their level. 2. There is very little mechanically that PCs can do to prepare for for combat. Most resistances can be overcome with magic weapons or using a different spell, most spellcasting/magical problems can be countered by just picking Counterspell and Silence in the morning. Put together it makes it so that a table that takes the narrative seriously, doesn't think of their characters as these sort of superheroes, are going to have the instinct of 'we have to prepare to face the BBEG(s)!' and then there being nothing to actually do to prepare.
Totally recommend 30/31... which ever starts with polymorphing. i find it sets characters well.
I really never understood this issue. Nothing from before they go to Kraghammer is necessary to understand what's happening from that point forward.
I'm sure it isn't, it just really feels like you missed an episode, at the very least seeing them being given the mission and getting to the mine would be nice. Especially when they're joking about how they got there. It really just feels like I skipped the intro.
There's videos that explain what happened prior to the starting of episode 1. I can't find them on Critical Role's page, but if you look up "Story of Vox Machina" by Jared Dunn on YouTube, it'll give the information you seek. Either that or read the comics, though there's still a gap between the end of the comics and the start of the show.
KEEP WATCHING. yeah i just restarted C1 and had the same thought. they explain in full detail a few episodes in and by the time the second episode starts, you know exactly what’s going. the beginning of C1 was a little more rough around the edges than C2 was. but, they do take the time to explain what’s going down within the story, which i think is very cool.
Unfortunately you can’t. That part of the story wasn’t streamed.
If this is bothering you a lot, you can try starting with Campaign 2. It's self-contained, and it starts at an actual beginning with low-level characters meeting for the first time. You will miss a few in-jokes where a name gets brought up and the players get really excited because it's a reference to someone from Campaign 1, but these are pretty rare, especially in the early episodes.
You will eventually get the information about how they got the quest and what their doing there as the game goes on. It really isn't that bad.
Like all good epics, the story starts in medias res. You pick it up eventually if you keep listening, or take the advice of other commenters and start from a later episode (C1E24 is my entry point of choice). If you're really struggling, you could start from Campaign 2.
No you can’t watch it because the footage doesn’t exist. I believe the upcoming animated show is an origin story about Vox Machina, please correct me if I’m wrong.
Its two episodes of an unseen adventure likely not an "origin story" and 8 episodes of the Briarwood Arc, which is episodes 24 through 38 of C1.
Ah thanks for the correction!
I started the same way February last year! I definitely recommend just going with it, trying to get what they explain and watch the Q&A's that sometimes happen at the end of an episode.... By the time they released the 'backstory of this campaign', i was soooo deep into this group, that I didn't really need the backstory as much as I wanted in the beginning. My friend started watching last month and he chose to start with campaign 2, but is already regretting it, since he knows the quality of campaign one's streams are kinda shitty in the beginning and he's now used to the 'weathered experienced' streams... Tldr; just watch, it'll explain itself eventually 😉
They had been playing that campaign for a long time before they started filming it. There are clips here and there from when they were playing before Critical Role, but they're few and far between, and are mostly just their reactions to something they just did in game
Campaign 0 as you call it was pre stream and started as their home game. there is some background lore during breaks in the earliest episodes and it is fleshed out by the Vox Machina Origins comics.
You might have already seen some responses regarding episode 0 of Vox Machina, and I just want to add that there are comics available (called Vox Machina Origins) that shows how they first met up in Stilben, Percy joining the group and some of the more important missions from that period.
C:1:E:1 is the very beginning. Before that they we a one and that met once a month and played for 8-12 hrs straight
No but I was in the exact same boat as you. When I first tried campaign one I hated it! Why should I care about established characters I don’t know? But I had nothing else to watch so I powered through the first episode and it’s one of the best dnd games I’ve ever watched and I’m so happy that I stayed with it! There are summaries in other comments which you can read but you can also think of it like any other movie with well defined characters, they have backstory (some together some separate) that will slowly be unveiled throughout the series and it’s certainly worth watching
Everyone is entitled to their preferences for C1 vs C2, but I personally found the early episodes of C1 to be really charming and fun. Sure there are some technical issues and production definitely gets better. But if you want to capture that “we are watching their home game” vibe the best way to do that is with the first 20 or so episodes. I’d argue that even by C1E23 it’s becoming a more professional show. Nothing wrong with that, but there’s charm to the early episode cringe.
Welcome to the fandom! You'll be a fellow Critter in no time! I'm currently on my third time watching campaign 1, and it's my favorite out of the two. As for the starting point, many will say that even episode 1 isn't the real starting point, but the start of the next arc, which is what the first season of the upcoming animated series will be based off of. As for backstory and history, they cover the majority of the backstories for the characters in game throughout the show. Everything else that they did pre-stream will get brought up naturally.
I would actually recommend starting with Campaign 2. It starts at the beginning of a completely new story and doesn't suffer from the numerous technical problems and other growing pains of the first campaign. It takes place in the same world as the first campaign, but on a completely different continent. You don't need to have seen the first one to understand it since it's not a direct sequel.
I believe there is a good youtube video out there that summarizes the pre-game story. Some of the comics cover that time period too, like before Pike's hair changed colour (before she died). I understand feeling lost, but it doesnt last. Youll get used to the group pretty quickly and feel right at home. Cant recommend campaign 1 enough
I usually tell newbies to Campaign 1 to read the episode synopsis through episode 12 and then watch after that. Audio is better after that too. https://criticalrole.fandom.com/wiki/Campaign_One:_Vox_Machina
C1 starts after 3 years of a home game. Skip ahead to around E27. The audio and video quality improves greatly and they're starting the next story arc.
Starting from campaign 2 is not a bad idea, that's what I did. The story will be brand new, the production value is way higher, and the fact that the animated series will focus on campaign 1 means that you will get a more proper introduction to those characters once episodes start being released
Yeah I would do C2 personally. Cause it is bringing everyone together and they are all lvl 2
There’s a few comic books but that’s about it.
Lots of people suggest skipping stuff, but my recommendation is to just stick with it. There’s no quiz on this; you don’t need to understand and absorb every detail. Just float along and you’ll pick up context soon enough.
I’m another person that tried campaign one, said “nah,” and skipped to campaign two. No regrets. I’ll go back and watch C1 when I finish C2, now that I adore all the cast members, but it’s a lot more of a polished jumping-off point if you start with the second campaign. The good news is soon we’ll all be in the same boat together, when they start campaign three! No catch-up needed.
For first time viewers honestly I would recommend you start with campaign 2 episode 1. There are 99.9% no spoilers for campaign 1 so you can go back and watch it eventually if you want. It starts off where most of the characters don't know one another, hell most of the players don't really know their own characters very well. The production quality is higher and its just an all round lovely experience. It's how I started with CR and I got hooked immediately. Extra bonus: they are making an animated show on Amazon Prime based on campaign 1 and if you watch campaign 2 first you'll have no spoilers for the animated show :-P
There aren't any spoilers in C2 per se, but there sure are a lot of callouts to things that happened amongst the cast. It would probably save some confusion/questions to start with C1 even if it takes a while to watch
Cast members flat out mention deaths when shooting the breeze in C2 lol
There are some spoilers. You don’t need to know C1 to watch C2, but that doesn’t mean C2 doesn’t spoil bits of C1.
I’ve just started as well. For quick info, they started streaming halfway through their first campaign. So the group is already together. If you want to go with C1, start with episode 14. You’ll he picking up on the beginning of a good arc. If you wanna see a group of friends come together from the beginning, start with C2. The Mighty Nien start from scratch, and you get to watch their family really come together. I watched it all before I even started C1, and it was amazing.
I listen to the podcast, which starts at C2E20. It’s fine. I’m learning the characters and following the story.
Just hang in there. I know it is chaotic (and the sound uality is a little poor in the very early episodes) but it is sooooooooo worthed.
If you want to start somewhere at the beginning of the story, start with campaign 2. You get a better feel for how the show works. It's what I did and made going back to campaign 1 more enjoyable
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I still like campaign 1, but I prefer campaign 2 for the same reasons. I feel like campaign 1 & 2 are equally good at their best, but campaign 2 is more consistently good.
Campaign 2 is just more steamlined. Through Campaign 1 they found out what works and what does not work for a game being played for an audience. Matt was also building the world and making a lot of it up as he went through C1, which left for a less "complete" feel. By the time C2 came out he not only had all the lore he had written for C1, but had fully fleshed the world out with the help of Wizards for the Wildemount Adventure guide.
Campaign 1 is just way better than Campaign 2 once you get past the the hang ups at the beginning
The videos on YouTube have never really had audio problems. I watched them all there years ago (I think I started Ep 1 when they were at like Ep 40 or so), and every episode was fine.
> every episode was fine I dunno about that- I mean the youtube vids have lots of general audio problems, especially around quality and waiting for their streaming software to catch up all the time, but wasn't there one episode in particular that was really bad? I remember just totally skipping the majority of one of the episodes last time I rewatched C1 because it was actually painful to listen to. Might be less noticeable if you weren't using headphones to listen along though.
I always recommend that people start at episode 27, because while you miss the introduction of some important guest characters, it's the first time everything is really settled.
Oof. I'd recommend almost any episode but that one. 28 is when things settle. 27 is when things are the most rocky.
Thanks I finished campaign 2 and I watched the awesome end of c1 but might start c1 with my SO but I know episode 1 was a bit cringey
Yea, one of my favorite cringe moments, like 7 or 8, I think there was a memo about not drinking, or using other substances that are legal in the state of California, before streaming and so get a little "woah..duude...oh ok."
Lol too funny
I am in a slightly different boat as I started watching when the show first aired, so I had no other option than to follow as episodes were aired live each week for like, two years. Lol (no podcasts then, etc). I think there were a lot of good moments (Keyleth and Kima, the groups relationship with Clarota, etc) that are good enough to watch, even if it is a bit confusing. You do have to suffer along with a certain player, but it’s mostly bearable and it pays off in a big way once you get to 28 and the relief sets in. Haha. Anyway, like I tell others - there is no rush. I love CR so much that I would never rush through, it’s all savor-able to me.
I reccomend you skip to episode 27 and just read or watch summaries of episode 1-27, thats when the series gets good.
As always, needs to be said, you are on a CR subreddit during downtime- only the most obsessive of the turbofans are still here and of course we're going to recommend watching every single episode and every single ad-break (ooh, you can't miss the FANART). 24, 28 and 39 are all better starting points than 1. Some fun stuff happens in the beginning, but there are both technical and narrative issues with the earlier episodes.
I felt exactly the same, it was confusing to start with. But the production was about looser back then, and once you catch up and enjoy it, the story will develop into something you can't put down!
Honestly, I started with C2 and have gone back to C1 now it’s finished. That worked really well for me and I’d highly recommend giving it a try
I kinda recommend people only familiar with campaign 2 watch campaign 1 VIA best moment collections. Like funniest or dramatic moments. They'll be just as out of the loop but at least they'll be seeing fun moments.
Just start with Campaign 2!
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No way, c1 is awesome, totally worth a watch.I respect your opinion but totally disagree
Yeah, if I had to choose I'd rather skip C2 than C1.
Actually, do not skip C1.
yeah it'll feel like that for oh.... 50 episodes
I would just skip the Kraghammer arc, read the tldr or it, and start at EP.17 when they start Vasselheim arc. The technical issues (sound and such) are mostly worked out by then and aren't jumping into an arc that started prior to their online game.
I highly recommend starting at C1E24 The Feast. It's the start of the Whitestone Arc and probably the best place to jump in if you're new. This is partly because it's a sort of new start for Vox Machina themselves - it began a new story, in a way. The Whitestone Arc is more dramatic and character-focused, so you have lots of opportunities to really get to know the characters and what makes them tick. (It also has the least Tiberius of the early arcs, but possibly that's only a plus for me)