Campaign synopsis: “Hero to many. Enemy to some. When Thjazi Fang is marked for execution, various figures from across his remarkable life unite to uncover the truth behind his grim fate. In a land still suffering from the fallout of dead gods and living in the shadow of a tumultuous rebellion, these disparate people will come together across the fractured world of Aramán and connect in ways they never imagined.
As hope and victory fade, a question hangs over Aramán. Without the Gods, what great deeds now fall to us? And who, or what, shall grab their crown from themselves?”
Episode synopsis: Broken Wing – “The loved ones of Thjazi Fang must contend with the ramifications of his past plots and schemes still reverberating across Dol-Makjar and their own lives…”
The opening
The cold openings are going to take some time to get used to. It feels so weird to not hear ‘Hello everyone and welcome to tonight’s episode of Critical Role…’. It’s also going to take a while to get used to seeing Matt on the other side of the table.
Liam smacking his head into the table during the ad read was too funny. I love how unhinged their ad reads are. I do miss them being at the actual table before the game starts. The cold opening before the ad reads feels very off to me. Hopefully this isn’t how the show will be going forward. Also, we should all feel lucky Sam didn’t decide to use that voice for Wicander.
The fact that three characters have done death saves already and episode two has literally just started is crazy.
The characters
I’m calling it now, Wicander is not a cleric. I’m guessing he’s actually a warlock (based on stats and suspicious vibes). Also, when has Sam ever played a character that is as they appear? Just an FYI, I wrote this down before the end of the episode. Talk about a cliffhanger.
I love Tyranny’s sisters. Their dynamic is really interesting, I can’t wait to find out more about who they are and what they do. Also, I just really love Tyranny, she’s 100% my favourite character right now. I need more Vaelus before I can fully decide who my favourite is. It feels like Ashley has only been in the campaign for about 10 minutes so far. I NEED to know more about Vaelus.
Honestly, the only characters I have no interest in at the moment are Azune and Hal. Right now they’re both just like some guys that are there, you know? If you love them, fair enough, but I’m not sold just yet. Teor is almost in the same boat, but because Travis is putting so much into his performance, I really like him.
I’m loving Matt as a player. Sir Julien is such a hater and I love it. The happiness on Marisha’s face when he says Julien wakes up next to a woman and a man is one of the best moments of this episode. Matt looks so happy and in awe of Marisha during her scenes as well, it’s so cute. Husband and wife goals right there.
You really have to suspend your disbelief when it comes to other characters being able to hear Thimble. She’s four inches tall so I’d imagine she’d have to really shout everything to actually be heard. I guess there’s some type of magic going on so she’s easily heard. I’m also super curious to see what she’s like in combat. Can someone so small deal a lot of damage? Especially as a non-magic user.
Aabria calling Laura ‘Tinkerhell’ was hilarious. So much of this campaign so far has been super serious so I really appreciate moments like this. Let’s be honest, we’re not used to the cast being this serious for so long. I really didn’t enjoy her in campaign three but that was probably because the group was split. I loved her outside of the game though. The episode of 4-sided dive she was on was one of my favourites.
Final thoughts
Brennan is such a talented storyteller. The whole part about Thjazi’s wedding was beautiful. I’ve teared up multiple times during this campaign already.
This has nothing to do with what’s going on in the story/episode, but Ashley’s hair looks SO good. Aabria’s make up looks great also.
I’ll probably need a few more episodes to really understand what’s going on. I have a feeling the politics of this world will take a while to grasp, especially as it’s new. Going into campaign two and three felt more natural as Exandria and its politics are already well established. I do find Aramán very interesting though. The outlawing of magic doesn’t seem like such a problem right now, as we’ve had no combat or encounters yet.
I can’t wait for the first proper combat. I’m not including the flashback moment with Asune, Thimble, Kattigan and Teor. There wasn’t really much point in them rolling for that scene as it’s a flashback so of course they survive. I did really enjoy Brennan’s descriptions of what was going on. I love how he made the combat so fast-paced. It really ups the tension and the urgency is heart racing. He’s such a savage DM and I love it. The combat in Downfall (part of campaign three) felt really slow, but it was enjoyable, probably because they were so overpowered. I’m intrigued to see what the combat will be like with low level characters.
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Like this post? Why not read this one too: Critical Role Review: Campaign 4 Episode 1