Summary
- Actual plays like Critical Role and Dimension 20 can be intimidating for new listeners, but Exandria Unlimited: Calamity has everything a new fan needs to get started.
- Calamity, led by Brennan Lee Mulligan and featuring frequent CR cast members like Aabria Iyengar, Marisha Ray, Travis Willingham, and Sam Riegel, is a stand-alone prequel story set far in Exandria's past.
- This setup means that Calamity doesn't require a ton of lore knowledge up front, and its limited length makes it a digestible and accessible show for anyone who wants to give CR a shot.
Actual-play shows and streams where the cast plays a tabletop roleplaying game have become increasingly popular over the last several years. There is a vast abundance of shows featuring different players, Game Masters, games, and themes, each with unique stories and lore. Getting into actual-plays as a new viewer can be difficult, and the first challenge is always deciding where to begin. Obstacles like time commitment, knowledge of existing lore, and differing play-style preferences can be daunting to overcome.
Exandria Unlimited: Calamity, a mini-series from Critical Role, presents a near-perfect solution to the most common problems newcomers to the actual-play space face. Calamity is played in Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition, features Brennan Lee Mulligan as the Dungeon Master and stars Aabria Iyengar, Luis Carazo, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, Travis Willingham, and Lou Wilson as players.
Calamity Has A Comparatively Low Barrier To Entry
Actual-play shows can require massive time commitments. Popular shows such as Critical Role, Dimension 20, The Adventure Zone, and Dungeons and Daddies feature episodes ranging from just over one hour long to upwards of four. While that can seem perfectly reasonable as a one-time commitment, most actual-play shows are long-form campaigns with 100 or more episodes per campaign or season, so those hours add up quickly. This is why some actual-play fans advise those interested in watching to start with the most recent episode. However, many actual-play campaigns are either entirely original homebrew or heavily embellished from the typical lore of the games being played, so even a viewer familiar with Dungeons and Dragons lore watching an actual-play run a published D&D module may have to pick up extraneous information in early episodes to understand the story. The more the audience needs to know about the world to enjoy the narrative, the harder it becomes for newcomers to join without needing to start at the beginning.
Exandria Unlimited: Calamity solves both of these problems with relative ease. The episodes are still quite lengthy. Each is upwards of four hours long, and the finale is more than six hours. However, there are only four episodes, plus a post-campaign wrap-up discussion for those who enjoyed what they saw. Exandria Unlimited: Calamity is a complete, self-contained story with a definitive beginning, middle, and end that can be enjoyed without any previous knowledge of Exandria or its history. Calamity is a distant prequel set in the long-lost Age of Arcanum, meaning it is set at the earliest point in Exandria's timeline of any Critical Role media. Though there are plenty of references to keep die-hard Critters on the edge of their seats, the ability to recognize them isn't a prerequisite for watching the show. Additionally, by setting Calamity in the Age of Arcanum, viewers join a world not unlike the one they live in, as magic is so ubiquitous that it has begun to emulate modern real-world technology.
The Story Keeps Viewers Interested From Start To Finish
Calamity shows the true brilliance and skill of Dungeon Master Brennan Lee Mulligan's storytelling skills. From the first moment of narration, the players and the audience are drawn into a fast-paced, high-stakes rollercoaster of events that continues until the very end. The mini-series focuses on the Ring of Brass, a group of high-ranking individuals in the government and society of Avalir, a flying city that travels above the surface of Exandria using the power of its ley lines. As they prepare for the city to dock on land and return its collected magical energy to the continent below, the members of the Ring of Brass begin to discover ominous happenings linked to an ancient mystery buried within Avalir's inner workings.
Many actual-play fans find their recommendations for which programs to watch vary based on whether they enjoy a more combat-oriented or roleplay-focused campaign. EXU: Calamity strikes a fantastic balance between high-level combat encounters and plot-driven roleplay. The player characters are built at level 14, which grants them an abundance of powerful abilities without rendering them unbeatable by the enemies they face. Every character is well-rounded, with rich inner thoughts and relationships with those around them, making for emotional roleplay segments that could warm any gamer's heart.
Calamity's Content And Cast Offer Options For What To Watch Next
Once newcomers to actual-plays have finished Exandria Unlimited: Calamity, their next dilemma will be what to watch next. Luckily, using Calamity as a starting point gives them a wide variety of directions to go. If EXU: Calamity's lore drew them in and they want to see what the post-Calamity future holds for Exandria, they can continue to any of Critical Role's main campaigns or other Exandria-based content. Those who enjoyed Calamity's story might especially like how the rest of Exandria Unlimited or Campaign Three look at and interact with the gods. If it's the Dungeon Master they liked best, viewers can hop over to Dimension 20 to enjoy Brennan Lee Mulligan's narrative prowess and table-running style. If the players were their favorite part, fans can find each of them on a variety of other actual-play shows. Critical Role has a variety of one-shots featuring Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, and Travis Willingham for those who are still intimidated by the main campaigns, and Chapter Two of their new show Candela Obscura features Luis Carazo, Brennan Lee Mulligan, Marisha Ray, and Travis Willingham. Lou Wilson is a frequent member of Dimension 20 tables, as is Aabriya Iyengar. Brennan Lee Mulligan, Lou Wilson, and Aabriya Iyengar also make an actual-play podcast titled Worlds Beyond Number along with Erika Ishii.
Exandria Unlimited: Calamity is an excellent example of high-quality actual-play content that makes itself accessible to newcomers with a low barrier to entry and a compelling narrative that anyone can enjoy. Though the setting and logistics of the mini-series account for a large part of this accessibility, Calamity also benefits from the top-tier performances by its players and Dungeon Master, which keep the audience invested in every moment of the story, even between the most exciting plot points. For a fan of tabletop roleplaying games, or even just fantasy stories, who wants to get started watching actual-play content, EXU: Calamity is a fantastic starting point that can set them up to find media that they'll love.