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I had my suspicions that most complaints about Campaign 2 being meandering and pointless were coming from people who were just not very bright but increasingly, as I dig into it, they come from people who simply do not see character growth as "story" which is particularly ironic given that they tend to also be the people who act like cutting away from a cast member's face in a C3 one shot will destroy the deep and true meaning of the campaign. It's true that the Mighty Nein's story is less linear than some others - which is not indicative of a story being worse, and indeed, can be indicative of complexity - but pretty much everything in the campaign from early on had significant payoff in terms of how the characters responded to it.

Anyway the example I have in mind is someone saying that the Pirates arc is boring because it has no payoff until the Uk'otoa two-shot, and that's simply something I am stunned someone would be ignorant enough to admit in public. The payoff of "and then the third seal of Uk'otoa is broken" does come post-Campaign 2; but that is the most kindergarten-level Literal Text understanding of payoff. The arc is, fundamentally, about the party grieving in weird ways and acting out as a result. Fjord feels guilty and powerless and angry at himself for this (and episode 31 implies he is also having complicated feelings about Vandran again), and when he is put in a situation where he genuinely does have a certain level of expertise and can do something material, it kicks his existing control issues into overdrive only for him to be plunged into the story of the mysterious powers he has been trying to learn about, and he leans into it in ways that are at times ugly. Meanwhile, the rest of the Mighty Nein are both strengthening their bonds having come together in the wake of Molly's death, but they're also feeling the bottom drop out as their friend who has served as a stabilizing face and mediator and moral compass of the group starts to explore his darker side, especially since this is when the Nein generally begin to explore the idea of leaving every place better than they found it (and the entire arc in fact can be seen as them also coping with the fact that they thought about that phrase very hard and began to take it to heart, and then proceeded to accidentally murder the whole crew of a ship and commandeer it). They have finally admitted how much they care about each other, and have seen just how fragile they are and how easily this could all be destroyed, which is why the near-fatal fight with Thelashas leaves them so shaken. And throughout all of this, Caduceus is integrating into the group but his multiple near-death experiences are giving him pause, especially since he believes this to be the sign he was waiting for from the Wildmother. This is when it first becomes apparent that he desperately wants to know what happened to his family; but he is also terrified of getting the answer.

The Pirates arc sets up pretty much all character development for the remainder of the campaign. Upon landing, Fjord, even further disillusioned by Vandran and uncomfortable with his patron's demands, begins his search for a new patron and starts to reconsider what sort of person he wants to emulate, which culminates in him breaking his pact. Jester, after growing closer to him during the jellyfish scene, is justifiably shocked and put off by him exploring the harmful elements of his pact feels hurt by his hookup with Avantika and so this sets up her interrogating the idealized version of Fjord she'd been flirting with; the two of them must slowly rebuild their relationship throughout the Xhorhas arc after it reaches that low. Beau, meanwhile, is one of the few characters to emerge from the Pirates arc feeling better - after the gut-wrenching loss of Molly, and admission that she often made places worse just because she could, she asks for and is entrusted with leadership, and her patience and afffiliations are rewarded - for the first time in her life, she is not belittled, but respected. Beau thrives in this arc and the subsequent Xhorhas arc because she's finally given that trust and that space. Caduceus both reveals his own vulnerable spots and flaws in that arc, but also emerges from it a voice of calm, and it gives him some much-needed confidence in his own ability to overcome difficult and unpleasant situations. It is this arc when Yasha reveals her own story and begins to address her grief; and the time off from the spotlight and increased confidence and strengthened ties during this time is what allows for Veth and Caleb's revelations in episode 49.

This arc also sets up, among other things, Jester discovering who her father is and her subsequent response to that; the folding halls of Halas and their relationship with Yussa which is both how they ultimately are able to defeat the Laughing Hand and rescue Yasha; the party's perception of Nicodranas as a safe space which saves them when chased by Volstrucker; and their comfort with seafaring which leads to their choice of location in brokering the peace deal between the Empire and Dynasty. In many ways, the Pirates arc and Xhorhas arc are when the first dominoes begin to fall, and the last are set. It is heavily focused on character development, but it is not without its implications for overall plot. And, crucially, it is intrinsic to the story of the Mighty Nein.

This is what I mean, incidentally, when I say that some fans, and yes, they tend to almost always be fans with a noted preference for Campaign 3, see stories and characters as modular closed elements that can be easily broken apart and rearranged with no difference to the meaning. The Xhorhas arc without the Pirates arc looks extremely different if it happens at all. The Mighty Nein as a whole without the Pirates arc look extremely different. Fjord's entire arc in the campaign is the payoff; if you cannot put together "events of Pirates arc" and "breaking his pact" that is not an inability to parse subtext; that is an inability to read text that is directly presented to you when it doesn't give you answers that you like. It's indicative of why we're getting such baffling questions like "well if the Mighty Nein had Bells Hells' plot, would you like it" when the answer is "I like the Mighty Nein because they are characters who develop by way of the plot they were in, so no, I think both Bells Hells and their story are pretty mid." The idea that the only payoff can be the most obvious singular response to an entire story arc is something I genuinely did not think an adult human who wishes to be seen as taking narrative seriously would openly admit to having.

The Pirates arc is a defining moment for the Mighty Nein - while Fjord is certainly front and center, it is, as stated, a time of profound growth and setup for the entire party after the inflection point of Molly's death. I happen to also find it to be a lot of fun, but that's subjective; I am not, to be clear, criticizing the choice to find it boring. What is not subjective is stating that it has no payoff; that is an act of truly breathtaking illiteracy and ignorance of any sort of narrative structure more complex than what one might find in a board book. And, given that most fans of C3 quite openly wish there'd been more time for character focus (after this statement, I'm unclear if they wanted development or just more hours for their supercuts) during C3 and that they'd explored sidequests, this is pretty transparently either a genuine misunderstanding of narrative structure leading to a "no take, only throw" approach - yes we want time with these characters, no we don't want the sidequests and downtime this would likely require - and/or more of the same spoiled brat entitled hypocrisy of the "How DARE you not like my favorite characters; I am not obligated to like yours though." I suspect it's a combination of both.

This is also a perfect demonstration of what I meant by lack of meta of worth. It's not that people aren't writing phrases that match the structure of analysis. It's not that there are no posts at all; it's not that people have been bullied into silence. It's that they're writing posts but their analysis shows they barely understand what they're talking about. It is, as a mutual of mine alluded to, reminiscent of the Bleak House reading comprehension study. Unsurprisingly for the people who champion a campaign most inspired by tent pole superhero movies, they talk about the narrative structure of a medium that many people are drawn to for being a slow unfolding and unpredictable randomness in a media landscape that often prioritizes "put it on in the background" easy payoff binge-watching as if, well, it's easy payoff binge-watching. It is also exactly what I meant when I said their focus on attacking C2 for being more popular mostly just serves to damage their credibility such that even were they to take a break and try to say something of worth about Campaign 3, many people will have developed serious qualms about their capacity to do so.

I'm looking forward to the pirates arc when it comes up in the collective rewatch in a few weeks and I know many others are too. I'm sorry some people are unable to appreciate it.

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it’s been a few years but Jester Lavorre you are still so loved 😭😭😭

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For those who haven’t been following the Critical Role ARG, it’s been cracked!

Enter the word ARAMAN here to hear a little clip of Brennan describing the setting.

It also promises something (cast announcement? System announcement? Trailer? More info in general?) August 21 at 10AM Pacific—that’s this Thursday!

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Our second peek at animated yasha being her holding someone up by the neck is truly exactly what we wanted, thank you critical role <3

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Update! I colored it!!! :DDDDDD

It’s from campaign 2 episode 39, nott ate fruit that made her high and is able to see glowing writing and beau picked her up to see if she sees anything

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Ring, anyone?

[instagram] [twitter] [artstation]

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man you know what Age of Umbra satisfied that I hadn't realized I missed was the meatgrinder dungeon crawl. Campaign 3 had only like, one decent dungeon crawl and it was very early on and meanwhile I can think of at least nine examples in Campaign 2 that broadly fit the category.

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yasha'd

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level 20 lesbians

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Best boy of Whitestone

also target practice ;)

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Links and info | Commissions are OPEN

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Brennan just wants to share his passion with Matt

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I am SO excited by the CR announcement, I love when creatives don’t get stuck and try new things and above all else I am SO glad that they recognized that Matt needs and deserves an extended break

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Brennan GMing campaign 4 is going to hit so hard

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How it started:

How it went:

How it's going:

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yasha'd

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Baby blue