[QuickTidal]

Thought we should make a dedicated thread to discuss this show, and the show that spawned it so as not to clutter up the TV thread with it.

For now let's keep spoiler tags on both VM TV spoilers, and especially any of the other campaigns by Critical Role, so as not to spoil those that have not seen/heard it all yet.

Short forms for the shows/campaigns:

VM = Legend of Vox Machina
M9 = The Mighty Nein
BH = Bells Hells
EXU = Exandria Unlimited
EXU: C = Exandria Unlimited Calamity

[QuickTidal]

I'm a full episode and change into EXU: C now and after watching VM Episode 3...

Spoilers for EXU:C

Spoiler

So I already liked Brennan Lee Mulligan's GMing, but sweet jeezus when that MFer randomly drops that Champion of the Matron of Ravens PURVAN fucking SUL himself showed up at the fucking Replenishing party Patia's home I had the same reaction as the whole cast to that moment....WAIT...WAIT...HOLY FUCK! and then that moment ramped up to learning something was happening that frightened HIM...and rolling that into Cerrit examining the room with the hodmedod only to learn that some cultist was in there, slicing him in the throat and then seeing a vision of Vespin Chloras in the mirror....fuck me...that was some epic shit.

Oh, and my enjoyment thus far of all this stuff made me feel like contributing to the whole endeavour monetarily so I bought a hoodie and a t-shirt from the official site.

[Abyss]

nerd

[QuickTidal]

 Abyss, on 26 January 2023 - 05:43 PM, said:

nerd

Uninitiated.

[Gorefest]

Kvltnerd.

[Macros]

Picked up Vox last night, about 6 eps in.
Fun

[Abyss]

 QuickTidal, on 26 January 2023 - 06:19 PM, said:

 Abyss, on 26 January 2023 - 05:43 PM, said:

nerd

Uninitiated.

Yknow, i tried, i really tried, but listening to/watching people game/role-play just bores me, kind of like i find watching most egaming streaming and sports boring, it's watching someone else have all the fun.


...countdown til someone makes an obvious pr0n joke 5... 4... 3...

[QuickTidal]

 Abyss, on 26 January 2023 - 06:47 PM, said:

 QuickTidal, on 26 January 2023 - 06:19 PM, said:

 Abyss, on 26 January 2023 - 05:43 PM, said:

nerd

Uninitiated.

Yknow, i tried, i really tried, but listening to/watching people game/role-play just bores me, kind of like i find watching most egaming streaming and sports boring, it's watching someone else have all the fun.

You know what's weird? MOST Audiobooks put me directly to sleep after a while, no matter what I'm doing....but this stuff keeps me wide awake and riveted....LOL

Different strokes. (<----Insert porn joke!)

[Abyss]

 QuickTidal, on 26 January 2023 - 06:55 PM, said:

 Abyss, on 26 January 2023 - 06:47 PM, said:

 QuickTidal, on 26 January 2023 - 06:19 PM, said:

 Abyss, on 26 January 2023 - 05:43 PM, said:

nerd

Uninitiated.

Yknow, i tried, i really tried, but listening to/watching people game/role-play just bores me, kind of like i find watching most egaming streaming and sports boring, it's watching someone else have all the fun.

You know what's weird? MOST Audiobooks put me directly to sleep after a while, no matter what I'm doing....but this stuff keeps me wide awake and riveted....LOL

Different strokes. (<----Insert porn joke!)

Despite that most of my reading now is earbooks, i rarely just sit and listen to them. I almost need to be driving, walking, gym, chores, something mundane that keeps me moving but i can pay attention to what i'm hearing at the same time.

The CR type thing... the parts i watched/listened to, the 'fantasy story' is secondary or at best parallel with whatever the individual players and DM are doing... and they're clearly having a great time while 'working'... but it doesn't hold my interest, or else everything except the story doesn't hold my interest and waiting for those parts i zoned out.

I think it's great that TTRPG has become a thing that people are paying attention to (gods if 'DM for hire' had been a thing when i was into DnD my life/career path would have been radically different), just not my bag. To each their own. (porn joke?)

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

Have you tried listening to them while doing other things, like they're audiobooks? I am thinking about it — so much backlogged material!

[Abyss]

 Whisperzzzzzzz, on 27 January 2023 - 05:06 AM, said:

Have you tried listening to them while doing other things, like they're audiobooks? I am thinking about it — so much backlogged material!

Yep. Same same.

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

I've had a couple of aborted attempts to get into listening to CR.... I love what they're doing, and I'm really enjoying the animated series.

It just all takes too long and I've never figured out why I felt that (I love playing D&D and never feel like it drags when I'm playing myself) - I think Abyss just hit the nail on the head. It's great that they're having so much fun, but it breaks up the story and makes me zone out.

I think I could probably break through if I listened to it while driving, but that's usually when I listen to my various podcasts so it's committing the time to it over other things. I wish I could listen to it while working, but my job is so reading intensive that I zone out of one or the other if I listen to something "wordy" - hence podcasts when I'm driving.

[Tsundoku]

I tried a few times, but unfortunately TTRPGs - like e-sports - are not a spectator sport. Well, not for me anyway.
I watch the TV shows and I'd likely read the novels if they got the elusive PG/QT double thumbs up, but watching a gaming session ... yeah, nah.

And I watch Test Cricket. So make of that what you will.

This post has been edited by Tsundoku: 27 January 2023 - 09:35 AM

[champ]

 QuickTidal, on 26 January 2023 - 02:36 PM, said:

I'm a full episode and change into EXU: C now and after watching VM Episode 3...

Spoilers for EXU:C

Spoiler

So I already liked Brennan Lee Mulligan's GMing, but sweet jeezus when that MFer randomly drops that Champion of the Matron of Ravens PURVAN fucking SUL himself showed up at the fucking Replenishing party Patia's home I had the same reaction as the whole cast to that moment....WAIT...WAIT...HOLY FUCK! and then that moment ramped up to learning something was happening that frightened HIM...and rolling that into Cerrit examining the room with the hodmedod only to learn that some cultist was in there, slicing him in the throat and then seeing a vision of Vespin Chloras in the mirror....fuck me...that was some epic shit.

Re:

Spoiler

Great timing for Purvan to turn up, especially with VM ep3 where they are mocking his name whilst sitting around the campfire, same thing happened in the campaign as soon as they heard his name.

But aye, when he turns up and is worried it's like ohhh shit!

I love that Cerrit moment for the way Brennan describes invisibility and the weakness of the spell, it's a case of yeah, that does actually make sense now you say it! Then along comes "Talon to Wingspan!" Ha!

Glad that you are enjoying it!!

 QuickTidal, on 26 January 2023 - 02:36 PM, said:

Oh, and my enjoyment thus far of all this stuff made me feel like contributing to the whole endeavour monetarily so I bought a hoodie and a t-shirt from the official site.

I bought the Whitestone joggers and a couple of jigsaws from the store, the Heroes of Whitestone and Isharnai's Hut puzzles, just waiting for some frames then I am going to hang them on the wall.


Careful with sizes though, they tend to run on the small side from the CR store.

This post has been edited by champ: 27 January 2023 - 11:37 AM

[QuickTidal]

 champ, on 27 January 2023 - 11:36 AM, said:

Glad that you are enjoying it!!

I'm almost 2 hours into the last episode of EXU: C now (I marathoned the last two eps yesterday at work and last night at home after the kids went to sleep)....and

Spoiler

The lord of the hells (Is it meant to be Asmodeus?) turning on Zerxus while expected when I knew who he was in the previous episode where they interacted, Brennan did such a hell of a job getting me to buy that the Betrayer Gods were not entirely in the wrong, that when the vocal turn came in this episode....I think I was as shocked as everyone else. Amazing!

So I'm finishing that up while I work today, and then going home to watch the new ep drops of VM, and then this weekend back into M9.

 champ, on 27 January 2023 - 11:36 AM, said:

Careful with sizes though, they tend to run on the small side from the CR store.

Yeah, I always order a size up when I get stuff online, because I'd rather it be a bit baggy than too tight. Thanks!

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 27 January 2023 - 12:22 PM

[champ]

 QuickTidal, on 27 January 2023 - 12:22 PM, said:

 champ, on 27 January 2023 - 11:36 AM, said:

Glad that you are enjoying it!!

I'm almost 2 hours into the last episode of EXU: C now (I marathoned the last two eps yesterday at work and last night at home after the kids went to sleep)....and

Spoiler

The lord of the hells (Is it meant to be Asmodeus?) turning on Zerxus while expected when I knew who he was in the previous episode where they interacted, Brennan did such a hell of a job getting me to buy that the Betrayer Gods were not entirely in the wrong, that when the vocal turn came in this episode....I think I was as shocked as everyone else. Amazing!

So I'm finishing that up while I work today, and then going home to watch the new ep drops of VM, and then this weekend back into M9.

Spoiler

Aye, that is Asmodeus, IIRC - could be wrong here - when CR published their own book during VM and they didn't use WotC to publish they had to stop using copyrighted material like Gods names etc.

That is why in the M9 campaign and beyond the Gods are referred to under altered names.

And in total agreement with Brennan there.

I love the "grey" he creates when Asmodeus is talking about his own creations when he first came to the realm and how he thought he was just expanding out existance...

How love, honour, courage etc are the greatest creations made and how he wanted to make them "more." To make them really matter by creating their polar opposites to counter them...

Deceit, betrayal, viciousness etc were created not to be evil, but to make you appreciate love/honour etc all that much more when they were missing and how his gifts were misunderstood.

It does make you think.

And then you get the line, "Our promises were to the Primordials... AND WE WERE CALLED BETRAYERS!" Goosebumps!

 QuickTidal, on 27 January 2023 - 12:22 PM, said:

So I'm finishing that up while I work today, and then going home to watch the new ep drops of VM, and then this weekend back into M9.

Just about to watch the eps now, got the afternoon off work! Hell yes!

[QuickTidal]

Finished EXU: C

Well that made me fucking ugly cry. Jeezus.

So very good.

MAJOR spoilers for the end of EXU:C

Spoiler

I was already a wreck when everyone said their goodbyes to the world ect., and when Nydas promised his brother he would be there soon knowing he would not....but Cerrit speaking to his family did me right in (maybe cause I have kids too?)...so getting to know that he lived after that Hail Mary roll to survive that everyone helped him with....my gods I didn't know how much I needed that at the end of such an emotional episode.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 27 January 2023 - 04:06 PM

[champ]

 QuickTidal, on 27 January 2023 - 03:49 PM, said:

Finished EXU: C

Well that made me fucking ugly cry. Jeezus.

So very good.

MAJOR spoilers for the end of EXU:C

Spoiler

I was already a wreck when everyone said their goodbyes to the world ect., and when Nydas promised his brother he would be there soon knowing he would not....but Cerrit speaking to his family did me right in (maybe cause I have kids too?)...so getting to know that he lived after that Hail Mary roll to survive that everyone helped him with....my gods I didn't know how much I needed that at the end of such an emotional episode.

Oh, I was a wreck too...

Spoiler

And I don't even have kids... I was a mess before it but it was the sincerity of the relatiohship between Talon and Wingspan that got me, that it could be lost in that moment.

That Cerrit roll was probably in the top 5 for edge of your seat holy fuck please let it be a good roll CR moments..

And dude, how good was Brennan when he flips out as Asmodeus... the line, "My greatest heartbreak is that when I've collected every last mortal soul and all of my siblings into my pit, that I will only have eternity to punish them!" Is truly fucking epic!

On the Calamity wrap-up episode they talk about character creation and how Brennan let them have anything they wanted magical item wise... with him knowing he was going to mess with them later with the item punishment! Twisted guy haha!

Absolute rollercoaster of a mini-series!


Edit the scene mentioned:

Spoiler

This post has been edited by champ: 27 January 2023 - 05:09 PM

[QuickTidal]

Okay, we’ll EXU: CALAMITY helped me understand SO much of the VM show eps4-6….like my grounding in the world and the myths and history is ten times what it was before I listened. Even just knowing where the Ashari came from…

[Slow Ben]

FYI, the new episodes are glorious also.


Obviously the news is amazing and I’m super excited.

Playing devils advocate only, I hope they don’t take something great and try and do to much that it becomes watered down and average. I don’t think that will happen based on the care they take for everything they do, that was just my one worry when they announced.

That being said, Mighty friggin Nein baby!


Funny story, every time my kids here the number nine they yell, Nein! like in the show since they’ve heard me do it so often.