BEST OF Campaign 1 | Critical Role 

The real hero, thank you

@@yourstepdads6675 Why hasn't this been pinned yet?

@@DarthSinistris Because I'm a dumb 'ol dad and did not know I could do that. Pinned it now, thank you!

@@yourstepdads6675Duly noted

Thank you so much👌👌

one of The Best Lines 🤣🤣🤣🎯

Talisien looks like a proud dad after that line.

Taliesin is a king of 1 liners But he's also had thousands of years to practice. Sam is ok too

@@MorganBondelid nah best line is definitely "show me on the character sheet where the bad DM touched you" LMAO

@@Reblwitoutacause life needs things, to live

So good!!! Also the EMOTION behind the words...breathtaking. Sam is a great actor.

And he could’ve fucking won too…

@@Theology.101 Even if he didn't, there would be some serious lasting damage. Forget his mother's name, y'all MF's need to learn HIS.

Stolen comment

@@nicholasmercer6397 from who?

@@levantdiggerus3473 God only knows at this point, it's kind of a meme. Not comedic, but that phrase is referenced a lot.

Keyleth really became the Icaros of Exandria in that moment.

@@Yaratoma she flew too close to the cliff

@@fallenaasimar3878 that was a perfect joke. Not one wasted word.

@@fallenaasimar3878 ...as a goldfish... per scanlans song.

When you're at the pinnacle, where do you go from there? (Apparently, the answer is that you cliff dive to your demise to the horror of your battle-forged and almost-in-law sister.)

Oh that's what that was? I couldn't read their lips well enough and the rest of the cast was talking over it. That's HEAVY.

Sam genuinely wanted you give Liam something good, especially because of what Liam had been through but also that Critical Role exists because of Liam.

i hate how everyone in this moment proceeded with the game not realizing the gravity of this moment. Two members are crying while others are counting dmg :(

Especially since that’s Sam losing it, not scanlan

@@2o7o7dragon He was going to use his 9th level slot to cast Wish and save Vax's soul from the Raven Queen. He used it for counterspell instead. Feelsbadman.

More like "My ship is SAILING"

​@@sugar-high_kitsune both? Both. Both is goof

Travis is a godlike hypeman

Timestamp?

@@SoI_Badguy It starts at 17:11 and the roll is at 18:40

I mean thinking about it, that has to be one of the most influential rolls of exandrias timelines. Spoilers C2 and C1 If that roll had failed, Mollymauk Tealeaf joins Vox Maxhina instead of the Mighty Nien. Meaning either Lucien becomes VMs problem, or the Neo-Somnovem never happens. This causes micro issues with DPS during pivotal moments, potential shifts for Vex in character, and more. Especially considering how much damage a Bad News, Sharpshooter ,Deadeye shot hits the fight with vecna on purely a damage basis could have gone wildly different. Who knows, Molly could have even had some of the abilities of his Eyes of the Somnovum during this alternate timeline which could have majory shifted the outcomes of the battle. However the real kicker is M9s changes. The party would have had a much zlower coming together and wouldn't have that ironically solidifying moment of Mollys death. Potentially leading to Caleb going dark side, beau not maturing, nott never gets fixed to veth. But the biggest issue is M9 don't have a reason other than a bit of coin and curiosity to venture into eiselcross, meaning Cognousa likely would have been fought on the material plane, and they might have lost with Caleb possibly MIA, Lucien not fighting himself, or the somnovem never getting absorbed. Ultimately, possibly leading to massive disaster on the material plane, and worst case scenario an end to Exandria.

@@kyrogamingvt9716 The webs we live in would be different indeed but not all changes comes with gloom on the horizon. The morning dew would rest on the webs of tomorrow as those that evaporate today once did.

Is that the counter spell level 9? I havent actually watched the rest as I'm just getting into critical role and I don't really understand that bit.

@@priestofbenism1775 The other character, Liam O'Brien's character Vax, was going to die for sure after that fight because of some deity stuff. He was saving that level 9 spell for a wish to save his friend.

and its because it dosent break scanlan, it breaks sam. Sam was trying to save him best friends character

@@rainycake Vax's farewell scene is his death because of this deity stuff?

@@kzeriar25 It would be much better if you typed the timestamp but i am assuming yes.

I read that in Caleb's voice and it was hilarious.

I love every moment when her "ONE Xth LEVEL SPELL" Fails so miserably that she has to physically pout.

And that coming from a druid who literally nullified intellect of one of the most intellectual enemies in their campaign xD

Keyleth is my fav

I feel super dumb. Reading this my first thought was "Oh they named the fish Jam?" And nearly 10 minutes later I realised my mistake and am still facepalming.

I don't really understand anyway, fall damage usually caps at 20d6 as per the handbook

Agreed, this is one of the VERY few scenes that has made me cry when I watched it, and the only one I can think of that I cried a second time when I went back and watched it again. Absolutely beautiful.

😭🤧😭🤧😭

@@ru5h1n68 the only other scene was grog’s “fix him” after scan died

I was going through a hard time when I watched that episode, and I was a sobbing mess the entire time.

Shit, I really didn't know that's what Liam was going through at the time. Damn, now I'm even more of a crying mess watching that scene X'D

Sasayaku A. Rehtaef he laughs so hard he stealths

The laugher zone

do you know what episode is "what was my mother's name"?

@@DragonDyna2ty Episode 85

@@Pennywise128 Ah, what a ride that episode was...

C1 and C2 just have complete different energies, when in the future C3 rolls around I hope Liam is a barbarian and recreates Asura since he voiced him

Seeing the devastation on Sams face after he had to use that 9th level spell. I want to be in a campaign like that shit

And that is what made Veth/Nott so fantastic. Sam went from a character that failed to save Liam's to one that put everything else second(most of the campaign anyway).

1:14:50

Is there a hierarchy?

And I would have missed it entirely if the comments hadn't alerted me, since I usually listen while doing something else.

What makes this show is two wonderful things..... 1. Mercer is awesome. 2. They are all great friends and loved ones. Thats the best type of tabletop RP any one could ever have.

@@tonybradley2053 Agreed. I get so drawn in because of them playing of eachother being great friends. The Sam and Liam moment here is a great example of that. Also Laura joining in with the "oh no.....".

Right, honestly it still makes me weepy Seeing Sam get emotional got me emotional, but what made the tears flow was seeing Liam ALSO start crying Like both of them were feeling a lot of things and thinking "that's my best friend and I love him"

This is my #1 moment in the campaign, Travis' delivery and physicality in the moment, the voice... Just a masterwork of acting. Travis really embodies the role of Grog so well, Grog is "a simple minded hulk", but Travis understands that Intelligence and Emotional Intelligence are two completely different things and that Grog, while being statistically dumb as bricks, knows exactly what he's feeling. He's never confused by his emotions (except in the animated series in one very funny scene) and he's not afraid to admit them because he doesn't have those social blocks keeping him from expressing himself because he's actually not smart enough to understand that society has certain expectations on how "The Big Guy" should behave emotionally. Travis plays on this trope by reversing it, yea he's a raging madman who will literally skewer you with a sword through the taint, but he's also a giant bag of unfiltered feelings. Grog simply expresses what he feels and how it makes him feel, and that's the beauty of the character and the genius of Travis. Sorry for the essay :D

@@nuru666 I liked it. you explained how "wearing your heart on your sleeve" Works perfectly. Like how sams characters just seem to hit ya right in the hardspot and melt ya heart. Travis often hits ya right in the soft spot and makes you steel your heart.

@David Campbell 9th level

@David Campbell I am pretty sure Sam whispers I'm sorry, and then Liam goes "I'm not sorry" and Sam says I'm sorry again to which Liam says I'm not sorry again and then I think Liam says thank you.

@@kevinadam2945 Actually, Liam says "Don't be sorry, i love you." which is more heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time

I like how Vax says how "lucky" he's been to have known all of them, maybe a reference to his luck feat.

Watching that clip of Sam absolutely wrecked when he couldn't save Vax... it just now hit me, that had to be the nugget leading to Nott/Veth's protective instinct for Caleb in C2

Shortly after: Sam: "I'm sorry Liam." Liam: "It's okay. (mouthed) I love you." Sam: *breaks down in tears*

@@JT_1103 totally

Just watching Sam going from cockyness of the counterspell to the Realisation of what that consequences are going to be....... Him starting crying and then Liam just seeing Sam breaking down, and immediately starting to cry too......... Laura's reaction... Marishas..... Oh my feelings.

@@rabbitofd00m I don't think it was ever cockyness either, he knew the risks the entire time and what it meant to counterspell that last 9th level. It was stressful for everyone the entire time.

@@rabbitofd00m i didnt catch this watching it the first time, hell i didn't even catch what it meant watching this clip for the first time, i had to watch it back after reading the comments

timestamp please?

And Marisha and the others having a go at him. Save your action etc Sam knew what he was doing.

Watching him think it through to get to that moment is AMAzing. And play it off like "Oh, well..." so the surprise worked? *chef's kiss*

@@MorganBondelid its during the 3:34 section

Sam would probably say "Joke's on you. I'm into that shit."

Talisin is really good at delivering one liners/ one good moment. It is a cool style of improv for a group, someone to cap off a scene/joke.

he has a casual grace of delivery that is not predominant in improv. he sits back into what musicians might call "the pocket." it's lovely.

When was this?

Seems like that's when Joe realized how seriously some people take DnD. It's not just a game for people who play as seriously as CR does

@@yooooo8600 Are you familiar with Joe lmao

@@howarddn4499 Who the hell is Joe? *Ligma balls*

@@cianthompson966 Joe Manganiello. He was a guest player that was playing with CR crew on that day. He's a big actor and a HUGE dungeons and Dragons fan. He was in True Blood as a werewolf, and Magic Mike as well as a few other movies. He's also married to Sophia Vergara. She was a major character on the tv sitcom Modern Family. He even has a room in his huge house built specifically for his D&D games.

Bro do some research Joe plotted the theft of the Hand agonizingly in depth.

Still hurts

My god does anyone notice Taliesen's face throughout Vax's final goodbye?!

@@lancejedrickmaniquiz7547 He was on the edge of calling in the final part of the contract to try and fight her. You can really see the struggle.

He wasn't wrong though! I mean he did drugs in front of them, and Vex, with a passive perception of 24 didn't even ask if she noticed, cause she didn't care lol

Scanlan started out as a joke character so the other players continued to assume that his goofy/odd behaviors were setups for bigger jokes… … which, in a way, it was … (°cough°TARY°cough°)

@@deathwrow9652 Uh excuse me, but they *did* ask him. At least twice, and he deceived them with his massive deception checks.

@@Draezeth TWO whole fucking times... whoop whoop, i seriously care for this guy. 'are you alright? are you sure?'... 'ok, we good.'... yep. Point of fact not all interactions are checks some are just conversations... CRAZY, I know. Prying isnt caring.

@@sepho3070 if you think your friend is not doing well and they deceive you so well that you genuinely believe they are doing just fine despite what they’ve displayed, then exactly zero blame lies upon you. And yes, prying when it comes to drug use and poor mental health is absolutely caring. Scanlan was just so good at lying that he was able to convince everyone he was totally fine, and then blamed everyone else when they literally brought him back from death.

Absolutely

Ngl that shit broke me.

Take Walker Catch me laughing my ass of at the mansion scene and then sobbing immediately at the sight of “What’s my mother’s name”

@@dumbbluejay9525 Legit tho. I love how Sam is able to give real emotions. He wasnt lying. Yeah sure they cared about him but from Scandlens view for all the wrong reason. Just the line "what's my mother's name" Holy shit

Disgusting furry

100% that moment is the real #1. Scanlan leaving is the ultimate emotional moment of the show. Liam gets weepy every other episode but Sam pulling that out, I though he was really going through stuff in his life.

"I'm _in the bed,_ you motherfucker!" _"are you in there?!?"_ *"We're MARRIED!"* about @39:20

Actors, man! :D

Yes thank you EGWM!

wdym?

@@GeeGe. The Explorer's Guide to Wildemount made the critical role universe Canon in the d&d multiverse

@@JEST3R_ oh haha sure, thanks

...have you SEEN any of the other fights? People died. They took on Vecna... What? Did you see the first fight without Scanlan? They nearly all died, one did, one was going to be left behind if it wasn't for Percy... What? Grogs fight against his uncle was closer.

Just might be true... simply because Matt said he had so many epic spells he wanted to use... with that mans mind who knows what would’ve happened!! It wasn’t like she died quickly after this spell.. 😳👌

After the final battle against Raishan, as it played out in the episode, Scanlon is dead. Percy only barely avoided dying. The rest of the party was badly hurt. And that was without her full complement of spells for part of the battle. Imagine if she would have been able to cast spells the entire time. Now, for the sake of this discussion, I did not see the battle against the Kraken, which was the only major fight I missed. Against Kevdak, it was a nail-biter for sure, but there was one major difference: Vox Machina could have escaped and gone into hiding somewhere in the city if they'd had to. Against Raishan, in full control of her mental faculties, in her lair? Not a chance in hell to run away. That is why I rate that fight higher.

edh9999 agree..👍

@@aliince9372 Even though you are correct the vast majority of vocal critters warship Marisha. No point in trying to talk sense into them.

you mean nein yards

"Ahhhhh? Heyyyyy"

Highly doubt it since the animated series is only going to be about stuff that happened before the stream so I wouldn't hold my breath on that one.

@@metalgod9897 You may have realized or learned this by now, but the animated series occurs during the Briarwood Arc.

@@captainservoofzetasquad4509 You are absolutely correct, I was thinking of the comic. However even with 2 seasons I don't think it will go far enough to hit Grog learning the alphabet lol.

@@metalgod9897 I will be absolutely shocked if Amazon hasn't already renewed it for more seasons and they just haven't announced it yet. the first season did so well and the whole team wants more seasons

What even happened?

@@doc6427 he had talked with matt beforehand about using that 9th level spell for Wish, to save Liam's character once they defeated the big bad. the moment he realized all they'd worked for would be lost if the baddy got away, and that he could stop it, but it would mean not being able to save his friend. Matt's shock when sam announced counterspell says it all. As liam and the rest of the table gradually realized what happened... and sam cried... oh my goodness...

@@jamessteckel5379 honestly the first time i watched it i didn't pick up on it because the fight still happens. Wasn't until i saw this edited version just focusing on Sam and Liam and then it hit me right in the feels

That moment is the pinnacle of roleplaying games for me. A culmination of a 5-year friendship between characters and a crucial choice being made, leading to an otherwise sarcastic and silly man weeping because this has become real to him.

Vox Machina came to this fight prepared to fight a God. Scanlan was prepared to fight 2.

I love that when he shortens to LEG

Haha I'm sorry... I thought I'd lift the mood a bit by putting the funny moments after the tearjerkers. It is a bit of mood whiplash I know!

Scanlan probably went to bed crying after that event. Enjoy knowing that!

When Sam said “I have a plan and it involves us being cows” he stole my heart and i fell in love with Vox mochina

The most incredible thing about Sam is that Scanlan is the sort of selfish character to always act like he’s the “main character” or leader of the group... but he really feels like the main character sometimes

@@scepta101 obviously I know this isn't actually like this, but aspects like that help me reinforce the headcannon that all of campaign one was really just scanlon recounting the tales of vox machina

He is... The Critical Soul

And Sam Riegel said he never played D&D before Critical Role, but the other cast has.. Huh… I think maybe it’s how you play it, not how long have you been playing..

why was he crying? im sorry hdjdh i couldnt read that conversation at all

@@k.whatever9046 Sam was secretly going to use his 9th level spell on a Wish to bring Vax back. It was probably the only thing that could’ve saved him, but instead he had to use it to counterspell Vecna. He was crying because he finally realised there was no saving Vax, he was gone for good after the battle 🥲

@@k.whatever9046 Sam was saving his 9th level spell to cast Wish to try and release Vax from his bondage to The Raven Queen, thus negating the contract and possibly restoring Vax to *actual* living status (Vax was a Revenant for the last bit of the campaign.)

@@nuru666 sorry for the dumb question but couldn’t scanlan just have waited a day to get his slot back? Was it time sensitive?

@@abjaaksm Not a dumb question, and yea in a way it was. Matt knew better than to give Scanlan a Long Rest for story purposes, not only because he knew what Sam would try, but also because he knew Sam was going to try it anyways, they'd actually discussed it, which is why even Matt is floored when Sam uses that last 9th level slot for Counter Spell. Narratively speaking Vax *had* to die, and a God would take one look at Scanlan and read him like a book, so RQ knew what Scanlan was thinking, but also quite aware that he could actually throw a major monkey wrench into her plans, so she took Vax within a few hours of Vecna's defeat

I love it. He disconnects from reality for a second and when he tunes back in, Marisha's disappeared. "...holy FUCK!"

"Druid down!"

*That* man killed Vecna. The rest were just accessories compared to him.

Great acting. Hits you like a truck.

Great acting.

i really wasn't ready for that. Most of the time people say "aw this scene made me sad" I'm thinking "yeah I suppose so" but damn that was kinda freaking sick the way sam wasn't just the normal dramatic "you don't care about me" but freaking backed it up was like damn, damn damn damn

that whole part is so heart wrenching. That whole party are some damn fine actors cuz i know if that were me, i would have started crying after about 1 minute of that irl

Just Sam's cheer force... Feelings... Movements... Acting... The sound of his voice.... You know he's feeling it.... You know it's the truth... And just... It hits me.... It's so sad and it's so true.... And.... Ugh... I can't... I love them... It hurts....

Shame you kinda got spoiled for his character arc...but I guess it lead to you finding the show...but yeah...Vax's storyline is ROUGH.

@@AnxietyRat Yea it sucks that they had the end of his arc spoiled, but.... Fuck it, brought another critter into the fold, good enough for me. :D

Mine was Nott stabbing a baby manticore. 😂😂 I was like, what the fuck???? I kept seeing other random CR vids, and just had to check it out of curiosity. I've played RPG's my whole life, but I was wary of watching other people play D&D. So glad I decided to check it out, as CR is now my favourite thing ever.

It got me. Got me hard.

Yeah, broken is the word

@@kohakuaiko ?

And it just _gently_ floats past Liam.

Oh GOD are you planning to? Man, the spoilers... not that I can talk, I’ve spoiled everything for myself 🤣

I did it to myself too! I may or may not have gotten my cheeks wet while editing this video.....

Yea

@@yourstepdads6675 which cheeks?

@@somerandom7063 all of them

Keyleth is anything but humble, especially at this point lmao. Matt even discussed how he may have had to force Marisha to make a new character at some point in C1, because of how much Marisha was stalling amy character development.

@@u.s.s.chucklefucker1657 I agree with you btw just wondering when matt said this.

@@u.s.s.chucklefucker1657 Where did Matt say this? Keyleth had significant, albeit gradual, character growth throughout the campaign

Kerrek being the one to land the final blow is the cherry on top for me. He was, what, Level 7? To smash in the head of a dragon who loved terrorizing and looking down on the "ants," to show her what those ants could really do... Plenty of guests have gotten a HDYWTDT, but this one's my favorite.

@@seanmckibbin1205 it was the campaign wrap-up Talks Machina

why did he do that though

@@dimitrisdimitriadis4913 it was a blank page actually, but he was trying to show how massively they derailed the episode. Basically like "welp, they ain't gonna do anything of that today"

Just take all episodes. Put them together in one video and it's done. Everything is perfection, because it is true. True feelings. True friendships. True people

As someone who plays DnD regularly, you are 100% right