It has been four months since the death of Teor Pridesire. As well as being one of Critical Role campaign 4‘s biggest story beats to date, it also structurally changed the Dungeons and Dragons game. Three tables became two. And, personally, I think the campaign is a lot more watchable for it.
For a while now, Critical Role campaign four has had a problem of breadth. Expecting 13 actors, however talented, to share a spotlight means some characters fall to the wayside. There’s fewer chances to build relationships with a split party, and that lessens investment in their development. Basically, the more characters there are to keep up with, the less time I have to learn to love them.
I mentioned this problem in a recent op ed about the campaign’s budding romances. Tyranny and Wick’s emotional relationship is engrossing, because they spent a lot of time at the same table, building up to a shared story beat. In contrast, Murray and Kattigan’s romance, which bloomed while the two spent months at entirely different tables, felt rushed and flat. The storylines actively suffer when players don’t have a chance to collaborate.
What’s worse, before the Convergence arc, many characters had no relationship at all. Hal and Tyranny were basically strangers until the Soldiers table disbanded. Heck, in last week’s episode, Occtis literally pointed out how little reason characters like Bolaire and Kattigan have to care about him.
Kattigan quickly followed this up by instigating a personal moment between him and the Wizard. And there lies the hidden benefit of reducing table count. The Convergence, and the more intimate tables that followed, have been a chance for the party to really get to know each other.
This has indirectly solved a lot of the campaign’s other problems. There are no longer any ‘background’ characters in the party. Quieter team members like Vaelus and Kattigan are thrust to the forefront more often. Both have had more character moments than ever post-Convergence, and it makes me care about them far more.
Plus, there have been zero filler episodes since The Convergence. This has more to do with the careful planning of Brennan Lee Mulligan, but jumping between fewer tables certainly keeps our attention on the action.
For me, Critical Role does its best storytelling when it focuses on character dynamics in great detail. Episode 39 didn’t do much to advance the plot, but the relationship development is what made it a delight to watch. Not every episode can be about the power of friendship, but I’d like to see this attention to detail – to characters as individuals – continue.
That’s why, when Occtis chose to be a Wizard instead of a Lord, and not to create a new table, I breathed a sigh of relief. It’s why I believe 13 players is simply too many cooks. This current arc has 11 players (while Aabria Iyengar takes some leave). It could support 12, with six players at each table, but I don’t think it can support 13.
That means somebody must be cut, and I’m afraid it’s you, Travis Willingham. Teor Pridesire was the least directly relevant to the overall story. A new character would likely be more involved, but if I have to choose between the current cast and a character that doesn’t exist yet, I know which way I’m leaning.
Travis recently admitted he hadn’t prepared a back-up character yet, or thought about re-entering the campaign. Personally, I hope his return never comes. It’s nothing against him as an actor or a person. I’d just like campaign four to be slightly less ambitious, not more.
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Source: Wargamer
