Latest news with #DarringtonPress
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
CRITICAL ROLE Snags 2 Former DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Leads for Team
There's no doubt that Critical Role and Dungeons & Dragons will always be inextricably linked. After all, Critical Role rose to its great fame thanks to its funny, compelling, and deeply narrative-driven Dungeons & Dragons Actual Play campaign videos, which viewers fell in love with. But, as Critical Role evolves, it continues to not only engage in games of D&D, but also to create its own TTRPG offerings. Most recently, Critical Role's company, Darrington Press, released Daggerheart, an original RPG. But Critical Role's adventures in the space show no signs of slowing, if its most recent hiring news is any indication. Critical Role and Darrington Press just brought on acclaimed game designers, Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford, who hail, you guessed it, from the world of Wizards of the Coast and Dungeons & Dragons. Has the student become the master? Or in this case, the player become the game designer? Will Critical Role become Dungeons and Dragons? A release from Critical Role shares that 'legendary, world-renowned game designers Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford, [are] joining its publishing arm, Darrington Press, to help further its mission to create shared experiences through rich and imaginative storytelling. Perkins and Crawford will be focused on developing new game concepts, innovative mechanics, and future iterations, including upcoming expansions involving the entire slate of Darrington Press products.' RELATED ARTICLE Dive Into DAGGERHEART's Ancestry Element and Meet Clanks (Exclusive Core Rulebook Reveal) Travis Willingham, CEO and Co-founder of Critical Role, shares the following about the new Dungeons and Dragons additions to the team, 'Jeremy and Chris are visionaries. They've guided much of this golden age of TTRPG design and philosophy, helping shape the way we play, connect, and imagine together. Their creativity, passion, and heart will only elevate everything we do at Darrington Press, and we couldn't be more excited for what this means for the Critters and the stories we continue to tell.' Perkins and Crawford are both former leads in the world of Dungeons & Dragons, and worked as Game Architect and Lead Designer for Dungeons & Dragons until very recently. Perkins left Wizards of the Coast in May, whereas Crawford left in April. Perkins had worked for Dungeons & Dragons for 28 years and Crawford for 18 at the time of their departure. And now we know what they left Dungeons & Dragons behind for Critical Role. It's a fascinating choice and one that will surely rock the TTRPG world. But, in many ways, Critical Role could be seen as the next horizon of fantasy gameplay. Whatever happens next, Critical Role will surely benefit from Perkins and Crawford's many years of Dungeons and Dragons-honed experience. 'Storytelling has always been at the heart of everything I do, and joining Darrington Press feels a bit like coming home,' said Perkins, Creative Director of Darrington Press. 'I've loved being a part of the extended Critical Role family as a regular guest over the years, and I'm beyond excited to help create new worlds full of adventure.' RELATED ARTICLE Inside Universal Fan Fest Nights DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: SECRETS OF WATERDEEP Meanwhile, Crawford, Game Director of Darrington Press, shares, 'I've always believed that great games invite everyone to the table, and that's exactly what excites me about joining Darrington Press. This team is passionate, wildly creative, and committed to building welcoming, connected, amazing story-driven experiences—I can't wait to expand on what Critical Role has already created to develop some really fun and unique games.' Like we said, Critical Role and Dungeons & Dragons, they'll always be entwined.
Gizmodo
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Jeremy Crawford and Chris Perkins Have Jumped Ship From ‘Dungeons & Dragons' to ‘Critical Role'.
Critical Role may have built its years of blockbuster success out of Dungeons & Dragons, but at this point the actual-play streamer's success has grown well beyond the game, from animated series to its own tabletop games. But now it's taken an even bigger step: by recruiting two of the biggest names of contemporary D&D design. This morning Critical Role confirmed that Jeremy Crawford, Wizards of the Coasts' former D&D principle rules designer, and Chris Perkins, former D&D senior story designer, had both joined the company's in-house gaming publisher, Darrington Press, to 'to help further its mission to create shared experiences through rich and imaginative storytelling.' Up until earlier this year, Crawford and Perkins had been two of the most prominent public faces at Wizards of the Coast when it came to D&D. They were stalwarts at the company for decades, and major creative figures who charted the game's design through creation of its 5th edition in 2014, D&D's monumental surge in popularity in the last decade, and then the release of the revised core ruleset for the game to mark its 50th anniversary. Perkins announced his departure from Wizards back in April, with Crawford announcing his own departure shortly after. 'Jeremy and Chris are visionaries,' Travis Willingham, Critical Role co-founder and CEO, said in a statement to press. 'They've guided much of this golden age of TTRPG design and philosophy, helping shape the way we play, connect, and imagine together. Their creativity, passion, and heart will only elevate everything we do at Darrington Press, and we couldn't be more excited for what this means for the Critters and the stories we continue to tell.' There's no details about Crawford and Perkins' current duties at Darrington Press, whether it involves management of the host of current games from the publisher or development of an entirely new one, but it's a wild changing of the guard that will see one of the biggest examples of D&D's massive growth over the past decade take on Wizards of the Coast so directly by taking on two of its most prominent contemporary architects.
Los Angeles Times
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Why Dungeons & Dragons storytelling duo signed with Critical Role
Cartoons, comic books, video games and now tabletop games. The team at Critical Role Productions, the entertainment company that grew out of the web series 'Critical Role,' featuring voice actors playing Dungeons & Dragons, continues to expand its media footprint with its newest hires — former Wizards of the Coast game gurus Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford. Perkins and Crawford, who led the Dungeons & Dragons design team for decades, have literally helped write the books on the most popular role-playing game in history. Perkins was the creative director for Dungeons & Dragons, overseeing the story direction, while Crawford was the game director, overseeing the rules. Their departure from the game publisher Wizards of the Coast earlier this year had fans wondering what their next move would be. Now the news is out that they will be joining Critical Role's Darrington Press game division. 'I was committed to staying with Wizards until after D&D's 50th anniversary, which gave me lots of time to work on succession planning and exit strategies,' Perkins said. 'What brought me out of retirement was the chance to work with Jeremy and the brilliant folks at Critical Role on things that have a lasting, positive impact on the world.' 'Chris and I talked about his retirement plan for years, so his approaching departure was long on my mind. When we sent the new D&D rule books to the printer last year, I felt it was time to explore a new chapter for myself,' Crawford said. 'I love the game and its team, but 18 years is a long time. I was ready for a new adventure. The chapter that we've now opened feels like coming home — resuming work with Chris and returning to Southern California.' Darrington Press CEO Travis Willingham, also a voice actor, stressed the importance of landing the game masters and what it could mean for the growth of this side of the Critical Role company. 'They are two of the biggest names that we're certainly aware of and that have influenced TTRPGs and the games that we played,' said Willingham, using the acronym for tabletop role-playing games. 'When we first caught wind that they were thinking about taking time off from where they were at,' Willingham continued, 'we said, 'Hey, listen, we're over here making cool nerdy things. If it's ever of interest to come over to Critical Role and mess around with what we're doing, we would love to have a conversation.' When you look at the opportunity to bring in 15, 17 years of experience, pedigree, pipeline, timeline, management, all of those things from really the granddaddy system of them all, that is always extremely interesting. It's a chance to level up everyone around here as well.' That mutual respect and a longtime friendship is what drew Perkins and Crawford to Darrington Press. 'Critical Role creates wonderful entertainment that is deeply meaningful to the people who work there and to fans around the world,' Perkins said. 'What brought me out of retirement was the chance to work with Jeremy and the brilliant folks at Critical Role on things that have a lasting, positive impact on the world.' 'Chris and I have had the pleasure of working with and befriending members of Critical Role over the last 10 years, and we've long admired their work and spirit,' Crawford said. 'When they approached us about joining them, we happily said yes. It meant we could continue our creative partnership in a company whose mission and people we believe in.' Beyond the Monopoly generation, tabletop games have seen a rise in popularity with titles like Settlers of Catan (now just Catan) and others. To continue that rise, Perkins and Crawford believe there have to be more people involved in not only playing, but creating the games. 'First, we believe there's strength in diversity,' Perkins and Crawford said in a joint email response to follow-up questions about their plans. 'Diverse creators and diverse games help to create an industry that feels more inviting to everyone. The more people we welcome into the proverbial tent, the more powerful the industry becomes. 'Second, we think it's important for the industry to acknowledge that friendly, introductory experiences are important for onboarding new generations of gamers. Third, we hope the industry never loses the joy of play. So many of us became game designers, game masters and players because of the spark of joy we felt when we first tried a role-playing game. Let's continue to fan that spark into a flame that fills everything we do with infectious delight.' So, are there already ideas brewing for Darrington and the duo? 'Oh, heaven's yes!,' Perkins said. And that's about all they'd say about that.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Critical Role's Matt Mercer says the new game 'Daggerheart' is a 'major part' of the business's future
Critical Role launched "Daggerheart" — its own tabletop roleplaying game system — on May 20. The team's eight cofounders are going all-in for a splashy promo for the game, "Age of Umbra." There's a lot riding on "Daggerheart's" success — and CCO Matt Mercer says it'll be a "major part" of the team's future. Critical Role, the nerdworld business that has sold out stadium shows in and outside the US, just launched its new game, "Daggerheart," after more than a year of beta testing. The team's cofounders rolled out the game on-stream on May 20, kicking off a new era for the business's game-making arm, Darrington Press. "Daggerheart" plays like a sophisticated, modern answer to the 50-year-old "Dungeons & Dragons" — the Hasbro-owned game that first made CR nerdworld-famous. Now, the eight CR cofounders run a multi-division business that spans live shows and streaming, podcasting, Amazon-backed animations, gaming, and publishing. The "Daggerheart" starter kit comes with a 366-page rulebook, around the same length as the main "D&D" rulebook. The core set comes with 279 player cards. Unlike "D&D," CR's "Daggerheart" involves the use of a card system that outlines each character's backstory and history. Matthew Mercer, CR's chief creative officer, told Business Insider that the process of creating Daggerheart has been a "wild and rewarding journey." "The scale of collaboration between both studying what elements of TTRPG gaming we've all been drawn to, and then implementing those lessons into a new game system has been a whole host of new challenges and unexpected revelations along the entire process," Mercer said. "There's still so much more to come, and Daggerheart will most definitely be a major part of CR's future and content alongside everything else we've been working on," he added. The eight cofounders are using other arms of the company to promote "Daggerheart." They're releasing an eight-part miniseries where they'll all be at the table, playing the game. It's titled "Age of Umbra," a dark fantasy-themed adventure that premieres on May 29. Mercer told BI "Age of Umbra" is a marked departure from Exandria, the high fantasy setting that CR has been streaming in for its main campaign for 10 years. Mercer said guiding the seven other cofounders, who've been playing "D&D" on-stream for a decade, was easier than he expected. "We intentionally designed the game to be quite intuitive, and while there's always a learning curve to any new system — especially if you're having to unlearn habits from other game systems — everyone ultimately slipped into the game rapidly and comfortably," he said. Spenser Starke, the lead game designer for "Daggerheart," told BI that the game has been built for narrative-focused play, but it also has the latitude for "cinematic combat." "The most challenging part of designing the game for me was trying to ensure all the mechanics felt balanced and locked together at every level to create a cohesive game," Starke said. The player cards, Starke said, were a high-priority item for the development team, particularly the ancestry, community, and subclass cards — elements that go into character creation. CR's Darrington Press created "Daggerheart" in-house, meaning Starke and his crew of designers built the book to the final stages of production, overseeing everything from art to the last edits. One of the later additions to the rulebook that Starke and his team made was campaign frames, a quick-start method for new players to get their home games going. "The design team spent so much time, effort, and energy putting that chapter together, and I'm really proud of what we created," Starke said. "We're truly so excited for people to take the format for campaign frames and start building their own." Starke and Mercer also teased that there'll be more updates coming down the pipe soon. "We can't announce anything officially, but know we are working every day on new, exciting stuff for 'Daggerheart,'" Starke said. Read the original article on Business Insider Sign in to access your portfolio
Business Insider
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Critical Role's Matt Mercer says the new game 'Daggerheart' is a 'major part' of the business's future
Critical Role, the nerdworld business that has sold out stadium shows in and outside the US, just launched its new game, "Daggerheart," after more than a year of beta testing. The team's cofounders rolled out the game on-stream on May 20, kicking off a new era for the business's game-making arm, Darrington Press. "Daggerheart" plays like a sophisticated, modern answer to the 50-year-old "Dungeons & Dragons" — the Hasbro-owned game that first made CR nerdworld-famous. Now, the eight CR cofounders run a multi-division business that spans live shows and streaming, podcasting, Amazon-backed animations, gaming, and publishing. The "Daggerheart" starter kit comes with a 366-page rulebook, around the same length as the main "D&D" rulebook. The core set comes with 279 player cards. Unlike "D&D," CR's "Daggerheart" involves the use of a card system that outlines each character's backstory and history. Matthew Mercer, CR's chief creative officer, told Business Insider that the process of creating Daggerheart has been a "wild and rewarding journey." "The scale of collaboration between both studying what elements of TTRPG gaming we've all been drawn to, and then implementing those lessons into a new game system has been a whole host of new challenges and unexpected revelations along the entire process," Mercer said. "There's still so much more to come, and Daggerheart will most definitely be a major part of CR's future and content alongside everything else we've been working on," he added. The eight cofounders are using other arms of the company to promote "Daggerheart." They're releasing an eight-part miniseries where they'll all be at the table, playing the game. It's titled "Age of Umbra," a dark fantasy-themed adventure that premieres on May 29. Mercer told BI "Age of Umbra" is a marked departure from Exandria, the high fantasy setting that CR has been streaming in for its main campaign for 10 years. Mercer said guiding the seven other cofounders, who've been playing "D&D" on-stream for a decade, was easier than he expected. "We intentionally designed the game to be quite intuitive, and while there's always a learning curve to any new system — especially if you're having to unlearn habits from other game systems — everyone ultimately slipped into the game rapidly and comfortably," he said. Designing 'Daggerheart' Spenser Starke, the lead game designer for "Daggerheart," told BI that the game has been built for narrative-focused play, but it also has the latitude for "cinematic combat." "The most challenging part of designing the game for me was trying to ensure all the mechanics felt balanced and locked together at every level to create a cohesive game," Starke said. The player cards, Starke said, were a high-priority item for the development team, particularly the ancestry, community, and subclass cards — elements that go into character creation. CR's Darrington Press created "Daggerheart" in-house, meaning Starke and his crew of designers built the book to the final stages of production, overseeing everything from art to the last edits. One of the later additions to the rulebook that Starke and his team made was campaign frames, a quick-start method for new players to get their home games going. "The design team spent so much time, effort, and energy putting that chapter together, and I'm really proud of what we created," Starke said. "We're truly so excited for people to take the format for campaign frames and start building their own." Starke and Mercer also teased that there'll be more updates coming down the pipe soon. "We can't announce anything officially, but know we are working every day on new, exciting stuff for 'Daggerheart,'" Starke said.
