CRITICAL ROLE Announces Campaign 4 & NEW GM Brennan Lee Mulligan (Matt Mercer ‘Takes Breather’)

Okay, Critters, we’re gonna need you to take some deep breaths with us. Yes, inhale, hold, exhale. Breathe. We know there is a lot of Critical Role excitement in the air, and also many ch-ch-ch-anges, and that can make it hard to remember to do anything but flail in delight. Because, YES, Critical Role has officially announced Campaign 4 is rolling toward you soon. And YES, Critical Role Campaign 4 will feature a NEW Game Master for the first time in the beloved franchise’s main campaign continuity. Hold onto your dice, friends, Exandrians, and countrymen, Matt Mercer will NOT be the GM of Critical Role campaign 4. Instead, creative powerhouse and masterful world builder Brennan Lee Mulligan will be taking on the role of Game Master in Critical Role‘s fourth campaign. Yes, BREATHE. Breathe. Let’s break all this exciting Critical Role news down.

Brennan Lee Mulligan Will Be Game Master of Critical Role Campaign 4

Critical Role Campaign 4 will be releasing on Thursday, October 2. And when it does, a brand new Game Master will enter the world of Critical Role‘s core campaign for the very first time. Yes, celebrated actual play creator and storyteller Brennan Lee Mulligan will be taking over for long-time Critical Role Game Master, the beloved Matt Mercer. Those are big shoes to fill. But if anyone is qualified to helm Critical Role in the wake of Matt Mercer, it’s Brennan Lee Mulligan. Brennan Lee Mulligan has made a massive name for himself in the world of Dungeons & Dragons actual play, heading up Dropout’s intensely popular series Dimension 20 as well as his own popular podcast Worlds Beyond Number.

Critical Role reveals that Brennan Lee Mulligan will “step into the Game Master seat for the full duration of Campaign 4, bringing his signature depth, humor, wit, and high-stakes drama to Critical Role’s next grand adventure.”

Travis Willingham on Critical Role‘s New Game Master

Speaking about the new Game Master coming to Critical Role‘s world, Travis Willingham, CEO, co-founder, and cast member of Critical Role shares, “We’ve been enormous fans of Brennan’s for many years now, and when it came to giving both Matthew Mercer and the world of Exandria a bit of a breather, Brennan felt like the perfect storyteller to take our community somewhere entirely new.”

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Willingham adds, “Critical Role has always been about genuine connection through storytelling first and foremost, and as Brennan himself will tell you, he’s still played more TTRPGs away from a camera than in front of it. His passion and drive for worldbuilding is infectious, and it’s been an absolute joy to spark off him as we forge ahead.”

Brennan Lee Mulligan on Taking Over as Critical Role‘s GM

Mulligan, of course, is also no stranger to the Critical Role world. He was the Game Master of three Critical Role productions: Exandria Unlimited: Calamity, Critical Role: Downfall, and Exandria Unlimited: Divergence. And he does not take the gift of the position lightly. Mulligan shares, “What a gift, a privilege and an honor to be invited behind the screen of Critical Role for this next epic adventure. Every collaboration we have had together has brought nothing but sheer joy, and Campaign 4 will be no exception. I’m finally playing *almost* as much tabletop as I’d like to!”

We can’t wait to see where this will go.

Will Matt Mercer Be a Part of Critical Role Campaign 4?

But where does all of this leave Matt Mercer, who has helmed Critical Role‘s core campaigns for ten years now? Well, as Willingham shared earlier in the piece, it sounds like Matt Mercer might need a bit of a Critical Role Game Master breather. Willingham notes, “When it came to giving both Matthew Mercer and the world of Exandria a bit of a breather, Brennan felt like the perfect storyteller to take our community somewhere entirely new.”

But does that mean Matt Mercer won’t be a part of Critical Role campaign four at all? Not necessarily! We don’t know what a breather means exactly. And it could be that Mercer wants to join in on the game instead of running it. Being Game Master is a lot of work. If Mercer did join Critical Role as a player, it would mark the first time he’ll get to do a full campaign as a player/character in the 10 years of Critical Role. We bet fans would love that.

Of course, there is always the possibility that Matt Mercer will not be involved in Campaign 4 of Critical Role. But we suppose, after 10 years, we’d understand that too!

When Will Critical Role Campaign 4 Release?

Campaign 4 of Critical Role will release on October 2. It will premiere with instant access on Beacon.tv as well as streamed to Critical Role’s YouTube and Twitch channels on October 2. The VOD of Campaign 4 will available for everyone the following Monday and podcast episodes available in two parts: the first one week after the premiere of the episode, and the second on the following Tuesday. Beacon members will also get exclusive access to all episodes of Critical Role Cooldown for Campaign 4, where the cameras keep rolling and you get a front row seat to the cast’s post-show reactions.

What Do We Know About Critical Role Campaign 4?

We don’t know too much about what Campaign 4 of Critical Role will entail, no details about its plot, characters, or setting have been revealed. What we do know is that will be an all new chapter in the world of Critical Role. Here’s what the official release had to say about Critical Role Campaign 4, “Following the beloved sagas of Vox Machina (Campaign 1), The Mighty Nein (Campaign 2), and Bells Hells (Campaign 3), Critical Role’s new campaign represents a bold evolution for the franchise, ushering in a new era with new legends to be forged in a brand new world.”

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Marisha Ray, Creative Director, co-founder, and cast member of Critical Role expounds on the description, sharing, “We’re not just turning a page – we’re starting a whole new book,” added “Everything about Campaign 4 is fresh; new world, new tone, new possibilities. We can’t wait for the fans to experience what we’ve been building.”

Who Will Be Part of Critical Role Campaign 4’s Cast?

We do not yet know who will be a part of Critical Role Campaign 4’s cast except for Game Master Brennan Lee Mulligan. Further details – including cast, the world, game system, format, and more – will be revealed in the months to come. Go to Critical Role’s website or follow along on Instagram at @Critical_Role to stay up-to-date.

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Critical Role Campaign 4, here we come.