Matthew Mercer’s new Critical Role campaign proves D&D fans need to try Daggerheart
Critical Role has launched Age of Umbra: Sallowlands, a gothic new campaign that arrived following its announcement in May. The campaign introduces a fresh setting in The Halcyon Domain and features a new ensemble cast including Baldur’s Gate 3 star Jennifer English and House of the Dragon actor Abubakar Salim.
The campaign’s release offers a cultural moment for tabletop RPG fans to reconsider Daggerheart alongside the traditionally dominant Dungeons & Dragons. Polygon’s coverage emphasizes that the new Critical Role content serves as a reminder that the TTRPG community has meaningful alternatives beyond D&D’s established framework.
This launch builds on Critical Role’s significant historical role in popularizing tabletop gaming. Since Geek & Sundry’s 2015 broadcast of Campaign 1: Vox Machina, the show has played a key role in introducing mainstream audiences to TTRPGs and Wizards of the Coast’s Dungeons & Dragons.
The arrival of Sallowlands demonstrates both the continued strength of the Critical Role franchise and a growing recognition within gaming culture of the diversity available in modern tabletop roleplaying systems and experiences.