Looking for the technical breakdown of the show? We've got you covered with the Legend of Vox Machina release date, voice cast, and where to watch!
So — you’re here because you want to watch The Legend of Vox Machina.
This week, the hugely popular Critical Role brand takes its game to the next level — literally — with the debut of The Legend of Vox Machina, an animated series based on stories from the original campaign that started it all. And while the trailer promises a fun, exciting, hilarious, and (very) adult story, you might be wondering if you should tune in. After all, a quick search of Critical Role shows 115 episodes of Dungeons & Dragons gameplay over a five-year period. Add in the fact that these games are usually anywhere from 3-4 hours long, that the characters boast complicated histories and backstories, and that the entire campaign spans at least five different story arcs, and it’s easy to feel like you might, like Vox Machina, be walking into something you’re completely unprepared for.
That’s why IGN is here to help.
The Basics
Currently in its recently-launched third campaign (Vox Machina was the first, The Mighty Nein was the second), Critical Role features friends and voice actors Laura Bailey, Travis Willingham, Marisha Ray, Ashley Johnson, Sam Riegel, Liam O’Brien, Taliesin Jaafe, and Matthew Mercer. The origin of the group came from something simple: a living room Dungeons & Dragons game. A few years in, connections led Mercer to Felicia Day who at the time was running the multimedia production company Geek & Sundry. Primarily a YouTube and Twitch channel, Geek & Sundry had been acquired by Legendary Entertainment and Day thought that Mercer could try streaming their home game on Twitch for interested viewers — if he was willing. He was and the rest, as they say, is history — history that turned into a weekly streamed role-playing show that currently airs every Thursday night with hundreds of devoted fans watching along.
In 2018, having gained immense popularity in both the pop culture world and gaming world, Critical Role spun off into their own company, becoming their own multimedia corporation composed of original shows, a YouTube and Twitch channel, and an entire brand based around “a group of nerdy-ass voice actors who sit around and play Dungeons and Dragons.” When the company launched a Kickstarter in 2019, they anticipated reaching a modest amount of $750,000 — what would allow them to create a 22-minute animated special based on their first Vox Machina campaign. Within literal minutes, the team had blown past their initial goal, going on to raise more than $10 million dollars and becoming the fifth most-successful Kickstarter campaign ever. The animated special, in tandem, grew to become an animated series which Amazon picked up and greenlit two seasons of, expanding the original episode count from 10 to 14 — 24 episodes of television overall.
Is The Legend of Vox Machina Series Accessible To New Fans?
The Legend of Vox Machina centers on a group of ragtag adventurers: half-elf twins Vax’ildan and Vex’ahlia (O’Brien and Bailey), the gnome bard Scanlan (Riegel), the human gunslinger Percy (Jaafe), the barbarian Grog (Willingham), the half-elf druid Keyleth (Ray), the gnome cleric Pike (Johnson). The first two episodes are a completely original, new story that serve to introduce viewers to the world of Exandria and to these adventurers. And because of that, the show is entirely accessible to people who aren’t devoted fans of Critical Role. While there are certainly plenty of fandom in-jokes and easter eggs that longtime viewers will benefit from, you don’t have to be a devoted member of the fandom to enjoy the series, the crux of which is built on the characters and their relationship with each other.
Even better — you don’t have to even have to understand Dungeons & Dragons in order to watch the show. The benefit of taking a table game to an animated world is that you’re not watching a Dungeon Master explain dice rolls and spells. That’s not to say there aren’t specific D&D elements scattered throughout the story — this is, after all, a show based on a role playing game — but you won’t be confused about anything happening if you don’t play yourself. Think of Legend of Vox Machina as less of a show adapted from a Dungeons & Dragons campaign and more like an animated adult fantasy show, and you’ll go in feeling much more confident about enjoying it.
What Part of the Vox Machina Story Are We Following in the Prime Video Series?
For those who want a little more primer, you should know that the first season will follow what’s known as the “Briarwood arc,” arguably one of the most popular storylines of the campaign. The Briarwood arc focuses on the character of Percy, who travels to the town of Whitestone to avenge the death of his parents with the help of Vox Machina. The main Briarwood antagonists are Lord Silas and Lady Delilah, who become long-lasting antagonists across the Critical Role campaign — which is why this arc is a good one for a series entry point!
For those who are feeling really daring, you can go back and listen to the entire 15-episode arc, which starts at episode 24 and goes until 38. (Given that Critical Role started in the middle of an arc due to the way they began streaming, you won’t miss too much if you want to prep yourself with some backstory — in fact, it might almost feel like a fresh beginning!) But if you prefer to go in blind, or even with just a little bit of background, you shouldn’t worry. The Legend of Vox Machina has been perfectly tailored to delight new and old fans alike, and even if you’re not a Dungeons & Dragons player, you’re likely to find something you love amidst this adventure of found family and magical spells.
After all, found family was what made Critical Role a hit in the first place — and now, they’re welcoming you into the fold.
