Critical Role Campaign 4 is officially starting on October 2, and in a shocking twist, Brennan Lee Mulligan will be the GM for the entire series. Matt Mercer will be stepping into the player's seat in favor of Mulligan in the next Critical Role campaign, though it is currently unclear if it will use the Dungeons and Dragons or Daggerheart system.

critical role campaign 4 brennan lee mulligan dm

The third campaign of Critical Role wrapped up on February 6, bringing some drastic changes to the world of Exandria with it. In the subsequent months, Critical Role has done different miniseries, one-shots, and live shows, but news about its fourth full campaign has been elusive thus far.

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Brennan Lee Mulligan is GM of Critical Role Campaign 4

Now, Critical Role has pulled back the curtain on Campaign 4, and thrown fans some big curveballs in the process. During the first Critical Role Direct at the Indianapolis live show on August 2, Critical Role confirmed Campaign 4 would begin on Thursday, October 2. However, this new campaign will differ in many ways – most notably, that Brennan Lee Mulligan will be the dungeon master for the entire game, rather than long-time dungeon master Matt Mercer.

Mulligan is known for his comedy and improv work with Dropout, including Dimension 20, its own TTRPG actual play series. That said, he has previously guest starred as a DM in Critical Role’s Exandria Unlimited series. Mercer has likewise appeared on Dimension 20, and will still be a part of Campaign 4, albeit as a player, ostensibly alongside the rest of the core cast members. Dimension 20 fans need not fear; Mulligan confirmed in a thread on Bluesky that he recently signed a three-year contract with Dropout, so he will still be appearing on Dimension 20 simultaneously with C ritical Role.

For fans of Dimension 20, ya boy *also* just signed a new long-term contract for non-stop new seasons of D20 (just finished up shooting one of my favorite SideQuest seasons of all time and we’re gearing up for TWO brand new Intrepid Hero Seasons!) -- — Brennan Lee Mulligan (@brennanleemulligan.bsky.social) 2025-08-02T23:43:23.846Z

There are still plenty of mysteries about Campaign 4. The teaser trailer mentioned a new story and a new world, implying it might not be a direct continuation of the story of Exandria after the story of Bells Hells. More information about the characters, setting, potential guests, and whether it will use D&D or Critical Role's new Daggerheart TTRPG system will be coming in the months ahead of the campaign’s start.

critical role campaign 4 brennan lee mulligan dm announcement

This wasn’t the only thing Critical Role announced this week. During Gen Con, it announced tons of exciting stuff for Daggerheart, including a Homebrew Kit, a “Romantasy” campaign frame, a second season for Age of Umbra, and two new campaign settings: one designed by Eberron creator Keith Baker, and another made by former Dungeons and Dragons directors Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford. Needless to say, it has been a great weekend for Critters.

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Critical Role Poster
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Release Date
March 12, 2015
Network
YouTube TV
Showrunner
Brandon Auman
Directors
Marisha Ray
Writers
Sam Riegel
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    Matthew Mercer
    Trist
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    Gern Blanston
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    Travis Willingham
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    Laura Bailey
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Creator(s)
Ashley Johnson, Sam Riegel, Taliesin Jaffe, Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, Matthew Mercer