Summary

  • Age of Umbra is Critical Role's first Daggerheart campaign in a dark fantasy world with Hope and Fear mechanics.
  • Critical Role launches Daggerheart TTRPG on May 20, offering a new narrative-focused system.
  • Age of Umbra's eight-part series premieres May 29, featuring the core cast of Critical Role in a unique campaign format.

Critical Role has announced Age of Umbra, its first official Daggerheart campaign series set in an original, grimdark setting. The first episode of this eight-part Daggerheart miniseries premieres on Twitch, YouTube, and Beacon on May 29, and marks the largest non-Dungeons and Dragons project Critical Role has done to date.

Daggerheart is a brand-new TTRPG designed by Critical Role that officially launches on May 20. This narrative-focused system uses special d12s featuring a Hope and Fear mechanic that allows both the GM and the players to influence the game in unexpected ways. Critical Role has done several one-shots using this system so far, but has yet to do any long-form actual play campaigns with it.

What to Expect Critical Role Daggerheart
What to Expect From Critical Role's Daggerheart TTRPG

Critical Role's upcoming TTRPG Daggerheart is offering an interesting blend of mechanics and a real challenge to Dungeons and Dragons.

By 

Now, that is about to change. Critical Role has officially announced Age of Umbra, an eight-part Daggerheart miniseries featuring the core cast of Critical Role, including game master Matthew Mercer and players Ashley Johnson, Laura Bailey, Liam O’Brien, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, Taliesin Jaffe, and Travis Willingham. Fans can enjoy this series on Twitch, YouTube, or Critical Role’s Beacon streaming service on Thursdays at 7 PM PT starting May 29, though they can also catch a special Session Zero episode the week before on May 22.

Critical Role Age of Umbra Daggerheart Campaign Release Schedule

AGE OF UMBRA is a new 8-episode #Daggerheart series coming May 29th to Beacon, Twitch, and YouTube! GM and Age of Umbra designer Matthew Mercer leads the #CriticalRole founders through a dark, survival fantasy undertaking, in which small communities hold fast against the darkness of a dying world. — Critical Role (@criticalrole.bsky.social) 2025-05-12T16:05:38.976Z
  • May 22 – Session Zero
  • May 29 – Episode 1
  • June 5 – Episode 2
  • June 12 – Episode 3
  • June 19 – Episode 4
  • June 26 – Episode 5
  • July 3 – No Episode (4th of July)
  • July 10 – Episode 6
  • July 17 – Episode 7
  • July 24 – Episode 8 (Finale)

Age of Umbra takes place in the eponymous dark fantasy setting introduced in the Daggerheart Core Set. In this godless world, known as the Halcyon Domain, the dead return as horrible monsters, and a dark void known as the Umbra threatens to corrupt all it touches, with Sacred Pyres, guarded by small, insular communities, the only thing keeping the darkness at bay. The campaign will initially focus on the characters played by Riegel, Ray, Jaffe, Willingham, and Johnson from the community of Desperloch, with Bailey and O'Brien ostensibly joining them partway through the adventure.

The format Critical Role is using for Age of Umbra is especially noteworthy. While it has done miniseries in the past, such as Exandria Unlimited or the recent Wildemount Wildlings, few have had more than four episodes or used a system other than Dungeons and Dragons, and fewer still take place in worlds beyond the setting of the major campaigns. In truth, Age of Umbra seems to be more in the format of Dimension 20 – the Dropout actual play series featuring seasons of smaller, mostly unconnected stories and settings.

While this likely doesn’t mean Critical Role is doing away with the long, 100+ episode sagas Critters are familiar with, there have yet to be any announcements regarding a fourth campaign. Fans will likely have to wait until Age of Umbra finishes on July 24 to find out what’s next for Critical Role.

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Critical Role
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Fantasy
Adventure
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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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Cast

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  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Matthew Mercer
    Trist
  • Cast Placeholder Image
    Sam Riegel
    Gern Blanston
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    Travis Willingham
    Wrigley Rincon (Rigglemethis89)
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    Laura Bailey
    The Queen of Hearts
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Creator(s)
Ashley Johnson, Sam Riegel, Taliesin Jaffe, Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, Matthew Mercer
Seasons
4
Story By
sam riegel
Streaming Service(s)
YouTube, Twitch