Critical Role is an American web series where a group of professional voice actors play the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). The show began streaming in March 2015 and features campaigns set in a fantasy world called Exandria, created by the Dungeon Master Matthew Mercer. Each campaign follows a different group of adventurers through long-form, improvisational storytelling using D&D mechanics

. The series started as a private home game among friends and was later streamed live, initially hosted by Geek & Sundry before the cast formed their own production company, Critical Role Productions. The show has grown into a major entertainment franchise, including comic books, campaign setting guides, and animated series adaptations such as "The Legend of Vox Machina," based on the first campaign

. Episodes typically run between 3 to 5 hours and are broadcast weekly on Twitch and YouTube, with video-on-demand available afterward. Critical Role has been credited with significantly boosting the popularity and resurgence of Dungeons & Dragons by introducing the game to a broad audience through engaging storytelling and high production values

. Fans of the show are known as "Critters," and the series is notable for its blend of traditional tabletop play with a polished, mediatized presentation that includes detailed battle maps and artisan-made accessories

. In summary, Critical Role is a pioneering actual-play D&D web series that combines professional voice acting, immersive storytelling, and tabletop gaming, which has become a cultural phenomenon within the gaming and entertainment communities