Critical Role Campaign 4’s West Marches-style approach split the 13-player cast into three tables. While that gave us three different parties and stories to follow, it also meant losing the abundance of anarchy and chaotic fun that was such a key part of the previous campaigns. The latest Critical Role episode, however, brings all three tables together, and the result made me realize just how much I missed the show’s trademark chaos.

[Ed. note: This article contains minor spoilers for Critical Role Campaign 4 episode 26, “Council of Heroes.”]

Previous Critical Role campaigns have made it clear: In the best Dungeons & Dragons tradition, you never know what you’re going to get from each session. One episode may be almost non-stop shopping; the next may involve foiling an assassination attempt, and the one after that may involve using a piece of magical rope to kill a big bad boss monster.

In Campaign 4, however, led by Dungeon Master Brennan Lee Mulligan, the players split into groups (Soldiers, Seekers, and Schemers). This was entirely necessary to make the campaign easier to manage, but it also led to a........

© Polygon