“We’re Vox Machina, we f*** s*** up!” shouts Scanlan Shorthalt, a gnome bard whose small stature belies his large sexual appetite. With the other party members (and a portrait of a naked fantasy creature) arranged behind him in a superhero-style tableau, no one line in Amazon Studios’ new fantasy animated series The Legend of Vox Machina summarizes the fly by the seat of their pants mercenary group Vox Machina more succinctly. With just the first three episodes available today on Amazon Prime Video, the series is already shaping up to be a beloved fantasy series independent of Dungeons and Dragons.
Based on the extremely popular Dungeons and Dragons liveplay Critical Role, The Legend of Vox Machina consists of the strongest elements of the original web series (cool plot, unique characters, and all-star voice actors) successfully translated to animation. No surprise: the creative minds behind Critical Role, all working voice actors with prestigious game and animation credits behind them, are deep in their element here.
Following the adventures of a mercenary crew consisting of half-giant Grog, gnome healer/holy person Pike, half-elf ranger Vex and her rogue twin brother Vax, gunslinger and lone human in the group Percy, Ashari druid Keyleth, and the aforementioned Scanlan, the series gives just as much time in every episode to character and plot development as it allows for balls-to-the-wall fight sequences. There is no wasted time in these three episodes: narrative threads are spinning out faster than the golden line that connects the characters in the title sequence. Episodes 1 and 2 function as an original stand-alone prequel arc called “The Terror of Tal’Dorei,” with Episode 3: “The Feast of Realms” starting off the beloved Briarwood arc from the web series. The release of all three at once simultaneously scratches a burning itch on the part of fans eager to see Critical Role’s arch-villains, and gives the set-up new viewers need to get invested in the story.
The original Critical Role core cast (minus Orion Acaba) returns with Dungeon Master Matthew Mercer as villain Sylas Briarwood plus Laura Bailey, Ashley Johnson, Taliesin Jaffe, Liam O’Brien, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel and Travis Willingham reprising their roles as Vex, Pike, Percy, Vax, Keyleth, Scanlan and Grog, respectively. All eight also serve as executive producers on the series. No one knows these characters better than their actors, who developed their individual styles, mannerisms and narrative arcs over the course of years of role playing sessions. Beloved non-playable characters (NPCs) originally voiced by Mercer in the web series are recast with big names from sci-fi, fantasy and animation. David Tennant is particularly impressive in episodes one and two as General Krieg, a mysterious military man with a thick brogue.
Even though some terminology had to be changed to avoid licensing issues (The Legend of Vox Machina is not an official Dungeons and Dragons product), switching a character’s designation from “cleric” to “holy person” or leaving out any discussion of “levels” just proves Vox Machina doesn’t need to rely on The Player’s Handbook for its storytelling. In fact, the creatives behind the animation are now free to expand and explore the world they’ve made without tabletop roleplaying gameplay confining them.
And despite the sanitization of any licensed terms, The Legend of Vox Machina still finds ample room in each 24-minute episode to litter easter eggs for gamers and roleplayers. Asides and interjections like “why are you whispering? We can all hear you!” or “What the actual f***?” maintain the roleplay quality of the dialogue. Whether it’s a character throwing down coins that spin like dice or dialogue reminiscent of ability checks, there are still plenty of opportunities for Critical Role fans to say “I remember when that happened in the live stream.”
“The Terror of Tal’Dorei” begins like much of fantasy fare. “Long ago, in another realm,” intones the narrator as the sun rises over a beautiful white stone castle and red-roofed city. Tal’Dorei, the only continent in the realm of Exandria, apparently used to be a nice place, until evil arrived. Would it be a fantasy adventure if evil didn’t suddenly show up to the party?
“A brave group of heroes banded together, ready to face this evil,” the narrator drones, as a five-member group of mixed fantastical races stands on a mountaintop. They valiantly square up against a looming shadow in the mist…and then a giant boulder falls from the sky, crushing the fifth member into a large blood spatter. “What the f***?” exclaims the guy next to him, before he and the remaining warriors are summarily obliterated in less than ten seconds. Besides providing a macabre laugh at the expense of the poor unnamed warriors, the moment serves to set the stakes in Vox Machina. No one can just say they’re a hero in this world and get away with it: they have to actually survive before they can win that title.
And the members of Vox Machina are far from heroes when they are first introduced. Posted up in the tavern, most of them are challenging Grog the half-giant to a drinking game– an unwinnable contest. Keyleth is already vomiting on the floor from one beer. The title card (subsequent episodes all feature a lovely title sequence full of metaphorical imagery and heart-racing orchestral music instead) flashes just as a bar fight with some half-orcs begins. “Why does this happen every time we go out drinking?” bemoans Keyleth.
Though Vox Machina win the fight, they are banned from the tavern– the last one that would take them in the whole city. Seated in the dirt with no money, no prospects and no credibility, Keyleth wonders, “Maybe we’re not really meant to do this? Why are we even together?” No one seems able to answer, but the job posting Scanlan rips off the public noticeboard seems promising. Sovereign Uriel is calling all mercenary groups to his palace and is willing to pay top-gold. Maybe this will be the gig that makes Vox Machina.
At Sovereign Uriel’s palace, the group are briefed on the job: a dragon has been ravaging the land and destroying every mercenary group sent to fight it. Scraping the bottom of the killer-for-hire barrel, Vox Machina is contracted to locate and fight this dragon. The problem? None of them have ever fought a dragon. What will the group do? Organize a plan? “We don’t do organized,” Scanlan reminds the group. Oh no. As any Dungeons player will say, the group always needs a plan.
After failing badly at the “no plan” plan of attack, the fighters regroup but learn the friendly village they visited on their journey to locate the dragon has been destroyed with no survivors. Here is where The Legend of Vox Machina shows it’s not just a fantasy comedy skating by on immature jokes and dynamic animated fight sequences: watching the group, especially O’Brien’s Vax, mourn the kind people they only just met will bring a tear to any viewer’s eye even as it gives the characters the stakes and motivation they need to face the dragon again– this time, with a plan. It’s a little “teamwork makes the dream work” cliche, but drives home the bond between the group and their drive to ultimately do good, despite their different personalities.
Episode 3: “The Feast of Realms” begins the Briarwood arc by immediately flashing back to Percy’s noble upbringing in Whitestone, before his family was cruelly cut down by murderers. Startling awake from his nightmare, Percy leaves his room to wander the halls of the group’s swanky new digs. “Bad dream?” Vex sensitively inquires. “Is there any other kind?” Percy responds. Ominous.
In the morning, Lady Allura (Indira Varma) invites Vox Machina to a royal banquet alongside Tal’Dorei’s nobles and diplomats. “We must put our best foot forward,” she warns the group. “We will present ourselves with the utmost dignity,” promises Vax, before unceremoniously punching Grog in the balls. Percy jumps in, promising to get the misfits in line before the dinner. “Nothing will go wrong,” he swears.
Well, Percy could not have foreseen the arrival of the very couple who murdered his entire family and usurped his ancestral title at said dinner, nor that they would be seated directly across from each other. Quickly devolving from staid gentleman to ragelord, it’s Percy who makes an embarrassing scene at dinner, provoked by Delilah Briarwood’s cruel lies about his family, the de Rollos. Grey Griffin proves she’s still voice acting’s Queen of Mean as dark magic user Delilah Briarwood.
Percy explains his past to his friends, while Vax gathers intel by sneaking into the Briarwood’s rooms. Unfortunately for Vax, the Briarwoods catch him in the act of snooping and reveal themselves as vampires. Vax wrenches his neck from the mouth of Sylas and defenestrates himself, landing in the courtyard fountain. Scanlan distracts the dinner guests (three words: rainbow strobe codpiece) and the rest of the group goes to the aid of Vax. Finally, the Briarwoods recognize Percy as “that little pup” they didn’t manage to kill.
The ensuing fight sequence is the best yet in the series. The stakes are so personal, and the Briarwoods just toy with the frustrated warriors, less afraid and more annoyed that these upstarts would challenge them. Pike’s amulet, through which she channels the power of her goddess, the Everlight, is destroyed by a spike of Delilah’s dark magic. With most of her friends down for the count, Keyleth desperately drives a wall of thorny vines between the group and the Briarwoods. The couple flees in their carriage, leaving their bumbling manservant in the dust.
Overall, The Legend of Vox Machina deftly blends the desires of a very vocal Critical Role fan base with the need to create something accessible to viewers who have never played TTRPGs, let alone watched all 115 episodes of Critical Role Campaign One. And delivering what the fans want is paramount for this particular production. Before the series was picked up by Amazon, Critical Role crowdsourced the funding for the project on Kickstarter, where they raised more than $11 million dollars in 45 days just from fan donations. Fans were literally invested in the series from the beginning, so it’s heartening to see them get a more than decent return. With beautiful, crisp animation from Titmouse Animation Studios reminiscent of Avatar: The Last Airbender, a star-studded supporting cast of Comic-Con celebrities, and a second season already in the works, the team behind Critical Role have made a fan’s dream come true in The Legend of Vox Machina.
Episodes 1-3 of The Legend of Vox Machina are currently streaming on Amazon Prime.