Critical Role Campaign 4 leaves the Seekers for the next table of players

Skulduggery awaits!

Critical Role has revealed during its latest episode of Cooldown (available only to Beacon members) that in next week's episode — episode 18 of Campaign 4 — we'll say goodbye to the Seekers table.

During the post-episode discussion, Game Master Brennan Lee Mulligan let slip that the cast filmed episodes 17 and 18 on the same day.

“I want all our friends watching the Cooldown to have a good time,” Mulligan said, referring to the group’s avid discussion, “but also, we’re all shooting this in one day.”

This is similar to how the Soldiers table schedule was shot, with episodes 10 and 11 originally filmed together, the latter airing after the Christmas break. Along with Ashley Johnson stating that the table only had two episodes left during episode 15’s Cooldown, Mulligan further confirmed the end of the Seekers table when he closed episode 17 by telling audiences to come back next week for “the thrilling conclusion.”

[Ed. note: Spoilers for Critical Role Campaign 4’s episode 17.]

Last we left off, the Seekers table had just arrived at Tannesar, a now-ruined temple dedicated to the god Tansul in the Eternal Night, a shadow-shrouded region where sunlight cannot reach. Inside the temple, they found both deadly challenges and new mysteries to solve. Hopefully, we'll get more information next week, but by the time of episode 18’s conclusion — scheduled for March. 5 — the next table of Critical Role Campaign 4 will be just around the corner. That is, of course, if the cast does not take a break before then.

Campaign 4 was established as a West Marches-style format: a four-episode overture introduced audiences to the characters, cast, and plot, then the players were split into three tables: Soldiers, Seekers, and Schemers. So far, we’ve only seen the thrilling adventures of the Soldiers and Seekers, leaving us to conclude that up next is a return to the city of Dol-Makjar, where our Schemers table awaits.

The cold opens for each Campaign 4 episode kept viewers updated about the Schemers and what they've been up to. The group, consisting of Murray Mag’nesson (Marisha Ray), Halandil Fang (Liam O’Brien), Azune Nayar (Luis Carazo), and Bolaire Lathalia (Taliesin Jaffe), has been slowly figuring out ways to fight back against the Sundered Houses. The noble houses have been expanding their areas of influence by privatizing Dol-Makjar's public services meant to protect citizens, such as the Revolutionary Guard militia. The Sundered Houses continue to amass more power, while scheming to regain the stature that they lost when the gods they once served were killed.

The Schemers table has been described as focusing on "intrigue, espionage, skulduggery, and relationships with each other, NPCs, institutions, and the machinations of power."

The Soldiers are about getting things done through the brute force of combat, whereas the Seekers are currently exploring the lore and mysteries of the world of Aramán. Considering how many notes both players and viewers like me have been taking over the past few episodes, we can safely say that the difference between the first two tables is evident.

The Schemers, however, look like they’ll be focusing on more intimate and personal relationships between the party and the important NPCs that populate the city of Dol-Makjar. If you like a lot of role-playing in your Dungeons & Dragons, then the Schemers table may be the one to watch out for.

Campaign 4 is available to watch live on Twitch, YouTube, and Beacon.tv on Thursday nights at 10 p.m. PDT. If you can’t catch the episode live, don’t worry — Critical Role posts the episode to YouTube the following Monday at 3 p.m. EDT/12 p.m. PDT.