Some friends I play a weekly game with recommended it so I tried it out. It was entertaining as generic fantasy fare; didn’t really feel “D&D” aside from being able to say “That’s a druid, that’s a barbarian, etc” and trying to think of it as a D&D show just made me think frustrating things like “You also have a ranger and a bard, how does no one have a Cure Wounds?” More of a “vaguely inspired by a D&D campaign” series.
Speaking of, I fairly hated the bard who seemed to roll every shitty bard character stereotype into one. Horny? Check. Anachronistic nonsense when everyone else is playing classic high fantasy? Double check. Small race doing lolrandumb shit? Triple check. But I realize that tastes differ and I’m sure he’s a fan favorite for a not insignificant percentage of the base.
I never got into Critical Role. I’m aware of it and appreciate the way it has expanded the audience for TTRPGs but the bits I’ve watched were never really my thing. Sort of like being in a career and seeing the Hollywood depiction of your career all sexed up and high budget, I couldn’t really connect to it. But I figured the animated show would be far enough removed from the bits that didn’t land to be worth trying and it overall was.
Not really a spoiler but still maybe spoilery
Vox Machina makes Wisdom saves about as well as the Order of the Stick makes Will saves. A vampire’s Domination checks have no greater ally than plot.