The Best Critical Role 'Campaign' Is A One-Shot Adventure With Stephen Colbert
It's safe to say that the popular Dungeons & Dragons actual play series "Critical Role" has produced an absurd amount of content since it began in 2015. Thus far, the series has run through two complete D&D campaigns totaling over 100 episodes apiece (with each of those episodes being several hours long), the spinoff series "Exandria Unlimited" and "Exandria Unlimited: Calamity," and 49 different one-shot episodes.
The one-shot episodes in particular are some of the most hilarious and exciting projects that "Critical Role" has produced to date, including a battle royale between the characters of Vox Machina, and several sponsored one-shots set within video games like "Elden Ring." Although all of these one-shots are worth exploring for new fans to the series, perhaps the best of all is "Dignity: An Adventure with Stephen Colbert," which was produced alongside Comic Relief US as a part of the 2022 "Red Nose Day" fundraising initiative.
This one-shot centers around Colbert's D&D character Lucky Jack, a human fighter who serves the temple of Arioch, Duke of Chaos, and is attacked and left for dead by a mysterious group of bandits. Realizing that a relic known as "Dignity" has gone missing, Lucky Jack is forced to seek the help of the adventurers Yasha (Ashley Johnson), Beauregard (Marisha Ray), and Nott (Sam Riegel) to recover his "dignity." Not only is this one-shot a great time in general, but it also raised an incredible amount of money for charity along the way.
This one-shot raised $423,000 for charity
There are plenty of memorable moments from this particular one-shot, including Stephen Colbert's entrance in full Dungeons & Dragons cosplay, accompanied by one of the actual "Sting" swords that were used in Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. On top of being an exciting and all-around fun adventure, what really sets this one-shot apart is the fact that the audience actually has a say in what happens during the campaign — since audience donations were allowed to add or change certain aspects of the story.
Notable audience contributions to this campaign include the addition of a bee companion named Eric the Second (who can cast "Polymorph" once during the campaign), and a sentient battle axe that despises violence. On top of this unique twist to the classic D&D experience, what truly separates this one-shot from others is the fact that it raised a staggering $423,000 for children below the poverty line. This particular installment was even nominated for a Shorty Impact Award, and won Audience Honor, Gold, for its fundraising initiative.
While it may not present the most traditional Dungeons & Dragons gameplay, the incredible charity impact and unique twist on D&D storytelling make "Dignity: An Adventure with Stephen Colbert" one of the best campaigns in "Critical Role" history.