The World of Critical Role

The World of Critical Role: The History Behind the Epic Fantasy, or simply The World of Critical Role, is a nonfiction Critical Role book written by Liz Marsham, featuring input from the cast of Critical Role, and published by Ten Speed Press. Also featured in the book is a foreword by Felicia Day, photography by Ray Kachatorian, and illustrations by Oliver Barrett, with additional art by Francesa Baerald and Rich Kelly.

The book details the real-world history of Exandria and the series and features new art of and behind-the-scenes insight into various moments in both campaigns. The book is also available as an audiobook of the same title.

The book was available for preorder from January 30, 2020, to March 12, 2020. Customers who preordered the book within the aforementioned timeframe had their name printed in the book. In The New York Times Best Seller list for November 8, 2020, the book was #9 in "Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous".

Publisher's summary
Dive deep into the history of the world's most popular fantasy RPG livestream with the cast of Critical Role in this definitive guide featuring never-before-seen illustrations and photos.

''From its unassuming beginnings as a casual home game between friends to the role-playing phenomenon it is today, Critical Role has become the stuff of legend. These pages chronicle how a circle of friends who all happen to be talented voice actors built the most-watched tabletop role-playing livestream of all time.''

''Discover dazzling new illustrations and richly written insights into the locations, characters, and adventures featured in the hundreds of episodes across Critical Role's two campaigns, Vox Machina and the Mighty Nein. Go behind the scenes with archival photos and exclusive interviews with Dungeon Master Matt Mercer and the entire Critical Role cast as they explore their characters' most triumphant moments and darkest hours. And celebrate the massive community of Critters who support and expand the show's world through a highlighted tour of the crafts, cosplay, and art they create every day.''

''Featuring a foreword from the cast, lush illustrations, and the inside story you won't find anywhere else, this book is your indispensable guide to Critical Role. The adventure begins!''

Contents
The book takes a behind-the-scenes look at how the Critical Role franchise, describing how it came together, how it runs today, and what the future holds for the show. The book features new interviews from the cast members, who offer new perspectives on moments from both campaigns. It includes illustrations of locations, characters, and events from the history of the group and highlight the Critter community.

Chapters
Each of the chapters in The World of Critical Role is named after a lyric from "Your Turn to Roll", the theme song of The Legend of Vox Machina.

Foreword
A single-page foreword by Felicia Day in which she describes her involvement in the launch of Critical Role, what the show embodies, and what readers will see in the book.

Chapter 1
Chapter 1: The adventure begins, they were always beside you... introduces readers to Dungeons & Dragons and Critical Role, details the history of the home game and the early history of the streamed game, and features cast commentary on the live-action episode openings.

Sections

 * "Don't Kill my Sister. What Is Going On?!?"
 * Beginnings
 * Chips, Pets, and Winter's Crest: The Home Game
 * The Early Streams
 * Dinner and a Show
 * Maybe People Want Shirts?
 * So They Think They Can Dance
 * Monsters on Demand
 * Other "we're older and wiser now" highlights from early streams include:
 * Gathering the Party, Venturing Forth
 * From the Ren Faire to the Woods to the '80s: The Live-Action Opening Credits

Introduction
The full introduction of the book was published on Variety on May 20, 2020.

Chapter 2
Chapter 2: Your nerdy best friends, and the DM to guide you... features one-on-one biographies and excerpts of commentary from the cast of Critical Role on themselves, their backgrounds, their careers, their time playing D&D, and their characters.

Chapter 3
Chapter 3: ''And they rise from the flames for the battles ahead. Villains beware 'cause you're 'bout to be dead! describes the setting of Critical Role'' and focuses on the guests and their characters and the various non-player characters, allies and antagonists alike, that have appeared on the show, including the cast's most frustrating enemy: doors.

Chapter 4
Chapter 4: ''They got magic and flair. They got falchions and cunning.'' focuses on the items, spells, and abilities at the disposal of the players and characters and spotlights the most notable used by each character.

Chapter 5
Chapter 5: They don't see over there, there's a monster incoming! explores the various aspects of the combat side of D&D, including how Matthew Mercer creates the maps and minis used in combat, the different ways combat and encounters can go for better or worse, and the different ways monsters are killed.

Chapter 6
Chapter 6: Inspiration is waiting, rise up, don't think twice... focuses on the Critical Role community and how they "inspire" the cast through fan art, crafts and cosplay, gifts and donations, and online projects like CritRoleStats and the Critical Role Fandom wiki

Sections

 * Fans Become Critters
 * Worth a Thousand Words
 * One Character Through Many Eyes
 * Art in Many Senses, Art for All Five Senses
 * Inspiration in Other Forms

Chapter 7
Chapter 7: Put your fate in your hands, take a chance, roll the dice! focuses on the players' ability to try anything, notable moments in both campaigns involving player creativity and crucial dice rolls, and why the cast enjoys D&D and what they bring away from the table.

Chapter 8
Chapter 8: ''Can you answer the call? Dig in deep in your soul... focuses on the activities of the cast outside of the main series: charity involvement, one-shots, other cast members taking on the role of Dungeon Master, Brian Foster and Talks Machina'', and other creative ventures.

Sections

 * So Much to Give: Thinking Beyond Thursdays
 * Stay Turnt for Talks Machina
 * The Very Special Episodes: One-Shots and Live Shows
 * The Student Becomes the (Dungeon) Master
 * Beyond the Streams

Chapter 9
Chapter 9: As the legend unfolds... discusses the future and impact of Critical Role and tabletop role-playing games and what the cast wants for the legacies and lessons they will leave for their audience and children.

Sections

 * READY TO WATCH?
 * READY TO PLAY?
 * READY TO JOIN THE COMMUNITY?
 * READY TO SUBMIT FAN ART OR COSPLAY?
 * READY TO HELP?

Now it's your turn to roll!
Now it's your turn to roll! lists where readers can find more online communities and resources for watching the show, playing D&D, participating in the community, submitting fan art, and donating to charity.

About the Author
This section provides a brief backstory for Liz Marsham, the author of the book, and what kind of D&D character she would be.

Special Thanks
In this section, Marsham thanks a few online fan projects for greatly easing the writing of the book and making it more fun to read.