Critical Role is finally putting Daggerheart in front of the cameras for a proper campaign. Age of Umbra premieres on Thursday 29 May 2026, and it's nothing like the lighter fare the cast usually serves up. Picture a god-abandoned world, dead souls returning as nightmare creatures, and five villagers fighting just to keep their home alive.
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Set up your group for freeDesigned by Matthew Mercer and openly inspired by Dark Souls, Tainted Grail and Kingdom Death: Monster, the eight-episode miniseries takes place in the Halcyon Domain, a non-Exandrian setting. Mercer takes the GM seat alongside the seven core founders as players: Ashley Johnson, Laura Bailey, Liam O'Brien, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, Taliesin Jaffe and Travis Willingham. The party hails from Desperloch, a small community huddled around Sacred Pyres that ward off the Umbra, a corrupting darkness that turns anything it touches into something twisted.
This is a bigger deal than it might look. Daggerheart launched in May 2025 as Darrington Press' answer to fifth edition fatigue, and Age of Umbra is its first full-length flagship actual play. Session Zero airs on 22 May for character creation and worldbuilding, with the campaign proper running weekly Thursdays at 7pm Pacific until 24 July, with a break week on 3 July. UK viewers get VODs on YouTube the following Monday, or ad-free podcast versions through Beacon.
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Find events near youIf you've been curious about Daggerheart but haven't found a group, watching a campaign first is the easiest way in. Then, find a Daggerheart group near you on Backseat Gamer once the bug bites.
Sources: Critical Role | Daggerheart | EN World
