Today, Critical Role has announced a brand new story from Matt Mercer and the Critical Role team: Age of Umbra. Age of Umbra is an eight-part Daggerheart mini-series of dark, survival fantasy, debuting May 29 on Beacon, Twitch, and YouTube. Set in the Halcyon Domain, a world abandoned by gods and consumed by darkness, the series begins by following five people from the isolated community of Desperloch as they fight to protect their own in the face of rising horrors.
The Halcyon Domain is a lethal, foreboding land where the souls of the dead are cursed to return as twisted, nightmarish forms. A dark, ethereal mass known as the Umbra roams and holds these fiendish monstrosities, further corrupting anything it touches. Sacred Pyres keep the corruption at bay, and small communities endure through cooperation. Out in the beyond, whispers speak of ancient secrets and powers, wonders of a lost age, ready for discovery to those brave enough (or foolish enough) to seek them.
Age of Umbra is a playable campaign frame designed by Matthew Mercer and is one of several campaign frames included in the Daggerheart Core Set (releasing May 20), but like any Dagger heart game, it is made anew through collaborative worldbuilding of the players and GM. Age of Umbra showcases a darker tone of Daggerheart that some players may want to explore and make their own, standing in contrast to the bright whimsy of The Menagerie one-shots and the holiday themes set in the 1980’s of A Daggerheart Critmas Story. This series dives into the system’s more haunting and heroic potential, where stakes are high, and every choice brings danger tinged with hope.
Game Master Matthew Mercer leads fellow Critical Role co-founders Ashley Johnson, Laura Bailey, Liam O’Brien, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, Taliesin Jaffe, and Travis Willingham in a high-stakes actual play exploring hope, sacrifice, and survival in a world where death is only the beginning.
Where & When To Watch
- Session Zero: Thursday, May 22 at 7 PM Pacific
- Watch Critical Role’s founders create their characters and weave them into the world of Age of Umbra, developing locations, adventure hooks, and narrative threads that will echo throughout the mini-series.
- Series Premiere: Thursday, May 29 at 7 PM Pacific
- Episodes Air Weekly on Thursdays at 7 PM PT through July 24
- VOD & Podcast Access:
- YouTube VODs: Available the Monday following each episode
- Podcast (2-part format):
- Part 1: Thursday after premiere
- Part 2: Following Tuesday
- Beacon subscribers receive podcasts instantly and ad-free
Image via Critical Role
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