Critical Role’s new space-western podcast, Midst, started as a tabletop RPG setting
No one can hear you yeehaw in space.
Critical Role marked a few firsts when it announced the acquisition of a new podcast that has nothing to do with Dungeons & Dragons or Exandria and only a tenuous link to tabletop roleplay. Space-western audio drama Midst will be recast through Critical Role’s official feeds starting April 11th.
The production company that manages Matthew Mercer and Co.’s massive tabletop actual play, Metapigeon, announced the purchase on March 29th. Midst is written, performed and produced by three unnamed narrators collectively referred to as Third Person and it marks the first departure from Critical Role’s main universe - though perhaps not the last. Metapigeon's creation intimated a desire for the folks at Critical Role to broaden their dramatic offerings.
“Critical Role has always believed in the positive impact of storytelling and we’re excited to have the opportunity to amplify stories beyond the world of Exandria while empowering these innovative creatives,” a blog post on Critical Role’s website reads. It does not specify why exactly Midst was purchased or if Metapigeon plans on further expanding its audio portfolio.
Midst began airing in 2020 as a fictional audio drama inspired by a tabletop RPG setting created by the three hosts. Reportedly, they loved the world and its collaboratively told stories that they built a podcast about found family, weird mysteries and doomed planets in the surreal space between two dichotomous halves of the universe.
Third Person is currently gearing up for Midst’s third season, and Critical Role’s official feed will rehost all episodes from the first two seasons with remastered audio starting on April 11th. Critical Role will also produce “lightly-animated” videos of each episode on YouTube, featuring work from Ricardo Bessa, Lenka Simeckova, Sam Bosma, Artem Chebokha, Lap Pun Cheung, Will Kirkby and other unnamed creators.
The first three episodes of Midst’s initial season will air on April 11th and the two successive days, followed by one episode per week releasing on Wednesdays. Paid subscribers to Critical Role’s network will automatically gain access to the show, and current fans of Midst will be able to find out more about its new parent company through the official website. Critical Role will also publish a newsletter dedicated to this non-Exandria world and its ongoing story.