Critical Role’s Matthew Mercer revealed as next Dimension 20 DM

Two hugely popular actual play series are crossing over once again, as Critical Role DM Matthew Mercer prepares to sit behind the dungeon master’s screen for Dimension 20’s next season.

Dimension 20 unveiled its latest season in a short teaser on Twitter, revealing Mercer - in trademark vest and with fingers pyramided in his now-familiar pose - at the head of the gaming table. What appears to be terrain - including towers sporting church-like spires - and an emerald goblet can be seen in the shadows to the sides of Mercer.

The trailer offered no further information on what Dimension 20’s next season will be called, its setting or theme, what RPG it might use, how many episodes it might run, or who else might be joining Mercer around the table. (Mercer, for his part, simply shared the teaser with a cryptic "Oh ho ho ho HO… ;)") The trailer simply teased that the season would be “coming soon”, with a premiere in May 2023.

Mercer, of course, is the dungeon master for Critical Role, the long-running and immensely popular Dungeons & Dragons actual play series now in its third multi-year campaign. The series - which has included the Vox Machina, Mighty Nein and Bells Hells parties - has been adapted into animated series The Legend of Vox Machina (with a Mighty Nein series on the way) and seen Mercer’s original setting released as official sourcebooks for D&D 5E.

Dimension 20, meanwhile, has spanned more than a dozen shorter campaigns, typically with Brennan Lee Mulligan as dungeon master running a modified version of Dungeons & Dragons 5E. More recent seasons have ventured into other roleplaying games such as Good Society and Kids on Brooms - notably in Misfits & Magic - and featured dungeon masters such as Aabria Iyengar and Gabe Hicks.

Mercer’s announcement as dungeon master for Dimension 20’s next season is far from the first time the two shows have collided. Mercer previously appeared in Dimension 20’s Escape from the Bloodkeep and Pirates of Leviathan campaigns, while Mulligan and Iyengar have both taken over DM duties from Mercer for Critical Role’s Exandria Unlimited side campaigns. However, the upcoming season will mark the first time that Mercer has served as dungeon master for Dimension 20, rather than a player.

Dimension 20’s next season will be exclusive to Dropout, the subscription streaming service owned by College Humor. Expect to find out more ahead of its premiere in May.