The Mighty Nein is the second campaign of the live dungeons and dragons streaming show Critical Role. You will find more character growth, queer rep and amazing storytelling than you can handle in this epic 141 episode series.
We start in a tavern as seven adventurers come together and give us a glimpse into who they are and where they have just come from. The only interesting entertainment in the small town where they find themselves seems to be the traveling circus, so naturally the adventurers go see what’s happening there.
In the middle of the show the undead begin attacking the patrons. Thus begins the campaign and for the first few episode the adventuring party (The Mighty Nein) have to solve the clues to track down the reason for the sudden eruption of undead.
The game as whole, though, takes us across the continent to dive bars and castles, through ocean adventures and across icy tuntra. Hold on tight for an adventure that rivals that of the most epic fantasy books.
The Mighty Nein consists of seven players lead by Dungeon Master, Matt Mercer. All of the cast are voice actors which means they create memorable characters with great backstories which Mercer masterfully uses to weave a narrative that is sometimes emotional, sometimes laugh out loud funny but always engaging.
Of note to us, though, are the two lesbian main characters, Beauregard and Yasha, played by Marisha Ray and Ashley Johnson respectively.
Beuregard Lionette is a monk with an organisation known as the Cobalt Soul. She has a criminal past and issues with her father. Her overall goal is to bring corruption to a stop and as the campaign evolves she learns and grows both in her career and in her relationships.
Through the campaign she has some single hookups with other interested women even though there is definitely interest in Yasha from the very first game. But Beau adopts the friends first approach with Yasha, which is totally adorable.
Yasha is a Barbarian from a tribe where arranged marriages are the norm and going against them is really bad. But she fell in love with a woman and they secretly got married, paying the ultimate price. Now, alone and missing large chunks of her memory, Yasha works in the traveling circus as the bouncer. When she first meets Beauregard there is an adorable meet cute that involves her carrying the smaller woman.
But Yasha’s heart is broken and her past comes back to haunt her leaving us all wondering if she will be strong enough to break free of the chains that bind her heart.
There is definitely chemistry between Beau and Yasha for much of the campaign. The question is, will they be able to fight their pasts, overcome their insecurities and heartbreaks in order to settle down in the relationship that they spend so much time skirting?
SPOILER AND HEADS UP this is a SLOW burn relationship which only really picks up in the last stretch of the game but oh it’s so worth it when it does.
The Technical Side
This campaign (the second one) is leaps and bounds better technically than the first campaign and as the show goes on it gets even better.
When the pandemic hit they had to stop recording for a while to sort out how they could do the show while maintaining the high quality we were getting from the live game but now introducing social distancing. I am happy to report that they managed it.
This campaign is 141 episodes in length from start to finish with episodes being anywhere from 3 to 4 hours each, so it’s a LOT of content and yet, for die hard fans it is not nearly enough.
You can stream it for free from the Critical Role youtube channel or find the videos on their website – I have linked to it below.
My Favourite Parts
Matt Mercer is an incredible storyteller and world builder. He is also one of the nicest folks and he creates fantastic representation in the non-player characters (NPCs) that the players meet along the way.
Rey and Johnson created an adorable romance with representation that was really good.
I also adored how much queer rep there was in the show as a whole with a number of the characters being different forms of LGBTQIA.
Heads Up
Dungeons and Dragons as a game is quite violent. There are regular battles where enemies are killed and there are moments where characters die so be prepared for that.
The Conclusion
I have spent more hours than I care to count with these lovely people as I watched their characters grow, learn and gain perspective on the world around them.
I don’t know if it is possible to watch the show and not fall in love with the entire cast and their characters.
I highly recommend this stream especially because of the relationship between Beauregard and Yasha.
Worth noting
You don’t have to watch the first in order to enjoy the second. They are entirely separate. So I would just start with campaign 2.
Where To Watch The Mighty Nein – Critical Role Campaign 2
Bits and Bobs
Dungeon Master (storyteller) Matthew Mercer
Cast when we first meet them (excerpt from Wikipedia)
Ashley Johnson as Yasha Nydoorin, an aasimar barbarian exiled from her homeland in Xhorhas for marrying outside of the strict arranged marriage traditions of her clan. She is haunted by her time as the “Orphanmaker”.
Travis Willingham as Fjord Stone, a half-orc warlock who unwittingly made a pact with a malevolent leviathan named Uk’otoa.
Laura Bailey as Jester Lavorre, a tiefling cleric who follows an obscure entity known as the Traveler.
Liam O’Brien as Caleb Widogast, a human wizard who was enrolled at the Soltryce Academy, the Dwendalian Empire’s premier magical school, until he was chosen to undergo training to become an assassin for the Empire.
Taliesin Jaffe as Mollymauk “Molly” Tealeaf from episodes 1 to 26,[b] a tiefling blood hunter[c] and con artist working in a traveling circus.
Marisha Ray as Beauregard “Beau” Lionett, a human monk working for the Order of the Cobalt Soul to root out corruption in the Dwendalian Empire.
Sam Riegel as Nott the Brave, a goblin rogue who escaped a jail with Caleb and wishes to support his growing magical potential.
Note: The images used in this review is copyrighted.
The photograph is a fair use image and you may not reproduce it in part or full.
The illustration used in this review is used with permission from the fabulous artist Quackamos – find them on Twitter or Instagram
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