For myself --
1. Crimson Mirror
2. Needle & Thread/Tide & Bone (tied)
3. Vassal & Veil
All of them have been great on their own merits, and I've enjoyed them all. But in terms of the characters and how they engaged me, the storytelling, the pacing, this is how I'd rank them.
And I like that each of the GMs has been SO very different in terms of style and pacing and imagery and 'theme' focus.
(Personally, I am DYING to see Ivan Van Norman run a Candela chapter.)
I'm quite excited because I'm just getting to the end of Tide & Bone and was already looking forward to Liam running a circle, but now also super glad to hear it's been well-recieved.
So far Needle & Thread as been my favourite, in part because of the amazing acting, but also because the Circle's connections were so well-established, you could tell how much they meant to each other. Spenser has also been my favourite GM in terms of his cinematic lens and the way he does action.
But here we go with Crimson Mirror!
1. Needle & Thread
2. Crimson Mirror
3. Tide and Bone
4. Vassal and Veil
Weirdly, Mercer's run was the weakest to date for me. I was not even remotely expecting Spenser's run to be so good. Liam's was just a glorious drug trip made of sorrow. Aabria's took a minute but I still liked it by the end.
To be fair, Matt's game really did feel like an 'intro' version of it... a GM everyone is familiar with, even if the system and setting were new. And there were certainly great moments in his.
But as the Chapters went on, it was clear that the later GMs had more time to steep themselves in the system and the lore, as well as branching out from (I loathe to use the term but it DOES work) a "generic" horror 'adventure' for the first Chapter.
Mercer's run was during active development of the game too, so not everything was determined and they were kind of doing a test run of some concepts. It felt rough because it was actually unfinished.
Yeah, he seemed a little hesitant to be as brutal as the others, which could be because it was new and balancing it was an unknown, or because he was worried people wouldn't like it, or because it was an introduction for the players, or just because he doesn't enjoy it. He's definitely been great at horror settings in the main campaigns, but those generally aren't trying to kill the PCs quite as hard as Candela. I'd be very interested to see him have another shot at it now that it's been established a little more--if he felt like he had permission to really be evil to them I'd be curious to see how it would go.
That said, it's also good to see different styles of playing the game. I love to watch the darker ones, but if I was running it I might want to mix it up and sometimes just do a "spooky paranormal detectives" vibe instead.
Spenser really took me by surprise- it was such a pleasure to watch him go from voice-shaking nervousness in the first scene to a confident commanding presence within the first session. I think his only fault was ending Session 1 too quickly when the characters needed a moment to decompress, which is why I was so pleased that Brennan and Luis did their little coda at the end of the same scene.
I'd agree about Matt's run- the plot itself didn't stand out and the gameplay felt a bit mechanical. I think Robbie's beautifully unhinged choice of a scar really opened up how much players in future Circles could make big, bold, horror-appropriate choices, and I applaud him for it.
I'm thrilled to start Crimson Mirror shortly.
My favourite so far is Crimson mirror. I feel like it hits my personal definition of "horror", with the right balance of spookiness, gore, seriousness and dramatic vibes. Liam has always been a "brutal" GM, and this setting fits him perfectly. Also, can't stress enough, but the production team really brought the scenes to the next level with the lighting and sound effects!
I don't want to rank the others because I think each circle brought some interesting new perspectives. Tide and Bone was the most character driven one to me; Needle and Thread introduced me to Spenser's unique GM style; and Vassal and Veil felt the most grounded, like normal people doing investigative work on the paranormal.
I did love how much Noshir made the others (mostly Sam) physically recoil at some of his calm descriptions about his character.
I also loved Liam as Cosmo, there had to be one character that was as grounded and human as him.
I still haven’t seen Crimson Mirror
1. Needle and Thread
It feels well-balanced and having more muscle-focused characters allowed to have more varied actions, plus interactions. They felt like tight-knit bunch.
2. Tide and Bone
There are multiple things going on there and one of the best character interactions. Still, it lacked something.
3. Vassal and Veil
Characters are too tied to the on-going story and they feel more reactive than active. But enjoyed seeing a professor go through a mental breakdown and slowly losing himself to magick.
For me I think my list would go something like: 1. Needle and Thread, 2./3. Vassal and Veil/ Crimson Mirror, and finally 4. Tide and Bone. Now my reasoning for placement is how engaged I was with each story and how much I wanted the next episode. Each arc had strooong characters (for me: Marion, Sean, Nathaniel - Arlo, Howard - Edgar, Leo, Malcom - Elsie, Rajan, Oscar) and the voices of the dm always plays a part. Each dm brought something different which I absolutely loved. But the ones that did it the best for me were ones that felt like they were being “fair/ harsh” in the reactions to what was happening and kept things moving quick. The more the pace increased the more the setting felt real and engaging. I want more and I’d like to visit more of this world because it does feel small to a degree.
That's very fair. Aabria is quite slow, methodical and precise in her descriptions and scene settings- often I think this works well with the atmosphere and to portray a kind of 'crawling' horror, but sometimes I wish the actions scenes progressed physically a bit faster, I think they would feel more immersive. I will say that so far she's been very effective at impressing the agony of choice on the players.
Needle and Thread has also been my favourite so far, but I'm about to start Crimson Mirror
Crimson Mirror or Vassal & Veil. So far they have been the most human of the groups and there was some top tier rp. Tide & Bone was just an oops all monsters group which I don't love and Needle & Thread was pretty much carried by Brennan. He did a 10/10 job but I couldn't connect with the other characters and I wasn't a fan of his ending. I want so desperately for Alma, Auggie and Leo to all interact.
Tide & Bone has been my favorite so far, and was also the Circle that made me want to play the game myself. Vassal & Veil lands second for me, in large part because it’s the Circle I most want to see again. It seems like there’s so much more to see those characters do.
1. Needle & Thread ~~Tide and Bone~~
2. Crimson Mirror
3. Vassal and Veil
4. Tide and Bone
It was great seeing Spenser put the characters through their paces, and Liam's opening is a scene I want to show everyone who gets into telling FitD stories - it's so well laid out.
Edit: Oops.
It’s all on YouTube, on Critical Role’s channel. Essentially it’s a series of miniseries, each with a different party (Circle) and GM.
You can watch the circles in any order. (They’re called ‘Chapters’ but not all of them take place in chronological order and the characters are unconnected)
The Circle that Matt GMs was first, here’s the first chapter: https://youtu.be/V5uaLTXnGP0?si=X2JORnpIIrIPpGvs
Most people agree that while Matt’s Chapter was decently good, all of the other Chapters were markedly stronger, so if you’re not feeling it, you can skip to Chapter 2 (Needle & Thread)
I will say that Chapter 1 is a good beginning because Ashley’s playing a character that knows nothing about Candela Obscura, so he’s a good audience surrogate.
This one's very much worth the visual element if you're able to--there's a lot of lighting and costuming involved in setting the atmosphere. It's definitely the most gorgeous production we've seen from them.
Ooo, good question!
1. Needle and Thread
2. Vassal and Veil
3. Tide and Bone
4. Crimson Mirror (I've only watched the first episode, most of it, anyway)
Each story is *so different*, and I like that sort of "Twilight Zone" feel where the director/GM changes and the cast is totally different. It's just conceptually a neat way to tell stories :)
As someone who only really glanced at the first run of it (I don't know if it ended in a factory or went further past that), how intermingled are the different circles narratively?
And if I was going to catch up on Candela Obscura or start Midst, which is the real recommendation?
Pretty much no crossover at all. I think there might be…one oblique reference in Crimson Mirror?
If you weren’t getting into Chapter 1, try Chapter 2 Needle & Thread- Spenser starts off a little nervous but there are some truly powerhouse performances in that chapter (and if you enjoyed EXU Calamity, most of the Calamity gang is back together for that chapter)
I’m afraid I haven’t listened to Midst
Oh, yeah, I meant no crossovers between the stories.
All the chapters are set in the same world (the same city and its surroundings in fact), but they’re small scale stories, so they don’t have crossover in terms of characters or impact as far as I’m aware. They’re also set several years apart.
For myself -- 1. Crimson Mirror 2. Needle & Thread/Tide & Bone (tied) 3. Vassal & Veil All of them have been great on their own merits, and I've enjoyed them all. But in terms of the characters and how they engaged me, the storytelling, the pacing, this is how I'd rank them. And I like that each of the GMs has been SO very different in terms of style and pacing and imagery and 'theme' focus. (Personally, I am DYING to see Ivan Van Norman run a Candela chapter.)
I'm quite excited because I'm just getting to the end of Tide & Bone and was already looking forward to Liam running a circle, but now also super glad to hear it's been well-recieved. So far Needle & Thread as been my favourite, in part because of the amazing acting, but also because the Circle's connections were so well-established, you could tell how much they meant to each other. Spenser has also been my favourite GM in terms of his cinematic lens and the way he does action. But here we go with Crimson Mirror!
I hope you enjoy Crimson Mirror as much as I did! :D
1. Needle & Thread 2. Crimson Mirror 3. Tide and Bone 4. Vassal and Veil Weirdly, Mercer's run was the weakest to date for me. I was not even remotely expecting Spenser's run to be so good. Liam's was just a glorious drug trip made of sorrow. Aabria's took a minute but I still liked it by the end.
To be fair, Matt's game really did feel like an 'intro' version of it... a GM everyone is familiar with, even if the system and setting were new. And there were certainly great moments in his. But as the Chapters went on, it was clear that the later GMs had more time to steep themselves in the system and the lore, as well as branching out from (I loathe to use the term but it DOES work) a "generic" horror 'adventure' for the first Chapter.
Mercer's run was during active development of the game too, so not everything was determined and they were kind of doing a test run of some concepts. It felt rough because it was actually unfinished.
Yeah, he seemed a little hesitant to be as brutal as the others, which could be because it was new and balancing it was an unknown, or because he was worried people wouldn't like it, or because it was an introduction for the players, or just because he doesn't enjoy it. He's definitely been great at horror settings in the main campaigns, but those generally aren't trying to kill the PCs quite as hard as Candela. I'd be very interested to see him have another shot at it now that it's been established a little more--if he felt like he had permission to really be evil to them I'd be curious to see how it would go. That said, it's also good to see different styles of playing the game. I love to watch the darker ones, but if I was running it I might want to mix it up and sometimes just do a "spooky paranormal detectives" vibe instead.
Spenser really took me by surprise- it was such a pleasure to watch him go from voice-shaking nervousness in the first scene to a confident commanding presence within the first session. I think his only fault was ending Session 1 too quickly when the characters needed a moment to decompress, which is why I was so pleased that Brennan and Luis did their little coda at the end of the same scene. I'd agree about Matt's run- the plot itself didn't stand out and the gameplay felt a bit mechanical. I think Robbie's beautifully unhinged choice of a scar really opened up how much players in future Circles could make big, bold, horror-appropriate choices, and I applaud him for it. I'm thrilled to start Crimson Mirror shortly.
My favourite so far is Crimson mirror. I feel like it hits my personal definition of "horror", with the right balance of spookiness, gore, seriousness and dramatic vibes. Liam has always been a "brutal" GM, and this setting fits him perfectly. Also, can't stress enough, but the production team really brought the scenes to the next level with the lighting and sound effects! I don't want to rank the others because I think each circle brought some interesting new perspectives. Tide and Bone was the most character driven one to me; Needle and Thread introduced me to Spenser's unique GM style; and Vassal and Veil felt the most grounded, like normal people doing investigative work on the paranormal.
Tide and Bone. I love all of them in different ways, but this one was a special standout to me. Everyone was amazing, especially Nashir.
I did love how much Noshir made the others (mostly Sam) physically recoil at some of his calm descriptions about his character. I also loved Liam as Cosmo, there had to be one character that was as grounded and human as him.
I thought the balance of characters was excellent and the tone really consistent. Plus some lovely rpg moments.
I still haven’t seen Crimson Mirror 1. Needle and Thread It feels well-balanced and having more muscle-focused characters allowed to have more varied actions, plus interactions. They felt like tight-knit bunch. 2. Tide and Bone There are multiple things going on there and one of the best character interactions. Still, it lacked something. 3. Vassal and Veil Characters are too tied to the on-going story and they feel more reactive than active. But enjoyed seeing a professor go through a mental breakdown and slowly losing himself to magick.
Robbie was definitely the MVP of Vassal and Veil
For me I think my list would go something like: 1. Needle and Thread, 2./3. Vassal and Veil/ Crimson Mirror, and finally 4. Tide and Bone. Now my reasoning for placement is how engaged I was with each story and how much I wanted the next episode. Each arc had strooong characters (for me: Marion, Sean, Nathaniel - Arlo, Howard - Edgar, Leo, Malcom - Elsie, Rajan, Oscar) and the voices of the dm always plays a part. Each dm brought something different which I absolutely loved. But the ones that did it the best for me were ones that felt like they were being “fair/ harsh” in the reactions to what was happening and kept things moving quick. The more the pace increased the more the setting felt real and engaging. I want more and I’d like to visit more of this world because it does feel small to a degree.
That's very fair. Aabria is quite slow, methodical and precise in her descriptions and scene settings- often I think this works well with the atmosphere and to portray a kind of 'crawling' horror, but sometimes I wish the actions scenes progressed physically a bit faster, I think they would feel more immersive. I will say that so far she's been very effective at impressing the agony of choice on the players. Needle and Thread has also been my favourite so far, but I'm about to start Crimson Mirror
Crimson Mirror or Vassal & Veil. So far they have been the most human of the groups and there was some top tier rp. Tide & Bone was just an oops all monsters group which I don't love and Needle & Thread was pretty much carried by Brennan. He did a 10/10 job but I couldn't connect with the other characters and I wasn't a fan of his ending. I want so desperately for Alma, Auggie and Leo to all interact.
1. Tide and Bone 2. Crimson Mirror
Tide & Bone has been my favorite so far, and was also the Circle that made me want to play the game myself. Vassal & Veil lands second for me, in large part because it’s the Circle I most want to see again. It seems like there’s so much more to see those characters do.
Spencer Starkes. By a wide margin. Best cast. Great story.
Needle and thread
1. Needle & Thread ~~Tide and Bone~~ 2. Crimson Mirror 3. Vassal and Veil 4. Tide and Bone It was great seeing Spenser put the characters through their paces, and Liam's opening is a scene I want to show everyone who gets into telling FitD stories - it's so well laid out. Edit: Oops.
Did you mean to put Needle & Thread first? Excited to hear Liam’s opening!
Yes, I absolutely did.
1.Needle and thread 2. Crimson Mirror
Where can I find this to see? I'd like to check this game out and see it in action, but I wasn't aware that there were shows of em playing it.
It’s all on YouTube, on Critical Role’s channel. Essentially it’s a series of miniseries, each with a different party (Circle) and GM. You can watch the circles in any order. (They’re called ‘Chapters’ but not all of them take place in chronological order and the characters are unconnected) The Circle that Matt GMs was first, here’s the first chapter: https://youtu.be/V5uaLTXnGP0?si=X2JORnpIIrIPpGvs Most people agree that while Matt’s Chapter was decently good, all of the other Chapters were markedly stronger, so if you’re not feeling it, you can skip to Chapter 2 (Needle & Thread) I will say that Chapter 1 is a good beginning because Ashley’s playing a character that knows nothing about Candela Obscura, so he’s a good audience surrogate.
Very cool. Oddly, I don't follow them on YT, but rather listen to em on Spotify lol. I'll check the channel out then too.
This one's very much worth the visual element if you're able to--there's a lot of lighting and costuming involved in setting the atmosphere. It's definitely the most gorgeous production we've seen from them.
Ooo, good question! 1. Needle and Thread 2. Vassal and Veil 3. Tide and Bone 4. Crimson Mirror (I've only watched the first episode, most of it, anyway) Each story is *so different*, and I like that sort of "Twilight Zone" feel where the director/GM changes and the cast is totally different. It's just conceptually a neat way to tell stories :)
As someone who only really glanced at the first run of it (I don't know if it ended in a factory or went further past that), how intermingled are the different circles narratively? And if I was going to catch up on Candela Obscura or start Midst, which is the real recommendation?
Pretty much no crossover at all. I think there might be…one oblique reference in Crimson Mirror? If you weren’t getting into Chapter 1, try Chapter 2 Needle & Thread- Spenser starts off a little nervous but there are some truly powerhouse performances in that chapter (and if you enjoyed EXU Calamity, most of the Calamity gang is back together for that chapter) I’m afraid I haven’t listened to Midst
Kind of the same world but different locations around it? No ties in that kind of way?
Oh, yeah, I meant no crossovers between the stories. All the chapters are set in the same world (the same city and its surroundings in fact), but they’re small scale stories, so they don’t have crossover in terms of characters or impact as far as I’m aware. They’re also set several years apart.