Within the ranks of TTRPGers there are two camps, usually. Those, like me and I suspect the majority of the playerbase, who want to have fun and not take things too seriously. Then there are those who seek to turn every session into The Lord of the Rings.
Some of the best times I ever had as a TTRPGer were when my friends and I just goofed around and had fun in game. Vox Machina screams of people doing just that, much as the Critical Role campaign it comes from.
Most of the negative comments seem to be from what I'll politely refer to as "The Puritanical Brigade" outraged by the language and humour and the notion that there might be sex in an animated show.
It was never marketed as anything other than an adult-oriented show. The trailers did not shy away from showing either language, humour or gore. Yet it seems to come as a complete surprise to some people that these things are present throughout each episode.
Now, in the past I have decried crass humour and the like. But that was in shows that were never meant to contain them in the first place, like the awful Shannara Chronicles for example. Vox Machina, by contrast, never offered the "Lord of the Rings" as the model to judge it on. It is, and always was, a bunch of friends having fun playing a role-playing game, along with all the banter, interactions and humour that come with that territory.
As for the show as a show? Well the animation feels a little rough in places, but it has a style that reminds of the 80's quite strongly. It is perfectly fine, though I'd be happier if they added a few more frames here and there when the action heats up.
It is impossible to fault the voice acting either, since the original voice actors from Critical Role are reprising their roles here. If they don't know how their own characters should be, then who would?
Story-wise it's a familiarly simple TTRPG, session-based affair with no real surprises as to who is good and who is evil. It's not anything ground-breaking, but it is serviceable and let's be honest... you're watching more for the characters than the plot.
Overall, I'm finding it fun and entertaining, much like those TTRPG sessions of old. Now all I need to do is get a T-shirt with "I played D&D before it was cool" on it and I'll be set!
SUMMARY: Harmless roleplaying fun aimed at grown-ass adults, not ones who use the term "potty-mouth" to talk about language. Gamers will get more mileage out of it, especially if they, like me, have fond memories of their own gaming exploits around a table.
Some of the best times I ever had as a TTRPGer were when my friends and I just goofed around and had fun in game. Vox Machina screams of people doing just that, much as the Critical Role campaign it comes from.
Most of the negative comments seem to be from what I'll politely refer to as "The Puritanical Brigade" outraged by the language and humour and the notion that there might be sex in an animated show.
It was never marketed as anything other than an adult-oriented show. The trailers did not shy away from showing either language, humour or gore. Yet it seems to come as a complete surprise to some people that these things are present throughout each episode.
Now, in the past I have decried crass humour and the like. But that was in shows that were never meant to contain them in the first place, like the awful Shannara Chronicles for example. Vox Machina, by contrast, never offered the "Lord of the Rings" as the model to judge it on. It is, and always was, a bunch of friends having fun playing a role-playing game, along with all the banter, interactions and humour that come with that territory.
As for the show as a show? Well the animation feels a little rough in places, but it has a style that reminds of the 80's quite strongly. It is perfectly fine, though I'd be happier if they added a few more frames here and there when the action heats up.
It is impossible to fault the voice acting either, since the original voice actors from Critical Role are reprising their roles here. If they don't know how their own characters should be, then who would?
Story-wise it's a familiarly simple TTRPG, session-based affair with no real surprises as to who is good and who is evil. It's not anything ground-breaking, but it is serviceable and let's be honest... you're watching more for the characters than the plot.
Overall, I'm finding it fun and entertaining, much like those TTRPG sessions of old. Now all I need to do is get a T-shirt with "I played D&D before it was cool" on it and I'll be set!
SUMMARY: Harmless roleplaying fun aimed at grown-ass adults, not ones who use the term "potty-mouth" to talk about language. Gamers will get more mileage out of it, especially if they, like me, have fond memories of their own gaming exploits around a table.