Critical Role's new subscription service includes two exclusive shows and access to pre-sales of live events

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Critical Role has launched its own membership service that will house all existing programs, and some new ones, under the same umbrella, while offering additional benefits and access to paid subscribers.

Travis Willingham, a longtime cast member and CEO of the Dungeon & Dragon live-action series, said Beacon “really allows us the flexibility to create fun additional benefits and stay connected with everyone.” [the fans] and offer a more unfiltered experience.” Current Twitch and YouTube subscribers will still be able to watch the adventures of Matt Mercer and company (currently in its third season) via streams and VoD, but they won’t enjoy the additional access unless they shell out a little extra to the board game company housed under Darrington Press.

Some of those perks include an invite to a private Discord server, discounts on official merchandise within the company’s digital store, and access to ticket pre-sales for live events — thus avoiding the problem of dynamic pricing and scalpers, it is hoped. Critical Role emphasizes that Beacon is an extension of its effort to become independent and bring the business in-house, which means divesting from third-party video services like YouTube and Twitch and their many “recent ups and downs,” as Marsha Ray put it.

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Dodging language-based demonetization and avoiding the ad placement issue makes sense and will likely be appreciated by devoted Critters. Those not as concerned about breaks from the D20-based RPG might be more interested in Beacon’s two exclusive series: Critical Role Fireside Chat will be a filmed Q&A with a cast member each episode answering questions submitted to the aforementioned Discord; and Critical Role Cooldown, a post-show sneak peek of what the crew says and does immediately after the main cameras cut away.

Beacon subscriptions grant early access to a few other shows, like the kid-friendly audio antics of The Re-Slayer’s Take and condensed 60- to 90-minute episodes of Critical Role Abridged for those who don’t have three spare hours a week to devote to them. All main episodes of Critical Role will also be available as audio-only streams and downloads.

Beacon’s service is available now and costs $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year. A seven-day free trial (which will automatically renew immediately afterward) is available on Beacon’s main website. More information about the service, benefits, and individual programs can be found here. The main website hosts a mix of free and paid articles and videos, including the horror-tinged mystery show Candela Obscura (which just wrapped its final season) and the latest information on the role-playing game Daggerheart, currently in development.

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