Latest Developments and Unveilings at Gen Con 2025
Headline: Critical Role's Campaign 4 Sets New Era with Brennan Lee Mulligan as GM, October 2025 Launch
Gen Con 2025, held in Indianapolis, Indiana, was a bustling hub of excitement for role-playing game (RPG) enthusiasts. Among the numerous announcements and releases, one of the most significant was the unveiling of Critical Role's upcoming Campaign 4.
Campaign 4 start date: October 2, 2025 New GM: Brennan Lee Mulligan (known for Dimension 20) Matt Mercer: Steps down as GM, will be a player in Campaign 4 Setting: A brand new world, not Exandria Game system: Possibly Daggerheart (Critical Role’s own system)
This marks the first time Critical Role’s main campaign series will be run by a GM other than Matt Mercer, signaling a significant new era for the show. Mercer, the longtime Dungeon Master of Critical Role, will be moving to the player side of the table, allowing him to experience the game from a different perspective.
The new campaign will be set in a brand new world, separate from the previous Exandria setting used in the first three campaigns. It's expected that Campaign 4 will use a new game system, likely Daggerheart, developed by Critical Role's Darrington Press, rather than traditional Dungeons & Dragons rules.
Meanwhile, at the same event, Critical Role presented a live version of their hit release Daggerheart. The storyline for Starfinder Second Edition, another major RPG release at Gen Con, includes wild twists, such as a giant eldritch horror hatching out of a planet like an egg.
In other news, the Cypher System, from Monte Cook Games, is evolving with a focus on faster character generation and better corebook organization. A crowdfunding campaign will start soon with a projected delivery of the new books in 2026.
Moreover, an adaptation of the Diablo video games is in development by Glass Cannon Unplugged, with RPG design heavyweights involved. A role-playing game based on Matt Dinniman's Dungeon Crawler Carl books is under development by Renegade Game Studios.
Finally, Gen Con has grown into a vital part of Indiana's tourist industry, attracting thousands of RPG fans each year. More details about who will be joining Mercer as players will be announced in the lead-up to the new campaign. Links for more information about the big announcements from Gen Con 2025 are available.
[1] Critical Role announces new campaign with Brennan Lee Mulligan as GM: https://www.critrole.com/news/critical-role-announces-new-campaign-with-brennan-lee-mulligan-as-gm/ [2] Starfinder Second Edition released at Gen Con 2025: https://paizo.com/products/btq090s6?Starfinder-Second-Edition [3] Gen Con 2025: A look at the biggest announcements and releases: https://www.polygon.com/24586422/gen-con-2025-biggest-announcements-releases [4] Matt Mercer steps down as Critical Role's GM: https://www.ign.com/articles/matt-mercer-steps-down-as-critical-role-gm [5] Temeraire The Role Playing Game announced at Gen Con 2025: https://www.tor.com/2025/08/25/temeraire-the-role-playing-game-based-on-naomi-noviks-novels-about-an-alternate-history-where-dragons-fight-in-the-napoleonic-wars-was-announced-at-gen-con-2025/
- Brennan Lee Mulligan, known for his work on Dimension 20, will take the role as the new GM for Critical Role's Campaign 4, as announced at Gen Con 2025.
- Matt Mercer, who has been the Dungeon Master for Critical Role, will be transitioning to a player role in Campaign 4, allowing him to experience the game from a different perspective.
- Critical Role's newest campaign will be set in a brand new world, separate from the previous Exandria setting, and is expected to use the new game system, Daggerheart, developed by Critical Role’s Darrington Press.
- The crowdfunding campaign for the Cypher System, from Monte Cook Games, is focusing on faster character generation and better corebook organization, with the new books projected to be delivered in 2026.
