Critical Role hints at an exciting surprise for fans on the horizon.

It’s no secret that Critical Role is diving into a range of exciting creative ventures. The team has teamed up with AdHoc Studios to craft the superhero video game Dispatch, and they’re also hard at work on a game set in the world of Exandria. Recently, a casual slip from one of the founders during an episode of Cooldown hinted that even more surprises are on the horizon for fans.

Cooldown airs right after Critical Role’s weekly campaign episode, focusing on the cast’s reactions to the latest events. In episode 9 of Campaign 4, while much of the discussion revolved around a nail-biting cliffhanger, Travis Willingham dropped a playful hint about something significant coming up, potentially involving one of the notable figures who recently transitioned from Dungeons & Dragons to join Critical Role’s publishing arm, Darrington Press.

As they recapped the episode, Dungeon Master Brennan Lee Mulligan joked about how the cast would typically reach out to Jeremy Crawford, the former game director of Dungeons & Dragons, for rules clarifications. “Normally, but they’re probably too busy doing other…” Travis began, only to be interrupted. The moment was punctuated with a playful “Critical Role Secrets & Spoiler Detector activated” graphic, followed by a “tape rewind” effect, and then the show continued as if nothing had happened.

In June, Crawford, along with former D&D creative director Chris Perkins, joined Darrington Press after a well-publicized but amicable departure from Wizards of the Coast. They are currently developing Critical Role’s own tabletop RPG, Daggerheart, and are working on a new setting for it. While news from GenCon 2025 hinted that this setting would be “hellishly terrifying,” details have been sparse.

A new expansion for the tabletop series has been announced, introducing fresh monsters, campaign ideas, equipment, and backgrounds, including werewolves and vampires. However, the Cooldown skit suggests there might be something even bigger in the works. What if this isn’t related to Daggerheart at all?

There’s been speculation that the world of Aramán could become a new setting for Critical Role to share with its audience. Could we see Crawford and/or Perkins make an appearance in Campaign 4? Mulligan might need a break at some point, especially with three different tables to manage, and having a guest DM would be a thrilling twist. However, it’s also possible that Travis was simply hinting at upcoming Daggerheart news, which would still be a treat for fans.

For now, the details about what Crawford and Critical Role have planned remain under wraps. Still, the effort to edit the Cooldown clip to highlight Travis’ slip suggests that a significant announcement could be on the way sooner rather than later.