This is the same energy as when you're at school, and the class manages to get the teacher talking about their interests, and you egg them on because the more they talk about their own life, the less work you need to do in your lesson.

Travis was in the live chat. When they were talking about Chet's backstory, he typed in something along the line of, I'm gonna hunt them and take them all out. 😅

Chetney’s family backstory is home alone 😂

this feels like they just wanted to hang out with their friend, Abubakar, and he only had the time during filming free. 😊

I don’t mind the lack of the gaming section at the end of the episode, but I do kinda miss the tower of inquiry.

Chetney's deal with Morri is basically exactly what Vespin Chloras asked of Asmodeus in EXU. Travis almost definitely knows what a bad idea Chetney's deal was.

It's so interesting that Ashley characterizes Fearne as a weird homeschool kid. I've always kind of pictured her as Alice if she grew up in Wonderland. She goes home to these impossible cricket mallet creatures talking to her and the Red Queen is her grandmother, and the mortal plane is like "well this just doesn't make any sense, it's absurd" about something sensible like tea time.

It's so wholesome that Ashley saves Fearne fan art

I know it's been some time now, but having Ashley back full time is just SO GOOD. I love how unhinged Fearne is, I love how her brand of chaos affects the group. It's my bread and butter, I love it. And I'm french, I don't kid when it comes to bread and butter!

So, basically, Liliana is playing Darth Vader to Imogen's Luke. She knows she's lost (for whatever reason), but she knows Imogen can stop it.

I love watching Mr. Salim's reaction to the group's dynamic and Marisha is just leaning back like "Yeah this happens....a lot."

50:27 explaining a meat diversion to get to the bloody bridge was the perfect payoff for having Abu on the show with 0 context for the shennanigans in this campaign

I think Orym made the deal, because he sees several ways out. He even said before asking for the deal "Fearne told me, the phrasing is important, I have to get it right" or something like that, which fully showed that he was planning something. Then he asked for every partymember to be returned alive, healthy and happy. Nana Morry interferred with "I cannot guarantee that, not all of them are healthy and happy now. I bring them back in the status they are at, now." And Orym said "Alive." And then they shook hands. So this is the first way out. Orym asked them to be returned alive - Laudna isn't alive. And the second way out is ofcourse the meaning of "Serving", as Dani stated. So I am looking forward, what he has planned, and what Matt has seen coming. :)

This is the energy I've always wanted from 4SD. A mix of serious game talk and friends chatting that doesn't feel forced. Loving the new direction!!

Timestamps 0:00 - Episode Intro 0:40 - Abubakar Salim 1:06 - New Host! 2:19 - Actual Start 2:27 - What’s Up With That 2:44 - Fey Wild Therapy & Honesty Trial 2:59 - Sam & Matt’s planning 5:07 - Sam’s Pitches 6:47 - Revealing Truths 7:19 - Chet’s family 7:46 - Sam doesn’t get Chetney 7:57 - Abu’s monologue 8:21 - He’ll be on a show someday 8:38 - Chaos Player 10:00 - Chetney is the heart 11:06 - Orym’s truths (Delilah in Laudna’s head) 13:01 - Rolling to resist 13:40 - Embracing the Darkness within 13:53 - Fearne and the Shard (Thinking it was for Ashton) 15:23 - Fearne didn’t want the Shard 16:20 - They realize their show is insane 17:25 - Fearne’s anger (and Ashton exploding) 18:52 - Away from the Group 22:28 - Laudna & Delilah 22:52 - Salmon vs. Lilac 23:13 - Delilah’s influence (Laudna in the woods) 25:12 - Everyone’s Dark Side 26:16 - Acting and Writing skills (Trusting other players) 27:39 - Abu’s just here 27:58 - Misunderstanding direction 29:09 - FCG & Stress (How they accumulate points) 30:37 - Rolling against theirselves 31:09 - Wanting Percy’s Glasses 31:45 - Character Growth? 33:10 - Repeating bad behavior 33:37 - Reasons for lateness 35:10 - Imogen and Ruidus (Giving in) 37:18 - Giving in at the wrong time 39:04 - Moon Factions 42:10 - Marisha’s shirt 42:47 - Nana and her Deals 43:56 - Chetney’s deal 44:23 - Orym’s deal 44:58 - Lonely in the Feywild (Orym wants to ensure their future) 46:19 - Leaning into not making it out of this (C2’s was much greater) 48:45 - Race to Ruidus 50:16 - Meat Wagons 51:29 - The Tent Plan 52:53 - Abu’s Stories 55:00 - World of Warcraft 55:28 - Pin Ball Machines 58:28 - Expectations for Ruidus 1:00:02 - Spreadsheet of Inquiry 1:01:32 - As an actor which part of your character is the juiciest to dig into? Is it something you added specifically or happened organically in play? How do you work with the rest of the cast to dig into it? 1:02:01 - Glamor Filter? 1:05:58 - Abu’s DnD groups 1:07:07 - What are the determining factors for you when deciding whether or not to pursue other story and subplot threads? 1:10:22 - Mighty Nein chose Crime 1:11:06 - What are three visual details you enjoy seeing about your characters that you enjoy seeing in fanart (weapons, armor, etc.) 1:12:57 - The glasses 1:15:42 - The Deep Dive 1:16:34 - Ashley, how does Fearne feel about Chet making a deal with Nana? If she knew, how would she feel about Orym’s deal? 1:18:06 - Color Debate 1:18:37 - Marisha and Laura, how are Imogen and Laudna feeling about their relationship right now with Delilah and Ruidus? 1:20:38 - Sam, how is FCG feeling about the Changebringer after the conversation in Whitestone? He seems to trust her less. 1:21:38 - The Storm Lord 1:23:50 - Marisha, despite Laudna’s nerves about their chances on Ruidus, she encouraged Fearne to take the shard. Is this her resilient optimism coming through? 1:25:10 - Ashley, what was it like for Fearne to go off in the woods of Whitestone alone? Did she think about leaving Bells Hells or did she just need space? 1:26:57 - Nana creating friends for Fearne 1:29:15 - DnD is Therapy (Freeing experience) 1:31:59 - Sam, with the successful group bonding does FCG feel like they’ve gotten better at therapy? How do they feel about Nana taking their memories? 1:33:44 - The mini games 1:34:40 - Blindfolded challenge 1:35:58 - Marisha, did Laudna consider reaching for Pate for comfort when she was in Delilah’s grasp? How does she feel about her familiar now that he can actually talk to her? 1:37:55 - Laura, what was it like for Imogen to trust her friends while they guided her during Nana’s test? 1:38:20 - Laura, how does Imogen feel about impersonating her mother or leaning into being her daughter while infiltrating Ruidus? 1:41:44 - Spreadsheet of Inquiry 1:42:14 - If given the opportunity, do you think your character would rather meet their past or future selves and why? (FCG is Barbie) 1:45:27 - What is the most fascinating aspect of Exandria’s world building to you? 1:48:54 - The Barbed Fields 1:49:52 - Mermaids 1:51:09 - BREAK STARTS 2:02:35 - BREAK ENDS 2:03:48 - What accessory would your characters have secretly like a fashion accessory? 2:06:09 - Tooth Fairy (Teeth) 2:10:20 - FCG and Cooking supplies (Quyen’s cooking) 2:12:45 - Imogen’s scarf 2:15:12 - Laudna’s scissors 2:26:22 - FCG’s coin of delving 2:18:30 - Abu’s home game (Mass Effect) 2:21:58 - Sci Fi 2:22:48 - Flying Snakes 2:25:57 - Top Sci Fi Media 2:29:59 - Fo fo fo fo 2:31:04 - Lights out

Not gong to lie, I love that they're just sitting and answering questions, sans any of the bits they usually have. Not that I don't like the show with them, but this feels much easier in my work tired brain. Also, I appreciate some people would rather have a host that is clued into what is actually going on, but oddly, I think just this once it actually works because it forces the cast to actually explain what they're talking about, which may be helpful to people who maybe have forgotten or just haven't seen everything. It may get annoying every time but this time it worked. Plus Abubakar is great, despite the bizarreness of the show.

If Sam was a warlock, the tooth fairy would be his patron

I think, if Ashton had not tried to take in the Shard they would have forever been stuck in a "the one that got away" situation

Maybe it's just me, but when Ashton was trying to take the shard, I got the sense that it was partly because Fearne really didn't want it, and they were trying to throw themself on the grenade so she wouldn't have to. It felt like it started as another job they had to do, and then blossomed into a monologue about power and destiny.

I'm just going to say it. Just listening to them talk and run into tangents where you find out extra little insights into their heads is 100% more entertaining than any of the bits, where they are distracted and you wind up with neither the answer being satisfying nor their performance in the game being satisfying. I get that some shit went down with Foster, but this was so much more of the Talks Machina energy that I still miss even now.

I love that Laura and Ashley kept playing with Sam's phone case and he didn't bat an eye at it XD

Am I the only one who heard them refer to Ludinus as Trent the whole time?

What a great episode. I love it when we get some glimpses of real life stuff, like at 45:40 when Dani casually mentions how grief and depression might be behind Orym's decisions. Ashley and Sam clearly feel that way too close to home, Marisha notices it and all of them just laugh it off. ❤

Fun fact: flying snakes stretch out their RIBCAGE (kind of like cobras) as “wings” in order to glide

"It's all from you so it can't be that good." lol I love Laura.

It really seemed to me like the whole Shard situation was one of those "there characters in the story are telling u not to but the story itself is telling u to and that's what you should listen to" scenarios. Ashton and Ferne are a little bit crazy for not listening to the NPCs, but Tal and Ashley definitely aren't.

"NO WE ARE NOT! WE ARE DOING SPREADSHEET OF INQUERY!" That had some Mad King Vibes. I love it and Can't wait to see him Play on Critical Role!

Sam's power is so strong he manifested a studio audience

Abu seems like a dream player/host: really good at both listening to the cast and then reflecting on what they bring up and spinning it out. He's hamstrung a bit here by not being familiar with the campaign, but I'd definitely love to see more of him in the CR universe.

As soon as the discussion about pinball machines, I started thinking,”we need a Critical Role pinball machine.” Then someone mentions there is a company that makes custom pinball machines... “Oh yeah, make it happen!” 😍 ...not that I expect they would ship to Australia. 😢

This is probably my favorite 4-Sided Dive so far, I'm so glad they're stepping away from the bits and leaning into a sort of structured chaos type of discussion. Also I *desperately* need to see Abubakar in Exandria, I love his voice and vibes!

Abubakar brought great energy to the show and i like the idea of bringing in a guest host, even if it’s a different person each week or a rotating cast if you don’t want it to be too similar to Talks Machina. That being said, it was really frustrating and painfully obvious that he had no clue what the cast was talking about. He read the script he was given and really didn’t provide any input. A host who has at least been given a brief about what the episode was going to cover and some context about the topics would work if they weren’t caught up, but having to stop after every topic is introduced to explain what it means to the host of all people was not a great listening experience.

What if Chetney’s deal turns him into Santa Claus?

i really like having someone else as the host but i think it would work better if they were fully caught up with the show. i really love abubakar but i think it was a little awkward that he didn't really know what was going on particularly

I think quite a few people weren't aware that Abubakar Salim had been the panel host for CR MCM London panel.

Seeing the cast explain the show to Abubakar is eerily similar to me explaining the show to my therapist 😂

I am positively lost in the perfectly calm, flowing sea, with a rolling storm on the horizon that is Abu’s voice.

I'm gonna go against the grain and say that I love that the host wasn't caught up or had any idea of what was going on. It was chaotic and hilarious watching them explain their campaign to someone on the outside, but also helped them recollect information and answer questions better. So, I had a blast!

Abubakar will be a fun addition to Candela but, I'd like him to come in on the regular show a bit. 🙂

One of the many great things about Sam: he is really good at giving other people props - and does so in well-deserved detail. Love what he says about Matt at 1.45.00 in this one.

1:28:50 Ashley experirencing one of the biggest problems for Italians

Tbh I think the choices that were made, make perfect sense for Ashton based on what happened leading up to that point. He had very golden child chosen one stuff happening (and no one doubting it)

This is absolutely my favorite episode of 4SD so far! I am a big fan of Abubakar as a host, even with him not being knowledgeable about the show itself. I do miss the jenga tower somewhat, but for me the weakest part of the Tower of Inquiry was the questions themselves. I will say i enjoyed the questions on this episode, so I don't really know what the best way forward for that aspect of the show is.

That ending was HILAAAARIOUS. Legends say they are still sitting in the dark wondering what the hell had just happened. Best ending so far.

it might get tired listening to them explain to new hosts each week: "wtf is up with that" ...but i loved it and id love to see more. this host has great critical role energy as well, cant wait to see him get a session in with them.

This episode brought to you by the feeling of explaining your multi-year campaign to your parents.

I feel like you are taking the piss out of people who didn't like the bits. But tbh the C block is actually so much better now. The tower you could absolutely bring back. That was a fun little bit that didn't detract from the rest of the show.

Best 4SD episode yet! Loved the longer answers and the tangents :)

One of the best episodes, if not the best, in my opinion. Having a guest host elevated the discussion because the cast had to go into more detail and explore more of the in-game contexts behind their answers than would be necessary if they were only speaking to other players who were at the table. I think bringing on more guest hosts from the broader TTRPG community would take the show to a new level altogether. Edit: I would suggest briefing the host about the campaign enough for them to follow the discussion, though. I agree with others here that Abu seemed clueless at times; it would be better if he at least knew who the characters were, what major arcs have happened, and what the group is doing right now in-game. They still get to go into more detail for our benefit and the host doesn't seem so lost at times.

I'm so happy to hear Ashley say Fearne is like a homeschool kid, because that is *exactly* how I wrote her in my modern/human/college AU.

I know this was meant as a joke/mild eff u to everyone who complained about the format before but this really was a lot better in my opinion. No one was distracted by shenanigans or video games. Just the players getting to talk about their characters, which is why I watch. Thanks Marisha and CR team. Great work!

I think characters can be therapeutic, either playing a character very different from yourself or playing a character that is a stronger expression of who you want to be or identify as.

Fearne as the Tooth Fairy is such good vibes and it needs to happen.

To answer Ashley's question about why Fearne did what she did, it is because of something Ashley said in a previous FSD: That she did not want Fearne to become the Dark Fearne she saw in the mirror during ExU, way back when. And now, if she is, in fact, going down that road, then I would think a big part of Fearne becoming Dark Fearne is taking in the Primordial Shard. The only question is, will she fall to the Dark Side with the whole deal with the Champion of Asmodeus? It's hard to tell just yet.

Will Friedle needs to host!

Between the Glass Cannon Podcast and now this, Abubakar is making waves in the TTRPG podcast world!

Abubakar seems like a great host and person, but I don't see why they would bring in someone who hasn't seen the show to host this.

having someone who hasn't watched the show, but understands the game is a hilarious concept XD! Salim is awsome

This whole episode was a riot. Hope we see more of Abubakar on the channel in the future.

I missed the Tower of Inquiry! I hope they bring it back! I love seeing all of them bantering and being their goofy and fun selves with one another, while also hearing their thoughts behind the show and their characters! I will miss the games, but i just enjoy seeing them together, talking about the show. Abubakar's voice! *swoons*

Abubakar was pretty cool, but he really needs to be familiar with the campaign in order to be the best host - you are hamstringing him by just tossing him out there. The small bits are fun. I miss them. The last part being discussion instead of a game was actually fun - a free-wheeling discussion like that was pretty interesting. So More focused discussion at the beginning and then the very end is more open format could be really interetsing.

Laudna is very 'hey there Delilah' to the tune of Jolene.

great episode! probably the best way to catch up to C3 considering they had to explain some basic stuff to Salim, so it's a great refresher

Dear Marisha/comment moderator: 15 min in and I ALREADY love the couch/host format. It feels cozy and familiar, but still new and fresh with the perspective of an external host that lets all of the cast really get into answering the questions more than the previous episodes. And the couch truly makes a difference - everyone seems more comfortable immediately. Good vibes coupled with powerful questions that actually helped me catch up with the story, AND some truly lovely tangents Do I think the host should be basically caught up with the episode? Yeah . . . BUT then again my dream permanent host is our sweet and precious Dani Carr. Always manifesting this

Also I'm very concerned that Orym only made the deal with Nana only after the whisper from Imogen 😢

Loving this new format! Keep up the good work, excited for the future of the show.

“I’m just a poor lonely girl I need someone to feed me” living in my head rent free from now on

Man, I discovered Abubakar during his segment at the game awards, probably one of the best part of the show in December. So happy you guys got him as the first host. He's fantastic

This whole episode is me trying to explain critical role to my coworkers.

21:33 I STILL wanna know what Talesin had planned for Cad and The Hag, because the look on his face when he kinda got interrupted tells me he clearly had one.

I absolutely love how many tangents were in this episode. It was so fun and exciting getting to know you guys and your characters even more

On the whole, I appreciate when creatives experiment with things like format and such, and I think this time, I've learned three things: 1) Abubakar is lovely 2) Non-cast members shouldn't be on 4-Sided Dive 3) Taking away the Jenga tower and game and just making it a pure talk show makes it... 'stale' isn't the right word, and neither is 'bland', but they're in the ballpark. I'm personally happiest with WTFIUWT for starters, some Tower of Inquiry (please, gods, get rid of the spreadsheet), mug questions, and a variable fourth section (but if there's an activity/game, just drop the pretense of answering questions while everyone's focused). Just my two cents.

Perfectly coincidental that I just happened to finally get around to Stray Gods last week (what a fantastic game with an incredible cast btw) and loved Abubakar in that so much that I looked up what else he's done, and now he shows up on 4SD! :D This was such a fun episode and much like the others, I can't wait to see him join at the table at some point.

Abubakar was great and would love to see more of him. I do think he need to be caught up mainly for his sake alone he looked like a deer in headlights lol. But i still think he would make a good host.

very thankful that there were more shots of all of them and less single person shots. i can see more people's reactions and it makes me feel like we're all hanging out.

Ive made tons of characters to help me overcome things. I made a gnome druid to overcome feeling small. I made a Sith (SW5e) to get over intense grief. I made an Illithid Sorcerer to overcome not fitting in. My most recent character is a Construct, hopefully to tackle the feeling of mechanical monotony in my day to day.

I really like this episode of 4-Sided Dive, and personally love the vibe of Abubakar Salim as host ❤

Hey, let me start by saying Abubakar did a PHENOMENAL job. He did everything as perfectly as he could have, and none of this is a criticism on him. I would love to see him featured as a guest too. ...But every change to the format has been a massive detriment. Having a host is great, but opting for a celebrity host who does not know the plot meant trading in the deep dives for quips about surface-level stuff. If you're going to go with a host on future 4-Sided Dives, I really think Dani should be the next host. Maybe the permanent host. She knows the lore, she follows the show, and we all love when she makes an appearance. And PLEASE bring the Tower of Inquiry back!

Loving the questions on the episode each week and getting to hear the in depth conversations. Shame we lost the chaos of the tower but they definitely picked some more insightful questions for this episode, so swings and roundabouts!

Please keep the tower, that was a great way for the questions to come in!

Honestly might be my fav 4 sided dive episode, couldn't stop laughing and the questions were great!

I'm suprised I've never heard anyone mention how similar Liliana & Imogen's story is to Darth Vader & Luke Skywalker.

I think this might be my favourite episode of 4-sided dive so far. Just something really fun about Abubakar seeing everything with fresh eyes. I loved the new question format, I think it’s generating some great discussion. Good stuff!!

I think this is my favorite episode so far

Whoever said that bits and games aren't allowed should be ashamed of themselves. The joy and jokes that these lovely people bounce around between friends is the major selling point of this show. I love seeing them joke around and have fun. I miss the way the old episodes were run 😭

There were too many bits for me, but I liked the tower of inquiry and pulling questions from the mugs. I hope when they find their balance that those things survive.

I've missed the couch format!! And Abubakar was hilarious, I loved hearing them attempt to explain the plot to him 😂 great chemistry, great conversation Edit: and that Dani joined for the C block! More Dani!

Abubakar was so amazing at hosting this, he 100% needs to be in a CR game sometime!!

Okay, that ending was a helluva payoff. Lovely conversations, folks. Thank you!

I love having a host and how this ep was more focused on the q/a stuff. Love the bits and the games of other episodes, but more of this would be preferable

Love this version of 4SD. It feels like a return to form. Abubakar is a good host, and I think having to explain a few things to him worked out in the end because it led to a natural flow of conversation. Everyone was engaged and relaxed. It was nice getting more time to talk about the characters.

i really love that this episode is just them hanging out basically.

The Critical Role pinball machine is only a matter of time now 🤩

Love Laura's attire in this episode. Classic, stylish and comfortable at once.

Aw, no more Tower? Bummer! But I LOVE having a non-cast host :) It brings a different energy, I love it 👏🏻

I liked the bits, Sam.

i think sam talking about fearne and the stealing and that whole bit is completely right, i think maybe he just could’ve phrased it better. the others were picturing it as if you have deep and dark desires you should give into them regardless of who it effects, when no, that’s not the case. but, you shouldn’t just shun and turn away from that side of yourself either, because then like he’s saying it will eventually need to be released mid force it’s way out of you in a harmful way. you must look those deep and dark desires in the eye, acknowledge them, and try to understand where they are coming from and why they are there. impulses have a reason, don’t just shun and punish and react to the impulse, take a step back and understand why that impulse arrives in the first place. and, find a healthy outlet for it that doesn’t harm others. but in order to do that you mustn’t lock it away

Two talking points I want to chime in on: Exandria feels amazing because Matt has thought so many things threw to such a degree that it doesn't feel like you're hearing fictional stories about a world he made up, it feels like he's looking into an alternate reality that exists somewhere in the multiverse. I created a world myself, but I stopped at the unique physics, and the flora and fauna, I didn't go into different regions, cultures, pantheons, etc. Even getting that far felt expansive and like if I didn't write everything down I would lose it. I can't imagine keeping track of multiple kingdoms and continents across decades (or even centuries and millennia) of game lore. And then on the sci-fi/high fantasy debate, I'm all in for high fantasy. I love magic systems, gods and mythology, things like that. Sci-fi is fun because of the pseudo-realism, like a real world "what if," but high fantasy goes so far beyond "what if" that you can't even really imagine the full scope of the possibilities. And yes, if you really think about it, Star Wars is just high fantasy in space.

Aggh I love the wee bit of vidya game chat at the end!

Personally really liked the format of this episode, INCLUDING the jokes about how everything was super serious now.