Matt clarified in a Tweet at some point that Allura was interested in Tiberius until he killed that old lady. Prior to that, he did have a good chance at successfully romancing her.

Frankly I'm impressed that Matt managed to get through all of Orion's errands in 13 minutes.

Your videos don’t just help players recognize their own problematic behavior. It also helped me, a relatively inexperienced dm, realize what had been bothering me about one of my own players behavior. I used some of your videos to help me point out the things that were bothering me and it really helped. The conversation ended up solving the issues we had in a pleasant and respectful way. So, thanks a million!!

I never realized Orion posted on your first video. I agree, that's awesome he was able to speak up and explain/defend himself in a very appropriate way. It must be challenging when some people treat him like Voldemort.

"People like to invent monsters and monstrosities. Then they seem less monstrous themselves. When they get blind-drunk, cheat, steal, beat their wives, starve an old woman, when they kill a trapped fox with an axe or riddle the last existing unicorn with arrows, they like to think that the Bane entering cottages at daybreak is more monstrous than they are. They feel better then. They find it easier to live." - Geralt of Rivia, a Witcher.

I a way, I think no episode lives up to “demystified” more than this. Fans tend to put CR on a pedestal, "they have amazing players", "Matt is peak DM world-building", "the Briarwoods Arc and Calamity were the best D&D storylines ever" etc. but for a while they had That Guy on the table, perhaps the most famous That Guy in the world...in the end as much as we glorify them for the contributions to the hobby we gotta remember they’re just a bunch of nerdy-ass voice actors who sit around and play Dungeons and Dragons.

The whole Orion situation is so sad. Imagine if he had been healthy and doing well, he might've still been playing with them and having fun. The saddest part is seeing what could've been. He had his moments, where Tiberius was such a great character and really did a lot for the group, but mostly he was just in the way of everyone else and breaking the game. It sucks. I'm glad he's healthy now, but it's awful that he had to be unhealthy to begin with.

I was also one of the "that guys" trying to be in the limelight and your videos have seriously helped me learn and get better at being a friend in general

Dude, you are a class act. You are doing videos about one of the most overanalyzed, demonized figures in tabletop gaming, and you never cease to treat him with unwavering empathy. You make me feel like the That Guys of this world really can turn their act around. Excellent video and thanks for doing this.

As a sidenote, I do actually like a lot of ideas that were set up about Draconia, and how things play out after it is destroyed. The Wildemount campaign guide has some cool things happening there related to ongoing humanitarian issues as well as the former underclass setting up of a new state. I would imagine there might be some discomfort returning, but I hope one day we're able to revisit it.

I think the "why we talk about it" question is very important. I've been playing for decades, but almost all of it as a DM, and was horrified to realize that I was a "problem player" in the most recent campaign I played in... And I was very grateful (and embarrassed) when the DM contacted me between sessions to go over what I was doing and why it was a problem. My "trying to be helpful" was stepping over the DM, and getting in the way of him making rulings, and I needed to learn how to only talk on my turn. (something that never comes up when DMing :P)

Sam made a character that he other players knew was going to say something inappropriate, sexual or otherwise, so they where ready for it to happen. Tiberius joke came out of left field. It wasn't something his character was known for, so it caught everyone off guard.

If you’re watching this Orion and Reading through the comments. I just want to say congrats on overcoming not only your health issues, addictions, and trying to own up to your mistakes in the past. I may not know what it feels like to be under all of it. But what I do know is that pain and addiction changes people and can bring out their worst traits. It takes strength and lots of self-reflection to not only see you have problem, but also knowing you made bad decisions and decide to learn from them rather than just trying to forget about it. So congrats for that. Hope you’re doing well dude.

As someone who has watched your whole Demystified series, seeing how you apply analysis, reflection and criticism to not only the CR's VM series but also to your (past) self is really refreshing and shows how much your content and you as a content creator has grown in over a year. Thanks for the amazing content

A problem I've always had with the "We don't talk about Tiberius" thing is that it made it really hard to find out how Orion is doing now. It's really good to hear his health has improved.

I really respect Orion for posting on your first video and admitting what he went through. It's difficult to admit stuff like that, and to do so where thousands can read, is even more difficult. I hope with all my heart that he is doing well and turned his life around, and I hope that he made up with the cast of Critial Role to make amends. Orion, if you read this, take care of yourself.

30:24 I know this is mostly a serious video but the thought of Mike looking at Orion and going “That Stupid looking Vest, I hate it!!!!” Is a little chuckle worthy lol

Lots of respect, both to you for addressing Orion's behavior as respectfully as you did, and to Orion for owning up to his fuck-ups in the early episodes of campaign 1. As a fellow addict, I wish him only the best.

You're an awesome guy, takes a brave person to own up to past mistakes and reflect humanely on another's actions in a constructive manner. Massive respect, found you recently, staying for more content. Thank you.

I have family members that deal with substance abuse issues and don't want to get better, don't even want to make an effort to. So much so that my mom and stepdad had to adopt their kids with fetal alcohol syndrome because they couldn't take care of them. So I'm VERY happy to hear orion was able to find the strength and courage to not only make an effort, but actually beat his addictions.

I think giving details about Tiberius and giving this part of critical role the same respect as any other part is essential for the series this is. I've used multiple episodes to improve my own campaign and its kinda surprising how unique your type of DnD education content is and I love it ❤.

When saying you once were the Tiberius in your own games, it helped me understand why this would be a topic to speak about, and why you went so in depth with it.

I think the key take away to remember is that, like us, the Critical Role team are human. Orion had growing to do. Marisha had growing to do. Sam had growing to do. Laura had growing to do. We forget that a handful of them at the table (like Sam) were new to the game, were playing by new rules (5e vs 3e) or hadn't played for some time. And the key is to learn if your energy matches the table. Orion had a different energy and expectation of the game. If I'm being honest, I would struggle to play in a game with Sam. While it doesn't excuse some of the things he did, it's important to remember he is a human that made mistakes and lost chemistry with another group of people. And this is why I like your approach. It humanizes people. Should we forever condemn Orion for the stuff done as Tiberius? Would it be fair of me to condemn (and probably face the critter community wrath) Sam because I find his humour in poor taste? I always look back and wonder why I didn't enjoy Campaign 1 as much as Campaign 2. And it's honestly as simple as finding the growing pains uncomfortable. I honestly had to revisit Campaign 1 after the second campaign started to give it a more fair chance. I'm glad I did. At some point, I realized the characters (and their players) grew in ways I didn't give them the chance to do. I dropped Campaign 1 just before the Briarwood Arc. Revisiting it, I still found some scenes difficult... but I'm glad I soldiered through it.

I think the vest thing isn’t annoying because of the vest. It’s annoying because it felt like him “getting his way” once again instead of respecting the groups wishes.

I've been really enjoying the critical role breakdowns, it's really interesting to hear your perspective!

There is a big difference between wearing a costume piece and wearing a LITERAL FLAMETHROWER.

If anything, these videos show the value of being able to accept constructive criticism. If someone at the table is doing something problematic, there's a chance they may not be aware it's a problem. A good player would accept that they messed up, learn from it and be thankful someone pointed it out so they can improve.

When I watched the episode with the mirrors I felt like Tiberius was trying to build some kind of invention out of the mirrors and sort of, stepping on Percy's area of expertise? Like I get that Taleisin doesn't necessarily need to own the idea of building inventions, but it felt a bit weird.

Thank you for expanding on this. Your first Tiberius video was my first time getting most of the story behind why he left. Before, I assumed the DnD Fandom was being toxic as usual when they celebrated him leaving because he 'annoyed' them. Since then, I've learned he himself had very toxic behaviors, albeit somewhat because of the bad mindset he was in at the time.

When someone is just, consistently being disruptive/shitty your tolerance for little things that are only very slightly annoying (or that would even be endearing from someone else) evaporates. I think in that circumstance it is pretty normal to get annoyed at those things and it can actually be cathartic to complain about those little things.

Orion was a great example of how a player should NOT act at a table. I'm really glad that he got the help that he needed and potentially seems to be doing better for himself now. It's great that you show a personal example of yourself acting that way to show that it's possible within anyone. The best thing to do is try and grow as a person and keep yourself in check. This video's got a great message.

I got into Critical Role quite early. And initially I really enjoyed Tiberius. And then the Kavarn fight happened (I was still catching up at that point first live ep was somewhere in the early 20s) and I got really upset with both Tiberius and Orion because to me it was blatantly obvious that he was crippling the party and abandoning his friends by not joining in the fight. And that deeply upset me because clearly what he was doing wasn't working and he was powerful and could have helped fight the actual monster. Looking back I can now confidently say that this tainted my view of Tiberius for the rest of his time on the show. What didn't help is at the time I was playing with a guy who definitely suffered from main character syndrome and was 100000% THAT GUY which was deeply unpleasant. And the fact that he idolised Tiberius didn't help. Thank you for these clear and concise videos they have made me reflect a lot on how I play DnD and how I can be better as well without letting past experiences colour my behaviour

I started in c1 not long after Tiberius was gone. When rewatching from the start when I was sick I was excited to see this character that so many I saw talked about missing him. All I was seeing was a "dad that had to always be right, in charge, and felt they could do everything better then anyone else." Edit: Ultra happy he is doing better and got the help he needed.

Big ups for keeping it classy with not only including Orion's response, but also wishing him well. I've also been/been on the receiving end of that kind of player, and seeing it pretty thoroughly dissected by you has been both cathartic and informative. To anyone who see these traits in a player, whether you be their DM, their adventuring partner, or the player in question, please point it out. It will ultimately lead to a healthier game, and hopefully a healthier friendship. ...and if you're the player with these traits, I urge you to self-reflect. Take a step back and consider the fun of others and how your enjoyment of the game might effect theirs. D&D is a collaborative game, not a single-player adventure, and the players are your friends, not your NPCs.

As someone who struggles with insecurity and anxiety, table top is one of the few forums where I don't feel it at all, where I can 'feel myself' because I know the people around me are having a good time. But what if I wasn't sober and I couldn't tell when that changed? It's a humbling thought.

I'm a DM, I had a That Guy at my table we talked and he didn't know how to change what he was doing because he wasn't doing it on purpose. I showed him your video bc we were both relatively new to the space and were asking about Tiberius and getting nothing. We saw all your points and it really helped. He's been in that same campaign since and we've had no issues.

Well done. I didn’t realize that your first Tiberius video needed more nuance but it absolutely did and highlighting your own struggles paints your perspective and intentions perfectly.

I appreciate how you humanized Orion by giving examples from your own game -acknowledging that no matter how bad his behavior may have been, it's not far outside of what any given person might have done. No one is below any of us and no one is unworthy of compassion and empathy

Your care for the betterment of players shines through. There is a humility and unvarnished honesty to what you say that I appreciate. You say every intro that this series is to discuss things that we can learn from CR as DMs or players, and I think that the focus on Tiberius grows out of the fact that in his episodes, he often seems to provide the most things to learn from, not that you are bashing him either as a person or a player. Thank you for this attitude, and keep up the good work!

Thanks for wrapping up this material this way. Your opening with self-reflection is such an exemplary approach to a difficult topic. Also, I have to say, your writing is excellent, I love your wit.

I definitely came to your channel because of the original Tiberius video. Over the past year I feel like I’ve learned a lot watching you. Thank you for your time!

Somethings I'd like to add. -A woman going on a coffee date with a guy doesn't mean automatic romantic interest. Sure something could bloom. But Allura going out once with Tiberius doesn't guarantee a romance. -For me personally a big red flag about the vest was that Orion was very vocal in requesting it. I'm not entirely sure atm, but I believe he tweeted about how perfect it was for Tiberius, but how he couldn't afford it, or something. Cue the fan gifting it to him. While the other CR members often have little trinkets from their characters none of them have openly requested it as far as I know. And now to get a little deep. My biggest issue with Orion seems like a refusal to learn. While I have understanding for his situation I find it hard to believe that his substance abuse did not influence his behaviour at the table. Which pains me because they were friends. Of course I don't know what happened behind the scenes, but I find it hard to believe that the rest of the cast wouldn't try to help him. But speaking as that friend who refused to get better. In the end you're the only person who can improve yourself. And putting that burden on your friends will ruin friendships. Plenty of guest actors proved that you don't have to be the best, most all powerful, super skilled player, as long as you're just having fun together. And you respect the other players and their choices

I really, really appreciate how you’ve spoken about this whole situation around Tiberius and Orion. As someone who started out really identifying with and liking Tiberius at the start, who also got a little of the “We don’t talk about Tiberius” vibe coming into the fandom, I honestly felt a little guilty researching the topic, and your videos have truly helped with understanding and coming to terms with some of my feelings on the subject. Also, as someone who will sometimes feel like people react to me the same way the cast react to Tiberius and Orion during the game, it’s very comforting and nice to know that you can recognize the behavior from your own games, and have you look at the behavior fairly and without just resorting to “this behavior sucks and we all know why”. You have such a balanced, fair, kind, understanding, welcoming and open view on DnD and its TTRPG siblings in general, and I really look forward to seeing what another year brings!

Damn, it's really been a year huh? Honestly you've made such a high quantity of videos that I thought this channel has been around for more than a year. Thanks for making all these top quality vids, there's always something here to encourage some critical thinking in either how I run my games or how I make my characters. Here's to another great year! 🎉🎉🎉🎉

I loved Tibbs so so dearly when I first started watching and the return to draconia later on in the campaign it did break my heart, He was a genuinely likeable and funny character in the earlier episodes.

Congrats on one year, Mike. I’m proud to say I came in shortly after you posted the first four videos, and I’m happy I subscribed. You’re cultivating a community based on respect first, and that’s rare on KZfaq. It’s common as an attempt but rare as a success, and you’re succeeding. More power to you, brother.

Treating this as a sort of epilogue to this era, I wanted to give my two major thoughts about the whole affair: The first is, I just wanted to thank you for your videos covering this time. For many people who get into Critical Role by asking Critters how to start, the common response usually involves "The first 27 episodes have a player who is awful in them, so just be aware that things get better from there." or a recommendation to skip those episodes entirely. It's resulted in the whole beginning of the campaign having this air of drama over it, with many just insisting they're borderline unwatchable. So it was nice to see your videos just taking each episode as it came and not hyper-focusing on what most people do. Because of your videos, I went back to rewatch these early episodes, and I honestly came away with far more positives than negatives. They're a fun time. You get a lot more of a glimpse into what their home games would have been like than you do with later episodes that fully know they're being made for an audience. So I appreciate your measured takes on it all. Second will be maybe controversial. I want to be clear that I ultimately do not think Orion was a good player. The accusations of metagaming, main character syndrome, and uncomfortable behavior are true. I even said in a previous comment section how uncomfortable and angry the telekinesis arrow scene made me. But with all of that in mind, I do truly miss Tiberius among Vox Machina. In the good times (which were more prevalent than many would like to believe) he brought a fun and unique dynamic to the team. There are plenty of entertaining scenes or relationships established that gave me some great laughs. And separating the character from the player with something like the first volume of the Vox Machina comic that included Tiberius, just shows how great his dynamic within the team could be. Without spoiling anything, I always think about what great storytelling could have occurred had he been around during the Chroma Conclave arc. The personality and background established about Tiberius was clearly the inspiration for the story Matt created in Draconia later, and I would have liked to have seen what changes would occur because of that. I'd also like to say that I feel sad for the players themselves. Many fans of Critical Role love to jump to the side of the players like they know them intimately, and so it's created this general environment among the fanbase of disdain for Tiberius and Orion in every aspect of his time with them. But largely, we see that's not the case with the actual cast. They were clearly friends with him. They invited him to their first ever game. They had inside jokes throughout the early episodes. And they warned against speculation after his departure likely because they didn't want this personal matter to constantly be thrown in their faces again. Again, no spoilers, but the later trip to Draconia has another huge indication of how much he meant to them. To this day, they will still reflect fondly on some events that involved Orion. So the departure was tough on them but also had the misfortune of being under public scrutiny. We're seeing a similar thing with Brian Foster now, with many fans theorizing about the reasons behind his departure or claiming they never liked him despite social media clearly showing that they are all still friends. So finally, as an epilogue to your great videos covering all this time, I just hope some people can read this comment and decide to put speculation to rest and take both the good and the bad like you have done.

I'm one of the people that found out your channel because I was trying to learn more about Tiberius. Thank you so much for all your videos and the hard work you've put into creating them. I feel like I've learned so much through your discussions and perspectives, not just when it comes to that character but also DnD in general. So thank you, you are one of the best DnD creators. Keep up the good work. :)

It never would have worked out, but now I'm thinking about how cool it would have been if Tiberius's father agreed to send an army to Whitestone, sent back a letter saying, "They're on the way!" and when the party gets to Whitestone, they find out that the army had been destroyed by the Briarwoods and now they have an army of undead dragonborn and wyverns to deal with. It would have been too antagonizing to work, since it would have been an overly dramatic way of shutting Orion down from trying to take more of the spotlight in the arc and, in the process, would actually have given Tiberius even more of a motive to do so, but the idea of fighting against an army of undead wyverns is just so cool.

I've been looking forward to the episode 27 demystified and plan to watch every episode you upload, i've recently started listening to the campaign 1 critical role and am struggling to stay ahead of your video's I look forward to all your comments on the other episodes as well. I hope you're doing better financially and keep growing

Honestly, this is the perfect episode to encapsulate the fact that you and your channel are far more than just a "Critical Role" channel. You have shown a good bit of care and respect when talking about a subject that can easily just be turned into drama farm bait. In fact, that is exactly what I thought the first Tiberius episode was going to be; however, I was then presented with a level headed examination of some really poor events for any fandom to deal with. There were no personal attacks, there were no childish jokes in other people's expense, but it was just someone trying to give a good, non bias retelling of events as someone could. You aren't perfect, but the level of respect and decorum you showed goes a long way. This is honestly why I keep coming back to your videos over and over again. You have a great way of presenting your passion to an audience without feeling haughty or holier than thou that is very common place in TTRPG and alike. I hope you continue this trend to furthering the growth of this awesome channel because it is sorely needed in the TTRPG space. Additionally, if anyone is seeing this that only really watches Mike's Critical Role video's, please give his other content a watch because it is honestly some of his best work. I personally recommend the evil ancestry video. Stay humble and keep up the good work.

That intro was beautiful. It had me questioning your motives and guessing what you meant by putting in those clips and it led to say what the whole video said in a matter of minutes. Subscribed

Your transparency takes a lot of bravery and heart and I hope you know just how much we admire and appreciate it. It's hard to show off ways you've failed or fumbled but you're able and willing to do it so that all of us can learn how to be better players and people. Congratulations on the one year anniversary, Mr. Rogers of D&D

I really appreciate your levelheaded approach to this topic. No backpedaling , just respectful discussion and owning up to mistakes and misunderstandings

I think I found you pretty early on because I was trying to figure out what happened with Tiberius. And I stayed because at the time you were the only thing I could find that discussed it openly, honestly, and fairly. Thanks for that! It’s probably why that video went so viral. A lot of us were very confused.

Reading the room can be difficult, but when one of the players is looking at you as if he wants to murder you, it might be a hint.

So, sometimes I'll just pop in drop my usual "I like Mike comment" and save the video for when I have time to actually pay attention. That was the case for this one. Well done, Mike. This is a FANTASTIC followup to the original Tiberius video. I'm especially impressed with how critical you are of yourself. It's been great watching you and your channel evolve over the past year and I can't wait to see what you have in store.

Once I learned what was going on with Orion IRL, I became a little sympathetic. My father was an alcoholic and it took him coming into my room to try and sleep with me for my mom to put her foot down and say “no more! This ever happens again, I’m leaving you.” They were quite loud, and I didn’t see what the big deal was at that time. Nothing actually happened, thank goodness, and I think he really just wanted to sleep. But that was a really low point for my dad.

For those of you who are wondering, Orion is doing so much better now. I'm really proud of him and I'm glad he's okay now.

Something that bugs me personally is that in the stuff I have found about the whole Tiberius situation, there's a bunch of subtext that reads as ableist against autistic folks. Whether that's intentional or not is unclear, but it certainly reads that way nonetheless. So hearing you call out "read the room isn't useful advice for everyone" was refreshing.

Learning from others mistakes or bad behavior is an incredibly useful way to grow, I appreciate your take on a constructive way to discuss this!

I've been playing and running dnd for over a decade. Though I never taped or recorded the sessions, I still have the privilege to have friends who reminisce about our old adventures. I have a few constant reminders of bad choices that have left a bad taste in my mouth, both as a player and as a dm, but I believe wholeheartedly that me and my friends have come a long way in creating a better space to play and enjoy the game together. My advice to anyone is to look back after sessions and talk to your players or dm. Create a space where it's okay to give feedback and get advice for how to better run or play the game. Not all problems are resolved that way, but just getting those issues out in the open is a huge step forward.

I’m grateful that you created that first video talking about Tiberius. Since then, I’ve learned a lot of lessons from you that have made me feel like I’m a better DM and player. I find more joy in helping others at the table have their own spotlight and I feel I’ve become less selfish in my real life as well. I hope you continue to make these insightful videos for as long as you can ❤

Can't wait to watch this. Excited to see extra long-form doc content coming from you!

I really appreciate the introspection and honesty of this video. You've had my respect for a long time, this has only cemented it. Thanks for all the great work. :)

It's interesting to think about how different CR would be today if Orion was able to beat his demons and stay with the show. Imagine the "Death of Tiberius" scene but instead of it being Percy finding Tiberius, it being Tiberius finding his father. Tiberius vs Vecna could have been an amazing spell slinging bout. Perhaps he could have counterspelled the disintegration ray that led to Vax's unfortunate fate. What would the Mighty Nein have looked like with an 8th member of the group, or Bell's Hells even? Would Draconia have a more involved place in the narrative? Would Tiberius have been with Caleb and Beau when they attacked the Key in the Shadowfell or during the Solstice? I loved Tiberius' character, he was a goofy mage that was funny and super clutch in the underdark for teleporting everyone out. Orion had his problems and it's always sad to see someone's darkness consume them.

Absolute respect for your approach to these kinds of topics. Not just as abstract lessons, but also personal experience, showing how we can all fall short at times. We can all learn, and we can all improve, and if we can do it ourselves, we can for sure give that grace to others. It's definitely worth talking about, and your perspective is very appreciated.

I am only a few minutes in, and I think it is both brave but also really great to show clips of yourself. No one is perfect. You grow and you learn. Also there is probably some context that is missing. Good on you

This is a good channel. I like Mike.

Hi. I just want to thank you for this series. I discover you pretty much the same time as Critical Role (where I started with campain 3) and thanks to you I knew what happen in begining of C1 while saving a ton of time I don't really have. Congratulations to all milestones and can't wait for what's next.

I think this video is definitely a crowning definitive video for Mike's channel. I don't always see eye to eye with Mike on various subjects but I absolutely respect him and his choices as a straight and fair shooter who will add his own unadulterated objective self reflection to the conversation as well.. He takes the humanist approach, argues in good faith, considering the many sides objectively as possible and I fully respect that.. Keep up the good work sir and here's to another year! Cheers!

Orion dressing up a bit as Tiberius rubs me the wrong way a bit because Tiberius is very obviously played as an annoying character, but then it developed to a point where it was no longer just Tiberius that was annoying, it was just Orion being annoying. It feels bad because it feels like he became self aware that aspects of Tiberius were seeping into his actual person, but instead of recognising it as a negative he leaned into it.

These videos help remind me to be open to learning new things from different people in the TTRPG community; I wouldn't have been able to engage as deeply with DnD and develop as a player and DM without this insight. Thanks for helping people like me learn more about the context behind these events, ensuring we're up to speed, and telling us why these things are discussed. It's saved more than a couple sessions from going sideways, can't thank you enough for it

It’s weird I watched your vids in the reverse order of popularity, regardless it’s been fun to re-experience what the mood was at time of airing, vs retrospectively viewing the livestreams. Many thanks Mike!

It's been a great year so far, Mike. I think one of the first things I saw actually was the original Tiberius video and I was very much someone who wondered just what happened there. So, thank you for that, thank you for this, and thank you for all of the work you do for this channel.

Thanks for this - I really love when videos are about to have a great conversation *about* conversations. This video felt like a great ending to the Tiberius: not too little, but not too much either.

This video has inspired some mad respect for you, and it's well deserved. It takes a lot of growth, integrity, and humility to make a video like this that uses your own experiences as examples for Orion's behaviors and actions that negatively impacted the table. Not only are you respecting his privacy, but it really speaks to your moral character that you feel more comfortable airing your own dirty laundry rather than bludgeoning Orion over the head with all his mistakes, as I've seen many in the community do. Yes, his actions were harmful, disruptive, deeply questionable, and uncomfortable. But we all know that by now. Some of the newer tiberius-centric videos feel a whole lot like beating a dead horse. Videos like this make the distinct and vital choice to build problem players up and give them the perspective and resources they need to better themselves and recognize their issues rather than humiliate and shame them into denial. It helps players to feel safe, rather than defensive. And that is the environment where we will see real change and growth, to all our benefit. We've all had a tiberius at the table. And odds are, we've all been the tiberus, ourselves, at times. Keep up the good work, I'm so proud of how this channel has grown!

once again you’ve shown that you can deliver such a clear and well worded video about such a difficult and combative subject. you did such a great job at treating Orion, the rest of the cast, and all of the fans (the ones that are for Orion and the ones that are against him) with the upmost respect. and even though i started watching these videos for the critical role recap and the fun little memories without having to rewatch VM for the 4th time; every other week i learn more things about DMing and playing that i hadn’t considered before even though i’ve been playing for years now. thanks for your hard work and can’t wait for the next video. you deserve all the success that’s come your way. (april babies for the win too!)

As a neurodiverse newbie to TTRPGs, I have also struggled with communication issues with DMs and fellow players. Sometimes situations ended poorly, as in a Warhammer 40K session when I didn't communicate with a teammate that I intended him to parry my shot to ricochet into the enemy. He stayed in character and took it as a threat, ending my character's session (and life) by returning what he saw as friendly fire in kind. I have been reluctant since then to join another campaign due to my autism based difficulties in "reading the room," as you put it. Thank you for melding compassion and correction in your discussion.

Hello Mike! Thank you so much for making this video series. I've truly enjoyed them and always strive to like them to help your channel grow. I think you do a great job at recapping the episodes and bringing to light what lessons we can all learn from them. I especially appreciate you discussing the character Tiberius and shedding light on the "mystery" about him and Orion. I think you have done a great job being true to your self and your thoughts and opinions on Tiberius and Orion while also being respectful and mindful of both the character and the player. I look forward to seeing more of your content on D&D and am rooting for your channel to continue to grow!

"You're a nice person, I can tell that about you." That gave me the goofiest grin lmao. Thank you!

I'm thankful for your discussion of tiberius because I couldn't find anything on why he left when I first watched it 7 years ago so thank you very much.

Thanks for going into this topic with such care and nuance. I think it's important for we as a community to be able to discuss the context of the situation so old and new fans alike aren't spreading misinformation (intentionally or not) while still respecting Orion and the cast's privacy. I myself barely knew anything about Orion's departure before your video as I had been watching Critical Role on and off since it came out. From my perspective, he just disappeared after a couple of tense episodes. So sincerely, thank you!

I'm really glad you made these Tiberius videos. I started watching critical role with campaign 2, and when I tried to go back and watch campaign 1, I was incredibly confused about who this person was, why he was on the show when he didn't fit very well (although I was comparing him to who the cast were by campaign 2) and why he was no longer with the show. It was frustrating to not find any information about him because of the community culture, and while the "we don't talk about Tiberius" attitude comes from respect for the cast and even Orion, it really makes those of us coming late into the series assume the worst about him. Talking frankly about him in the way you did helped me to feel better about the way things turned out. I think him leaving the show turned out to be the best decision for everyone involved.

Congrats on the 1 year! Thanks for these videos and your honesty about how you (and likely all of us) have missed the mark at some point in time!

What a way to celebrate a year of amazing work! My congratulations, I wish you only the very best for what ever is yet to come!

you already made your point within 4 minutes. Well done! Still going to enjoy the rest though

In the end, the saddest thing of all is, that at the heart of all this drama, lies a sad tale of a wonderful group of friends who have shared a path for years, breaking apart and loosing one that was dear to them. With all what happened with and around Orion, the one tragedy above it all is, that he lost atleast in part, his friends. And that is a pain worth of no envy.

I've enjoyed the heckie out of your videos this last year - hell, I find myself looking forward to them! Thank you for all your effort in putting them together for us, and mad MAD respect for the self-reflection.

I've really enjoyed your videos in the past year. You've done such a good job, not only breaking down Crit Role episodes, but also giving really solid gaming advice. THANK YOU!!!

I love that you start by showing examples of when you have made faux pas, I have been watching this series of videos specifically to learn how to improve myself, and I appreciate that that is clearly the point. It puts the Vox Machina review videos into a context that makes them more than just entertainment.

I always find these sorts of videos interesting. The accountability for the way things were taken in the previous video that you mentioned is admirable. Most people wouldn't do that. While I can't become a patron, I definitely look forward to more of your things and will be subscribing. I'm hoping to catch the livestream too, since the 5th is my birthday ^_^

This has honestly been such a joy to watch. I’m so happy that someone is talking about this as I was wondering what happened for the longest time. You’re first Tibsy video was the first video of yours I watched and all of your other content has been great. Thank you for being open about this whole thing and teaching so many others!

It seems like a misdirection to say that substance abuse isn’t directly tied to in person behavior. But I hope Orion is doing well.

I love that you never backed down talking about Tiberius. You made me realize that I was starting to show some of that behavior in retaliation to others doing it and I shouldn't do as they do, because it wasn't fair to those having to ensure as well. Thank you, for helping make me a better player and a better friend.

first of all, i want to thank you for your original tiberius video and for this one. i'm coming up on my one-year anniversary of being a critter, and you're right, it was so hard to find any information about why tiberius/orion disappeared into thin air, and i don't think the critter community is doing anyone any favors by pretending that what we saw play out at the table didn't happen. i've been in fandoms for a long time, and i know that the healthiest ones are the ones where people feel empowered to talk about what they don't like about the source material, what makes them uncomfortable or what they wish were different. this isn't to say we should all be dunking on orion all the time or that we constantly need to be rehashing shit from eight years ago, but sweeping difficult topics under the rug isn't a good use of our time or community, either. second, in general, your videos have been an enormous help to me in my preparation for first-time dming. i'll be starting soon and i am extremely nervous, but in particular i find your commentary on some of matt's decisions in these early cr episodes to be incredibly useful in framing my priorities and attitudes for my table. not saying i'm gonna be anywhere near matt's level when we start playing (god, who is???), but you've helped me put language to the ways i already loved matt's style, helped me identify his traits and choices i wish to emulate. i'm grateful for what you've given back to this community and i'm excited for everything that's to come! happy anniversary!

I appreciate you touching on this subject one final time. The explanations of your thoughts on the first video you did cleared things up nicely.

It's important that people understand that Critical Role isn't just a D&D game. It's a show. Sometimes characters/cast members on a show just don't fit. It doesn't mean they're a bad person or anything. Orion isn't the first person to leave or get removed from the cast of a D&D show/podcast for not fitting the cast chemistry, and he won't be the last. It's just the nature of the beast.

As a younger woman in the tabletop space, I understand your reasoning for not including the section on the jokes made for fear of them being used in bad faith. However, I think explaining how context and individuals change the meaning and interpretations of jokes from someone like you would be helpful. I think there are a lot of tables that could benefit from that discussion but I also get protecting your interpretation and Orion himself.

Fantastic video, Mike. I discovered your channel a few months ago and I've watched most of your videos since then. I was impressed start to finish with this one; you took it to another level. Something that has drawn me to your channel from the start is how you approach everything - everything - with humility and understanding. You frequently bring up difficult topics in the TTRPG world, often involving situations at tables that are uncomfortable, and you consistently do so in a gracious, respectful manner that really shows off your humanity. You're unmistakably a good man. I paused to read the comment from Orion, and it looks like that's the impression he took from it, too. You said he didn't have to comment in such a respectful way. This is why he did. Most of all, and specifically with regards to Orion, any time you bring up potentially problematic behaviour, it's always with the intention of offering advice on how we can recognize it in ourselves and others, and how to learn from it to improve our games. And frankly, one important lesson is that sometimes the way to improve our games is for someone to leave the group and play in a different game. I went through that a couple years ago, when I started playing with a bunch of college friends, none of us having played together and several being brand new. There was some friction, some healthy communication, attempts to make it work, but I recognized that if I were to make all the changes necessary to fit the game they wanted to play, then I wouldn't be having very much fun. So, I respectfully bowed out, wished them well, and found a different game. Because of that - because of how ALL of us approached it with grace and understanding - the whole experience only brought us closer as friends. To this day, I get together with the same group to play classic board games. But no more D&D :p Thanks for having such an awesome channel, Mike!