The case for Critical Role’s Dorian Storm: Can we please keep him?
Critical Role’s Exandria Unlimited: Kymal wrapped up on April 1 after a short two-episode run. The action-packed Dungeons & Dragons actual play featured a casino heist, a new player, and the triumphant return of most of the Crown Keepers — including Dorian Storm, played with a palpable amount of glee by voice actor Robbie Daymond.
The show and its predecessor, Exandria Unlimited, reflect a clear shift in Critical Role’s fairly entrenched long-form campaign format, opening up the floor for new creators. Exandria Unlimited seems like something that will, happily, be revisited, and Daymond seems to be staying in the fold of Critical Role. However, it’s sad to think that Dorian’s story is, for the moment, over.
At the start of Exandria Unlimited, Dorian was immediately endearing, displaying a kind of polite, awkward bravado that played well against more boisterous characters like Opal (Aimee Carrero) and Dariax (Matthew Mercer). “I wanted to play something kind of away from myself,” Daymond said in his recent appearance on 4-Sided Dive, the new talk show series for Critical Role. “I thrive when I’m around people, so I wanted to experience someone who’s not that.” He went on to discuss Dorian’s anxieties, asking, “Can you be charming while being insecure?”
Fans certainly thought so. Dorian emerged as a fan favorite, featuring in fanart, cosplay, highlights on YouTube, and more. When Dorian reappeared on the Critical Role set for episode one of the third season, the Twitch chat went wild, delighted by Daymond’s entrance. Daymond went on to feature in Campaign 3 for fourteen consecutive episodes – the longest run of a guest cast member.
Daymond is a relative newcomer to Dungeons & Dragons, but you wouldn’t know it from his
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