Critical Role Candela Obscura: Release date & more

Candela Obscura will allow players to create their own cinematic, horror-themed adventures in the nightmarish world of the Fairelands.

Critical Role’s domination in the TTRPG space marches forward. The voice actor-led actual play group has brought D&D to a whole new generation of fans with three successful campaigns and counting.

Now, with its Darrington Press imprint, Critical Role is bringing its own horror RPG Candela Obscura to players worldwide.

Candela Obscura explained

Darrington Press/Doug Telford

Alice is Missing Designer Spenser Starke has crafted the Candela Obscura RPG to fit Critical Role’s Illuminated Worlds system, which will be used for many of their products like Daggerheart moving forward.

While Candela Obscura is a bold new venture for Critical Role, the TTRPG still wears its inspirations on its sleeve, with Blades in the Dark and Vaesen being particularly influential. Contrasting unsettling investigation with grounded humanity, Candela Obscura is a far cry from Critical Role’s high fantasy beginnings, and that variety can only be a good thing for the company’s longevity.

Candela Obscura is set to launch on November 14, 2023, and will be available for purchase from the Critical Role shops and local game stores.

Candela Obscura rules and playtesting

If you’re on the fence about whether this might be a system you’d like to try, the Critical Role team has you covered. Two Candela Obscura mini-campaigns are already live on the Critical Role YouTube channel, with a third set to launch in the near future.

Make no mistake, the Candela Obscura campaigns aren’t just a playtest, but a fully-fledged actual play series in its own right, with the levels of performance and production we’ve come to expect from the CR team.

For players who can’t wait until November 14th to dive into the world of the Fairelands, Candela Obscura’s quick start rules are available to download for free now from the Darrington Press site.