The Legend Of Vox Machina has been one of the winter season's biggest success stories. On paper, the idea of an anime based on a tabletop roleplaying Actual Play stream might not sound like a recipe for success, but Vox Machina has proven that the concept works. The series has received praise from both long-time Critical Role fans and those who have never watched the original source material. However, the success of Vox Machina raises the question, what is next for tabletop-inspired anime?
Vox Machina is inspired by the popular Actual Play stream Critical Role. It is based on the group's very first campaign storyline. However, while Critical Role is arguably the most mainstream Actual Play podcast, it is far from the only one. In fact, there are many different Actual Play streams and podcasts on offer, many with large and dedicated audiences, including CollegeHumor's Dimension 20, the McElroy Brother's Adventure Zone, and Rivals of Waterdeep. On top of this, there are loads of smaller Actual Play streams covering every genre imaginable. Because of this, there are plenty of other stories just waiting to be adapted into anime.
This conversion would be pretty straightforward, as most Actual Play podcasts use an arc layout similar to many anime shows. Because of this, it would be super simple to translate these stories to the screen. This would allow a studio to adapt a short introductory arc to test the waters before committing to a series.
Also, Dungeons And Dragons (the game used by Critical Role) is far from the only tabletop system available. In fact, after seeing the success of both Critical Role and Vox Machina and how they have brought Dungeons And Dragons to a whole new audience, it makes sense that other tabletop publishers would be keen to work with animation studios. Because they could make animated series based on their systems which could get a whole new audience interested in their product.
For instance, the famous World Of Darkness setting created by White Wolf entertainment would perfectly fit an anime in the vein of Tokyo Ghoul due to its blend of supernatural and urban fantasy. While the extremely popular Monsterhearts could become a supernatural drama in the vein of Black Butler or Death Note. In fact, there are plenty of games with settings that could easily translate to a gripping anime series. As both Critical Role and Vox Machina have shown, a good anime can bring new players into the game, leading to more money in the long term, making an anime series appealing to both game publishers and anime companies. The former likes it as it promotes their products and the latter because the show they create will have a built-in audience due to the game's already existing fanbase.
Tabletop games and Actual Play streams are, like anime, storytelling mediums. However, due to the lower barriers for entry, the AP sphere is full of unique and fresh voices with new stories to tell. Anime companies could start treating the AP sphere like the serialized manga or webtoon spheres, seeing which stories resonate with audiences before licensing them and turning them into anime, and bringing these stories (and their associated systems) to a larger audience.
The success of Vox Machina shows that anime and tabletop roleplaying go together perfectly. Hopefully, the success of Vox Machina will encourage future cooperation between these two industries. This type of collaboration could lead to many new and fantastic shows hitting our screens and a load of fresh and talented writers getting the attention they deserve.
