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  "description": "Design a deck to drill for minerals because they won't excavate themselves",
  "path": "/join-critical-role-for-adventures-in-codenames/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-05T06:00:23.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.wericmartin.com",
  "tags": [
    "Czech Games Edition",
    "**_Codenames: Critical Role Adventures_**",
    "_Codenames_",
    "_Codenames: Duet_",
    "_Critical Role_",
    "_Dungeons & Dragons_",
    "**_Vox Machina_**",
    "due out in Q2 2026",
    "**_Drillers_**",
    "_Project L_",
    "_Lost Ruins of Arnak_",
    "_SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence_"
  ],
  "textContent": "During GAMA Expo 2026, publisher Czech Games Edition announced two new titles for release in 2026. _(Disclosure: CGE has purchased advertising on Board Game Beat that will run the week of March 9.)_\n\n**_Codenames: Critical Role Adventures_** puts a new spin on Vlaada Chvátil's 2015 party game _Codenames_, with this 2-4 player game co-designed by Felix Podlesny being fully co-operative, akin to 2017's _Codenames: Duet_, as one player steps into the role of game master to lead the other players on a series of adventures inspired by the _Critical Role_ web series in which professional voice actors play _Dungeons & Dragons_.\n\nIn the style of a _Critical Role_ campaign, the game master gives clues to the other players, with them ideally figuring out how to advance on missions toward the final boss. To quote the publisher's description:\n\n> Together, they can journey through three separate campaigns, each consisting of multiple branching missions. Every mission features its own goals, as well as rules that tweak the standard _Codenames_ gameplay — requiring the GM and their party to adapt and think differently to overcome the challenges at hand.\n\nMock-up character sheets at GAMA Expo 2026\n\n> The party chooses three out of seven iconic _Critical Role_ characters to embark on the adventure. The base game introduces Vex (and Trinket), Percy, Grog, Jester, Nott, Dorian, and Fresh Cut Grass. Players can mix and match these heroes before every new campaign as different combinations result in distinct gameplay styles.\n\n> Playable heroes have their own cardboard miniatures to be placed on the words during guessing. Each hero also comes with personalized abilities that unlock as players collect XP from successful missions, and they can equip items that can be purchased along the way. To track XP, HP, character progression, and items, every character has their own character sheet. And yes, there is a D20 included in the box as characters must pass their own unique skill checks that determine how well (if at all) their abilities are executed.\n\nMock-up components at GAMA Expo 2026\n\n _Codenames: Critical Role Adventures_ includes two hundred double-sided word cards, and the number of _Critical Role_ -specific codewords, such as \"Exandria\" in the lower-right corner, is limited. At GAMA Expo 2026, a CGE rep said that the word mix leans into classic fantasy, while still trying to match the format of classic _Codenames_ in which lots of cross-referencing is possible in the clues. (I'll confess that I've so far come up empty in trying to think of a clue that links \"bidet\" and \"natural 20\". Any suggestions?)\n\nShould you wish to indulge in eponymous geekiness, a separate **_Vox Machina_** expansion pack will be released, similar to other _Codenames_ expansion packs due out in Q2 2026, with this expansion consisting of a new character (Keyleth), two new items, and 42 words themed on _Critical Role_ 's first campaign, which ran from March 2015 to October 2017.\n\nBoth of these items will debut at Gen Con 2026, with a retail release in Q3 2026.\n\n• • • • • • • • • • • • • •\n\nMock-up components at GAMA Expo 2026\n\nThe second CGE title due out in Q3 2026 is **_Drillers_**, a 1-4 player game from _Project L_'s Adam Španěl and company artist Říman, who is getting their first design credit.\n\n_Drillers_ is a deck-building game in which most of the cards allow you to move your drill or drill with your drill — but you are not a dentist drilling teeth, as fun as that might be. No, you are using your drill to dig far into the earth.\n\nThe game board consists of multiple levels, and when a drill reaches a level, you reveal the ! or !! card to discover the features of that level. Levels might feature resources that you can acquire, or you might be the one to dig up new resources that other players might then grab before you can do so. (As you do so, you take tiles — which are longer at deeper levels — and build across the top of your player board, as seen at the lower right.)\n\nYour deck is on a stand with the top card visible to you, and as you acquire new cards, they are stacked onto the deck, so if you buy the right cards in the right (reverse) order, you can set up future turns.\n\nMock-up components for __Drillers__ at GAMA Expo 2026\n\nTo play cards, you need to spend energy, with your reserve initially being capped at 10, but you can boost that ceiling during play. You can spend energy to use cards or discard cards to regain energy, but if you can do things the right way and end your turn on the surface, your energy tops off automatically. (I'm guessing you're solar powered, but you could also just handwave it away as \"The game says so\".) Of course, the deeper you go, the harder it will be to surface.\n\n• • • • • • • • • • • • • •\n\nCGE is also getting into the \"upgraded bits\" game, with (from left to right below) coin and compass tokens for _Lost Ruins of Arnak_, metal coins for _Drillers_ , and energy and credit tokens for _SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence_.\n\n• • • • • • • • • • • • • •\n\nLike what you read? Leave a tip to support independent board game journalism!\n\nLeave a tip",
  "title": "Join Critical Role for Adventures in Codenames",
  "updatedAt": "2026-03-05T06:00:22.730Z"
}