Fresh off of the huge Mortal Kombat 1 launch, NetherRealm Studios teams up with the popular Critical Role actual play TTRPG troupe for a one-shot. The episode will highlight the Till the Last Gasp dramatic storytelling rules from Darrington Press.
Critical Role is best known for having a troupe of voice actors having a live play of their Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. Helmed by Matt Mercer (usually in the role of the Dungeon Master), Critical Role was instrumental in bringing the tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) to the mainstream audience of the modern generation. Aside from Wizards of the Coast's D&D Fifth Edition rules, Critical Role has also showcased other TTRPGs such as Paizo's Pathfinder, as well as their own systems via their publishing arm, Darrington Press LLC.
The confirmation of the Mortal Kombat live play one-shot was shared on Critical Role's X (formerly Twitter) which will convert the Mortal Kombat characters using the Till the Last Gasp rules system. Plus, the episode is officially sponsored by Warner Bros. Games.
FLAWLESS!
Tonight's one-shot was inspired by @mortalkombat from @wbgames!
Mortal Kombat 1 is available NOW, Experience a revitalized Mortal Kombat Universe crafted by Fire God Liu Kang on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch.https://t.co/EkKfNdEhHt#MK1Sponsored pic.twitter.com/Ve8sGo7ywI
— Critical Role (@CriticalRole) September 20, 2023
FLAWLESS!
Marisha Ray will be directing the proceedings (playing as Queen Sindel). The rest of the Kombatants in this Mortal Kombat-themed one shot include Critical Role mainstays Travis Willingham (who will appropriately be playing Raiden, as Willingham voices him in MK 1) and Sam Riegel will play Johnny Cage. They will be joined by newcomers to the show, Gina Darling as Kitana and Noshir Dalal as Rain.
If those latter names sound familiar, it's because they are. Darling is a G4TV host and recently WWE Arena. Meanwhile, Dalal is a veteran voice actor who has lent his talents to such games as Guild Wars 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, League of Legends, Fallout 76, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Starfield. Adding to the MK connection is that Noshir Dalal is the voice actor for Rain in Mortal Kombat 1.
TEST YOUR MIGHT!
Tune in TONIGHT at 7PM PST on Twitch and YouTube as @Marisha_Ray leads a @MortalKombat themed smackdown with @samriegel, @WillingBlam, @NoshirDalal, and @MissGinaDarling - using Till The Last Gasp from @darringtonpress!#MK1Sponsored pic.twitter.com/MgsFh2saZH
— Critical Role (@CriticalRole) September 19, 2023
TEST YOUR MIGHT! 
The rules system for this live play will be a modified version of the Darrington Press game Till the Last Gasp. This is because the standard version of the game is for 1v1 duels, with only 2 players. As per the official description at the Darrington Press website:
Ready your blades and prepare to bare your hearts! We're pleased to announce our 2-player dramatic storytelling game of duels, Till the Last Gasp, coming to tables in March 14, 2023! Spanning genres and settings, this game throws you straight into two player PvP action—and as blows are exchanged, emotions are betrayed, secrets revealed, and stakes raised. Till the Last Gasp uniquely enables you to capture the climactic energy of your favorite cinematic showdowns, in new tales imagined by you!
Till the Last Gasp is packed with everything players need to enact a dramatic and emotional confrontation between rivals, including the 40-page rule book with examples of play, 2 twenty-sided Duel Dice, 20 six-sided Edge Dice, 2 Player Boards, map cards, character sheets, the Drama Deck of cards, Objectives and Stance cards, tokens and trackers.
There are also 12 pre-generated characters so players can test it out right off the bat. And while it works well for martial arts duels such as in Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter, the rules system of Till the Last Gasp can be converted for other genres such as Western gunfighters, Jedi vs. Sith lightsaber battles, and clashes between superheroes.
This is not the first time Critical Role has had an official collaboration with a big video game release. Other past one-shots include Diablo (for the BlizzConline 2021 event), The Elder Scrolls Online (for the release of Blackwood), and The Legend of Zelda (in collaboration with Nintendo Treehouse).
One wonders though: with the success of Baldur's Gate 3, why hasn't there been a BG3 team-up with Critical Role yet? Considering High Rollers DND is holding a one-shot Twitch live play with the Baldur's Gate 3 Originals voice actors, is it only a matter of time for Matt Mercer (who is the new voice of Minsc in BG3 after Jim Cummings) and Critical Role to do one, as well?
The one shot Mortal Kombat tabletop live play on Critical Role broadcasts today, Wednesday, September 20 at 12 AM Pacific on Critical Role's Twitch and YouTube channels. The VOD will be released on Thursday, September 21, 2023 at 12 PM Pacific time.
