Matt Mercer explains the preparation process for Dimension 20‘s new season, The Ravening War, including how he is able to surprise Brennan Lee Mulligan. The Ravening War is a prequel to A Crown of Candy, set twenty years earlier during the bloodiest era of Calorum. Mercer’s goal of surprising Mulligan in The Ravening War is an especially difficult challenge because he created the world and lore of Calorum, including the Ravening War.
In an interview with Screen Rant for Dimension 20’s The Ravening War, Mercer discussed how he prepared to serve as Game Master. He reveals that he wanted Mulligan to play in the world he created for A Crown of Candy. Mercer also explained how he has been able to keep secrets and surprises from Mulligan before The Ravening War begins. Check out Mercer’s full quote below:
Matt Mercer: Brennan approached me to do a prequel to A Crown of Candy, so both the surprise and honor was mine. That all being said, I immediately demanded he be a player at the table so I could drag him through a modicum of what he put his players through the first time. Nothing makes me more excited than getting to drag a fellow GM into his own world, and watch powerlessly as I subject them to mysteries and dangers even they hadn’t considered…
Brennan being a player within the game [meant] those collaborative writing/worldbuilding meetings we had over Calamity had to be nixed, and instead I got to conspire with the producers and their lorekeeper to ensure I could create a tale that would keep even him on his toes and dragged into the margins of his world where he has no idea where I am taking them.
Dimension 20’s The Ravening War Will Surprise Even The Creator Of The World
A Crown of Candy is famously dark, filled with tension, betrayal, and tragedy. Mulligan shocked his players and fans at every turn, and it seems Mercer will flip the script on him in The Ravening War. Mercer has revealed that A Crown of Candy is his favorite Dimension 20 season, which means he undoubtedly had ideas even before collaborating with the producers and lore keeper.
With Critical Role’s EXU: Calamity Mulligan revealed shocking truths about one of the most infamous events in the history of Exandria, but because Mercer wasn’t a player, they were able to collaborate on it directly. Mulligan being a player presents a new challenge, which Mercer is eager to accept. The opportunity to create and reveal new aspects of a world to the person who created it opens the door to exciting opportunities. Mercer could completely shift expectations about what Mulligan and fans know regarding the Ravening War and what that means for A Crown of Candy twenty years later.
Mercer brings a new DM style to Dimension 20, which can change how the story of The Ravening War unfolds. Although Mulligan will likely be able to figure out pieces of the puzzle before anyone else, Mercer clearly has some tricks up his sleeve, which can include exploring less fleshed-out corners of Calorum. While Mercer wasn’t able to collaborate directly with Mulligan while preparing, this means that he can come at The Ravening War with a fresh perspective, with the goal of shocking Mulligan at every turn.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
