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By now, it's safe to assume that faithful Critters have gotten used to Critical Role's regular GM, Matt Mercer, not being at the head of the game table. But when it was announced that Dimension 20 creator Brennan Lee Mulligan would be filling the role last year, there was quite the clamor amidst the TTRPG actual play community, and one question on everybody's lips was simply: why? After a full decade of GMing some of the most-watched Dungeons & Dragons games in history, why was Mercer stepping back to the position of player?

Well, now we have the answer.

Speaking to Business Insider for an interview published January 3, Mercer explained the reasoning behind his trading off of Dungeon duties came down to avoiding burnout. Saying that he was starting to feel a "continuous need to produce creatively," a feeling that he describes as "a very draining and very scary thing," the Mighty Nein star decided to get ahead of a potential creative crash.

"My biggest advice for burnout is to acknowledge when you're at the edge and take every opportunity you can to step away and replenish your cup," continued the Critical Role cofounder. 

A healthy handful of episodes into Campaign 4, it's easy to argue that Mercer made the right call. Playing as character Julien Davinos, Mercer is still able to bring his experience (and let's face it, his recognizability to actual play fans) into the world of Aramán, while keeping up his energy for things like Prime Video's animated Critical Role adaptations and the continuing development of Darrington Press's Daggerheart.

Boy, if only the rest of us GMs could be as well-organized as Mercer. Because I don't know about you, but I've been trying to get a Session One on the books for my own group for about six months now.

Critical Role's Campaign 4 is streaming now on Critical Role's Beacon, YouTube, and Twitch channels. 

From the lands of Exandria to your very own smartscreens, Popverse has everything you need to know about the TTRPG phenomenon that is Critical Role. Here you'll find:

• Popverse's Critical Role watch order
• An interview with GM Brennan Lee Mulligan
• The cast's appearance at C2E2 '25

...and more. Roll initiative, player. Adventure awaits.