A group photo containing Matt Mercer, his team, Chris Perkins, and Jeremy Crawford.

Critical Role Welcomes Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford to Darrington Press, Working On Updates To Daggerheart

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Published: June 16, 2025 2:14 PM

Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford have found a new home at Darrington Press. The two former creative leads behind the most popular edition of Dungeons & Dragons will now collaborate with Critical Role's tabletop studio to produce new TTRPG experiences.

Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford at Darrington Press

In an official blog post, Darrington Press announced that Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford will be joining their design team. Perkins will be joining as the Creative Director, and Crawford's new role will be Game Director. They will be both developing novel game concepts and expanding upon games previously released by Darrington Press.

A book and a blue case on a desk surrounded by flowers and scrolls of parchment.

Both of these roles are strongly aligned with Perkins' and Crawford's skills. Perkins was the Senior Story Designer for Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition, playing a key role in shaping the official campaign modules and settings of the fantasy TTRPG. Crawford was the lead system designer for Fifth Edition, introducing the highly influential Advantage/Disadvantage mechanic.

Perkins and Crawford recently left Wizards of the Coast after working on the Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Core Rulebooks.

“Storytelling has always been at the heart of everything I do, and joining Darrington Press feels a bit like coming home,” said Perkins, Creative Director of Darrington Press. “I’ve loved being a part of the extended Critical Role family as a regular guest over the years and I’m beyond excited to help create new worlds full of adventure.”

The addition of Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford to the core design team has continued to expand Darrington Press' clout. There is a strong possibility they can bring their substantive experience to guide and build upon the company's best-selling hit, Daggerheart. Alternatively, their new position offers new creative freedom to try different things away from Wizards of the Coast.

Either way, this shift of talent is huge for the tabletop industry as a whole, one that will lead to ongoing competition and innovation.

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Ever since he was small, Tyler Chancey has had a deep, abiding love for video games and a tendency to think and overanalyze everything he enjoyed. This… More about Tyler