Crit Academy

Directions Website

Crit Academy Crit Academy is a TTRPG Podcast & Publisher. Give the show a listen and check out some of our books! On March 1st, 2023 Crit Academy: Dice and Dialogue launched.
(1)

We believe you must bring your whole self to the table if you want to thrive in today’s crazy world; your personality, your sense of humor, and most importantly, your heart. All of these elements inspired us to create a D&D Podcast back in 2016. In the Crit Academy podcast, we provided guidance and inspiration to both players and DMs. We achieved this through product review, inspirational ideas and concepts, D&D tips and tricks, and of course, open discussion. We were so lucky to find that people actually wanted to listen to us and the Crit Academy D&D podcast ran for 300 episodes! In early 2023 we decided it was time to expand beyond just the world of Dungeons and Dragons. Dice and Dialogue is a TTRPG Discussion Podcast. We try out a variety of tabletop games and then share our experiences with you. We discuss what makes each game special, what we feel could use improvement, and what aspects you can integrate into other TTRPG games. We also share system-agnostic tips and tricks that you can bring to any game table. Inspired by the great creators we have interviewed on our podcast, Crit Academy began writing and publishing 5e D&D resources in 2018. Our first book was released on DM's Guild and went on to become an Electrum bestseller. We have since released a dozen products on DM's Guild, most becoming bestsellers. In January 2020 We began selling through our own website and Drive-Thru RPG and have released a dozen more products. After finding success in the world of digital self-publishing, we decided we wanted to go bigger! Inspiration hit us to do a monster compendium that was more than just stat blocks. We wanted monsters to be memorable at the table, not just a bag of hit points. So, in August 2020, we launched our first Kickstarter. We were blown away by the support we received and Memorable Monsters was officially published in June 2021. We have since run 3 more successful Kickstarter campaigns. Our library of content includes a wide range of products from player options to character and world enhancements to adventures to monsters. We love creating great content to help players and DMs expand their worlds. Our Patreon page has helped us expand on our content creation even further by giving us the opportunity to release new and exciting content every month thanks to our amazing patron supporters. Every month we release monsters, NPC cards, magic reagents, bounty board quests, legacy item quests, and so much more. Our Patrons also help us to create and cultivate new ideas and projects. We invite you to explore our page, learn about our passions, and explore what excites and interests you. www.critacademy.com
patreon.com/critacademy
https://www.youtube.com/c/CritAcademy
https://www.tiktok.com/
https://twitter.com/critacademy
https://www.instagram.com/critacademy/
https://discord.com/invite/GEftMaxuEp

10/04/2026

What's the weirdest magic item you've ever handed out? The one your players still talk about?

I'll go first: a compass that only points toward whoever's lying. Broke three sessions in the best possible way. 🧭

Drop yours below — steal each other's ideas, I insist.

"Go kill 5 rats" is not a quest. It's an errand with swords.Bountiful Bounties turns every contract into a story — targe...
10/04/2026

"Go kill 5 rats" is not a quest. It's an errand with swords.

Bountiful Bounties turns every contract into a story — targets with motives, complications, and choices that actually matter. Your bounty board should be the most interesting thing in town, not a chore list.

Get it here:
https://www.critacademy.com/critstore/p/bountiful-bounties

10/04/2026

Your +1 sword is a participation trophy. 🏆

Players don't remember math. They remember the mug that roasts them every time they drink from it.

That's the design philosophy behind Aelx's Bombastic Oddities:
https://www.critacademy.com/critstore/p/aelxs-bombastic-oddities

How to make D&D magic items memorable 👇

You ever notice DMs say "balanced encounter" like they just cured a disease?"Don't worry, guys — it's *balanced*!"Yeah? ...
10/03/2026

You ever notice DMs say "balanced encounter" like they just cured a disease?

"Don't worry, guys — it's *balanced*!"

Yeah? So is a tax form. Doesn't mean I want to spend three hours with the damn thing.

Balanced means the math won't kill you too fast. It doesn't mean anyone gives a s**t.

Your players don't remember "balanced." They remember the time the goblins lit the bridge on fire while they were standing on it.

Stop balancing. Start causing problems.

Today is the first day of returning to the fray of DMing   at Golden Lair Games. Come join me every Monday at 6:30pm for...
07/27/2026

Today is the first day of returning to the fray of DMing at Golden Lair Games. Come join me every Monday at 6:30pm for the foreseeable future!

New? Veteran? All are welcome and will have a blast!

Let's roll!

Fantastic Terrain helps DMs turn ordinary encounters into dynamic, tactical, unforgettable scenes with terrain effects t...
06/23/2026

Fantastic Terrain helps DMs turn ordinary encounters into dynamic, tactical, unforgettable scenes with terrain effects that make players move, panic, improvise, and think.

A cave becomes a collapsing death trap.
A forest becomes a living battlefield.
A ruined temple becomes more dangerous than the monster inside it.

Stop running “I move. I attack. I end my turn.”

Make the battlefield matter.

Grab Fantastic Terrain a Platinum Best-Seller from Crit Academy and make your next encounter one your players actually talk about after the session.
Check it out now: https://www.dmsguild.com/en/product/298382/fantastic-terrain?affiliate_rem=1546158

Calling all TTRPG Game Masters, I need YOUR feedback!Battle Tongue is a tool I've been crafting to bring your combat mom...
05/31/2026

Calling all TTRPG Game Masters, I need YOUR feedback!

Battle Tongue is a tool I've been crafting to bring your combat moments to life with vivid, flavorful hit descriptions.

Beta testing opens in the next week or so, and I want real players at the table to help shape it.

Comment Beta and follow to be the first to know when spots open up.

05/14/2026

Where do you get your background audio for your games?

Spellbook audio has released another great audio track for your and travel and exploration moments.

Designed for creators, so no copyright claims if you stream it. Make sure to follow and subscribe. It appears they release a new one every week.

CALLING GAME MASTERSEver say, “you hit… for 12 damage…” and move on? 😅Well, I used to..more than I would like to admit. ...
04/24/2026

CALLING GAME MASTERS
Ever say, “you hit… for 12 damage…” and move on? 😅

Well, I used to..more than I would like to admit. I ended up creating combat tables in excel to make me better.

Diving back into programming, I have built an app to fix that issue with battle descriptions.

A friend indicated others may be interested. So, looking for interest before I spend time, effort and money to make it available to others.

3 clicks = cinematic battle descriptions
Fast, immersive, flexible and no slowing the game.
Text is from a table and not procedurally generated, thus can be used offline.

Comment Nat20 if you are interested in a tool like this.

Here are some pics to get a general idea so far.

Absolutely! And that is why I love RPGs.
03/02/2026

Absolutely! And that is why I love RPGs.

The DM: “Here are the ingredients.”
The players: “Don’t worry, we’ve got a vision.” 🥪

Post from fantasygrounds on Instagram

Address

3011 W Grand Blvd
Detroit, MI
48202-3095

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Crit Academy posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category