Critical Role Hero Forge Deal Prompts Pushback Over Paid Miniatures

Those who watch Critical Role for its weekly live-play series may not track its growing ventures beyond the table. The company operates Darrington Press, its own publishing arm, and is developing an original TTRPG called Daggerheart. While Campaign 4 will not rely on Daggerheart’s rule set, the brand remains central to Critical Role’s long-term ambitions, something Sam Riegel even joked about on-air, noting the business tradeoffs in not adopting it yet.

The next step in that strategy arrived through a licensing agreement with Hero Forge, the popular miniature design service. The collaboration adds body parts inspired by three Daggerheart ancestries: ribbet, fungril, and simiah. These frog-, fungus-, and monkey-like humanoid traits introduce species silhouettes that Hero Forge did not previously feature. The company’s core premise typically lets users build characters at no cost and only pay if they choose to print a miniature. This release changes the model. Access to each ancestry sits behind a $7.99 purchase, charged before printing fees and shipping.

For long-term Hero Forge users, the move carries weight beyond a routine add-on. Previous collaborations have been part of the platform’s free customization catalog, reinforcing a tradition of accessibility for the tabletop community. The paywall triggered uneasy reactions among Critical Role fans and miniature hobbyists, many of whom expected the content to follow the established pattern. A Reddit thread that circulated shortly after the announcement collected messages from players reconsidering their support, and several comments described plans to cancel Hero Forge subscriptions.

"I've been a critter since the beginning, and I couldn't run my online D&D games without Hero Forge - I've been a Pro+Downloads subscriber for years. I'm extremely disappointed in Hero Forge for doing this, and heartbroken the thing it's happening over is CR/Darrington. As much love as I have for both companies, I cannot and will not support this," writes ZhaneTaylor.

Another commenter pointed to the longer-term implications of exclusive species. Before the update, Hero Forge lacked frog-, fungus-, and monkey-style body types. If the platform avoids offering “generic” versions later to prevent overlap with Daggerheart, the collaboration would effectively lock these silhouettes behind a permanent premium. That concern, framed as a structural change in what Hero Forge may decide to monetize going forward, contributed to the skepticism across fan forums.

The situation illustrates the delicate relationship between fan-driven role-playing ecosystems and commercial licensing. Critical Role sits at a point where its entertainment brand intersects with publishing ambitions and merchandise. Hero Forge, meanwhile, has played a maintenance role in the ecosystem as a default tool for digital miniature creation. A paid expansion does not disrupt the service, yet the reaction signals discomfort with shifting norms in a hobby that often markets itself as open and communal. Whether frustration settles into acceptance or becomes part of a wider debate about monetization in tabletop customization remains to be seen.