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Critical Role The New D&D Book Is 'The Explorer's Guide to [Critical Role's] Wildemount!' By Matt Mercer

It looks like Amazon has leaked the title and description of the new D&D book a day early (unless it's all a fake-out by WotC) -- and it's a new D&D setting book called The Explorer's Guide to Wildemount; it's the Critical Role campaign setting, penned by Matt Mercer!

It looks like Amazon has leaked the title and description of the new D&D book a day early (unless it's all a fake-out by WotC) -- and it's a new D&D setting book called The Explorer's Guide to Wildemount; it's the Critical Role campaign setting, penned by Matt Mercer!

Wildemount%2C_Version_20%2C1.png

image from Critical Role wiki

There's no cover image yet, so we're stuck with the "Coming Soon" image.

This book appeared without a title on Amazon last week, and a 'reveal' date of January 9th, which was then later delayed until January 13th. Amazon appears to have jumped the gun a day early.

Here's some information about Wildemount, which is a continent in the same world as Critical Role's other setting, Tal'Dorei. It is described by the official wiki has having "real-world Eastern European influence.... The Dwendalian Empire takes inspiration from 15th century Russia as well as Germanic nations in Central Europe (e.g., Prussia). Xhorhas has a more 13th-century Romanian flair. Outside of Wynandir, on the edges of the Dwendalian Empire, the cultures and peoples of those regions display a distinctly 14th-century Spanish flavor."

HOW DO YOU WANT TO DO THIS?

A war brews on a continent that has withstood more than its fair share of conflict. The Dwendalian Empire and the Kryn Dynasty are carving up the lands around them, and only the greatest heroes would dare stand between them. Somewhere in the far corners of this war-torn landscape are secrets that could end this conflict and usher in a new age of peace—or burn the world to a cinder.

Create a band of heroes and embark on a journey across the continent of Wildemount, the setting for Campaign 2 of the hit Dungeons & Dragons series Critical Role. Within this book, you’ll find new character options, a heroic chronicle to help you craft your character’s backstory, four different starting adventures, and everything a Dungeon Master needs to breathe life into a Wildemount-based D&D campaign…
  • Delve through the first Dungeons & Dragons book to let players experience the game as played within the world of Critical Role, the world’s most popular livestreaming D&D show.
  • Uncover a trove of options usable in any D&D game, featuring subclasses, spells, magic items, monsters, and more, rooted in the adventures of Exandria—such as Vestiges of Divergence and the possibility manipulating magic of Dunamancy.
  • Start a Dungeons & Dragons campaign in any of Wildemount’s regions using a variety of introductory adventures, dozens of regional plot seeds, and the heroic chronicle system—a way to create character backstories rooted in Wildemount.
Explore every corner of Wildemount and discover mysteries revealed for the first time by Critical Role Dungeon Master, Matthew Mercer.

Critical Role's other setting, Tal'Dorei, was published a couple of years ago by Green Ronin. This brings the list of settings in official D&D books to five: Forgotten Realms, Ravnica, Ravenloft, Eberron, and Wildemount.

UPDATE! Barnes & Noble has the cover (but not the title or description).

9780786966912_p0_v2_s600x595.jpg
 

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dave2008

Legend
I have mixed feelings here.

On the one hand, like CR and Matt Mercer and CR has helped the hobby tremendously and it is right that WotC does this,and it should sell well.

On the other hand, it's yet another generic fantasy setting of an unexciting bent, and not likely to add much to the game. Worse, because WotC insist on having a very cautious/slow release schedule, it means another year or more without a classic D&D setting being updated, and without a setting which isn't generic fantasy, which I think is an outright bad idea for the longer term health of D&D, because I feel like the really amazing settings are hugely helpful in making people really love and remember D&D and to stick with it.
IDK, didn't both Acquisitions Inc and Eberron both come out last year? I think this year could be similar.
 

I have mixed feelings here.

On the one hand, like CR and Matt Mercer and CR has helped the hobby tremendously and it is right that WotC does this,and it should sell well.

On the other hand, it's yet another generic fantasy setting of an unexciting bent, and not likely to add much to the game. Worse, because WotC insist on having a very cautious/slow release schedule, it means another year or more without a classic D&D setting being updated, and without a setting which isn't generic fantasy, which I think is an outright bad idea for the longer term health of D&D, because I feel like the really amazing settings are hugely helpful in making people really love and remember D&D and to stick with it.

I know what you're saying, but I would wager that we on this board are in a minority, and that this book will be very popular with most of the player base. Spelljammer, for instance, has been unsupported for over twenty five years. I don't think there's crowds of people waiting for it to come back.
 

dave2008

Legend
Beyond is part of it. There's no way, currently, to add classes, even manually, despite the Bloodhunter being added, so people using Beyond are more leery of third party classes. If you're all paper it's less of an issue.
So you can add custom monsters but not classes in DnD Beyond? I just assumed you could add custom classes. Good to know.
 



I know what you're saying, but I would wager that we on this board are in a minority, and that this book will be very popular with most of the player base. Spelljammer, for instance, has been unsupported for over twenty five years. I don't think there's crowds of people waiting for it to come back.

Spelljammer is an interesting one, because whilst I agree, loads of people who didn't start D&D until quite recently have heard of it and are quite keen to see it.

And they are who matters in many ways. I'm less concerned about bringing stuff back for grognards and more about bringing in or back stuff which might really excite newer players. I feel like generic fantasy tends to get old faster and if that's all that's officially supported that's maybe not great.
 

dave2008

Legend
Spelljammer is an interesting one, because whilst I agree, loads of people who didn't start D&D until quite recently have heard of it and are quite keen to see it.

And they are who matters in many ways. I'm less concerned about bringing stuff back for grognards and more about bringing in or back stuff which might really excite newer players. I feel like generic fantasy tends to get old faster and if that's all that's officially supported that's maybe not great.
I agree. It makes more sense to me if the bring back spelljammer and dark sun before greyhawk or dragonlance. I personally prefer greyhawk and dragonlance, but I think diversity is the better option from a market standpoint I would think.
 

darjr

I crit!
It reached a sales rank of 18 out of all books sold at Amazon!

Last night. No idea where it’s at now.
 

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