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
Also, immersing myself in the fiction does have relevance to my game, because, as I mentioned, it makes the whole setting and game more immersive and it adds detail.
I did specifically state besides those benefits (which I don't mean to disregard, just not what I wanted to discuss).

Look at how much Salvatore added to D&D by writing about drow society in detail. Or how Cunningham did the same more recently with the dragonborn.
I have not read either of those Authors and have no idea what they brought to either (I do know who Driz is though). What I know about Drow and Dragonborn I get from the MM, PHB, DMG, and now things like VGtM, MToF, etc.
 

DEFCON 1

Legend
Supporter
I don't agree because I saw a lot of people get bored with the FR and similar settings in well under 5 years in the 1990s, when we were new to RPGs. I think this book will not be the straw that breaks the camel's back, and will sell great, but if we see a GH or DL or another generic fantasy book after that, I would not expect good sales.
Well... when 5E versions of Greyhawk and Dragonlance get released and they don't sell well, feel free to bring this thread back and tell me "I told you so."

So I'll see in you about six years.

Or so.

Maybe.

If we're lucky.

But probably not. ;)
 

Reynard

Legend
When it comes from the creator, I tend to take his word. Did you read the explanation he posted a while back? It made sense to me.
No. It doesn't matter. I was being snide. As a comic book fan, I have long since been inured to retcons and reboots. And such things are especially inconsequential in RPGs because it's my world and i can do or say whatever I like, accept or reject whatever "canon" I like.

That said, unpopular opinion: Dragonlance is in major need of a reboot, including the novels (preferably by one or more of fantasy's current rising stars).
 

Well... when 5E versions of Greyhawk and Dragonlance get released and they don't sell well, feel free to bring this thread back and tell me "I told you so."

So I'll see in you about six years.

Or so.

Maybe.

If we're lucky.

But probably not. ;)

Yeah I strongly suspect "another generic fantasy setting" is more likely than either, for better or worse. I'll be surprised if we see either before 6E.
 

I can't say I'm excited about this, but I imagine that Critical Role fans are. I read the Tal'dorei sourcebook and was underwhelmed.

My only real concern is on any new mechanics added for it - the stuff in the Tal'dorei sourcebook were worryingly unbalanced. But this coming from Wizards will hopefully make it tighter mechanically.
 


Yeah I strongly suspect "another generic fantasy setting" is more likely than either, for better or worse. I'll be surprised if we see either before 6E.

I don't think we'll see 6e for a very long time (As in 10 years or more). I can maybe see a 5.5e with updated rules, but 5e is set up as an evergreen edition, and it's the most popular edition of D&D ever, as far as we can tell from sales and media coverage.

I wouldn't give up hope that we'll see some of the more popular settings return eventually. Greyhawk already received a book of adventures, after all. And even with this, Ravnica, and AI, we still got Eberron. So long as Wizards balances releasing old settings with these "new" settings, they can please both new and old players.
 

Remathilis

Legend
I'm clearly no longer the target audience for official D&D projects, since many recent projects haven't interested me (Eberron, Ravnica, Acquisitions Inc, Rick & Morty, Stranger Things, and this). Five of those have been media tie-in products, which is sort of losing the heart of D&D to me.

I don't like the mainstreaming of D&D. I guess this makes me officially a grognard.
I guess you didn't like Dragon Heist, Dungeon of the Mad Mage, the Essentials Kit, Ghosts of Saltmarsh, or Descent into Avernus, which were all released in the same time frame of the products you mentioned?
 

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