Critical Role Here's The Official Wildemount Announcement!

After the various leaks over the weekend from Amazon and Barnes & Noble, the official announcement has just dropped! It's a different description to the one on Amazon, and contains a little bit more information about the contents of the upcoming setting book, which includes four introductory adventures!

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Create your own Critical Role campaigns with this sourcebook for the world's greatest roleplaying game!

Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount
provides everything you need to play Dungeons & Dragons on the continent of Wildemount (set within the world of Exandria)—a land of war, betrayal, and swashbuckling adventure.

Comprised of four regions, Wildemount provides endless potential for adventure in a land of brewing conflict and incredible magic. Rising tensions boil over into all-out war between the politically dubious Dwendalian Empire and the light-worshiping wastefolk of Xhorhas, supplying a vibrant backdrop for any D&D campaign to explore.
  • Uncover a trove of new options usable in any D&D game, featuring subclasses, spells, magic items, monsters, and more, rooted in the adventures of Critical Role—such as Vestiges of Divergence and the possibility manipulating magic of dunamancy.
  • Start a 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.
WHERE CAN I BUY IT?
Pre-order at your local game store, book stores such as Barnes & Noble, or online at retailers like Amazon.

ITEM DETAILS
Price: $49.95
Release Date: 17 March, 2020
This book’s contents include the following:
  • An expansive Wildemount gazetteer.
  • Descriptions of the major factions of Wildemount.
  • Player options that include new subclasses, new spells, and a tool to help players deeply integrate their characters into the setting.
  • New magic items, including weapons that become more powerful to match their wielders.
  • New creatures native to Wildemount.
  • Four introductory adventures—one for each unique region of Wildemount.
Largely written and helmed by Matthew Mercer, the Dungeon Master of Critical Role and creator of the world of Exandria, this 304-page book features work by talented designers, writers, and artists from the D&D and Critical Role communities.
Explorer's Guide to Wildemount is an expansive, vivid campaign setting anyone can enjoy regardless of their familiarity with Critical Role, and an open invitation to make the mysteries and dangers of Wildemount your own.

--

This also dropped in my inbox, with a couple of quotes from those involved, such as Matt Mercer and WotC's Nathan Stewart:

RENTON, WA – January 13, 2020 – When Critical Role debuted in March 2015, no one predicted the success of a Dungeons & Dragons liveplay show starring prominent voice actors. Not only has the show inspired a vast fan community of “Critters” to create fan art, cosplay, and even musicals based on Critical Role’s adventures, but the stories crafted by Matthew Mercer and his friends have encouraged droves of new players to try D&D for the first time. The D&D Team at Wizards of the Coast is excited to officially collaborate with Mercer by publishing a brand new tabletop roleplaying book detailing the continent explored in the second campaign ofCritical Role, complete with player options such as subclasses, magic items, and more. Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount will be available in stores everywhere on March 17, 2020!

Critical Role is a great example of why Dungeons & Dragons has been popular for over 45 years: a group of friends getting together, telling stories, and making each other laugh. In this case, the friends are talented performers playing live on camera, but the fun’s the same. We’re thrilled D&D fans and Critters alike can now enjoy playing in Matt’s world, as brought to fifth edition in this lovingly-crafted book,” said Nathan Stewart, VP of Franchise for Dungeons & Dragons.

“I'm sincerely so honored and excited to be working directly with Chris Perkins and this team of talented D&D writers and designers to bring this book to not just our community, but to D&D players everywhere,” said Matthew Mercer, Chief Creative Officer and Dungeon Master of Critical Role, as well as lead writer on the guide. “Dungeons & Dragons has had such a massive, positive impact on nearly my entire life, and I am ever inspired by the endless creativity I see it spark in so many others across the world. To have been able to work with Wizards of the Coast to bring my world to life as an official campaign book is nothing short of surreal. I can't wait to see what other DMs and players create within my world to make it their own!”

The 304-page Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount invites DMs to start playing in any of Wildemount’s regions using introductory adventures, dozens of story-inspiring plot seeds, and the new heroic chronicle system. Adventurers can also expect to discover countless secrets revealed by Critical Role Dungeon Master Matthew Mercer for the first time. Players and DMs will find new character options available for play in any campaign, like the Echo Knight fighter subclass, spells of dunamancy, numerous new monsters, and more!
 
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Saracenus

Always In School Gamer
Here are all the D&D Beyond vids relating to this release:



There is a lot to unpack, like a 3rd subclass... I am going to let others summarize as I need to get to work...
EDIT: You can click the playlist in the right corner of the vid to pull them up...
 

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Prakriti

Hi, I'm a Mindflayer, but don't let that worry you
Every single edition of D&D has introduced new official settings. 2E gave us Planescape, 3E Eberron, 4E Nentir Vale, and now 5E is giving us Exandria. In no world was something like this not going to happen, so this should come as a surprise to no one. And while I personally have no interest in Critical Role or its campaign setting, I think Wizards is making a smart business decision here. This will bring in more players to D&D, more viewers to Critical Role, and more people to the hobby in general. That's a good thing.

And while I have no interest in Exandria, I do like short adventures and new magic items, so this book contains something for me (something for everyone, I would think). And it helps that the book is over 300 pages long, which is a really nice bang for your buck. Color me... disappointed, but slightly optimistic.
 

dave2008

Legend
I second this. Also I am intrigued by the weapons that grow alongside their wielders.
I am not a critter, but based on other posts here recently the weapons are vestiges. Weapons left over from a war between gods before they sealed themselves off from the Prime. I believe they start weak and then grow in power. So for example it might start +1 and then when you reach level 10 or something it becomes +2. I am sure it will be more flavorful, but that is the general idea.
 

Parmandur

Book-Friend
I am not a critter, but based on other posts here recently the weapons are vestiges. Weapons left over from a war between gods before they sealed themselves off from the Prime. I believe they start weak and then grow in power. So for example it might start +1 and then when you reach level 10 or something it becomes +2. I am sure it will be more flavorful, but that is the general idea.

I think it started because Matt liked Legacy weapons from 3.x, and it wasn't rocket science to Homebrew them into 5E (sure he's not the only one to do so). Now, we get 5E Legacy weapon mechanics, which is neat.
 

dave2008

Legend
Every single edition of D&D has introduced new official settings. 2E gave us Planescape, 3E Eberron, 4E Nentir Vale, and now 5E is giving us Exandria. In no world was something like this not going to happen, so this should come as a surprise to no one. And while I personally have no interest in Critical Role or its campaign setting, I think Wizards is making a smart business decision here. This will bring in more players to D&D, more viewers to Critical Role, and more people to the hobby in general. That's a good thing.

And while I have no interest in Exandria, I do like short adventures and new magic items, so this book contains something for me (something for everyone, I would think). And it helps that the book is over 300 pages long, which is a really nice bang for your buck. Color me... disappointed, but slightly optimistic.
Good point. Also, just curious when was Eberron introduced to 3e and how many other settings had been updated at that time.
 


Mournblade94

Adventurer
Rather underwhelming to me, but it'll probably sell well. I just don't like the recent D&D trend, we already got stranger things, ravnica, rick & morty, acquisitions inc, critical role...what's next?
Aquisitions inc actually solidified my decision to go back to Pathfinder. I just wrapped up the Out of the Abyss campaign finally, so I'm going to take up Pathfinder again. I like Rick and MOrty but I don't want D&D normal trend to just be silly like R/M or AI
 

Quickleaf

Legend
Really happy for Matt and his crew. Brilliant folks. Creative community. :)

Being unfamiliar with Wildemount, what niche of D&D does this new setting fit?

I recall the D&D designers wanting to release settings which fit into a certain niche of fantasy. For instance, Forgotten Realms is heroic fantasy, Dark Sun is post-apocalyptic swords & sorcery, Ravenloft is gothic horror, and Wildemount is... ?
 


Parmandur

Book-Friend
Really happy for Matt and his crew. Brilliant folks. Creative community. :)

Being unfamiliar with Wildemount, what niche of D&D does this new setting fit?

I recall the D&D designers wanting to release settings which fit into a certain niche of fantasy. For instance, Forgotten Realms is heroic fantasy, Dark Sun is post-apocalyptic swords & sorcery, Ravenloft is gothic horror, and Wildemount is... ?

High Fantasy, with a side of dark and weird (I'm not super familiar with the Witcher franchise, but I see it brought up by other Critters as a tonal comparison).
 

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