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!

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!

 

[gyor]

Amd yet there are still some here who are asking why WotC is publishing this. The amount of sales will speak for itself.

Has spoken for it, not will speak for it, it's already at #1, wholely crap. I thought being at #15 yesterday from the leak, before being officially announced was great, but one partial day later and it's at number #1.

On the bright side hopefully its success, along with Eberron and Ravnica success (which both sold well, but maybe not this well), will encourage WotC to do more campaign setting books, especially Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book, and other traditional settings.

Maybe if these Campaign Setting books keep doing so well they will focus more on them then APs, especially if they keep selling better.

 

[gyor]

Apparently the Grognards came out of their basement to bash this product on social media... I expected as much but it's always disappointing to see...

If Matt Mercier can be understanding of their perspective so can you.

 

[generic]

Has spoken for it, not will speak for it, it's already at #1, wholely crap. I thought being at #15 yesterday from the leak, before being officially announced was great, but one partial day later and it's at number #1.

On the bright side hopefully its success, along with Eberron and Ravnica success (which both sold well, but maybe not this well), will encourage WotC to do more campaign setting books, especially Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book, and other traditional settings.

Maybe if these Campaign Setting books keep doing so well they will focus more on them then APs, especially if they keep selling better.

Hopefully, they have a third Sundering in the Forgotten Realms, because that would be really fun and great for FR fans, right gyor?

 

[gyor]

Hopefully, they have a third Sundering in the Forgotten Realms, because that would be really fun and great for FR fans, right gyor?

Actually I think this was the third Sundering, the first one was a Primordial throwing a giant rock at Toril which lead to AO making the Primordials their own world. Second was the Elven high magic that broke the megacontinient into pieces and created Evermeet, which was such a disaster it messed up time causing the first and third Sundering. And the 3rd Sundering is the current one, where AO is once again cleaning up the mess. I don't know if AO is an Overgod or an Overjanitor.

Kidding A-side it's not even the biggest disaster to Toril. That be the time Dendar ate the first Sun ending the blue age of FR. It was only when the Gods brought in a new sun, that the planet thawed out and the days of Thunder could began.

 

[gyor]

The PHB has hit #1 a few times. Xanathar's, I believe.

It might be the first Campaign Setting Book to hit number #1, although if the Forgotten Realms had gotten a full one, instead of just the Swordcoast, then that would undoubtedly hit number #1 too.

 

[generic]

Actually I think this was the third Sundering, the first one was a Primordial throwing a giant rock at Toril which lead to AO making the Primordials their own world. Second was the Elven high magic that broke the megacontinient into pieces and created Evermeet, which was such a disaster it messed up time causing the first and third Sundering. And the 3rd Sundering is the current one, where AO is once again cleaning up the mess. I don't know if AO is an Overgod or an Overjanitor.

Kidding A-side it's not even the biggest disaster to Toril. That be the time Dendar ate the first Sun ending the blue age of FR. It was only when the Gods brought in a new sun, that the planet thawed out and the days of Thunder could began.

Blue Age? Wow...

Dammit, gyor, you're making it harder and harder for me to hate FR with each passing minute!

 

[Dire Bare]

Yeah but I already have that!

If you already have the "legendary" bundle for D&D Beyond, any books added to that are at a 15% discount.

 

[Acolyte of Zothique]

Good point. Also, just curious when was Eberron introduced to 3e and how many other settings had been updated at that time.

In 3e, Ravenloft and Dragonlance were licenced out to 3pp and had some pretty decent support for a couple of years. The Forgotten Realms had the majority of the official support while other settings got the odd small piece in a sourcebook (Sigil in the Planar Handbook) or Dragon magazine (Spelljammer). There were new official settings - Eberron was the major one - but there was also Ghostwalk which I vaguely recall allowed you to play ghosts.

In 5e we will hopefully see more settings released in-house than at any other time since 2e. So far we have Sword Coast, Ravnica, Eberron, Wildemount and the promise of more down the line.

 

[Demetrios1453]

As I said elsewhere, more interest and more money can only be good for WotC and the hobby as a whole.

 

[gyor]

I figure selling campaign setting is like selling drugs in a TV shows, once they've had their first hit of a campaign setting, it will be easier and easier to get them to buy more campaign settings, like someone buying their first deck of Magic the Crackening.

Given that this book is already so successful, I wonder if it might get an MtG set eventually as well.