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!

 

[Prakriti]

Those two books were not done in-house; they did not take slots from other books.

I think part of the problem is that we don't have another book announced yet, so this one looks like "the" spring release (like we've had every year since 2015). As soon as we get another book announcement, I think a lot of the Wildemount hate will disappear. But if there isn't another spring book in the pipeline (and there might not be -- Chris Perkins said there would be fewer books this year), then I think people will have a hard time believing that this one didn't take up a slot.

 

[Parmandur]

I think part of the problem is that we don't have another book announced yet, so this one looks like "the" spring release (like we've had every year since 2015). As soon as we get another book announcement, I think a lot of the Wildemount hate will disappear. But if there isn't another spring book in the pipeline (and there might not be -- Chris Perkins said there would be fewer books this year), then I think people will have a hard time believing that this one didn't take up a slot.

This is a Winter release.

 

[Prakriti]

This is a Winter release.

If you want to be all technical, then yes, it is a winter release (by about 4 days). But some of the Q1 products have been released in the spring in the past, so most people know what I'm talking about when I say "the spring product."

EDIT: Apparently some of the "Q1 products" were actually released in Q2 (Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes was released in May). Maybe I should call them... first-half-of-the-year products instead?

 

[Parmandur]

If you want to be all technical, then yes, it is a winter release (by about 4 days). But some of the Q1 products have been released in the spring in the past, so most people know what I'm talking about when I say "the spring product."

Technical, maybe, but they can put out a Spring book in a few months, then the Summer storyline like every year, and then a November release, and have a release every Season quite reasonably.

Indeed, we now have good reason to think three releases are forthcoming: this is not the book Welch is working on with Marisha Ray, Deborah Ann Woll and others, nor is this Chris Perkins big storyline, nor is this whatever Crawford has cooking. And finally, none of those three other known projects are likely to be identical with each other.

Four hardcovers is more than their 5E publishing year average, but would also constitute slowing down from 2019.

 

[Prakriti]

Technical, maybe, but they can put out a Spring book in a few months, then the Summer storyline like every yea

Summer storyline! I always think of it as the Fall storyline... and I think of the next book (Volo's Guide, Xanathar's Guide) as the second Fall release.

Indeed, we now have good reason to think three releases are forthcoming: this is not the book Welch is working on with Marisha Ray, Deborah Ann Will and others

Are you sure? When I saw that this book contained 4 short adventures, I assumed it was the book that Kate Welch was working on; after all, who better to write short adventures set in Exandria than two people who have appeared on Critical Role?

 

[Parmandur]

Summer storyline! I always think of it as the Fall storyline... and I think of the next book (Volo's Guide, Xanathar's Guide) as the second Fall release.

Totally see where are coming from there: but take a gander at their publishing history, it's always Summer. Last year, we had Spring, two Summer and a Fall release (and three meaty box sets!!). Year before that was Spring, Summer and two Fall. 2016 had Winter, Summer and Fall, actually skipping Spring altogether. I think one book a Season would be sound for retail marketing purposes.

Are you sure? When I saw that this book contained 4 short adventures, I assumed it was the book that Kate Welch was working on; after all, who better to write short adventures set in Exandria than two people who have appeared on Critical Role?

That's what I thought at first, but nope: listened to Todd Talks with the two James, and the four Adventures are written by them, Mercer and a Chris something, each taking a region. Welch's book is still unannounced.

 

[gyor]

I'll admit that if I got to pick a new setting, I wouldn't pick Wildemount... but it's not terrible either. I'm getting Eastern Europe/Romanian vibes, much like the Witcher, which I can always use more of!

Interesting this makes this the second setting influenced by Eastern Europe as Ravnica is also inspired by Eastern Europe.

 

[gyor]

ITs not that its too silly. The support products haven't really been what I want. Now with the Critical Role precedence there isn't much reason for me to stay.

I have everything I need for Pathfinder/ 3rd edition. I like 5e, but between the Realms damage from 4e, no real campaign guide except SCAG (which was really just a regional guide), and 2 books on the streaming worlds, its just better if I go to the tried and true 3rd edition. I'm no longer the money WOTC is chasing. I have run 5th edition for many years. I finished Tiamat, Princes of the Apocalypse, and now i just wrapped up Out of the Abyss. None of those were good world guides. They were all great adventures. I can do adventures easy. I don't have the mounds of time needed to build my own homebrew world so I have always used Forgotten Realms. I have great world guides from 2nd to 3rd edition. The output of 5e is too slow, a guide like AI, or CR taking up a slot wore on my patience enough to stop waiting to give WOTC money.

I am super sympathetic to your position, although I personally would recommend the two Waterdeep APs before leaving 5e as I believe they are the coolest APs in 5e by a long shot and the Chapter on Waterdeep is very fun. Great map of Waterdeep too.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Interesting this makes this the second setting influenced by Eastern Europe as Ravnica is also inspired by Eastern Europe.

Greyhawk (Baba Yaga) and Ravenloft are both influenced by Eastern Europe, although they are at least as ersatz as Oriental Adventures.

 

[Acolyte of Zothique]

ITs not that its too silly. The support products haven't really been what I want. Now with the Critical Role precedence there isn't much reason for me to stay.

I have everything I need for Pathfinder/ 3rd edition. I like 5e, but between the Realms damage from 4e, no real campaign guide except SCAG (which was really just a regional guide), and 2 books on the streaming worlds, its just better if I go to the tried and true 3rd edition. I'm no longer the money WOTC is chasing. I have run 5th edition for many years. I finished Tiamat, Princes of the Apocalypse, and now i just wrapped up Out of the Abyss. None of those were good world guides. They were all great adventures. I can do adventures easy. I don't have the mounds of time needed to build my own homebrew world so I have always used Forgotten Realms. I have great world guides from 2nd to 3rd edition. The output of 5e is too slow, a guide like AI, or CR taking up a slot wore on my patience enough to stop waiting to give WOTC money.

That's all good but the majority of players want to play 5e so what you would like to do - return to 3.x - may well be academic. Good luck with that.