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!

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).

 

[Stefano Rinaldelli]

They are listening to their customers, that's why they are producing what customers want.

There will be a time in which "long terms players" will remember the old good stuff of Critical Role era complaining about new campaign setting released by the evil Wizard of The Coast...

 

[Stefano Rinaldelli]

Wildemount will be 5e's best selling setting book this year, possibly their best selling book outside of the Core rulebooks (maybe). Yet, somehow, WoTC is not listening to their fans, fans who will provide a large percentage of their revenue according to you. Fans who aren't buying this book, possibly their best selling book of the entire edition to date.... Which is likely going to provide them with a large percentage of their revenue for this year.....

I think, just maybe, the fans are getting exactly what they want here.

Maybe this is true, but in this case I wonder why those people are not represented in this forum... I mean: why so many complains about this new book if "the majority of the fun base is enthusiast about it"? The only logic answer I find is that that majority doesn't stay in this forum. And this conclusion seems to me a little bit odd and denied by facts.
So it must exist another answer. But I cannot find it. Ideas?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Forums of this type are old folks' media.

 

[Stefano Rinaldelli]

Forums of this type are old folks' media.

In this case what is the equivalent for the new generation of players? Can we have a look in this supposed teenage hut on the tree to listen to what they are saying about the whole story?
I'm 44 years old and really curious about.

 

[schneeland]

In this case what is the equivalent for the new generation of players? Can we have a look in this supposed teenage hut on the tree to listen to what they are saying about the whole story?
I'm 44 years old and really curious about.

My impression is that discussion in that population mostly happens on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Reddit) for most people below 30 or 35. Basically: if you didn't grow up with web forums, you unlikely to join them now.
On the plus side, forums like this can grant you a brief moment of feeling young, even if you are in your 40s

 

[Fenris-77]

I like the detail available on forums. Twitter doesn't have the resources that this place does. I am also old, or at least old enough that forums are my thing, so maybe it's a perfect storm. I have found reddit occasionally useful, but only a handful of times.

 

[Parmandur]

It probably said that at the time. Who knows what it says today? (Or do we? I don't remember if they share the poll results.)

Dark Sun is a pretty esoteric setting, without much of a footprint outside the tabletop. I would br very surprised if its cache hasn't diminished greatly as new blood joins the fanbase.

They shared some of that info a few years back: most people play homebrew, with Forgotten Realms being the single most popular Setting by a country mile. Most of the Homebrewers, moreoverr, buy Forgotten Realms products because it fits their own generic Setting with a little tweaking (generic tinkerer Homebrew plus all-in FR fans together are a majority of players, even).

Beyond that, the top tier settings in popularity are Dark Sun, Eberron, Planescape and Ravenloft, ahead of the next tier Dragonlance, Greyhawk and Spelljammer.

 

[Essafah]

It probably said that at the time. Who knows what it says today? (Or do we? I don't remember if they share the poll results.)

Dark Sun is a pretty esoteric setting, without much of a footprint outside the tabletop. I would br very surprised if its cache hasn't diminished greatly as new blood joins the fanbase.

@Reynard you could be correct regarding the Dark Sun brand being esoteric with a younger generation of players but then so was Eberron for many. For example, Eberron is still a young setting to me but in my gaming group we have a player who is 22 years old. She would probably have just been barely walking when Eberron was released so to to her this is a shiny new book and guess what? She loves it with the steam (er dungeonpunk) feel and new races, etcetera. So, the idea of not publishing a campaign world because a lot of new players don't know about it does not hold up to me or they would never have released Eberron. I think WOTC's model currently is to release campaign worlds that are distinctly different from FR which is they made the flagship world for 5E and is more a generic setting.

I started playing in 2E and didn't really know about worlds like Mystara and Greyhawk yet when then TSR released From the Ashes for Greyhawk and Karameikos: Kingdom of adventure for Mystara I was happy and excited to learn about them because it was a fresh setting to explore. Likewise when Dark Sun was released it had a smaller footprint than now as it was brand new yet many people found it exciting. I imagine how some people may feel about Wildemount now.

For me, I must admit I am highly disappointed and feel let down by WOTC that they are not releasing some classics full campaign settings that I am fond of like Dark Sun, Planescape, Spelljammer, or even Ravenloft (I mean a full world book not CoS). I think if WOTC was still an independent RPG/gaming company these worlds would have been out already and we would have more splat books which I like because I like options, but WOTC is owned by Hasbro and like them or not Hasbro handles business like an efficient corporation. The Wildemounte book while a huge let down to me makes sense to 1) tap into the podcast fanbase and release a book that is pretty much guaranteed to be a huge seller and 2) potentially expand some new players into the fold. Plus, the book will have some stuff for non-CR fans. For example, Dunamancy seems like a cool school of magic and from the interviews I have seen on D&D Beyond it seems like Dunamancy is brings a lot of 4E control elements (pushes, pulls, and slides) to the game and this is something from 4E that I miss. So that is cool.

I wish that there was a way to satisfy both the existing/older customer base who helped propel D&D to popularity and the fresh blood that is vital to carrying to the torch forward. @3catcircus is correct in business school they do teach that while expansion is vital existing customers are the crux of your sales vs new customers who often will buy sporadically (if in big chunks) but not consistently buy and support a product and there are examples in business of abandoning existing customers being a bad model. I don't really know if WOTC is doing this here though BUT I will say I can understand people being upset that worlds like Ravnica (which I purchased and thought "Oh this is all about political intrigue between existing houses/factions and is a mix of fantasy adventure and hard-boiled detective but all confined to this giant city so it is a more restrictive version of Eberron) and now Wildmounte have settings while even distinctive classic campaign worlds like Planescape, Al-Qadim, Spelljammer, and Dark Sun don't yet. I also don't understand the logic of people who say just use the campaign material out from 2E or 1E or whatever. To me this argument seems highly disengenous; people like shiny new books with new (and recycled art) for their favorite worlds and minor updates on world happenings, etcetera. Hence, why Eberron got an update.

So, yeah I can understand both sides of the argument. I plan on purchasing Wildemount though I honestly feel little excitement over it because it does have something to mine. Honestly, as a solution maybe WOTC/Hasbro should license out the brands they have no intention of selling. Via licensing agreement even with a competitor company like Paizo both sides when depending on how the agreement is detailed. This way an RPG company can put out official WOTC branded materials for worlds many existing fans love and that I think new players would love too judging by Eberron and past history while at the same time WOTC can just release worlds based on podcasts products and highly popular mass appeal brands. To me that model seems like a win/win for everyone.

P.S. As a quick addendum for worlds like Greyhawk which I absolutely love but are not distinctive enough from generic fantasy worlds like FR and are less likely to see a world release from WOTC anytime soon, I think WOTC should consider some kind of Print on Demand model perhaps. I mean, with Greyhawk I have the Living Greyhawk Gazetter from 3E and I do not imagine much has changed. WOTC could literally just port most of the text over verbatim and add a vague plot hook for new developments for some of the major land and use mostly recycled art with a few new pieces thrown in and advertise it as a new sitting but the book is printed on demand when ordered. I think despite this philosophy of the old guard dying these books would be popular. I also think this could be a way for settings that were super niche even in 2E when TSR was releasing campaign worlds faster than hotcakes to get a release. I am looking at settings like Karameikos, Red Steel (more of a subcampaign that one), etcetera to see the light of day in 5E.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

On the plus side, forums like this can grant you a brief moment of feeling young, even if you are in your 40s

What about those of us who are in our 50s?

 

[Rikka66]

Your 22 year old player would have been 7 or 8 when Eberron was released in 2004. Too young to have cared about it, obviously, but long past "barely walking". And if she started in say, middle school, Eberron would have still been a young setting.

I get it, time is only getting faster, but context.