Critical Role Wildemount has new subraces and reprints a ton of others

[Longspeak]

I got my copy yesterday. So far, I am liking what I see... except I don't like and probably won't use several of the races that made it into the book... at least as PC options. More study needed.

But I bought it for the setting info, to possibly use ideas from there to supplement my existing Tal'Dorei game (which takes place about halfway between the two Critical Role 'seasons' in the timeline. And in terms of setting fluff, it's making me reasonably happy.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Why do they need to be in the PHB? They aren't any more or less usable because of which book they're in.

It would save page space in other books?

 

[the Jester]

At least some of these races should be added to the PHB

No thanks.

and this is more proof I'm right.

Hmm.

 

[the Jester]

Goblins should be in the 5.5e or 6e PHB, clearly.

If they're being reprinted that many times, they're really a core player race to too many settings to push off to splatbooks.

OTOH, they're not core to many settings, and would be a waste of space in the PH for anyone not playing a goblins-are-pcs setting.

 

[Reynard]

OTOH, they're not core to many settings, and would be a waste of space in the PH for anyone not playing a goblins-are-pcs setting.

That's true of anything that isn't a Human, Elf or Dwarf. Those are the only races that can be considered "universal" if we are using D&D setting past and present as a metric.

 

[Weiley31]

Playable Goblins can be in ANY setting as long as they exist and the player has a reason.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

What does it says about the "hollow"?

 

[Lem23]

What are the new backgrounds?

 

[Sword of Spirit]

That's true of anything that isn't a Human, Elf or Dwarf. Those are the only races that can be considered "universal" if we are using D&D setting past and present as a metric.

Although, honestly, gnomes and half-elves (and arguably half-orcs) are pretty much in the same category. Sure, they may not have been in OD&D, but since 1e they've been a standard PHB choice.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Playable Goblins can be in ANY setting as long as they exist and the player has a reason.

This is true, however this is the same for something like orcs, yet they don't get the same clamoring to be in the PHB.

I think at the end of the day, what makes it into the PHB is determined by Wizards of the Coast, and they have their own internal market research that determines what races should be present at edition launch. That they didn't put goblins in the the PHB indicates to me that they were not an incredibly popular choice in previous editions.

Can that change? Sure. Maybe by the next edition (or 5.5 or something) WotC market research indicates that goblins should get added, as maybe they have become a more popular choice than say gnomes.

I will say that the argument that they should be added because they're reprinted a bunch of times is just silly. That doesn't indicate anything at all except that they are another option used to fill up space in a book.