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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!

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!

Wildemount%2C_Version_20%2C1.png

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).

9780786966912_p0_v2_s600x595.jpg
 

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You should see my thoughts on some of the threads I dont post on. Since Ive already decided not to buy it, looks pretty clear Im making the right choice. Sorry Ive wasted your time by posting my opinion.
Just seems like you're wasting a lot more of your own time, is all. Maybe find some activity you can feel more positive about and do that instead.
 

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R_J_K75

Legend
I'm not clear on what "throw away" means in this context. Are there some that you could cite as not being "throw away"? Some of your own making would be particularly interesting.

Let me cite one on that map that is throwaway. The City of Beasts, not all that inspired as far as Im concerned. Never said I could do better but Im not the one writing the book, seeing as Im not Id hope for something a little better than that if Im going to spend money on it.
 

teitan

Legend
Let me cite one on that map that is throwaway. The City of Beasts, not all that inspired as far as Im concerned. Never said I could do better but Im not the one writing the book, seeing as Im not Id hope for something a little better than that if Im going to spend money on it.

you’ve seen the names of some real world places yeah? Whiteland, Whitetown, Landsfall. Piedmont. Some are just foreign words meaning like “French City”. City of Beasts is actually named Asarius.
 


Harzel

Adventurer
With apologies to you, we get that kind of reaction every time an artist dares to stray away from D&D's usual painterly academic style.

"we"? Are you somehow involved in art selection for D&D products?

Anyway, honestly, no, I don't think that is what I am reacting to. I mean, I guess you can take any element that I might criticize and attribute it to the artist having a 'different style', but that just seems like a way to quash any possible criticism. One thing, though, that might, I suppose, limit the cover art is the printing process they choose, but I don't know enough about that technology to know what limitations that could impose.

In any case, I guess there are two things that strike me about this cover: first, it looks kind of flat and lacking in detail. Maybe chalk that up to style, I guess? But the second is there are just elements that are odd: the unexplained blue thing, the dark tendrils wandering all over, the central element of the queen's crown being askew, the horns of her headdress being exceedingly large, the back of the king's hair seemingly caught up in a pony tail band, the cyan smear across part of the top of the image (artifact of the picture, one would hope), the lack of any element of interest besides the king, the beacon, and the queen (another style thing?). Idk, guess I'll stop there. Maybe I'm being overly critical, too.
 

Harzel

Adventurer
Let me cite one on that map that is throwaway. The City of Beasts, not all that inspired as far as Im concerned. Never said I could do better but Im not the one writing the book, seeing as Im not Id hope for something a little better than that if Im going to spend money on it.

Thank you for the reply, but I'm afraid I'm still in the dark about 'throwaway'. It seems to apply to both 'Exandria' and 'The City of Beasts'. Out of context, I can see why you might think 'City of Beasts' was a bit lazy. Were it accompanied by a dwarven city called 'The City of Dwarves' and an elven city called 'The City of Elves', you'd probably have a good point. However, as @teitan points out, its full name is Asarius, City of Beasts, and if you know a bit more about the setting, it is reasonable that the place might have gained that appellation.

In general, it does seem like you are basing your dislike of the work on rather scant knowledge. OTOH, you don't seem to be alone there.
 



R_J_K75

Legend
In general, it does seem like you are basing your dislike of the work on rather scant knowledge. OTOH, you don't seem to be alone there.

Youre right I know next nothing about Critical Role, Matt Mercer or the setting this book supposedly takes place. I dont watch live stream play, doesnt interest me. What Ive seen so far regarding this release was a product description, a continent map from a wiki, and a cover which may or may not be real; all of that is nothing that makes me want to buy the book. But until WotC makes an announcement none of us know if this is the book thats being released in March, but probably is. Regardless it makes me wonder the point of UA articles and surveys, because Id be surprised to learn that there was that much demand for a CR campaign setting.
 


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