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
 

log in or register to remove this ad


log in or register to remove this ad

GreyLord

Legend
I think that's important to emphasise. For this crowd, Eberron is an "old" setting - since its been around since they were born. Things like Greyhawk or Spelljammer or Dragonlance are positively ancient.

For those under the age of 16, who are new to D&D and 5e, I'd say that Greyhawk is actually NEW (was just covered more recently in books) for them. Forgotten Realms is the older setting, and Ravenloft is another one of those settings. Eberron is also a current setting (though it was available previously under 4e as well).

Many of the settings these days are not given out in Campaign guides like they were of older editions, but in a mix of rules, adventures and ideas such as were given out with the Ravenloft and Greyhawk settings and which are going to be put out in many ways with this new book coming out.

That's what they new normal they are accustomed to, or at least I think it would be.

Dragonlance...they may have no clue what that is. It's not just ancient, they haven't even heard about it (and more the pity as that's one of my favorite Campaign settings). Spelljammer is another they have no clue about.

Dark Sun is not that old to them, though that might be considered ancient. It was released last edition in their eyes, as was the Forgotten Realms and Eberron.
 




Reynard

Legend
Gatekeeping Grognardism now? That's some peak Grognard behavior, certainly.
Terms do need definitions that make sense. If we call people that came into D&D with 3e, with all its dungeonpunk video game anime influences, the Edition War 2* was fought for nothing.

*Edition War 1 was of course fought in the pages of the Dragon Magazine Forum, and is quite tame and quaint by our modern reckoning.
 

generic

On that metempsychosis tweak
Terms do need definitions that make sense. If we call people that came into D&D with 3e, with all its dungeonpunk video game anime influences, the Edition War 2* was fought for nothing.

*Edition War 1 was of course fought in the pages of the Dragon Magazine Forum, and is quite tame and quaint by our modern reckoning.
Edition War 3 fast approaches, fought only by prior-edition fans in online forums, while the majority wait off to the side.
 

Parmandur

Book-Friend
Terms do need definitions that make sense. If we call people that came into D&D with 3e, with all its dungeonpunk video game anime influences, the Edition War 2* was fought for nothing.

*Edition War 1 was of course fought in the pages of the Dragon Magazine Forum, and is quite tame and quaint by our modern reckoning.

Newsflash, it was fought for nothing, and 3.x people are now the old guard.
 

No. I think in order to qualify you need to have started before TSR was taken over by WotC. At the very least.
Damn... I'm an old grognard then. I started playing in 1980.
For our topic now. Although I am not interested in CR, I'll buy the book anyways. Just to see what's in it and complete my collection. The setting might be good. But I would've liked an update on Greyhawk. Guess, i'll have to wait for next year...
 


Remove ads

Remove ads

Top