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

Chaosmancer

Legend
I have not read the book-so I cannot say for certain what is in there however in the present day-

Nations at War/bordering on a war with lots of grey area- Post Gygax GH, BM, FR, Mystara and Eberron.

Crashed flying cities - FR, Golarion, You can even get crashed spaceships in GH, BM, and Golarion too.

Intrigue and politics and roguish deception in the big city- City of GH, Sharn, Any big city in FR. Golarion. Mystara

Piratey/Seafaring adventures-I don't think I need to continue.

The CR setting seems to have some interesting takes on the backstory tied into the crunch, but is yielding the same D&D pablum for the present day/age. If the only thing interesting and fresh is the backstory that leads to the new magic crunch, it's not a very useful setting book (to me)


Ok...

So you wouldn't want Dark Sun, Spelljammer, or any other setting either?

I mean, the only Darksun game I ever played was heavy on the intrigue and police state politics of the Sorcerer-Kings.

You can get the same sort of challenges in a crashed and ruined space hulk as you can in a crashed magical city.

Any game setting that has a large body of water can have seafaring adventures.

I mean, I'm not sure what could interest you that hasn't already been released in a different setting, if that is what we are going for here.
 

log in or register to remove this ad

JeffB

Legend
What makes you think that's it? I mean it's explicitly stated that this is a content caught in a struggle between two great powers on the verge of war. That itself covers most of your concerns.

IDK- but those were Mercer's talking points, not mine. Thus why I am looking to see what else there is-if anything,
 

JeffB

Legend
Ok...

So you wouldn't want Dark Sun, Spelljammer, or any other setting either?

I mean, the only Darksun game I ever played was heavy on the intrigue and police state politics of the Sorcerer-Kings.

You can get the same sort of challenges in a crashed and ruined space hulk as you can in a crashed magical city.

Any game setting that has a large body of water can have seafaring adventures.

I mean, I'm not sure what could interest you that hasn't already been released in a different setting, if that is what we are going for here.

I don't think people are understanding what I am saying-

Dark Sun would interest me because it's nowhere near a typical D&D setting. Not the same old races, not the same old environments, not the same old magic, not the same old monsters, not the same level of "technology", not the same old religion, etc etc etc. It highly varies from a typical D&D game. All the things I mentioned that Mercer mentioned about his setting are easily available and have been done before ad nauseum in a vanilla/generic/kitchen sink D&D fantasy setting. The only thing that seems interesting to me, according to Mercer himself, is how the backstory relates to some new magic rules-otherwise its SoS generi-realms.

Thus why I would like to see some previews- what makes this setting worth buying ? What's it's hook? what makes it different ? If I'm not into CR or a "streamer" why would I buy this? If its just another stereo typical D&D fantasy setting-I already have a several of those.
 
Last edited:


Chaosmancer

Legend
I don't think people are understanding what I am saying-

Dark Sun would interest me because it's nowhere near a typical D&D setting. Not the same old races, not the same old environments, not the same old magic, not the same old monsters, not the same level of "technology", not the same old religion, etc etc etc. It highly varies from a typical D&D game. All the things I mentioned that Mercer mentioned about his setting are easily available and have been done before ad nauseum in a vanilla/generic/kitchen sink D&D fantasy setting. The only thing that seems interesting to me, according to Mercer himself, is how the backstory relates to some new magic rules-otherwise its SoS generi-realms.

Thus why I would like to see some previews- what makes this setting worth buying ? What's it's hook? what makes it different ? If I'm not into CR or a "streamer" why would I buy this? If its just another stereo typical D&D fantasy setting-I already have a several of those.


Ok, fair enough.

I just thought from your position that you were more interested in the stuff that happened in the past instead of the stuff happening in the present that there was something else. But, yeah, if you feel like you could get the same expeirence from the settings you already have, I can see feeling like you can pass it. I don't fully agree, because I think that each setting does have some unique elements to offer, but I couldn't tell you what it is without taking more time to look into the setting.
 

JeffB

Legend
Just reading the press release would have told you all that. I find it weird that you would criticize the book without looking to see what it is supposed to be first.

Are you saying it's supposed to be generic D&D type setting? Or are you saying the author is not telling the truth about what the book is about? I am only going by what information the author has given me in his interviews- which is a backstory I find interesting but a present that sounds like nearly every other D&D setting.

I don't find it weird at all-unless you think I shouldn't take the author at his word.
 

JeffB

Legend
Ok, fair enough.

I just thought from your position that you were more interested in the stuff that happened in the past instead of the stuff happening in the present that there was something else. But, yeah, if you feel like you could get the same expeirence from the settings you already have, I can see feeling like you can pass it. I don't fully agree, because I think that each setting does have some unique elements to offer, but I couldn't tell you what it is without taking more time to look into the setting.

Well, I found the backstory interesting/engaging, and the present- NOT interesting/engaging (based on the Author's own words) if that helps clarify things. I want something that is engaging at both levels or at the very least engaging in the present/at the table. This is why I would like to see more from WOTC. For all I know it could be the best damned "generi-realms" setting I ever read and runs on all cylinders and I'd buy it in a heartbeat. IDK.

And now I'm off to make some Chicken Marsala- back later with a full belly
 


EthanSental

Legend
Supporter
50% of the art was from the CR community....not a tried and true of follower but the few I’ve seen them post during the show breaks are iffy at best....anyone have any “good” CR fan art?

quick search online and artistic style will vary, but I’d rather have the style of the big 4 in the 80s (Easley, Elmore, et al) and now Tyler Jacobson, Todd Lockwood from the 3e days. But crit role fan art is a big part of their community and if I was into it and submitted art and it was used, I’d be flying high about it. God for those people!

I preordered on dndbeyond cause I’m slowly getting more used to iPad reading but style prefer the physical copy for WoTC created stuff.
 
Last edited:

Parmandur

Book-Friend
Thus why I would like to see some previews- what makes this setting worth buying ? What's it's hook? what makes it different ? If I'm not into CR or a "streamer" why would I buy this? If its just another stereo typical D&D fantasy setting-I already have a several of those.

Over 50 spells, a bunch of monsters, three Subclasses, four Adventures, a bunch of books and NPCs that can be repurposed, a new Background generation system.
 

Remove ads

Remove ads

Top