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).

 

[Parmandur]

So you're saying you'll be purchasing Wildemount? How about Ravnica? People who won't buy any campaign settings are a different customer base - are you satisfied with the non-setting products they've published?

I've bought every 5E book except for Acquisitions Incorporated. That book does didn't interest me personally, but making it happen was good business because doing so was listening to the players.

 

[gyor]

I can tell you exactly why I'm not pleased that they are devoting publishing schedule and resources to Wildemount. Its because it is no longer about the game. Its about voice actors who happen to play D&D being paid to voice act who are getting a product published that does nothing to further the game and everything to further their gravy train. Want your homebrew setting published? Great - have at it, but if the idea of publishing a campaign setting is so wildly-popular amongst their fans they should have self-published rather than take up schedule that could be used for a 5e version of any of the campaign settings that players have been begging WotC to produce - Planescape, Greyhawk, etc., or a crunch book, or anything else, while at the same time saturating D&D with yet another setting.

Didn't you read what Matt Mercier wrote about this issue? This is not taking up a slot on the schedule, Matt and his team did most of the work with WotC providing some assistance and 50% of art for the book. He made it clear that this had zero effect on WotC's plans for other settings and delayed none of them.

So we could still be looking at getting a setting or two this year in addition to this book.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I agree, but still, it is okay for someone to express their opinion in strong terms, especially if they've apologized for their blatant trollery upthread.

Wasn’t aware of the apology.
Still, we aren’t obligated to ignore really crappy takes that suggest that people owe someone their labor, to their preferences, without comment.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Yep, and they shouldn't then expect my loyalty in return, which they continually preach about how they are listening to their customers and value our input. I guess some are more equal than others.

Let's not forget that Critical Role isn't WotC. If you really want to get technical, they're sucking off of Critical Role's teat.

You got it backwards.

There are more people watching CR and other streamed shows and coming to DnD through them, than those of us who’ve been playing for decades.

If you got your way, it would be them treating you as “more equal”.

 

[Reynard]

Did you not read his statement that WotC should make future products that only appeal to Gen-x and Millennial customers?

I said nothing of the sort. I said they should ignore Gen-X too.

 

[Reynard]

I'd be interested in hearing your logic on this detailed.

Like I said, it's a guess based on feeling. I don't have any hard evidence. I will say that the 4e attempt at Dark Sun did not set the world on fire, and that just anecdotally when the subject of Planescape comes up on these boards it elicits a much strong, more positive reaction IMO than Dark Sun does. Also, just due to Torment Planescape surely has a higher profile outside of hardcore D&D fans.

I was not especially a fan of either setting back in the day so I don't have a dog in the fight. I think WotC would be better off releasing settings like those to the DMsGuild community and saving their limited resources for the new. But what do I know?

 

[3catcircus]

I've bought every 5E book except for Acquisitions Incorporated. That book does didn't interest me personally, but making it happen was good business because doing so was listening to the players.

I've not been excited by the majority of the 5e books at all. I didn't play 4e, but I did buy quite a few of the different campaign setting books - especially the Dark Sun books.

From the beginning that thrust of 5e, players have been asking for the old settings to be given the 5e treatment. Only Ebberon had been shown some love. Ghosts of Saltmarsh and Sword Coast Adventurers Guide, while containing some setting info, didn't get the job done for me.

 

[Azzy]

Between Critical Role, Rick and Morty, and the Ravnica book it feels like either they are treating it as a parody of itself or they're so out of ideas they're just seeing what sticks.

Or, more likely, they see potential D&D players in these fandoms and are using these products to expand the player base.

 

[FlyingChihuahua]

I've not been excited by the majority of the 5e books at all. I didn't play 4e, but I did buy quite a few of the different campaign setting books - especially the Dark Sun books.

From the beginning that thrust of 5e, players have been asking for the old settings to be given the 5e treatment. Only Ebberon had been shown some love. Ghosts of Saltmarsh and Sword Coast Adventurers Guide, while containing some setting info, didn't get the job done for me.

Bolded something you should remember.

 

[Parmandur]

I've not been excited by the majority of the 5e books at all. I didn't play 4e, but I did buy quite a few of the different campaign setting books - especially the Dark Sun books.

From the beginning that thrust of 5e, players have been asking for the old settings to be given the 5e treatment. Only Ebberon had been shown some love. Ghosts of Saltmarsh and Sword Coast Adventurers Guide, while containing some setting info, didn't get the job done for me.

So, you are not the customer base, as the 5E books have been very well received: since you are not part of their customer base, clearly they wouldn't be catering to you.