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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doctorbadwolf

Heretic of The Seventh Circle
No, the target audience is explicitly fans of Critical Role. I might buy the book for the class options, but how many people bought Ravnica for the class options instead of the setting?

It seems unlikely that those not interested in Critical Role will like this product.
Better comparison would be the Eberron book, in which case the answer is plenty.

but even Ravnica, which doesn’t have that much for players, has just enough for players AND for building city adventures in any world, and new angels and other monsters, and interesting ideas for giving faction benefits as part of a background, that it was far and away worth the price without any intention of any of my games ever stepping foot in Ravnica.

The Gun user is The Gunslinger.
I’m aware.
 


Tales and Chronicles

Jewel of the North, formerly know as vincegetorix
I doubt that we'll see any new official classes, only subclasses. If we were going to see those as inclusions, why would they not be listed explicitly?
The tradition of the blood hunters origins from Wildemount. That and the Witcher-lite feel of the setting make the book THE place to have the class polished and published.
 


Oofta

Legend
No offence, but it sounds like another (semi-)generic high fantasy setting.

Last time WoTC did something new with settings was Eberron.

Isn't it about time we get something other then generic fantasy?

They did just publish the Eberron book, and at least this setting appears to have some thought put into it instead of the kitchen sink approach of FR. At least it's not another Sword Coast book.

The show is incredibly popular, it makes a lot of sense to publish this. While I don't normally buy setting books since I run my own campaign, I'll actually consider this one to mine for ideas and transform into my own.

A lot of the other settings like planescape has a cult following, but it was never a big seller. Besides, you can always get the old books, there's not really that much of a reason to recycle old campaigns endlessly.
 

dave2008

Legend
That map is hideous. I lost any interest I had, which was zero, after skimming three places on the map, something about a war and I refuse to learn how to pronounce anymore ridiculous nation names. Unless this is fake then I'll spend my money elsewhere, which after this announcement is probably gonna be the liquor store.
Just to be clear, that is not a map from the book. Though I would guess the names will be the same.
 



Umbran

Mod Squad
Staff member
Supporter
Idk, seems like the target audience is “any dnd players who like new options, and new stuff like backstory mini games (like in xgte) and the like”.

If you want to completely dodge the fact that it is first and foremost connected with a particular IP, and that some of us are not into that IP, I do not think discussing with you will be particularly fruitful.
 

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