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!

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).

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Whizbang Dustyboots

Gnometown Hero
Now that we've had Acquisitions Inc. and Critical Role official D&D books, I'm starting to think The Adventure Zone not releasing any D&D gaming material may be significant.

If this trend continues, I look forward to the Tales from the Magic Tavern book, the first R-rated official D&D book of the 5E era. :D
 

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PMárk

Explorer
I'm clearly no longer the target audience for official D&D projects, since many recent projects haven't interested me (Eberron, Ravnica, Acquisitions Inc, Rick & Morty, Stranger Things, and this). Five of those have been media tie-in products, which is sort of losing the heart of D&D to me.

I don't like the mainstreaming of D&D. I guess this makes me officially a grognard.

I'm 31. I started with 3e (thoguh I read 2e novels). Do I count as an "old grognard"?

All in all, I agree with you. I'm getting why they're doing this, from a business standpoint. I'm just not interested in these products. I'd be for more "niche" products, though. I also agree, this is somewhat an inevitable outcome of being mainstream, that they target these audiences. This is D&D now. I just wish if they'd find a way to give material to people interested in those more niche stuff. DMsG could have done that, it could be the place where seasoned writers could publish official regional and setting guides, or whatnot, it could support the old settings that way. Sadly, I'm not seeing that this far. So, again, I feel you, WotC just doesn't produce material I'd be itnerested in these days.
 

Parmandur

Book-Friend
I'm 31. I started with 3e (thoguh I read 2e novels). Do I count as an "old grognard"?

All in all, I agree with you. I'm getting why they're doing this, from a business standpoint. I'm just not interested in these products. I'd be for more "niche" products, though. I also agree, this is somewhat an inevitable outcome of being mainstream, that they target these audiences. This is D&D now. I just wish if they'd find a way to give material to people interested in those more niche stuff. DMsG could have done that, it could be the place where seasoned writers could publish official regional and setting guides, or whatnot, it could support the old settings that way. Sadly, I'm not seeing that this far. So, again, I feel you, WotC just doesn't produce material I'd be itnerested in these days.

The primary audience for the game wasn't born when 3.0 was released, or was wearing diapers: us 30-something 3.x players are the grognards now, yes.
 


PMárk

Explorer
I did specifically state besides those benefits (which I don't mean to disregard, just not what I wanted to discuss).

I reflected on the notion that enjoying the literature side does not have a relevance to my game. If I misunderstood, my apologies.

I have not read either of those Authors and have no idea what they brought to either (I do know who Driz is though). What I know about Drow and Dragonborn I get from the MM, PHB, DMG, and now things like VGtM, MToF, etc.

And a lot of those was built up over time, in no small part thanks to those authors. Drow, for example, were rather described in a rather cursory manner, until Salvatore's Drizzt books. Moreover, those novels are arguably the very reason why drow are a playable option in the PHB for the last two editions.
 


generic

On that metempsychosis tweak
Thing is, we are well past the point where most D&D players have only ever experienced 5E. Anybody who got started with another edition is now a grognard, to some degree.
I started during the mid 4E/D&D Next phase, does this make me a grognard?
 


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