Critical Role Wildemount: Most Pre-orders Since D&D Core Rulebooks

It seems that the most popular D&D setting in the 5E era is... Wildemount! Talking about the upcoming Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, WotC's Greg Tito said on a Twitch stream recently that "we're pretty sure that this book has seen the most pre-orders and pre-release excitement since any of the core rulebooks for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition were released".

Here's the quote in full:

"...It was number 1, ranked number 1, for all books on Amazon. How many of you out there remember when Amazon was just selling books? Raise your hands. Yeah, that's me. So it's really cool, even though obviously I do a lot more other fun stuff right now, there is a ton out there that are excited for this book, and it isn't even out yet.

"We have little bit of an internal metrics, but we're pretty sure that this book has seen the most pre-orders and pre-release excitement since any of the core rulebooks for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition were released, and if you've been following along at home, Dungeons & Dragons has been selling like hotcakes since 5th Edition released in 2014."

It sounds like the Critical Role setting is proving more popular (at least right now) than traditional D&D settings like Ravenloft or Eberron, newer ones like Ravnica, or adventures set in the Forgotten Realms.

Explorer's Guide to Wildemount will hit game stores on March 17th.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Simple reason, I didn't actually know that. Also a product I'm not interested in, although the couple of alternate backgrounds and background in it are well done (took a glance at it in Chapters).

I've heard it's well like by those interested in it, same with those interested in her other products, but I'll wait and see for myself when she does something I'm more interested in. I'm reasonably certain she will do fine.

Damn Ghosts of Saltmarsh is so good... there's all the ship/oceans material which on its own is great, but the attention to detail and world-building of that town is so good too.

 

[gyor]

Damn Ghosts of Saltmarsh is so good... there's all the ship/oceans material which on its own is great, but the attention to detail and world-building of that town is so good too.

That sounds excellent, but I have no interest in Saltmarsh.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

That sounds excellent, but I have no interest in Saltmarsh.

Completely fair, and I didn't either before reading it. The introduction does a really good job of describing all of the possible tensions between the various factions, and all the individuals, that you could honestly run a small campaign there without using any of the modules.

The Scarlett Brotherhood section alone just inspires so many ideas...

Anyway, back to Kate Welch. If you want to know more about her and her work, you can watch this D&D Beyond interview here where she talks about Ghosts of Saltmarsh.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

That sounds excellent, but I have no interest in Saltmarsh.

Yes, the chapter on the town is the Greyhawky bit. It actually has more ties to the Greyhawk setting than any of those 1980s modules allegedly located in Greyhawk. I'm getting plenty of value out of the book without using the Greyhawk setting though.

 

[Mournblade94]

That sounds excellent, but I have no interest in Saltmarsh.

I have been adapting the old Letter series modules to Forgotten Realms for decades. A1-A4 I made a Kraken Society operation. I get the feeling you like the realms, and the Saltmarsh book is fantastic. Its easy to place. I chose to place it on the Moonshae Isles.

 

[gyor]

Completely fair, and I didn't either before reading it. The introduction does a really good job of describing all of the possible tensions between the various factions, and all the individuals, that you could honestly run a small campaign there without using any of the modules.

The Scarlett Brotherhood section alone just inspires so many ideas...

Anyway, back to Kate Welch. If you want to know more about her and her work, you can watch this D&D Beyond interview here where she talks about Ghosts of Saltmarsh.

I'm not really a Greyhawk guy for some reason, not sure why. Maybe if I read some Greyhawk novels.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Maybe if I read some Greyhawk novels.

That's bound to put you off....

 

[SkidAce]

I'm not really a Greyhawk guy for some reason, not sure why. Maybe if I read some Greyhawk novels.

No, don't do that.

Check out the original box set instead.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Actually, I think the best way to get a good first impression of Greyhawk would be to read Ghosts of Saltmash Chapter One!

 

[billd91]

Between this and another thread or two and the positive things I'm reading, I think Ghosts of Saltmarsh may be my next purchase from WotC.