At 52 years of age, I can honestly say that I've been playing Dungeons and Dragons, along with most of the popular tabletop games from Warhammer (Fantasy And 40K), to Necromunda and Mordheim, all of my adult Life. This came out on the 17th and my copy came in the mail the day after. After spending all week reading through everything, I can only say that I'm absolutely mindblowing by how much Matt Mercer has put into this little world of his! People might think that you have to have a huge continent o complete world in order to have fun playing. Matt proves that a huge world can fit into quite a small (comparatively) space after all. Thanks for all of your great videos and, everyone, remember that having fun is the ultimate goal of every game!
You are correct, the Tal'dorei setting book is another continent within Exandria which is Matthew Mercer's world. The Tal'dorei setting book also comes with a map, but not quite as big as the Wildemount map.
Quite simply, one of the best, most packed setting books for 5E. Tal'dorei was also a great manual, so I my expectations were pretty high, but this delivers even more than the first one.
One of the best parts of this book is the Heroic Chronicle, imo. I always had trouble with backstory, and while Xanathar's Guide has something similar that I've been using, the Heroic Chronicle is very thorough and gives me so much inspiration for writing.
I reviewed this for my channel as well Nate, and my conclusions echo your own. This is a solid setting book whether you are a critical role fan or not. I actually have been running two Tal 'Dorei campaigns for about a year now, using the Green Ronin setting guide and this follows the format from that book, but seriously ups the game. I was able to use several really cool things from the Wildemount guide almost right away. So if someone is running Tal 'Dorei, they will probably want to pick this up. Great review!
I have also been playing campaigns in Tal'Dorei and think this is a great extension. Even if you don't want to play a campaign in the setting there are things to take from the book and use in your game
Don't think I would ever actually run a game in this setting. Not because I don't like it. But because I like World building too much. What I can see myself doing is stealing everything I like from this book and dropping it into my own setting.
I just finished reading it last night, and I am pretty satisfied with it as a setting book, and particularly pleased with the Heroic Chronicle, the regional hooks, and the starting adventures. I don't know if I will run it any time soon, as I have been working on my own setting of late, but I could see running most of the starting adventures, and I appreciate the stakes - all but one of the adventures risks a lasting disruption to the respective region.
Excellent review. Balanced and fair. I was concerned the Matt Mercer rock star would skew reviews to the positive but after reading this book thoroughly it stands on it's own as a great work. A panoply of new races, subclasses, etc. The Guide is well written and organized. Fantastic artwork...Some artwork not up to par but I get the critical role community thing. Overall this book is a must have for an enthusiastic DND player. Packed edition worth the money. Excited to add it to our campaigns!
Even if I bought this book for nothing else I would have to buy it for the additional subclasses. Gravity magic is my favorite underutilized trope, and I'm so happy it was put into this book/setting.
Only when purchased from planar travellers. It does have the weaker "Smokepowder" though, created by the Church of Gond along with its firearms. I honestly think that WoTC has not thought the implications of firearms through. Historically they sparked The Military Revolution, and thus Absolutism and spurred on The Scientific Revolution, which lead to the Enlightenment and the Modern World... Do we really want that in our RPG?
I really enjoy and appreciate what's been accomplished here. I love what Matt Mercer, Critical Role and Wizards of the Coast have contributed here and I can't wait to start a campaign within this strange new world. Cool review, thanks for taking the time.
The adventures were really fun (I ran 2 of them and part of another), though the Xhorhas one was a bit unbalanced for 1st level IMO. Tides of Retribution was my fave, so many great encounters and NPCs
I just picked it up. I'm very new to dm'ing but have watched all of Critical Role. This setting book seems to be...easier...for me to get into than other books. This has shown me me more about creating a world than I think other books have.
awesome video! this book is on sale for like $22 bucks rn on amazon so im thinking im going to pull the trigger! thank you for the video and helping with the decision making process :) edit: thought it was cool you mentioned (and did the research) to find out the simpler/cartoony art was potential fan art
@ARTHUR TROY I think 'recycle' is a strange term. The Races section is there to explain how the known DnD races work in this specific setting/world and it does exactly that. This is a campaign guide not VGtM or XGtE, it's not meant to introduce 20 new races.
Right. People will criticize them either way. The term “recycled” has negative connotations. From my perspective it is very positive that one doesn’t need to buy all those other books in order to get access to the playable races for this setting. All you need is a players handbook and this book and you are set.
Great review, really highlighting the strengths of this setting book! :) I found it to be really beginner friendly, especially because of the given starting adventures. Felt like training wheels for DMing to me, which was very very welcome :D One note though: I would not necessarily recommend it as a companion to watching CR, because spoilers! Unless you're someone who doesn't mind knowing a little bit more than the players of course :)
I love that Matt Mercer acknowledge in a live stream that the city maps scales are off....they are in miles instead of feet (which he said was an error that managed to pass the editors), so they are 5000+ miles across
Just bought it as my other DM's are running games in the Forgotten Realms and whilst I love that setting, I wanted something different from mine. I can still run Curse of Strahd off of it, dump in Ghosts of Saltmash, and locations from Yarning portal so not lost out on those books I bought. I think the book at first glance Explorer's Guide to Wildemount is fantastic and cannot wait to plan and run games in it. I have hardly listened to Critical roll, but know of it and that didn't deter me from picking it up
5e needs more actual official full campaign settings and less official adventures. But that's just me. This book, like the Tal'Dorei book, seems solid and worth my time. Thanks for the review.
I used to think so. I think the thinking from d&d is: d&d at core is story telling, shared narratives create common experiences. common experiences create communities. communities at loyal customers and supporters. as opposed to the 3e days were every setting "split" the follower base, it's quite clear here ever adventure and setting is part of the shared whole. in a few years, because so many people can exchange shared experiences, these adventures and settings are going to habe a very marketable nostalgia value (a stronger brand). look at how people clamour for 1e and 2e adventure reprints, and revere named adventures. people demand a return to certain adventure settings published over 30-40 years ago
I didn't like the maps in this book, which surprised me. I normally like Devan Rue maps but the mountains on the continent go from a nice size to minuscule up at Eiselcross. Really like the book as a whole though
Can you go into more detail about what you didn't like about the encounter maps from chapter 5? I found the ones I've read so far kind of simplistic and not too exciting, but I wanted to hear your thoughts on them.
Artistically, they just don’t look great. I’m OK with a simple map, but these look like they are trying to be detailed? The town street map need some shading, The shingles look way too big, and I don’t care for the little “hair lines” on the edges of the dungeon maps.
I just ordered this book as new today, Nov 3 2021, for only $12.50 plus shipping and tax on eBay. The total was $17.63. I think that I got a great deal considering the book is new.
@@WASD20 Yep. I used to DM years ago with an earlier edition of D&D. I have decided to at some point, DM again this time using 5th edition and a modified version of Matt Mercer's world. I will require all characters to be created using point buy plus 3 added stat points. Meaning someone could start with a 20 (15+2 race +3) in 1 stat, but there will be no rolling for stats. I will ban: the artifcer class, divination wizards, non-magical gun powder, and the playing of races that are typically evil. What are your thoughts?
I love this book and the effort put into it. The only problem I have is trying to incorporate anything into actual practice. It feels more to me like a big-budget DM Guild homebrew than an official D&D liscenced book. Idk it just seems difficult to incorporate unless you're straight running a wildmount campaign. But I do love it, and it is a fantastic read.
I've only skimmed it, but I believe that it says a lot of ways to incorporate stuff like the new schools of magic without it having to be in wildemount?
I mean, it’s a setting book. It’s not Xanathar’s Guide to Everything. There’s a lot of good setting information that could easily be incorporated into any campaign. Lore, settlements, etc. but beyond that, I’m not sure what you could expect. This is literally meant for people who want to run games in this specific setting.
Lol. That's kind of like saying Eberron is difficult to incorporate into other settings and then stating it suffers in quality because of that. Like, of course it's difficult to incorporate; it's a completely different world. I would also argue that this setting is much easier to incorporate things from it then say Ravnica or Eberron.
@@WASD20 Page: 158 and 159. "Distant lands of Exandria Tal'Dorei... Emon, a glorious metropolis and the polical nexus of the continent. Within Emon the governing oligarchy known as the council of Tal'Dorei..." And u ask why I should expected the info?
@@zepzbr -- Right. I guess my point is I wouldn't expect much detail on the "distant" lands when there is literally a whole book about Tal'Dorei already out. Then again, I don't know much about that one. Perhaps it doesn't have that info either. :)
@@WASD20 You know that the council formation is one of the biggest mysteries of the critical role right? and this was the only reason for me to make that inside joke. Check more on: ua-cam.com/video/kpLm_a-cgMk/v-deo.html
Interview with Matt mercer confirmed that about %50 of the art was done by fan artists that were submitted to wizards for them to choose from. Pretty cool.
My only real complaint about this book (and it's a minor one) is that Wildmount felt much smaller than I was expecting. I was under the impression Wildmount was a large continent on the scale of Russia, but it just doesn't have that expansive feel. This isn't helped by the map, which according to the scale provided shows Wildmount to be even smaller than the continental United States. I feel the accuracy of the map is sound so the fact Wildmount extends from the sub-arctic to the sub-tropical in less than 1800 miles implies Exandria is only half the size of Earth (assuming Exandria is a roughly spherical planet). I also find it dubious that a criminal group the size of the Myriad exists, even if it is technically a collective of much smaller, local cartels, there can't be any real coordination between groups.
Not sure you can tell the size of the planet from that. A lot would depend on the tilt of the planet and how the continents affect the air and water currents and the distance from the sun and probably a whole lot of other details.
@@toshomni9478 Fair point, given that from the map I can't even tell where the prevailing wind is coming from. The book is very explicit on climate and distances though, so the size and prevailing weather of Wildmount isn't in question. In the end I suppose you can just chalk it up to 'uncontrolled magic did it'. (The inclusion of a compass rose _and_ a scale on a continent-scale map also implies the world isn't even round, so there's also that)
I'm just going to throw out that while they aren't *tropical* rainforests, Britain does have rainforest. And that Europe has everything from permafrost to temperate rainforest to desert, despite a predominantly maritime climate for much of the continent. If you pitch the Menagerie Coast as Mediterranean rather than Tropical it kind of works out (thinking Azores). I live in an island that's 9 by 5 miles. We have urban centres, farmland, sand dunes, woodland, cliffs, long sandy beaches, marshes and wetlands and a weird almost lunar seashore area. Size isn't everything. ;-) Also if the Myriad operates like the Mafia in Europe, yes, the different cartels totally work in coordination, but the established 'underground' is a standard fantasy trope anyway. Otherwise what's the bloody point in knowing Theives' Cant?
The immovable object spell is probably the most powerful spell in the game, I tried to use it in a game once and the table laughed at how overpowered it is. It doesn't say you can't use it on objects that are worn or carried. And upcasting it can instantly defeat any creature that wears anything and you don't even have to concentrate
I’m surprised you were not critical of the map and all the river bifurcation going on. It annoys me and from comments you have made on other maps I thought it was a bugbear of yours too..
Fair point. Kinda wish I had brought it up. There are a few funky spots on map that had me scratching my head. But then again the review was already 25 minutes. 😂
i will never understand how people can be so horny to complain about rivers in a fantasy-world doing a thing that rivers do moderately regularly in real life. Like, just look at a map of scandinavia and you'll find a ton. My own small home-town alone has 2 bifurcations along the river going through it and looking at the map there's quite a few more in the surrounding area. I'd love to be enlightened as to why this is such a common complaint but so far every explanation i've seen is "it basically never happens" and yet it does. Quite a bit.
@@LordZeebee I wonder the same thing. I've actually seen people complain about rivers having tributaries as if they've never looked at a map of the real world.
@@toshomni9478 Not tributaries, but illogical splits. Geography is often important in telling a story. To give a specific example of rivers and topography from Wildemount, there is a river system that seems to flow out of the Zemni Fields and Velvin Thicket INTO the Cyrios Mountains. This seems odd at first glance. While there's no indication from the map or the text, we have to assume that there's a very dramatic ravine through the mountains; otherwise, the water would not flow south. In fact, there are rivers just to the east that flow north. As the mountains soar into the sky, the river plunges downward to the coast. Such a feature seems to me worth describing or mentioning in the text, but neither happens. Regardless, in my version of Wildemount, there's a cleft through the mountains and a fast-moving river. In the Marrow Valley, we see water flowing northward toward the coast. The direction of these rivers tells us about the elevation of the terrain. It can inform travel descriptions and more. It helps us make sense of the world. My silent nitpick is often climate. Creators tend to make a region feature whichever climate they want, regardless of the neighboring climate X miles west on the same latitude. When I see this, it is like a bur in the back of my mind, irritating me. 😆 "Magic" is often the only workable explanation. Stuff like this tends to not bother people who don't know enough to notice it. (Not an insult; just an observation. I'd not catch inconsistencies of many other types.) Once you see it, though, it's hard to unsee, because it defies a lifetime of empirical experience and expectations.
Maybe I'm weird but I never understand why this book and the Eberron book art seems to bother him. To me it is more about the mechanics, monsters and fluff. Art is the last thing i ever think if or judge and his bringing it up as a nitpick always confuses me.
@@WASD20 I weirdly love the variety of styles between the different art pieces. I think it adds flavour and gives you a lot of different stuff gawk at. I like the abstract and stylized and tend to not like things that just have a cookie-cutter and constantly realistic appearance. It's nice, but It's cool when things can be unique. Also, the Eberron art is gorgeous and I will die on that hill.
My brother got it and he loves it, however, he is extremely new to D&D. Me on the other hand i’m disappointed in it. I got the book because mom got him the book and so she didn’t want us to argue over it so she bought me my own. I skimmed through the book and the only interesting thing is the bestiary section. I’m also the kind of guy that doesn’t like any subclass of ranger, sorry. If any of you like it and bought it or want to start your own D&D collection stash, then by all means go for it. Do what makes you happy. I’m just a little bit crest fallen of what the book holds.
Argh. My man, it's "BEST-ee-ary", not "beast-ee-ary". 😖 A very common mispronunciation. A (thankfully) less common but closely related mispronounciation is bestiality. Yuck. 😄 I've newly discovered the channel and I've enjoyed the first few videos I've watched. I'm subscribing to enjoy future content. Great work!
Yeah, we Americans often pronounce things wrong. Some day I'm sure the dictionaries will catch up and reflect our very common mispronunciation. Typical Americans expect the world to bend to their will, after all, especially when their objectively wrong. To the world - I am sorry on behalf of my people. XD
I have not seen Critical Role, though I'm looking forward to eventually. Having gone through this book, I personally am not a fan. If you're enjoying it then that's great, I certainly don't mean to imply anyone should not! These are my thoughts on it. The good: I enjoy some of the additional races, classes, and backgrounds. I am playing a Chronury wizard and I like it. The bad: -Fanart clashes with the professional art and just looks like the kind of art you see in a Dollar Store. I can look at fanart online anytime. I would rather have professional artwork when purchasing a book from Wizards of the Coast. This art has a cheap and tacky appearance in my opinion. -Too many made-up words. Fantasy is fun, but there is a point when there are too many high fantasy names for EVERYTHING with every vowel thrown in for good measure and repeated, requiring you to be a professional linguist to pronounce it. -If you're into lore then you'll probably enjoy this, but to be honest, it all put me to sleep. Admittedly, I'm probably not the target audience. Someone who wants intimate knowledge of the setting to create an original campaign there might find this useful, but for me, it was a lot of words, generic fantasy theme XYZ, and little substance. -I have only looked at the Frozen Sick module, but I was not impressed. Compared with other modules, it looks very thrown together. It's incredibly generic with very little to go on as a DM in my opinion. It feels like a fan-made module more than a professionally published D&D module. -Just looking at the strange, cartoony-anime style cover art makes you feel like it's not a D&D book. Overall, 80% of the book feels more like fanart and fanfiction of Dungeons and Dragons - a watered-down version of the real thing. I don't understand why so many people give it glowing reviews, to me, it seems subpar next to other books.
Matt is amazing but watching the actors trying to be players is what killed it for me. I hope to be able to get some ideas from this book. Best of luck to his sales!
what do you mean by trying to be players? They've been playing this game upwards of 5 years now, I'd say they'd be classified as "players" Hell, anyone who decides to play agame and roll dice should be considered a valid player. This is such a weird gatekeeping thing to say.
@@loki210 Ikr? They're such good players that they foil him at every turn now (Laura Bailey with the cupcake, Sam Riegel with the paralysis poison on Essyk, Fjord with the clutch whip pulling the Adult Remorhaz) with amazing and ridiculous plans that are certainly better than other "players"
At 52 years of age, I can honestly say that I've been playing Dungeons and Dragons, along with most of the popular tabletop games from Warhammer (Fantasy And 40K), to Necromunda and Mordheim, all of my adult Life. This came out on the 17th and my copy came in the mail the day after. After spending all week reading through everything, I can only say that I'm absolutely mindblowing by how much Matt Mercer has put into this little world of his! People might think that you have to have a huge continent o complete world in order to have fun playing. Matt proves that a huge world can fit into quite a small (comparatively) space after all. Thanks for all of your great videos and, everyone, remember that having fun is the ultimate goal of every game!
I also think this is some amazingly put together content!
How does one become "mindblowing"? I've heard of being mindblown.
The index at the back of the book suggests Matt is aware how important it is, even if the other D&D 5e books don't seem to always have them.
You are correct, the Tal'dorei setting book is another continent within Exandria which is Matthew Mercer's world. The Tal'dorei setting book also comes with a map, but not quite as big as the Wildemount map.
2:22 - Intro to the book
3:49 - Chapter 1 - The Story of Wildemount
6:15 - Chapter 2 - Factions & Societies
7:30 - Chapter 3 - Wildemount Gazetteer
10:24 - Chapter 4 - Character Options
15:45 - Chapter 5 - Adventures in Wildemount
17:28 - Chapter 6 - Treasure
18:35 - Chapter 7 - Bestiary
19:26 - Comments on the art & maps
21:30 - Closing thoughts
Thanks Nate! Very helpful!
>buys book
>doesn't like reading
lolwut
Quite simply, one of the best, most packed setting books for 5E. Tal'dorei was also a great manual, so I my expectations were pretty high, but this delivers even more than the first one.
One of the best parts of this book is the Heroic Chronicle, imo. I always had trouble with backstory, and while Xanathar's Guide has something similar that I've been using, the Heroic Chronicle is very thorough and gives me so much inspiration for writing.
I reviewed this for my channel as well Nate, and my conclusions echo your own. This is a solid setting book whether you are a critical role fan or not. I actually have been running two Tal 'Dorei campaigns for about a year now, using the Green Ronin setting guide and this follows the format from that book, but seriously ups the game. I was able to use several really cool things from the Wildemount guide almost right away. So if someone is running Tal 'Dorei, they will probably want to pick this up.
Great review!
Thanks! That's helpful insight.
love your channel CaptCorajus ! :)
I have also been playing campaigns in Tal'Dorei and think this is a great extension. Even if you don't want to play a campaign in the setting there are things to take from the book and use in your game
Don't think I would ever actually run a game in this setting. Not because I don't like it. But because I like World building too much.
What I can see myself doing is stealing everything I like from this book and dropping it into my own setting.
Gray in the second line did you mean can or can’t?
@@jakeholmes9296 Can would certainly make sense, considering they mention not being able to see something else in the first line.
@@jakeholmes9296 can. Was using speak to text.
Gray cool. Yeah I thought so. I just ordered it for the same purpose. I love stuff like this to use in my Homebrew! Can;t wait till it arrives.
Yup, already copied the pallid and sea elves into my homebrew, and I’m sure I’ll copy other things as well
Thanks so much I’ve been looking to see what’s in this book without having to buy it first. I really needed a buyers guide
Yes, Tal'dorei is another continent in Exandria, Wildemount is season 2's main continent. The correct way to pronounce Hopperdook is "Hopper-duke"
Hupperdook*
Hupper-Dewkh, according to Jester
Sam Gale Or ‘Up-Hup’
I just finished reading it last night, and I am pretty satisfied with it as a setting book, and particularly pleased with the Heroic Chronicle, the regional hooks, and the starting adventures. I don't know if I will run it any time soon, as I have been working on my own setting of late, but I could see running most of the starting adventures, and I appreciate the stakes - all but one of the adventures risks a lasting disruption to the respective region.
Excellent review. Balanced and fair. I was concerned the Matt Mercer rock star would skew reviews to the positive but after reading this book thoroughly it stands on it's own as a great work. A panoply of new races, subclasses, etc. The Guide is well written and organized. Fantastic artwork...Some artwork not up to par but I get the critical role community thing. Overall this book is a must have for an enthusiastic DND player. Packed edition worth the money. Excited to add it to our campaigns!
Yea, it is almost as if Matt is actually smart and intelligent, and actually deserves the acclaim...
Even if I bought this book for nothing else I would have to buy it for the additional subclasses. Gravity magic is my favorite underutilized trope, and I'm so happy it was put into this book/setting.
I listen to CR while I clean,it works pretty well. Good coverage, thanks
Slight lore correction, Forgotten Realms does indeed have black powder
Only when purchased from planar travellers. It does have the weaker "Smokepowder" though, created by the Church of Gond along with its firearms. I honestly think that WoTC has not thought the implications of firearms through. Historically they sparked The Military Revolution, and thus Absolutism and spurred on The Scientific Revolution, which lead to the Enlightenment and the Modern World...
Do we really want that in our RPG?
I really enjoy and appreciate what's been accomplished here. I love what Matt Mercer, Critical Role and Wizards of the Coast have contributed here and I can't wait to start a campaign within this strange new world. Cool review, thanks for taking the time.
The adventures were really fun (I ran 2 of them and part of another), though the Xhorhas one was a bit unbalanced for 1st level IMO. Tides of Retribution was my fave, so many great encounters and NPCs
Thanks for the input. That’s good to hear!
The worldbuilding and adventures sound really good for inspiration. Might have to pick this up.
I just picked it up. I'm very new to dm'ing but have watched all of Critical Role. This setting book seems to be...easier...for me to get into than other books. This has shown me me more about creating a world than I think other books have.
awesome video! this book is on sale for like $22 bucks rn on amazon so im thinking im going to pull the trigger! thank you for the video and helping with the decision making process :)
edit: thought it was cool you mentioned (and did the research) to find out the simpler/cartoony art was potential fan art
I think the sea elves are from mordenkainen not new.
Ah, yep. I think you are correct!
@ARTHUR TROY I think 'recycle' is a strange term. The Races section is there to explain how the known DnD races work in this specific setting/world and it does exactly that. This is a campaign guide not VGtM or XGtE, it's not meant to introduce 20 new races.
Right. People will criticize them either way. The term “recycled” has negative connotations. From my perspective it is very positive that one doesn’t need to buy all those other books in order to get access to the playable races for this setting. All you need is a players handbook and this book and you are set.
Great review, really highlighting the strengths of this setting book! :) I found it to be really beginner friendly, especially because of the given starting adventures. Felt like training wheels for DMing to me, which was very very welcome :D
One note though: I would not necessarily recommend it as a companion to watching CR, because spoilers! Unless you're someone who doesn't mind knowing a little bit more than the players of course :)
I love that Matt Mercer acknowledge in a live stream that the city maps scales are off....they are in miles instead of feet (which he said was an error that managed to pass the editors), so they are 5000+ miles across
Not sure if this was brought up. Sea Elves are a reprint from Mordenkeinen's Tome of Foes. The Hollow One is the other new "race" in the book.
Yes someone else did. But thanks!
Also Hollow One is not a race, I think. It is a character feature in addition to race.
@@WASD20 thanks. Great review, BTW!
You are Extremely Awesome @ Plying your Craft Sir. I absolutely love watching all your amazing videos on all things D&D.....👽😝👻
you didn't see that Dragonborn has 2 new subraces. ... happens
else a goo0d video
Just bought it as my other DM's are running games in the Forgotten Realms and whilst I love that setting, I wanted something different from mine. I can still run Curse of Strahd off of it, dump in Ghosts of Saltmash, and locations from Yarning portal so not lost out on those books I bought. I think the book at first glance Explorer's Guide to Wildemount is fantastic and cannot wait to plan and run games in it. I have hardly listened to Critical roll, but know of it and that didn't deter me from picking it up
Matt also ran a version of Strahd in season 1 so it's definetely a flexible setting.
5e needs more actual official full campaign settings and less official adventures. But that's just me. This book, like the Tal'Dorei book, seems solid and worth my time. Thanks for the review.
I used to think so. I think the thinking from d&d is: d&d at core is story telling, shared narratives create common experiences. common experiences create communities. communities at loyal customers and supporters. as opposed to the 3e days were every setting "split" the follower base, it's quite clear here ever adventure and setting is part of the shared whole.
in a few years, because so many people can exchange shared experiences, these adventures and settings are going to habe a very marketable nostalgia value (a stronger brand). look at how people clamour for 1e and 2e adventure reprints, and revere named adventures. people demand a return to certain adventure settings published over 30-40 years ago
I went to hero forge I loved it
I didn't like the maps in this book, which surprised me. I normally like Devan Rue maps but the mountains on the continent go from a nice size to minuscule up at Eiselcross. Really like the book as a whole though
This is the standard I compart all other setting books to from now on.
Can you go into more detail about what you didn't like about the encounter maps from chapter 5? I found the ones I've read so far kind of simplistic and not too exciting, but I wanted to hear your thoughts on them.
Artistically, they just don’t look great. I’m OK with a simple map, but these look like they are trying to be detailed?
The town street map need some shading, The shingles look way too big, and I don’t care for the little “hair lines” on the edges of the dungeon maps.
@@WASD20 Gotcha. Yeah looking at the street map on page 220 again I see what you're talking about. Thanks!
I just ordered this book as new today, Nov 3 2021, for only $12.50 plus shipping and tax on eBay. The total was $17.63. I think that I got a great deal considering the book is new.
Wow. Yeah that is.
@@WASD20 Yep. I used to DM years ago with an earlier edition of D&D. I have decided to at some point, DM again this time using 5th edition and a modified version of Matt Mercer's world. I will require all characters to be created using point buy plus 3 added stat points. Meaning someone could start with a 20 (15+2 race +3) in 1 stat, but there will be no rolling for stats. I will ban: the artifcer class, divination wizards, non-magical gun powder, and the playing of races that are typically evil. What are your thoughts?
thanks I'm a big fan why not do a review on the stranger things d&d starter set
This is a goofy question but how do you get the Wildemount map out of the book? I tried and accidentally teared it a little.
Matt included all the races, that I would have to buy with Volo's Guide to Monsters, but now, I won't have to
Another great review Nate. Thanks!
Thanks Nate - I don't watch Critical Role but this looks excellent. I shall get it!
...also impressed that you managed to resist the urge to pronounce it will-duh-mount. I mean, it's like wildebeest, right? 😁
Haha! By the time I filmed the 3rd take it was second nature to say it properly. Took a while, but I"M THERE.
I know nothing of CritRole. I hear this book is one of the standout releases. let's see
The reprints of all he races alone make it stand out from what Wizards usually does. Hopefully this will be the way they do things from now on.
Great video! You're awesome.
2 episodes a year?!?! I don't consider myself a critter, and I watch at least 4 a month. I highly recommend watching them whenever you have time.
All your early nitpicks is what I would consider as cool stuff.
I love this book and the effort put into it. The only problem I have is trying to incorporate anything into actual practice. It feels more to me like a big-budget DM Guild homebrew than an official D&D liscenced book. Idk it just seems difficult to incorporate unless you're straight running a wildmount campaign. But I do love it, and it is a fantastic read.
I've only skimmed it, but I believe that it says a lot of ways to incorporate stuff like the new schools of magic without it having to be in wildemount?
I mean, it’s a setting book. It’s not Xanathar’s Guide to Everything. There’s a lot of good setting information that could easily be incorporated into any campaign. Lore, settlements, etc. but beyond that, I’m not sure what you could expect. This is literally meant for people who want to run games in this specific setting.
Lol. That's kind of like saying Eberron is difficult to incorporate into other settings and then stating it suffers in quality because of that. Like, of course it's difficult to incorporate; it's a completely different world.
I would also argue that this setting is much easier to incorporate things from it then say Ravnica or Eberron.
Never watched Critical Role but these crossover books look nice regardless. Just bought Netherdeep for $25.
dont know if it is just me but the sound had really crazy static
Who is on the Tal'dorei Council? That's not in the book =(
This is not the Tal’dorei book, so i’m not sure why you would expect any information on that.
@@WASD20 Page: 158 and 159.
"Distant lands of Exandria
Tal'Dorei... Emon, a glorious metropolis and the polical nexus of the continent. Within Emon the governing oligarchy known as the council of Tal'Dorei..."
And u ask why I should expected the info?
@@zepzbr -- Right. I guess my point is I wouldn't expect much detail on the "distant" lands when there is literally a whole book about Tal'Dorei already out. Then again, I don't know much about that one. Perhaps it doesn't have that info either. :)
@@WASD20
You know that the council formation is one of the biggest mysteries of the critical role right?
and this was the only reason for me to make that inside joke.
Check more on: ua-cam.com/video/kpLm_a-cgMk/v-deo.html
Way over my head. Lol. Sorry. I read indignation, not humor. 😄
Just wondering and hoping someone could tell me if the changelinge also exists in this book.
I have the book a bit neutral about it, but i am confused there is no gunslingerclass within it
BTW I believe all the art is made by critical role fans
Yep. Mentioned that in the vid :)
I posted this before I knew that, whoops
@@jackbellinger1216 All good. :)
Interview with Matt mercer confirmed that about %50 of the art was done by fan artists that were submitted to wizards for them to choose from. Pretty cool.
Thanks you’re awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great review, Nate!
Thanks, Dave!
Anyone else hear that high pitch noise when he switches cameras?
This isn’t a review. This is you just reading what pages come next.
personally, I LOVE the more cartony art style.
Seems cool
My only real complaint about this book (and it's a minor one) is that Wildmount felt much smaller than I was expecting. I was under the impression Wildmount was a large continent on the scale of Russia, but it just doesn't have that expansive feel.
This isn't helped by the map, which according to the scale provided shows Wildmount to be even smaller than the continental United States. I feel the accuracy of the map is sound so the fact Wildmount extends from the sub-arctic to the sub-tropical in less than 1800 miles implies Exandria is only half the size of Earth (assuming Exandria is a roughly spherical planet).
I also find it dubious that a criminal group the size of the Myriad exists, even if it is technically a collective of much smaller, local cartels, there can't be any real coordination between groups.
Not sure you can tell the size of the planet from that. A lot would depend on the tilt of the planet and how the continents affect the air and water currents and the distance from the sun and probably a whole lot of other details.
@@toshomni9478 Fair point, given that from the map I can't even tell where the prevailing wind is coming from. The book is very explicit on climate and distances though, so the size and prevailing weather of Wildmount isn't in question.
In the end I suppose you can just chalk it up to 'uncontrolled magic did it'.
(The inclusion of a compass rose _and_ a scale on a continent-scale map also implies the world isn't even round, so there's also that)
I'm just going to throw out that while they aren't *tropical* rainforests, Britain does have rainforest. And that Europe has everything from permafrost to temperate rainforest to desert, despite a predominantly maritime climate for much of the continent. If you pitch the Menagerie Coast as Mediterranean rather than Tropical it kind of works out (thinking Azores).
I live in an island that's 9 by 5 miles. We have urban centres, farmland, sand dunes, woodland, cliffs, long sandy beaches, marshes and wetlands and a weird almost lunar seashore area. Size isn't everything. ;-)
Also if the Myriad operates like the Mafia in Europe, yes, the different cartels totally work in coordination, but the established 'underground' is a standard fantasy trope anyway. Otherwise what's the bloody point in knowing Theives' Cant?
I just ordered mine from Amazon
The immovable object spell is probably the most powerful spell in the game, I tried to use it in a game once and the table laughed at how overpowered it is.
It doesn't say you can't use it on objects that are worn or carried. And upcasting it can instantly defeat any creature that wears anything and you don't even have to concentrate
I mean hey, star war sthe clone wars came back, why couldn't gravity falls? (eventhough the clone wars didn't have an actiuall ending to it)
Does a digital version of this book exist?
Yes. Check out Dndbeyond.com
Sahuagin = Sah-Who-Wah-Gin (i.e. not Jin).
Great review!
The d&d books after Avernus are taking a dip in quality... I can't get excited by Rime, strixhaven or the Fey book. I might pick this oldy up unstead.
I had no idea that Critical Role was in DragonLance.
It isn’t.
@@WASD20 heard you say Kryn and got confused. Lol
I’m surprised you were not critical of the map and all the river bifurcation going on. It annoys me and from comments you have made on other maps I thought it was a bugbear of yours too..
Fair point. Kinda wish I had brought it up. There are a few funky spots on map that had me scratching my head. But then again the review was already 25 minutes. 😂
i will never understand how people can be so horny to complain about rivers in a fantasy-world doing a thing that rivers do moderately regularly in real life. Like, just look at a map of scandinavia and you'll find a ton. My own small home-town alone has 2 bifurcations along the river going through it and looking at the map there's quite a few more in the surrounding area. I'd love to be enlightened as to why this is such a common complaint but so far every explanation i've seen is "it basically never happens" and yet it does. Quite a bit.
@@LordZeebee I wonder the same thing. I've actually seen people complain about rivers having tributaries as if they've never looked at a map of the real world.
@@toshomni9478 Not tributaries, but illogical splits. Geography is often important in telling a story.
To give a specific example of rivers and topography from Wildemount, there is a river system that seems to flow out of the Zemni Fields and Velvin Thicket INTO the Cyrios Mountains. This seems odd at first glance. While there's no indication from the map or the text, we have to assume that there's a very dramatic ravine through the mountains; otherwise, the water would not flow south. In fact, there are rivers just to the east that flow north.
As the mountains soar into the sky, the river plunges downward to the coast. Such a feature seems to me worth describing or mentioning in the text, but neither happens. Regardless, in my version of Wildemount, there's a cleft through the mountains and a fast-moving river.
In the Marrow Valley, we see water flowing northward toward the coast. The direction of these rivers tells us about the elevation of the terrain. It can inform travel descriptions and more. It helps us make sense of the world.
My silent nitpick is often climate. Creators tend to make a region feature whichever climate they want, regardless of the neighboring climate X miles west on the same latitude. When I see this, it is like a bur in the back of my mind, irritating me. 😆 "Magic" is often the only workable explanation.
Stuff like this tends to not bother people who don't know enough to notice it. (Not an insult; just an observation. I'd not catch inconsistencies of many other types.) Once you see it, though, it's hard to unsee, because it defies a lifetime of empirical experience and expectations.
Explores guide to wildemount or Eberron rising from the last war
don't do it, don't give me hope
I hate the videos where the people don't show nothing and just talk into the camera
I love the book my favorite parts though are the gazetteer, backstory, maps and god sections. Which was surprising cause I am not a fan of the show.
Graviturgy OP
More lore books
Sound is too low.
Hmm. Sounds pretty good to me on multiple devices. Is it really much quieter than other UA-cam videos?
Maybe I'm weird but I never understand why this book and the Eberron book art seems to bother him. To me it is more about the mechanics, monsters and fluff. Art is the last thing i ever think if or judge and his bringing it up as a nitpick always confuses me.
Art is a very big part of an RPG book for me.
Full disclosure - I’m basically like a first grader. Sometimes I open up an RPG book just to look at the pretty pictures. 😂
@@WASD20 I weirdly love the variety of styles between the different art pieces. I think it adds flavour and gives you a lot of different stuff gawk at. I like the abstract and stylized and tend to not like things that just have a cookie-cutter and constantly realistic appearance. It's nice, but It's cool when things can be unique.
Also, the Eberron art is gorgeous and I will die on that hill.
Theres an extremely high pitched noise in your video that makes it hard to watch dude!
Wil-de-mount
That’s not how the book says it’s pronounced, but you do you.
My brother got it and he loves it, however, he is extremely new to D&D. Me on the other hand i’m disappointed in it. I got the book because mom got him the book and so she didn’t want us to argue over it so she bought me my own. I skimmed through the book and the only interesting thing is the bestiary section. I’m also the kind of guy that doesn’t like any subclass of ranger, sorry. If any of you like it and bought it or want to start your own D&D collection stash, then by all means go for it. Do what makes you happy. I’m just a little bit crest fallen of what the book holds.
Argh. My man, it's "BEST-ee-ary", not "beast-ee-ary". 😖 A very common mispronunciation. A (thankfully) less common but closely related mispronounciation is bestiality. Yuck. 😄
I've newly discovered the channel and I've enjoyed the first few videos I've watched. I'm subscribing to enjoy future content. Great work!
Yeah, we Americans often pronounce things wrong. Some day I'm sure the dictionaries will catch up and reflect our very common mispronunciation. Typical Americans expect the world to bend to their will, after all, especially when their objectively wrong. To the world - I am sorry on behalf of my people. XD
Do you teach kids how to play dnd
I do.
Here is my review of a book
Did you read it?
No, but I like the pictures.
A 25 minute video of your left hand.
Missed the book, did you?
$50 lol
Worth it
That’s literally the price of every other DND book.
@@kungfu31 I don't have to like it. 🤷
I have not seen Critical Role, though I'm looking forward to eventually.
Having gone through this book, I personally am not a fan.
If you're enjoying it then that's great, I certainly don't mean to imply anyone should not!
These are my thoughts on it.
The good: I enjoy some of the additional races, classes, and backgrounds. I am playing a Chronury wizard and I like it.
The bad:
-Fanart clashes with the professional art and just looks like the kind of art you see in a Dollar Store. I can look at fanart online anytime. I would rather have professional artwork when purchasing a book from Wizards of the Coast. This art has a cheap and tacky appearance in my opinion.
-Too many made-up words. Fantasy is fun, but there is a point when there are too many high fantasy names for EVERYTHING with every vowel thrown in for good measure and repeated, requiring you to be a professional linguist to pronounce it.
-If you're into lore then you'll probably enjoy this, but to be honest, it all put me to sleep. Admittedly, I'm probably not the target audience. Someone who wants intimate knowledge of the setting to create an original campaign there might find this useful, but for me, it was a lot of words, generic fantasy theme XYZ, and little substance.
-I have only looked at the Frozen Sick module, but I was not impressed. Compared with other modules, it looks very thrown together. It's incredibly generic with very little to go on as a DM in my opinion. It feels like a fan-made module more than a professionally published D&D module.
-Just looking at the strange, cartoony-anime style cover art makes you feel like it's not a D&D book.
Overall, 80% of the book feels more like fanart and fanfiction of Dungeons and Dragons - a watered-down version of the real thing. I don't understand why so many people give it glowing reviews, to me, it seems subpar next to other books.
First
I Love Critical Role but the only parts I used were the two dragonborn races. Everything is else is kinda meh.
Kevin Shields really? I find it to be one of the better settings books for DnD 5e.
2nd
Matt is amazing but watching the actors trying to be players is what killed it for me. I hope to be able to get some ideas from this book. Best of luck to his sales!
what do you mean by trying to be players? They've been playing this game upwards of 5 years now, I'd say they'd be classified as "players" Hell, anyone who decides to play agame and roll dice should be considered a valid player. This is such a weird gatekeeping thing to say.
@@loki210 Ikr? They're such good players that they foil him at every turn now (Laura Bailey with the cupcake, Sam Riegel with the paralysis poison on Essyk, Fjord with the clutch whip pulling the Adult Remorhaz) with amazing and ridiculous plans that are certainly better than other "players"
LemurBro even longer! Because they’ve been playing together off-camera in pathfinder for a while. So yea @Cooper B is telling a lot of bullshit.
@@loki210 Typical gate-keeping elitist bullshit
@@loki210 Obviously actors are not real people. This is also why they should not be allowed to voice their political opinions.
This is a goofy question but how do you get the Wildemount map out of the book? I tried and accidentally teared it a little.
Very carefully. I think I’ve gotten three books now that have these maps, and at least one of them has a very slight tear.