Calum Petrie reviews The Chronicles of Exandria: The Mighty Nein Part 2…
When it comes to treating yourself (or a loved one) to a premium item that is a little more on the pricier side of things, you really want to know you are getting good value for money. There is also an element of wanting to make sure you are getting something that resonates with interests and making sure you have the right item.
Dungeons & Dragons has come on a long way in just the past few years, where its popularity has shot to an all time high and more people now more than ever. There is no denying that a name that has helped skyrocket that game into whole new levels is – no not Stranger Things – but rather Critical Role.
Critical Role is a live play Dungeons and Dragons game played by professional voice actors and run by the extremely talented Matthew Mercer. The home game that spun into a Twitch stream, that became a podcast, that became a comic book series and an Amazon Prime TV Series. No denying Critical Role has become an entity of its own, and with that comes an absolutely massive fan base.
I am writing this today as I received a copy of a book called The Chronicles of Exandria: The Mighty Nein – Part 2 which is an outstanding artbook and glimpses fans interpretations into the magical world of Critical Role Season 2.
I was sent a copy of the Hardback edition which does come in at a staggering £84.99 ($149.99 US or $199.49 CAN), and this collection just emanates quality and high attention to detail. When opening up the gorgeous hardback volume, the inside cover is a wonderful grey and black map depicting the Dwendalian Empire in Wildemount.
The book plays out like a chronicling of the adventuring party, The Mighty Nein, through the eyes of their historian Iva Deshin. It’s a charming way for you to slip into the world and start to take an adventure through the stories and art work contained in this book, seeing through the eyes of a native in this fantasy land.
I could type out page after page of how wonderful this collection is to flick through, but as art is both objective and subjective, I would not want to force my views on the art contained inside as that is a journey best taken on your own. Boil the kettle, get cosy and settle down with a fantasy playlist in the background and open yourself up to an immersive world of fantasy and complex storytelling.
This edition does not just contain a gorgeously embossed hardback volume (yes, it is embossed did I fail to mention that before), it contained a thick and sturdy hardback case which also houses a gorgeous dungeon masters screen, which contains a beautiful drawing of the Mighty Nein party aboard a ship.
We also have a huge envelope that contains a complex and intricate engraved commemorative coin of the Bright Queen of the Kryn Dynasty within Xhorhas. A lovely selection of postcards from memorable locations from Wildemount, a map of the Xhorhaus where the party called their headquarters, and a series of posters from key locations and events from the show.
The hardback edition is very much that premium item I was mentioning before, if you have someone who is a critical role fan, this is definitely something that I imagine any fan would love. It’s a talking point; it is great for setting moods and enhancing the imagery weaved into your mind when watching or listening to Critical Role. Some people might feel the need to go and listen or watch specific episodes where the art matches events.
Critical Role has become more than just allowing outsiders in to watch a group of voice actors play a Table Top Role-Playing Game, it spawned a following and definitely promotes creativity. If more of these volumes are the outcome from these types of shows, then I am all for them.
Calum Petrie – You can follow me on X @Cetrie
