So has anybody bought this book yet, and if so what do you think? I’ve been burnt too many times by the last few publications that I’m hesitant to get anymore without checking for feedback first. 

I've only had time to skim it so far, but I like what I've seen. There are pronunciation guides! There's a little bit of source material for if your players want to have their characters come from these new cultures. Nothing mechanical there, just character ideas. The "gazetteer" sections aren't super detailed, they're not like, maps of specific locations. But the one I looked at had a lot of fun ideas and a random adventure hook table. I'm seeing some of that wonderfully economical "distilled adventure juice" that I first saw in Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica, where you can get a whole story seed in one line of text.

This feels like classic fantasy to me. You come across a place where people live a certain way, centered on some particular theme or idea, and you navigate the culture shock as you deal with some danger, and then you leave.

However, I'm also seeing one adventure use the chase rules from the DMG, and those rules are garbage, so idk.

I've given it a skim through (got my physical copy early) and I'm very excited to either run the adventures, or have them run for me if I'm 

Quote from ChoirOfFire >>

I've only had time to skim it so far, but I like what I've seen. There are pronunciation guides! There's a little bit of source material for if your players want to have their characters come from these new cultures. Nothing mechanical there, just character ideas. The "gazetteer" sections aren't super detailed, they're not like, maps of specific locations. But the one I looked at had a lot of fun ideas and a random adventure hook table. I'm seeing some of that wonderfully economical "distilled adventure juice" that I first saw in Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica, where you can get a whole story seed in one line of text.

This feels like classic fantasy to me. You come across a place where people live a certain way, centered on some particular theme or idea, and you navigate the culture shock as you deal with some danger, and then you leave.

However, I'm also seeing one adventure use the chase rules from the DMG, and those rules are garbage, so idk.

 I haven’t actually been able to run (or be run through) any adventures in Ravnica but I do really like the tailored adventure tables in that book. If there being used in the new book then that sounds enticing to me. 

I like it. Each of the adventures is set in a different city / civilization with notes on where you can place it in various settings (Forgotten Realms + one other that changes based on the adventure, like Eberron, Mystara, Greyhawk, etc).

I wish there was more than just the first chapter on the Citadel itself, with an adventure or at least story hooks for things exclusively there.

The adventures themselves are well written and provide good guidance for the DM on how to run it and how various NPCs will react.

Many of the adventures offer several different factions the characters can end up working for.

My biggest complaint are the maps. They are Dragon Heist quality (bad).

I really like that they use Personality, Ideal, Bond, and Flaws for the key NPC's instead of Alignment. It's very helpful in painting a picture of how to roleplay them.

Quote from Ophidimancer >>

I really like that they use Personality, Ideal, Bond, and Flaws for the key NPC's instead of Alignment. It's very helpful in painting a picture of how to roleplay them.

 Oh that sounds nice. 

I am pumped! I run a homebrew game, which makes it really easy to use these as side quests to the main story of my campaign.

Have purchased and I guess if you liked Strixhaven, you might like this. I am not a fan....

I like it so far. I found one adventure I'm dying to run. The art is nice and I like that the adventures aren't in standard generic medieval places. It's well written - which has been a problem of late with other adventure books I've read. Combat encounters seem balanced on the whole with options for the party to resolve without fighting. I like a lot of the non-combat encounters. Overall I think Wizards did a good job with this one. 

Reading through, at least a couple of the adventures have written in in their social encounters things like -- getting this person to talk involves appropriate role play or a DC X persuasion check.

I like that they specify either method can work, so if your more of an rp group, or more of a dice throwing group, it works with both options. And yes, I know that was always possible without it being written down, but it's nice to see official rules support, and is probably going to be useful for new DMs.

Quote from Xalthu >>

Reading through, at least a couple of the adventures have written in in their social encounters things like -- getting this person to talk involves appropriate role play or a DC X persuasion check.

I like that they specify either method can work, so if your more of an rp group, or more of a dice throwing group, it works with both options. And yes, I know that was always possible without it being written down, but it's nice to see official rules support, and is probably going to be useful for new DMs.

 They gave that a shot in Witchlight, I believe. Guess it worked out. We will probably see it going forward.

I believe theres also another semi-offical add on the released on dms guild.

Like Minsc & Boo's, it adds lore to locations. So it appears that might be a plan going forward, to save all the heavy lore for the suppliment. its a little double-dippy, but what can you do?

Quote from ChoirOfFire >>

This feels like classic fantasy to me. You come across a place where people live a certain way, centered on some particular theme or idea, and you navigate the culture shock as you deal with some danger, and then you leave.

 So, is it like Stargate SG-1, but D&D?

Quote from Houligan >>

My biggest complaint are the maps. They are Dragon Heist quality (bad).

 I've got DH:WD, but haven't looked at the maps since.my wife.will.be running it. What's actually bad about them?

Quote from Linklite >>

Quote from ChoirOfFire >>

This feels like classic fantasy to me. You come across a place where people live a certain way, centered on some particular theme or idea, and you navigate the culture shock as you deal with some danger, and then you leave.

 So, is it like Stargate SG-1, but D&D?

 

Quote from Houligan >>

My biggest complaint are the maps. They are Dragon Heist quality (bad).

 I've got DH:WD, but haven't looked at the maps since.my wife.will.be running it. What's actually bad about them?

Sort of Stargate-ish, but massive difference is that it's not encountering new civilizations. They are the civilizations that gathered together to create the city of the Radiant Citadel. However, it definitely has that element of transporting between a very specific set of worlds which gives it a strong focus as opposed to something like Sigil's massive open-endedness of being able to go pretty much anywhere. I think it gives a very different feel and potential for adventure.

Also, if you play these adventures with characters as outsiders rather than from Radiant Citadel, they could be used in that very Stargate-ish "visit a different culture" vibe. I'd be wary of that, however, since it is sliding into the "European-based fantasy is normal but non-European is exotic and strange" trope which, obviously, has some issues, and this book is very deliberately pushing back against that hard. But I can still see maybe having characters who spent their entire lives in the Radiant Citadel still get some culture-shock visiting all of the originating societies. But it'd still be a stretch since there's a constant stream of immigration and trade with all of these societies. So they wouldn't really be all that new to people.

And the maps, here and in Dragon Heist, are high quality and great. I'm willing to bet they just don't like the style. ;)

Thanks!

What's the level distribution like? Is it one level:one quest, or do different quests cover different amounts of levels?

Quote from Linklite >>

Thanks!

What's the level distribution like? Is it one level:one quest, or do different quests cover different amounts of levels?

It's 13 adventures that go from level 1 to 14, though they are not consecutive and can be dropped in wherever your PC's are.

The first adventure is for PC's level 1-2 and then each adventure after that is aimed at one level each, 3-14.

I like some of the content. However, I feel like this Wizards trying to show how progressive they are. The marketing confirms this. I think like the Swahili inspired content is really cool and some of the other content was a bit eye rolly (There is American South and Mexico in the 19th century as two of the settings. ) Why I think this is pandering is because those are really insubstantial takes on those cultures. In earlier editions, you'd have an entire book for each of these places and really give us things like new monsters and rules and flesh out these settings.

Here it's like "here's a short adventure. Here's how these names are pronounced. Okay, Byyyyyyye." It comes off more as lipservice than any genuine appreciation of the  cultures involved. The book details like 13 cultures at none of them are given enough space to breathe-- sort of par for the course these days.

Lastly, and most damning, is that this book has little to do with the Ethereal Plane or an explanation of that place outside of the Radiant Citadel or any of the content to justify marketing as a book about the ethereal plane. It's not a bad book, per se, but I think the marketing is very dishonest and they tried to cram too many chapters in (which is normal for Wizards content as of late.)

So, I guess that's my review in one line: more of the same from post-Van Richten's content from Wizards.

Personally, I really like the book.  Far from pandering (unless one does not know what the word means), the book is a love-letter to various cultures written by individuals in that specific culture, and the author's love for their own experiences shine through in what they create.  Is each section a bit short?  Yes--but you can feel the genuine passion the authors felt for creating something that meant something for them specifically.  

Now, if that is not your cup of tea (and if it is not, one should not dismiss it out-of-hand just because they do not see the meaning therein), it still is a pretty solid book to get if you are homebrew DMing as it is great for a "I do not have time to prep this city/location the party is going to in my campaign).  Like Candlekeep Mysteries, these adventures can work as a single campaign, but they really are not designed to be utilized in such a way.  They are designed to introduce smaller settings that can easily be transplanted into an existing campaign--a city with a unique culture, some tasks you can do in that city, etc.  The book and its marketing was pretty clear on that front, and it executes decently enough--in some regards it is better than Candlekeep, since Candlekeep's adventures are all themed around books and such, so they feel a bit disjointed than "you walk into a city and, like in the real world, that city has its own different culture."  If you liked Candlekeep and the ability to translate any of its missions into whatever campaign you were running, Radiant Citadel provides the same utility and would be a worthwhile purchase. 

Quote from Verenti>>

I like some of the content. However, I feel like this Wizards trying to show how progressive they are. The marketing confirms this.

More than showing. They are showing, telling, and paying the goddang bills! Part of the work of diversity and inclusion is that people have to start making tangible change and not just lip service and employing historically disenfranchised people to do creative work is literally giving people a voice and a chance for genuine representation and puts money in pockets that allow more of the same. This is not just showing, this is being, and it's a good thing.