This thread is sad so I shall derail it:
Wizards of the Coast to reprint Third Edition???
According to the Barnes and Noble website:
BARNES & NOBLE | Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook: Core Rulebook I, V. 3.5 with Errata by Wizards RPG Team, Wizards of the Coast | Hardcover
Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook: Core Rulebook I, V. 3.5 with Errata
ISBN-13: 9780786962464
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Publication date: 9/18/2012
Pages: 320
This item will be available on September 18, 2012.
BARNES & NOBLE | Dungeons & Dragons Dungeons Master's Guide: Core Rulebook II, V. 3.5 with Errata by Wizards RPG Team, Wizards of the Coast | Hardcover
Dungeons & Dragons Dungeons Master's Guide: Core Rulebook II, V. 3.5 with Errata
ISBN-13: 9780786962440
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Publication date: 9/18/2012
Pages: 320
This item will be available on September 18, 2012.
Speculate on this! Or is this actually the release date of fifth edition? (September 18, 2012)
Good Gaming!
The descriptions plainly say that these are updates of the 3.5 rules. I think WotC will pepper their schedule with such products during the lull between the announcement of 5E and its actual release. But that is only one month after the 1E books -- shouldn't they be spreading things out a bit more? Maybe we should look for other reprints (D&D Rules Cyclopedia, anyone?).
If 5E really were to be released this September, that is exactly the sort of decision that I would expect a principled game designer to resign over -- but I would be shocked if they did that, since it would mean that the public play tests are coming too late to have any effect on the final product. I am actually hoping that whatever issue Monte Cook left over is small enough that it does not become immediately apparent to us outsiders -- that is what would be a disaster for WotC.