The Actual Table of Contents for Xanathar's Guide to Everything

WayOfTheFourElements · Oct 21, 2017

Remathilis said:
The sense of entitlement is strong with this thread...

Exactly. If you don't like it; don't buy it. If the price tag isn't worth it; don't buy it. Simple enough.

Dualazi · Oct 21, 2017

pukunui said:
Those are apparently there for the AL folks, with their PHB +1 limits.

Doesn’t really change the fact that it means the book holds less content/value for people that already have those options available in non AL games. I find this especially irritating because their measured release schedule really doesn’t need to be weighed down with filler and reprints.

Remathilis said:
The sense of entitlement is strong with this thread...

No it isn’t, the complaints raised are entirely valid. The first major character options package released for 5e and we already see it has 11 pages of totally meaningless filler, coupled with several reprints of existing options. It’s not ‘entitlement’ to criticize the shortcomings of a product or developer, and 11 pages of names is pretty indefensible.

As an aside, I’m getting really tired of seeing people try and dismiss complaints as entitlement, essentially implying that you should just be happy with whatever and never push back against poor quality. No one is asking for the book for free, but pointing out that a lot of redundant or useless content might make it a harder sell at the usual 50$ price is a valid issue for potential consumers to be made aware of.

For my part, I’ll be waiting for a significant discount to crop up before I purchase this, I think. The massive number of reprints (classes, races, spells) and the jaw-dropping 17 pages total of names makes me really annoyed. Realistically I’d ballpark probably 30 odd pages of content that doesn’t need to be present, and that’s a ton of real estate. They could have put in the revised ranger and artificer easily within that space, if not more, and given how long releases take in 5e it seems doubly egregious to be hit with so much filler.

WayOfTheFourElements · Oct 21, 2017

Dualazi said:
No it isn’t, the complaints raised are entirely valid. The first major character options package released for 5e and we already see it has 11 pages of totally meaningless filler, coupled with several reprints of existing options. It’s not ‘entitlement’ to criticize the shortcomings of a product or developer, and 11 pages of names is pretty indefensible.

Vote with your pocketbook. It's the only thing Hasbro will listen to. Complaining on the internet does not solve problems in an effective manner. (See my purposeless, overblown tirades against wilderness rogues and thieves cant for details.)

TrippyHippy · Oct 21, 2017

I'm looking forward to it. I'm glad that some of the sub-classes from other sources (like Sword Coast) are in there.

Gladius Legis · Oct 21, 2017

17 pages of names. I guarantee that NOBODY will use that. What a waste of space.

Gladius Legis · Oct 21, 2017

dropbear8mybaby said:
Yeah, the last year or so of UA's, trawling through feedback, testing, revising, surveys, etc. they really should just give it to us for free. Hell, I think I should be paid to buy it!

Indeed, I *should* be paid to buy what amounts to Xanathar's Guide to Names.

techno · Oct 21, 2017

Disappointed by all the filler. Wish they included weapon feats instead. Those were cool. A bunch of names I can Google is not.

MechaPilot · Oct 21, 2017

WayOfTheFourElements said:
Vote with your pocketbook. It's the only thing Hasbro will listen to. Complaining on the internet does not solve problems in an effective manner. (See my purposeless, overblown tirades against wilderness rogues and thieves cant for details.)

Can't people both vote with their purse and textually express their displeasure on a forum? Aren't forums explicitly for airing one's opinions?

IchneumonWasp · Oct 21, 2017

I'm going to buy this book for the name tables alone. Yes, I am.

Prakriti · Oct 21, 2017

WayOfTheFourElements said:
Vote with your pocketbook. It's the only thing Hasbro will listen to. Complaining on the internet does not solve problems in an effective manner. (See my purposeless, overblown tirades against wilderness rogues and thieves cant for details.)

By that logic, no one should express an opinion either way -- criticism or excitement -- because Hasbro isn't reading what we write. We should all just silently "vote with our pocketbooks" and keep our opinions to ourselves. That wouldn't make for a very interesting forum, though, would it?

JackOfAllTirades said:
I feel bad for anyone who pays full price for this book. It'll be marked down at B&N. And if you have a members' card there, you get something like 15% (or is it 20%?) off hardcovers. That stacks with the 20% off coupons they e-mail me on a regular basis.

You are paying more for a $50 book even with discounts, because discounts are based on the MSRP. If you have a 35% discount, then a $50 book costs $32.50, while a $40 book costs $26. That's a significant difference.