D&D (2024) The 2024 Core D&D Rulebooks Are Coming In May

21st May 2024 is the official release date!

Update--WotC has taken down the promo image and replaced it with one without a release date. See more here.

 

[Maxperson]

No, splitting tjw PHB in any fashion qould go over like a lead balloon.

Even if you kept the price of both the same as only one, you'd still have people complain that they need to look in two different books to make characters. Now it wouldn't be nearly as bad as if they charged more, but it would be a significant increase in complaints.

 

[Kurotowa]

I playtested it, but I decided that I didn't really like the very things that drew me to it in the first place. For example: The three action economy (Everything is an action (or two!), and you get three of them) sounds great on paper, but I found it problematic in practice. My players always wanted to do two or four actions on their turns, and we had to wait for the two-guy to figure out a third, and I had to be the "heavy" and disallow the fourth action. ALL. THE. TIME.

It strikes me that Pathfinder really has gone all-in on the "high system engagement" model. If your whole play group is into that, it's incredibly rewarding and they love it. If they aren't that devoted to cultivating system mastery, it's frustrating and off putting.

That's why PF has a devoted fanbase, but a small one that won't ever see 5e's explosive growth. It's just an inherently smaller percentage of players that really enjoy high system engagement gameplay.

 

[Parmandur]

Even if you kept the price of both the same as only one, you'd still have people complain that they need to look in two different books to make characters. Now it wouldn't be nearly as bad as if they charged more, but it would be a significant increase in complaints.

And realistically, it would be 2 $60 books instead on 1.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

It strikes me that Pathfinder really has gone all-in on the "high system engagement" model. If your whole play group is into that, it's incredibly rewarding and they love it. If they aren't that devoted to cultivating system mastery, it's frustrating and off putting.

That's why PF has a devoted fanbase, but a small one that won't ever see 5e's explosive growth. It's just an inherently smaller percentage of players that really enjoy high system engagement gameplay.

That makes good sense. I've often felt (and been told by PF2 fans) that IF you have a group that would just behave the way the game wants them to, then it would be a good system. I just don't play with people like that. I've never had a group where everyone was like that, and I'm not sure that I'd ever expect to. You nailed why that is.

There's definitely nothing wrong with a group that can pull it off! I'm sure they'd have a good time with it.

 

[mamba]

Last I checked, the OGL is still in place and there is less incentive for WotC to muck with it because of the CC

sure, but at the time they started this, the outcome was still unknown, and when your business depends on the OGL sticking around if you do nothing, doing nothing was not a smart move in Dec 2022 / Jan 2023

1. It invested a lot of resources into ORC and it would look bad if they didn't use it.
2. They have positioned themselves as the anti-WotC and this is viewed as another Up Yours to WotC by its fans.
3. They don't want to get sucked into any more WotC drama with the OGL and they feel they are popular enough to stand on their own without being "D&D with the serial numbers filed off" anymore.

I mostly see 3 here, but would phrase it differently… they do not want to risk their business on the OGL sticking around, now that 5e moved to CC and most people who made a fuzz about the OGL changes before that probably do not care much any more.

I agree that the risk of WotC messing with the OGL again is reduced, but when someone points a gun at me, I won’t feel comfortable when they keep doing so, even if they have not pulled the trigger yet in the time they have done so until now - and esp not when they did pull the trigger once but the gun jammed, and they are now fiddling with it…

 

[Horwath]

Even if you kept the price of both the same as only one, you'd still have people complain that they need to look in two different books to make characters. Now it wouldn't be nearly as bad as if they charged more, but it would be a significant increase in complaints.

yeah, people will complain without knowing what they are complaining about.

Most time you look into PHB for spells or some combat rules.
Now two people can look at the same time as it is in two separate books.

 

[Horwath]

And realistically, it would be 2 $60 books instead on 1.

depending on page count, it could be worth it.

 

[Parmandur]

depending on page count, it could be worth it.

To WotC, erecting barriers to entry and annoying players is not worth it. Foe customers, splitting the base game is not worth it.

 

[Horwath]

To WotC, erecting barriers to entry and annoying players is not worth it. Foe customers, splitting the base game is not worth it.

for customers, it's worth it, if the price is right.

I would rather have 3 smaller books instead of one huge one.
PHB: races, classes and feats, skills, combat and exploration rules.
PHB: equipment; mundane and magical, down time, strongholds.
PHB: spellcasting and spells.

that way, books will last longer as every book will get only 1/3rd of abuse.

now, if the page count stays the same or similar, it will not be worth it.
But, they are claiming it will be the largest PHB ever.

and really, extra production cost is only 2 sets of hard covers.
and little extra mass for shipping.

 

[Parmandur]

for customers, it's worth it, if the price is right.

I would rather have 3 smaller books instead of one huge one.
PHB: races, classes and feats, skills, combat and exploration rules.
PHB: equipment; mundane and magical, down time, strongholds.
PHB: spellcasting and spells.

that way, books will last longer as every book will get only 1/3rd of abuse.

now, if the page count stays the same or similar, it will not be worth it.
But, they are claiming it will be the largest PHB ever.

and really, extra production cost is only 2 sets of hard covers.
and little extra mass for shipping.

The price would be three times $60, so $180 instead of $60.

It's not happening.