D&D (2024) D&D 2024 Core Rulebooks: 'We'll Still Be Working On Them In May'

Yaarel · Feb 2, 2024

I am happy there still working on the Players Handbook in May.

It suggests it is more than a cut-and-pase of earlier work. They are still finetuning content, and thinking carefully about which content goes in which book.

I suspect they can ship to print a PH today if they had to. I am glad they are gioing for quality.

Thaumaturge · Feb 2, 2024

MockingBird said:
Descent to Avernus was a tie in with BG3

I get that what you’re saying is technically true but releasing an adventure almost four years before the video game isn’t exactly a brilliant marketing ploy.

Thaumaturge.

Whizbang Dustyboots · Feb 2, 2024

Zaukrie said:
Pretty disappointing, from a marketing perspective. This is the 50th bday of the game.....and they are doing a rules update, and we won't see it until the second half of the year. Makes selling a lot of stuff for the 50th kind of hard. Sure, we'll get a nostalgia making of, but whatever.

Having something out for the start of summer vacation, at least, would have been great.

If they could update the Starter Set rulebook to the extent that it's needed (i.e. probably not much), they could probably tap some freelancers to create a new 50th anniversary Starter Set box, with some nostalgic hook (Return to the Keep on the Borderlands -- AGAIN!). But they probably would have already announced that if something like that were in the offing.

Whizbang Dustyboots · Feb 2, 2024

MockingBird said:
Descent to Avernus was a tie in with BG3

That isn't what a "tie-in" means.

Descent to Avernus doesn't have anything in it that explicitly drives people to go buy Baldur's Gate, like a house ad, a coupon or even a shiny sticker on the front.

Or vice-versa, for that matter. The events of Descent to Avernus are mentioned in BG3 -- refugees from Elturel are important to the story -- but there's no loading screen in the game that says anything like "for more on the story of Elturel falling into Hell, pick up Descent to Avernus from the Wizards website -- click here to order."

Even if, for some reason, WotC was incapable of delaying the release of Descent to Avernus until closer to the release of BG3, slapping a shiny gold sticker on the front, advertising the game, would have been possible.

For whatever reason, WotC does not seem interested in doing tie-ins with BG3 or DADHAT. (They certainly push Idle Heroes of the Forgotten Realms, though, which feels like a very weird horse to back.)

Zaukrie · Feb 2, 2024

The more I think about it, the more baffled I am we aren't getting marketing and nostalgia and content every 2 weeks or so this year. It really is awful marketing.

DoctorPip · Feb 2, 2024

zedturtle said:
Would it be?

We would care, but Aunt May buying "that game that Peter likes" won't care.

That said, I won't be shocked if the 2024 releases fall flat, or become the 2024 releases only on a technicality.

I don't think unknowing parents and grandparents are the ones driving D&D book sales. Especially when the primary audience is not kids.

Whizbang Dustyboots · Feb 2, 2024

zedturtle said:
We would care, but Aunt May buying "that game that Peter likes" won't care.

I think the way to bet is that Aunt May will be in the hospital when the new books come out. (She's always in the hospital. Is it possible she's there trying to score narcotics?)

Mirrorrorrim · Feb 2, 2024

Jer said:
I actually wouldn't be surprised if the DMG doesn't come out until 2025. I fully expect it to be the last book to come out again because it's the book you only barely need to play the game. I do think they'll get the MM out before the end of the year.

The Monster Manual of all the books probably needs the least amount of work - revise the monster stats to the new format, get some new art, maybe include a few new monsters in it (but you can't do too much - because you don't want to cut any of the core monsters). It doesn't sound like they're making major changes to the back end of the system, so the PHB seems to be the book that needs the most mechanical work while the MM is more of a tweaking.

I think the DMG will come out second, because it will include player-usable rewards like magic items and advisory rules like Encounter Building, to actually run the game.

The Monster Manual is the one that is the least player-facing, and is therefore the least required for the table as a whole. I think it is the one that will come out Q1 2025.

Mirrorrorrim · Feb 2, 2024

Whizbang Dustyboots said:
For whatever reason, WotC does not seem interested in doing tie-ins with BG3 or DADHAT. (They certainly push Idle Heroes of the Forgotten Realms, though, which feels like a very weird horse to back.)

Tie-ins are more important for games with micro-transactions (like Idle Heroes of the Forgotten Realms and MMOs like Neverwinter).

UngainlyTitan · Feb 2, 2024

Mirrorrorrim said:
I think the DMG will come out second, because it will include player-usable rewards like magic items and advisory rules like Encounter Building, to actually run the game.

The Monster Manual is the one that is the least player-facing, and is therefore the least required for the table as a whole. I think it is the one that will come out Q1 2025.

I am inclined to agree. We can use the existing monsters if we get good encounter building guidelines and a good breakdown of how to evaluate past monsters to get the encounter we actually want.

D&D (2024) D&D 2024 Core Rulebooks: 'We'll Still Be Working On Them In May'

Yaarel

He Mage

Thaumaturge

Wandering. Not lost. (He/they)

Whizbang Dustyboots

Gnometown Hero

Whizbang Dustyboots

Gnometown Hero

Zaukrie

New Publisher

DoctorPip

Explorer

Whizbang Dustyboots

Gnometown Hero

Mirrorrorrim

Hero

Mirrorrorrim

Hero

UngainlyTitan

Legend

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