Artificer UA to be released in February

I don't think there is a bunker strong enough to endure the fanbase exploding over this.

 

[Jester David]

Within a year: they have been kicking the can for half a year already. I'd expect to see the product this year...if the playtest is a success. If not, they might be forced back to the drawing board.

I certainly hope they don’t rush things along to publication just because it took more time to make the mechanics work...

 

[Parmandur]

I certainly hope they don’t rush things along to publication just because it took more time to make the mechanics work...

Publishing in November would hardly be rushing. Stewart said there would be at least three main D&D books this year, and maybe four. The fourth maybe wouldn't be rushed if it made in this year.

 

[ClaytonCross]

I came to find people as anxious and impatient for the revised artificer release as me... I am not disappointed. lol

 

[Jester David]

Publishing in November would hardly be rushing. Stewart said there would be at least three main D&D books this year, and maybe four. The fourth maybe wouldn't be rushed if it made in this year.

It kinda would.
They work far ahead. I guarantee they’re already working on the book for April 2020. They need to have the content for the November book locked down in a couple months so they can begin final editing and layout, to say nothing of art.
It’d be super risky to bank on having a class ready for a November. After all, they thought the previous two versions would work as well. Why gamble that it’s ready to release when they’ve already delayed it so many times. Heck, they talking about getting it out in UA for last July!

Plus, while four books worked well last year, they didn’t know that until after November. And I imagine they would want to space them out so they’re not releasing three books out in four months. Which was clearly a problem, as Mad Mage was delayed and the spring book slipped from the ussual early April to late May.
But they also didn’t know four books would work until after November, too late to make firm decisions for this year. I expect we’ll still see three books this year and maybe four in 2020.

 

[Parmandur]

It kinda would.
They work far ahead. I guarantee they’re already working on the book for April 2020. They need to have the content for the November book locked down in a couple months so they can begin final editing and layout, to say nothing of art.
It’d be super risky to bank on having a class ready for a November. After all, they thought the previous two versions would work as well. Why gamble that it’s ready to release when they’ve already delayed it so many times. Heck, they talking about getting it out in UA for last July!

Plus, while four books worked well last year, they didn’t know that until after November. And I imagine they would want to space them out so they’re not releasing three books out in four months. Which was clearly a problem, as Mad Mage was delayed and the spring book slipped from the ussual early April to late May.
But they also didn’t know four books would work until after November, too late to make firm decisions for this year. I expect we’ll still see three books this year and maybe four in 2020.

They were taking UA input for Ravnica into September.

 

[Jester David]

They were taking UA input for Ravnica into September.

Yes. For races. Which are pretty simple, and *had* to be included. They stopped taking subclass feedback in May, with the Order Domain. That book also had the advantage of the art already being done, since they were pulling from MtG cards. The artificer is much, much more complicated than a subclass and should have four or five subclasses of its own that also need to be tested and balanced. You can't test a class AND all its subclasses in the same length of time it takes to test a single subclass.

 

[Parmandur]

Yes. For races. Which are pretty simple, and *had* to be included. They stopped taking subclass feedback in May, with the Order Domain. That book also had the advantage of the art already being done, since they were pulling from MtG cards. The artificer is much, much more complicated than a subclass and should have four or five subclasses of its own that also need to be tested and balanced. You can't test a class AND all its subclasses in the same length of time it takes to test a single subclass.

Could be done in, say, a year and a half, though.

 

[Remathilis]

Looks like we're not getting the artifcer this month. See you all in March. Or April. Or May...

 

[Parmandur]

Looks like we're not getting the artifcer this month. See you all in March. Or April. Or May...

Have they stated that? It's only 2 PM here in the Pacific timezone, and they have posted UA as late as 8 PM Pacific.

 

[Iry]

https://media.wizards.com/2018/dnd/downloads/UA-Artificer-2019.pdf