Essentials replacing Hardbacks?

[Ravenshroud]

Damn I just ordered the ph1 + ph2 + ph3 from amazon. Should I have waited?

 

[jamorea]

I believe the Deluxe Editions had errata applied to them. The print date for the Deluxe Editions was October of 2008, the regular editions had a print date of June 2008. I can recall checking the first set of erratta to make sure it was applied to the Deluxe PDFs. I'm not sure about the Deluxe Edition of MM because the print date is still June 2008 like the original. If you bought the PDFs of the PHB, MM and DMG, you were able to download the Deluxe editions later which was really cool.

 

[MerricB]

Damn I just ordered the ph1 + ph2 + ph3 from amazon. Should I have waited?

No. You've just picked up *years* worth of interesting character options: races, classes, feats and suchlike.

The Essentials line doesn't replace the core rulebooks. It provides an alternative way of getting into the game, that is aimed towards helping newer players get into the game.

The word from Bill Slavicsek, back a few months ago, was that the Essentials line don't replace the existing PHB, DMG and MM. We're not 100% sure that the old books won't go out of print, but I consider it exceedingly unlikely: you have a lot of material in those books that won't be reprinted in the Essentials line. Hugely important things like the way the PHB classes work!

Is all of this going to be abandoned because of Essentials? It is extremely unlikely. Indeed, I really can't see that core 3 books every being out of print throughout 4e. That said, I do expect they'll get errata about the same time that Essentials are released for their next print run.

Cheers!

 

[MerricB]

I believe the Deluxe Editions had errata applied to them. The print date for the Deluxe Editions was October of 2008, the regular editions had a print date of June 2008. I can recall checking the first set of erratta to make sure it was applied to the Deluxe PDFs. I'm not sure about the Deluxe Edition of MM because the print date is still June 2008 like the original. If you bought the PDFs of the PHB, MM and DMG, you were able to download the Deluxe editions later which was really cool.

The Deluxe editions had errata applied to them. Further printings of the core books afterwards would have had the deluxe errata as well. Alas, we've had a lot of rules updates since then, and I don't think they've updated the book format yet.

Cheers!

 

[TerraDave]

Not to disagree with Meric (what is that pic?) but they are a replacement.

They have been pretty clear "this is how you get into D&D now"; the 2008 core are not needed and I can't imagine they will be printed again. How the various options will feed in, what will hapen with, say the barbarian or shaman, etc, we don't really know. My guess is we will get revised versions at some point.

Only book that may be hardback we know about is the "Mordenkainen's Magnificent Emporium" in April.

 

[MerricB]

Not to disagree with Meric (what is that pic?) but they are a replacement.

The picture is that of Sylvester McCoy, the seventh actor to play The Doctor (in Doctor Who). (He's also a rumoured contender to be playing Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit, if it gets off the ground, but I don't know how much you can trust that rumour).

In any case, regardless of whether the PHB1-3 get replaced or not, they provide a wealth of options for the foreseeable future. Perhaps in 2-3 years Wizards will rerelease all that material... but then again, perhaps not.

Besides, we'll have hit 5e by then, won't have we?

Cheers!

 

[Jhaelen]

How the various options will feed in, what will hapen with, say the barbarian or shaman, etc, we don't really know. My guess is we will get revised versions at some point.

My guess: It will depend entirely on the commercial success of the Essentials product line. I'm not sold on the idea and I'm also not fond of softcovers.

I'd prefer if they returned to publishing new books of the 'established' types after the Essentials intermezzo, i.e. PHB4, MM4, DMG3, x Power 2, Feywild, etc. There's still hope!

For me the only saving grace for Essentials would be providing localized versions of the rules. And if the localized version was also hardcover...

My opinion might still change (and the pricing will be an important factor in this), but I don't feel enthusiastic about paying for a bunch of experimental, asymmetrical 3.9 builds of classes that are perfectly fine and a monster manual 1 with errata.

In a way this parallels what happened when they released 3.5: I had just bought all the 3.0 books and was ready to start my campaign. Now, my 4e campaign will start in earnest right after the release of Essentials.

 

[Jack99]

So ignore me- I'm a moron!

Because you never know when you will need such a quote..

There have no been no 4e errata. There have been no 4e revisions either. There have only been Rules Updates. Purely semantics, and yet many attest that this Kool-Aid is delicious.

The smart money is on the old rulebooks going out-of-print, but if not, who will want them? The Essentials will be the go-to books. As such, I don't get how this isn't just 4.5e with better PR. Then again, I didn't get the 3.5e uproar either. Perception is reality, I suppose.

Why do people care what they call it? It's still errata.

Anyway, they have said that the format of the Essentials is a test to see how the format works. Just as they tried a new thing when they released the 32-page booklets (dragonborn, tiefling + 2 adventuring sites). They have also stated that they have more new formats coming, at least on a trial basis.

They think that sales can improve with certain types of products, if given a different format.

We'll see I guess. I am not quite sure if I wouldn't prefer hardbacks, but I am quite certain that as long as 4e keeps improving, I will buy their products, no matter which format.

 

[Felon]

Not to disagree with Meric (what is that pic?) but they are a replacement.

My personal favorite of all past and present Doctors, good ol' No. Seven. Highly underrated.

Why do people care what they call it? It's still errata.

Humans are an irrational lot, angered or pleased by minor elements of presentations. People resented 3.5 for making their 3.0 books full of obsolete, negated content, but the endless tide of updates has met with far less rancor. Take a spell like magic missile that has been completely re-written. Was the reaction all that ugly? Compared to, say, 3.5 haste or harm?

We'll see I guess. I am not quite sure if I wouldn't prefer hardbacks, but I am quite certain that as long as 4e keeps improving, I will buy their products, no matter which format.

IMO, making hardback versions of books that don't contain at least a couple hundred pages makes for a very odd-looking product--unless we're talking about the Velveteen Rabbit or something. Beyond that stipulation, I'm indifferent.

 

[Jack99]

Humans are an irrational lot, angered or pleased by minor elements of presentations. People resented 3.5 for making their 3.0 books full of obsolete, negated content, but the endless tide of updates has met with far less rancor. Take a spell like magic missile that has been completely re-written. Was the reaction all that ugly? Compared to, say, 3.5 haste or harm?

yes, by why care what they *call* it, when the result is basically the same?