D&D 5E Initial D&D Next Releases Showing Up on Barnes & Noble Website

[Warunsun]

Which is what I've been trying to say to @Imaro , that the DMG is likely not necessary to play the game at all as it will instead be presented as a series of optional rules.

The Castle Keeper's Guide for Castles & Crusades is exactly like that. It is a huge book with optional rules modules in it. Some of it looks like things you might have seen in an Unearthed Arcana in older D&D editions but it is properly put in a DM's book since the game-master usually makes decisions on whether to allow the stuff or not. The book is totally not needed for an average campaign. I have read that the Pathfinder GameMastery Guide is also an optional book but I don't own it. When our group tried out Pathfinder only the Core Rulebook was around. I am not sure if it has optional rules in it but I would guess so. So it is possible that a Dungeon Master's Guide for fifth edition could follow the example of the Castle Keeper's Guide and others.

 

[darjr]

I was hoping that the PHB would be enough for people to play, and all the other stuff would be in the DMG and monster manual, that it would be inexpensive enough that players could be told to just go get it without a budget discussion. I don't think $50 does that bit at all, no matter the merits of that price.

In a nutshell I think it's a bad idea, unless the $20 starter set is complete enough that a player could use that to get started with a game or gaming group or there is a cheaper starting point for players or there is a SRD online.

 

[Mistwell]

I was hoping that the PHB would be enough for people to play, and all the other stuff would be in the DMG and monster manual, that it would be inexpensive enough that players could be told to just go get it without a budget discussion. I don't think $50 does that bit at all, no matter the merits of that price.

In a nutshell I think it's a bad idea, unless the $20 starter set is complete enough that a player could use that to get started with a game or gaming group or there is a cheaper starting point for players or there is a SRD online.

I understand wanting to support your local game store, but if it is the difference between being able to get something or not, it's no benefit to your local game store to simply not buy anything. Why not buy it at Amazon or Barnes & Noble? Then at least you can play it at your game store and buy some accessories for it there over the years.

 

[Li Shenron]

We should also keep in mind that, according to Mike Mearls's statements from a while ago, the DM-side stuff will be in the basic set and online. The DMG will assume you're already an expert DM, and will be mostly rules modules.

That is some very interesting piece of information that apparently I have missed! Sounds like the 5e DMG would be more similar to the 3e Unearthed Arcana. Do you remember where did Mearls talk about that?

 

[delericho]

So including chapter for DMs on running a game justifies the $50 price tag then?

There's considerably more DM-side material in the Pathfinder Core Rulebook that "a chapter on running a game" - all the material about Prestige Classes, magic items, awarding XP, building encounters/adventures/campaigns/settings, the planes, and so on is covered.

Now, you can certainly argue that very little of that material is required, and you can even argue that quite a lot of that material is actively undesirable (the 3e DMG was rightly criticised for it's pages of dungeon dressing - doors, walls, etc). But that's not the point - the point is that the equivalent material is there, and makes the PF Core Rulebook do double duty.

This means that the entry points for comparable games were:

3e: 3 books at $20 at launch, rising to 3 books at $30 on the second printing - total $90 (in 2000)

3.5e: 3 books at (IIRC) $35 - total $105 (in 2003). But note that I might be wrong about this one - they might have been $30 each.

4e: 3 books at $35 - total $105.

Pathfinder: Core Rulebook at $50, plus Bestiary at $40 - total $90.

I prefer a separate PHB-DMG-MM.

Actually, me too - I find both the Pathfinder Core Rulebook and the Numenera hardback too large to be really useful. In both cases, I would prefer they split the material into more, smaller volumes. (And, actually, I really liked the format used in Essentials.)

Unfortunately, amongst other things, a $50 PHB implies that it will probably be comparable in size to either of those two books.

Sorry it to burst anyone's bubble, but the days of $20 hardcover PHBs ended about 1990.

This is true. But as I noted up-thread, if you adjust the 3e, 3.5e or 4e books for inflation, that places them at ~$40 each. So if WotC are going to offer a core of 3 such books at $50 each (which is a BIG 'if', of course), then that's a very significant jump over the adjustment for inflation.

(On the other hand, maybe that $50 PHB is in fact the game, and everything else is optional. In which case 5e suddenly has a very appealing entry route.)

 

[GX.Sigma]

(On the other hand, maybe that $50 PHB is in fact the game, and everything else is optional. In which case 5e suddenly has a very appealing entry route.)

I think the idea is that the $20 basic set is the game, and everything else is optional. At least, that was the plan last time I tweeted Mike about it.

Unfortunately, the term "Starter Set" implies otherwise. I hope that was just a corporate decision.

 

[delericho]

I think the idea is that the $20 basic set is the game, and everything else is optional. At least, that was the plan last time I tweeted Mike about it.

Unfortunately, the term "Starter Set" implies otherwise. I hope that was just a corporate decision.

That would be even nicer, but at a $20 price point I really don't see that happening.

However, I really wish WotC would get on and announce what products they're going to be offering and when. I'm sure they had a plan, and it wasn't quite ready, but the cat's out of the bag now. It may not be ideal, but it is now time for them to speak up.

 

[Sadras]

I don't have time to do the assigned reading. Will this affect my grade?

If you equate your enworld level as your grade and the gaining of experience points from posters as accolades, then I'm afraid it might.

 

[darjr]

I understand wanting to support your local game store, but if it is the difference between being able to get something or not, it's no benefit to your local game store to simply not buy anything. Why not buy it at Amazon or Barnes & Noble? Then at least you can play it at your game store and buy some accessories for it there over the years.

Actually not having D&D next doesn't mean I won't play RPGS. I have plenty of other games to play and buy from my FLGS. Thanks very much. There are other games out there, some very fine ones.

 

[Mistwell]

Actually not having D&D next doesn't mean I won't play RPGS. I have plenty of other games to play and buy from my FLGS. Thanks very much. There are other games out there, some very fine ones.

I re-read my post in case I said something I didn't intend and nope, I didn't. Nowhere did I say or imply you don't have other games to play.

I'm saying IF YOU WANT THIS PARTICULAR GAME, and you cannot afford the full retail price, why wouldn't you just buy it online instead?