D&D (2024) WotC Fireside Chat: Revised 2024 Player’s Handbook

In this video about the upcoming revised Player’s Handnook, WotC’s Jeremy Crawford and Chris Perkins reveal a few new tidbits.

• The books are near final and almost ready to go to print
• Psionic subclasses such as the Soulknife and Psi Warrior will appear in the core books
• Named spells have art depicting their creators.
• There are new species in the PHB.

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[DEFCON 1]

They would have an issue because they're not getting money from you.

The D&D design team has never had an issue with people playing other games. Even when 5E was being developed, they said straight out that they are happy if people play older D&D games and don't move on. Because people who play ANY RPGs keep the hobby alive and inspire people to get into the hobby... and more often than not those will find their way to D&D at some point and thus they get new players and the money will come in.

Hasbro might wish to monetize D&D, but that has little to do with these revisions. The design team knows that changing the rules completely so as to force everyone to buy new books would merely cause more people NOT to do so (as we saw with 4E). 5E is too popular to throw it away right now. So revising the rules such that those who want to buy the revisions can and those that don't do not need to, assures everyone that the 5E game is still the one that will bring in the players both old and new to sit at the table. And each subsequent year after release, there will be 5E14 players who didn't upgrade immediately that finally will, when enough other players are wanting to use the newer rules. If they don't, that's fine... but many who say they don't eventually probably will.

Hasbro's executives might not understand the reasoning behind all of this (as they didn't regarding the OGL)... but after that blew up in their face it doesn't seem like those people are having any influence with how these new revised books are going to go.

 

[Micah Sweet]

The D&D design team has never had an issue with people playing other games. Even when 5E was being developed, they said straight out that they are happy if people play older D&D games and don't move on. Because people who play ANY RPGs keep the hobby alive and inspire people to get into the hobby... and more often than not those will find their way to D&D at some point and thus they get new players and the money will come in.

Hasbro might wish to monetize D&D, but that has little to do with these revisions. The design team knows that changing the rules completely so as to force everyone to buy new books would merely cause more people NOT to do so (as we saw with 4E). 5E is too popular to throw it away right now. So revising the rules such that those who want to buy the revisions can and those that don't do not need to, assures everyone that the 5E game is still the one that will bring in the players both old and new to sit at the table. And each subsequent year after release, there will be 5E14 players who didn't upgrade immediately that finally will, when enough other players are wanting to use the newer rules. If they don't, that's fine... but many who say they don't eventually probably will.

Hasbro's executives might not understand the reasoning behind all of this (as they didn't regarding the OGL)... but after that blew up in their face it doesn't seem like those people are having any influence with how these new revised books are going to go.

If enough people decide to keep their old books and not pay for relatively minor revisions and reprints, then the books will sell poorly (by WotC/Hasbro standards anyway), and that would get the c-suite's attention, even if the game remains popular. It's not like they didn't invest a good amount of time and capital into 5.5e, even if the result is a shined-up pile of reprints. They're going to want a big return on that investment.

 

[mamba]

If enough people decide to keep their old books and not pay for relatively minor revisions and reprints, then the books will sell poorly (by WotC/Hasbro standards anyway), and that would get the c-suite's attention, even if the game remains popular.

if no one at all upgraded, they would still sell at the rate of the current core books. Anything more is essentially a bonus, and quite a few people will upgrade

 

[Cadence]

if no one at all upgraded, they would still sell at the rate of the current core books. Anything more is essentially a bonus, and quite a few people will upgrade

If nothing else due to the old ones falling apart?

 

[DEFCON 1]

If enough people decide to keep their old books and not pay for relatively minor revisions and reprints, then the books will sell poorly (by WotC/Hasbro standards anyway), and that would get the c-suite's attention, even if the game remains popular. It's not like they didn't invest a good amount of time and capital into 5.5e, even if the result is a shined-up pile of reprints. They're going to want a big return on that investment.

Well it's too late for that, isn't it? They aren't making new books. So they and I and lot of other people are not going to waste our time playing the "What If...?" game when it doesn't matter in the slightest.

If the revised books do not sell enough to make the Hasbro executives happy... then Jeremy, Chris et. al. will be removed and work will start on 6E. And so be it. But I'm not going to concern myself with that possibility until it actually occurs.

 

[mamba]

If nothing else do to the old ones falling apart?

I was thinking new players, no idea what percentage are replacements for wear and tear, I assume that is pretty low

 

[Micah Sweet]

I was thinking new players, no idea what percentage are replacements for wear and tear, I assume that is pretty low

Yeah, I own three copies of the 2014 PHB, and only the Day 1 version is showing any real sign of wear and tear. And it's still perfectly usable.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Yeah, I own three copies of the 2014 PHB, and only the Day 1 version is showing any real sign of wear and tear. And it's still perfectly usable.

Why do you own 3 PHBs?

I only own 2 physical copies. One english (first day), already glued together and a German one I was gifted by a friend who got a free copy for proof reading the translation. After it was published. Not a proof reading version. That was a secret she could not tell me while she was doing it.

And a 50% discounted online version from the essential's kit. Or maybe a full price one and I gifted the discount to some friend? Hmmh.

So I also own 3 copies...

So... back to the actual topic:

If only 55% of PHB owners buy the book, it counts as a massive success. Since the original 2014 PHB has sold like hot potatoes for the last 10 years, 55% of the current PHB owners means more copies sold than 2014 initially. I guess if just 10% of the 2014 PHB owners buy a copy initially, it would count as a massive success. And then we can expect the 2024 book to boost the sales for the next 10 years, while we could have expected the 2014 books to drop in sales.

 

[OB1]

if no one at all upgraded, they would still sell at the rate of the current core books. Anything more is essentially a bonus, and quite a few people will upgrade

Yes and I would say that it's likely that at the least, they're looking to give a slight bump to the current core book rate of new players over the next 10 years. It's the old 'new and improved' strategy of product marketing.

Meanwhile, they also get an immediate ROI from existing players who convert. Probably need less than 5% of existing PHB owners to buy the new book this year to cover the costs of creating it. That initial spike probably throws the PHB into the top 10, if not the top 5 of ALL books on Amazon, which then serves as additional marketing to new players, basically a 'NYT Bestseller' marketing strategy.

By revising, they also allow a decade of adventures to be instantly available for anyone new to the hobby, giving multiple entry points to the game based on what most excites the new player. It also means that those adventures that you haven't yet gotten to play will still work with the new system. No need to buy Curse of Strahd 2024, if you already have the old one.

Dare I say that what WotC is doing with the revised books is both good for them and consumer friendly? Yes, and in my book, that's good business.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Why do you own 3 PHBs?

I only own 2 physical copies. One english (first day), already glued together and a German one I was gifted by a friend who got a free copy for proof reading the translation. After it was published. Not a proof reading version. That was a secret she could not tell me while she was doing it.

And a 50% discounted online version from the essential's kit. Or maybe a full price one and I gifted the discount to some friend? Hmmh.

So I also own 3 copies...

So... back to the actual topic:

If only 55% of PHB owners buy the book, it counts as a massive success. Since the original 2014 PHB has sold like hot potatoes for the last 10 years, 55% of the current PHB owners means more copies sold than 2014 initially. I guess if just 10% of the 2014 PHB owners buy a copy initially, it would count as a massive success. And then we can expect the 2024 book to boost the sales for the next 10 years, while we could have expected the 2014 books to drop in sales.

My original Day 1 copy, my wife's copy she's had since before we met (all one collection now), and a very recent printing I received as a gift from my in-laws last birthday.