New Ampersand - future stuff (DDi)

[TerraDave]

Hmm, not sure if we are burying the headline here...

He is confirming that the essentials are a new pathway into the game. So you don't need the PHB, DMG, or MM--as far as I can tell--ever. And strongly implying that new products will then build on that.

So what does happen to MM monsters? Are they effectively reprinted in other products? If someone wanted to get back into D&D in a few years from now and was looking for the PHB, would it be out of print?

I mean, I don't want to yell 4.5 in a crowded theatre or anything, but this looks like a pretty deep shift.

 

[bagger245]

Well, if its out of print then D&D has no flagship corebooks besides the intro Essentials+ Rules Compendium. It's ok for a newbie, but for an experienced guy? They would prefer a PHB I think. I am curious to know how basic the new builds are. Of course it should be easier than the ones we got from power books. Also, will the books in 2011 have a different format to consolidate both Essentials and Core line? Since they obviously want both sides to get the new power source.

 

[JPL]

no, i don't think so, not without changing the baseline way 4e works. But i thought the whole point of Essentials is that it is Basic D&D, it is simpler and cheaper, and you can upgrade to the more expensive (and complex) books once you're "hooked"?

So while i am curious about Essentials, i don't it is going to offer anything i don't already know.

I had the impression that the Essentials books would present new builds for PCs, and presumably new powers and class features, and therefore would be of interest even to veteran 4th Edition players.

Wait and see, I guess. One way to approach these new builds would be to say, how do we make a fighter that's as defendery as possible? How do we make a rogue that's as strikery as possible? Focus the new builds on the role as tightly as possible --- none of this "secondary role" stuff. I know WotC has commented that the PHB wizard is not as controllery as it should be (compared to the invoker, for instance).

 

[M.L. Martin]

So what does happen to MM monsters? Are they effectively reprinted in other products? If someone wanted to get back into D&D in a few years from now and was looking for the PHB, would it be out of print?

My guess is that most of the core MM monsters will be in the Monster Vault this November.

I mean, I don't want to yell 4.5 in a crowded theatre or anything, but this looks like a pretty deep shift.

True--but with the latest round of errata, the PH1 is already beginning to look disturbingly obsolete.

 

[Windjammer]

with the latest round of errata, the PH1 is already beginning to look disturbingly obsolete.

Bingo. And emphasis on 'beginning'. Let's see when WotC tackle the PH1 Paragon Paths which to date remain the cherry picker's beloved.

 

[ggroy]

True--but with the latest round of errata, the PH1 is already beginning to look disturbingly obsolete.

After a certain point, there may be so much errata that it is not even worth doing a straight reprint of the three core books anymore. How exactly WotC will deal with this, is largely unknown at the present time.

The obvious possible way to address this would be to include all the errata into the next core books printings. But if there's too much errata and so many rearrangements + new stuff, this may not be the most viable route.

Another possible way is to do a *.5E or a "mid edition" with all the previous errata, and whatever new stuff or rearrangements they had in mind. A possible "mid edition" could be something like the redos of the 2E AD&D core books in 1995, for which the PHB went from 256 to 320 pages, and three columns per page to two columns. (The three ring binder 2E monster manual pages, was turned into a single monstrous manual book). Though this route may have the risk of causing an uproar similar to 3.5E.

 

[Piratecat]

I've been told flat-out by Bill Slaviscek and Greg Leeds that there won't be a 4.5 edition. I think that they'll just continue to publish errata, and people can use it (or not) as they like.

Heh - I bet more people would use it if it were labeled as "errata" and not "updates" on WotC's web site.

 

[crash_beedo]

So does this mean PHB 1, PBH 2, MM 1, MM2, DMG1, etc will all be allowed to lapse 'out of print' since the Essentials line will always stay in print?

 

[ggroy]

So does this mean PHB 1, PBH 2, MM 1, MM2, DMG1, etc will all be allowed to lapse 'out of print' since the Essentials line will always stay in print?

Good question.

Looking back into recent history, did WotC just let the old 3E books go out of print shortly after 3.5E was release?

I'm thinking of 3E books like the MM2, Psionics Handbook, Magic of Faerun, Epic Level Handbook, etc ... and the early 3E softcover player crunch books from 2001 like "Sword and Fist", "Tome and Blood", "Defenders of the Faith", etc ...

 

[MerricB]

So does this mean PHB 1, PBH 2, MM 1, MM2, DMG1, etc will all be allowed to lapse 'out of print' since the Essentials line will always stay in print?

From what I've seen in the Ampersand articles: I'd expect the "ones" to stay in print. I'm not so sure about the "twos" and "threes".

Cheers!