Time for a new Players Handbook

[Mercurius]

I want one. I don't care about spending another $23 on Amazon for it, but the amount of errata, both pre- and post-Essentials, had gotten out of control, not to mention rules adjustments. We need a new Players Handbook.

An example of the perils of character creation in the current climate. In the campaign I'm running two characters died last session and the player's will be making two new ones (9th level) for next Friday, probably a cleric and a wizard. The problem is that I am confused as to what to tell them - they don't even known about Essentials, although both use Character Builder (probably not updated for at least a few months). There are tiny to moderate problems with pretty much most classes in the original PHB, stuff that I'm pretty sure has been addressed but am not sure where. The errata document(s)? Character Builder? Bill Slaviscek's bedside notebook?

Some folks are saying that the PHB is basically defunct, that now we must look to the Rules Compendium, Heroes of the F-X Lands, and D&DI. But the problem is that all of those printed books will in turn need errata, so we're going to be left with more print-outs, more reliance upon Character Builder, and more confusion about which rules are "right" and which are "wrong."

My hope is that sometime next year we get a revised Players Handbook, one that takes into account all of the errata and all of the adjustments from Essentials, and one that is heavily edited so we don't end up with a ton of more errata.

Oh, and while you're at it WotC, please commission Mr. Reynolds to not include on of those silly looking green mutants on the next cover. Whatever that thing is is dead to me and does not exist in my D&D universe.

Thank you very much.

 

[Votan]

I want one. I don't care about spending another $23 on Amazon for it, but the amount of errata, both pre- and post-Essentials, had gotten out of control, not to mention rules adjustments. We need a new Players Handbook.

People vary in their tolerance for errata. However, I agree with you that the amount of errata is getting beyond the easy to keep track of. (some people have a higher tolerance than I do). While the decision to use errata is at the group level, it does create confusion over time.

The last game I saw to be so extensive with errata (Star Fleet Battles) eventually gave up and started releasing editions with the errate incorporated. It was a good thing as it made the game a lot more user friendly.

 

[TerraDave]

As one of those "folks"...I also find the CB to be not very good in trying to make a charecter for a semi experienced player (I tried this pretty recently).

But where does this PHB fit in the scheme of things? Of course, they have kind a sort a said its coming "when the time is right", but once you have bought the rules compendium...do you need a book with a bunch of rules?

Don't know.

 

[SteveC]

Yes, a thousand times yes! I can't imagine someone new to D&D being directed over to the original PHB (especially after going through the Essentials series).

Who would be buying a new PHB these days, I wonder?

 

[JoeGKushner]

This is the one spot I think Essentials fails or at least is lying.

We keep hearing that it's not there to replace the core rules but augment them.

and we keep hearing that the core rules will be reprinted when the time is right.

But if it's a straight reprint, even with errata, wouldn't that be ripping off
people who already bought the rule compendium and the various heroes of x?

Now thep roblem is outside of the core classes/powers, there just isnt' enough content in the PHB to make it worth the purchase if you've bought the Essentials books.

 

[Mercurius]

Good points, Joe. I'd like to see this hypothetical revised Players Handbook be expanded with more classes and races, even those in the first two PHBs, but with less powers, maybe put magic items back where they belong (in the DMG or whatever this Mordenkainen's product is). In other words, I'd much rather see more classes and races in the PHB and no magic items, which just work best in the DMG imo.

We also must remind ourselves that WotC is a business, and one that sells most of its product to a relatively small core group of consumers. Take my gaming group, for instance - there are eight of us and six own no more than two or three game books; one owns a handlue of stuff, and then there's myself with the six-foot bookshelf devoted entirely to RPGs. So if you were to break it down, I'm probably responsible for 90% of RPG spending in my group of eight. I don't think this is an uncommon phenomenon.

My point being, if you are the business planning committee at WotC you are looking at two things: 1) How to find new people to sell product to, and 2) How to come up with new ways to sell product to the core "big spenders" (DMs, mainly). Essentials seems to be both, although after buying the Red Box I am wondering if it has any utility for me other than another item on my shelf. I haven't seen the other products yet, and I realize that the Red Box is a true starter kit (and really no more than that), but it seems that the rest will have more utility to established D&D players.

But again, let's be clear: Essentials is, at the very least, driven by the business motive of making more money. It seems that WotC may have navigated that narrow channel that makes Essentials something that will appeal to both new and old players. But I wonder at this point to what degree buying Essentials products is redundant for established 4E players, that all one truly needs is to download the errata and that new document listing all of the changes within Essentials, which is why I would like to see a new, revised PHB.

 

[JoeGKushner]

And if they do another PHB printing, and they don't want to reprint all of the material already available in the essential line, make a smaller PHB that is cheaper.

Gasp!

 

[Odhanan]

Isn't that what the Essentials books, Heroes of... and Rules Compendium in particular as equivalents to the PHB, accomplish now?

 

[JoeGKushner]

Isn't that what the Essentials books, Heroes of... and Rules Compendium in particular as equivalents to the PHB, accomplish now?

Yet WoTC have said these books aren't going to repalce the core ones.

So when the reprint comes, what exactly will be in them?

"Gee, this Player's Handbook reads a lot like the Rules Compendium only it has rituals."

 

[Tony Vargas]

Yeah, it's probably past time to release errata'd core books. The problem is, they did something like that a while back and called it "3.5" and that just about got them lynched. So WotC doesn't dare repeat the 'point-five' rip-off. Thus Essentials, which, in effect, re-prints most of what's in the first 3 core books, with errata, a few bones thrown to retro-nostalgic fortysomethings, a few more thrown to 4e haters, and some names changed to protect the innocent...

Isn't that what the Essentials books, Heroes of... and Rules Compendium in particular as equivalents to the PHB, accomplish now?

Yes, but WotC doesn't dare admit that. Doing so would be copping to another "point-five" and admiting that the new dumbed-down basic-attack-spamming martial builds really are meant to replace the cool-power-using, balanced martial builds in the PH.