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What would you rather see: core rulebook or traditional trilogy?

What should the *basic core* of D&D Next look like?

  • One book (a "cyclopedia" of sorts)

    Votes: 51 30.9%
  • Two books, one for players and one for DMs

    Votes: 17 10.3%
  • The classic trilogy: PHB, DMG, MM

    Votes: 76 46.1%
  • Wait, I have a better idea...

    Votes: 21 12.7%

I'd rather it just be all digital. Produce books if you have to but give us the option of having it all on our laptop! Books take up too much space at the table that could be used for beer, pretzels, and other such things!
 

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I really loved DMing from the Trilogy when my group still played 4e, so that is what I voted. The simplicity of handing a person a PHB and saying "Experienced Player X help New Player Y make their character" while still being in possession of the book with all the monsters and campaign rules was very very handy with our revolving door of new players.

That being said, I would love a boxed set of so called "Quick Start" rules so new players and people who want to try the new edition with as little investment as possible have a way to do so without finding a group that already owns the core 3.

And the reason I prefer the MM and DMG to stay separate is the matter of limited space in my school book bag, which can't contain something as large as the Pathfinder tome along with my various textbooks and laptop. I often want to take the book with me that has the rules covering what I am currently working on with me, and that will either be some in depth encounter (Monster Manual) or fleshing out the setting (DMG), and almost never both.
 

One book! I don't have a problem carrying the weight in one place instead of three. With a well detailed index, everything will be easy to find, instead of rummaging through multiple D&D 3.5 books, as much of a diehard as I am for the installment. I don't think it should stop details at a certain point, since some people will start there games at a later level. I want ALL of the basics from the get go. A condensed rules book, though optional, for me, would also be ideal.
 

Not every tradition must be upheld to the detriment of the game. I think that for first contact* players a single book is just better because its simpler.

A differentiated Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual is what you do when you get around to publishing that luxury boxed set that naturally only targets current players.

*First contact being defined as picking up the game without being introduced by a friend or acquaintance.
 

Single book for the core, simplest game, with a few of the most useful, appealing options. Then have the PHB, DMG, MM trilogy built on top of that, not replacing parts of it. Books needed to play range from 1 to 4, with everything in between, depending on your interests.
 

Thought experiment:

Look at how gigantic the Pathfinder Core Rulebook is. Then try imagining how big it would be with some choice bits of the GMG stuff and all of Bestiary 1 in it. Now imagine it with assassin, warlord, priest, and warlock classes added to it.

Yeah, we're gonna need 3 books. Or a bigger boat.
 

If the books were combined, then we're talking over $90 (Anyone else remember when the 1e DMG was $15?). Hardly appealing to a first-time or casual gamer. If each was separately available as a $14.99 iBooks/ePub download, however, that might entice a few newcomers.
 


I like the 3 books. One for Players, one for DMs and one detailing monsters.

The main reason is that it is cheaper for the players to just get one book (though I tend to buy all of them anyway).

The other reason is the binding goes a lot quicker on a 500 page book containing everything. Much easier if you have 3 smaller books to tote around.
 

Thought experiment:

Look at how gigantic the Pathfinder Core Rulebook is. Then try imagining how big it would be with some choice bits of the GMG stuff and all of Bestiary 1 in it. Now imagine it with assassin, warlord, priest, and warlock classes added to it.

Yeah, we're gonna need 3 books. Or a bigger boat.

If the books were combined, then we're talking over $90 (Anyone else remember when the 1e DMG was $15?). Hardly appealing to a first-time or casual gamer. If each was separately available as a $14.99 iBooks/ePub download, however, that might entice a few newcomers.

This issue is why I've said a few times that the packaging and presentation of 5e may be more important than the actual content. WotC has a real fine line to tread here. If they are being sincere in their claims that they are trying to get D&D players of all stripes back into the fold (and I believe they are) they have put themselves into a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation...

Players that are uninterested in latter-edition scope rules are simply not going to buy a giant group of core rules even if they explicitly state that 75% of their content is optional.* Similarly, a good chunk of players that want 3e/4e-style rules depth are going to wait to see the expanded options books before buying a stripped-down B/X style rule-set. A middle ground type of product seems like the type of thing destined to make no one happy.

I think the solution would be to produce a beginner style boxed set that is an actual fully playable game, which doesn't require any further purchase to play an entire game. Then publish the "trilogy" alongside the boxed set that is fully compatible with the boxed set, but has the modules that are the closest to "core" D&D.

*My first reaction to the 3.5 rules (I skipped 3.0) were to think that I'd need a big black magic marker to turn them into something I'd want to run.
 

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