D&D General The Double-Edged Sword: Is The New D&D Edition a Cash Grab in Disguise?

[Micah Sweet]

Eh - if it was an attempt at a cash grab it certainly didn't feel like it would have been a successful one. The look and design on the second printing of the 2e books didn't really sell them as must haves and there wasn't really a reason to get them beyond that.

I guess if you think that anything targeting folks with collector mentality is a cash grab then it could be a cash grab. Is that the definition of a cash grab? Trying to get people who gotta catch 'em all to pony up money by exploiting their need to collect? I have to think about that.

For my money? Yeah, pretty much. As I said, I don't consider purely visual updates worth paying for.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

I don't consider solely visual updates worth paying for.

That does necessarily make them a cash grab nor does it mean that it is not a value proposition for someone else. To me people are throwing around the words "cash garb" a little too freely. As far as I am concerned to qualify for a cash grab there has to be some element of deception or compulsion to the thing.
Someone jacking up the price of fuel in a shortage is making a cash grab.
I really do not see discretionally spending like D&D being susceptible to "cash grabbing". No one is making one spend the money and there are other things to spend it on.
I can see that corporations often exploit the fandom of rich fans but to me that is on the fan and is an unhealthy relationship on the part of the fan.

 

[DEFCON 1]

There is definitely a component of it that is shady, but will it be exploitation or general innovation? Maybe both.

It is not exploitation in my opinion, because it contains dozens upon dozens of rules revisions and errata players have been asking for since the 5E14 book was released.

In 4E they released official rules revisions every few months, rebalancing powers and such until players had to print 10+ pages of documents on printer paper that included all the "fixes" WotC made. And people complained about that method. So when 5E came around they developed the idea of "Rulings, Not Rules" wherein they themselves would not revise any rules for balance or other reasons-- never print any changes except in the case of grammatical or numerical errors that fell under the identity of "errata" that would appear in additional printings of the book.

Instead... they gathered all of these complaints over the past decade and are now printing all of their revisions and balance passes at the same time in one single book so that people could just get them all at once and not have to buy the PHB each and every year had they constantly printed rules revisions in every printing run they did (alongside the errata.) But here we are... 10 years later... and people are still complaining that they are printing revisions to the rules or claiming it to be a "cash grab". Which is ridiculous. It would have been a "cash grab" had they revised everything in the book piecemeal and just changed bits and bobs within every single book print run, if they honestly thought people would continually buy them

In 2015... "Oh! WotC changed the rules of the Great Weapon Master feat like we've been saying all along that it was overpowered!" I better rebuy the PHB so I have it and my players can't complain!

In 2016... "Finally! WotC has fixed the Beast Master Ranger and no longer expects the player to use their Action to let their beast attack... the beast gets their own Attack action now! I better rebuy the PHB so I have it and my players can't complain!"

In 2017... "WotC cleaned up the Stealth rules and put them all into one section of the book! Everything is clearer now. I better rebuy the PHB so I have it and my players can't complain!"

This would be "cash grabs" on the part of WotC. What we are getting now is them NOT grabbing cash, because they've waited 10 years to do it.

 

[Jer]

For my money? Yeah, pretty much. As I said, I don't consider purely visual updates worth paying for.

But what if you aren't the audience for it? The second printing of the books weren't really for people who already owned the books. There were no rule changes - it was all art and layout changes and the inclusion of some errata that you could also find in other places. Which is why I say if it was intended as a cash grab it was a poorly thought-out one because why would you buy the new books if you already had a set?

(I say that as someone who does own both sets. Though in my defense I do both suffer from collector's mentality and have always had access to some great used book stores so at least I didn't buy them new )

 

[occam]

That does necessarily make them a cash grab nor does it mean that it is not a value proposition for someone else. To me people are throwing around the words "cash garb" a little too freely.

Cash garb?

 

[CleverNickName]

I misread the title. I thought this was about a Cat Grab.

 

[soviet]

There is definitely a component of it that is shady, but will it be exploitation or general innovation? Maybe both.

This sums up your blog post. 'Is it [overstated clickbait terribleness]? Or is it not? Opinions vary!'

Poor writing with no insight.

 

[bmfrosty]

Of note, at some point I picked up the three core books on D&D Beyond. I don't have any direct plans to play 5e again, but they're there if something comes up. Has WotC announced any plans of what they're doing about the core books there, or do the new versions of the classes come at a cost?

 

[Micah Sweet]

But what if you aren't the audience for it? The second printing of the books weren't really for people who already owned the books. There were no rule changes - it was all art and layout changes and the inclusion of some errata that you could also find in other places. Which is why I say if it was intended as a cash grab it was a poorly thought-out one because why would you buy the new books if you already had a set?

(I say that as someone who does own both sets. Though in my defense I do both suffer from collector's mentality and have always had access to some great used book stores so at least I didn't buy them new )

My collectors mentality is content-based only, with the sole exception of physical versions of the Deck of Many Things.

 

[Meech17]

Heh, I was tangenting on the notion that selling the same book with new art is a cash grab, circa the 95 Black Cover PHB. If it was, every novel with a new cover and pagination is a cash grab.

My apologies.. I was trying to read through this incredibly long thread while also look like I was working. I misinterpreted your comment.