D&D (2024) D&D 2024 Player's Handbook Reviews

On Thursday August 1st, the review embargo is lifted for those who were sent an early copy of the new Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook. In this post I intend to compile a handy list of those reviews as they arrive. If you know of a review, please let me know in the comments so that I can add it! I'll be updating this list as new reviews arrive, so do check back later to see what's been added!

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Review List

• The official EN World review -- "Make no mistake, this is a new edition."
• ComicBook.com -- "Dungeons & Dragons has improved upon its current ruleset, but the ruleset still feels very familiar to 5E veterans."
• Comic Book Resources -- "From magic upgrades to easier character building, D&D's 2024 Player's Handbook is the upgrade players and DMs didn't know they needed."
• Wargamer.com -- "The 2024 Player’s Handbook is bigger and more beginner-friendly than ever before. It still feels and plays like D&D fifth edition, but numerous quality-of-life tweaks have made the game more approachable and its player options more powerful. Its execution disappoints in a handful of places, and it’s too early to tell how the new rules will impact encounter balance, but this is an optimistic start to the new Dungeons and Dragons era."
• RPGBOT -- "A lot has changed in the 2024 DnD 5e rules. In this horrendously long article, we’ve dug into everything that has changed in excruciating detail. There’s a lot here."

Video Reviews
Note, a couple of these videos have been redacted or taken down following copyright claims by WotC.

• 2024 PHB Rules Changes D&D 5.24 (Treantmonk's Temple)
• Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook 2024 Preview & Review | Key Takeaways and Comparisons with 2014 (Awesome Black)
• 10 Unexpected Changes in the D&D 5E 2024 Player's Handbook (This Effin' GM Games)
• Every Class and Subclass Change for 2024 (d4: Deep Dive)
• D&D Player's Handbook 2024 Winners & Losers! (The Character Sheet on ComicBook.com)
• 2024 Player's Handbook First Look Review (Dungeon Dudes)
• The 2024 Player's Handbook: Full Spoilers Review (DnD Shorts)
• Full Early Review! D&D 2024 Player's Handbook (JoeFudge)
• First Look at the 2024 Player's Handbook for Dungeons & Dragons (GameMasters)
• 2024 PHB Flip through (Jorphdan) [taken down]
• D&D New Player's Handbook, DM's Guide, Monster Manual, and Project Sigil Info (maturemindedgamers)
• 2024 Player's Handbook: Questions Answered! (Alphastream)
• D&D 2024 Player's Handbook Walkthrough (Sly Flourish) [redacted]

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Release timeline (i.e. when you can get it!)

• August 1st: Reviewers. Some reviewers have copies already, with their embargo lifting August 1st.
• August 1st-4th: Gen Con. There will be 3,000 copies for sale at Gen Con.
• September 3rd: US/Canada Hobby Stores. US/Canada hobby stores get it September 3rd.
• September 3rd: DDB 'Master' Pre-orders. Also on this date, D&D Beyond 'Master Subscribers' get the digital version.
• September 10th: DDB 'Hero' Pre-orders. On this date, D&D Beyond 'Hero Subscribers' get the digital version.
• September 17th: General Release. For the rest of us, the street date is September 17th.

 

[Demetrios1453]

I have bad news about how many people used encumbrance rules back in the 1E days.

Heh, true!

I'm currently playing the Gold Box CPRGs (for which I have a running thread on this very forum), which strictly enforces 1e encumbrance rules (since computers don't mind calculating it). It's very annoying, especially with how much coins weigh. You usually eventually just have to drop huge piles of coins just to stay unemcumbered!

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Heh, true!

I'm currently playing the Gold Box CPRGs (for which I have a running thread on this very forum), which strictly enforces 1e encumbrance rules (since computers don't mind calculating it). It's very annoying, especially with how much coins weigh. You usually eventually just have to drop huge piles of coins just to stay unemcumbered!

Insanely, EverQuest 1 initially used those rules, leading to the common griefer tactic of giving newbie players an insane amount of coins as a gift -- in copper, effectively making them unable to move from the spot without getting rid of the "gift."

 

[Zehnseiter]

I have seen some comments on Ginny being "more an influencer" than the others, but I don't understand why's that. To me all they've been chosen by WotC as having potential to influence people to buy their product (marketing).

True. I consider that first bunch of reviews by people that WotC carefully selected as promotion. The real reviews will start when people that weren't carefully selected get their hand on it.

 

[Micah Sweet]

That’s where roleplaying comes in. The rogue would think he’s doing fine. Same with failing to find a trap, as far as he knows there is no trap (even though there is).

These sort of rolls should be blind (rolled by the DM). That way the player thinks they succeeded until it becomes apparent that they did not.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Sure, though breath weapon recharge was never going to be an option as it would seriously mess with the CR

Too bad. It would be a good mechanic there.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Sad that Nentir Vale has been left by the wayside. 5e doesn't seem to have any of these more barren and survival based settings anymore.

Well you see, survival doesn't help the PCs "get to the action".

 

[Nikosandros]

The Rogue is going to sneak into a castle. They roll stealth. If they roll under a 15, they have failed.
If they roll a 15 or better, that becomes the DC to spot them as they move through the castle.

So, if the rogue fails (or rolls low) they can just repeat the roll until they get what they like and then they enter the castle.

 

[Nikosandros]

These sort of rolls should be blind (rolled by the DM). That way the player thinks they succeeded until it becomes apparent that they did not.

I agree in general, but in 5e there's a ton of abilities and effects that let people re-roll or add to their rolls.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Heh, true!

I'm currently playing the Gold Box CPRGs (for which I have a running thread on this very forum), which strictly enforces 1e encumbrance rules (since computers don't mind calculating it). It's very annoying, especially with how much coins weigh. You usually eventually just have to drop huge piles of coins just to stay unemcumbered!

I have no problem with this. Heavy stuff is heavy. Buy a cart.

 

[R_J_K75]

Is it a deal breaker for you for real though? Will you now never read the 2024 PHB?

I was never a big fan of 5E to begin with. One of my biggest complaints with it was that it was very poorly organized, hard to find the information you were looking for and there was a lot of page flipping.

Here's the quote I'm referring to:

• New rules glossary, which provides full technical definitions for rules terms. In many cases, the text explaining how to play the game doesn’t explain these terms, so expect to flip to the Rules Glossary frequently.

Considering that one of the main reasons I stopped playing 5E 2014 was all the page flipping and I don't think the new revision will solve that problem. I was on the fence ever since the revision was announced and the majority of the articles I've read since then has only decreased my enthusiasm. I wouldn't say that I will never read the new PHB but it's unlikely. If someone I know reads it and plays the game and they say it's worth playing I may, but again unlikely. So yes, it's a dealbreaker for me.