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.

 

[R_J_K75]

I can't even imagine how wound up @Micah Sweet and @Corinnguard are by this post! A potential recruit!

Why would they give two

 

[mellored]

IM GOING TO SAY IT, WOTC PLAYED IT SAFE

Yes.

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

Why would they give two

At least 50%* of their posts reference Level Up. I did have a look at the system. I did like what I saw, a lot. It did seem to address some of the gaps/shortcomings of 5E IMO. Cost to ship to Canada, though... no thanks.

* Might be some hyperbole on my part... but not much!

 

[Hatmatter]

This always baffles me. I genuinely don't understand what about the 4e rules makes them, in any way, more "combat-only" than 3e or 5e. All three systems spend the vast majority of their text talking about combat options. Only 4e actually attempted to provide rules beyond "DM says" for meaningful non-combat gameplay. To the best of my knowledge, only 4e gave clear and effective explanations for both DM-authored and player-authored quests, with actual meaningful rewards to the players for engaging in that.

I just...was it unfamiliarity? Was it the (kind of) sleek/modern style of the text? I just don't understand how people looked at Rituals (which were FAR better than 5e rituals!), Skill Challenges, Quests, Backgrounds, Page 42, etc., and thought "yep, this game is purely, exclusively combat with absolutely nothing else in it."

Hi Ezekiel,

Well, I can unbaffle you, at least concerning my little experience. I enjoy a story-based game. The group I was playing with (I was a player not the DM), instead, came to the table assuming that the game is a sequence of combats strung together with some semblance of character motivation for the combat.

When the combats took place, they were ridiculously long. I mean, they would go on for an hour. I had taken my wife with me to introduce her to D&D and it was a little embarrassing for me because the special appeal of D&D -- the unfolding narrative and characterization -- was not present.

At the time, I attributed it simply to the proclivities of the group and the DM...which is why I mentioned that in the post that you quoted. Yet, I have since read criticism of fourth edition that sounded very much like my own experience.

I have little doubt that if I DMed a fourth edition campaign, that I could have created the kind of ambience I prefer. But, there is no denying that when I look through the fourth edition Player's Handbook, the presentation would seem to encourage the kind of play that I experienced.

My concern is that in devaluing character traits like Bonds and such, and in (perhaps, I have not seen the books) not developing the two pillars of the game other than combat, and also in eliminating a number of the story-centric features from backgrounds in favor of the "gamey" quality of feats, that 5th edition is now heading back in this direction. That would be a shame as that way is a well worn road to Dullsville.

 

[DarkCrisis]

This is what I want

Its not a money thing, granted Im not gonna drive down the road and throw money out the window, but ~$200 for a set of core books isnt a bad deal, its a question of am I going to use them? On the face of it, doesnt look like a whole lot has changed in the game design in 10 years and that tells me I probably wont.

Be interesting to see if this new crop of gamers who have only ever known 5E and say they won’t change to 5.5 will stick to their guns and not upgrade or will history repeat itself again and everyone eventually use the new version.

 

[OB1]

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.

No, the Hide action is one of the possible actions you can take in combat. Outside of combat, if you describe your character trying to sneak past the guards, the DM will ask for an Dex (stealth) check against a DC they set if the outcome is uncertain.

 

[Hatmatter]

The Dungeon Dudes went into detail about this, it was actually their biggest criticism of the new book: Traits, Ideals, ones and Flaws are gone, which isn't too shocking as they have been cut from Backgrounds in new books since 2020. Apparently the Backgroujd section opens up with a discussion of fleshing out one's character, and has "five questions to ask about your past" to help put some meat on the vones...but those knobs as seen in the 2014 book are gone, no tables or anything.

Thanks, Parmandur.

 

[Minigiant]

How is it easier to run? I get how it might be more fun to play, what with the new batch of super powers for PCs, but what does that do for the DM?

A lot of stuff was cleared up or made easier to find to have clear consistent rulings.

 

[DarkCrisis]

A lot of stuff was cleared up or made easier to find to have clear consistent rulings.

I’ve never had an issue with rulings since the DM makes the final call.

It’s the DM having to keep track of all the special conditions that each player can throw out every round. Which 5.5 increases that.

At a minimum I think we could agree that 5.5 gives more work to the DM than it did in 5E.

 

[Nikosandros]

No, the Hide action is one of the possible actions you can take in combat. Outside of combat, if you describe your character trying to sneak past the guards, the DM will ask for an Dex (stealth) check against a DC they set if the outcome is uncertain.

Well, I was replying to how people were describing the working of stealth. I still don't like the rules, but at least they appear to be less nonsensical.