D&D (2024) 2024 PHB/DMG/MM art/layout: like or dislike?

[Micah Sweet]

Guns exist in the PHB, and those are conceivably Matchlocks or Wheellocks, and aren't those tubes you just stuffed gunpowder in to shoot out a rock that they had for guns in the Medieval Age. Plate armor is from the Renaissance too, and it's in the PHB.

But nowhere have they mentioned in the PHB to my knowledge the Printing Press (I know of references to printing presses in previous editions in Forgotten Realms, Eberron, Planescape and Ravenloft), because that's something that's definitely at least Renaissance.

That's the kind of stuff I'm talking about, yes. Technology doesn't exist solely for skirmish-level combat (neither does magic, by the way).

What do guns look like in the 5.5 PH, by the way? They weren't in the 5.0 PH.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

But nowhere have they mentioned in the PHB to my knowledge the Printing Press (I know of references to printing presses in previous editions in Forgotten Realms, Eberron, Planescape and Ravenloft), because that's something that's definitely at least Renaissance.

The Ptolus game I play in had the invention of movable type as a plot point and all of the chaos that surrounds it, with various power players either wanting to stop it, steal the technology or corner the market on it. A+ plot hook, highly recommended.

 

[wedgeski]

It's beautiful. The art is a feast, and the layout clear as a bell. It took me a while to get accustomed to the structure, with all the basic rules early in the book and the rest of the meat in the Glossary, but that should work well at the table. As a browsable thing, it's difficult to find fault with it. At the risk of politicising this post, the book certainly seems to stand as a statement in support of original art.

 

[Umbran]

Mod Note:
Folks who want to push back on diversity of representation in art should probably review our inclusivity policy.

To wit: if, in pushing back, you make folks uncomfortable, a moderator is apt to show up with red text. This is a complicated subject, so please put some care and thought into how you approach it.

 

[ezo]

What do guns look like in the 5.5 PH, by the way? They weren't in the 5.0 PH.

Very pricy:

 

[bedir than]

By the text, do you just mean the equipment chapter? I'm talking about more than just a list of stuff (and the assumption that this is all standard).

The equipment chapter is much more than "just a list of stuff."

 

[ART!]

I finally had a chance to flip through some of the PHB. Generally I really like the font size, layout, color scheme - that kind of thing.

I was struck by the Backgrounds illustrations, in that they chew up an awful lot of space. Maybe it's the formatting, with a page-wide 1/4-page illo, then a page-wide 1/4-page of text, and repeated. Is anything else in the book laid out like that? On the one hand it makes the section easy to find when flipping through, but it looks odd to me, and seems like an odd thing to use that much space on. Maybe?

The illos are all widescreen "establishing shots" of locations. They're all high quality, but by definition too distant for my liking.

 

[ECMO3]

Guns exist in the PHB, and those are conceivably Matchlocks or Wheellocks, and aren't those tubes you just stuffed gunpowder in to shoot out a rock that they had for guns in the Medieval Age. Plate armor is from the Renaissance too, and it's in the PHB.

But nowhere have they mentioned in the PHB to my knowledge the Printing Press (I know of references to printing presses in previous editions in Forgotten Realms, Eberron, Planescape and Ravenloft), because that's something that's definitely at least Renaissance.

Ball Bearings are in the PHB and are 19th century.

The fact that the long gun is described as a "Musket" and not a "Rifle" implies 18th century or earlier.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Ball Bearings are in the PHB and are 19th century.

The fact that the long gun is described as a "Musket" and not a "Rifle" implies 18th century or earlier.

Yeah, it's a real mess chronologically, and I think it would be nice if that was acknowledged in some way in the text.

 

[Bacon Bits]

Artwise I think it seems better. I admit I've only flipped through it a few times, but in the 2014 PHB some pieces didn't seem to have the right geometry. Nothing seems to stand out like that in this edition so far.

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Ball Bearings are in the PHB and are 19th century.

That's true, but round metal, glass, or stone pellets certainly predate ball bearings. Round lead or stone shot for slings or muskets predates the use of ball bearings considerably. Marbles date to the 3rd millennium BCE.

Making them be ball bearings just solves some of the table questions like the strength or durability of the item and whether or not the creature crushes the ball or slips on it.