D&D 4E 4E PHB II & DMG II 1 year after release (and a new one every year after that)

[masshysteria]

I like this idea. It provides a clear cut way of providing new options. I've never been a huge fan of the splatbooks (I didn't like buying a book for a couple new feats or a new class that looked interesting), but I like what they did with PHB2.

The series has the prospect of bringing in the "best of" from D&D Insider, campaign settings, and (if they do it) splatbooks.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Put me in as another liking this idea.

I'm slowly starting to be moved more and more to liking 4e. Still need to hear more, and I doubt I'll abandon 3.5e, but still. This is the kind of thing I like to hear.

 

[Klaus]

Interesting. I don't know if "1 PHB, DMG, MM per year" is correct (I mean, we'll have PHB5, DMG5 and MM5 in 5 years? ), but using the format to introduce new races, classes, power sources, monsters and the like has some merit.

 

[thundershot]

Okay, yeah. I DEFINITELY like this idea. They could easily take the best of the web content and print it in these books.


Chris

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

I think I'm understanding this now. The mark one books will be followed by the Forgotten Realms campaign setting book as a showcase for those rules. The next year the mark two books will come out, which will include let's say gnomes and psionics, and the Eberron campaign setting book will be the showcase for those rules. Then you would basically have a yearly rules addendum and featured setting. If thats the plan, it's pretty damn clever. That would probably mean that I'd be waiting a year to make the switch over, but that's no big deal.

 

[Glyfair]

I found another source for this rumor in this post:

I figured I would step in with a few things I heard last weekend at GenCon. I attended the 4th edition announcement, both Q&A seminars on it and the Secrets of Eberron Seminar.

<Snip>

2. The PH and the MM will be annual products (Might have said the DMG too, but I don't remember for sure.) These books are to be considered as core as the original 3.

 

[Zaruthustran]

I can confirm that such a plan (annual core books) was mentioned at the Saturday afternoon 4E seminar.

I too think it's a good idea. I think both WotC (as in WotC, Inc.) and the players would benefit from fewer, higher-quality (in terms of both production values and editing) books.

The "Complete" scheme was too haphazard. You could never be sure if the other player had same books you had chosen to buy and use. It went against the "D&D as common game system" paradigm.

If everyone buys the latest core set every year, one can be reasonably sure that everyone will be on the same page, rules-wise. It's more efficient for WotC too--core book sales are way more dependable than the hit-or-miss splat books. And with only a single R&D cost, as opposed to a huge number of (smaller) R&D costs.

Also better for gamers' backs. My chiropractor's boat owes its existence to 3E's bloated book schedule.

 

[AllisterH]

It might actually increase Sales.....

For example, the PHB is released one quarter, the campaign setting is released another, the DMG is released in the next and finally in the last quarter, the MM comes out.

In-between these major must-buys (a lot of non-DMs pick up campaign settings AND the MM), WOTC can release adventures and campaign expansions...

I mean, pretty much everyone I know has bought the PHB II and the MM always seems to get great sales so I can see their viewpoint....

 

[Agamon]

Hey...I was right! Go me.

 

[KingCrab]

I like it too. Much better than tossing in one base class and a few prestige classes into each book. Everyone adds two books to the core every year.