D&D 5E Convince me to Spend the Money

[Valador]

How is asking people to post nice things about the 5e books (and 5e itself), and what the books offer me, bait?

Aside from the fact that you seem dead set against giving 5e D&D a chance, yet keep insisting on people trying to sell it to you? You seem to be pretty closed off to a lot of the ideas or comments presented in this thread. I don't know if it's because of some undying fanboy bias towards Pathfinder or what... All anyone can say is try it or don't, even though at the end of the day I'm pretty sure you came here with your mind all ready made up. If $50 is too much to, for a lack of a better word, "gamble" away, then maybe you have bigger issues than whether or not to consider 5e...

Perhaps this is just my military perception and maybe I'm wrong. But it LOOKS like a major cause of poop or get off the pot to me.

 

[Wicht]

Aside from the fact that you seem dead set against giving 5e D&D a chance,...

I really don't understand this assertion. I have merely said I am not interested in playing it right now. That is not a value judgment on the game nor does it in any way reflect on my willingness to buy the books.

Am I the last gamer alive who buys game books merely for the sake of reading those books?

 

[Valador]

Maybe it just seems weird to people, the concept of reading rule books for S&G's with no intent on actually using said books to play the intended game. But I guess whatever floats your boat. It's your money, if you wanna look at pretty pictures and admire something that's going to probably collect dust then that's your prerogative. Sorry if I seem like an ass, occupational side affect... I would advise checking out the free rules pdf and I guess if you determine if gives you whatever satisfaction you're looking for then go bigger with the PHB. If you can't set aside your dislike for PDFs long enough to help make a decision then I would probably just say go read the book in a book store...

Anyways, I've posted too much and I'm jeopardizing my lurker status. Good luck...

 

[Wicht]

Maybe it just seems weird to people, the concept of reading rule books for S&G's with no intent on actually using said books to play the intended game.

I started a thread on this very question as I didn't think it was weird, but maybe the world has moved on without me. Feel free to add your viewpoint there if you want.

Anyways, I've posted too much and I'm jeopardizing my lurker status. Good luck...

Your not an official lurker till you reach the 1 year membership mark without any posts. Sorry. You'll just have to start posting more frequently to make up for the loss of status.

 

[Halivar]

Don't spend $100. Only spend $50 and get the PHB. If you want the equivalent material to the PF Core + Bestiary, get the MM too (but not necessary for dipping your toes). I think of the DMG as more of a Kit-Basher's Guide, but as you say, you like fiddly construction so the DMG is definitely on your radar IF you decide the game is for you. In reality, I never refer to the DMG in play.

EDIT: To elaborate: a lot of the "game physics" of the world that were locked away in the DMG are in the PHB this time around. It was pretty handy for those of use who started as soon as it came out. It also explains why the DMG came out last; the game was really pretty much complete without it save magic items.

 

[Hrothgar Rannúlfr]

Hi, Wicht.

I'm reading through the 5E Player's Handbook, now.

My history with D&D goes all the way back to the 80's with BECMI and AD&D. I still have my books from back then. Also, have AD&D2, 3.0, 3.5, and PF books. And, I enjoyed reading them all (especially B, AD&D, and 3X/PF). For me, it's not just the rules, but the nuggets of information about the places, races, classes, and individuals in the D&D multiverse. The main thing that I'm noticing about the 5E Player's Handbook are the various references to the worlds and parts of those worlds of D&D within the text. And, I really like that.

I think the 5E books are worth reading for someone who likes to read RPG rulebooks, even if they don't get to play them. Especially, if you're a fan of the various D&D worlds. And, though I'm reading the PHB, now, I can say that I found reading most of the entries in the 5E Monster Manual entertaining, also. The fluff text in this edition is very good, in my opinion.

I guess if I had to choose between buying a book for the system I was playing or buying the 5E core rule books, I'd probably buy the one I was most likely to use. Luckily, for me, the 5E core rule books are going to see the heaviest use at my RPG table. I'll also be spending a lot of time with them away from the table as I read and re-read them to get ready for the next adventure and making up the characters and monsters that populate my RPG world.

 

[Rhenny]

Over the years, I've bought plenty of game books for games and systems I wasn't planning on running. I totally understand how a book can be entertaining, even useful when I don't run the system. During the D&D playtest I bought the pathfinder core rulebook just to see what it had done with 3.5e. I ended up playing it too. I think that the 5e core books are worth owning even if you don't play it now. The books have value and who knows, you may even play a game or two if you get a chance.

 

[Shasarak]

This comparison never makes sense. Paizo took a 10 yo game that another company had designed and produced, and sold it under a different name. WOTC designed a new edition, rethought the mechanics, the brand, and had a huge playtest - and even then you get the basic rules for free.

I guess it makes as much sense as paying for yet another version of Orcs and Fireballs possibly can make sense.

 

[Sailor Moon]

Aside from the fact that you seem dead set against giving 5e D&D a chance, yet keep insisting on people trying to sell it to you? You seem to be pretty closed off to a lot of the ideas or comments presented in this thread. I don't know if it's because of some undying fanboy bias towards Pathfinder or what... All anyone can say is try it or don't, even though at the end of the day I'm pretty sure you came here with your mind all ready made up. If $50 is too much to, for a lack of a better word, "gamble" away, then maybe you have bigger issues than whether or not to consider 5e...

Perhaps this is just my military perception and maybe I'm wrong. But it LOOKS like a major cause of poop or get off the pot to me.

How come just because you have doubts about D&D that suddenly makes you a Pathfinder fanboy?

 

[Sword of Spirit]

Some thoughts:

If you enjoyed reading the 3e core books, you should enjoy reading the 5e books. The introductory sections of the Basic Rules (or PHB), if slowly enjoyed (rather than gobbled quickly) awaken that sense of wonder of first reading D&D rules back in editions of yore. In fact, I'd say that the books are more enjoyable when slowly read in your comfortable chair, rather than just scanned for data. In particular, the Monster Manual is the best MM since the 2e Monstrous Compendiums, hands down. And it has full color art--lots of it. It is worth reading it just for the D&D lore that they've captured (and in some cases reworked, but generally just expanded upon without invalidating). I'm surprised that no one brought up the large quantity of random tables in the DMG. There are a lot of tables in there for inspirational purposes that you could use in any edition of D&D or a fantasy game. I vote the DMG, as "5e book most likely to be useful for non-5e gaming," just on that basis.

You will get inspiration as you read through the DMG and MM, and you should definitely get inspiration on characters from the PHB.

You are able to try it without buying it. How can this possibly be a bad thing? The Starter Set has a great adventure that is good for about 20 hours of play. Or you can even download one of the free adventures out there. I believe necromancer games has converted one to 5e.

Let me comment on this. "20 hours" seems to me more accurate if you don't role-play, ignore all sidequests, only play with Basic characters (there is nothing stopping you from using the options in the PHB for this adventure--it's exactly the same game rules), and run combat on a timer. I have a group of heavy role-players, and it has taken us about 20 sessions of 3-5 hours to cover all the included content (that's not including extra content I've thrown in that has added more sessions).

One other interesting concept is saving throws do not scale

I should probably point out for the OP's benefit that each character is proficient with two out of the six saving throws, and those saving throws do scale.

I like art, and a nice layout always pleases me. But I don't think its ever really been the one thing that ever sold me on a book. Though if we could get some comics back into rulebooks as with 1st edition ADnD, that would be great.

If it weren't out of print I'd try to sell you on buying the Alpha Omega RPG (especially their monster manual) just for the art, and I'm probably coming from a philosophy similar to yours. Those are the only RPGs products I've bought primarily for the art, and I do not regret it, as the art and setting is outstanding and it is worth using the books with a different game system just to have the art and setting.