Core Rules Alternative Cover Gift Set

Original covers online: $96. This set: $170. It is hard to justify spending that much for something we already have, or could get much cheaper with the normal covers.

 

[rknop]

Uh, wake up yourself?!?! PDF is OLD technology, and though it will never be obsolete, it is archaic and barely functional.

....? In what way is it barely functional? If you want to read formatted pages, well, PDF does that quite well.

PDF is just a decades old technology, but it does what it does every well, which is why every other game company releases all their stuff as PDFs. (Indeed, Wizards release everything but their core books as PDFs.)

Printed and bound books are a much, much more archaic technology, being several centuries old. Yet, we still use them and are still able to read them.

Just because something was invented a long time ago doesn't mean that it's not still functional.

As has been stated, there are much better digital formats than PDF, and 5E is available in several of them with DDB, Fantasy Grounds and Roll 20.

While all of these may do some things that PDFs do not, none of them serve the purpose that a simple PDF would serve. That is, having a file in a non-proprietary format that you can read on whatever device and with whatever software you want to read it with. A simple electronic copy of the text and layout that does not require regular subscription fees to maintain.

 

[Demetrios1453]

no need to pay for a regular subscription on top of what you've paid to get the book in the first place

You don't need to pay a subscription to access what you've purchased on D&D Beyond. You only need to do so if you want to share your purchases with others, remove ads from the site, or add more character slots.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Original covers online: $96. This set: $170. It is hard to justify spending that much for something we already have, or could get much cheaper with the normal covers.

So don’t buy it then. I already own the core rule books and won’t be buying this set as I don’t feel the need to rebuy them to get the slipcase or the collector’s editions. However, there are people out there that do want that, so I’m happy for them that the product will now be available.

 

[Tiles]

There is also a lot of books being passed down to the next generation. I know my original copies will be a boon to the lucky kid (my son) who ends up with them.

 

[EthanSental]

I contacted my favorite comic and gaming store and have one waiting for me in mid October (alt cover version).

 

[Sunseeker]

Well, that's pretty much retail price for 3 books and a screen. Not really any "buy a bundle" deal here. But at least there's no apparent "collectors edition markup". So, kinda 50/50. I remember the main reason I bought the 4E "core book bundle" was because it was discounted slightly off the price of buying all 3 books individually (like 15% or something, but it was still something).

I like the new alt covers to go with the special covers they've been doing for the other books, but I already own the core books and I'm just not that much of a collector.

Also...I really don't find the 5E DM screen very helpful....

 

[mach1.9pants]

It offers things PDFs do not, but it doesn't fill the need that PDFs fill. It's a proprietary service to which you subscribe, and that require you to be online. A PDF would be a book, in electronic format, that you can read on whatever device you want. What's more, as with the physical book, you buy it, and then you have it; no need to pay for a regular subscription on top of what you've paid to get the book in the first place.

The existence of D&D Beyond does nothing to reduce the need for PDFs. It's a whole different thing.

Sorry you've got DnD Beyond wrong. Once you buy the book, it is yours forever with no subscription required. Also you can download the books and use them offline in the app. Same as a PDF except you will need the DnD Beyond app to still work. I am sure one day it will not, but before then, as mentioned up thread, save the book as a PDF from DnD Beyond for future use. Then you have both

 

[Sands999]

Special edition covers go up in price later. This is a collector's item, not a required purchase. The covers look awesome. I collect the special edition covers, and will probably get this one too! I love themmmm.

 

[MNblockhead]

...and you know what format you still can't get the core books in? PDF! When is WotC going to realize that we're in the second decade of the 21st century? That all not having PDFs does is hurt their sales. You get people like me who have ignored 5e altogether because of the lack of legal PDFs. Then you get the people who might have purchased a legal PDF, but because it wasn't available, found it another way. There's no way that the unavailability of legal PDFs fights piracy; it just inconveniences and/or drives away their legitimate customers.

WOTC! WAKE UP!

I would almost certainly have purchased at least one or two of the core books in hardback by now if it were possible to get legal PDFs for them. (Better if you got a free PDF with the hardback, which most companies do nowadays.)

I don't understand why anyone would want a PDF. I find larger documents to be cumbersome in PDF and I've yet to find a PDF reader that renders PDFs well on mobile devices. As others have said, there are better, more modern digital formats.

 

[Marandahir]

50+50+50+20 = 170.

Simple as that. They're going with full priced Books and Screen for this special release.

That makes sense to me. Of course the non-special edition version that's been out forever will be discounted online!