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.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Yeah, its a very game-first approach, but that's fine if that's your preference.

I can understand it as class is the most important, defining feature of a character in D&D. It doesn't really matter very much if your character is an Elf, Halfling, Goliath, or Human as the game won't be significantly different for you no matter which species you choose. i.e. An Elf Monk will play pretty much the same as a Halfling or Dwarf Monk.

I grew up under the old paradigm where each race had bonuses or penalties applied to their attributes. If I wanted to play a Fighter then picking a Halfling might not make a lot of sense. If I'm coming into the game as a new player, picking class first makes sense because whatever species I select isn't going to have any impact on my character's class.

My brother once made a very fine halfling fighter in 3e. It felt very like a fighter/rogue hybrid. Focussing on finesse weapons and thrown daggers.

That character was a blast to play with.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Well, many people come in with at least that much of an idea.

One of the things I like about systems that have stat qualifiers for race/species/heritage/whatever is that, when you roll your stats in order as I often like to do, you might not qualify for every choice, which feels more naturalistic to me. Of course, that's not going to work if you have an idea in mind before you start and don't want to risk compromising it, but it's fun for me.

I like that idea. I might do it someday again. I can also see chosing background and species first Then rolling top to bottom. Maybe with choice of 3d6 to 5d6 assigned as you like (with an average of 4d6).

 

[MGibster]

My brother once made a very fine halfling fighter in 3e. It felt very like a fighter/rogue hybrid. Focussing on finesse weapons and thrown daggers.

There wasn't any such thing as finesse melee weapons when I started playing AD&D.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

There wasn't any such thing as finesse melee weapons when I started playing AD&D.

No. But halflings were ok fighters if they used ranged weapons. You probably were better off as a fighter/thief though.

But it is a good thing class and atteibute restrictions are gone now.

I am still torn about making small and medium nearly identical game play wise...

 

[Zardnaar]

No. But halflings were ok fighters if they used ranged weapons. You probably were better off as a fighter/thief though.

But it is a good thing class and atteibute restrictions are gone now.

I am still torn about making small and medium nearly identical game play wise...

Halfling dagger thrower weapon specialist. Just saying.

 

[Oofta]

I can understand it as class is the most important, defining feature of a character in D&D. It doesn't really matter very much if your character is an Elf, Halfling, Goliath, or Human as the game won't be significantly different for you no matter which species you choose. i.e. An Elf Monk will play pretty much the same as a Halfling or Dwarf Monk.

I grew up under the old paradigm where each race had bonuses or penalties applied to their attributes. If I wanted to play a Fighter then picking a Halfling might not make a lot of sense. If I'm coming into the game as a new player, picking class first makes sense because whatever species I select isn't going to have any impact on my character's class.

Bah, humbug! You young wippersnappers have it easy. Back in the day dwarves were fighting men, hobbits (yes hobbits!) were thieves and if you wanted to do both fighting stuff and magic ya had to be an elf! Now get off my lawn!

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

Bah, humbug! You young wippersnappers have it easy. Back in the day dwarves were fighting men, hobbits (yes hobbits!) were thieves and if you wanted to do both fighting stuff and magic ya had to be an elf! Now get off my lawn!

Bah! Fighting Men were different than Dwarves, and Hobbits were different from Thieves! Literally!

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Bah! Fighting Men were different than Dwarves, and Hobbits were different from Thieves! Literally!

Fighting men were taller and hobbits were shorter.

 

[pemerton]

Logically, one acquires their species in real life before one chooses their adventuring career.

One doesn't acquire one's species at all. One's species is an integral component of one's being!

 

[Micah Sweet]

One doesn't acquire one's species at all. One's species is an integral component of one's being!

Is the nomenclature an important point of contention here?