D&D 5E Do all the rules need to be released at once?

[Jeff Carlsen]

I don't think the boxed set is going to be a beginners set with levels 1-5. I think it's going to be a complete game, with at least four races and classes through at least level 10, possibly 20. The difference will simply be pre-selected subclasses and few if any optional modules presented.

 

[Sunseeker]

In fact, I'd go one further - it needs to be possible to export your chosen configuration, pass it to your players, and have them import the settings for "Delericho's Campaign" into their tool for creating their characters. (And it needs to be something that can be swapped in and out, too - because the settings for "Delericho's Campaign" probably don't match those from "Shidaku's Campaign", but a single player might well play in both.)

Even if we could email our friends a temporary password or something to access a "Shidaku Campaign" pre-configured setup when building their characters, would be handy.

 

[Stormonu]

It's interesting how many people want to see a boxed set released first when that would take several months longer than a book. Having the Starter Box come out at the same time or a month early means there'd be this awkward period of a month or two where the box is finished but it's too soon to get the books finished but you cannot playtest or change anything because the former needs to be compatible with the later.

From what I've read about publishing, the books are finished a good 3-6 months before they go to market. Likewise 1E, 2E and 3E had its book releases (PHB, MM, DMG) staggered out at one month apiece. There's no reason they can't have the rules finished, put the starter box set out the first month and then release the "full" game a month later.

 

[Jester David]

From what I've read about publishing, the books are finished a good 3-6 months before they go to market. Likewise 1E, 2E and 3E had its book releases (PHB, MM, DMG) staggered out at one month apiece. There's no reason they can't have the rules finished, put the starter box set out the first month and then release the "full" game a month later.

Just re-checked an interview, and Mearls says 3-5 months for a hardcover book and 9 for a boxed set. The variance is likely based on print run size (so the core rules would hit closer to 5). Which means you can't change the rules for this 3-month window after you send the box to be printed in China (or as high as 6-months).

Which means if you're planning a box for release in GenCon 2014 it needs to be finished and material sent to China in late November of 2013. But if you want a hardcover released the month after GenCon you need to finish it late May 2014.
Which means one of a few options:
a) there are going to be differences between the starter box and the core rules, or
b) the starter box has to come out after the core rules, or
c) the core rules are less polished than they could be.

Those are hard choices. I think "b" is the least offensive and gives them the most time to test. Aim for core books at GenCon and a starter box for Christmas.

Or, they could just dismiss boxes as unnecessary and release a starter book.

 

[delericho]

Which means if you're planning a box for release in GenCon 2014 it needs to be finished and material sent to China in late November of 2013. But if you want a hardcover released the month after GenCon you need to finish it late May 2014.
Which means one of a few options:
a) there are going to be differences between the starter box and the core rules, or
b) the starter box has to come out after the core rules, or
c) the core rules are less polished than they could be.

Those are hard choices. I think "b" is the least offensive and gives them the most time to test. Aim for core books at GenCon and a starter box for Christmas.

Bear in mind that, with the best will in the world, there will be mistakes in anything that is published. Even if they somehow managed to get the rules "perfect" before they sent them to China, there would still be mistakes in the printed product - some few typos would slip through the final editing stage, or a change was entered incorrectly, or something (more likely, the rules won't be "perfect" and will need errata anyway).

Which means that if they send the core rules and the starter to the printers at the same time, by the time the latter is released it will already be outdated. (Though, sadly, I think that's inevitable anyway. As far as I can tell, the only way to avoid it is secret option

(d) The starter set is the Core Rulebooks, with the PHB, DMG, and MM being supplements to that released some time later.

 

[steeldragons]

Just re-checked an interview, and Mearls says 3-5 months for a hardcover book and 9 for a boxed set. The variance is likely based on print run size (so the core rules would hit closer to 5). Which means you can't change the rules for this 3-month window after you send the box to be printed in China (or as high as 6-months).

Which means if you're planning a box for release in GenCon 2014 it needs to be finished and material sent to China in late November of 2013. But if you want a hardcover released the month after GenCon you need to finish it late May 2014.
Which means one of a few options:
a) there are going to be differences between the starter box and the core rules, or
b) the starter box has to come out after the core rules, or
c) the core rules are less polished than they could be.

Those are hard choices. I think "b" is the least offensive and gives them the most time to test. Aim for core books at GenCon and a starter box for Christmas.

Or, they could just dismiss boxes as unnecessary and release a starter book.

And as someone who has been on the editing side of publishing, I can tell you that that 3 month window would be, actually, hunky doory fine. That's when the editing is getting done. And things like layout and final art decisions. You are making corrections, fixing typos, grammar, or rearranging a sentence structure here or there...checking that all of the numbers in all of the tables are right/make sense, page numbers and headers on every page, etc etc etc. That's when it is "in production".

Changes to the actual material, like what you think would be getting done, at that stage is...well, let's just say a HUGE inconvenience (not to mention waste of time and lots of money). There is no "changing the rules" a month before the book releases. That's nonsense. Whether a box comes out first or the hardbacks, doesn't matter...a few months inbetween, those rules SHOULD be done, in stone! Doesn't matter which gets released first or needs longer to get printed and packaged. Substantive alterations to the material in question is simply...anywhere from annoying inconvenience to out of the question depending on how close to deadline you are.

 

[Alzrius]

Likewise 1E, 2E and 3E had its book releases (PHB, MM, DMG) staggered out at one month apiece.

Well, the original 1E releases had them staggered out at one year apiece.

1977 - Monster Manual
1978 - Player's Handbook
1979 - Dungeon Master's Guide

But I doubt that 5E will go quite that far.