Do We Know (Officially) when Barbarians and Druids will be Released?

[DreamChaser]

If the classes for PHBII were designed months ago, why can't they realease it sooner?

Marketing & production schedules.

On a marketing end, the two books could be perceived to compete with each other, with some buying one but not the other. This is a poor business choice for WotC.

On a production end, they are already doing full print runs on 3 books, which represents an immense investment of time, money, and work. Adding a 4th would probably tip the scales on what will likely be an errata-heavy trio as it is.

DC

 

[Belorin]

If the classes for PHBII were designed months ago, why can't they realease it sooner?

They need to come up with the other classes for the Primal power source?

Bel

 

[Waylander the Slayer]

Part of the marketing strrategy to spread "core" so as to increase sales of future products. ( No reason, if they were done months ago, not to have it included in the PHB).

 

[The Little Raven]

( No reason, if they were done months ago, not to have it included in the PHB).

I've got a reason: Inability to produce a book with unlimited page count. There are limits to what you can fit in a 320-page book that also needs all the core rules to play the game, so adding yet another power source is not viable.

 

[Xethreau]

If the classes for PHBII were designed months ago, why can't they realease it sooner?

Most likely, they would not release a PHB2 very soon because, as you know, there are allready complaints about splatbooks, and it might appear as if the product was being forced onto customers.

I anticipate that we might see them on DDI.

 

[CleverNickName]

I think that all we have heard on the subject is rumor and speculation...nobody has told us anything certain. If I had to guess, I would say that they would be released in the PHBII, and/or as a special web enhancement on D&D Insider.

It is a shame really...I was hoping that they would be in the first PHB. It is a major deciding factor for me and my gaming group on whether or not we will convert to 4E (we have a druid, a monk, and a barbarian).

 

[MaelStorm]

Most likely, they would not release a PHB2 very soon

Sure, but how many people are they loosing because of this strategy?

because as you know, there are allready complaints about splatbooks, and it might appear as if the product was being forced onto customers.

PHBII is not a splatbook, plus there are no more classes release in splatbook.

 

[MaelStorm]

The argument of trying not to force too many books on their consumers. Have you seen the WotC lineup to 2009 at DDXP? Draconomicon I is more important than bards and druids!
EDIT: What I get from WotC is that profit is more important than release a complete product, so they can sell it later on, plus they can push more DDI content.

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

The argument of trying not to force too many book on their consumers. Have you seen the WotC lineup to 2009 at DDXP? Draconomicon I is more important than bards and druids!
EDIT: What I get from WotC is that more profit is important, than release a complete product so they can sell it later on.

In some ways it is. People like dragons, they get a lot of request for dragon material and everything they've put the word dragon on sells better than other books.

However, I can also see that the books aren't directly competing against each other.

It seems WOTC started making about 15 different classes for 4th Ed at the same time. When they realized the page count that each class required due to having their own LONG list of powers, they realized they couldn't put more than 8 classes in the PHB.

This meant that some of the ones they'd been working on would have to be delayed until a different book. Made sense for new classes to be in the PHB II or PHB III. However, you don't want to release a whole bunch of books that people will want all at the same time. You want to space them far enough apart that people will be able to afford all of them. Plus, you want the game to keep going for a number of years to come. If you release 25 classes right now, a book of 1000 magic items, a book of 1000 feats and a book of 1000 powers, then you pretty much have published everything anyone will need for the next 10 years of gaming. Not only that, but the amount of work required to complete that is more than can be completed in the next couple of month.

So, for the health of the game, you need to split all of those options up over a number of books that come out slowly.

 

[MaelStorm]

This is one big problem, I know. But I'm an unhappy customer and I'll be completely happy only in june next year with the return of bards, druids, sorcerer and barbarian. All primal class. Plus controllers are limited to Wizard only.