New Core Rulebooks Every Year - A Mistake

[masshysteria]

Exactly. I'd rather another Player's Handbook as opposed to a bunch of complete books. Makes a lot more sense IMO. The thread doesn't cover this much, but I also really like the idea of them doing a new Campaign Setting every year. You can expect those products every year and it will generate a lot of discussion about what will be new this year. I think its a great way to go.

My thoughts exactly. I'm much more likely to buy PHB X, Y, or Z than Complete X, Y, or Z. I think it also means it is easier to customize homebrew settings. You can list which power sources are allowed. Want to run an oriental adventures game, use Marital, Ki (speculating), and Arcane. Want something a little different try Marital, Psionics, and Gadgets (speculating again)

I'm also excited about the new campaign settings. Campaigns I play in usually don't last longer than a year and then we want to try something different. If Wizards implements all this "right" they might end up getting a whole lot of my disposable income.

 

[masshysteria]

Do we know yet whether the sequential rulebooks in each series will be complete? That is, will a player have all the rules a player needs when he buys the PHB III in 2011 (though with somewhat different class building options than the preceding PHBs)?

I haven't read anything to confirm or deny this, but I'm hoping it gives everything needed to play as a stand-alone book with the possible exception of character creation rules.

 

[masshysteria]

Mmm... it's a good idea in the eyes of someone who plan to follow the evolution of the game.

But what about those who will enter the game 2-3 years from now, will look at the books and think "D&D... sounds like a nice game, maybe I should check it out", and then discover that they need to buy 9 books to play with everyone else?

In previous editions the game didn't change every year (although there were some updates in splatbooks and articles), it was instead very modular. You bought the core books and you played the game. If you liked it, you had tons of additional books you could choose to buy to expand your game.

If the PHB/MM/DMG sequels are modular, then there isn't a problem. If each power source can be swapped in and out along with its associated classes and/or races then there shouldn't be a problem and really opens up the game for some interesting options. What happens in a world with no arcane power source?

A newcomer, 2-3 years down the road, only needs to pick up the PHB with the power source he wants, down from 9 books to 1. If that newcomer is the DM then we are looking at 3-9 books depending on what power sources he wants.

The rule Wizards of the Coast needs to take to heart is that each PHB needs to stand on its own. There shouldn't be a rewritting of what has come before. The sequel books need to branch out, not up.

 

[Charwoman Gene]

A newcomer, 2-3 years down the road, only needs to pick up the PHB with the power source he wants, down from 9 books to 1. If that newcomer is the DM then we are looking at 3-9 books depending on what power sources he wants.

The rule Wizards of the Coast needs to take to heart is that each PHB needs to stand on its own. There shouldn't be a rewritting of what has come before. The sequel books need to branch out, not up.

So, the books should be completely independent, and usable without PH1.

And they shouldn't reprint anything. Including Combat, Equipment, Ability scores.
??

 

[masshysteria]

So, the books should be completely independent, and usable without PH1.

And they shouldn't reprint anything. Including Combat, Equipment, Ability scores.
??

When I mean rewriting, I mean the rewriting of the wizard class or the changes to the divine power source. Sorry for the confusion.

The combat, ability scores, etc. can be reprinted in the same way quick start rules are.

 

[Dr. Rock]

Just a thought here, but what if WotC tied the yearly PHBx, DMGx, etc to the stated "one setting a year" in some ways? When they do Eberron, that year's PHB can have Articifers, Warforged, Shifters, all that jazz. When they do FR, they can throw in node magic, more domains (or whatever they'll be calling the cleric spheres or schools), some FR style races, etc. That way, they settings themselves can be settings and not big piles of new feats and spells. If you want to play Eberron, for instance, then you need that year's "core" stuff in addition to the gazeteer for the setting. Of course, WotC would have to stuff each PHB, etc, with lots of goodies to entice people who don't play that year's featured setting, but I think they're up to the task

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

I think they'll do fine with just a format very similar to the way that the PHB2 was written. Each year we get a book with a bunch of classes, some new feats, a couple new cool rules.

So, in 2009, we get a book that has Bard, Barbarian, Druid, Swordmage. Rules on how to play kobolds as a player race. And they put in feats, special abilities and spells that work well with these classes along with a rule on how to change wizard implements to new objects (like amulets)

In 2010, they release a book with Warlock, Psion, Psionic Warrior, Favored Soul. Once again, spells, abilities and feats for these classes. Plus it will have rules for goblin as a player race and a new rule on...something else.

It will likely work a lot like expansions do in MMORPGs right now(and I know someone will hate me for saying this). So, if you have the "expansion" you can play the new classes in it and use the new races in it. Those who don't own it can still play the game without it.

 

[Crazy Jerome]

I see alot of people espousing the sentiment that the multiple PHB's will cut down on splat-books, but I don't see this happening in anyway. If WotC is using the PHB's to premiere new power sources it seems logical that they won't have room to supplement previous power sources in the same book.

That would be true if there were 4 original books: Rules, PHB, DMG, MM. Then the rules would hold all the common stuff, everyone would get it, and every book thereafter wouldn't repeat anything in it. However, since the first PHB and DMG will hold a lot of rules, and assuming they don't make every single PHB an "alternate" PHB, then the second and subsequent PHBs will actually have quite a lot of space to provide additions to things that have gone before.

Given that, I don't see there being enough material to do a bunch of splats. What you might have is a handful of "everything but the kitchen sink" splats--perhaps a bunch of material that is just a little too strange and untested to go in a "core" book. OTOH, if they are doing a campaign book a year, then presumably most such material would go there.

More "core" plus more "campaign" means a bigger squeeze on the traditional splat material from both ends, crunch and fluff. Squeeze it enough, and all you have left is enough material to do a magazine article--but wait, what was that about weekly magazine articles again?

 

[Mercule]

It will likely work a lot like expansions do in MMORPGs right now(and I know someone will hate me for saying this). So, if you have the "expansion" you can play the new classes in it and use the new races in it. Those who don't own it can still play the game without it.

This is the only MMORPG comparison, thus far, that I've actually liked. If they do this, it will be a good thing.

 

[masshysteria]

Just a thought here, but what if WotC tied the yearly PHBx, DMGx, etc to the stated "one setting a year" in some ways? When they do Eberron, that year's PHB can have Articifers, Warforged, Shifters, all that jazz. <snip>

I'm sure that will happen to some extent. They will probably tell us you don't need the new PHB to play the setting of the year, but it would definitely expand the game. Besides, the cross promotion would help sell more books.