PHB2: Meh.

[Verys Arkon]

Got to throw the players a bone - DMs have been getting all the books lately: Draconomicon, Open Grave, most of Manual of the Planes, and a fair chunk of Dragon and all of Dungeon.

I'm a huge fan of the organization of 4e so far. Players material in players books, DM material in DM books, Power books by source, limited campaign setting books.

And as a DM, I aspire to someday actually get a chance to play (thank the gods for Game Day), so the PH2 is good for torturing me with classes I'll never get to play as something other then a short lived NPC.

PDFs are handy, data in the Character Builder next week (!) rocks, but you can't beat having hardcopy in your hands and at the table.

 

[ferratus]

I'm actually meh about the PHB2 for another reason. It is a player oriented book, and I've got a subscription that includes the character builder.

Now, I probably wouldn't be so enthusiastically happy with my subscription if I didn't have that Character Generator and Compendium, and I only collected 2 or 3 books outside the core 3 in the entire run of D&D 3e (I spent my money on minis and adventures instead) so I don't think WotC is losing any money.

But the only book I've bought since the original set has been "Manual of the Planes" because of the large fluff quotient of the book, and a few of the H and P adventures. I decided I didn't need Martial Power, Draconomicon, Open Grave, and now PHB2.

I'm a happier customer, because I couldn't bring myself to spend $20-$30 for a book I'll hardly ever use and only 2-3 pages of that in 3e, but are people who used to buy everything having the experience that they don't need to buy as many books?

 

[Hjorimir]

Just turn to page 182 of your DMG and slap together class templates! Next thing you know, you're off to the races making all kinds of new nasties!

 

[Scribble]

Today, my copy of the PHB2 arrived. (Actually, two copies arrived: One for me, another a birthday present for a friend). I've glanced through it. Shiny. Nice art.

And... meh.

This reaction has nothing to do with the quality of what's in it; I'm sure my players will delight in being able to play the new races and classes, and there's a few feats that will totally delight them.

However, I'm pretty much exclusively a DM of D&D these days (I play Star Wars Saga), and it's not a book that really offers much to me considering how I run my games.

DMG2? MM2? Can't wait!

PHB2? Meh.



Cheers!

You know I was kind of thinking the saem thing as I glanced through it last night.

I'm the DM of my group too... so while my players are excited about it, and I think it's a pretty good book, I'm not going to be using anything in it (aside from rituas and magic items) really for a while.

Shrug. I'm lookin forward to DMG II and MM II as well!

 

[Kask]

I don't like buying sight unseen. Since none of the major chain bookstores around carry D&D anymore I'm waiting for a fellow gamer to buy so I can look it over.

 

[Malacoda]

Count me as a DM stoked about the PHB2. I picked it up the day of release.

I see it as a world-building tool, almost more than a new DMG. I want things like classes and races integrated into the setting on some level, and so having the book to peruse is nice.

 

[Otterscrubber]

I like the PHB2, it is exactly what I was expecting, more classes, powers, feats, paragon paths, epic destinies. Were some people expecting rules changes or errata? Don't think that is what it was intended to be. For what I think it was intended to be it does a good job.

I really like the sorcerer as well as the avenger, warden and shaman especially. Fun new classes, adds some more flavor and options. Good to see the bard as well, although I haven't had time to read it yet. Druids have gotten much more interesting as well. Good buy if you ask me, although I know I run the risk of being called a fanboi. But I'll live

 

[Leif]

But the only book I've bought since the original set has been "Manual of the Planes" because of the large fluff quotient of the book, and a few of the H and P adventures. I decided I didn't need Martial Power, Draconomicon, Open Grave, and now PHB2.

You're a stronger man than I. I originally bought the 4e ph, mm, and dmg just to see what all the hype was. And also because I knew I would have been kicking myself if there was D&D stuff out there that I didn't have and knew nothing about. Yeah, right. Fast forward one year. I'm now knee deep in 4e books and wondering when my fever will break and I'll be able to stop immediately buying every new release. As a DM, I really like, for instance, Open Grave, but my hatred of all things undead as a player makes me reluctant to throw that stuff at my players, for fear that they'll all desert me en masse. And why, oh why, couldn't they have combined the FR Player's Guide and the FR Campaign Setting into one bloody book? And I'll answer that question: They could have, but doing so would have cut into the Holy Profit Margin.

But, having now fully Griped my Gripe, I am looking forward to PH2, and I have it on almost undeniable authority that I shall be buying said book this very day, (Yay!) even though my goofy primary reason is that GNOMES ARE BACK!!!