D&D 5E Playtest Packet soon to be removed: ooohhhh!

[Jester David]

It's going to make playing and running encounters much harder.

Hosting costs are negligible, especially as they already have a website and hosting package AND will be reducing downloads of Dragon and Dungeon magazine. So that's not an issue.

More than likely there's the fear that if people can download the playtest for free they won't buy the game. Or that people will think the playtest is still ongoing and not progressing because packages haven't updated.

 

[Falling Icicle]

Wait, you mean they're going to come steal your copy of the playtest material from your hard drive or whatever print outs you have?

I think it's more like they said, "Here's some fancy new dinner plates, you can use them for a while without buying them. After that, if you want any more or newer plates, you're going to have to pay."

You're taking what I said way too seriously. I was joking.

 

[Plaguescarred]

The Solicitation Flyer for upcoming adventure Scourge of the Sword Coast says it will be PDF only and that it will use a subset of the D&D Next playtest rules, available for download at dndclassics.com.

• Scourge of the Sword Coast is played using a subset of the D&D® Next playtest
rules, available for download at dndclassics.com.
• This season, players and Dungeon Masters use the official Scourge of the Sword
Coast digital adventure that will be available for purchase through
dndclassics.com

 

[Jester David]

As I said on the other thread, that explains why they're removing the playtest package. They're expecting us to BUY the next revision of the rules!

 

[Jester David]

Based on when the rules will be available this might be the final version of the rules. The finished content that will be sent to the printers.

Which would be a great way if getting the content out! They release a PDF of the core books six months before the books are in stores letting people play early.
This would also let them release playtests for advanced modules while they work on those books.

 

[fjw70]

Based on when the rules will be available this might be the final version of the rules. The finished content that will be sent to the printers.

Which would be a great way if getting the content out! They release a PDF of the core books six months before the books are in stores letting people play early.
This would also let them release playtests for advanced modules while they work on those books.

Having a PDF of the core rulebook out by February would be interesting. I hadn't considered the possibility of an early PDF release. We will have to wait and see.

 

[GX.Sigma]

They release a PDF of the core books six months before the books are in stores letting people play early.

I think that would be like releasing a movie on Netflix before releasing it in theaters. Why would people buy a rulebook if they already have the rules in a much more convenient, less expensive form?

 

[mach1.9pants]

Cos we like books?

 

[Jester David]

I think that would be like releasing a movie on Netflix before releasing it in theaters. Why would people buy a rulebook if they already have the rules in a much more convenient, less expensive form?

1) Referencing a book can be faster at the table, especially if you have something bookmarked. And you can have multiple books open at the same time.
2) The power in a book never dies.
3) We like books.

I have two copies of the Pathfinder core rulebook despite the PDF being $10 and the rules being free online. Because I want them and because they're handy. And because I didn't feel forced to buy them (or price gouged for an electronic copy). 3e and PF have show you can give away the rules and people will still buy.

If they're going to release the SRD anyway, they might as well get it out early so people can play during the 40th Anniversary.
Heck, when the game is "done" but in layout (which takes weeks) they could throw the rules up as a simple PDF file and let the fans pick over it for a week or two looking for last minute rules problems and editing mistakes that they can fix, rather than have a situation like 4e where they had to errata in the first month.

 

[darjr]

I have often purchased a cheaper PDF before purchasing the hardback. and I've also purchased a hardback and the got the pdf