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Message: <blockquote data-quote="delericho" data-source="post: 5621697" data-attributes="member: 22424">Indeed, I think that's the major problem.Existing players buying a new edition will want to buy the 'complete' game. For D&D, this has traditionally meant the PHB/DMG/MM combination. This presents all the rules, all the races, classes and other options, and is generally the full deal.The problem is that that typically represents the better part of 1,000 pages of text (and $100). Put that in the hands of a new potential player, and watch the enthusiasm in their eyes die. I have seen it. "You mean we have to read all of this before we can play?"And the reality is that, yes, someone does have to read it before you can play - someone needs to read and understand the rules, create characters, create an adventure, and then they can start having fun. (Or buy an adventure, at the cost of more money and reading.)And all this for a game they might like? No wonder they'd rather play WoW!The solution to this would seem to be the Starter Set. Unfortunately, these typically use not just a restricted set of options, but a dumbed down ruleset to avoid the complexity. Worse, they tend to be designed as a throwaway product (or a pay-for preview, if you will) - play this to 2nd level, and then buy our Essentials books! (Oh, and do all that reading anyway, and unlearn what you have learned.)Faced with that, it's no wonder that the Starter Sets always fail. (It doesn't help that there really hasn't been a good one since the last Red Box.)I've gone on about this before, but I'm convinced the solution is as follows:1) Present the core of the game in its simplest form. The Core Rulebook should be a 1-book game, with a limited set of options but the actual rules of play, containing everything you need. When you want more, there are plenty of supplements.2) Build a Starter Set that includes pre-gen characters and adventures, and a quick-start guide, but also include the same Core Rulebook as everyone else uses.</blockquote>

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