Rules Compendium

[ggroy]

That's why I think that the decision to reprint PHB or not hasn't been made yet - atleast officially.

The 4E PHB1 has had at least two printings. I've seen a second printing. Allegedly there's also a third printing of PHB1, but I haven't seen it yet myself.

From what I've seen so far, there appears to be very little to no errata included in the second printing. For example, it still has the old text for the stealth rules.

 

[ggroy]

I think the decision to reprint the PH has not been made because they need to sell all the current PH's they currently have. Once you choose to reprint, you get no more sales of the current PH and you get stuck with dead stock that will NEVER sell. It's simple economics really.

Most likely this is the case. Nobody wants to be stuck with tons of old inventory which doesn't move at all.

 

[The Little Raven]

From what I've seen so far, there appears to be very little to no errata included in the second printing. For example, it still has the old text for the stealth rules.

The second printing was ordered before the books were released. The third printing was ordered within a few months after release. This was all before the Stealth errata was released.

 

[YRUSirius]

That's another big point, correct. It's just that I don't think that they will decide to reprint the PHB with all the errata, if the D&D Essentials product line is going to be successful.

- YRUSirius

 

[Mengu]

The default buy for any new player is going to be a PHB. It has everything somebody can play D&D with.

The default buy for any new player from Essentials on should be Rules Compendium, and 1 month subscription of DDI. They don't need player's handbooks or anything like that. You make and print your character with CB, take your compendium and your dice with you, and you're ready for a game.

 

[Charwoman Gene]

The default buy for a new player is Heroes of the fallen lands and the RC.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

The default buy for any new player from Essentials on should be Rules Compendium, and 1 month subscription of DDI. They don't need player's handbooks or anything like that. You make and print your character with CB, take your compendium and your dice with you, and you're ready for a game.

I guess that´s a good idea

as a DM however, I will actually invest in the DMG, Monster Vault and both heroes of the books too...

maybe even redbox...

 

[The Little Raven]

I guess that´s a good idea

as a DM however, I will actually invest in the DMG, Monster Vault and both heroes of the books too...

maybe even redbox...

I'm getting the Red Box just to hand to brand new players. The choose-your-own-adventure-style character creation really helps people wrap their minds around what you do in an RPG.

 

[tuxgeo]

If they don't include the errata in the reprinting of their future books (such as PHB 1 or MM 1), the Rules Compendium is only going to make things worse. The default buy for any new player is going to be a PHB.

Not after the new Red Box comes out; then the Red Box will be the default first-purchase for the customers who buy their D&D from retailers that only carry Essentials.

It has everything somebody can play D&D with. If new PHBs are not errated, people going to learn the game with the PHB then realize that there are difference in rules that they learned and will need to figure out either through RC or online errata. That is a lot to ask somebody who wants to get into the game for a system that tries to promote it self as being symblistic.

This is the first time I've seen anyone suggest that D&D ever tries to promote itself as being "symblistic." WotC has tried to promote the game as being "fun" and "balanced," for sure; and I believe that "elegant" was also mentioned a few times.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Elegant?

D&D?

No. 4e was balanced, which is more than has ever been achieved with the system before, but, elegant? Exception-based 'elegance' is a contradiction in terms.