The Actual Table of Contents for Xanathar's Guide to Everything

A lot of good stuff there.

Of course, on the DM side, a lot of stuff is not there, but I like what I see.

Actually, one of the most useful things will be the appendix of sample names.

 

[Parmandur]

I was thinking the exact same thing myself when I saw that. I'm pretty sure that is what that is going cover, and it's about time, as its been part of the game since 2e at least (presumably 1e, but I can't definitively remember any text on it since its been so long since I read the books).

It's covered in the 5E DMG, and in 3E Deities & Demigods?

 

[Gladius Legis]

Do you own a smartphone and computer? Or a tablet and computer? or a Tablet and smartphone?
Don't they all do the same things? Why spend the extra money on one if you have another?

Um, I can play modern games on a computer at top settings? A full-sized keyboard is much easier to type things like short stories, reviews, etc. on, stuff that requires 1000s of words, than a smartphone's tiny virtual keyboard?

The computer has a purpose that a tablet/smartphone can't catch. This book doesn't have any purpose that a Google search can't match. Your equivalency is false.

No consumer understands the value of the $ for another consumer. Each consumer sets their own value of the $ and the product. To pretend that you know the value and other's don't is laughable. You might think an item is worth $20 to you and I might think that it is $40 or vice versa.

You don't like the table for names. Great. Don't buy it then. Some people will see the table of names as Gravy and buy the book because they like the other stuff and some will like the table of names and consider it a key feature. To each their own, just because you don't get value out of it doesn't mean that you need to be condescending to those who do see value from it.

I can still tell people they're wasting their money. I can still tell people they're encouraging bad business.

 

[Remathilis]

If any of us understood the so-called value of a dollar, we wouldn't be spending it on ANY Dungeons & Dragons products.

True. We'd download the SRD and make our own supplement materials tailored to our homebrew worlds. No cost to any of that but time and printer paper.

 

[Parmandur]

Which for $50 MSRP is entirely inadequate.

17 pages out of 192 is names. That's almost 10% of a $50 book. That's unacceptable to any consumer who understands the value of a dollar.

Less than $30 book, realistically: $2.95 for some good random tables is alright, I've spent more on excessively fancy coffee drinks once in a while.

The rest of the book is quite worth the cost alone, the names are a nice bonus.

 

[pkt77242]

Um, I can play modern games on a computer at top settings? A full-sized keyboard is much easier to type things like short stories, reviews, etc. on, stuff that requires 1000s of words, than a smartphone's tiny virtual keyboard?

The computer has a purpose that a tablet/smartphone can't catch. This book doesn't have any purpose that a Google search can't match. Your equivalency is false.



I can still tell people they're wasting their money. I can still tell people they're encouraging bad business.

LOL.
The book has plenty of things that the Internet doesn't have such as the finalized subclasses. Only part of it is redundant which goes back to my point.

As to the second part, you are stating it as an objective fact. What you are doing is telling people that they are wrong objectively on a very subjective topic. You may see it as wasting money but they may see it as a good deal. Value is in the eye of the beholder.

It is completely fine that you don't like the MSRP or the inclusion of 17 pages of names. The problem is that you want to tell everyone else that they are wrong for liking either. While you are free to do it, it says something about you.

 

[Parmandur]

I'm assuming he is, as he's repeatedly stated he likes the name list after all!

And I see his point, it is missing some important cultures, like options for Mesopotamian (Assyrian/Babylonian presumably, although Sumerian wouldn't be out of place), Persian, Turkic, Mongolian (for all your steppe nomad needs!), and other Native American outside of Mesomerican (such as Algonquin or Iroquoian for North America, or Quechuan or Tupian for South America). Honestly, it would be nice to have had a few extra pages of names to include those groups...

Exactly: even "Mesoamerican" is a little too broad, are these Nahutal, Mayan, what...?

More random lists, with a broader variety, would suit me fine. Also, more non-human names, maybe by subrace (Hill Dwarf versus Mountain Dwarf for example), or monster race name tables (Orcs, Goblins, and such though I suppose Half-Orcs will have an Orcish name tables anyways).

 

[Gladius Legis]

LOL.
The book has plenty of things that the Internet doesn't have such as the finalized subclasses.

That were already printed in other previous releases. Next?

It's Xanathar's Guide to Names and Rehash.

 

[gyor]

I want the product, I just see it as constructive feedback, I feel the space could have been better used in a multitude of ways. Still I like almost all the Subclasses, I'm excited for most of the spells, looking forward to the racial feats, hopeful that they are doing something cool with down time activities, the spell rules and grid stuff looks useful, it might even have some cool magic, items, and the skills + Tool Profiencies have my interest.

It's really just mostly the human names list taking up so much space where they could have put something cool. Even setting suggestions for using the subclasses.

I mean it's annoying, but not near a deal breaker, I just put it out there in the hopes they read it and up their game in the future.

 

[gyor]

That were already printed in other previous releases. Next?

Most of the classes were changed since the last UA they appeared in, some like the Divine Soul (formly the, Favoured Soul) significantly.

 

[Parmandur]

Um, I can play modern games on a computer at top settings? A full-sized keyboard is much easier to type things like short stories, reviews, etc. on, stuff that requires 1000s of words, than a smartphone's tiny virtual keyboard?

The computer has a purpose that a tablet/smartphone can't catch. This book doesn't have any purpose that a Google search can't match. Your equivalency is false.



I can still tell people they're wasting their money. I can still tell people they're encouraging bad business.

How is giving people what they want to pay for bad business? How is paying for what I want wasting my money? You are projecting you personal tastes as objective facts, when they really aren't.