D&D 5E The Printers Can't Handle WotC's One D&D Print Runs!

One of the reasons why the three new core rulebooks next year will not be released together is because D&D is such a juggernaut that the printers can't actually handle the size of the print runs!

Jeremy Crawford told Polygon "Our print runs are pretty darn big and printers are telling us you can’t give us these three books at the same time.” And Chris Perkins added that "The print runs we’re talking about are massive. That’s been not only true of the core books, but also Tasha’s Cauldron. It’s what we call a high-end problem."

 

[MNblockhead]

I don't back Kickstarters that don't have product ready to go.

I understand your position, but part of the appeal of Kickstarter for me is that I can support new creators develop new ideas into new products. I've been burned a few times and there are whole categories of Kickstarters I will not back (especially software), but I'm willing to risk the occasional loss.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Curious that you'd consider that an insult, but whatever. Nothing wrong with not being the audience.

You said, "Wait for finished product like it's 1988". That is at least an  implied insult.

 

[dbolack]

The Tanares folks are still writing the books now. It's been 2 years since the KS. Does not make me want to back future products from them...

That's entirely your prerogative. Whatever fits your risk profile vs interest.

I may be one of the last folks to treat Kickstarter as patronage instead of a preorder system, who knows?

 

[Micah Sweet]

That's entirely your prerogative. Whatever fits your risk profile vs interest.

I may be one of the last folks to treat Kickstarter as patronage instead of a preorder system, who knows?

If I want straight patronage, I'll use...Patreon. and I do.

 

[MNblockhead]

Then you are not the audience. Wait for finished product to appear like it's 1988.

He's the audience for a whole lot of Kickstarter creators (including many established game publishers) that use Kickstarter to mitigate risks of over or under printing.

While that may not be in the original spirit of the platform, it serves a need for those publishers, brings in backers with low risk thresholds, and Kickstarter doesn't care so long as they get their cut.

I don't understand your antagonism.

 

[dbolack]

You said, "Wait for finished product like it's 1988". That is at least an  implied insult.

That's an odd flex, but okay. If you took that as an insult, it wasn't meant. It was a fixed year I knew I had been buying games and had to wait on pins and *&^( needles for things I ordered from Wargames West to show up. Substitute any year before PDFs and online information about releases was considered vaguely reliable.

 

[dbolack]

He's the audience for a whole lot of Kickstarter creators (including many established game publishers) that use Kickstarter to mitigate risks of over or under printing.

But not the audience for the platform. And that's okay. Ya'll are impressively hostile.

 

[EpicureanDM]

Do you have any basis for that statement?

Just what I observe.

 

[darjr]

Just what I observe.

Sure.

Tasha's print run: 400,000,000
4e's entire, combined print run: 7,000,000,000

Edit: Or just pay some attention to what FitzTheRuke has said elsewhere in this thread.

It’s clear to me what’s ridiculous here.

 

[EpicureanDM]

The MM could be furthest along in development, too. They have probably been updating MM monsters since MMoM came out. The PHB may be what we've been playtesting, but it's totally possible that the MM could drop first.

I appreciate the generosity behind this, but playtesting against what, exactly? After all, if the old and new editions are meant to be compatible, then that compatibility should flow backwards from the monsters, too. The new edition's monsters should be balanced/playable/whatever against PCs built using the old edition. Doesn't the D&D team want to playtest that?

Even if they aren't focused on that angle, doesn't the D&D design team want to know if new edition PCs are balanced with new edition monsters? That seems like the more useful metric. If the MM was furthest along and they had been updating MM monsters since MMoM, then they should be releasing the new monsters so that their playtest feedback can compare apples to apples.