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."

 

[humble minion]

which is where? Mostly India? I am sure their population growth has not contributed to that

I think the point was that if cricket wasn't broadly popular in your country in 1950, then it probably isn't now either. Which is pretty much true, as far as i can tell. Cricket is growing with population in the countries that already play it, not expanding into new territory. If anything, the opposite is true. I get the impression it's distinctly fading in popularity in places like the Caribbean, for instance.

 

[Michael Linke]

They are behind schedule on the design front and need the extra time to actually write the new MM and DMG. They save face by framing it as a printing problem, not a product development problem.

I’m 100% sure that that’s not the case, though I would find it hilarious if the reason Chapter 9 was a secret was because he hadn’t written it yet.

 

[Michael Linke]

I think the point was that if cricket wasn't broadly popular in your country in 1950, then it probably isn't now either. Which is pretty much true, as far as i can tell. Cricket is growing with population in the countries that already play it, not expanding into new territory. If anything, the opposite is true. I get the impression it's distinctly fading in popularity in places like the Caribbean, for instance.

Migration can spread popularity. My company just recently started sponsoring a team in a local a cricket league, and at least one employee is trying to join the team.

 

[mamba]

I think the point was that if cricket wasn't broadly popular in your country in 1950, then it probably isn't now either. Which is pretty much true, as far as i can tell.

no idea what the point was, I took it as ‘weird things happen’, as it was cricket that got pointed out as an old game with arcane rules that gained popularity recently, after someone marveled that it happened to D&D.

At least that is how I read it, it could really have been read any number of ways

 

[Michael Linke]

That was then, this is now. 10 years in they do much larger print runs

The comment you’re responding to isn’t about size of print runs, it’s about the number of titles released. They would rather do one book every few months that everyone buys than do 2 books a month that a small subset of the community buys.

 

[Stoutstien]

I’m 100% sure that that’s not the case, though I would find it hilarious if the reason Chapter 9 was a secret was because he hadn’t written it yet.

It wouldn't be unusual for WoTC for this to be the case. Seeing how the still have a fairly active public playtest going on and ~6 months is the minimal normal lead time needed for large print runs that window is basically gone.

They also tend to reserve the right to make changes between runs which also increases set up time as you need to reconfigure between editions. You can't just change some words and keep printing.

If they are planning to have it formated to be somewhat similar in a digital format that's a whole new nightmare to deal with.

This is all just a theory based on their past actions and my interactions with academic textbooks publications/changes.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Are people just that starving for attention? What's the point?

I think it's the need to feel relevant: ''Look, I have an opinion! Dont you dare ignore ME in the next product line!''

Its the same thing as in the demographic thread: ''MY personal group age is not represented in the chart! It must be a plot against MY own person or a badly designed poll full of bias!''

People dont like to believe that they are not as big as they think they were

It does scream a little like a ''notice me, senpai!''.

 

[Echohawk]

They've staggered the release in every edition.

I'm not sure about that. I am under the impression that all three core books were released at the same time for 3.5 (July 2003) and 4e (June 2008).

 

[UngainlyTitan]

Same reason as me quoting 'unofficial sources' on how the 4th adventure book for Call of Cthulhu outprinted all of DnD3's printing runs combined. Is that to just be taken at face value?

No, you are some rando on the internet, not Polygon quoting Jeremy Crawford and Chris Perkins

 

[mamba]

No, you are some rando on the internet, not Polygon quoting Jeremy Crawford and Chris Perkins

are those two ‘unofficial sources’?