D&D General US & Canada Gamers: Get D&D Books 2 Weeks Early At Local Game Stores

WotC has announced that in the US and Canada you can now get your Dungeons & Dragons books--starting with Vecna: Eve of Ruin--two weeks early from your local game store.

The Local Game Store Early Access program allows local game stores in the US and Canada to sell D&D books two weeks before the rest of the world. They can sell Vecna: Eve of Ruin from May 7th, with the global release date being May 21st. This only applies to in-store purchases, and not to online orders.

The early access sale dates for the upcoming books are:

• Vecna, Eve of Ruin (Early Access May 7, 2024)
• Quests from the Infinite Staircase (Early Access July 9, 2024)
• Player's Handbook (2024) (Early Access September 3, 2024)
• Dungeon Master's Guide (2024) (Early Access October 29, 2024)
• Monster Manual (2025) (Early Access Feb 4, 2025)

The Making of Original D&D: 1970-1977 is not part of the Local Game Store Early Access program.

 

[WisdomOfWombats]

So in essence, US and Canada will be able to get physical books at the same time as DnD Beyond preorders?

 

[Dire Bare]

So in essence, US and Canada will be able to get physical books at the same time as DnD Beyond preorders?

Yes.

Now WotC just needs to make a digital/physical pre-order combo available from local game stores, with the special covers as options. Baby steps, I suppose.

 

[Kobold Stew]

So in essence, US and Canada will be able to get physical books at the same time as DnD Beyond preorders?

This is a great outcome. I want physical books, and not digital ones. I am happy that I can support a FLGS and not have to delay availability of the new material.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

So in essence, US and Canada will be able to get physical books at the same time as DnD Beyond preorders?

Well Beyond Pre Orders only gave early access on the Digital Physical bundles. Otherwise correct.

 

[Stormonu]

Already got 'em

Wait .. what?

This will work fine, until FLGS that are partnered with Amazon put their books up for sale there. And does nothing for e-bay as far as I know.

 

[beta-ray]

It's hit or miss. They enforce dates more reliably with CCGs than RPG products, and are harsher with small businesses than large ones. WotC/Hasbro is a very small dog to some of the companies they deal with, and can't actually chastise (say) Wal Mart in any meaningful way when one of their managers says go ahead and put it out now. Maybe a bit better now than ten years ago, but that's purely on anecdotal evidence from retailer forums.

Is Walmart a big player for WotC? I guess I only really pay attention to D&D which I don't see in locations here (used to). There is some timed exclusivity with Target though.

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

Is Walmart a big player for WotC? I guess I only really pay attention to D&D which I don't see in locations here (used to). There is some timed exclusivity with Target though.

Not hugely so, they aren't nothing either. Even "small" orders from Walmart are enormous by the standards of normal game stores. Target has been more of a problem for breaking street dates locally, at least up to the last two-three years where things seem to have improved. Both tend to be more involved with CCGs than RPGs though.

Maybe this new approach will help further, but the store owners I know are skeptical about that owing to past history, almost all of it stemming from either the Hasbro era or the early days of the Magic boom when WotC just could not keep up with demand as they struggled to grow from a tiny company to (by industry standards) a huge one.

 

[payn]

Street date? Another round of this?

 

[MerricB]

Local Game Store Early Access for D&D Book Sales | WPN

Local game stores will now have early access to sell major tabletop book releases from Dungeons & Dragons, in-store only.

wpn.wizards.com

@Morrus

All announced D&D game books are eligible starting with Venca.

Sigh. Only US/Canada.

I'm not surprised.

 

[MerricB]

So in essence, US and Canada will be able to get physical books at the same time as DnD Beyond preorders?

No.

D&D Beyond preorders of the Physical/Digital bundle.

Unless they're changing policy on that as well, Digital only preorders don't give early access.