D&D 5E What belongs in a $50 PHB?

[Mistwell]

Run out of arguments again so you have to resort to fishing for anything you can use to try to discredit me? How about sticking with the actual thread?

I am not trying to discredit you. Indeed, I think you answering the question would enhance your credibility.

Is there anything you like about 5e? It's an honest question. There are things I like in games that in general I don't like, and I am just asking if there is anything about 5e that you like?

 

[dd.stevenson]

What do I think belongs in a $50 PHB? A complete set of character options.

And when I say complete, I mean complete. I mean at least 9 Wizard subclasses. I mean a full list of psionic powers. I mean animal companions, monster summoning tables, and stronghold construction.

Of course, we're not getting any of that stuff, and I'll buy it anyway, but that's my wish list.

Yeah, this. That's what belongs in a $50 PHB.

Also: chainmail bikinis.

 

[Dice4Hire]

Wow, the discussion is getting a bit nasty here. At least for 5 or so people.

For the original question, I would like the 5E book to be playable, with character options, some DM advice and monsters and treasure. Not a ton of either, but enough for the game to play pretty well. Then additional monster, character option, and setting books can be released later. If the basic book only did 10 levels or so I would be content.

So kind of a red box sans maps and dice, is what I would prefer.

 

[the Jester]

You also forget that the $50 price tag is higher than what the previous books costed (yes, even inflation adjusted)...

Hmm. I saw a thread where someone did the math and pointed out that the price for a D&D hardback, adjusted for inflation, has cost about the same through the years. Unfortunately, I don't have a clue who it was or what thread it was in. Nonetheless, I'd need some evidence before I took this assertion as gospel.

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

My preference would be for the PHB to include all content needed to play, from classes to monsters. It would have magic items, DM advice, and a bestiary with simple monster descriptions.

That would let the DMG to focus on DM tools and optional rules, and the Monster Manual to focus on monster depth.

That said, I'm flexible, and I can see how high production values could make a $50 that doesn't include all of that.

 

[Dice4Hire]

That said, I'm flexible, and I can see how high production values could make a $50 that doesn't include all of that.

That is very true. 50 dollars is not a ton of money these days for an RPG.

 

[BronzeDragon]

My preference would be for a PHB that has in it material that is truly pertinent to players. That means character creation, equipment, spells and a general understanding of the rules. This could actually be a traditional book at a price tag of 30 bucks.

Then, I'd rather have the DMG and MM as a single book, with everything else, namely the stuff of running a game, campaign advice, monsters, magic items, etc. This would likely be a massive book, probably worth an 80 or 90 dollar mark (maybe even more, if WotC desires about 120-150 dollars for the whole package of PHB + DMG + MM).

My intention with this would be to give players the absolute minimum of information while at the same time making it cheaper to be a player. It is a very real problem here in Brazil, where the books often arrive at triple the price of the US editions, meaning most players simply pirate the books online and the DM is usually the only one really spending money. It is my experience that DMs are more likely to buy expensive books, while players generally believe any substantial investment to be unworthy.

 

[dd.stevenson]

I'm not too bothered about the PHB, to be honest. You know what I really want? A dictionary sized, full color, 100$ plus MM with enough heft to kill a kobold in one blow.

 

[Wyckedemus]

Probably not as I didn't buy it with DM content either. 3.5E is enough to fill my D20 needs.
I did buy Shadowrun though. A complete game for $60.

First, Shadowrun does not have the same challenges D&D 5E has.

D&D has a large fanbase that loves a huge number of aspects from separate (and often disparate) versions of the game. It just plain has more stuff that players over 40 years consider deserving to be in a PHB1. Shadowrun was never that big in its core. It had one lore, and the same core concepts that it would fiddle with from edition to edition.

In order to give D&D players the lion's share of that player-desired content at the start of the game, they have to fill up the PHB. That's how I see it.

I *want* a book filled with content for Players. I *like* the demarcation of content. If you are a player of a game, don't you want more player material in your Player Book? You don't need DMG material. To many players it is a waste. If I am a DM, I want lots of quality DM materials. A full book's worth, please.

The first 4E PHB didn't have Bards and Druids and Gnomes and other stuff. There was an uproar. So with 5E, they are attempting to put that all into one book. That's going to take space.

So, would you rather that the 5E PHB cut some player content in order to put in DM advice?

I will repeat a question to you that you ignored previously.

What would you remove from the PHB to fit DMG materials in the book?

 

[Wiseblood]

It would be nice if I got 2 PHB's for $50. Or let me put it this way. If my son wants fifty dollars to buy one book my first reaction is no. My second is hell no. I like Pathfinder but the core book is too big. Most of my players don't own one. Because they are fifty dollars.

FYI according to the bureau of labor statistics the $20.00 for the PHB in 1989 is roughly the same as $37.73 in 2014. I don't need a coffee table book of fantasy art. I want a book that helps me play a game with dice, paper and my imagination.



In summation I think fifty is excessive. (as I am occasionally prone to excess I own books that are pricey)