D&D 5E What would be your preferred format for the core rules of 5E?

[Savage Wombat]

Considering the time frame they're working with, I still half-expect a box set or equivalent release at Gen-Con (or earlier) with the Big Three coming out a little later as the "complete" rule set with modules and such. Although some modules would still be waiting for a later hardcover, a la Skills and Powers.

 

[Quartz]

Put me down for a basic beginners' boxed set. Restricted races, classes, and monsters, and a mini adventure path - say levels 1-4 - to get players hooked and to give parents the feeling of value. Then the canonical three books.

 

[XunValdorl_of_Kilsek]

I think they should just put out the iconic three and get the show on the road. It wastes time using a beginner boxset followed by an advanced one.

People's faith in WoTc is low so they aren't going to want to shell out lot's of money to be able to see all the rules.

 

[Dausuul]

I had to think about it, but in the end I came down on the side of the Trinity. For the "full game" (as opposed to a stripped-down intro set), it's simply the most practical arrangement. Having a PHB affords players access to a book of dedicated player-only material, without wasting their money on DM stuff; this helps limit the cost to the casual gamer. The MM offers a plentiful supply of prefab monsters, which is incredibly handy for a campaign of any length. Combat is a big part of D&D and a varied supply of opponents is essential to keep it interesting. That leaves all the other rules and guidance for the DM, which have to go somewhere. Hence, the DMG.

And the Trinity should definitely be released immediately. The people who will be standing in line to scarf up 5E on release are the existing gamers, the folks who want a fully functional game with all the bells and whistles. They--we--won't be content with a beginner box aimed at gaming newbies. Such a box should definitely exist, but it should be released concurrent with or after the Trinity, and likely sold through different channels.

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

In this day and age, probably not. If you haven't heard, brick and mortar game stores are dying, and the big box stores generally sell at discount.



I am not convinced that the lone new player looking to start a group is anything other than mythical, or as good as mythical, as far as marketing strategies are concerned.

I mean, just logically, it doesn't work. If you're really ignorant of the game, you don't even know it requires a group! You can't be looking to start a group when you don't know it takes a group!

Thus, if you're actively looking to start a group, you know something. Maybe not much, but something. So long as that something tells you that you need the PHB, you're in. Most likely, you've been given an outright introduction to the game by a friend, and then you have all the information you need. And, it isn't as if a young, curious geek today isn't going to go to Google and ask the internet to find out!

The "don't confuse the ignorant on the shelf" line only works for impulse or gift buying. You're right there - if Grandma's looking for a gift for Johnny's 12th birthday, she's going to get a little lost. Back in the late 70s and early 80s, when there wasn't an internet or a population of existing players, that sales channel may have been important. It isn't clear that now it is really relevant.

In both cases, you're assuming that the trend is the totality. Online sales have not entirely replaced brick and mortar sales, and not all players are introduced by an existing group. The Pathfinder Beginners Box selling from Barnes & Noble shelves is evidence of that.

Nor can we discount the importance of impulse and gift purchases. Especially the latter. After the initial run, I suspect that gifts will make up a large portion of core rulebook sales.

 

[Mercurius]

I am not convinced that the lone new player looking to start a group is anything other than mythical, or as good as mythical, as far as marketing strategies are concerned.

I was just thinking about this as I was catching up with this thread - wondering what percentage of sales of a new edition come from folks who have never played, and aren't starting with a group of people who have never played - "D&D virgins," so to speak. I imagine it is a very small percentage to the point of being negligible. I think WotC's main focus, at least initially, is the "bird in hand" folks - people currently playing some edition of D&D - and lapsed players, who are probably folks who drifted away over the last 5-10 years (I'm guessing that most people that stopped playing during the 80s or early 90s that would come back to D&D, came back during 3e).

Considering the time frame they're working with, I still half-expect a box set or equivalent release at Gen-Con (or earlier) with the Big Three coming out a little later as the "complete" rule set with modules and such. Although some modules would still be waiting for a later hardcover, a la Skills and Powers.

For awhile I thought a beginner's box first was the way to go but have since changed my mind. I think they need to get the game up and running with the trinity, then come out with a polished box ala Paizo's beginner's set, probably in the fall for the holiday season - maybe November.

I think they should just put out the iconic three and get the show in the road. It wastes time using a beginner boxset followed by an advanced one.

People's faith in WoTc is low so they aren't going to want to shell out lot's of money to be able to see all the rules.

Don't underestimate the power of the shiny. This is why art and layout is key. If WotC produces a group of beautiful hardcovers, with that dense text feel that was so beloved with 3e and 1e before it, they're going to have the entire flock of D&D (and Pathfinder) diehards lining up for copies.

 

[XunValdorl_of_Kilsek]

I think it would be best if the DMG and Monster Manual were sold together.

 

[Stormonu]

While I fully expect to see the main 3, I really, really hope we will see a "D&D in a box" set ala the Pathfinder Beginner Box. I'd actually rather have that than the full books at this point in time. I'd much rather have a set where we can play for a few nights and reset rather than struggle with 20 levels - of which 6-10 levels probably won't ever see the light of day.

 

[TrippyHippy]

In this day and age, probably not. If you haven't heard, brick and mortar game stores are dying, and the big box stores generally sell at discount.

Maybe that is the case, although I tend to buy my hardcopy books and boxes online from Amazon. The dying brick and mortar aspect is no different to the general shift in the way retail selling happens worldwide these days - it's not exclusively an issue for selling RPGs or games.

Moreover, I've seen interviews from Cubicle 7 amongst others that state their main business is still hardcopy. The pdf's have their place, but only sell a fraction of the box and book copies of each game. They remain highly profitable, however, because their overheads are so low by comparison.

I am not convinced that the lone new player looking to start a group is anything other than mythical, or as good as mythical, as far as marketing strategies are concerned.

I mean, just logically, it doesn't work. If you're really ignorant of the game, you don't even know it requires a group! You can't be looking to start a group when you don't know it takes a group!

Thus, if you're actively looking to start a group, you know something. Maybe not much, but something. So long as that something tells you that you need the PHB, you're in. Most likely, you've been given an outright introduction to the game by a friend, and then you have all the information you need. And, it isn't as if a young, curious geek today isn't going to go to Google and ask the internet to find out!

The "don't confuse the ignorant on the shelf" line only works for impulse or gift buying. You're right there - if Grandma's looking for a gift for Johnny's 12th birthday, she's going to get a little lost. Back in the late 70s and early 80s, when there wasn't an internet or a population of existing players, that sales channel may have been important. It isn't clear that now it is really relevant.

For most RPGs you are probably right, but I think you underestimate the household name aspect of D&D, still. Most people I've ever met are aware of the D&D brand, even if they have negative views of it. There is still a market for selling it amongst gamer types, if they can get the marketing right of course. That means, as far as I can see, that you do need a clear 'core game' to sell - rather than having to buy multiple products to get going.

 

[MortalPlague]

I am not convinced that the lone new player looking to start a group is anything other than mythical, or as good as mythical, as far as marketing strategies are concerned.

For what it's worth, I started this way.

Mind you, I picked up the game at a garage sale. I thought it was going to be a board game of some sort. I was glad to be wrong.