What would you rather see: core rulebook or traditional trilogy?

[Andor]

I'd also _love_ to see things taken a step further where online you can select the supplements and rulesets you want, and put your campaign's rules to a pdf or print on demand your own particular ruleset. I mean, how cool would that be?

This. I freaking love hypertext. I want a hypertext version of my books available to put on my laptop or iPad or whatever. I want to be able to turn on and off the optional modules to ease my reading of the book.

More. I want a Campaign website I can log in to. I want to be able to post as a DM the modules I'm using and have my players download that as a "Bob's campaign setting" to use as a set of flags as they read through their e-copies of the PHB. Ideally I can even add in my fluff, house rules and maps to that download bundle, as well as have a small campaign message board on the site itself. I want to be able to link my campaign with all that in my EnWorld signature so anyone can borrow my stuff. (But not post on my campaign board unless I flagged them as a player.)

I want Book of 9 swords style power cards I can manipulate and print out.

As far as the dead tree edition goes.... I don't know enough about the structure of 5e to know what format I think would most enhance the game. It depends on how the classes, modules and dials are constructed.

 

[Dragonblade]

For four editions we have had a PHB, DMG, and MM at release. I don't want boxed sets, I don't want a single book. I want the classic trilogy.

And I want to feel like my money is buying something, I want each book to be about 300 pages of awesomeness with dense text. 4e books have too much whitespace.

I want all the classes and player rules in the PHB. I want all the modular rules, adventure/encounter creation, world building, kingdom running rules and magic items in the DMG. And monsters galore and monster creation rules in the MM.

 

[Tehnai]

I vote boxes. I love boxed sets.

 

[MooMan68]

a) Basic boxed set, one thin players guide, one thin DM guide, one thin monster list, one adventure, some stand-up tokens, a two-sided gridded foldable map.

b) Players handbook - with just character creation and a minimum number of in-play rules. Make it clear here that the DM will tell the player how to adjudicate most specific actions.

c) DM's guide. Move as many rules as possible here. This makes it clearer that much of the game is under the DM's control, and he/she can change whatever he/she likes. Put lots of "optional" rules sets here.

d) Monster manual.

In my opinion, the editions have moved more and more of the rules from DM Guide to Players Handbook, and this is a mistake.

 

[Blackwarder]

Boxed core rule, red box blue box green box etc.

Followed by "one book to rule them all" core rule book containing all the rules both for players and DMs from the boxed sets minus the advantures.

And the trilogy of PHB, DMG and MM filled with all the core rules + all the basic modules.

I would buy the trilogy for myself and the boxed sets for my little cousins.

Warder

 

[GM Dave]

I voted for one book since it will hopefully be pdf'd either by WotC or another group.

One place that I can go and search for stuff is far more valuable then having to hunt through three different books for information.

Given the need for WotC to produce materials on a regular basis (you don't produce then you fall off the edge of the map); there will be plenty of future months for additional books.

Consider the first year will likely break up some class and playable races (Drow and some sort of Gish class) in Forgotten Realms material like 4e.

Most of the classes will be fairly 'bare bones' for spells, feats, and options in the basic book.

It would be nice if your 'book' or 'collection' of material was expandable to accommodate the new material.

WotC did some of this when they were doing their editing updates by providing corrected 'pages'.

I like the feel of a hard book but the essential soft books are just easier to carry around and use. A binder though is practical for the ability to replace pages with the corrected material and to add in new material.

Star Fleet Battles found the binder 3 punch whole approach was good because the material was constantly changing and evolving.

5e will likely have much of this and all those hard backs are good for either building muscles or damaging your back.

 

[KidSnide]

I'd like to see the traditional trilogy, just because there's a lot of information in D&D and the trilogy is reasonably well designed for giving you the book with the tools you need for a particular job. The one change I'd like to see to the typical 3-book format is that I'd like to see the monster creation and customization rules in the monster manual. I never understood why that was in the DMG.

Of course, I would also like to see a beginner's box with dice and smaller "start here", "for players" and "for dungeon masters" books. To be honest, I wouldn't mind if this box came out before the "Advanced" trilogy.

A small digest-sized rules compendium is a nice side product, but I'd rather that came out a year or two later, once the errata has stabilized on the core rules. An all-on-one "basic rulebook" containing all the rules you need for a the game without any of the optional modules would also be a fun product a year after launch. Unlike the box set, the complete basic rulebook would have rules for higher level play and could serve as a 1-book game for folks who want to play the game in its simplest configuration.

-KS

 

[Ratskinner]

Little Boxes

I actually think the "Basic" or "Core" game should be in a (red?) box with a little of everything, maybe in two or three paper/softcovers and an adventure. Maybe enough rules to take a super simple game up to 5th or 10th level. I feel like this should be priced at $30 or less. Hopefully, even people who are recalcitrant about 5e might be willing to pop for it and at least give it a whirl. Then, once that's sucked you in, you get the trio of big books and the adventures to expand things. Even if you end up getting the trio, the box would still be useful for handing to new players.

For those of use who want the big game, the trio of big books will cover all the extra "standard" modules and the basic rules. The "standard" modules would allow the tailoring of the game amongst edition playstyles and bring in a lot of the extra classes, etc.

I'd like to see the return of boxed sets for the really special modules like Planescape, Al-Qadim, and the like. Maybe even include counters for the specialty critters.

 

[rogueattorney]

I'd like to see a complete D&D rule set in about 150 pages, plus or minus 50 or so. If I need to buy 1000 pages of rules again to play the new D&D, I won't be buying it. 3.5e was the last 3 volume rpg I'll ever buy.

 

[JohnSnow]

Here's what I'd like to see, in an ideal world:

1) The D&D Starter Set (Red Box): the iconic 4 classes and 4 races, Levels 1-5, core game only, no modules. Use the Mentzer Red Box, in all its glory, as your template, but make it a slimmed-down version of the Advanced game, as opposed to a totally different system. And make it more than a marketing piece. Yes, it's limited in classes, races and levels, but it's a D&D anyone would recognize. This is the product you give to someone just starting out.

2) The Monster Manual or Monster Vault: a range of monsters. It could be an Essentials style box or a classic book - either is fine.

3) Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook: this expands the race and class lists, increases the level range to 15 or 20, and includes a bunch of optional rules modules. This is the big book of player options.

4) Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master's Guide: loads of DMing advice, and a bunch of DM-setable rules modules. This includes the crazy magic item lists, maybe some world-building tips, and the advanced combat rules.

5) The Rules Compendium - a trade paperback like the one they released for Essentials, that includes all the default rules of the game.

Then from there, you can expand the game with rules module books of various sorts. You can release spell compendiums, magic item books, books of variant magic systems, rules supplements that add modules to support different themes - such as one with mass combat and realms rules. There can be a book expanding play into higher levels (a new Epic Level Handbook), and so on.

I think that'd be pretty awesome. And, given the limitations I outline above, WotC could have the Red Box available for SALE at GenCon 2013, but delay the rest of D&D Next until 2014.

Basically, take the core that should be finalized in playtesting by this time next year and release that material early in the form of the Red Box Starter Set.