When did "PHB" become "PH"?

[Shiroiken]

Its probably PH because now you have to buy the Basic set to go with it. Looks like PH just expands on the Basic set......if that is the case, I'm not happy

The Basic Rules are going to be a free download from their web site. No purchase required.

 

[Henry]

As another vote of recollection here, In 3.0 I believe they started referring to it as the PH, but I can't find anything to back this up - darn it, where'd my 3.0 books go?

 

[doctorhook]

I switched from saying "PHB" to "PH" in 2008, in the heady days of fevered 4E pre-release speculation. "PH2" sounded a lot simpler than "PHB2".

(Incidentally, after about five years away, it's nice to be back! I don't know if anybody here remembers me, but I remember many of you. Seems like a lot of the prolific posters that I recognize from back then mainly hang out on Circvs Maximvs too now.)

 

[KirayaTiDrekan]

I use PHB for two reason - 1. I'm used to saying/typing it that way and 2. it just looks better when paired with DMG.

 

[Jester David]

I first remember seeing "PH" in 4e, where they liked to give every book a two-letter code, possibly paired with a number. For referencing purposes in books.
But there might have been earlier examples that I didn't see, but that stood out to me as I say "PHB".

 

[Kobold Stew]

I find TLAs [three-letter acronyms] easier to parse, and so I say PHB and DMG, and never MM -- the Monster Manual is always said in full.

I think (though I'm sure there are counter-examples) that two-letter acronyms work best when the last syllable is open (i.e. ends with a vowel sound, as in BC, AD, DC, AC) or labial humming (not as dirty as it sounds -- AM, PM, GM, but strangely not MM, because of the break in the middle: em | em, as opposed to (e.g.) emtee). Its two-letter acronyms that end in F (though I do use the labio-dental CF in speech), H, N, S, and X that somehow feel awkward.

So TLAs for me, so PHB and DMG, YMMV.

 

[Herobizkit]

PMF... OMG WTF BBQ?!

IMC: DMG, PHB.

FTW.

LOL!

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

In real English, it's PHB.

In American "English", it's PH.

You know those crazy seppos are always dropping a letter here and there because they think it's superfluous....

We do like to drop superfluous things, like letters and monarchs.

Also, let me close that tag from before. It's bothering me.

</sarcasm>

 

[Riley]

Searching through a few semi-randomly-selected issues of Dragon from the Dragon Magazine Archive and DDI, I found several references to the "PH", and no appearances of the letters "PHB." For example:

1e era:
"Striking from behind allows “to
hit” and damage bonuses (PH, p. 27)."
Dragon 57, p. 76 (Jan. 1982)

Early 2e era:
"The following gives some alternate spell
components for magic-user spells, as per
the 1st Edition Players Handbook (PH) and
Unearthed Arcana (UA)."
Dragon 147, p. 24, July 1989

Unfortunately, I only have access to the first 150 issues at the moment, so I was unable to check the later 2e era (or the 3e era).

The first reference to the PH in Dragon in the 4e era was in Dragon 367:

"Feat: Raging Storm (PH 200)"
p. 55, Sept 2008

 

[Morrus]

1E DMG.