D&D (2024) D&D Player’s Handbook (2024)

[Zardnaar]

The dwarf? No, it's the Fighter Intro Art.

Cheers looks alright.

 

[Kurotowa]

Have there been any more glimpses at the updates since Unearthed Arcana 8 back in November? I need more info I can't wait til September!

No, and the PHB testing through UA is finished. We're not going to get any new substantial info until the pre-release promotional drive begins. So expect that in about six months, and nothing much until then. Sorry.

ETA: UA testing for the DMG and MM will occur at some point, but expect that to be less comprehensive than the PHB testing was.

 

[Parmandur]

Have there been any more glimpses at the updates since Unearthed Arcana 8 back in November? I need more info I can't wait til September!

They said that the Surveys for the last UA were positive, and are moving forwards on that basis. The public plautest seems to be over, though we may get something more for thr DMG or MM.

 

[Echohawk]

Fair enough - I stand corrected on the inflation claim. But I stand by the rest. $60 as a new release price on a hard bound, hundreds of pages thick book lavishly filled with original artwork is hardly thievery.

I agree. Just for fun, here are the various PHBs' inflation-adjusted prices per page:

• Players Handbook (June 1978): 37c/page
• Players Handbook (October 1983): 36c/page
• Player's Handbook (April 1989): 20c/page
• Player's Handbook (May 1995): 16c/page
• Player's Handbook (August 2000): 12c/page
• Player's Handbook v.3.5 (July 2003): 16c/page
• Player's Handbook (June 2008): 15c/page
• Player's Handbook (August 2014): 20c/page

This means that the September 2024 PHB would need to have at least...

...163 pages to be cheaper (per page) than the 1978 PHB
...167 pages to be cheaper (per page) than the 1983 PHB
...300 pages to be cheaper (per page) than the 1989 and 2014 PHBs
...375 pages to be cheaper (per page) than the 1995 and 2003 PHBs
...400 pages to be cheaper (per page) than the 2008 PHB
...500 pages to be cheaper (per page) than the 2000 PHB

 

[Parmandur]

I agree. Just for fun, here are the various PHBs' inflation-adjusted prices per page:

• Players Handbook (June 1978): 37c/page
• Players Handbook (October 1983): 36c/page
• Player's Handbook (April 1989): 20c/page
• Player's Handbook (May 1995): 16c/page
• Player's Handbook (August 2000): 12c/page
• Player's Handbook v.3.5 (July 2003): 16c/page
• Player's Handbook (June 2008): 15c/page
• Player's Handbook (August 2014): 20c/page

This means that the September 2024 PHB would needs to have at least...

...163 pages to be cheaper (per page) than the 1978 PHB
...167 pages to be cheaper (per page) than the 1983 PHB
...300 pages to be cheaper (per page) than the 1989 and 2014 PHBs
...375 pages to be cheaper (per page) than the 1995 and 2003 PHBs
...400 pages to be cheaper (per page) than the 2008 PHB
...500 pages to be cheaper (per page) than the 2000 PHB

Given all that, it is worth noting that the 2000 PHB was inte totally a loss leader.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

They do happen from smaller companies, but if WotC cut up one of their Campaign books into ten softcover and then charged the same price Goodman Games does, people would complain about the price.

Yeah, we'd likely ALL lose if WotC had chosen to print each of their HC adventures as six under-forty page softcovers (at two HCs a year, they could have done MONTHLY books at what we're talking about here). They'd have cost something like $15 USD each, and the sales would have dropped from the first one down to the sixth (which would almost never be profitable for either me or WotC, and at that point a consumer would have paid $90 for the complete adventure).

Nobody would have been happy with that, other than people who just serially played the intro to each adventure, which would be pretty nice in a lot of ways. But ultimately a bit of a let-down.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I agree. Just for fun, here are the various PHBs' inflation-adjusted prices per page:

• Players Handbook (June 1978): 37c/page
• Players Handbook (October 1983): 36c/page
• Player's Handbook (April 1989): 20c/page
• Player's Handbook (May 1995): 16c/page
• Player's Handbook (August 2000): 12c/page
• Player's Handbook v.3.5 (July 2003): 16c/page
• Player's Handbook (June 2008): 15c/page
• Player's Handbook (August 2014): 20c/page

This means that the September 2024 PHB would needs to have at least...

...163 pages to be cheaper (per page) than the 1978 PHB
...167 pages to be cheaper (per page) than the 1983 PHB
...300 pages to be cheaper (per page) than the 1989 and 2014 PHBs
...375 pages to be cheaper (per page) than the 1995 and 2003 PHBs
...400 pages to be cheaper (per page) than the 2008 PHB
...500 pages to be cheaper (per page) than the 2000 PHB

At a pure guess, I'd expect that it's going to be 360 pages give or take a score. The MM is probably going to be more.

 

[Echohawk]

Given all that, it is worth noting that the 2000 PHB was inte totally a loss leader.

Totally, and yet it still somehow came with a CD in the back with a working character generator!

 

[Zardnaar]

Totally, and yet it still somehow came with a CD in the back with a working character generator!

Think Dancey said it wasn't a liss leader but close. Big print run.

With OGL they put it at a price 3rd party couldn't match.

 

[Parmandur]

Yeah, we'd likely ALL lose if WotC had chosen to print each of their HC adventures as six under-forty page softcovers (at two HCs a year, they could have done MONTHLY books at what we're talking about here). They'd have cost something like $15 USD each, and the sales would have dropped from the first one down to the sixth (which would almost never be profitable for either me or WotC, and at that point a consumer would have paid $90 for the complete adventure).

Nobody would have been happy with that, other than people who just serially played the intro to each adventure, which would be pretty nice in a lot of ways. But ultimately a bit of a let-down.

Worse than that even, Goodman Games sells their softcover models for $25. So the price of a whole campaign would be double, and inconvenient for all parties.