Quote from: Sacrosanct;749072"I've seen a report from a meeting last week that the PHB is August and the DMG is November. Both $49.99."

I those prices, I will only buy it new if it is so great I want to use it instead of TSR D&D. As this seems unlikely, I'll probably wait until I can pick it up used for a lot less. I'm tired of giving WOTC money for a game I don't end up playing more than a few times (as I did with 3.0, 3.5, and 4e).

Of course, if they come out with PDF copies at $10-$15 bucks a volume, I would probably pick those up.

Quote from: RandallS;749104Of course, if they come out with PDF copies at $10-$15 bucks a volume, I would probably pick those up.

I would not hold your breath for those prices. The 5e Playtest modules in PDF are going for $17.99? at dndclassics.com. IF they ever released PDF versions of the core books, I'd expect between $25-30 each.

But I doubt we'll see them anytime soon...

Quote from: Monster Manuel;749100I was told by someone in the closed playtest that the playtests didn't represent iterative versions of the game so much as concepts they were testing as modules. According to him it will be modular.

I don't believe it on its face, it was an internet post, after all. I'm just saying that I'm not as firmly in the camp of hating 5e on principle as I was before. I've moved into the wait and see camp.

Quote from: Monster Manuel;749127I don't believe it on its face, it was an internet post, after all. I'm just saying that I'm not as firmly in the camp of hating 5e on principle as I was before. I've moved into the wait and see camp.

I started out liking it, then adapting a wait and see, now I'm very Meh with a touch of wait and see but I'm not going to stoke the fires of edition war just yet.

I mean they haven't marketed it as "You were wrong and stupid to play D&D this way." exactly...

Quote from: thedungeondelver;749128I started out liking it, then adapting a wait and see, now I'm very Meh with a touch of wait and see but I'm not going to stoke the fires of edition war just yet.

I mean they haven't marketed it as "You were wrong and stupid to play D&D this way." exactly...

I started off very meh, I mean it's from the same idiots who made the last two shitty versions of D&D so my expectations were pretty low.

The first play test packet really interested me but ever since they've been sliding back into a lot of the stupidity that has been their stock and trade for the past 14 years so I got pretty discouraged.

They are however still saying all the right things.

So I'm mildly excited.

If they don't include grids or tokens in the boxed set, that will be a good sign, imo.

If the PHB total does away with those kinds of diagrams (like in 3e/4e/2e players options), then that will be awesome . . . in a tactical combat module chapter is fine, though.

Quote from: YourSwordisMine;749087As far as I am aware, WoTC has only ever released one "starter box set" that wasn't a throwaway crippleware product, and that was the one (of several) for 3.5e that actually had a small form factor softback PHB.

So the likelihood of the new one coming out in July for $19.99 is pretty damn slim...

Especially if they are having a "Character Creation Workshop" at Gencon... If it was the full game in a box, which will be out BEFORE Gencon; then such a "Workshop" wouldn't even be needed...

Yeah... That's learning from past mistakes that is...

All the signs are they've learned nothing from Pathfinder Beginner Box (or Mentzer '83!) and it'll be another crappy pay-to-preview, yup.

I think the "pay to preview" are the damn Sundering modules for D&D Encounters.

The first box at $20 (or whatever your local currency is) seems good. $50+ for a PHB.... Go fuck off. $20 for a PDF..... Go fuck off.

But for the box I would expect the same I would get from the BECMI Red Box. Not worried about dice and a crayon, but a few levels and the rules to cover it (both sides of the DMs screen). Play it to death and then get the extended rules later in the year.

For me, I object to the PHB, DMG prices but I can see younger kids (and me if I badger my parents) getting the box mid-year and then the larger book(s) Christmas/birthday.

Quote from: YourSwordisMine;749108I would not hold your breath for those prices. The 5e Playtest modules in PDF are going for $17.99? at dndclassics.com. IF they ever released PDF versions of the core books, I'd expect between $25-30 each.

That's far more than any PDF is worth to me. $10 is my normal limit for a PDF, but I'd do $15 for D&D.  Anything more than that is a flat no, especially since I would be likely able to get used hardbacks for less than $25-30 a piece off ebay in a few months.

Quote from: YourSwordisMine;749087As far as I am aware, WoTC has only ever released one "starter box set" that wasn't a throwaway crippleware product, and that was the one (of several) for 3.5e that actually had a small form factor softback PHB.

So the likelihood of the new one coming out in July for $19.99 is pretty damn slim...

Especially if they are having a "Character Creation Workshop" at Gencon... If it was the full game in a box, which will be out BEFORE Gencon; then such a "Workshop" wouldn't even be needed...

Yeah... That's learning from past mistakes that is...

It would be needed if either of these were true, 1) it didn't cover all the options available at GenCon (races, classes, feats, skills, etc..), or 2) they thought a significant number of people playing the GenCon game would not have the starter set.

I'd say both are likely.  Indeed I think the first is a near certainty.

Quote from: jeff37923;749094The benchmark for WotC is the Pathfinder Beginner's Box. If they do not do at least that, then they are already failing to the competition.

That box is significantly more money. 75% more expensive.

Quote from: thedungeondelver;749096I wouldn't bet on that.

I've heard no mention of "modularity" since the 3rd playtest

Then you have not been paying much attention.  It's mentioned pretty much every month, perhaps every week.  They even announced the names of the first four modularity bundles.

Quote from: Mistwell;749307They even announced the names of the first four modularity bundles.

Where?

I'm pretty amped about the release of Next. The playtests went over really well with my group. At its core, it's a game that supports early style D&D play with rationalized systems and a few modern tweaks. It's remarkably close to the homebrew D&D that I've been cobbling together myself for the last five years or so.

It feels really weird to be excited about a new edition of D&D. I'd pretty much given up any expectations that WotC (or any other mainstream RPG publishers) would publish a game suited to my preferences. And I frankly don't understand why more old-school gamers don't recognize this as the biggest shift in the industry towards towards traditional play modes in the last 15 years. I suppose the OSR is such an indie movement these days, the contempt for anything mainstream is reflexive.