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

[FitzTheRuke]

True, but another point of consideration is that in real terms, with Amazon and Target and other such discount book retailers means that the 2014 and 2024 books are procurable at an actually cheaper rate than those older books.

Yeah, like I said before - only us FLGSes get stuck with MSRP. All the big guys can make 2 dollars per sale, sell a hundred thousand of them, and make 200 grand, whereas I get to sell a handful of them and pay my employees who rang them in.

(Numbers exaggerated - I'm sure Amazon makes more than 2 bucks per sale, at least most of the time! And I will sell more than a 'handful' of them, I'm sure.)

Oh, and I'm not as hurt as I sound - I like doing it the way I do it. But still... I DO think that the overall trend of the last 10-15 years of jacking up MSRP but then having the vast majority of the print run sell for less is... not actually a good way to do business. But what do I know?

At any rate, 60 USD won't be too bad for this book, as these things go. I don't think they've said the page count, other than to say that it is the Biggest PHB Ever, IIRC.

 

[Clint_L]

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.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

In fact, I wouldn't mind talking about something that I touched on above: RE: The SIZE of the upcoming PHB.

One of the things that I think is going to surprise people with these new Core books, is something that WotC has touched on in interviews, but we've only got a few small previews to give us a hint about how it's going to shake out. But here's what I expect from what we've seen and heard:

They're going for a bigger font, using artwork to space-out entries. Things like "each subclass has Art". The thing that I think is really going to stand out about this book (and Ditto for the other Core) is that, for the first time ever, I believe, they are not going to have text that drops off a page and continues on the next in the way that it has. They are going to lay-out the books so that everything fits. It's an organizational idea that will, IMO, VASTLY improve the books.

We've seen an example with the backgrounds. They showed TWO Backgrounds per page, with art that evokes said background (er, in the background behind the text). I expect each subclass to have its own page. Etc etc.

This is one of the things that I think might cause many of the folks who are posting "No" or "Wait and see" on the Poll thread about adopting these books... to change their minds. This is, of course, IF the books are organized as well as I imagine them to be. We'll have to see.

 

[M_Natas]

While I don't think the price for the upcoming PHB is unreasonable, this statement is not true.

Here are the prices of seven different Player's Handbooks, adjusted for inflation using this calculator.

• Players Handbook (June 1978): $9.95 --> $47.07
• Player's Handbook (April 1989): $20.00 --> $50.11
• Player's Handbook (May 1995): $25.00 --> $50.66
• Player's Handbook (August 2000): $19.95 --> $35.61
• Player's Handbook v.3.5 (July 2003): $29.95 --> $50.23
• Player's Handbook (June 2008): $34.95 --> $49.26
• Player's Handbook (August 2014): $49.95 --> $64.77

Those are the initial cover prices adjusted to January 2024. You can probably add another dollar or so to predict a September 2024 figure. Note that some PHBs had price increases during their print runs. And, of course, those prices are for various numbers of pages and qualities of productions.

However, on a strict inflationary price comparison, the 2024 Player's Handbook compares favorably in price only to the 2014 Player's Handbook.

Could there be a market for cheaper produced PHBs? Like a B&W softcover?

I only know POD prices, but to get around the same profit from example from amazon, a 300 a page premium color hardcover would cost for the consumer 60$ and a B&W softcover 20$. But I would guess when you have offset print book runs of 100000 books the printing costs pee book don't matter much.

 

[Zardnaar]

Is tgat the cover art?

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Could there be a market for cheaper produced PHBs? Like a B&W softcover?

I only know POD prices, but to get around the same profit from example from amazon, a 300 a page premium color hardcover would cost for the consumer 60$ and a B&W softcover 20$. But I would guess when you have offset print book runs of 100000 books the printing costs pee book don't matter much.

A market, yes, but a small one, and a low profit one. Not something that a company like WotC would want to pursue, in particular in that it would "eat" some of their higher-profit sales on their HCs.

It's the same with 32pg softcover adventures. They're just not going to happen any more. A shame, but true.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Is tgat the cover art?

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

 

[Parmandur]

Is tgat the cover art?

No, it's the splash art for the Fighter Class section.

 

[Parmandur]

It's the same with 32pg softcover adventures. They're just not going to happen any more. A shame, but true.

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.

 

[DrJawaPhD]

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!