D&D Players' Handbook Sales Are Shocking

[@SandyofCthulhu]

speaking as the author of Call of Cthulhu (I no longer get residuals from it and am fine with that), I was happy to hear you mention my stuff. Have you seen my Sandy Petersen's Cthulhu Mythos for 5e?

[@Azazyael]

I’ll have to check that out… actually googling it now

[@nequies]

Looks like ur sold out, will you have more?

[@davekocur9216]

I have! It is a fantastic addition to 5e. I also have the Dark Worlds arc and can't wait to run it.

[@Sun-Tzu-]

You mean the TTRPG? Call of Cthulhu?

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Sandy Peterson! LEGEND! I have not seen it yet.

[@Rajaat99]

I do not buy products from people who hate me.

[@JayAHafner]

This is my feeling as well.

[@underfire987]

110% agreement they are done as a company and any company that supports leftist ideology.

[@KoljaWolfi]

they might not like you personally. but they do like your money

[@fovarberma752]

@@KoljaWolfi The quality and format of their products suggest otherwise.

[@Lallander]

Apparently they don't or they wouldn't have treated us like this.

[@chriswilson320]

My guess, they count digital and double count. Actual total, 150-200k. If they broke a number like a quarter million they would announce it as a bragging point.

[@maartenverdouw4688]

That is my guess two. The bundle counts as 2 products.

[@Ahglock]

That still is a crap ton of product sold.

[@chriswilson320]

@@Ahglock Oh definitely. But I would also guess at least 20 percent of those are people who bought the digital and physical bundle counted twice. Actual individual customers I predict are less than Tasha's. 100-140k

[@mooncorp212]

they also may get sales for guys like me. played d&d 30 years ago (red box & AD&D2, + a little of 3.5)... BG3, may want back (may), waits monthes for 2024 PHB in french instead of 2014.

[@antoniodittman5820]

Could they be counting beyond subs as well?

[@aaronc.6762]

Never underestimate the experience of unplugging from the digital and using dice, books, paper, and pencils.

[@jasonrustmann7535]

For real. It boggles my mind why damn near everyone I play with, uses tablets or phones for their character sheets. You just can't beat that feeling of setting up your stuff in real life, and getting away from all the screens. Not to mention how much easier it is to add unusual things that aren't in any of the books. I always get a laugh when someone is trying to jery rig something into their inventory, when I just write it down and I'm done lol

[@LeicaDork]

5000%

[@lunasol8057]

@@jasonrustmann7535as I’m dm-ing half the people in the party take forever to swipe through shit, looking for something. If it was on a sheet of paper I could find it faster.

[@lurkinglogger2453]

All the games I run have the house rule “no digital devices allowed at the table except for emergency phone calls”

[@jacobrohde540]

@@jasonrustmann7535 noooo d&d beyond and homebrew goes hand and hand!!

[@JudgeShadowfoot]

Still not buying any WotC products. DCC and Pirate Borg!!!!!

[@xavierp7658]

Pirate Borg and Shadowdark for me

[@crazyscotsman9327]

Agreed not buying anything from them again.

[@JudgeShadowfoot]

@@xavierp7658 I got shadowdark and Knave 2e as well, picked a couple rules from both to work into my DCC but haven't had a chance to play an actual game of either yet.

[@user-jt1js5mr3f]

Pirate borg and the one ring for me!

[@aurvay]

Pirate, and DCC Borg!

[@LittleTinSoldier1]

What frustrates me is that any book "purchased" through D&D Beyond isn't bought, so much as leased. I can't take the book with me even if I want to take my toys and go home, not like I can with a PDF. Because of that, I have no intention of buying into the 2024 edition. I have no plans to buy it in physical form right away either.

[@munchkingod6]

Yeah this is the real shit. I won’t be touching it before all three core books are out and I have a better idea if I even care enough to update. IF I buy them it will be hardcopy. There’s no way I’m paying into wizards closed online ecosystem bullshit.

[@Jodien37]

Why do you need a PDF while you can easily access your digital copy from all your devices, like your phone and Dnd beyond app?

[@LittleTinSoldier1]

@@Jodien37 Because no matter how many ways I can access the products I purchased (the phone app, any computer, etc.) with the D&D Beyond model I only have access to the books I paid for so long as I continue to pay a prescription fee. When I decide to stop paying the fee, all the products I've "bought" are suddenly behind a paywall and I cease to have access to them. A PDF allows the usefulness of computer storage (many books, one laptop) AND I don't stop having access to it because someone gets greedy and decides to raise the fees for the privilege to access.

[@scoobydoombot]

@@LittleTinSoldier1this is…both incredibly wrong and incredibly misleading. you do not need to pay a subscription fee to access what you’ve purchased on ddb, you just need an account. your books that you’ve paid for are not behind an additional paywall. you make a free account, you buy the book, it’s yours, whether you sub or not. speak from a more informed position.

[@krisztiankohut3241]

You can get banned, your account can get lost (either your or dndb s fault , doesnt matter)​@@scoobydoombot, new patch that your device cant run, or new secondary requirements like riot needs vanguard or psn account for helldivers. It can get banned in your country, or in general. In all of these cases, you re boned, your "bought" stuff never to be seen again.

[@RIVERSRPGChannel]

Yes WotC wants to go totally digital to make more profit I won’t support them anymore

[@daviddawson6150]

“WOTC wants to go totally digital so they put a new book together with more pages than the book from 10 years ago and didn’t charge a penny more for it, so I’m not going to support that”… fcuking idiot 😂

[@ericg7183]

THAT is why you won't support them anymore? You must have been asleep for all the scandals they have created since January last year.

[@DEATHHEADYT]

They don’t because they still think people like to collect D&D books, which they do, but new audiences don’t care about that. It happened with records, now it’s D&Ds time.

[@airlag]

Getting a digital copy with your rule book is a good thing. I can find way faster for what you search while playing than with a paper book. And I don't have to carry a ton of paper around.

[@arontimes5042]

@@airlag While these are valid points, do note that this is Hasbro we're talking about. I wouldn't put it past them to put more and more restrictions on these digital books, like automatic updates for errata or other things that fuck up the player experience. Also, do y'all not have problems with people getting super distracted on their phones and computers while playing? That's one advantage of having physical books. Fewer distractions. Also better on the eyes.

[@Heritage367]

I can happily say I'm not touching 2024 D&D with a ten foot pole. Sold all my 5e books; much happier playing stuff like Shadowdark, DCC and pretty soon Dragonbane.

[@nicholasemricson1427]

ShadowDark is fantastic were starting up a 6 person home game this month

[@martinkafka9510]

Same with the exception that I gave 5e to my friends for free and am currently testing Sword World and Goblin Slayer RPGs. Reading this again, I should probably treat my friends better.

[@jasperjaguar5453]

I kept my 5e books mostly just because they have some good info on d&d lore, but I will never give WotC money again

[@justinmargerum2559]

@@jasperjaguar5453 Same, and it's all compatible with Tales of the Valiant from Kobold Press. That money is already spent, but no more for Hasbro/WotC's D&D.

[@swcrusader]

I'm a GM and I'm never going back to DnD - too much work!

[@perildice]

Nice shout out for the new Runehammer store in Philly! 🛡️

[@sirhamalot8651]

As a graphic designer, I will assert: Print will never die. There is something about holding that glossy, colorful, beautiful book that you paid for, no matter how convenient digital may be. Digital has cut into print sales, but it will never go away.

[@studentofsmith]

I love flipping through my Player's Handbook, looking at the illustrations, reading the flavour text. It's also actually faster to look up rules in the book than on my phone when I'm sitting at the table, I might not remember the precise text of the rule but I know exactly where in the book it is.

[@seb4sti4n666]

You might like it... But how many people like it that much. Is it as useful as a electronic book who can do research in an instant, count everything you need, also never forget stuff when you level up. I don't like the fact that everything become a lease and not really a buy and that you don't really own thing. But companies see more money, easiest way to distribute and if something is incorrect they can change it without problem. The day of owning stuff is about to end, they made more money this way. The only way to stop it is not buying, but you know what... Nobody care.

[@ironfist7789]

I like paperless for certain things like advertisements and some bills to reduce paper trash, but real books are much better. I don't know if the digital version is in a format that works on all machines (if it is not pdf)

[@sirhamalot8651]

@@seb4sti4n666 Yes, I know what you mean. Making a D&D character and updating it is SOOOOO much easier on D&D Beyond, but there's something about that glossy color paper and the ability to show it off on your bookcase that people will always be attracted to.

[@MartinNelson]

@@seb4sti4n666 I learnt how to use an index at a VERY early age. I can navigate a paper book a dozen times faster than a PDF. Likewise, have switched back to having a paper note with my players' AC, HP, and Passive skills on because it's easier to look at a glance and to update. Granted I'm fast approaching my 40s and as a writer I have a preference for physical, tactile writing...but I don't think I'm the only one who finds pen and paper quicker...though we might well be a dying breed.

[@ElectricalInsanity]

After the whole OGL debacle I moved my tables from D&D to other game systems, and I'm increasingly happy I did so.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Game on!

[@HULKReality.3064]

I started playing WARHAMMER and i was played D&D since i was 12 and im 41 now and i ONCE loved DnD and would stand behind them for anything. ive changed and i dont think warhammer is any better but i need an change.

[@TheRewyn]

I moved on to PF2E for my high fantasy, and started an Exalted game again.

[@Nhytewulf]

Same here. I went back to AD&D 2e and love every minute of planning and runnig it. My players, age 8 to 50 love it as well.

[@ZachPetersen]

Same. We moved to Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC). Others I know went back to AD&D

[@wisnakeo]

“The answer may surprise you.” Eh, not really.

[@matthewdancz9152]

Yep, I'm never buying Wotc products again. It isn't worth it.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

I hear ya.

[@007ohboy]

​@DUNGEONCRAFT1 Bro, at this point, everyone knows you are an irrational hater. 2024 DnD sold out of nearly 4,000 books at Gencon before it officially went on sale. So you have to know Bookscans numbers are completely wrong, right? Face it, you guys that have been harping on WOTC and saying it will fail for the last 2 years are niche as hell. 90% of the player base doesn't care about your nerdy beef with a game company. You play niche products most players wouldn't touch. You are not typical of the represented DnD fanbase. Get that through your head.

[@007ohboy]

​@DUNGEONCRAFT1 BookScan doesn’t track the following types of book sales: E-book sales (meaning if your book is a Kindle bestseller that won’t be reflected in your BookScan numbers) Sales to libraries Direct publisher sales Direct sales by authors Sales at conventions or non-bookstore events Book sales outside the United States Sales at the many independent book stores which don’t report their numbers to BookScan.

[@007ohboy]

BookScan does not record all sales... BookScan doesn’t track the following types of book sales: E-book sales (meaning if your book is a Kindle bestseller that won’t be reflected in your BookScan numbers) Sales to libraries Direct publisher sales Direct sales by authors Sales at conventions or non-bookstore events Book sales outside the United States Sales at the many independent book stores which don’t report their numbers to BookScan.

[@007ohboy]

​@DUNGEONCRAFT1 Digital sales in the year 2024 not being counted means your book tracking for sales is horseshit. I didn't buy the physical copies, I bought the digital version. So dumb....

[@corvidaecorvus9446]

You know, it really does say something when the last two Star Wars movies makes everyone forget about Jar Jar Binks.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Aw, snap! True.

[@xerty5502]

To be fare to gorge Lucas jar jar did every thing he thought itbwould it appealed to children I do not think he ever thought the character would be actively dispised by every one else. Now i dislike the character as much as most but the fan response to the actor who did every thing asked of him by gorge was despicable. The character is designed and portrayed perfectly to be amusing to children and in that it succeed. Just because it turned off many older fans me among them is an unhappy reality.

[@gerhardadler3418]

@@xerty5502 He is like Goofy. As a child i read a lot of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck books. But i always disliked Goofy. The other thing i hated was the stupid race. It was so obvious that it's only purpoe was to sell a computer game. To me Star Wars movies died after the original trilogy.

[@xerty5502]

@gerhardadler3418 rather extreme the prequel trilogy was no were near as fun as the original but was still good. If jar jar had been a little less important in the phantom menace the haters would have been less loud. One thing that alweas annoyed me but I have never really heard people complain about was turning c3po into nothing but a delivery vehicle for one liners. Hell most of them were well delivered and even funny but it is a ridiculous niche for a character.

[@JacobSReeds]

With KZbin premium, i typically skip in video ads. But, having battle zoo sponsor this video is pure comedic gold and absolutely worth listening to.

[@charlieholloway627]

Alternate explanation: They said they tripled the amount sold "on release". Well, technically the first release was GenCon, where they sold 3000 copies vs the 1000 copies they sold in 2014.

[@Lannes03]

Algorithm Warrior Reporting for Duty! 🤺

[@mookiewilson4166]

Remember that by mentioning it, the Alg disregards it in the metric. Prof DM did a video just on this topic. Best to leave a “video yes good, later!”.

[@LB-yg2br]

@@mookiewilson4166what about supporting the dance craze named after that famous dancing vice president, the Al Gore Rhythm?

[@tommix6016]

At ease!

[@AvonofTalamh]

I already bought the 2024 handbook - back when I bought the 2014 handbook. The game inside hasn't changed, so why would I drop $30-$50 on it when instead I could buy 6-8 pints of Ben & Jerry's? I'll get more joy out of that purchase.

[@hydra66]

The Ben and Jerrys is probably better for your long term health as well

[@IsaacScharp]

It is a substantially different set of rules, but value differs by buyers.

[@JoshuaMeland]

My personal opinion. They wanted more money, and a large % of the new players have thin skin and need safe spaces.

[@adambrennan8111]

WoTC’s recent behavior has made my group a little skittish to commit to a new edition. We intend to keep using our old books or switch to Shadowdark

[@TheMarrethiel]

I've been running pathfinder 2 since is came out. It is far better, especially at high levels. Our entire group prefers it to dnd.

[@adambrennan8111]

@@TheMarrethiel I picked up the core pathfinder 2e books a little while back: we were 1e PF players during the 4e era. I’ll take a closer look!

[@TheMarrethiel]

@@adambrennan8111 make sure you resist the temptation of home brewing early on.

[@TheMarrethiel]

@@adambrennan8111 what is shadowdark like?

[@adambrennan8111]

@@TheMarrethiel it’s a lot of fun! Reminds me a lot of my early days of playing where you relied less on rolls and more on figuring out what to say to get the info you need to get past an encounter. Very easy read too as far as the book goes. You could pick up and learn the game in 15 minutes but spend years playing and not feel like the game has exhausted its options

[@jasongrundy1717]

Having sold a lot of Tasha's at a game store, I can tell you nowhere close to a third of them were sold in the first month. I had to restock that thing constantly. These numbers don't include game stores and are complete garbage.

[@Newnodrogbob]

They sold them direct. That wasn’t happening when Tasha’s came out.

[@kabnoot]

I don't have Tasha's cauldron of everything but I keep hearing about it being awesome and people really liking it. Why is that?

[@Newnodrogbob]

@@kabnoot it adds a lot of character options and general ideas that the community really liked

[@LutherGary17]

I do not have a copy of the new phb, nor will I ever buy it.

[@ZachC-130]

Was lucky enough to buy a copy at my LGS. It was their display copy. The rest were sold out. Not a single other copy in a town of 170,000 people.

[@kabnoot]

Buncha nerds hahahaha

[@paulofrota3958]

I'm passing on this book. First time since 2e I'm not interested at all in a D&D player's handbook

[@orionrising8236]

Same here. I've never been this disinterested in a D&D launch. Hasbro has lost me.

[@AmazingJMS]

Im more interesteod on DC20. Is the 6e we wanted.

[@ryanjohnson7245]

Ditto

[@jarrettperdue3328]

Yep, skip the even editions

[@Arasaka]

Yep, went with ACKs 2. Back to the Red Box (modernised) where I started.

[@marcjustmarc6990]

DnD and MTG in their heyday were wonderful and magical. I was there for both and feel lucky to have experienced both. I'm saddened at their state now, probably will never go back because there are better options now. But here's a hearty "Hello!!" to all you out there who got to experience that exciting period like I have! :)

[@jumpman83]

The B&N shelf scenario is already being repeated digitally right here on YT. The algo sees you like fantasy TTRP and shows you more than just D&D. Next thing you know, you're backing the DC20 Kickstarter.

[@AmazingJMS]

dc 20, Nimble and the others a re the Future.

[@dodebro]

I haven't played D&D since the OGL fiasco. That was when I discovered my true love: Pathfinder

[@Val-ym8pm]

Please stop buying WotC products until they do something worthwhile

[@Winterclaw42]

This remimds me of a problem I have with 5e, is there anything more WotC can really do with it that a 3rd party can't or hasn't? The current edition is a glorified and expensive errata. I sort of think we need a proper new edition to bring in something fresh and mix things up.

[@Mischievous_Moth]

@@Winterclaw42 WotC definitely needs a new edition if they want to push product, but I wouldn't say we need it as a community.

[@Kiyomoto657]

I’m torn on this. I hate WOTC, but I have never enjoyed a game besides D&D.

[@Sin_Brings_Death]

My best ttrpg experience was a long running Vampire campaign.

[@HalTheGreat679]

10:05 "The film that dares not speak its name" I 100% agree. Star Wars Sequels only sold more because of an already existing fanbase, and I think that's what's also happening to the 2024 Player's Handbook. Personally I still play Old-School D&d, I think AD&D was Dungeons&Dragons' best edition

[@benanderson6390]

Sold all my 5E books about 6 months ago. I'm so done with new WotC product, physical or digital.

[@Grimmlocked]

yup, BG3 is all the 5E i need in my life.

[@kgeo2686]

Same! I go full minimalist now. I still love DnD I just won’t buy from WOTC.

[@stargateproductions]

That doesn't make sense, you already owned those books.

[@tommynaclerio]

Why ?

[@BarbarosaAlexander]

I'm going to keep what I have, and I might get a bit more through the secondary market, but I won't be giving HoTC any more money. And I'm going to recommend other games exclusively.

[@michaelraczy9960]

Woot!! Lancaster, PA! Deathbringer is welcome to grab a pitchfork and join us here!

[@macoppy6571]

Still convinced Deathbringer and Professor DM could do "the film no one dares to speak its name" better with static minis and a single voice actor.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thank you kindly!

[@maartenverdouw4688]

The prof and mr Deathbringer. That's two voice actors. ;-) But, yeah, they could.

[@AdamK1095]

I imagine it goes like this: Scene 1; scrolling text about a problematic company and it's purchase of an other worldly IP. Scene 2; dump 4 billion dollars into a furnace that has 'the movie that should not be named' pained on the side. Scene 3; Deathbringer, "Damn, they slaughtered than better than I ever could." Roll credits.

[@chrishateley5582]

Would still be better than static actors and Daisy Ridley's single facial expression.

[@kryaxe]

I've got $20 for a ticket to watch that!

[@AGrumpyPanda]

To add in some extra on the brick and mortar store discussion, my local store has a policy of only ordering as much as they expect to sell (as opposed to other stores that over-order expecting there to be supply issues), so every book they asked for already had a buyer lined up. WotC promised their order would be filled, then a couple weeks before the release date informed them that the main store would only be getting 1/3 of their order, and the secondary location 1/5 of their order.

[@ClementiasQuests]

Thanks. I’m done with DnD. So many other TTRPGs out there and I love supporting independent creators

[@kaboose111]

Too bad too many of them suck.

[@ClementiasQuests]

@@kaboose111 ??? Which ones have you tried? Because I've found more than I have time to play

[@underfire987]

​@@kaboose111 DO I smell a woke wotc self hating fan boy? :3

[@kaboose111]

@@underfire987 how am I woke?

[@kaboose111]

@@ClementiasQuests I’ve tried PF2e, which was boring, and other ones like Zweihander. The problem is so many of them try to be Anti-5e or overly dark and gritty.

[@worgancrow]

WoTC has single handedly ruined DnD and MTG. Well done.

[@VindirWefent]

Agreed

[@BaseDnD]

It's up to us to.make it better

[@worgancrow]

@@BaseDnD Yes. By leaving it and forcing them by way of economics to unfuck themselves. Without an economic incentive, there is no incentive.

[@amvkohai8436]

The community also had a big hand in ruining the games. Rather than refusing to purchase the products in response to changes, people just complained while still buying them so Hasbro/WoTC had no incentive to stop. Look at what happened with Commander this week, mtg "investors" freaked out over the RC attempting to slow down the edh format. They sent death threats and harassed public facing members to the point where they left. Now WoTC has full blanket control over the format.

[@worgancrow]

@@amvkohai8436 Bingo

[@eddieromanov]

Lancaster is a lot bigger a city than you'd think. It's bigger than Harrisburg. It's bigger than just about anything once you get outside the greater Pittsburgh and Philly areas except for Scranton.

[@ovarb12]

Not doubting you. I grew in upstate NY. We hav me allot of Amish. Very interesting thanks

[@eddieromanov]

@@ovarb12 I forgot to mention that very few Amish still live in the city. It rapidly urbanized over the last couple of decades or so for a variety of reasons. The kind of shops and factories that hire Amish in numbers have long since been pushed out of town. EDIT - And also, yes, you can find Amish is almost any state now but there are large settlements all through the Midwest not just South Eastern and Central PA. These are just the first Amish to get here for historical reasons.

[@be1tube]

I'm one of the first week sales. I am glad to have the book. My kids were geeking out over the new classes and planning which ones they'll play. I might even get a new weekly game out of it - first session tomorrow.

[@jimhiggins3962]

Poor kids 😢Pathfinder 2e is just superior on every metric. Oh well.

[@travisdonaldstanley6420]

Congratulations! Glad you guys are happy.

[@GregAndera]

Bought it 8 kids played for hours. They had a blast more games to come! Tv computers phones all off, laughter , creativity, and friendships abound!!

[@travisdonaldstanley6420]

@@jimhiggins3962 That's like your opinion. Meanwhile, you probably haven't even read one page of the new PHB. Which means your opinion is weak. Granted, I never will flip through the new PHB. I have 5e and all my improvements to it. I already have the new PHB, because I made it. 😆

[@box2battle]

The OSR, indie, and other RPGs are just more interesting at this point. Also I'm not onboard with a push toward digital. I find a fundamental reason to play roleplaying games is to unplug.

[@Mankcam]

The most shocking news is how scarce actual dedicated trpg stores are!

[@CausticCatastrophe]

Cheers to the game stores in seattle that put independent roleplaying games more in focus than DnD. I walk into mox, and you pretty much have to dig through thirsty sword lesbians, local zines, blades in the dark, shadowdark to get to some first party 5e content. Wotc is like starbucks here, not a great reputation and although people do consume it, its very tacky to do so lol

[@Mark-sd4hv]

Sounds gay

[@trappedinamerica7740]

Tacky? You’re being a douche

[@CausticCatastrophe]

@@Mark-sd4hv well yeah

[@underfire987]

Lol thirsty sword lesbians, what a shit hole and cancer that city is.

[@markfaulkner8191]

I *do* have a copy of the 5.5e PHB. And I am the OSR guy! But I am also an obsessive collector, The sort that the Professor spoke of. I also want to support my FLGS, and after watching Stephan Glickers vid last week about this subject I went and got the physical book from a physical vendor out of spite.

[@HowlingSphinx]

2:46 - OVER 9000?! There's no way that can be right?!

[@scoots291]

Bookscan only claims about 3700 physical copies were sold and lots of reports from lgs only receiving only about 10% of what they ordered for the special editions

[@esmith86]

That's a common mistranslation. In the original Manga for this video, Peofessor DM says "it's over 8000"

[@APsychicMonkey]

Dungeon Craft is my go to channel for all things TTRPGs! Keep being awesome, dude!

[@CausticCatastrophe]

Well they got what they wanted, people arnt buying physical dnd. Pretty funny that they would seemingly double count.

[@Jebbis]

I love having physical books. While .PDFs are useful especially because of just doing a ctrl+f but nothing beats a physical copy that can't suddenly somehow disappear. Especially because when the power goes out, your battery is only going to last so long.

[@CausticCatastrophe]

@@Jebbis what i like to say is: books store data, and has a battery life that cant be beat. :)

[@THBbon]

Just like the election *ba-doom tssss"

[@Jebbis]

@@CausticCatastrophe I’ve played D&D by oil lamp because of a power outage.

[@CausticCatastrophe]

@@Jebbis cool! low light is the best way to play anyways! I have had a similar situation, its the best game to play when the powers off (a ttrpg).

[@Nezarus0]

I was not ready for that banging track when you sponsor showed up. Nice.

[@bobbycrosby9765]

I'm curious if you've heard of California's new AB 2426 law that is coming into effect next year. It's too late to affect the direction of video games, but it seems like it might ensnare D&D Beyond and put a roadbump into making D&D all digital.

[@ajearthdude8467]

whats the law say?

[@DM_Jimmy]

WotC is not making D&D all digital. They are expanding into the digital market place.

[@sabrel4975]

@@ajearthdude8467 I just skimmed through it, seems like it's preventing companies from using the word "buy" for digital products if they have the ability to revoke access at any time (e.g. buying a movie on a streaming service and then removing the movie from the streaming service). This seems like a good idea, but from what I can see in the bill, the only thing companies would have to do is to say that they're selling a license to access the product, and that the license can be revoked at any time.

[@ajearthdude8467]

@@DM_Jimmy if you believe that,youre brainwashed by capitalism

[@zirconiumdiamond1416]

Other than making a bunch of lawyers money, I don't think the law will do much. Even when purchasing physical goods, websites rarely say "buy" or "purchase". "Add to cart" and "checkout" are far more common. And even if somehow the law gets interpreted as to ban those terms, the merchant just needs to show the terms and conditions and get a click through acceptance from the purchaser. Overall, the law seems like it will be about as effective as the one that requires everything to say that it causes cancer.

[@adammcclendon431]

RUNEHAMMER!!!! Interesting facts PDM, initial reviews I've heard make this PHB a need to get, but not a have to get on my list. Can't wait for your UDT Kickstarter!

[@catfishcooler1566]

Unfortunately WotC is gearing D&D toward online play, younger players, and the "talking animals & superfriends" mode of play. That's perfectly fine. My fantasy RP games tend to be more 1930s Sword & Sorcery than Saturday Morning Cartoon. I'm not the customer they are looking for.

[@roderik4]

I'm just here to say I love all Dungeon Craft videos. All of them.

[@bobhasson190]

Obligatory comment so Professor gets paid!

[@brianwise899]

I see your comment and raise you a blurt

[@Christian_Sandoval]

Bump.

[@jeffreykershner440]

I love all these comments.

[@b0therme]

Obligatory ditto!

[@zacthatscoundrel]

I also choose this guy’s Professor getting paid.

[@AndrewGarrett_LordTubtub]

Stopped playing D&D in 2019 after playing since 1988. Moved on to other systems and don't miss it at all. Especially with the controversy over the last year and a half. Thanks for making content for us.

[@mrmooney25]

Only four game stores in NYC?!? i feel spoiled now out here in Portland.

[@Bearwiffa228]

Right? That's wild.

[@jeffreykershner440]

Guardian games just opened a branch in a town near me. So glad to not have to make a special trip in PDX.

[@WithTheGrain]

4 TTRPG stores; but what about general hobby shops/comic shops/tabletop wargaming shops etc? Seems like he is narrowly defining what a LGS is...

[@size15shoeswinkwink]

Rent is a killer out here

[@AAhmou]

No, TTRPG exclusive store. There is a difference, most local game stores tend to diversify into miniature wargames, board games, or even books alongside TTRPG.

[@jons5478]

Thanks for turning my attention to Shadowdark in one of your videos, I bought the book after trying it out with my table and we have been enjoying it, I broke them all away from 5e

[@rickmcconnell5380]

Speaking strictly for myself, I haven't seen a need for any new editions since the original AD&D.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Nope. If you like it, why change it?

[@alicianieto2822]

Agree. I understand the usefulness of something simpler, or more noob friendly, or more constrained, for some types of groups, but those niches have already been filled by 5 and 3.5. Not dure of whom 6 us for

[@LordRenegrade]

@@alicianieto2822 - 6 is for the shareholders ;)

[@Florkl]

3:53 Actually they said it’s the *fastest* selling book. Whatever that means. They say it was the biggest *launch*, but that could just mean they printed the most books. Not that they sold them.

[@WithTheGrain]

I am not sure why you are discounting the "model train stores"... In many towns, such as mine, don't have a "TTRPG" on its own--we have train hobby stores, tabletop war gaming stores, comic shops that all send DnD books. Where I picked it up, there was about 40 still in stock after initial release but they sold a bunch more than that...

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Love model trains. Usually they have dedicated stores. Point is---there aren't more than 2000 stores that carry D&D.

[@PinchHitHero]

@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 Is it really that low? There are 6k stores in the Magic: The Gathering WPN. I've probably been to a dozen or more WPNs and virtually all have also carried D&D, at least a small section of it. Typically, they have needed it to help stay alive, offering Adventurer's League and such on nites that don't feature MtG events. The pandemic could very well have wiped this out, but it still feels pretty low.

[@jvin248]

PDM: The musical instrument market has been going through the same retailer convulsions. Guitar factories used to ship product to mom and pop stores that would double the wholesale price for the risk they paid the factory in 45 days and may not sell the product for six or nine months. Now factories can sell via Amazon for a flat fee and consumers can get the product for half what it cost under the old model. Amazon makes their narrow profit on owning the customer lists. Some big factories are trying for direct sales from their own web site but that seems sales-wise less successful than pushing through Amazon.

[@henrikerlandsson5561]

2 disc CD album and 3 disc CD albums count as 2 and 3 sells... i think they count the same way.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

You are correct.

[@tankatim13]

Bought Dolmenwood, being Dming it for ages now

[@simonjay9758]

Enjoying the final release pdfs I hope!

[@crisisOstrich]

The new PHB has been chronically sold-out at my local store

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

I will be doing an update next week. Stay tuned.

[@RandomFanboy]

I have a copy, pre ordered through Amazon, I have barely had time to scratch the surface of even the artwork. A skimming glance through the book, I see items I absolutely love, and artwork that feels forced, or fake. Fake in its sincerity. The artwork in almost all of the editions of the game prior have been, or appeared genuine, you felt the emotion behind the characters in the images. You felt the fear emanating from the beasts. (Okay, maybe not all of the previous editions, but definitely most). I see that type of emotion in some of the artwork in this book, without a doubt. However, I also see artwork that is near akin to AI in its lack of real emotion, or real emotive narrative in the piece. I will give it more perusal, and thought. Then I will get back to you when I have had a chance to read over more than the title page in text. I appreciate your videos Professor, keep up the excellent work.

[@AdamMaag]

People will always play D&D. And it will always be profitable. However I don’t think this walled garden model is going to give the share holders the long term growth they want. There is so much more passion in Indy games and creators. The players and gm’s see it and resonate with that passion. Be Passionate, Be Punk, Be Retro. Buy a BOOK and play a fun game with your friends.

[@theredgem]

No one will know what D&D is in 50 years except some oddball historian

[@fmitchell238a]

@@theredgem What Ben Milton calls "folk D&D" will persist for a while, maybe even 50 years. If Hasbro survives and its all-digital strategy is a success, though, only the brand name and trade mark will survive. (If Hasbro fails, well, maybe someone will buy D&D and the cycle will repeat.)

[@b0therme]

WRRAARA! That is authentic western gibberish that is.

[@RobOfTheNorth2001]

@@theredgemI strongly doubt that. D&D will survive even into the complete replacement with digital play.

[@LB-yg2br]

Are you using D&D as a synonym for RPG? Yes, in 50 years, people will still play RPGs…not sure it will be D&D.

[@gamerdad7980]

I may pick it up at some point just to see how it all runs. I actually don't mind digital, because none of my players live close by, so we usually use Fantasy Grounds to play anyways, plus I love how easy it is to play using digital tools, it makes the whole experience smoother in my opinion, especially when there are a lot of rules to track.

[@webslinger325]

I still haven't found a group to play with since 3.5 😂

[@alicianieto2822]

There is a bunch of us in Vancouver if you wanna stop by XD

[@jeffreyquigley]

3.5e is just fine. It's my favorite "D&D" edition.

[@mavfan21]

I've been to that Compleat Strategist in NYC near the ESB. It's crazy fun to browse. Stuff literally is falling off the shelves. So many games! Can't wait to go back next month.

[@Satchmojones]

Tashas and Multiverse officially broke 5e, Ive learned to work around their ridiculous power creep and mechanics...but yeah 2024 seems like an excellent stopping point. Off to Savage Worlds: Deadlands for me. Tired of Avengers with Swords. WotC is like a parent giving lil kids Mountain Dew and candy bars then dropping them off at grandmas, in this case the parents are WotC, the kids are the players and as DM im grandma...and im sick of it!

[@trikepilot101]

I like SW and would like one of my groups to play it but one is 3.5 and the other is PF2.

[@lexington2968]

SWADE gang! Definitely give Rippers a try btw :)

[@Xplora213]

Holy cow, best analogy ever. Players are definitely coming across as hyped up on Mountain Dew when they incessantly talk about yet another weird multi build.

[@Adragos17]

Dnd has never been avengers type power level. Especially playing below level 10.

[@gravedgr01]

I bought the full bundle - all three books in print & digital. I've played D&D for >40 years with no intent to stop any time soon, regardless of what WOTC does or does not. As long as my table wants to play the system, that's what we'll stick with. Your cell phone provider screws with you. So does your internet and/or tv provider. So does your grocery store and the local restaurants. At some point you have to decide what you enjoy and enjoy it, regardless of any contrary public opinion.

[@DavidCookeZ80]

Are those stats international or US-centric? On amazon uk the 2024 PHB was #180 in books and #1 in game books. Another question - are the US copies printed in Belgium like my UK version was?

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Yes. All U.S. stats. I don't know where the U.S. copies are printed.

[@thegingerbeardman5820]

Hey! Just for a change of pace, I bought the new Players Handbook and its kind of awesome! I know its hard to admit that you like something and be an individual amongst the masses. Hating is easy to do and a lot of KZbin Channels have shifted to bashing the products that made them successful. Grow up.

[@MarshmallowMadnesss]

Once I wrap Curse Of Strahd, I'll offer to run another system or otherwise I'll step aside and be a player in whatever.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Strahd is a great module.

[@retrodai7083]

I decided to pick up ttrpg again as an adult about two years ago. I decided to go with DnD5e because I thought it was easily available with a lot of options through third party material. Then the OGL leak happened and now this uninspiring book has been released. I's apparent I am not the customer anymore (perhaps I never was) and I regret investigating my money in them. Your video about that Bladerunner RPG actually got me interested and I've been looking into buying it as a result.

[@justingraves1291]

It makes me endlessly laugh that WotC has to lie about what Paizo did effortlessly during the OGL causing them to sell through 8 months of stock 😂😂

[@chrishateley5582]

What did Paizo do? I'm a non D&D'er who's always wanted to get into it, so I only have a vague understanding of the OGL, in that WotC wanted to restrict it and then u-turned after fan backlash. But what was Paizo's part?

[@jaysw9585]

Paizo isn't any better than Hasbro. Paizo also hired union busters to stop their employees from unionized.

[@justingraves1291]

@jaysw9585 common company tactics do not compare to calling pinkertons on their own customers, firing 1100 people before holidays to replace with AI, charging 1k for useless product only meant to take up shelf space, oh or trying to change the actual history of the game and erase the people who created it in the first place. 🙄 your argument is laughable comparing anti-union hiring procedures and paying a company who has MURDERED STRIKERS 😒

[@justingraves1291]

@@chrishateley5582 paizo sold out of 8 months of stock just by WotC's OGL scandal being leaked by people they tried to force to sign a contract that only benefited WotC, allowing them to steal profits from content creators just to use a Dnd 5e stamp, since you can't own rule systems in America. The backlash was abrupt as people canceled their beyond memberships in mass and ran to other TTRPGs, one being paizo. So they literally had to do nothing to set sales records, and not like the ones wotc "currently has" despite no verified sources 🤣

[@jaysw9585]

​@justingraves1291 1. Pinkerton haven't been union busters since 1920. Paizo actual did hire union busters. 2. A company has to lay off employees when people stop buying their products. 3. It wasn't WoTC using AI, it was the artists they hired cheating the company. Also all those 3rd party publishers are using AI because they can't afford to pay artists. Also, what DnD creators are they erasing?

[@DoinItforNewCommTech]

I'm sure they're also counting the widespread misprint issue--standard editions were frequently printed upside-down, and the FLGS-exclusive covers have been delayed in many stores citing printing issues as well. So that initial print run has most definitely been artificially inflated (if accidentally, can't blame them for misprints, these things happen)

[@alvarovictor]

I have a copy of the PHB 2024, bought the bundle. I really, really, like the book.

[@michaelnurse9089]

You and 3776 other people. Tashas sold 350 000.

[@Newnodrogbob]

@@michaelnurse9089you read the poll and didn’t watch the video? That number is wrong and Prof. knows it’s wrong. That number completely ignores game stores and direct sales on Beyond. Keep that copium going. It’s not failing like you want it to

[@andrewwilliams8058]

I've really loved my new book. It's a big improvement on 2014!

[@andrewwilliams8058]

​@Newnodrogbob yeah... this was totally debunked.

[@shannonmckinnon2]

I bought the bundle for myself and a hard copy for my DM. Happy that I did.

[@FamBoren]

I ordered all three book and I'm really looking forward to the new books. Every iteration of D&D has proven to be well worth it's value. I have almost all the books since the first edition and I still find them useful. D&D is the industry standard and I'm really happy to see the game evolve. I don't really care who is in charge of the game as long as the products are great (which they are), which means that WotC is doing a good job as custodians of D&D.

[@DanSmith-x2p]

Good stuff. 3.5e forever!

[@allstatejake]

I drove across the country to Lancaster and was happily surprised to be able to visit a game shop while staying in Amish country! Bought a well made chair and some model paints!

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

I have an Amish made chair too!

[@allstatejake]

@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 worth the 20 hour drive for me lol

[@classicalteacher]

I just bought the new PHB. I'm not impressed. It's just 5.1e. It's not even a 5.5e. Previous editions had great information. I own them all. My favorite is the 4e DMG. I won't be buying the new MM or DMG if it's like the PHB. I feel guilty for buying it since it was a waste of money.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Sorry you feel you wasted your money.

[@RobOfTheNorth2001]

It’s kind of hard to compare a PHB to a DMG. Plus the 4e DMG was an amazing book - in my opinion it deserved to be in a better game.

[@lauramumma2360]

@@RobOfTheNorth2001 I agree the 4E DMG is good and that is strictly from reading it.

[@pankratos5017]

Can't you return it and get a full refund?

[@simonfernandes6809]

WotC stated it was a revised 5e, not a new game. It's your fault if you didn't realise what you were getting.

[@HLR4th]

Lancaster, PA is a college town, hence the unexpected number of game stores. I was in FARBO Co 3 weeks ago- a great game store, right next to the Central Market, brought back lots of memories of many hours and $ spent in similar shops when I was younger. I (reluctantly) bought my copy of the 2024 Player’s Handbook at Newbury Comics’ location in Roosevelt Field Mall, NY last week. I have not bought a digital copy at D&D Beyond, nor at Roll20 (I’m afraid it will uncontrollably change everything!). I’m not planning on transitioning our 5e campaign to the 2024 rules.

[@zug1974]

I was coming to the defense of Lancaster as well. Lancaster also hosts Historicon, one of the biggest (if not the biggest) Historical Miniatures Convention in America. So there's definitely some serious geek activity in the area.

[@schadenfreude6274]

Calm down its not the end of the world. Once DMG and MM are released the sales would be much higher. 🙂

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

If you watch until the end, I estimate the actual sales to be 150-250k.

[@simonfernandes6809]

​@@DUNGEONCRAFT1I do like your videos. But the rage baiting thumbnails are getting really old, really fast.

[@Mael6469]

If I am honest, I actually like it. It is 5E plus a bunch of Tasha's. Created my first 2 characters with it this weekend and brought one to the table this weekend. Also, Vancouver, WA has less than 200k people and has 4-5 TTRPG stores so I have a tough time believing NY City only has 4 unless there is just no audience for it there.

[@PM-tm7lb]

3.5 and AD&D are still a blast. 5e is pretty good. I'm good on the new one.

[@trappedinamerica7740]

Do not ever praise a system that uses thac0 it means your irrational

[@dylanmays5311]

Makes sense, popularity is increasing, but also, most groups most likely share books: the DM buys the books and shares it with their group. So for every 4-5 players the average number of books sold is probably just a little over 1.

[@MasterPeibol]

I still not see the selling point of 2024 PHB. If its to play "fixed" version of 5e, there's already 10 years of official and homebrew fixes. If its to try something new, we have a lot a new exciting dungeons crawlers to try first (DCC, Shadowdark, Vagabond, etc.) So what else?

[@travisdonaldstanley6420]

The best pro for 5.24 is that it codifies the PHB, Tasha, and Xan for brand new players. The rest is basically power creep, because they have an innovators delimia. Players want to be like the Avengers and never fail. At the end of the day, the beam counters said that this would make money. I think making great campaign modules is the best way to make money. Ones with great maps.

[@geektome4781]

Word on the street is that a large number of books in the initial print run had misprints or printing errors. A lot of bookstores could not get their preorders fulfilled as a result.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

I did not hear that. I have a follow-up video featuring Stephen Glicker where he dives more into the sales. I just uploaded it onto Patreon.

[@geektome4781]

@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 It’s what I was told when I asked a place why they never had it in stock, and they said that’s what they were told.

[@eran5005]

Why would anyone buy a glorified errata for full price? Beyond me.

[@simonfernandes6809]

Errata implies a few pages. Virtually EVERYTHING in the new PHB has been revised, expanded or completely rebuilt.

[@thanesgames9685]

@@simonfernandes6809 "Made worse". Those are the words you are searching for.

[@RollerdinoGaming]

​@@simonfernandes6809and yet my 5e characters are compatible with the new system, so I need not buy the new book to play. Funny.

[@innui100]

I'm seeing an awful lot of 5E material being sold off on lots of facebook groups. In which case, I welcome those players to whatever system they take up next, it's about time ;)

[@mikegrant8031]

I am a local game store, were not carrying phb 2024

[@keithmartin4013]

You don’t like money?

[@3Scalpel]

Smart move, actually. Apparently, some people don’t understand that a shop has to buy the books to stock their shop and rely on customer interest to buy them in turn. 5.5e isn’t selling, (3,773 books sold TOTAL as of a few days ago), so I’d say by not carrying the 2024 PHB, they very much DO like money.

[@keithmartin4013]

@@3Scalpel that number isn’t the whole story, they sold 3000 at gencon alone

[@DSmith-hv6dr]

I gave a thumbs up just for Deathbringer’s commentary.

[@StArFuRyZz]

Our group has no plans to move on from 5e. We're happy with the system and will change it as we need it to. Some changes in the 2024 version may be implemented but I'm thinking a lot will just be ignored. None of use the online service - we're old school with fillable PDF and printed copies for games.

[@ZendaKenn]

More than ever, I am attracted to play the classic, neat, simple but always fun BECMI!

[@Fallout2008]

The online sales are the only way this is true. That is amazing for WoTC, if true, as online sales are 100% profit. Personally, I feel that the new version of DnD is creatively dead. If I played with physical books I would print off the weapon traits, a few spells like true strike and blade ward. I would stick these pages into my old PHB and just roll with that. It is sad that this is the only thing I would want from an entirely new book. I compare this to pathfinder 2nd edition. In the same time they have come out with amazing new options in classes, races, dedications, and campaign settings. I don't want to feel this way. I want DnD to do well. I want an amazing product that is amazing and fun to play. This is not the case with this new edition.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Thanks for sharing.

[@TheRealCaptainLavender]

You actually believe wizards of the coast?

[@trevorbailey1101]

I’m happy that I picked up Level Up : Advanced 5th Edition from ENPublishing. I do wonder if the problem WotC is facing is people not really wanting to move on from their 5e games just yet. If I were to pick it up, I would want all 3 core books to be available. That way I would be able to review the entire game.

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

Good point.

[@EcthelionOTF]

I’m very interested to see what happens to the TTRPG space as D&D switches to digital. I’m personally moving away from it but it will probably continue to grow

[@TheFleahost]

This channel does such a great job promoting the other systems that I can't bring myself to buy more WotC products until we explore different products.

[@karlsweeney2328]

The Amish joke was funny. I didn't laugh, but I can recognize that it's funny.

[@michaelnurse9089]

DammitKarl - I was drinking milk and now its all over my laptop.

[@ImperialValues]

Do you Amish guys have to rowboat their GF’s boobs?

[@nonyabidness8676]

It's okay. The amish aren't here, you're welcome to laugh if you like. They won't find out.

[@utubeaddict29]

Bought the new special cover PHB from my FLGS a couple weeks after it was available. But in 2014 I was outside the store waiting for it to open the first day of FLGS early availability. I think you're spot in that they are trying to capture as much of the market as possible. I do think this update is a substantial update in clarity and organization compared to 2014. We'll know in 4 years if they really can keep the magic alive. I intend to buy the 3 core 5.24E books with shiny covers, and will undoubtedly play em for a bit. But TTRPGs are much more than D&D and it's up to us to be rivers to people.

[@janartoos2744]

I bought the book. Physical copy, at my local gamestore (in Europe, not the US). I'm fairly happy with it too, it's a definite improvement over my 2014 copy. I don't recommend it to people who already have a PHB though, it's not at all a must-have in that regard. D&D is not my favourite TTRPG, but I do very much enjoy it and it's by the far the easiest one to get a campaign going with. I dropped my D&D Beyond sub before it was acquired by WotC though, and have no reason to go back to it. I'll buy (good) physical D&D books and will keep buying physical D&D books, but only physical ones that I like - with the exception of third party .pdfs. That's the signal I want WotC to get: publish good content in physical form and you'll keep my custom, but your digital model in its current form can suck it.

[@kabnoot]

I'll probably just look up a free pdf of it and check it out before I buy it.

[@ATMOSK1234]

Sorry guys, it was me. I bought 100k copies by mistake and I am too embarrassed to return them.

[@peterbaris8778]

As a regular D&D player who's been using D&D Beyond for over five years, I have to say that the release of the new book is awesome! The fact that I can buy it both digitally and as a physical copy right from the site is a huge plus. I'm from Europe, by the way, so I honestly don't really get why people are upset with WoTC. I don't follow that drama; I just play D&D. Whenever they release something new, I'm happy to try it out. I genuinely don't understand why some people are so against buying the new D&D book or why they have an issue with it being available on D&D Beyond. For me, it feels more like a bonus. There are definitely some things I don't quite get about why this bothers people, but I believe there are others out there who might be frustrated by my "I'm just an average D&D player who bought the book through D&D Beyond and I'm totally fine with it" attitude. Feel free to share your thoughts in response to this comment!

[@simonfernandes6809]

Mainly Americans with snowflake personalities.

[@lindenlauber]

For me, it’s the corporate side of WotC and the cultural overexposure. They’re so focused on profits now-changing everything to subscriptions and microtransactions, which feels like corporate greed. D&D used to feel like a fun, indie thing, where you could just pretend and play for cheap, like using sticks as swords as a kid. Now it’s like some suit charging $10 for that stick and the rights to pretend it’s a sword. Plus, it feels watered down with every new edition; it’s lost that exclusive, exciting vibe and is turning into something that barely feels like D&D anymore. I’ve gone back to Gygax’s AD&D-it feels untouched by all this.

[@jaednhowlar2359]

some people are just glad to consume product...

[@tormdk5879]

I think it's actually a bigger "problem" - in our group, only the DM buys physical books but it's very rare that we need to, as we have long since migrated to the digital universe in DND beyond where we already purchased every single product available. It's a problem though, because no other RPG system seems to have sites like that, and while you can get quite far on roll20 or the virtual tabletop system, it's just not the same quality. In effect this does two things; 1; We are sticking with Beyond's subscription model in our group, because we're adults with lives, and so we appreciate the convenience. 2; We're not going to go try out other systems in the future, because there's no digital tools built for it.