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May 23, 2012 -- 11:07AM, wrecan wrote:

May 23, 2012 -- 6:37AM, The_Jester wrote:

Which does increase the number of required books from 3 to 4.

Ah... but I'd combine the PHB and DMG into the D&D Rulebook, which has all the rules, classes, races, spells, etc., including a chapter with DMing advice.  I don't think there's anything in the DMG that needs to be DM's eyes only.

Rules for making onsters goes itno the Monster Manual.

So everyone needs to by a D&D Rulebook.  The DM needs the Monster Manual, and the group decides who needs the Vault.  PHB and DMG can be smaller books of play advice.

+5

May 23, 2012 -- 11:07AM, wrecan wrote:

May 23, 2012 -- 6:37AM, The_Jester wrote:

Which does increase the number of required books from 3 to 4.

Ah... but I'd combine the PHB and DMG into the D&D Rulebook, which has all the rules, classes, races, spells, etc., including a chapter with DMing advice.  I don't think there's anything in the DMG that needs to be DM's eyes only.

Rules for making onsters goes itno the Monster Manual.

So everyone needs to by a D&D Rulebook.

The DM needs the Monster Manual, and the group decides who needs the Vault.  PHB and DMG can be smaller books of play advice.

This is a great idea!

A D&D Rulebook (call it the “Rules Compendium” for the traditionalists?) that combines the rules for the DMG and the PH offers many significant benefits for the game as a whole.

Then the players only need to buy 1 book to play. 1 book!

Plus the adventure. The adventure itself will list whateve monsters and magic-items treasures exist in the adventure.

It would be an inexpensive buy-in for beginners to start playing D&D.



As players get more advanced, the ones who are DMing can buy the Vaults, the Monster Manuals, Campaign Settings, and the Optional Modules to enrich and finetune their gaming experience.

All of the other books - the Monster Manuals, Vaults, Settings, and Modules - can have labels that say something like “DM Resources”. This label makes it clear the Vaults will remain under the control of the DM, as part of the overall responsibilities to design the setting and mood for the adventure.


 
One single D&D Rulebook also reduces confusion about which book is necessary for beginners to purchase - which has always been a perennial problem for the D&D curious. There is only one. Buy it and play. It makes purchasing easy.



Combining the rule for the DM rules and players also encourages more players to understand how to become DMs, who can run games themselves. These extra DMs are the ones who expand the player base and ultimately expand the market place and the profitability of the game.



I only see benefits when combining the DMG and PH.

For me, the answer to what book they should be in is based on where they come from.

If the players can make it, it should be in the PH. 

If the DM has sole control over it's placement, then the DMG.

If they take the idea from the poll about some magic items being of generic effect, and player constuctable, with other magic items being unique named objects of strange and wonderful power, I would put the generic  enchantments in the PH and keep all the more interesting goodies in the DMG. 
As to the idea of wishlists and player begging... in 4E it was easy as pie to make magic gear of a generic nature, the players can make it themsleves, they should stop whining.

Basically, I liked the 4E set up that had magic items in the PH and relics/artifacts in the DMG. I would just have prefered a much smaller list of player available enchants and a much larger list of artifacts/relics/unique named items with a bit more robust guidlines on making your (as the DM) own.

May 23, 2012 -- 11:10AM, Maxperson wrote:

The magic level of the campaign is for the DM to decide, regardless if your assumption of a few mages per town.

Kinda like how the mechanical complexity level is for the player to decide, yet it sounds like Themes & Backgrounds are gonna be in the PH with the option to not use them. Guess it comes down to the baseline style assumption (whether they figure the majority of games allow purchasing some, any, or no magic items). It'd be an easy enough thing for a DM to say "We're playing low-magic, so you can't buy the basic magic stuff in the PH."

I apologize for not following etiquette and reading all the previous posts.

I liked the magic items in the PH.  As a matter of fact, if the PH had included just 2 more chapters, I would not have needed a DMG at all (wish I had known that before I bought it,though).  As things stand, if the dmg 5e isn't drastically different, I won't be buying it.