The Free Rules. It has every class and a subclass, a bucket of magic items, and a whole menagerie of monsters. For free.
Every other element isn't necessary. You can play D&D with a character sheet, a few pencils and a set of dice. I'm not sure people understand how amazing this concept is. Pre-2000s you *had* to buy the PHB (rules), DMG (magic items) and the MM (monsters) in order to have any real ability to play.
If you're time rich, and cash poor, make it up yourself. You don't need a dozen new player options books. You don't need another campaign setting. You don't need to buy everything on the store. You use the free rules, and make up the rest. You like something enough to put cash down, you can do so.
You do NOT NEED every product. You barely need any products.
You're not being priced out of the game. You're being priced into FOMO. And FOMO is a problem created on its own.
While this is technically true, it isn't really in practice. A lot of people, especially new players, won't want to homebrew things, and if they don't have the PHB, they probably won't have many ideas for subclasses to homebrew, plus they won't have examples of how to balance the subclasses. If you only have one subclass per class, how are you expected to get any idea of how powerful features need to be?
But it IS true. Every subclass in that document happens to be the iconic version of the class that has been around since 1st edition. At one time, these were the only options we had and it is no hardship to play those class/subclass combinations. If you want to homebrew there are many sources of information on the web that will provide guidance and examples. I've not tried it, but I may soon run a short campaign just around the Free Rules. I think they may be more balanced and maybe more fun (outside of customization options of course)
One of the first things I did when I finally had a significant change in income was buy the Legendary bundle. You would be amazed at how LITTLE that had impacted any aspect of my play experience since. I have been playing consistently for more than 7 years without any meaningful breaks (almost every day if you count PBPs) and if we exclude the Core Rules and Expanded Rules, I can count on one hand how many books have been used at our tables. In hindsight, most D&D purchases are a colossal waste of money.
The point is that I wish I had seen (and then listened to) GammaRay's frequent reminders to NOT purchase anything before exploring all the free options. If I could go back and do it again, I wouldn't. You really don't need to buy anything at all. Homebrew is here, is free, and is really only intimidating at first. Not knowing how to balance isn't a problem if you know how to read; you can just read these books at bookstores, take some notes, and then homebrew. If you don't want to homebrew, GM Binder and DM's Guild have so much free content too, as others have pointed out. You can't be priced out of a game that you can fully enjoy for almost a decade without purchases making a meaningful difference.
There is enough free material to at least start laying and get comfortable with the rules. But I get that having at least the core books and full access to the site (ie a master tier subscription) would be far better but potentially expensive on a fixed income - or is it ? A master tier subscription is @ $6/month or the cost of 2 20oz black coffees at Starbucks - not really so bad, even on a fixed income it’s probably easily done alone. The 3 core books (PHB, DMG, MM) together are @ $100 - fairly pricey if bought all at once. But it’s a. One time purchase that could be done incrementally to keep monthly costs down. Better yet D&D is not (generally) a solo game. - it’s a group game. Typically you have 4-7 players and 1 DM so let’s look at those prices again if everyone is sharing the cost for everyone’s pleasure. Assuming the low end of 5 players that is $1.20 each a month for the subscription ( 1 master tier and 4 free basic tier subscriptions) and @20$ each one time to purchase the 3 book set. Then all 3 books are shared on the master tier. I would recommend setting up 2 campaigns- one for actual game play and one where everyone can “play” with character creation. Finally most non free stuff costs @ $30-40 so that is $6-8 each when the group agrees to add a book. Assuming 1 new $40 book each month the individual costs for a shared game would run no more than $10/ month after the natal 3 book outlay. I suspect that would be in almost veryone’s budget.
...if we exclude the Core Rules and Expanded Rules, I can count on one hand how many books have been used at our tables. In hindsight, most D&D purchases are a colossal waste of money..
This is one of the issues. Realistically, you generally only use books at the beginning of a campaign (as a player). You might use 2 or 3 books, then you're done for like two years until the campaign is over. They don't get opened again. And even that is being generous - usually I use like one book. This is one of the reasons why I lamented the loss of piecemeal purchases and been a bit sore about it since - you could buy what you needed and would use, rather than having to buy the whole of Fizban's...for the Drakewarden subclass. It was something that I frequently pointed to to show how DDB.was pro consumer and not predatory. Anyways, that wisdom, just buying a couple of books at most, isn't natural. It comes with experience...by which time it's too late.
I wish the wisdom was more widespread though. I've had a few players join for a session, decide they like it, refuse to join our Master Sub campaign (even for free) and insisting on buying their own books instead..****y to quit two or three sessions down the road. So much money wasted.
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If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
Honestly, as a DM, I buy a lot of the books for the additional monster variants and the magic items, and my players buy the player options. I haven't caved to buying the Campaigns I won't run, just for monsters and magic though. I wish I wasn't reliant on paying $30-$50, just to get access to creatures I could use in my own games.
The OP and title of the thread state being priced out, so basic logic says they bought in to some degree, and are no longer able to afford what they were able to previously.
Why is that?
Inflation is an obvious reason.
The price increase shortly before the 5.5 core books were released is another logical deduction.
Taking away the bundle discounts stacking with sale pricing on first party books is also another way they could feel the pinch. Especially given what people paid for the bundles and what they were promised if they spent that amount of money.
Removing ala cart options is yet another way people are feeling the pinch especially when coupled with the above listed reasons someone may not be able to buy what they want due to these choices in increasing costs to buy books prior to the implementation of the ways one had been able to save money and still get the things they want to buy and use in their games.
It is beyond obvious that the cost to buy new things for D&D on this site has increased substantially since the market place was given a facelift.
The OP and title of the thread state being priced out, so basic logic says they bought in to some degree, and are no longer able to afford what they were able to previously.
Why is that?
Inflation is an obvious reason.
The price increase shortly before the 5.5 core books were released is another logical deduction.
Taking away the bundle discounts stacking with sale pricing on first party books is also another way they could feel the pinch. Especially given what people paid for the bundles and what they were promised if they spent that amount of money.
Removing ala cart options is yet another way people are feeling the pinch especially when coupled with the above listed reasons someone may not be able to buy what they want due to these choices in increasing costs to buy books prior to the implementation of the ways one had been able to save money and still get the things they want to buy and use in their games.
It is beyond obvious that the cost to buy new things for D&D on this site has increased substantially since the market place was given a facelift.
Eh, the baseline costs haven't actually risen much, as multiple people have pointed out. The only notable change is the lack of piecemeal, which decreases options but the actual book prices have only gone up by a couple bucks at most. If you're in a position to have disposable income, it's just a matter of picking and choosing what to spend on to offset the bump. If you don't really have disposable income in the first place, that sucks but this is an entertainment product. It's quite a stretch to argue there's a moral obligation to keep the products at X price point.
Eh, the baseline costs haven't actually risen much, as multiple people have pointed out. The only notable change is the lack of piecemeal, which decreases options but the actual book prices have only gone up by a couple bucks at most. If you're in a position to have disposable income, it's just a matter of picking and choosing what to spend on to offset the bump. If you don't really have disposable income in the first place, that sucks but this is an entertainment product. It's quite a stretch to argue there's a moral obligation to keep the products at X price point.
I guess if you can afford the increased cost it is easy to dismiss and justify, that doesn't mean it isn't both real and does effect many people. The books have gone up a real 20% MSRP, and older books have seen a similar price increase. $10 bucks may not be a big deal for some, but it is huge for many. The increase wouldn't be so debilitating for many more if they hadn't jerked the rug out from under the options to mitigate the costs like ala cart, and even worse the crawfished bundle discount stacking that was marketed as a reason to buy into the bundles. Ala cart removal was a snub, revoking bundle discounts was a blatant slap in the face! The 2 combined with the price increase is just financial gate keeping at best.
I guess if you can afford the increased cost it is easy to dismiss and justify, that doesn't mean it isn't both real and does effect many people. The books have gone up a real 20% MSRP, and older books have seen a similar price increase.
And in the same time period, food prices have gone up 37%... which, since people spend a lot more money on food than they do on RPGs, is a far more likely cause of being unable to afford things. It would be nice if prices never went up, but the mostly you can reasonably hope for is that inflation-adjusted prices don't go up... and they haven't.
Eh, the baseline costs haven't actually risen much, as multiple people have pointed out. The only notable change is the lack of piecemeal, which decreases options but the actual book prices have only gone up by a couple bucks at most. If you're in a position to have disposable income, it's just a matter of picking and choosing what to spend on to offset the bump. If you don't really have disposable income in the first place, that sucks but this is an entertainment product. It's quite a stretch to argue there's a moral obligation to keep the products at X price point.
I guess if you can afford the increased cost it is easy to dismiss and justify, that doesn't mean it isn't both real and does effect many people. The books have gone up a real 20% MSRP, and older books have seen a similar price increase. $10 bucks may not be a big deal for some, but it is huge for many. The increase wouldn't be so debilitating for many more if they hadn't jerked the rug out from under the options to mitigate the costs like ala cart, and even worse the crawfished bundle discount stacking that was marketed as a reason to buy into the bundles. Ala cart removal was a snub, revoking bundle discounts was a blatant slap in the face! The 2 combined with the price increase is just financial gate keeping at best.
If $10 is the extent of it, and you're already making enough that you can spare the money to buy the books, then are you actually being excluded by this, or do you just need to wait another month or two to make the purchase? If you have a steady income that allows for these purchases, then it's just a matter of budgeting and waiting. If you don't have that baseline, then you probably shouldn't be looking at these to begin with, and a $10 bump is not a make or break event.
Eh, the baseline costs haven't actually risen much, as multiple people have pointed out. The only notable change is the lack of piecemeal, which decreases options but the actual book prices have only gone up by a couple bucks at most. If you're in a position to have disposable income, it's just a matter of picking and choosing what to spend on to offset the bump. If you don't really have disposable income in the first place, that sucks but this is an entertainment product. It's quite a stretch to argue there's a moral obligation to keep the products at X price point.
I guess if you can afford the increased cost it is easy to dismiss and justify, that doesn't mean it isn't both real and does effect many people. The books have gone up a real 20% MSRP, and older books have seen a similar price increase. $10 bucks may not be a big deal for some, but it is huge for many. The increase wouldn't be so debilitating for many more if they hadn't jerked the rug out from under the options to mitigate the costs like ala cart, and even worse the crawfished bundle discount stacking that was marketed as a reason to buy into the bundles. Ala cart removal was a snub, revoking bundle discounts was a blatant slap in the face! The 2 combined with the price increase is just financial gate keeping at best.
You're being a bit misleading with this comment:
The price increase was an adjustment for increased production costs and, as mentioned, represents an increase below the rate of inflation. This means in theory peoples disposable income should be tracking with this increase
Older books have not had their MSRPs increased in price. Just go to the marketplace now and you'll see that Tasha's Cauldron of Everything physical is still $49.95. Only Glory of the Giants and onwards have the increased MSRP
The MSRP increase was for physical books only, ALC purchasing was for digital. There's no overlap their unless you're buying physical + digital in which case the $20 discount when you buy both more than negates the $10 MSRP increase
Legendary bundle discounts haven't been revoked, in fact I had to open the marketplace in an incognito tab so my legendary bundle discount would mess up the numbers I gave here.
But it IS true. Every subclass in that document happens to be the iconic version of the class that has been around since 1st edition. At one time, these were the only options we had and it is no hardship to play those class/subclass combinations. If you want to homebrew there are many sources of information on the web that will provide guidance and examples. I've not tried it, but I may soon run a short campaign just around the Free Rules. I think they may be more balanced and maybe more fun (outside of customization options of course)
One of the first things I did when I finally had a significant change in income was buy the Legendary bundle. You would be amazed at how LITTLE that had impacted any aspect of my play experience since. I have been playing consistently for more than 7 years without any meaningful breaks (almost every day if you count PBPs) and if we exclude the Core Rules and Expanded Rules, I can count on one hand how many books have been used at our tables. In hindsight, most D&D purchases are a colossal waste of money.
The point is that I wish I had seen (and then listened to) GammaRay's frequent reminders to NOT purchase anything before exploring all the free options. If I could go back and do it again, I wouldn't. You really don't need to buy anything at all. Homebrew is here, is free, and is really only intimidating at first. Not knowing how to balance isn't a problem if you know how to read; you can just read these books at bookstores, take some notes, and then homebrew. If you don't want to homebrew, GM Binder and DM's Guild have so much free content too, as others have pointed out. You can't be priced out of a game that you can fully enjoy for almost a decade without purchases making a meaningful difference.
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There is enough free material to at least start laying and get comfortable with the rules. But I get that having at least the core books and full access to the site (ie a master tier subscription) would be far better but potentially expensive on a fixed income - or is it ? A master tier subscription is @ $6/month or the cost of 2 20oz black coffees at Starbucks - not really so bad, even on a fixed income it’s probably easily done alone. The 3 core books (PHB, DMG, MM) together are @ $100 - fairly pricey if bought all at once. But it’s a. One time purchase that could be done incrementally to keep monthly costs down. Better yet D&D is not (generally) a solo game. - it’s a group game. Typically you have 4-7 players and 1 DM so let’s look at those prices again if everyone is sharing the cost for everyone’s pleasure. Assuming the low end of 5 players that is $1.20 each a month for the subscription ( 1 master tier and 4 free basic tier subscriptions) and @20$ each one time to purchase the 3 book set. Then all 3 books are shared on the master tier. I would recommend setting up 2 campaigns- one for actual game play and one where everyone can “play” with character creation. Finally most non free stuff costs @ $30-40 so that is $6-8 each when the group agrees to add a book. Assuming 1 new $40 book each month the individual costs for a shared game would run no more than $10/ month after the natal 3 book outlay. I suspect that would be in almost veryone’s budget.
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This is one of the issues. Realistically, you generally only use books at the beginning of a campaign (as a player). You might use 2 or 3 books, then you're done for like two years until the campaign is over. They don't get opened again. And even that is being generous - usually I use like one book. This is one of the reasons why I lamented the loss of piecemeal purchases and been a bit sore about it since - you could buy what you needed and would use, rather than having to buy the whole of Fizban's...for the Drakewarden subclass. It was something that I frequently pointed to to show how DDB.was pro consumer and not predatory. Anyways, that wisdom, just buying a couple of books at most, isn't natural. It comes with experience...by which time it's too late.
I wish the wisdom was more widespread though. I've had a few players join for a session, decide they like it, refuse to join our Master Sub campaign (even for free) and insisting on buying their own books instead..****y to quit two or three sessions down the road. So much money wasted.
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
Honestly, as a DM, I buy a lot of the books for the additional monster variants and the magic items, and my players buy the player options. I haven't caved to buying the Campaigns I won't run, just for monsters and magic though. I wish I wasn't reliant on paying $30-$50, just to get access to creatures I could use in my own games.
The OP and title of the thread state being priced out, so basic logic says they bought in to some degree, and are no longer able to afford what they were able to previously.
Why is that?
Inflation is an obvious reason.
The price increase shortly before the 5.5 core books were released is another logical deduction.
Taking away the bundle discounts stacking with sale pricing on first party books is also another way they could feel the pinch. Especially given what people paid for the bundles and what they were promised if they spent that amount of money.
Removing ala cart options is yet another way people are feeling the pinch especially when coupled with the above listed reasons someone may not be able to buy what they want due to these choices in increasing costs to buy books prior to the implementation of the ways one had been able to save money and still get the things they want to buy and use in their games.
It is beyond obvious that the cost to buy new things for D&D on this site has increased substantially since the market place was given a facelift.
Eh, the baseline costs haven't actually risen much, as multiple people have pointed out. The only notable change is the lack of piecemeal, which decreases options but the actual book prices have only gone up by a couple bucks at most. If you're in a position to have disposable income, it's just a matter of picking and choosing what to spend on to offset the bump. If you don't really have disposable income in the first place, that sucks but this is an entertainment product. It's quite a stretch to argue there's a moral obligation to keep the products at X price point.
I guess if you can afford the increased cost it is easy to dismiss and justify, that doesn't mean it isn't both real and does effect many people. The books have gone up a real 20% MSRP, and older books have seen a similar price increase. $10 bucks may not be a big deal for some, but it is huge for many. The increase wouldn't be so debilitating for many more if they hadn't jerked the rug out from under the options to mitigate the costs like ala cart, and even worse the crawfished bundle discount stacking that was marketed as a reason to buy into the bundles. Ala cart removal was a snub, revoking bundle discounts was a blatant slap in the face! The 2 combined with the price increase is just financial gate keeping at best.
And in the same time period, food prices have gone up 37%... which, since people spend a lot more money on food than they do on RPGs, is a far more likely cause of being unable to afford things. It would be nice if prices never went up, but the mostly you can reasonably hope for is that inflation-adjusted prices don't go up... and they haven't.
If $10 is the extent of it, and you're already making enough that you can spare the money to buy the books, then are you actually being excluded by this, or do you just need to wait another month or two to make the purchase? If you have a steady income that allows for these purchases, then it's just a matter of budgeting and waiting. If you don't have that baseline, then you probably shouldn't be looking at these to begin with, and a $10 bump is not a make or break event.
You're being a bit misleading with this comment:
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