Dungeons and Dragonsjust announced that its physical books are about to get a lot more expensive. This price hike is going into effect with the next sourcebook and will affect allDungeons and Dragonsproducts from here on out.
According to the recent post it made on theD&DCommunity Update page,Dungeons and Dragonshas been able to keep its sourcebooks with a relatively stable price tag since5th Editionbegan. Since the core rules in 2014, newD&Dbooks cost about $50 when they were first released.
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Unfortunately, that is about to change. Starting withBigby Presents: Glory of the Giants,Dungeons and Dragons’next sourcebookreleasing in August, the physical versions of major5th Editionsourcebooks–which also include the digital PDF–will cost $60 to pre-order. However, once the pre-order window closes, that price will jump up to $70. Luckily, digital-only PDFs and older products will not be affected by this price increase for the time being.
This is bad news for the wallets ofDungeons and Dragonsfans. Starting this summer,Wizards of the Coast is printing a newD&Dbookevery month through most of the year. If players want to pick up physical copies ofBigby Presents: Glory of Giantsin August,Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obeliskin September,Sigil and the Outlandsin October, andThe Book of Many Thingsin November, they will have to spend $240–or $280 if they miss the pre-order window.
Needless to say, fans aren’t happy about Wizards of the Coast’s upcoming price change. While plenty of work goes into creating a 5th Edition product, few believe these books should bepriced as much as AAA games. What’s more, many have been disappointed with the length and quality of recentDungeons and Dragonsproducts, even before the price hike. Each one has gotten shorter and has given little reason for players to buy it–Glory of Giants, for example, has a modest bestiary and collection of magic items in it, but only one subclass, two backgrounds, and is less than 200 pages long.
For better or worse,D&Disn’t slowing down in 2024, withrevamped versions of theDungeons and DragonsPlayer’s Handbook,Dungeon Master’s Guide, andMonster Manualalready planned alongside several new adventure paths. Considering someDungeons and Dragonsfans have still not fully forgiven Wizards of the Coast for its other recent questionable business practices, only time will tell how players will react to this expensive new era ofD&D.
Dungeons and Dragonsis available now.
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