Customer Reviews

Special Edition Player's Handbook (Core Rulebook I) (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.5 Fantasy Roleplaying)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First off, let me state that I am one of the rare people who loved 3.5, and that I realize this book exists to milk money from people. It works.

The first thing I noticed about this book, besides the obvious and well done leather, was the color. The lined the embossing (Partially) and the page edges with a bright silver, leading me to call it the "MPH" or, Mithril Players Handbook. I think a gold would have worked better. Their is also the problem of the page cuts, and that is the pages are almost melded together at some points. Not fatal, but a nuisence un-sticking them. This also leaves the page edges a little frayed, but because I actually plan on USING this book, not much of a concern.

The cover emboss has been simplified from the origional plan, and I must say I have mixed feeling about it. I like the simplfication, as it stands out more, but now the center detail has been filled in with that silver color, which i admit ill probably like once it starts showing a little wear.

In closing, I must say im impressed with the design, and haveing the Erratta is a nice feature too, but if this is your first Players Handbook, it isnt worth it.

Forget collecters this is for fans, and a true fan is shown by the wear on their dice, and the suicidal levels of caffine in their bloodstream, not by the books they carry.

First, I will mention up front that I am a book lover. I probably own over 3,000 books (and growing). I especially enjoy books that are good to look at and are durable, able to handle a lot of wear. This book is both. The leather cover is lovely and durable, as is the rest of the book. Since it is a book that is destined to see a lot of wear as a reference rulebook for a game, this is especially important (as it would not be for a book you may only read once). The red cloth bookmark is a nice touch (especially when contrasted with the Special Edition DMG's blue cloth bookmark when you have both books sitting on top of each other on your gaming table, their bookmarks visible).
It is a nice touch that there is eratta in this (as in the Special DMG). It is also nice that there is nothing otherwise new in the book. If you already have the 3.5 PHB, you don't need to buy this. This is a book that you buy because you love the game and you love a beautiful book, not because you feel you need to complete your ruleset or otherwise keep it current (the eratta is available online). So any who might cynically think this is just a money-sop for Wizards can quiet down now. It is a purely optional purchase - so in that sense, they've just increased your options and given you an extra choice in the marketplace; a choice I was happy to take advantage of.
Some have complained about the pages initially sticking together on the edges from the silver coloring. But this is a minor issue - the pages easily separate the first time you turn each of them, and you can separate almost all of them just by quickly spinning the pages past your thumb. And for me, it is a plus - it tells me that I'm the first person to open the pages of the book, and I enjoyed the visceral pleasure of breaking it in for my own personal use. This book will last a very long time, and will look quite nice on my shelf next to my leatherbound Complete Works of William Shakespeare and my leatherbound More than Complete Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

This is a very nice copy of the 3.5 rules. It's especially important to note that this copy of the book contains the errata that was valid at the time they printed it. The page stick together when you first get it (thanks to the silvered edges) but that will work itself out with use. The integral bookmark is also handy for those people who keep flipping back and forth between sections in the book.

very handy for playing the game and the cover looks really good. there are extra things in it that is why it is version 3.5. the special edition part is more just the cover but is still very good

The players hand book is the most widely bought book in the dungeons and dragons gamers book set. i love that they have brought it out in the lovely leather bound book and updated some of the rules. i love haveing it in my colection plus it makes the other players in the game a little jeoules seeing it on the table. i have the whole set now of the d&d specail edtion and i love the set.

This book is so worth the bragging rights that come with it. It also always has this really cool crackle when you turn the pages.

The Book Arived through amazon quicker than the estimated time. But that was only the begining, the book is really well held together the black leather cover gives it a timless/omoness sort of appearance, but the feel was well worth what I payed for it on amazon. The book feels as though it belongs in the traveling pouch of a wizard. (Just a word of caution the rest of the book is exactally the same as the D&D 3.5 Players Handbook even the artwork is the same) This is I Feel a great edition to and obsessed D&D fans collection even if they are not that big of a 3.5 fan.

I really liked this special edition. Both for the leather bound presentation and the 3.5 edition material that I did not have yet. Really, edition 3.5 is the best D&D edition I have seen, specially in terms of game balance (and I have Player's Handbook of all editions, 1st, 2nd and 3.0).
This Player's Handbook is really great.

If you are wondering what to by the gamer geek in your life for Xmas, look no further than this deluxe editon of the PHB. With its rich leather look cover and beautifully redesigned pages, you will be a 20th level gift giver to your appreciative gamer.

But like candle gift baskets and perfume gift sets, its a lovely item to get for free as a gift, but not something you would bother buying for yourself, particularly if you've already forked out money for 3.0, then turned around and forked out money for 3.5. Sure, they included errata in here, but really why should I PAY MORE MONEY to WoTC to get what I can download for free from the website?

First off, I'm still giving it 3 stars because on the whole this book, at Amazon's price, is worth it for the long-term D&D player especially when you order it as a combo with the Collectors Edition Dungeon Master's Guide.

The Good:
They fixed all the mistakes in the first publishing of the book. It's nice to not have to refer to errata to make sure you've got the rule correct!

As with most of the WotC offerings the binding seems solid and likely to support the use of the book as an actual PHB and not just a collectors item. This was a welcome relief and something I was concerned over.

The built-in bookmark was a nice touch that adds a touch of the spellbook type feel to the item that when combined with the traditional WotC artwork present in the book really gives the item a beautiful presentation.

The not-so-good:
If you've already got a PHB 3.5 there's no real reason other than sentimentality to buy this one. Just download the errata for free. Fortunately I didn't own a PHB 3.5...

The Bad:
The silver page edges of the book were quite obviously painted on. This creates something of a new connection between each and every page of the book. You must spend a considerable amount of time and care to separate the pages back into individual entities. This leaves the pages with a relatively rough edge and the feeling that a paper cut is moments away. I survived without one though!

Overall I'd recommend this book to the long-term player who has yet to invest in the 3.5 ruleset but is looking for a good excuse.