





Product 2101, The Player’s Handbook! Again, like the DMG, it is a large book filled with so much information that it is impossible to break down into sections to really talk about the basic parts in one sitting, this blog has been doing just that for years!





Originally, Gary Gygax wanted to write this book, however that didn’t happen because of inner turmoil at the TSR office; as a result, Dave Cook took over the project and the goal was, as mentioned in earlier posts, to gather up all information into three books, which proved to be impossible. Cuts were made, some for reasons of space, some for political reasons. Mom was cool with violence, but she don’t want us looking at pictures of boobs, today TSR probably would had been charged with providing porn to minors, else the books would be kept behind the counter in paper bags, but we all know how messed up the US is in regards to bodies and that wasn’t the only thing that got cut. In 2e it encouraged players to be of Good alignments, which I feel makes the game better. Nothing sucks worse than to have players murdering shop keepers just to save a gold piece or two. I think that the alignment system itself was what saw the most improvement; one has a hard time playing a cooperative game with someone who plays Chaotic Evil. One of the dumbest 1e rules, I feel, was that rogues had to be evil alignment; thankfully they fixed that in this book.

They also made None Weapon Proficiencies more enticing, you didn’t have to use them if you didn’t want to! But, check these guys out! Yes, they were awesome. Most tables included their use right away.





I feel like I am just repeating myself, so I’ll stop! The book is made in the exact same specs of the DMG, which is tough and very usable. I have seen some of these things beat up to the point where they had to be replaced, but I have no idea how those players did that. I’ve used the same book for over 20 years and it is still glossy and beautiful.





Instead of talking about the PHB, about the changes that were made, which is information that one can find elsewhere, let’s talk about the book itself and how people have used it, or, more specifically, how they don’t use it. As a Dungeon Master, I have read this book, cover to cover, more times than I care to admit to. When I say that players weren’t allowed to read the DMG back in the day, people scoff, but here is the deal! Players don’t read the PHB either. It is a rare player who will actually go out and buy his own copy of the book, as a DM I keep several copies and I buy more as I find them. One can’t have too many copies of the PHB! The fathers of this game would not like the fact that I do this. According to them, there is a price of admission and that price is purchasing a Players Handbook! I get it, if it was a perfect world, then that is exactly what would happen! I tell my players all the time, if they see a copy cheap, pick it up! But what separates players from Dungeon Masters is the fact that to most players, the only time that they put any thought at all into the game is when they are sitting at the table and are playing.



So, you haven’t read the Players Handbook, I get it! It is full of too much information. I myself have missed stuff, even though I have read it so often; it just disappeared because I was thinking of something else when I was reading it; maybe I was pondering a rule just before it, or I was thinking about making a sandwich, who knows? One can always pick up this book and find new things. Then you have the players, the only thing that most of them have read in any detail are the tables, and only then because they are using them all the time.





Now I can say that this is a modern happening, but I would be wrong. Before playing the game, I purchased my books, and I read them! I didn’t retain much information the first read, as much of this information is best learned through practical use, but the point is that I read them. I got a quick education in the game, and learned what I can do as a player, and I was already ahead of most of the players at the table because I had sat down and read the book. Folks who had played the game for years didn’t even know that you could make bombs out of lantern oil, or that you can improve your AC by giving up an attack to parry. Obviously, the Dungeon Master Guide holds secrets, but when players don’t read the PHB, we can say that there are secrets in there too.





Is this a good thing? Well, as a DM, it kind of is. It can be said that the best way to become a great player is by trying new things, and just learning on your own. If the players read too much, then that can put our jobs as Dedicated DM in peril. We DMs would probably prefer an uneducated player over one who goes out and looks for information, that researches the web (the HORROR), that knows more about the interworking’s of the game than the DM. This is a power struggle, isn’t it? I recognize that as a player, I totally suck! I know too much about the game and how it works, and I get irritated with other DMs, and it isn’t right, and it is a personal failure, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t do it.





Does one need to read the PHB to play the game and become an expert player? No! Does it help if one reads the book? Of course it does. The book has options and tactics that can give you an edge during all levels of play, not that the DM has to use all of the rules, but it does help if the players are aware of them.





How would I rate this book? It is a perfect 10. It contains more spells than you will ever need, the art in this version is superior to the black reprinting, and I personally feel that it is easier to find what you want from memory alone, but that is just because I’ve used it for so many years. There are some facts that they got wrong, and errata that need to be hand written into it, but those things are minor in comparison. I own the last printing of 2101, and it says that it is newly revised, expanded, and updated; but I also own other printings and to be totally honest, I have never figured out if there is any difference in subsequent printings. There are many in the Black PHB, it has a totally different layout and no longer matches the index that one finds in the 2100 DMG, which is irritating. I suppose that the Black Book has superior content, but I don’t care, I always stick with this version of the book, as it is the perfect companion to my DMG.





Should all players purchase this book? In the perfect world, yes they should. It would be nice if everybody owned their own copy, but since the book is out of print, and even at one table you’ve got two different copies in use at the same time, players may not know which one to buy, or even be able to find it. DMs are bigger nerds then they are! We hunt the web looking for this stuff, and enjoy talking about it more than is probably healthy, but we are what we are and we can’t expect miracles. As long as the players show up and they are in the mindset to play, I think that we are all doing well!