I disagree. If you release all of the rules at once, at least 1 person has to buy all three books before finding out how the game plays. With the Basic Rules available for free (albeit in progress), you can easily run the game right now, even without the PHB. No, you don't have a lot of monsters, and the DM section is VERY slim, but it's still enough to try out the game and see if you like it.
I think they staggered the release so they can fix the various problems they never seem to forsee. With the MM, it would have worked better if they released the monsters earlier, but I can guarentee they are looking to see what changes need made for the DMG.
Also, if they waited to release all at once, I doubt anything would be out right now. Or if it was out, then the quality would not be as good, since they had to rush to get everything done at once.
D&D has aleways had a staggered release schedule although 4E did not. 1st ed, 2nd ed and 3rd ed all had staggered releases AFAIK.
Also, it'll still be a year or more until WotC releases enough content to make many fans happy. Setting books, splat books, psionics, all that fun stuff. Each edition is more interesting to get into the longer you wait. Even 4e, despite releasing 3 core books at once, didn't have enough for me until its 3rd year.
I do like the free pdf, though. As many have said, (including the devs) it allows you to try before you buy. That's pretty damn rare in the table top game world.
I would guess time constraints, resources, and budget favored a staggered release. A difference of three to four months, in the long term, will not make much of a difference if you don't like the game. The assumption is you will not buy something you do not like. And if you let impulse sway your decision to buy the books before the complete game is available (PHB, DMG, MM) then you only have yourself to blame.
Uchawi wrote:
Staggered release equates to prolonged exposure, especially on best seller lists. It's the best way to build popularity and profits will be better as a result. Upon each new release, you will see a spike in the previously released books as well. The "prolonged cash grab" concept is a placebo; if they get your $150 up front or over 3-4 months, it is still $150 (they will actually lose some interest because of a staggered release).
XunValDorl_of_HouseKilsek wrote:
If the release schedule is not designed to maximize profit the guy in charge of the schedule should be fired.
Emerikol. wrote:
Zardnaar wrote:
Emerikol. wrote:
ScottGreene wrote:
AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
It's to spread the excitement about it's release accross the quarter. It's a smart move because it keeps us interested for a longer period of time, so we will be more likely to buy accompanying products during this excitement. This also allows them to spread their promotion of the books out, again to increase the hype. It's the business version of not putting all of your eggs in one basket.
Also, sure it's about money. But that isn't always a bad thing. The longer the hype, the more we buy. The more we buy, the more the company will produce. I personally like their release schedule thus far. My glasses may be colored however, since I am a business major :P
One thing they did right (from a financial perspective) is releasing the MM before the DMG. I don't alway buy MMs. I use a lot of premade adventures, so I don't really need it and flipping through it doesn't entertain me much.
But, now I'm jonesing for more stuff until the DMG comes out, so I pre-ordered the MM. 
"Are the big three’s release schedule designed to maximize profits??"
Yes.
And that's a good thing.
As long as they are not milking thigs I do not mind. I got thatf feeling with 4E and the follow on PHB that you had to buy to get the classes and races 3rd ed gave you in the PHB and even some of them were in AD&D PHB as well.
A few more Cleric domains would have been nice in particular evil, good and the elemntal domains that were in 3.5 PHB.
Emerikol. wrote:
It's only possible to print so many books at once. Chances are, the options were
1.) do a staggered release
2.) don't sell any of the books until they're all finished and printed
don't think of it as having to wait for the MM and DMG, think of it as getting the MM and PHB early. Because we are; the alternative would not be getting the other books now, it would be not having any books yet.
Yep, another voice for successful capitalism for company that produce stuff I like.
And the stuff they've put as free pdf's has been awesome. Go them.
Raging against the company that makes your favourite game making money is sooooo 2000's.
ankiyavon wrote:
ankiyavon wrote:
ScottGreene wrote:
At $50 a pop, they did us a favour, we can save up to buy each book. If I would have needed to come up with over $150 (sales tax) I would have hated to do "triage" on which to buy and which to skip.
I'm a bit surprised you'd say that since you know for a fact that ONLY 4e had the three core books released at the same time because of the vocal instant gratification generation. 1e, 2e, 3e, and now 5e released the core books, one per month, and nobody back then had a problem with staggered releases. Having time for the DM to absorb the whole PHB before he took on the DMG was very useful.
And how is it a long cash grab? Paying for all three books at once or other three months is the same amount of money.
Maybe one book at a time is more likely to get an impulse buy than being confronted with the whole set.
Regardless, in a few months the whole set will be available anyway, so those stragglers or new players are going to be confronted with it anyway. But I suspect if a larger percentage of late buyers are new players, they are also less likely to be new DMs, at least not yet, and are probably in someone else's game. So they a more than likely just looking to pick up PHB anyway.
I'm gonna hold off buying the MM til the DMG comes out. If I buy as soon as it hits, I'll just go crazy waiting for the DMG to drop a month later.
Also, as caridhor says, I can use this time to save up and be ready.
I did splurge and buy Hoard of the Dragon Queen. I'm gonna get in so much trouble if I start collecting again .
XunValDorl_of_HouseKilsek wrote:
ScottGreene wrote:
Mistwell wrote:
Mistwell wrote:
Artifact wrote:
To be accurate: The bonus section at the back of early printings of the 3.0 PHB parallels Appendix D (Creature Statistics) of the 5e PHB. It wasn't actually a mini-Monster Manual, just a listing of familiars, animal companions, and summoned creatures. That's the sorta thing that Appendix D covers (animal transformations, summoned creatures, and familiars).
AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
Okay, now I have a question: Was v3.5 staggered? Not looking to stir anything up, I just can't recall.
From what I recall, yes it was.
Artifact wrote:
Artifact wrote:
Mistwell wrote:
My copuy is a second printing and has 2 pages of various creatures in the back. When 3.0 launched you had some adventures and 3rd party MM type book available the Creature Collection IIRC. I think it cam out before the official D&D stuff.
Zardnaar wrote:
Since everything was considered core, 4e actually had a staggered release over several years. ;)
Mistwell wrote: