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Player's Handbook, Revised (2e) $9.99
Average Rating:4.7 / 5
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Player\'s Handbook, Revised (2e)
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Player's Handbook, Revised (2e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Geoffrey [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/06/2024 02:51:39

Thanks for this, great print, and only 2 weeks from the UK to Australia (started at 4 weeks, then 3, then the last 3 orders only 2!)



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Player's Handbook, Revised (2e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by James [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 01/10/2024 09:11:24

Got the print on demand version. You can get the same content (ad&d 2e) for free many places but it feels good to have a physical book to call your own. The book came in great shape. A much thriftier alternative to buying an old (usually beat up) book off eBay for inflated prices.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Player's Handbook, Revised (2e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Nicolas [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/19/2023 21:02:24

I purchased the 3 book set (PBH + DMG + MM) in softcover and think these are of solid quality. They are of the later printing from the mid 90s, which in my opinion is not the best, but they do work well together as a cohesive set. I bought these to use as reference as my original books are getting too old and worn to handle the beer and cheese dip from years of play. For the price I'm happy. Since the hardback versions are now worth their weight in gold, these ones are perfect for reference without too much worry you may damage them.

My biggest gripe is that the packaging for the shipment was lackluster to say the least... Luckily it didn't rain before I was able to get home, as one entire side of the package was exposed to the elements. There was also some adhesive from the box on the pages of the DMG, I was able to carefully clean it off but it was not ideal for a near $90 purchase. I also recommend grabbing the PDFs with them, as nowadays I find myself using a tablet/laptop to read them just as much (if not more) than the paper version.

Books them selves are 5/5 for me, but the packaging and shipping was disappointing.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Player's Handbook, Revised (2e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Peter B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/09/2023 02:13:47

Exceeded my expectations. I could not have printed and bound this so well myself. Postage was fair, and it made it all the way here to South Australia in one bit.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Player's Handbook, Revised (2e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Bruce L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/31/2023 09:08:31

I ordered the POD softcover book. My original, orange-colored hardback, is wearing a bit, after purchasing it back in 1989. My players mostly have the reprint version, so when referencing page numbers, we have issues as they are not the same between the original printing, and the reprint. This POD softcover solves that problem. The page numbers in this POD, are identical to the hardback versions printed in the mid-1990's -- I verified they were the same, to be sure.

POD: excellent quality, no complaints on format, binding, printing, etc. I would recommend you practice what you learned in grade school, in breaking in a new book: hold it on its spine; open 20-40 pages in the front, and press your hand against the pages, in the fold, to gently press them open, then repeat for the first 20-40 pages in the back; repeat with another 20-40 pages, front and back, until you reach the center of the book. This will help the binding, and the pages, open for you, without damage.

The POD version was a long time coming, but it is worth the price. The quality is excellent, and it is wonderful to have these books back in print!

Would buy a premium Hard Cover version, of all three core books, if offered, WotC!... Cheers!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Player's Handbook, Revised (2e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Nicholas R. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/17/2022 08:50:20

Sigh. Okay, I'm not doing a review of the AD&D2e PHB, I'm doing a review of THIS AD&D2e PHB compared to other printings. (Which is why I gave it 3 stars instead of 5, and IDK that it earned that much). So, I've played this game for many year, and owned and read it and WANTED to play before I could find someone willing (Satanic Panic, remember?) for longer. I'm comparing this version with: 1st printing, revised 1st printing, revised 2nd printing. I THINK a few things were changed here compared to what I'd read previous, enhancing MY understanding of the way bows are supposed to work, but that, like many other areas, is unclear because THE RULES IN DIFFERENT SECTIONS DIRECTLY CONTRADICT THE RULES IN OTHER SECTIONS, and none of them are labeled optional. The Armor section of Table 44 (the costs of Armor) is still a mess, several opportunities at clarification and cleaning up directly contradictory or incosistent rules were not taken, and Table 63 (range and duragion of light sources) is possibly THE MOST MESSED UP I HAVE EVER SEEN IT. And the Encumbrance rules still suffer from someone dragging and dropping in the wrong place BUT differently than in the 2nd printing of the revised version (it was actually correct before that printing). HOW?!? I understand when TSR is woefully understaffed and a new printing comes out that, while fixing some errors, SOMEHOW manages to introduce NEW ERRORS. Actually, no, I don't understand how that happens, but there it is. I mean, when they changed the whole format, some of that could be excused, but then they introduced MORE errors. But THIS! I thought this would be getting the whole modern treatment by editors who cared about their work. I was looking to pick up Unearthed Arcana becasue it was re-edited and included compiled Dragon articles, etc. and was the most complete version. So I assumed they at least edited the other "Deluxe" editions.... I was apparently mistaken. They really missed a golden opportunity here to show some love to their old skool folks and maybe get some business out of them - even an interest in newer product, considering how many similar design philosophies were behind 2e and 5e.

SO: i LOVE 2nd ediiton. It has a very good mix of the best parts of all the previous editions, and you can see the influences on later editions clearly when you read. If it takes you forever to make a 5e character, and you feel a little straight-jacketed by being basically forced to pick Personality Traits, Ideal, Bond, Flaw (which you can always tell your DM and they can let you ignore that), then maybe this is right for you. You will see a lot familiar. But realize, because they seem not to have edited, the DM WILL have to make some judgement calls on the way certain basic rules work, because the rules directly contradict each other on several points, and the book has plenty of errors (many of which are, at least, glaringly obvious, like Table 63). Also a couple of tips: there are no rules for non-Thieves or non-Dwarves to find traps because they either can't, or its up to the DM to decide based on your desription of what your character is doing to attempt to find them. Druid Wildshape works by giving you all the physical attacks and movement and such listed for the animal in the Monstrous Manual, but you use the Druid's hit points at the time they change shape (plus 1d6x10% healing it mentions). Also, they should have edited the "languages of woodland creatures" Druid ability to be consistent with The Complete Druid's Handbook and give the Druid bonus NWPs to spend on these (and ONLY to spend on these). If you already play 2e and have books in good shape, don't count on this to clear up anything, so... I mean, if you need more of them, its probably cheaper than eBay to pick up this P.O.D.. It is, disappointingly, only in softcover, but I have had problems with two out of three hardcovers coming from Lightning Source, so that's not necessarily a bad thing. I plan to pick up a few more myself for players when its in my budget to do so. But this doesn't solve the problems of inconsistency and lack of clarification of certain things. I think they just reprinted the last version they had on file.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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Player's Handbook, Revised (2e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by James P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/07/2022 13:45:23

2nd Edition Dungeons & Dragons was the version I had the most experience with. 2nd Edition is the culmination of all the 1st Edition rules that have been added throughout the years it was active. Our group used 1st and 2nd Edition as if they were the same rules and if there was any questions about conflicting rules, we usually just used the "newer" rules or monster stats as official.

There are a lot of rules added to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, so there can be a lot of "crunch", but at the same time there's rules for more things that the DM can lean on.

My group never bothered getting 3rd or 4th Edition so I can't compare this to them to 2nd Edition, but I've played 5e and can say that there are a lot of similarities and quite a bit of diffferences... 2nd Edition is more dangerous! 5e only seems dangerous until about 5th level. After that, you are very tough and can do basically whatever you want. There were jokes in 2nd Edition where 5th level is the characters "name day". You didn't bother naming the character until it survived to 5th level. 5e is a more simple games as well. Where you roll the D20 for pretty much everything, 2nd Edition has different rolls for more things. For example all the Theif abilities are measured in percentile. To hide in Shadows, you would have to roll percentage dice and roll under the percentage chance your character has (45% for example).

It's a bit harder to learn 2nd Edition, but I think it's worth learning the older edition, because it is actually more rewarding and fun!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Player's Handbook, Revised (2e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Jason W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/31/2021 09:36:26

This reprint uses very thick and heavy paper, which makes it more like a college text book, than a typical gaming book. Its very thick, heavy and bulky, especially when transported with the DMG and MM. Those asking for a hardcover don't know what they are asking for. Overall, the quality is good. The paper, while thick, is not glossey like the originals and modern prints. This may make them a little more prone to stains. Also, the art is little faded as a result. A lot of people judge these books on the art. I never understood that, but if that's your thing, these reprints are bad. I personally would rather get a cheaper book with less art and more content, than a more expensive book with more art and less content. My only real complaint is that there is no character sheet, which I could have sworn there was one in the 1989 edition. Regardless, 2e is the last real edition of Dungeons and Dragons before Wizard's took over and decided to personalize it with their own branding. Subsiquent editions bare little resemblence to what Gary Gygax invisioned. In this edition, characters are far less frontloaded with special abilities than 3e, 4e, and 5e. Instead you are expected to build your character by exploring and adventuring stead of getting it all at character creation and level ups. Spells get insanely powerful as they go up in ranks, but getting there is extremely difficult as Wizards start with next no survivability. Magic items are powerful, and even the lowest magic items can be game changing. You wont see anyone passing on magic items because they are limited to 3, or because they have more powerful class abilities.

I wont say 2e is better than any other edition. Each have there merits and only 1e and 2e are comparably. 2e is an updated and expanded version of 1e, a true new edition, while 3e, 4e and 5e are completely different games. 2e does have the bennefit that its easy to convert into a low fantasy setting, which is near impossible in 5e. 2e also has far more content available than any other edition. You have available every type of setting, and enough suppliment material you will not live long enough to read it all. You also have hundreds of adventures of every type to choose from. My only real complaint about 2e is that some of the rules got way too in the weeds and that the settings, while very flourished, lacked story hooks. This was something Wizards did well to improve on. 5e settings may not be nearly as flourished as 2e, but they offer a lot more useful material per page.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Player's Handbook, Revised (2e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Richard L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/19/2021 12:53:35

The quality of the softcover is really good. The covers are bound really well and are sturdy. The interior paper is thick and holds up pretty well. It's a fantastic reprint of the 1995 2nd Edition of the rules. For the price, you really can't beat buying the PHB to get started as a DM or player using AD&D 2E rules.

My only complaint is that the package it came in was easily opened from the bottom.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Player's Handbook, Revised (2e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Reuben C. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/19/2021 17:50:59

2nd edition has always been my favorite edition of D&D,
I may be biased because it was the advanced version I started with, but I think it's more than that.
It has fantastic art work and it felt ironed out than 1st edition. Proficencies added just enough complexity with out going overboard, unlike the feats and skills of later editions. The revised edition books felt like a step back as far as presentation, the page layout was very bland, and the artwork wasn't as good.
I am quite happy to have a physical copy that I can cart around and not worry about beating up. Both the DMG and PHB are the "revised" edition, which I general consider a worse product. -1 star for not having a hardcover option, -1 star for being the "revised" edition with inferior art and page layout.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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Player's Handbook, Revised (2e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Edward C. O. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/17/2021 16:52:29

this review is about the physical print.

the paper back of the PHB is good. i wish DTRPG had the option to get a hardcover print, but it works what is available. the scans aren't back, the colors are washed, but that's expected on regular paper instead of premium paper.

overall, it isn't offensive, it does that job: a physical print of the PHB.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Player's Handbook, Revised (2e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Sean K. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/27/2020 14:50:41

Absolutely beautiful! I haven't played D&D or had any books in my possession in over 20 years. I cried a little when I opened the package. Perfectly done and looks phenomenal. I camt thank you enough!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Player's Handbook, Revised (2e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Andrew Y. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/08/2020 21:33:32

Bought this along with the AD&D 2e Monster Manual and Dungeon Master Guide. Although not nearly as good as a hardcover would be, it is excellent to see that there is a physical version of the 2e rulebooks that is available for purchase without needing to mortgage your house.

It is extremely fragile. By that I mean extremely. The quality of the book despite its frailness is worthy of its pricing, however. The printing quality is not terribly high, but that means very little to me as a consumer. I just like the idea of having a physical book.

This book really isn't meant for daily use, it's best for looking nice on a shelf somewhere alongside all of your other D&D editions that you own, but even then, it really should be hardcover.

However, considering the PDF+Paperback bundle is like 2 extra dollars to get you the PDF as well, it is very easy to simply use the PDF and have the book look nice on your shelf somewhere.

Well worth the buy if you really enjoy a physical collection of D&D books, even if it is in paperback instead of Hardcover.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Player's Handbook, Revised (2e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Greg T. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/01/2020 05:34:30

The Almost-Definitive AD&D 2E Player's Handbook

If you're looking for a review of AD&D 2nd Edition generally, then this is not for you. There's no reason to experiment with 2nd Edition if you're not already familiar with it. This is a product for those with nostalgia, not for new players seeking a thrill.

Okay, so assuming you're already familiar with 2nd Edition - should you buy this product?

The original product:

  • This is the 2013 WotC reprint of the Revised 2E PHB.
  • As a result it DOES feature the best version of the 2E PHB rules text, with clarifications, fixes, and other improvements.
  • But it does NOT feature the gorgeous painted art or line drawings of previous 2E PHB editions, and new interior art is not nearly as attractive.
  • The many, many tables that characterise 2E are particularly well-presented in this version, both at the point where they appear in the rules, and in extensive and easy-to-use appendices, which will be a boon to DMs and players alike.
  • For whatever reason, this edition does NOT include a template for a blank character sheet, but that shouldn't be a barrier to the modern player.

The DM's Guild PDF version

  • The PDF copy available on DM's Guild appears to be drawn from WotC's master files for the 2013 republication, and does NOT appear to be a scan - so that's good.
  • File size is about 40 MB.
  • It's text-searchable - yay.
  • It is thoroughly bookmarked - right down to individual spells.
  • The original product made a lot of use of red text in its layout. This was probably to discourage photocopying at the time - and it will likewise frustrate attempts to print the PDF today. This is NOT a printer-friendly file.

The print-on-demand hardcopy

  • The POD version is an oversized softcover of the same dimensions as a modern 5E PHB.
  • The spine is about 1.5 centimetres thick. The cover wraps around onto the spine, including spine titling consistent with the presentation of the 2013 release it's based on.
  • The book is perfect-bound, and the binding appears to be strong.
  • It is printed in colour. I'm not able to compare the colour depth to the original 2013 release but it's clearly printer-quality colour, not publisher-quality.
  • The cover is made of very thin card, easily damaged in normal use.
  • Interior pages are relatively thick and stiff.
  • Interior text is crisp and properly aligned.
  • Pages have appropriate gutters and there is no gutter loss.
  • The interior artwork is a little grainy but I'm not in a position to tell whether this is consistent with the original publication - it may simply be how the original images looked.

Verdict:

This is pretty much as good as could be expected from a DM's Guild retro product. It's usable, contains no meaningful errors or flaws, and accurately presents the original content in an attractive format.

If you're buying the hardcopy to actually use at your table, be aware that it WILL get wrecked. This is NOT a tough book, and certainly not remotely as bulletproof as the original hardcover 2E PHB. But it's probably cheaper to buy a second copy of this POD version than to get an original book off Ebay at this point.

If you were looking for a digital copy of the 2E PHB, this will meet your needs, and is easy to recommend for that purpose.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Player's Handbook, Revised (2e)
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
by Carl C. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/15/2020 01:22:47

First time customer, buying this to replace my old black cover version, having been lost in a move. Would have perfered hardcover, but everything was great the quiality, the look, the feel, felt right.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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