Dungeons & Dragons to Sell First 2024 Player’s Handbooks at Gen Con

Wizards of the Coast will sell the first new Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook at Gen Con next month. Today, Wizards announced that it would sell 3,000 copies of the new 2024 Player’s Handbook at Gen Con, with copies featuring both a Gen Con 2024 bookplate and the 50th anniversary logo in gold foil to differentiate the books from other first-run copies. These books will be available over a month before the new rulebook’s wide release date on September 17th.

Although Wizards is not calling the 2024 Player’s Handbook the start of a new edition of Dungeons & Dragons, the book contains substantial revisions to 5th edition rules, both in terms of character creation rules and changes to the basic rules of the game. Many of the game’s 12 classes were rebalanced, usually with classes dealing out more damage and having abilities that could be used in more situations than before. While the core rules still feel similar to 5th edition, there are confirmed changes to rules ranging from surprise encounters to drinking health potions. Wizards has clarified that if a game uses a character created using the 2024 Player’s Handbook, that game should use the full set of rules presented in the new rulebook rather than the 2014 rules.

Fans interested in buying the book will need to sign up for a digital ticket via Gen Con’s website on each day of the show, with tickets available starting at 7 AM. Wizards will sell the books during a 3-hour window each day, with fans needing to be in line by the end of the window to be eligible to purchase a copy. Wizards is selling copies of the Player’s Handbook for $49.99. Separately, Wizards will also sell sheets of the new 50th anniversary USPS stamps at Gen Con.