Dungeons & Dragons is the biggest role-playing game in the world. And not without good reason. It is one of those games that stands out for its long and deep history, but also for how well it has managed to integrate into pop culture. Everyone knows Dungeons & Dragons. Everyone associates role-playing with Dungeons & Dragons. And that is why it is hard for anyone to dethrone it, at least in the short and medium term.
That is also why it is important that they have decided to reinvent their three basic manuals, now the Player’s Manual finally arrives in perfect Spanish. But what does this version offer that is different? Many things. To start with the most important, it comes in perfect Spanish.
Impeccable Translation
This is surely what interests many people the most, and not without good reason. We have not noticed any significant difference between the original version and the Spanish version of the manual. The paper weight, the illustrations, and the finish of the book are exactly the same, which means it has a very high quality. Something that justifies its price, which may seem high, but is not so much considering it can provide us with hundreds or thousands of hours of fun.
As far as the translation is concerned, it is exactly what we expected: impeccable. We have not been able to detect anything out of place or anything that sounded off. Although we have not thoroughly compared it with the original manual, the translation sounds natural to the ear, which makes the reading smooth and enjoyable. Exactly the same as in the original. Making it excellent for both casual reading and for those who want to read it from start to finish.
A review of a system that is already working
As we discussed in the past about the manual, we are not going to go into all the details of what makes this manual special. However, that does not mean we don’t have things to talk about. The player manual is specifically designed for players to not only create their characters but also to use it as a reference manual for the actions they can take at any given moment. And in that sense, it is a triumph of design.
The creation of characters is much more extensive and detailed, but much simpler. The rules have not only been simplified, but they are also more elegant. There are new skills, equipment, and the crafting of it has gained in nuances, increasing the possibilities. All of this is designed with many more tables and a much more rational organization, making it extremely easy to find exactly what we are looking for in the book at any given moment.
A leap worth taking (up to a point)
All of this justifies the leap to this new version of the rulebook by itself. Even deeper and more polished than the Dungeon Master’s Guide, which was already impeccable, it is an indispensable book. At least if you have always wanted to get into Dungeons & Dragons and never have. If you already have the fifth edition manuals, this is just an update that makes everything more comfortable, subtly more polished and better, but it does not represent a change of such magnitude that makes it essential to make the leap.
Does that mean you shouldn’t give it? Not really. The manuals can last hundreds or thousands of hours, as we have pointed out. And some changes are really significant. So this Player’s Handbook feels not only like the new perfect default entry to Dungeons & Dragons, but also a good reason to update our old manuals now that it is clear that the Fifth Edition is not going anywhere for a long, long time.