Issues with PHB binding-Updated with WotC response!

[Socko525]

I figured I'd check here as well to see if anyone else has had issues with the binding of their PHB.

Just through average reading, some of the pages have begun to separate from the binding, and are just falling out.

I've heard from a few others that this happened, so I was curious about all of your experience.

I contacted WotC, and have since mailed them my defective copy of the PHB (going through withdrawal without it!). They told me they will replace it for free, and since I had to pay for the shipping to send it out their, they will send me something extra back to makeup for it.

Have any of you mailed your copy out? Did they send you anything extra, if so what?

I'll update once I receive it back.

[Edge of Dreams]

Several people have had issues, sent it back, and received a replacement. Most of us (including me) have had no such problem.

[cobaltstarfire]

My binding is a little bit weak, but it hasn't started falling apart from about two weeks of use. I had heard there were some issues so the first two days I had mine I spent looking at every single page individually and very closely and inspecting the binding in general.

My main issue is that the ink is a bit smudgy on many pages, even if you just rub on it it'll smudge some, and some letters are faded/missing the bottoms on some pages.

I haven't decided if I want to send out for another one or not, it seems really minor and hard to really prove without looking closely, but then again I don't want my book to fall apart or have the ink smudge/fade to unreadable either.

[Stan]

My main issue is that the ink is a bit smudgy on many pages, even if you just rub on it it'll smudge some, and some letters are faded/missing the bottoms on some pages.


I have had some smudging too.

I dislike the background color of pages that reduces contrast and makes it harder to read. But that's a design issue.

[BW022]

Yes, mine have several pages fall out within about three weeks. Further, I was insanely careful on this... as I am with all my D&D books and specifically never bend the bindings or laid the book open. I took it back to my comic shop and they exchanged it for a new one. It has been fine for two weeks now, but I'm now extra, extra careful with it.

[Steel Mirror]

I had the first third of my book fall apart, so I went back to Barnes and Noble where I bought it and got a new one. To be fair, it's been 110 degrees plus here this last week, so I thought the temperature might have a lot to do with it, but I guess others have been having similar issues.

[thepsyker]

The binding on my copy began to come loose about a week ago in chunks first it was just a bit at the top of between the Barbarian and Bard. It then it came loose along the entire length of the spine in the middle of the Ranger section out so that the front section of the book was pretty much held in by the endpaper This was probably for the best as it allowed me to re-glue the entire front section with some book glue as opposed to just trying to do spot fixes that were getting messy. That was a couple days ago and it seems to be holding up fine, but will have to wait and see.

[Person_Man]

The outside feels weird to hold, in that it has the weird "torn" half shiny/gloss and half matt black finish. I'm not sure if its that and/or the weight or something else, but the book is uncomfortable for me to hold it for long periods of time. (Which is odd, because I used to spend hours upon hours reading the PHB from the previous editions with no problems).

The cover art and graphics are also terrible, in its a picture of one hard to distinguish holding up a light in its hand in front of odd giant creature, another hard to distinguish humanoid standing obliquely in the lower right hand corner, and some kind of giant fire breathing dog on the back cover. I would think that the premiere book for Dungeons and Dragons should have a picture of four easily distinguished adventurers in a Dungeon clearly fighting an awesome looking Dragon.

The words "Dungeons and Dragons" are in comparatively tiny font and towards the bottom left. If you just saw this on the book shelf, you would think that the title is Players Handbook, which means absolutely nothing to anyone who has not played D&D in the past.

"5th Edition" is nowhere to be found, and so its really hard to discern this book as THE OFFICIAL NEW BOOK I SHOULD GET when its on the book shelf with all the other previous editions (which is how its displayed in my local comic and game stores), and right next to Pathfinder and other D&D clones.

I've also had a few pages come lose of their own volition. But I made the boneheaded mistake of spilling some Coke on a few unrelated pages, so an honest return is not an option for me.

[Totema]

The binding on my PHB began falling apart earlier this week, and I got a replacement from my FLGS. Also, one of my fellow players in AL recommended using barge cement as a repair tool the next time one of my handbooks starts to act up again.

[Socko525]

Huh, Barge cement, I never even thought of that!

Well I'll be reaching out to WotC again tonight to see if they received my PHB yet and again, I'll keep you all posted on how things go.

[Totema]

Well I hadn't even heard of it until the other night. Apparently it's meant for repairing leather shoes, and it's the right combination of strong and flexible that makes it also good for gluing chunks of pages back to the spine of your book.

[Socko525]

Well I hadn't even heard of it until the other night. Apparently it's meant for repairing leather shoes, and it's the right combination of strong and flexible that makes it also good for gluing chunks of pages back to the spine of your book.

Yeah I use it for gluing EVA foam together when making cosplay armor

[Person_Man]

Yeah I use it for gluing EVA foam together when making cosplay armor

That's awesome.

Also, I hope that someone at WotC makes a mummy-like cosplay outfit out of the falling out pages of all the returned Player's Handbooks and barge cement. Seems like someone should do something useful with them.

[Socko525]

That's awesome.

Also, I hope that someone at WotC makes a mummy-like cosplay outfit out of the falling out pages of all the returned Player's Handbooks and barge cement. Seems like someone should do something useful with them.

This is an amazing idea, I would definitely do this.

So mailed the book out last Tuesday the 9th with 2 day shipping, as of the email I received this morning...no one had heard anything about my book arriving yet.

WotC is definitely on top of responding to emails quickly...checking their P.O. Box...not so much apparently

[Socko525]

Alright so update as of yesterday. WotC has received my PHB and are working to replace it. Once the order has been processed and shipped I'll receive it 7-10 days.

As far as the including something extra to make up for the shipping....a $5 gift certificate to onebookshelf.com, the pdf distribution partner for DnD classics.....

Not exactly what I had bene expecting but hey I guess they didn't really have to do anything. Looks like there's a few 5th edition modules there but they were all designed using playtest rules, not sure how much they've changed. Anyone have any experience with these modules?

[squashmaster]

I honestly would've much preferred them to print the book on the matte type paper like in the Horde of the Dragon Queen book. May have ended up a little thicker but so what? You seen how damn thick the Pathfinder Core book is? That matte paper is just a lot nicer, imo, fits with the actually internal page style that is made to look all classic and old, and doesn't smear.

[cobaltstarfire]

I honestly would've much preferred them to print the book on the matte type paper like in the Horde of the Dragon Queen book. May have ended up a little thicker but so what? You seen how damn thick the Pathfinder Core book is? That matte paper is just a lot nicer, imo, fits with the actually internal page style that is made to look all classic and old, and doesn't smear.

I think part of the problem is also the binding, thicker books require more binding, but going off the MM they're trying to keep the binding a particular size, and just cram as much into it as they can.

I'm not sure what the binding problem with the PHB is myself.

I got my book from amazon, so I'm going to just get a refund through them in my case, they won't make me pay the cost of returning the book...although if I can't find a box for it I'll have to buy a box...