What's Next For D&D? Live From Origins - D&D Beyond

D&D Beyond was covered at the What's Next For D&D? panel at Origins Game Fair. In a previous article, I covered Tomb of Annihilation, courtesy of Twitter user Kato Katonian who live-tweeted the panel. This article covers D&D Beyond, the upcoming digital tools suite for Dungeons & Dragons. Curse's Adam Bradford was on the panel to represent D&D Beyond.

• Simply provide tools for managing game easier. Not making [D&D] into a video game.
• Beta phase 2 of D&D Beyond is digital character builder. This month.
• Create characters in minutes instead of hours, is the promise. Quick build, randomized generator, or straight up full creation.
• Digital character sheet. Aiming to be useful on smartphone (as well as full PC) to use at table.
• Beta Phase 3 of D&D Beyond: Homebrew & Campaign management. E.g. DM can make custom magic item and PC can have it on their sheet.
• Home brew stuff can be made public for other users. Campaign mgmt will allow DM to see and edit player character sheets.
• Two tiers of subscriptions: Hero Tier for players (unlimited character slots)...
• Master Subscription: DMs can share any content they've bought through Beyond with their players. No price points yet.
• Future Beyond features: stream integration, pronunciation guide, native mobile app, monster progression, encounter builder, init trackr.
• Pronunciation guide done by Matt Mercer and Marisha Ray. Coming in next few months, possibly sooner.
• Native mobile app a priority.
• D&D Beyond is planning on having all 13 print products integrated at launch (no pricing yet).
• After release, content will be available in D&D Beyond same day as hobby store release.

SaveSave​

 

[CapnZapp]

Thanks!

Sent from my C6603 using EN World mobile app

 

[EternalDungeonMaster]

All I can see is a link to the D&D Beyond logo.

 

[SerHogan]

As a kid I used to just roll up characters when I was bored and build them out. Why, in 2017, you can't go to D&D's website and generate characters for fun, I have no idea. If you want to draw in a kid let him go and make a character! For free. This thing is going to be a pay site? This approach should be PART of the gaming experience now. You should get an account when you buy the handbook.

 

[fantasmamore]

Why, in 2017, you can't go to D&D's website and generate characters for fun, I have no idea.

We don't know yet. Maybe the "open" options (OGL) of the Character Builder will be publicly available to anyone as their Compendium is right now.

 

[Sands999]

As a kid I used to just roll up characters when I was bored and build them out. Why, in 2017, you can't go to D&D's website and generate characters for fun, I have no idea. If you want to draw in a kid let him go and make a character! For free. This thing is going to be a pay site? This approach should be PART of the gaming experience now. You should get an account when you buy the handbook.

You can still roll up characters for free like you used to. You can actually download the basic rules and play for free, unlike past editions. The devs at DnDBeyond have also stated that all of the elements being released in the beta version will remain free. So that means you will be able to create a limited amount of chatarcers on their site for free. For further conveniences, yes you're going to have to pay. But it doesn't detract from the fact that you can use enough of what's available to play for free. People have to make a living though. I don't expect people to spend months designing something that the public will just get handed for free.

Furthermore there are other sites that you can use to create free characters for D&D like, http://www.orcpub.com/

WotCs plans and releases have all been centered on making sure the hobby lives on and draws in a new generation, and if you look at the media it's generating, the livestream games, live shows, the shedding of its previous stigma alongside all of the Hollywood people who are jumping in to the D&D lime light and the fact that Warner Brothers is creating a new BIG SCREEN D&D movie.... personally, I'd say WotC is doing a damn good job.

 

[LapBandit]

The technology underpinning D&D Beyond is old and it shows in interactions with the website. Obviously whoever at WotC agreed either did it for cost or some other unknown reason, because no modern shop would build it so old, slow, and with that user experience.

 

[iwarrior-poet]

It is flat out ridiculous that WoTC hasn't integrated digital tools with new rule sets from the ground up. There are too many historical failures in this area to even begin to address. I won't buy into DnD Beyond until is six months old and well reviewed.

 

[Morrus]

People have to make a living though. I don't expect people to spend months designing something that the public will just get handed for free.

I think you might be confused. When companies create free content, they still pay their employees. Loss-leaders are a fairly common practice in not only tabletop gaming but pretty much every industry. The free D&D Starter Kit is an excellent example of one.

 

[Mistwell]

Hard to believe the whining and complaining about news of progress on a digitial product.