D&D Beyond Launches on August 15th for $3-6/m

$3/ month isn't that bad. And you really only need it if you want to use homebrew.

 

[Patrick McGill]

Well, that pricing is way better then DDI was. One time purchase of a PHB for 30 (20 for the discount for however long) for myself. 5.99 a month to let 12 other people use it.

I don't really need many of the other books. Maybe Volo's and SCAG, but all I want is the ability to make a dude. Pretty cheap pricing all in all.

 

[Superchunk77]

I shall continue to use roll20.net. This application provides zero use for me.

 

[Patrick McGill]

Anything RPG related I buy in book form that has a related pdf gives me the pdf for free. Except this.

Every Blu-ray/UHD disc I currently buy gives me a portable digital file for free.

Every CD I buy I can legally and easily rip for portable use.

If "act like your competition" is whining, so be it. I play D&D for the tactile nature of the game. Yeah, I'd use digital tools if I were miles away from the other players but if I'm sitting with my fellow players I'll need more incentive than what they're giving me.

$29.99 (regular price) for a PHB or spend $0.78 more for an actual copy? I'd rather do the latter and have another copy on my bookshelf. If you charged me $10 for a pdf I couldn't share, I'd go for that.

If this were about getting PDFs of the D&D books, I'd agree with you. But it's not. It's a character builder, campaign manager, etc. You're paying for the usage of the information in those books in these tools. Basically, look at a character builder like Hero Lab, only with a bunch of other tools on top of it.

It's unfair to compare this tool to simply scanning a book.

 

[Superchunk77]

Double post, sorry.

 

[Mr. Wilson]

I'm not really interested in buying all the same material I own again for slightly easier access.

If they start printing books with codes I can use to redeem them in the service, I'd be more apt to pay the monthly fee.

 

[OB1]

Hoping they have a full year discount, maybe $50 for 12 months of GM access, but either way I'm in and will buy the core set week one. Love that I will be able to share content with my players without them having to get a subscription, that's huge. Anyone know if as GM I can share my own homebrew content with my players, or if they still need a subscription to get that?

 

[Ristamar]

Strictly as an online rules compendium and searchable reference, how does D&D Beyond compare to Roll20 or Fantasy Grounds?

 

[lkj]

I shall continue to use roll20.net. This application provides zero use for me.

Probably worth noting that they've said they will add the capability to export characters to roll20 and FG sometime after launch. That's a big plus for me. More so for my less tech savvy players. (DDB will be a much easier 'builder' than any of the roll20 sheets).

AD

 

[lkj]

Strictly as an online rules compendium and searchable reference, how does D&D Beyond compare to Roll20 or Fantasy Grounds?

With all the filters and the interface, I find it much more convenient. I've already started using it on my phone at the table to look stuff up. YMMV

AD

 

[Jester David]

Every Blu-ray/UHD disc I currently buy gives me a portable digital file for free.

Some do.
Some just have a code that let you stream it from a website once you make an account and login, being a service that could go offline at any time...

Every CD I buy I can legally and easily rip for portable use.

You can do that too.
It's called a "scanner". There are lots of free smartphone apps that can do it.

If "act like your competition" is whining, so be it.

What competition? D&D dominates it's field and barely operates by the same methods as many of their "competition".
Should they also be expected to put products available as Pay What You Want? Or rely on successful Kickstarters to pay for products?

I play D&D for the tactile nature of the game. Yeah, I'd use digital tools if I were miles away from the other players but if I'm sitting with my fellow players I'll need more incentive than what they're giving me.

Then maybe this product isn't for you...

$29.99 (regular price) for a PHB or spend $0.78 more for an actual copy? I'd rather do the latter and have another copy on my bookshelf. If you charged me $10 for a pdf I couldn't share, I'd go for that.

Let's see... the best selling RPGS of the last year or so:

D&D. No PDFs (but there is this new option).
Pathfinder. $10 PDFs.
Star Wars. No PDFs.
Shadowrun. $20 PDF.
Fantasy Age/ Dragon Age. PDFs are $15 and $30.
Call of Cthulhu. PDF $35.
13th Age. PDF is $24.
Numenera. PDF is $19.99
Shadow of the Demon Lord. $19.99 PDF.
Vampire 20th. PDF is $29.99
Adventures in Middle Earth. PDF is $19.99.
7th Sea. PDF is $24.99

The market average for core rulebook PDFs is $20. Why should WotC be called out for being charging 50% more for a digital copy? Let alone a digital copy that also functions as a character builder.
After all, to get the character builder and PDF of Pathfinder, that's going to cost you more...