D&D 5E D&D Beyond Offers A Free Baldur's Gate Gazetteer

In Baldur’s Gate, thievery, blackmail, and illegal trade runs rampant. Now you can journey to this dangerous city of the Sword Coast with the Baldur’s Gate Gazetteer. Learn about each of the city’s districts and key locations and people, and unlock backgrounds for your next Baldurian character!

The Gazetter includes:

• History of Baldur's Gate
• Baldur's Gate Today
• Government
• Citizenry
• Economy and Trade
• Religion
• Dangers in Baldur's Gate
• City Landmarks
• Upper City
• Lower City
• Outer City
• Beyond Baldur's Gate
• Baldur's Gate Character Backgrounds
• Dark Secrets

The Gazetteer is quite sizable, and mainly lore-based, with two new NPC stat blocks (Nine-Fingers Keene, and Rilasa Real), some random encounter tables, and information on how the regular D&D character backgrounds fit in. There's also a new background, the Faceless. Finally there are some rules about 'Dark Secrets' which are a background element which the party shares.

Claim Baldur’s Gate Gazetteer now! - D&D Beyond

www.dndbeyond.com

 

[Parmandur]

But their unwillingness to do a tie-in

OK, so this right here is why you are getting blowback. Descent to Avernus might be a questionable tie-in in some ways, but it exists and has been trumpeted as the tie in for years...and they are currently pumping it all over social media. It is there.

For whatever reason, someone at WotC -- possibly the same someone who got their hair blown back about "monetization" last winter -- simply doesn't care to do them.

The monetization in question was bigger game than game books. They were talking real money, like t-shirts and toys. And they are undermonetized there still.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

OK, so this right here is why you are getting blowback. Descent to Avernus might be a questionable tie-in in some ways, but it exists and has been trumpeted as the tie in for years...and they are currently pumping it all over social media. It is there.

"Hey, buy this book we put out four years ago" is not a tie-in.

Going to Target and seeing both products shrink-wrapped together would be a tie-in. Going to Barnes & Noble and seeing a new edition of Descent to Avernus, with a cover done by Larian artists and a shiny gold sticker linking it to the videogame is a tie-in.

If, in four years, Larian publishes an Icewind Dale game, that's not going to magically make Rime of the Frostmaiden a tie-in.

It's about moving more units -- ideally of both products -- at the time of release. WotC is by no means doing all they can to make BG3 a bigger success or to move significantly more copies of Descent.

The monetization in question was bigger game than game books. They were talking real money, like t-shirts and toys. And they are undermonetized there still.

Exacerbating the issue by leaving money on the table over and over and over again is going to mean they have to do more of that. And, eventually, lead to the people responsible looking for jobs elsewhere.

 

[Parmandur]

"Hey, buy this book we put out four years ago" is not a tie-in.

Going to Target and seeing both products shrink-wrapped together would be a tie-in. Going to Barnes & Noble and seeing a new edition of Descent to Avernus, with a cover done by Larian artists and a shiny gold sticker linking it to the videogame is a tie-in.

If, in four years, Larian publishes an Icewind Dale game, that's not going to magically make Rime of the Frostmaiden a tie-in.

It's about moving more units -- ideally of both products -- at the time of release. WotC is by no means doing all they can to make BG3 a bigger success or to move significantly more copies of Descent.

Exacerbating the issue by leaving money on the table over and over and over again is going to mean they have to do more of that. And, eventually, lead to the people responsible looking for jobs elsewhere.

It one of the only Adventure campaigns with the new Print-Digital combos that are available yet, and it was a tie-in from the moment BG3 was announced, to the day. It was always billed that way. BG3 has been on the market since 2020 in "Early Access" form...and Descebt to Avernus was always being co-marketed with it.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

It one of the only Adventure campaigns with the new Print-Digital combos that are available yet, and it was a tie-in from the moment BG3 was announced, to the day. It was always billed that way. BG3 has been on the market since 2020 in "Early Access" form...and Descebt to Avernus was always being co-marketed with it.

Yes, I know they said it was a tie-in four years ago. They can also say it was a giraffe. It's not true in any meaningful sense in either case.

 

[Parmandur]

Yes, I know they said it was a tie-in four years ago. They can also say it was a giraffe. It's not true in any meaningful sense in either case.

...? It has explicit story and geographic links? I'm not saying it is the best tie-in or anything, bit it does tie-in. It is a product that ties in playing TTRPG D&D to BG3, directly and explicitly. And they have actively marketed it that way as long as BG3 has been a thing.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

...? It has explicit story and geographic links? I'm not saying it is the best tie-in or anything, bit it does tie-in. It is a product that ties in playing TTRPG D&D to BG3, directly and explicitly. And they have actively marketed it that way as long as BG3 has been a thing.

Please go back and re-read what a tie-in is.

 

[Parmandur]

Please go back and re-read what a tie-in is.

OK, sure:

"a. A media product, such as a book, video game, or movie, that makes use of material presented in another, usually more well-known media product: a video game that was a tie-in to a popular movie.
b. An advertisement or promotional action connecting one brand or product with another or with a popular event."

So, precisely how Descent into Avernus and BG3 have related for their entire coexistence.

 

[Demetrios1453]

Yep, I remember because at the time it was only announced for PC and I pretty much wrote the game off at that point. I also think the development time took longer than anticipated. I'd also be curious to see if there is an up tick of BG books being sold since the games release.

Covid had an effect like in so many other cases. Plus, I think they probably got a bit carried away and the game ended up bigger, and thus longer to produce, than they had first anticipated.

 

[Demetrios1453]

Please go back and re-read what a tie-in is.

He doesn't need to. It is, indisputably, a tie-in. He, and others, have repeatedly stated how it's a tie-in. You're the one who is digging in his (Dusty)boots here...

 

[EthanSental]

I would be interested if there was any WoTC discussion around the BG3 game having some more adult themes and if that had anything either way about doing some sort of opening weekend pc/rpg event.