D&D 5E Dungeonscape no more?

[mcbobbo]

why would lack of communication be a good strategy? or worse yet 'understandable'? they could just do things like tell the truth. 'we put all our eggs in one basket...that failed...this is what we are working on now'.

I agree. Telling the truth is very much underrated these days.

'I suspect the issue has less to do with not taking digital utilities seriously and more to do with WotC, as an organisation, having a fundamentally dysfunctional approach to project management.'

This, however, I cannot agree with, because killing a project is hardly a dysfunctional thing to do.

 

[Beleriphon]

As for the tools, I'm surprised Hero Lab wasn't used. Pathfinder is an incredibly complex game and the folks at Lone Wolf have done an amazing job at keeping up with the new releases. The only drawback to it is that it's rather pricey if you get data from all the sourcebooks.

That's only an issue due to licensing. Green Ronin's M&M 2E licensing was basically the core rules and then Ultimate Power plus everything else.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I don't think it's much of a stretch to say that it won't take long to reach 50lbs. It didn't in 4E. Or 3.5. Or 3rd.

It could be different this time, but I'm not holding my breath.

It doesn't matter what the total combined weight of 5e books will one day be. The fact of the matter is you don't need them at the table to play. I've been DMing and playing 5e for awhile. As a DM I need nothing but dice. (I guess I might scribble up a stat-block if I was running a dragon or something). As a player I need my character sheet and dice.

The rules are easy to memorize, unlike 3.x/PF where rules arguements come up every game and someone feels the need to "look it up." (FTR I don't mean this comment as an edition warrior, I like all the editions.)

 

[Warunsun]

I hate to jump on the PDF bandwagon but heck an official PDF of the Player's Handbook would be really helpful to me right now—even without any artwork. Heck it would be better without the artwork for my purposes. I have a legally blind player in my group and he has a very hard time reading the colored pages in the style that Wizards used for fifth edition. During fourth edition I was able to easily print out the classes and races sections from DDI in large print all black and white since the DDI Compendium used standard internet browsers. It was pretty nice. We are currently playing Castles & Crusades and I bought the PDF of the Player's Handbook for it. It was in color but after a quick e-mail and I was able to get the previous printing of it in PDF in glorious black & white from the company so I could blow the pages up and print it larger. The Troll Lords were very helpful. Now our group is seriously contemplating a campaign with fifth edition and my player is interested in the Monk class (which, naturally, isn't in the Basic PDFs). So I am probably going to have to type the whole class out in a word processor document.

 

[Lord_Blacksteel]

We're talking about it not ENFORCING rules, not a lack of it SHOWING the rules. I suspect you'd actually like what we're talking about, if only because it could cause the project to actually finish for once.

There are functioning character generators out there for more complex games from 3.0 to 4.0 to Pathfinder to Champions and Mutants and Masterminds. They all pretty much enforce the rules by default, so it is entirely doable. Well, other people have done it.

I DM and don't usually make characters, but i would need to have something with this sort of flexibility. Sure, do all the RAW calculations, but then let me break them if i need to, and make it clear that i'm breaking them.

HeroLab does exactly this.

I'm a little surprised at today's announcement after WOTC made sure we all knew the electronic suite was coming. I don't know if there was some kind of ongoing issue or a sudden incident that drove this but a few months ago it was nothing but positive with not much holding back. Usually going with a public beta means that the thing is a definite go.

I don't see as much of a need for a character generator for 5th as I do other games but there does seem to be a market for it. Maybe licensing one of these companies that's already done it will finally seem like a good idea after this.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

In to gleefully post "I told you so."

WotC will eventually get an effective online tool set ... but when?

 

[Curmudjinn]

Likely TT was unable to offer secure content through online storage access. That was probably a make or break for WotC.

 

[Mistwell]

then the much advertised Digital Initiative followed suit after much redefinition of goals and changing of directions.

DDI was pretty successful, and made a lot of money. Yes, it didn't achieve all the original goals, but it achieved many of them successfully, and was liked by many people.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

DDI was pretty successful, and made a lot of money. Yes, it didn't achieve all the original goals, but it achieved many of them successfully, and was liked by many people.

and is still making money hand over fist today...

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

We're talking about it not ENFORCING rules, not a lack of it SHOWING the rules. I suspect you'd actually like what we're talking about, if only because it could cause the project to actually finish for once.

I mean, I want it to enforce rules. I don't want to have to calculate anything that is just part of a formula unless its free like most fillable PDF sheets. Would be cool if it had an option to toggle rules on or off, but if it doesn't say "hey you have used too many skills" or something like that no thanks. Unless its free of course. But looking at 5e I don't see needing things like this to be honest unlike the chore that was 3e character generation.