Pre-Order DLC comes to D&D with Xanathar's Guide to Everything

Anyone who plays videos games knows pre-order bonuses for those willing to pay in advance of product launch. WotC's official toolset, D&D Beyond, is adopting this practice with 16 bonus feats exclusive to those who pre-order Xanathar's Guide to Everything on D&D Beyond.

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Here's what they're offering:

We're excited to announce the bonuses you will receive for pre-ordering Xanathar's Guide to Everything on D&D Beyond:
[h=4]Expanded Racial Feats[/h]You'll get access to 16 new racial feats for all the races available on D&D Beyond outside the Player's Handbook - from the aaracokra to the yuan-ti pureblood. Created by the D&D Beyond team, these feats can be used in your home games or as inspiration for your own upcoming homebrew racial feats.
[h=4]Digital Character Sheet Customization[/h]Get access to new digital character sheet image backgrounds and portrait frame options from artwork in Xanathar's Guide to Everything.
[h=4]Alpha Access to the D&D Beyond Mobile App[/h]Get early alpha access to the D&D Beyond mobile app release later this year, which will include compendium/reader offline access for all the sources you've unlocked on D&D Beyond. Be among the first to help us test an exciting part of D&D Beyond's future!

The book comes out on 10th November, 2017.
[h=3][/h]

 

[Mistwell]

Blackmail, even, based on the fear of missing out.

Blackmail? Giving you bonus stuff if you pre-order is blackmail?

 

[UngeheuerLich]

The feats were "Created by the D&D Beyond team."

I'm surprised WotC signed off on this (and if they didn't, they should really nip it in the bud). This has the potential to cause a lot of confusion and potential arguments about what is and isn't official material.

This can only be bad for the game.

Not adventurer's league legal. Created by the dndbeyond team. Its right there. Non official.

 

[Mistwell]

Not adventurer's league legal. Created by the dndbeyond team. Its right there. Non official.

Indeed. A third party, under normal license, is publishing some feats. People on the internet FREAK OUT!!!!!?!?! And think it sends some larger message about 5e the game itself? Never mind that literally every edition going back to the beginning of the game involved, on some level, third party companies selling stuff usable with the game.

 

[MechaPilot]

Indeed. A third party, under normal license, is publishing some feats. People on the internet FREAK OUT!!!!!?!?! And think it sends some larger message about 5e the game itself? Never mind that literally every edition going back to the beginning of the game involved, on some level, third party companies selling stuff usable with the game.

Far as I can tell, no one is freaking out about a third-party publishing feats they created and expecting to be paid for it. All I've seen here is people turned-off by pre-orders, and pre-order incentives. Do some of them go a little far with their rhetoric about it? Sure. People do that.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Just preordered it. Why not? You get it as soon as its available.

 

[dropbear8mybaby]

This can only be bad for the game.

Public homebrew is bad for the game? What? It's public homebrew content which means it's only accessible through the Homebrew content interface on DDB. Having a problem with that is like saying that all and every homebrew content anywhere is somehow bad for the game.

It's stuff like this that is moving me away from 5E.

Bye-bye. No-one will miss you.

It's basically just third party crap.

And? What's bad about that? It's a minor incentive to purchase before it comes out. How is that a bad thing other than "you don't like it"?

I don't think people will be wanting the Critical Role Campaign Guide to be AL legal or consider it core, and this is basically the same thing.

It's not core and not useable in AL so again, what's the problem with it?

Wow. That sure makes it worth paying for the same content a third time.

What has that got to do with anything? If you don't like the product, why do you feel the need to comment on it? What effect does this content being available have on you since you don't want or like it?

What's next, micro transacti......

Show me where these non-existent microtransactions exist, please?

Why must folks sign up early to enjoy something, hopefully, of quality? ''But you don't have to! It's a way of showing su.....''. No. No it really isn't. It's a cheap psychological trick based on manufactured scarcity. Blackmail, even, based on the fear of missing out. I get that companies want to secure sales. That's not a crime. Pre-order bonuses (again, I have nothing against pre-ordering itself) smack of a failure to recognise the loyal customer, while at the same time standing to hit them the hardest. If you're going to buy anyway, you don't want to miss out, right? So you better pre-order for that bonus, right?

What an utter bunch of nonsense. They're a minor incentive that means very little in the long run. Don't like it? Don't pre-order. Given that you obviously don't even like or use DDB, why even comment on it other than to troll?

2) Exclusive pre-order content? Thanks for confirming I made the right decision not to support DDB.

Good to know you don't care so much that you need to tell everyone about it.

Again, I don't think it will stay exclusive for long.

It's public homebrew content. When the homebrew feats system goes live, they'll be available to everyone. This is just a getting in early to these few feats bonus before the homebrew feats system goes live.

 

[Coreyartus]

Just preordered it. Why not? You get it as soon as its available.

So did I. I'm looking forward to being able to read it at 12:00AM on November 10th, and have all the features integrated into my character building options. Fine with me! If Kobold Press or Sasquatch Games or Green Ronin made extra optional content available for play as a third-party publisher working with WotC, I'd consider using it. No biggie. Getting it free is gravy.

 

[TheSwartz]

If Kobold Press or Sasquatch Games or Green Ronin made extra optional content available for play as a third-party publisher working with WotC, I'd consider using it. No biggie. Getting it free is gravy.

Hmmmm.... to change the subject slightly (away from the icky pre-order exclusive content part) makes me wonder if that will be a thing with DDB? 3rd parties already do this on Fantasy Grounds (and obviously on DMG).., so why not?

Also, nobody is talking about the alpha access to mobile version? Sounds interesting.

 

[CapnZapp]

It's stuff like this that is moving me away from 5E.

Then you are very close to 5e, seeing how this is the first and only instance of "stuff like this", yes?

Sent from my C6603 using EN World mobile app

 

[CapnZapp]

Wow I'm pretty impressed you own two copies Xanathar's Guide to Everything already!

He means the content as delivered by printed book, this, and their competitors

Sent from my C6603 using EN World mobile app