D&D (2024) Wizards of the Coast Backtracks on D&D Beyond and 2014 Content

Wizards of the Coast posted an overnight update stating that they are not going forward with previously released plans to require those wishing to use some 2014 content on D&D Beyond to use the Homebrew function to manually enter it. Instead, all the content including spells and magic items will be included. From the update:

D&D (2024) - How D&D Beyond Will Handle Access To 2014 Rules

D&D Beyond has announced how the transition to the new 2024 edition will work on the platform, and how legacy access to the 2014 version of D&D will be implemented. You will still be able to access the 2014 Basic Rules and core rulebooks. You will still be able to make characters using the 2014...

www.enworld.org

Last week we released a Changelog detailing how players would experience the 2024 Core Rulebooks on D&D Beyond. We heard your feedback loud and clear and thank you for speaking up.

Our excitement around the 2024 Core Rulebooks led us to view these planned updates as welcome improvements and free upgrades to existing content. We misjudged the impact of this change, and we agree that you should be free to choose your own way to play. Taking your feedback to heart, here’s what we’re going to do:

Players who only have access to the 2014 Player’s Handbook will maintain their character options, spells, and magical items in their character sheets. Players with access to the 2024 and 2014 digital Player’s Handbooks can select from both sources when creating new characters. Players will not need to rely on Homebrew to use their 2014 player options, including spells and magic items, as recommended in previous changelogs.

Please Note:

Players will continue to have access to their free, shared, and purchased items on D&D Beyond, with the ability to use previously acquired player options when creating characters and using character sheets.

We are not changing players’ current character sheets, except for relabeling and renaming. Examples include Races to Species, Inspiration to Heroic Inspiration, and Cast Spell to Magic.

We’re dedicated to making D&D Beyond the ultimate digital toolset for Dungeons & Dragons, continuously enhancing the platform to ensure you can create, customize, and play your game just as you envision it. From your first one-shot to multi-year campaigns and everything in between, we're grateful to be on this journey with you.

- The D&D Studio

 

[mamba]

We as a massive group of like-minded thinkers have made them decide to change their course. But no one individual had a hand in that. All that mattered was that the mass of voices got large enough

yes, that is how it generally works if you have no king / dictator involved

Yes, a potential revenue stream for them was slowed because of their pivot. But they have so many other revenue streams available to them that this one stream in the long-run will not matter. Same way that the pivot on their OGL response will not ultimately have much of an effect in the long-run.

and that is perfectly fine, since they listened. They do not need to forever lose revenue over this.

The real question is how much long lasting impact would them not listening have had, and I am not sure it would have been something they cannot ride out either

 

[mamba]

Basically, they thought the new rules are the next best thing to sliced beard

ooh, sliced beard, tasty

 

[DinoInDisguise]

My vote is irrational exuberant stupidity.

I feel like there is a board room in WotC HQ where a dozen bobs and bobbettes in suits are decrying how their fans are a bunch of cranky grognards at this moment.

 

[Remathilis]

ooh, sliced beard, tasty

Damn auto currant!!!!

 

[Scribe]

I don't believe it can be adequately explained by stupidity. The fact that they could so easily backpeddle shows that they decided to make continuing to use 2014 rules in D&DB more difficult. That reads as malice to me.

I dont think so. Even if something is relatively simple, it doesnt mean its free in terms of tech, man hours, whatever.

Its not malice, its the reality of doing work.

More likely than not, there is an assumption that 'everyone will upgrade, its better, why wouldnt they buy the new version' and some Manager telling their team 'dont bother with that, just get this done first' where 'this' is the implementation of the new code/release/version.

 

[Belen]

I feel like there is a board room in WotC HQ where a dozen bobs and bobbettes in suits are decrying how their fans are a bunch of cranky grognards at this moment.

As someone in another thread stated, the majority of current D&D players started with 5e. Can you call them grognards?

I think that this is a larger outgrowth of digital technology. People paid for content and then WOTC wanted to change the deal. They can under their terms of service; however, it is not customer friendly and it erodes trust. Why buy the content on DDB if they can yank it from you?

Personally, we need stronger standards on digital content and accessibility.

 

[Micah Sweet]

As someone in another thread stated, the majority of current D&D players started with 5e. Can you call them grognards?

I think that this is a larger outgrowth of digital technology. People paid for content and then WOTC wanted to change the deal. They can under their terms of service; however, it is not customer friendly and it erodes trust. Why buy the content on DDB if they can yank it from you?

Personally, we need stronger standards on digital content and accessibility.

As long as people keep accepting the current standards, we won't be getting stronger ones.

 

[DinoInDisguise]

As someone in another thread stated, the majority of current D&D players started with 5e. Can you call them grognards?

I think that this is a larger outgrowth of digital technology. People paid for content and then WOTC wanted to change the deal. They can under their terms of service; however, it is not customer friendly and it erodes trust. Why buy the content on DDB if they can yank it from you?

Personally, we need stronger standards on digital content and accessibility.

I think this missed the intent of my post. It was purely a bad word post. 100% humor only. Don't read too far into it.

 

[KYRON45]

yes, look back at the threads we had when it was going on… I understand that it can still be annoying, but it is nothing in comparison

I see people posting about their pet peeves far more often

Almost every thread devolves into how the “OGL debacle”* destroyed modern civilization as we know it.

*fun fact: the change never went into affect.

 

[SteveC]

I said nice things about Paizo recently when they did something similar, so it's only fair to do so for WotC's quick reaction. I still wonder why this was even a thing in the first place. Remember how this wasn't a new Edition and we could use old materials seamlessly with the new? Well now that is more of a thing, but it seems obvious that it wasn't the initial plan.