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

 

[TheSword]

They have been EXCEEDINGLY clear that this is the same edition to them. They are doing nothing of the sort. There is no way to listen to what they have said and come away with anything but that this is the same edition.


It's nothing, since it's not true according to them.

I specifically talked about obsolete rules not editions. In the same way that 3.0 books that were made obsolete by 3.5 were dropped from sale. I don’t have any other comparisons other than. Edition changes because that is all that has happened in the past.

Not sure what your beef is here.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

They have been EXCEEDINGLY clear that this is the same edition to them. They are doing nothing of the sort. There is no way to listen to what they have said and come away with anything but that this is the same edition. It's nothing, since it's not true according to them.

Mmmm... It's a bit more complicated than that. If that were entirely true, then they wouldn't need to provide any legacy content at all, as all the changes would amount to errata and would overwrite the previous material.

That they're making it available IS pretty revolutionary, when looking at history. It's also a necessary step, IMO - they have to be satisfied with a slow adoption and a mix-n-match approach. They made it both possible and desirable to do it that way, because of their own attempts at backwards compatibility. They can't really expect everyone to change over right away, when they made sure to incentivize NOT doing it.

 

[Scribe]

Acting like it's some sort of moral failing to keep buying their products - it's a bit much

I'm not saying it's a moral failing. As good Snarf says, who will cast the first Magic Missile?

The moral failure is on Cocks, if someone wants to keep supporting Wizards, go nuts.

 

[cranberry]

Are you sure?

From Hot Pockets to Purina pet food to Kit Kats to San Pellegrino to Haagen Dazs to DiGiorno Pizza to so many other things ...

You'd have to actively avoid them to not purchase something from them. Jus' sayin'.

I avoid processed foods, cheese and drink reverse osmosis water from my well, so probably not too many Nestle products.

Regardless, food from a major food producer is not the same thing as a gaming company.

 

[Blue]

I specifically talked about obsolete rules not editions.

Sorry, this is untrue. Your words were "obsolete edition rules". Perhaps you didn't intend to write about editions, but I can only respond to the words you actually wrote.

In the same way that 3.0 books that were made obsolete by 3.5 were dropped from sale. I don’t have any other comparisons other than. Edition changes because that is all that has happened in the past.

3ed to 3.5 was not the same edition, so I'm not sure what the point is.

Not sure what your beef is here.

No 'beef' - it's not personal. Just correcting incorrect information being given out. They nuked the GleeMax forums. They took away my 4e subscription regardless if I wanted to pay for it. Wizards of the Coast has been very tough on previous editions, and since they claim this is the same edition they don't suddenly get a pass.

 

[mamba]

The real question here is; do people have a right to the labor that is used to clean the water? Or do they only have a right to the water that they have to clean themselves?

I’d say in a civilized society they do have a right, full stop. We pay taxes so we can have roads, schools, electricity, and other things. Clean water certainly belongs in that list too

 

[Imaro]

But they also clearly have no problem letting people believe that what they spend money on in D&DB is a purchase, regardless of reality. Otherwise they could have just told people the T&Cs let them do almost whatever they want. But being that honest isn't good for the bottom line.

That's on you to read before subscribing... can you give me an example of a company that meticulously goes over and announces it's ToS for a sub?? This expectation is ridiculous.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I'm not saying it's a moral failing. As good Snarf says, who will cast the first Magic Missile?

The moral failure is on Cocks, if someone wants to keep supporting Wizards, go nuts.

No, I wasn't suggesting that YOU were. It was part of my original comment that you had quoted. An attitude that I don't think is justified. I'm with you and Snarf, regarding the first Magic Missile.

I'm sure that it's not just Cocks, at Wizards, but I'm also sure that at least some of these PR disasters were done with good intentions that just weren't thought all the way through and backfired. Others were probably miscalculated mistakes. Down the road you might hit some malfeasance, but you're likely to run into a WHOLE LOTTA foolishness and stupidity first. A lot of it is in the "probably ought to have known better" category. Not much of it is in the "actively trying to do harm in exchange for cash" category.

 

[Micah Sweet]

That's on you to read before subscribing... can you give me an example of a company that meticulously goes over and announces it's ToS for a sub?? This expectation is ridiculous.

A brief statement explaining that they have the right to change any material customers are paying to access, with or without warning, hardly seems meticulous. I just did it in a couple minutes. I'm sure they could spend an hour or so getting the wording right.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

No, I wasn't suggesting that YOU were. It was part of my original comment that you had quoted. An attitude that I don't think is justified. I'm with you and Snarf, regarding the first Magic Missile.

WOOT!

With you, me, and @Scribe on board .... I mean ... we can drive in the HOV lane!