Project Sigil All the Deets on Project Sigil the D&D 3D Virtual Tabletop

• Danger in Dunbarrow is the adventure designed to introduced the 3D tabletop.
• Bring in any character from D&D Beyond.
• 'Mini Maker' lets you design digital miniatures.
• Assets designed to feel like buying a high-end mini or figure somewhere between painted and realistic.
• Plug in locations like graveyard, mine, town each with a premade story you can use or ignore.
• "Modding games more than making them whole cloth."
• The Level Builder is like 'the best miniatures set that you could have'. Snap together different kit pieces.
• Secret doors, traps, lifts that go up and down.
• Also use 2D tokens with artwork you have.
• Also use 2D maps.
• You can play other games with it, not just D&D.
• Have Drizzt fight Optimus Prime.
• Share content with others.
• Starting on PC, other platforms later including mobile and console.
• Will be available to try out for free.
• Closed beta coming this fall for those with a DDB account.
• Pre-order 2024 physical and digital core rulebook bundle to get a free digital gold dragon mini to 'kickstarter your Project Sigil collection'.

 

[Oofta]

I mean they used to. I cannot remember the last full game they made that wasnt some version of Half Life or... Portal?

Half Life Alyx was quite fun if you have VR, and you can now play it without VR. There's a new one called Deadlock which looks like another PVP game. But it also has a small number of employees, at least in comparison to other game development companies. It's not really not much of a game development company anymore.

 

[Belen]

physical books and minis that no one can take from you and hold in your hand are better than this, heck if i wanted a video version i would go play a game.

A lot of people play with friends spread out across the country so I support them creating the tool. My worry is whether there will be predatory cost structures. If not, then I will invest.

 

[Oofta]

I don't want to sound overly optemistic here, but if the DM UI for this is AAA quality, Sigil could do a lot to close the DM shortage gap. For one, if it intuitively handles most of the combat bandwidth for DMs, making it much easier, that's one huge benifit. And if the dungeon designer UI is equally great, I can see how a generation who grew up plahying Minecraft could get entranced with creating enviornments for themselves and others to play in. IE, if it's a JOY, rather than a chore to build dungeons, what might we see being created.

This could be the 'streaming live play' boost for this decade of D&D.

Edit: Spelling error for Minecraft

People talk about all of the issues with AI (and there are many) but I would actually like some AI help with making maps. I do a lot of TotM for exploration because I find detailed map making boring. While I'm sure others love it, and people will be able to share their creations which is awesome, I found it to be time consuming and tedious when I had to do it during COVID even if I was able to get results we enjoyed.

So for me? Have an AI give me a basic town layout based on basic options and criteria. Let me use the tools provided to then tweak the look and feel of that town to match what I had envisioned. Extending it even further, learn from previous maps I generated and modified. Ideally, if they go into a house I never imagined they'd want to go into because the PCs are always going directions I don't expect, have a real interior.

I'm sure that kind of functionality is down the road, if ever, but that would be incredible. There's other things the AI could help with of course like help filling out campaign details, but that's a separate topic.

 

[Clint_L]

A lot of people play with friends spread out across the country so I support them creating the tool. My worry is whether there will be predatory cost structures. If not, then I will invest.

I’m not sure what you mean. There will be costs. It will either be worth it or it won’t. How is this different from when I buy Reaper or Wizkids miniatures, or Dwarven Forge terrain? Except it will be much, much cheaper.

What’s “predatory”?

 

[Belen]

I’m not sure what you mean. There will be costs. It will either be worth it or it won’t. How is this different from when I buy Reaper or Wizkids miniatures, or Dwarven Forge terrain? Except it will be much, much cheaper.

What’s “predatory”?

I would consider it predatory if they used loot boxes akin to how they sold the old D&D minis or MTG packs now.

If they do sell items that you can know what you get when you buy, then fine.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

It's not about jealousy or anything of the sort. What do you think the chances of you still "owning" these ten years down the line?

"New edition new mini dimensions, they will not carry over"

Or

"Sigil 2 is built on a new engine that is not compatible with the previous engine you'll have to re-purchase your collected miniatures"

Etc etc

I mean just look what they tried to do like, a week ago, in a digital marketplace they control. If they just sold you PDFs and PNG tokens you'd own them in perpetuity and they obviously don't want that.

Hasbro gonna Hasbro. If you go in knowing that then, sure, but please don't expect them to act in good faith in a space they entirely control. The only possible indicator of future behavior is past behavior, after all.

I do not actually give a damn, I have being playing and buying electronic games for over 30 years and am well aware of the ephemeral nature of the medium. There is an element of condescension in this post. I know that it is not forever to have stuff online, especially in propitiatory formats. Even the much touted pdfs are not really a replacement for books. Good electronic archival practices are beyond most people.
But if I do not get to play online, I do not get to play at all. I am interested in project Sigil, not at any price but I am interested and wish it success.
Now I have a lot of sunk costs in FantasyGrounds but I also have players that could not join me on FG because they do not have the hardware or bandwith to run it.

 

[Imaro]

Honestly, We have a large screen mounted on the wall of my gaming room so I'm hoping to use this at an in person game as a sort of battle display. It would definitely cut down on storage space for minis, terrain, paints, etc. As well as the time spent prepping that stuff... and will also be useful for playing virtually if necessary. Not too concerned about whether it will or will not continue into perpetuity since I understand the nature of a subscription to a service.

 

[Oofta]

Honestly, We have a large screen mounted on the wall of my gaming room so I'm hoping to use this at an in person game as a sort of battle display. It would definitely cut down on storage space for minis, terrain, paints, etc. As well as the time spent prepping that stuff... and will also be useful for playing virtually if necessary. Not too concerned about whether it will or will not continue into perpetuity since I understand the nature of a subscription to a service.

But ... but ... no longer have an excuse to buy and paint minis! No!!!!

 

[UngainlyTitan]

People talk about all of the issues with AI (and there are many) but I would actually like some AI help with making maps. I do a lot of TotM for exploration because I find detailed map making boring. While I'm sure others love it, and people will be able to share their creations which is awesome, I found it to be time consuming and tedious when I had to do it during COVID even if I was able to get results we enjoyed.

So for me? Have an AI give me a basic town layout based on basic options and criteria. Let me use the tools provided to then tweak the look and feel of that town to match what I had envisioned. Extending it even further, learn from previous maps I generated and modified. Ideally, if they go into a house I never imagined they'd want to go into because the PCs are always going directions I don't expect, have a real interior.

I'm sure that kind of functionality is down the road, if ever, but that would be incredible. There's other things the AI could help with of course like help filling out campaign details, but that's a separate topic.

What I would love is an AI that can give me an art piece from a map or a map from an art piece.

 

[Zaukrie]

I would consider it predatory if they used loot boxes akin to how they sold the old D&D minis or MTG packs now.

If they do sell items that you can know what you get when you buy, then fine.

The old DND minis were cheaper, partly because the were random. It's all optional, I guess we'll disagree there was anything predatory about that at all. You don't need them to play.