D&D Beyond admits that blocking Drops sharing "was not the right decision," will release yearly bundles of Drops content for sale for non-subscribers

D&D Beyond is addressing complaints about its new Drops programs. Today, D&D Beyond made a new post providing some updates about its D&D Beyond Drops program, which releases weekly content exclusive to subscribers. The updates were intended to address major complaints about the new program, namely that subscribers could not share the content with their campaigns and that non-subscribers had no way to purchase Drops content outside of a subscription. "It’s become clear from your feedback that there were two main things we got wrong with D&D Beyond Drops: content sharing and non-subscriber access," the post reads.

In the post, D&D Beyond admitted that not allowing Drops content to be shared via campaigns "was not the right decision." Although no immediate solution was announced, D&D Beyond stated that they expected to have more information about content sharing in the coming weeks. Additionally, D&D Beyond also announced that they would be releasing Drops content on their marketplace for sale via a yearly bundle, with the first bundle set to be released next May. This content will be available to all D&D Beyond users, regardless of their subscription status.

 

[Umbran]

Did WotC themselves agree with the pushback and suggest that they'll allow sharing? ALSO YES

On the whole, we aren't great at allowing anyone to learn they made an error and change their mind/approach. We don't give much credit for correction.

 

[SothFan]

Yes, of course. Because it's a trivial distinction that only matters in strange edge cases that don't apply to normal people's use of the product. As your own convoluted example demonstrates.

So anyone that disagrees with your view are not normal people, and therefore wrong because they do nit agree with what you think. I fully understand the type of person you are now.

I should hope @WotC do not agree with you.

 

[Mort]

Of course. They aren't free content, they aren't being offer to anyone who isn't purchasing a subscription. Must you pay to get this content? Yes. Therefore it's purchased content. If I buy a box of chocolates, you can't point at one of the chocolates and say that because I bought a full box and this came in the box that it's free. That makes zero sense.

No, purchased content is content you purchase on D&D beyond, such a PHB or DMG. It is then available to you, whether you keep your subscription or not.

Drops are subscription content, you have them IF you have a subscription, but you didn't purchase them - they are lost if you stop your subscription.

 

[SothFan]

don’t know what WotCs (and specifically the D&D teams) budgets are

Considering Wotc makes 80% of the companies operating capitol, Wotc should be giving HASBRO a budget, rather than Hasbro executives/managers syphoning off most of the profits. But this is probably better in the Union discussion as it is par for that course.

 

[Blue]

Paying for a service is not the same thing as purchasing a product. You pay for continued access with a service, meanwhile purchase means you acquire it permanently.

If this is the definition they use of purchase no one can share anything, so we know it's not correct.

Because you aren't getting anything permanently. No PDF to download for the books you buy on DnDBeyond. You are getting a license to access the material. As long as they keep DnDBeyond up. As long as they don't terminate your account. (There are a lot of stories you can google where someone's Amazon account was terminated and they lost access to all the ebooks they 'purchased'. This is a real thing.)

So no, trying to finesse out the word 'purchase' by claiming that some things you get by paying money to them are different than other things you get by paying money to them, neither of which meets your definition of 'purchase', is simply wrong.

 

[SothFan]

You're paying for the subscription not the Drop content.

This is incorrect. DROPS are intended to groom players into paying for the Drops content because what else do you really get with a subscription? It was even advertised as "incentive" for Hero tier subscriptions. A total insult to the games players, thinking they were stupid and not able to understand, just as the sematics arguement about "bought"; but also to the "shareable" extant. Some online have said the wording reeks of "irrevocable" im both cases in their comparisons.

 

[Blue]

You're paying for the subscription not the Drop content. If you buy a music subscription and rhe company later gives a free music download... the download is free, you paid for the subscription and what it initially included...the later announced download is a free incentive for being a subscriber.

sigh The download isn't free, the download is included in your subscription. You don't get that download without paying for your subscription. Just because it's not increasing the cost of your subscription doesn't mean that you aren't paying to get it. You are paying -- your subscription cost. Without that payment, you don't get it.

 

[Blue]

Yes. Everyone who subsribed.

Which is not everyone. At this point there's no point in continuing a conversation if you just intentionally twist what is said to meet your own biases.

"Everyone" and "Just some people excluding others" are not the same thing.

 

[Desdichado]

So anyone that disagrees with your view are not normal people, and therefore wrong because they do nit agree with what you think. I fully understand the type of person you are now.

I should hope @WotC do not agree with you.

That is the most bad faith take of what I actually said that I can possibly imagine. I think I'm about done.

 

[SothFan]

This is the very definition of splitting hairs

This is why lawyers make more money than barbers. They are better at handling the split hairs.