D&D Beyond Launches on August 15th for $3-6/m

$3/ month isn't that bad. And you really only need it if you want to use homebrew.

 

[lkj]

Eh, I've got a fairly prodigious memory and a full set of books, and I personally don't like tracking my character on a small screen. I prefer a printed out sheet (currently the form fillable Clean Sheet). I don't trust software to build my characters, I just prefer to do it myself. It helps make sure I actually know how my character works (specifically any spell/class/feat combo's I want the character to use). Plus I like a full sheet to refer to during play, for ease of use.

I'm not claiming to be typical in this aspect, I'm sure for many people it's a great aid. I just don't feel like it's something I need or will use. Maybe if I ever get around to buying a tablet.

Yep. Then I'd say you aren't the target audience!

AD

 

[Satyrn]

Since I don't use a tablet, just a PC and my smartphone, it doesn't sound as if I'm the target audience. Maybe later.

Well, the PC and phone would work the same. Well if the PC is at your table, and not that thag I would be inclined to use a phone unless it was one of those large screen ones like the Galaxy Note (although that might blow up in my face).

But if you're not the target market, that's cool.

 

[Shasarak]

I am glad that DnD Beyond is coming. Unfortunately for me I have chosen to go with Hero Lab and Realm Works so will not be participating but I wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

 

[Dire Bare]

What a lot of people here wanting, complaining, whining, etc, about this seem to forget is that this would involve WotC and THREE different companies that WotC has no ownership of. They are only licensing the game material to those companies. While I am sure their approval is needed before anything goes live, they cannot just tell these other three companies to work together. Maybe if everyone had gotten their licensing deals at the same time, something could have been included to that effect, but I am sure at least one, or even all three, would have said no to this because they may feel it would hurt their profits.

WotC currently has a great working relationship with One Bookshelf (DM'sGuild), SmiteWorks (Fantasy Grounds), the Orr Group (Roll20), and Curse (D&D Beyond). To coordinate product between these four companies would be more work and more difficulty than current relationships, true, but it's far from impossible or even unlikely. Any cooperation would have to benefit everyone involved, of course, but (IMO), coordinating between character builder (DDB), virtual tabletop (Fantasy Grounds/Roll20), ebook (DM'sGuild), and the publisher would be to everyone's benefit.

WotC certainly cannot "just tell everyone what to do", but they are the senior partner in these relationships and would probably need to be the party to push things along. And there are already partnerships brewing, DM'sGuild already sells Fantasy Grounds packages, and DDB has already expressed a desire to partner with Fantasy Grounds and Roll20 to export character sheets to their respective formats.

I think the biggest hurdle to full coordination right now is that D&D Beyond is so new, it hasn't even launched yet! I imagine the guys and gals at Curse are currently well occupied just getting the best product out the door by mid-August. Any coordination with Fantasy Grounds, Roll20,or the DM's Guild will have to come later. I just hope, it isn't much later!

 

[Shasarak]

(I may truly be in the minority, but even so, I believe you're underestimating our numbers).

Yes, dont underestimate Demetrios1453 for they are legion!

 

[dropbear8mybaby]

A lot of us have been able to customise sections within the PHB - changing up Races, Abilities, Feats, Skills, Weapons and Armour, Combat Rules, Spells, Rests using the homebrewey to address our specific wants. Does the DDB cater for that?

Yes. With a totally free account, you can create your own personal homebrew content to use with your six free character slots. You can't publish that content to the site and you can't use other people's published homebrew with that free account unless you have a character in someone's campaign which requires that someone to have a Master Tier subscription, in which case you get access to all the content of that person's account, for that character.

You could, essentially, create all the content you want for free and never pay a cent, even if you joined someone's campaign and got access to all their content for free as well. Which is why I'm struggling to understand all the bitching, pissing, whining and moaning going on about it. It all amounts to, "I want stuff for free and I'm not willing to do the work to have it for myself, waaaaa, waaaaa."

 

[MechaPilot]

Which is why I'm struggling to understand all the bitching, pissing, whining and moaning going on about it. It all amounts to, "I want stuff for free and I'm not willing to do the work to have it for myself, waaaaa, waaaaa."

People don't have a problem with paying to use a digital product (the product was made, and there are costs to be covered, we all understand that); they have a problem with having to purchase digital access to content they already bought in a physical media. That's a fairly straightforward concept.

 

[Shasarak]

Also, WOTC has no public shares - they're a wholly owned subsidiary of Hasbro. No matter what happens to Hasbro stock, it will never have an impact on the flexibility of the D&D team.

Are you sure that is how being a wholly owned subsidiary works?

 

[Satyrn]

People don't have a problem with paying to use a digital product (the product was made, and there are costs to be covered, we all understand that); they have a problem with having to purchase digital access to content they already bought in a physical media. That's a fairly straightforward concept.

That is what will stop me from buying the core books. But looking at my future purchases, I might wind up just buying from D&D Beyond if it works well for me as a book replacement.

But I'm still on the fence about it for one of the reasons you mentioned earlier: What will happen to my purchases if D&D Beyond goes under?

 

[Mistwell]

Are you sure that is how being a wholly owned subsidiary works?

I am certain WOTC is not publicly traded, and it's shares are held privately by Hasbro, which is publicly traded.