D&D Reader App Coming This Fall? [UPDATED]

Many people have been asking for official D&D PDFs, and WotC has been addressing the need for electronic reference materials at the table in various ways. According to Mashable, WotC is releasing a D&D Reader App this fall. It's not a PDF, but it's basically a D&D-specific Kindle-esque app for iOS and Android. Mashable reports that "Each book is broken up into different sections. So with, say, the Player's Handbook, you can tap on little thumbnails in your library to check out the introduction, a step-by-step guide to character creation, a rundown of races, individual sections for each character class, equipment, and all the other pieces that, together, form the D&D Player's Handbook."

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It's possible they are just referring to D&D Beyond (some of the details below correspond very closely with that), but it may be that a separate D&D Reader is in the pipeline.

UPDATE -- EN World member TDarien asked Adam Rosenburg (the author of the article) whether this was different to D&D Beyond, who replied "Yup. Beyond is more activity-oriented, so it can handle stuff like dice rolls. Reader is basically Kindle, with good, clear chapter divides."

UPDATE 2 -- EN World member kenmarable has spotted that Polygon also has an article about this. It is a separate app called D&D Reader - not D&D Beyond - being made by Dialect, the company which does Dragon+ for WotC. They tried a beta version, although it wasn't complete at the time.

Other items from the report include:

• You can favourite specific pages.
• Some of it is free, and the rparts of books are paywalled. "If, for example, you'll only ever care about rolling a bard, you can just buy that. Prices for individual sections are $3 or $5 (depending on what you buy) and the three full rulebooks — Player's Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master's Guide — are $30 apiece for everything."
• If you buy parts of a book then buy the full thing, the cost is pro-rated.The free sections include "character creation, basic classes, gear, ability scores, combat, spellcasting, and all the other sort of ground-level features that everyone needs to understand in order to play."

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[Satyrn]

Does every product have to do something new? When you buy a car, does it have to fly? Does every paperback you buy have to do something new?

The book is offered in a variety of formats. You choose the one which suits you. They don’t all have to innovate!

Offering a choice of formats is a good thing. You get to choose the format.

Indeed.

I'm kind of wondering now though why they don't produce an ebook to be sold through Google Books, Kobo and the like. Maybe the format doesn't work so well for image heavy publications like D&D books.

 

[Remathilis]

Can Google Books deliver their monthly magazine to your phone automatically, and then as you're reading the magazine can it link to the parts of the core books you've purchased for a quick pop-up rule lookup, as you go?

Can this? You're assuming a lot again.

First, you're assuming that there is content on Dragon+ that would need cross-linking to the core books. D+ is two years old at this point, and its never had any rules-related content that wasn't a link posted to the Wizards main site or DM's Guild. The issues are mostly puff pieces about upcoming products, occasional fiction pieces, and behind-the-scenes interviews with designers. Unless there is a radical shift in the type of content delivered (more akin to classic Dragon or even 4e-era Dragon) there is absolutely no need for such hyperlinking.

 

[Remathilis]

Does every product have to do something new? When you buy a car, does it have to fly? Does every paperback you buy have to do something new?

The book is offered in a variety of formats. You choose the one which suits you. They don’t all have to innovate!

Offering a choice of formats is a good thing. You get to choose the format.

It doesn't have to be new, but it has to have something special about it.

I've bought the Original Trilogy of Star Wars 5 times; the original letterbox versions on VHS, the 97 Special Editions on VHS, The first DVD release boxset, the 2nd individual release DVDs with the bonus unaltered versions, and the Blu-Ray versions. They're the same movie; Luke still blows up the Death Star, Han is still put in carbonite, and Vader still betrays the Emperor; but each version gives me something unique since the original VHS letterbox; be it additional scenes (for good or ill), bonus content, improved visual/audio enhancement, etc. There is a reason to buy each.

This feels like a company putting out the 2004 DVD release without any bonus content (extras or alterations) but charging the same cost as the Ultimate Edition Blu-Ray Box set. I'm getting nothing special for the same cost as the bells-and-whistles versions already out there. I get there is an audience for the no-frills "give me just the movie" releases, but it doesn't seem fair to charge them the same amount as the ones with deleted scenes, directors commentary, and special features.

As I keep saying, if I'm looking for just the books, D&D Beyond's Compendium Only is far better deal at $10 less. Which is why I keep asking "why should I pay $10 more for the same content here?"

Offering a choice is a good thing. And if that choice is "pay $20 for something or pay $30 for the same thing", then the people who choose the latter deserved to be separated from their money, as the proverb goes.

 

[fjw70]

I originally thought this product didn't make any sense with DDB around and the app coming in the near future. But then I thought about it and if this new product can offer a more bookish feel to it and better navigation then it may have a market.

I love DDB and have bought into heavily but the compendium navigation isn't great. It's okay (I am hoping the app will be better). The real strength of DDB are in the tools.

So there could be enough differentiation between these products for the existence of both to make sense.

 

[dropbear8mybaby]

I love DDB and have bought into heavily but the compendium navigation isn't great.

Adam did a video where he discussed various aspects of design and development. He said that the team had heard people's complaints about navigation and that they're working on making it better.

In fact, pretty much every complaint other than price and DDB's very existence (which seems to offend some people), has been heard and is being looked at.

 

[fjw70]

Adam did a video where he discussed various aspects of design and development. He said that the team had heard people's complaints about navigation and that they're working on making it better.

In fact, pretty much every complaint other than price and DDB's very existence (which seems to offend some people), has been heard and is being looked at.

I did see that. I expect it will get batter over time.

 

[Mistwell]

Can this? You're assuming a lot again.

First, you're assuming that there is content on Dragon+ that would need cross-linking to the core books. D+ is two years old at this point, and its never had any rules-related content that wasn't a link posted to the Wizards main site or DM's Guild. The issues are mostly puff pieces about upcoming products, occasional fiction pieces, and behind-the-scenes interviews with designers. Unless there is a radical shift in the type of content delivered (more akin to classic Dragon or even 4e-era Dragon) there is absolutely no need for such hyperlinking.

So you're saying this might do something that Google books cannot do?

 

[dropbear8mybaby]

I did see that. I expect it will get batter over time.

So, like... a 3D file you can use in your churro-maker? That kind of batter?

Or is this some sort of baseball reference I don't understand?

 

[Remathilis]

So you're saying this might do something that Google books cannot do?

The better question is "is such a hypothetical feature worth creating a whole new app and storefront for, vs the options already available?"

Again, I'm just curious why the need for a proprietary format when established ebook retailers are already a thing.

 

[Azzy]

The better question is "is such a hypothetical feature worth creating a whole new app and storefront for, vs the options already available?"

Again, I'm just curious why the need for a proprietary format when established ebook retailers are already a thing.

I think it is probably the continued fear (on the part of WotC/Hasbro) that pdfs will result in piracy and less sales of the current game. I don't give much credence to that view, but that is probably the reason (based on what happened with both 3e and 4e's pdf sales).