D&D (2024) D&D's Upcoming Digital Tabletop

Perhaps the showstopper of todays D&D Direct event was a preview of the upcoming D&D digital playspace. Hosts Gina Darling and Ify Nwadiwe met with Kale Stutzman, principal game designer of D&D Digital, where he ran them through an adventure using the technology. The video shown in the presentation, though, was labeled “Pre-alpha gameplay footage.”

The upcoming D&D VTT uses Unreal Engine 5 to power it.

“There are a lot of ways to play D&D online and we don't think a lot of them hit the big three things we think are important – fun, convenience, authenticity,” said Stutzman.

In the demo, you see the dice roll on the screen, and it bursts into the result. Encounter mode is when you roll initiative

“The DM can set the mood, the lighting, what time of day is it. Is it raining? Are there fire embers falling from the sky?” said Stutzman.

The community will be able to create and share assets. “We want to make content that's building blocks that people can break apart and make their own content with. That remix is core to the DNA of D&D, said Stutzman.

Stutzman didn't answer when the VTT will release, but he did say that D&D staff and limited friends and family are trying it now and that they're going to gradually open it up. “...and a lot of people listening will be able to play it this year,” Stutzman added, which means a play test in “late 2023.”

 

[Olrox17]

Looking at those unreal engine graphics, I’m a bit worried about the system requirements. Not everyone at the table might have a gaming machine, and sometimes you’ll have people with wildly different hardware, from NASA rigs to glorified toasters.

 

[zedturtle]

Also if you look at the AI assisted modding systems that things like roblox are implementing, we may not be terribly far from easy, and fast generation of 3d assets and terrain for lay users. We arent there yet but it might not be real long before they could integrate tools that would make 3d homebrew very viable.

Yeah, reddit had a post this morning with a 3D artist complaining that his job has lost his interest because an AI could sculpt and rig a model in a quarter of the time. So AI-made 3D models will probably be viable by launch-time, if not tomorrow.

 

[zedturtle]

Looking at those unreal engine graphics, I’m a bit worried about the system requirements. Not everyone at the table might have a gaming machine, and sometimes you’ll have people with wildly different hardware, from NASA rigs to glorified toasters.

Good point. The work computer is optimised for layout and writing; not 3D graphics. And the Chromebook would be super easy at the game table, but probably can't handle even being a client, more than likely.

 

[bedir than]

I would rather have a monitor flat on the table to have something like a interactive map. Everyone looking at the laptop just strange.

This was clearly done for the presentation and not an expectation of a modern computing service

 

[Sacrosanct]

Good question. In Foundry I can just click on the undo icon in the cat card for any result (and also have other options for halving/doubling damage). I can also prompt for rolling for damage, rather than auto rolling damage after rolling to hit. I hope that the WotC VTT will have options to set the preferred amount of automation and make it easy to undo/edit results.

I got a chance to watch the video, and it seems like he calls this out, how DMs can do whatever they want (things like movement isn't restricted.)

 

[Eyes of Nine]

Looking at those unreal engine graphics, I’m a bit worried about the system requirements. Not everyone at the table might have a gaming machine, and sometimes you’ll have people with wildly different hardware, from NASA rigs to glorified toasters.

It would be cool for the app to analyze the device's system capabilities, and have both a "flat" version and a "full" version, depending on what it finds

 

[Imaro]

It would be cool for the app to analyze the device's system capabilities, and have both a "flat" version and a "full" version, depending on what it finds

Unless of course the VTT is hosted in the cloud and streamed... then technology and specs aren't really a barrier.

 

[Mallus]

Looking at those unreal engine graphics, I’m a bit worried about the system requirements. Not everyone at the table might have a gaming machine, and sometimes you’ll have people with wildly different hardware, from NASA rigs to glorified toasters.

I share that concern. I run my current game off of a MacBook for people whose hardware ranges from 'gaming rig' to 'laptop-shaped potato'.

 

[CleverNickName]

Unless of course the VTT is hosted in the cloud and streamed... then technology and specs aren't really a barrier.

This is the way Roll20 does it. I actually prefer it this way, but some people hate it.

 

[Imaro]

This is the way Roll20 does it. I actually prefer it this way, but some people hate it.

Yeah instead of hardware your internet connection becomes the bottleneck so there are pros and cons to it.