D&D 5E (2014) Dungeonscape Lives!

[fjw70]

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If they have to use a Kickstarter doesn't that show what really happened? I mean this should mean WotC is blameless, because if the program was even close to ready there would be no reason to kick start..

Not really. I am sure there is a lot of rework that needs to be done since they can't rely on the 5e database anymore.

 

[Ramius613]

It would make sense that they would need a Kickstarter. Dungeonscape was internally funded, and I'm guessing they were expecting to be pulling in revenues from Wotc by now to offset their expenses and be able to finish development.

My only hope is that whatever they release and it's such a huge success that WotC decides to enter into an agreement again.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Well, any one remember the InKarnate Kickstarter? I am starting to think this is the impossible dream.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1720821324/inkarnate-rpg-toolset

 

[DaveMage]

RPG kickstarters in general are a crap shoot. Add in tech to the mix and, well...

Bad things, man....bad things.

 

[lkj]

While I'm curious to see what they do (and hope they succeed), the 'killer app' functionality of Dungeonscape for me was going to be the 5e integration-- being able to pull things up in a context sensitive way with the tap of a finger-- whether that's a given rule during the game, a quick and organized way to reference content when building a character, or pulling up the stats of a monster during a combat. Being able to pull in adventure content made that even more useful. I was pretty jazzed for getting that app.

Alas, at the moment, even if Dungeonscape is an awesome content management and campaign management tool, without easily being able to bring in 5e content (I haven't teh time for manual entry), it probably won't catch my interest or dollars.

I really really hope that WotC is actively trying to find a way to make this functionality available eventually. They've certainly indicated they'd like this to be a feature of any digital tools (by my read, YMMV)

AD

 

[Henrix]

RPG kickstarters in general are a crap shoot. Add in tech to the mix and, well...

Bad things, man....bad things.

You just have to remember that kickstarters are not preorders, but investment in a future product.

Handle with care. Invest in what you really believe in, not just hype.


We've seen many games that have been funded just because of an interesting pitch, but then have turned out bland and poorly play tested.

But also many good ones. Often made by people who know what they are doing, and with a track record of doing good stuff.

 

[Newtonian]

Here's my opinion: It's going to take the tabletop community at large rallying around a specific vision to make the genre evolve. Some unnamed big publishers are not going to change course from the last 30 years unless they are really threatened by something new. I mean...let's be clear: if you're an institution who has relied on the same business paradigm for 20 years, are you going to be in a position to embrace a new digital business model? Not without bold leadership from the very top.

This means that the community itself has to drive what we want. If you look at the top 50 most successful kickstarters ever, over 20% of them are tabletop gaming related. It's clear that the community wants something that isn't being provided by the institutional publishers.

Now, there are a number of digital tabletop kickstarters that are or have attempted to be this, but weren't successful for various reasons:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/325749599/digital-d20
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1720821324/inkarnate-rpg-toolset
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1634815074/effortless-toolset-for-complete-rpg-immersion

For each of these, something is clearly missing, or they'd be funded. I think they aren't too far from the mark though. With some tweaks, the idea could really become the lynchpin of change for the entire genre.

What do you guys think is missing?

 

[DaveMage]

But it's certainly not just what we want. It's having experienced people behind the project. Otherwise, even if funded, delays can be maddening. Something like a kickstarter for an RPG tabletop toolkit by a small company is bound to be fraught with issues. Someone on the staff will get sick or have "life issues" that will delay the project by x months (after which someone else on the project will experience the same) or they will run into the dreaded "unforeseen circumstances" that delay the project even more. (My advice to anyone who first attempts an RPG-based kickstarter is to add at least 1 year to the expected due date. You'll need it. No one will complain if you deliver early.)

Every once in a while a new player in the market can have a successful kickstarter, but these seem to be very much the exception and not the rule. I'm at a point where I will no longer support kickstarters by those who haven't run a successful one (unless my pledge is minuscule). If I see something I like, I'll just wait until it's released. And if it doesn't get released - oh, well!

 

[fjw70]

Snip

That's a good question. I am not sure what I really want from the technology side. Earlier this year I cancelled my DDI subscription and really didn't miss it much. I prefer being a paper and pencil guy at the table.

I usually DM but when I do play I prefer making my own character sheets and I don't want/need a program to do my calculations. I like to know how everything is computed.

As a DM having easy to use adventures on my tablet would be helpful. Links or pop-ups that make it easy to go from section to section and reference things such as stat blocks would be helpful.

An easy mapping tool on the tablet would be handy too. I am thinking a drag and drop interface on a grid would be great (hexes and squares). The ability to export a map to 1" squares to be printed on regular paper would be nice.

That's all I can think of now.

 

[BoldItalic]

-snip-

What do you guys think is missing?

In a word, credibility.

In each of the three examples, the products they proposed to deliver were fine. It wasn't lack of vision or lack of product features that was the problem. It was that the teams of people involved in the proposals had no track record of delivering, maintaining and supporting that kind of software (or, indeed, anything at all). The community is not naive. It won't throw money at people with their heads in the clouds unless they also have their feet on some pretty solid ground.

Deliver something concrete, albeit of limited scope, just to prove you can. Then build on that success.