Forgotten Realms Books to Have Several Digital DLCs, Including One Featuring Asterion

Wizards of the Coast plans to release several "digital DLCs" alongside the upcoming Forgotten Realms rulebooks. This week, Game Informer released a pair of articles about the upcoming Forgotten Realms rulebooks. Tucked away in the article is the announcement that the upcoming releases will include several "digital DLCs" that expand on the new setting. One example was Asterion's Book of Hungers, which focuses on urban vampire adventures featuring the character from Baldur's Gate 3.

No other details were made available about the upcoming releases, such as whether the new supplements will be paid DLC or free to D&D Beyond subscribers. Wizards has released several digital-only supplements alongside their various books, ranging from mini-bestiaries to supplementary adventures, but all were free to D&D Beyond subscribers or available as pre-order bonuses.

Since the Forgotten Realms books aren't currently available for pre-order, it's hard to say whether this is a new strategy or simply a continuation of current works. The fact that Wizards commissioned art specifically for Asterion's Book of Hungers and the usage of the phrase "digital DLC" suggests that this might be a new monetization scheme for the company, albeit one that makes sense given the growing use of D&D Beyond's marketplace.

 

[Kurotowa]

We aren’t talking about some small indie publisher here. If we were, I’d be much more open to the digital-only model. But this is WotC. If they wanted to include the content of these “DLC” in the base book and increase the price to cover the cost of the increased page count, they could.

Big or small doesn't change the numbers. You can't just increase the price on the books and see no drop off in sales. Not with the economy how it is today. You think we wouldn't be having flame wars if WotC put out a book with a cover price of $80?

A fatter, more expensive book is not a better book. Bloat is not a virtue. Instead they're offering a focused, affordable book and specialized optional add-ons that can be purchased or ignored as we please. As long as the core book itself is still a physical release, I'm okay with that. It's none too different than the Dragon magazine subscription I had back in the 90's.

 

[avaz]

A little late to the party, but this sounds great. I don't begrudge anyone the ability to make $ off of their work. Also, I've moved completely virtual - I'm saving space, can access it anywhere, and it is easier to search. Big fan of more digital content.

 

[Charlaquin]

They're so digital only that things are still in Target (it's the exclusive place, still, for Icespire Peak) and there's reason to think Heroes of the Borderlands will be there too

These “DLC” are going to be digital only, which I greatly dislike.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Beyond has several smalls books that expand on things for sale, like the Mortuary released a little after Planescape.

So I expect them to be things like this

Adventure Atlas: The Mortuary - Shop D&D Beyond

Adventure Atlas: The Mortuary adds a new location, monsters and level 3-11 adventures to explore the home of the Heralds of Dust.

marketplace.dndbeyond.com

 

[Charlaquin]

Big or small doesn't change the numbers. You can't just increase the price on the books and see no drop off in sales.

And they also can’t go digital-only and see no drop off in sales. I hope enough people see this anti-consumer tactic for what it is to show WotC that this is the worse route to go down.

Not with the economy how it is today.

Yep, the economy is certainly in a terrible place. All the more reason to be looking out for ourselves and our fellow consumers.

You think we wouldn't be having flame wars if WotC put out a book with a cover price of $80?

Hopefully we’ll be having flame wars over WotC putting out reprints of 2014 subclasses in digital-only format too.

A fatter, more expensive book is not a better book. Bloat is not a virtue. Instead they're offering a focused, affordable book

That’s fine and reasonable. Good, in fact.

and specialized optional add-ons that can be purchased or ignored as we please. As long as the core book itself is still a physical release, I'm okay with that. It's none too different than the Dragon magazine subscription I had back in the 90's.

…does this water feel a bit warmer to you? Eh, probably nothing we need to worry about.

 

[Charlaquin]

A little late to the party, but this sounds great. I don't begrudge anyone the ability to make $ off of their work. Also, I've moved completely virtual - I'm saving space, can access it anywhere, and it is easier to search. Big fan of more digital content.

Digital content is not inherently bad. Having no physical option is bad.

 

[Amphytrion]

Having played through BG3 a couple of times I do not get the love for Astarion. I guess it’s because he’s the super hot manipulator that you can actually fix. The living embodiment of “I can fix him.”

Several characters in the game are like that.

Anyhow, I don’t get Astarion either. He’s mildly funny, I suppose. His in-game model isn’t even particularly attractive; I don’t understand the craze.

Shadowheart is super annoying as well, and people love her, too.

The BG3 player's heart wants what it wants.

Shadowheart used to be more annoying in early release, they tempered her down. She’s still not that great.

Spoiler: Spoilers for Shadowheart’s storyline

I killed her at the Nightsong conundrum. Halsin approved and got inspiration, which I found somewhat hilarious.

I find all companions in BG3e to be somewhat off-putting in general. Can’t quite put my finger on why, I’m usually quite fond of companions. Currently playing Dragon Age: Inquisition and loving nearly everyone there.

Anyhow, I wouldn’t buy an online DLC even if it had my favorite FR character of all time on the cover. I like paper. If it ever gets compiled into a physical book, I’ll consider it.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Several characters in the game are like that.

Anyhow, I don’t get Astarion either. He’s mildly funny, I suppose. His in-game model isn’t even particularly attractive; I don’t understand the craze.



Shadowheart used to be more annoying in early release, they tempered her down. She’s still not that great.

Spoiler: Spoilers for Shadowheart’s storyline

I killed her at the Nightsong conundrum. Halsin approved and got inspiration, which I found somewhat hilarious.

I find all companions in BG3e to be somewhat off-putting in general. Can’t quite put my finger on why, I’m usually quite fond of companions. Currently playing Dragon Age: Inquisition and loving nearly everyone there.

Anyhow, I wouldn’t buy an online DLC even if it had my favorite FR character of all time on the cover. I like paper. If it ever gets compiled into a physical book, I’ll consider it.

It’s the voice acting that makes Astarion work.

But it’s a matter of if you like humour in that style or not. I found the DA:I companions boring and humourless. Taken together, the BG3 companions form a party of Guardians of the Galaxy style misfits. Which is a good match to how we play D&D. But I know some tables prefer to treat everything with deadly seriousness, and the DA:I companions are more like that.

 

[Welhaven]

 

[Henadic Theologian]

It occurred to me that if Beadles and Grim does a platinum box for the two FR books, they may include paper versions of the DLCs as well.

It's possibly there will only be 2 DLCs, but I think 3 to 5 DLCs (I mean right away, more could come later & for other settings) is the most likely. I think they were thematic mini settings that got cut for space personally so I think they will have the same format as the mini thematic settings in FR: AiF.