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.

 

[Azzy]

Is the proposed "DLC" going to be free like the old web enhancements or is this going to cost extra?

 

[Parmandur]

Is the proposed "DLC" going to be free like the old web enhancements or is this going to cost extra?

Unclear.

I am withholding judgement on this until we know more about what, when, where, how much, for whom, etc...

 

[Azzy]

Between the four, “make it available in PoD format” would be my first choice, followed by “release it as part of a future supplement - potentially years later if need be,” followed by “just leave it on the cutting room floor.”

R. Talsorian Games does this with their Cyberpunk Red game. The release monthly DLC for free and then later collate it for release as POD on Drivethru.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Is the proposed "DLC" going to be free like the old web enhancements or is this going to cost extra?

In the videogame world, I cannot think of a DLC that didn't cost more. That they are using this term is suggestive, I think.

 

[Charlaquin]

R. Talsorian Games does this with their Cyberpunk Red game. The release monthly DLC for free and then later collate it for release as POD on Drivethru.

Oh, so digital-only at first and a PoD option made available later down the line? That’s really smart, I like that.

 

[Remathilis]

Between the four, “make it available in PoD format” would be my first choice, followed by “release it as part of a future supplement - potentially years later if need be,” followed by “just leave it on the cutting room floor.”

I'm not an MBA. I don't know what goes into the cost of POD vs a print run, or how much sunk cost for things like art and pay per word factor into these decisions. And I would love a world when I can go on WotCs site (or Paizos, it's near impossible to find print versions of anything but this hardcovers and props like terrain) and order a 40 page supplement in paper. But I'm guessing the costs aren't visible because nobody is doing it. I don't see the Mortuary being sold at my FLGS. I don't know what the sales figures on the DM Adept PODs are. And I'm STILL waiting for that Nerath Gazetteer to be "reprinted elsewhere". So to me they are options in the way Bill Gates giving me 10 grand is; it could happen, but it's not bloody likely. Which is why the feasible options are produce it in a way that is low overhead (online) or kill it and eat the sunk costs. Personally, I'd rather have something like the Mortuary even if it's online than not have anything.

But you do you. Vote with you wallet.

 

[Chaltab]

So is Astarian misspelled in the original Game Informer article or is that a Christian Hoffer (TM) contribution?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

But I'm guessing the costs aren't visible because nobody is doing it.

Nobody is doing it because the costs are massively high. But if you want to see, just pick up a magazine or comic from the shelves and compare it to the price of a similar thing from the 1970s (allowing for average inflation).

My first job involved printing maps, using a mechanical process similar to what was used to produce early dungeon modules. That kind of printing does not exist any more, the printers all shut down decades ago.

But you do you. Vote with you wallet.

Quite I don't use certain companies because of their support for fox hunting and other animal welfare issues, but I don't harp on about it endlessly. I like digital products because I can make the print large enough to see and they don't clutter up my house, and I don't care if it disappears in a few years time because I'm not going to want it in a few years time. So I don't want anyone interfering with my right to hand over my money for the thing I want on terms I am happy with, just as I'm not going to interfere with other people buying food from companies with poor animal welfare.

 

[Remathilis]

Nobody is doing it because the costs are massively high. But if you want to see, just pick up a magazine or comic from the shelves and compare it to the price of a similar thing from the 1970s (allowing for average inflation).

My first job involved printing maps, using a mechanical process similar to what was used to produce early dungeon modules. That kind of printing does not exist any more, the printers all shut down decades ago.

I recently started buying comics again, and the fact that a comic was $1.25 when I started in the 90s and $4.99 now for the same amount of pages is telling enough. WotC Doesn't make softcover books because they are too costly. Hasn't since 3.0. Hell, Forge of the Artificer is an experiment to see if a smaller/thinner hardbacks are viable. And costs are going to rise more if the taco tariffs are finally placed.

I get physical ownership. All my books (2024 included) are paper. But I'm not so devoted that in a choice between a cheap digital distribution, a costly print on demand, and nothing, I won't take the cheaper option.