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.

 

[TheSword]

We also live in a world where digital purchases don’t actually legally grant you ownership of the product you bought, just a license to access it.

If buying isn’t owning, then piracy isn’t stealing, and I have no intention of buying D&D “books” I can’t own.

When you’re buying that pdf you’re buying ideas. They can’t be taken away from you.

 

[TiQuinn]

When you’re buying that pdf you’re buying ideas. They can’t be taken away from you.

If I'm buying a PDF, hopefully, I'm getting a PDF that I can save on my own media.

 

[AlViking]

If I'm buying a PDF, hopefully, I'm getting a PDF that I can save on my own media.

Even if it's just a web page, you can still extract a PDF or whatever other type of document you desire. I would prefer that they just provided a pdf download for everything, but all it saves is a bit of time.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

Even with the fall of Sigil, their VTT initiative, I suspect that WotC hasn't given up the proverbial ghost on trying to make digital offerings the future of D&D, so this is really no surprise.

I just thought they'd try to be a little more circumspect than flat-out calling these DLC, though.

Since I subscribed to a D&DBeyond news letter, I get offers for new stull, and recently I got the offer to claim digital assets for Sigil on the D&D store. I claimed them for free, but I have not looked at the application since they fired most of the staff.
Opening the application, it updates to a new launcher and starts an update.
Must check it in a few months and see if the versions numbers change.
Ok, there does not seem to be a version number, but I do notice some new stuff. I will not swear that it was not there before. But I think there is someone still working on this.

 

[Benji]

Content I can only access online and cannot export from beyond in a digital only format rather than in a book at my table? Referred to as DLC? In the coming years I will remember this as the moment I truly tapped out of thinking if I am gonna bother with the new edition.

 

[Weiley31]

Yeah, that's the challenge with these digital-only exclusives. Digital content can and does vanish, sometimes forever, often for obscure corporate reasons.

Most of the 3E-era web stuff is gone from the D&D site and the Dragon+ material -- the stuff that preceded it being all advertorial material -- is gone now as well.

The worst part is that they DID release a physical book that pretty much contained all the first half roll out of that dlc material. And wouldnt ya know it, the day I got paid and was about to buy it, Privateer had sold Warmachine the day prior to Steamforged and removed all that stuff. Gah.

And ya, I'm saddened bout the loss of the 3e era webstuff too.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Content I can only access online and cannot export from beyond in a digital only format rather than in a book at my table? Referred to as DLC? In the coming years I will remember this as the moment I truly tapped out of thinking if I am gonna bother with the new edition.

They may eventually compile and print the DLCs when they have enough of them.

 

[Weiley31]

Also has it occurred to anyone that the subclasses in the UAs could be for the DLCs? Like horror UA for Asterions Book of Hunger.

I'll be amazed if the mad lads do just that. Like, that's what I would want the DLC to do. If it's mostly like, trivial or "useless" stuff, then no.

If not 5.5 Ravensloft, then a horror theme thing with Astarion would make the most amount of sense to include those.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'll be amazed if the mad lads do just that. Like, that's what I would want the DLC to do. If it's mostly like, trivial or "useless" stuff, then no.

If not 5.5 Ravensloft, then a horror theme thing with Astarion would make the most amount of sense to include those.

Since they're describing it as a DLC, I would expect something the size of Domains of Delight or smaller.

If it was going to be as substantial as Forge of the Artificer -- which isn't exactly a weighty tome -- I think it'd likely be a hardcover release.

 

[Kurotowa]

No physical version? I hate that. Like, a lot.

Would I accept digital only books? No. I prefer having a physical book at the table, and I don't love Beyond's formatting. Will I accept small digital only add-ons that didn't make the cut for the main book? That I might.

If it's niche releases at a reasonable price? Stuff that wouldn't justify a physical release but I'm still glad to have? Things that are basically DM's Guild style products, but with WotC level production values? I can see those having a place, and won't throw a fit if there's no physical option.