D&D (2024) How D&D Beyond Will Handle Access To 2014 Rules

D&D Beyond has announced how the transition to the new 2024 edition will work on the platform, and how legacy access to the 2014 version of D&D will be implemented.

• You will still be able to access the 2014 Basic Rules and core rulebooks.
• You will still be able to make characters using the 2014 Player's Handbook.
• Existing home-brew content will not be impacted.
• These 2014 rules will be accessible and will be marked with a 'legacy' badge: classes, subclasses, species, backgrounds, feats, monsters.
• Tooltips will reflect the 2024 rules.
• Monster stat blocks will be updated to 2024.
• There will be terminology changes (Heroic Inspiration, Species, etc.)

D&D (2024) - Wizards of the Coast Backtracks on D&D Beyond and 2014 Content

Wizards of the Coast posted an overnight update stating that they are not going forward with previously released plans to require those wishing to use some 2014 content on D&D Beyond to use the Homebrew function to manually enter it. Instead, all the content including spells and magic items will...

www.enworld.org

 

[mamba]

That's not disproving it

That's eating the cost and getting it back later.

if it took 2 months of effort to implement they would not be ready in time and if they changed course they would have to say ‘we hear you, but it will take us a while, be patient’. That is not what they did, it essentially is all in place already. They just decided to not spend the effort to do it right, and if it nudges people towards buying 2024, all the better

 

[Juxtapozbliss]

How are they "clawing back content they already paid for"?

We bought the spells. We bought the books the spells are in. They are removing those spells and replacing them with the new versions. If we want to keep them, we have to homebrew them. Copy them. Thus they are clawing back the content we purchased.

 

[Juxtapozbliss]

Well I think with both the TV show and 5.5e the amount of online shouting doesn't matter that much directly, but the number of viewers/the number of people cancelling paid D&D Beyond Subscriptions does and we just don't have access to those numbers so all we can do is guess relatively blindly. However, we DO know that the OGL firestorm was big enough to make WotC not only back down but they ended up making a bunch of things open content that hadn't been before. So we know that a bunch of people being angry online can cause a big enough headache for WotC to get a bunch of people to back down.

Also the demographics that are going to get pissed about these changes don't really align with people most pissed at the OGL stuff. The OGL stuff most pissed off grumpy old grognards since it didn't directly impact people's day to game game sessions. This stuff is going to be impacting relatively casual players the most and it will directly impact people's day to day sessions. Also it doesn't roll out til next month so I expect that the head will only increase then, while it's already the main issue (rather than 5.5e rules) on a lot of D&D social media.

Some shouting does matter. WotC doesn't love getting criticized in podcasts and video blogs. That spreads the discontent. But overall, yes, subscriptions probably matter the most. The example in the previous post was that all the fans of the Acolyte didn't come out until after the show was canceled. And the loud anti-Acolyte noise was a small minority. This analogy seemed to be saying that the loud noise against removing the old spells is a small minority and the silent majority...although unknown may say the opposite after the change is implemented. I think it's a poor comparison because, like you are saying, it's MORE likely people get caught unawares when the spells their characters have in their character sheets on D&D Beyond have suddenly changed. Also, as I keep saying...we bought the spells, we should be able to use them in the tool.

 

[Belen]

We bought the spells. We bought the books the spells are in. They are removing those spells and replacing them with the new versions. If we want to keep them, we have to homebrew them. Copy them. Thus they are clawing back the content we purchased.

It also shows that very few people are buying the marketing that 5.5 or 5e 2024 is just errata. People are looking at it as a new edition.

 

[Juxtapozbliss]

It also shows that very few people are buying the marketing that 5.5 or 5e 2024 is just errata. People are looking at it as a new edition.

For sure!

 

[Minigiant]

if it took 2 months of effort to implement they would not be ready in time and if they changed course they would have to say ‘we hear you, but it will take us a while, be patient’. That is not what they did, it essentially is all in place already. They just decided to not spend the effort to do it right, and if it nudges people towards buying 2024, all the better

You are assuming they'll be ready.

I can't see them outright saying "we hear you, but it will take us a while, be patient"

The logical stance is to not give out free stuff.
The fact that they were going to give out free upgrades in the beginning means there were very likely something else at play.

 

[Micah Sweet]

It also shows that very few people are buying the marketing that 5.5 or 5e 2024 is just errata. People are looking at it as a new edition.

True to my experience. I've seen "5.5" bandied about on several places beyond this forum.

 

[mamba]

You are assuming they'll be ready.

yes, I do, we will know soon enough one way or the other. Isn’t it like one week away for the DDB subscribers? Not much time to get anything but some minor tweaks done…

The logical stance is to not give out free stuff.
The fact that they were going to give out free upgrades in the beginning means there were very likely something else at play.

by that logic we would have no Basic Rules 2014 either.

I also disagree that it is the logic stance to begin with. Plenty of businesses hand out samples to win new customers / additional sales

That ‘something’ here was effort involved and the not so gentle nudge towards buying the 2024 PHB, not some technical limitations

 

[Juxtapozbliss]

Well! The uproar actually worked! Last night at 11:30pm, DDB posted on Twitter.

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

So they changed their mind. Will people stop freaking out now?

Will you stop freaking out over people voicing their displeasure with corporate shenanigans?