D&D 5E Ideal DNDNext Digital Support

[BlueBlackRed]

Don't treat us like criminals, treat us like customers.
Therefore any over the top DRM should be killed.

You want my money?
Earn it.

 

[Stormonu]

The AD&D Core Rules 2.0 was the best P&P tool I've seen out (that was official).

It was more of a DM's tool, but had a character generator w/ options to track leveling of the PCs, a map editor (a lite version of campaign cartographer), dice roller, tools to plan out dungeons and RTF copies of the main books.

This thing came out before TSR was bought by WotC, I believe. Neither the tools for 3E/3.5 or 4E come close to how complete it is, and that's a shame.

As far as electronic tools, D&D has just a lousy record of electronic support and I don't have much faith it will be better for 5E. Luckily, I think the D&D community has a much better handle and history on putting together the tools we need, and I expect to be looking to them for my needs.

 

[variant]

1. Free digital tools to play D&D online. After all, you want us the buy the books and a good way to encourage that is to make sure that those people without a local gaming group can find some place to play.

2. Free PDF version with Hardcover.

3. Don't rip us off when we just buy the PDF version. Remember, higher price doesn't always mean more profit. When you price something lower, you get more sales.

4. DRM is really awful, don't put it in your PDFs.

 

[hemera]

I liked the way they ran the site earlier on, with a lot of articles and end of the month it all got compiled into pdf issue of dragon / dungeon. (Not to be confused with the current dearth of articles) Give me an indexed issue each month, the compendium /glossary (which has helped our 4e games a lot), and a useful character generator, and I'm good. It'd be nice to get a pdf of physical books I buy, but I can live without it.

I'd say monster generator...but I gave up on that one.

 

[ExploderWizard]

Absolutely nothing unless it is outsourced to a competent software developer.

 

[TerraDave]

I want it a LOT, so at the risk of repeating much of the above:

-Character Builder with a user friendly interface and the ability for the DM to have a "campaign mode" that sets available options;

-Monster builder also user friendly (current 4E one is pretty close);

-A compendium, also just like the 4E one, with character build options, spells, magic items, monsters, glossary terms, etc all easily searchable;

-An online tabletop that has a free play option and that you can easily import character, monster, and adventure info into, plus lots of mappage and tokens;

-Online art and map galleries, which can also be imported into other tools;

-Something that helps create maps, adventures, and printable battlemats.

-PDFs;

-Free PDFs with the book and or other discounts on the e-stuff for buying the tree stuff;

-Stuff that works on phones, tablets, mac, etc.



Ok, thats it.

 

[P1NBACK]

First, get rid of the Character Builder as it is. The hard-coded approach to everything, while great for doing the math, is horrible for custom content. And, D&D is all about custom content

Then, here's what I want to see:

• A DDI "Light" version for free. This is a sort of SRD-style DDI with all the core rules, monsters, etc. available for use with campaign management tools, character builder, rules database, etc. Work on getting the light version up and running first. This should be like Xbox Live Silver, where you have access to friends and the community (including the marketplace mentioned below).
• DDI "Pro" can be a subscription based model that adds in more robust features, non-SRD content and all the other stuff that comes out, like magazines and whatnot. Pro also includes access to the virtual tabletop, refined and available for use. Again, like Xbox Live Gold for multiplayer access.
• Refine the character builder (as mentioned above) to be less hard-coded, and friendlier to custom content and changes. I'd rather have a robust, "fillable" sheet that can be tailored to our campaign, while still being able to import stuff from the SRD / Pro versions of the rules and... custom content.
• Then, add in a marketplace. The marketplace is two-pronged. The first prong is for WotC published materials. You can buy PDFs of the books wholesale (cheaper than hardcovers as mentioned earlier, with print-on-demand possibly), adventures and all the typical crap that comes with DDI. However, you can also buy stuff piecemeal. For example, interested a new class from the Heroes of the Feywild, but don't need the whole book. Just buy that Forester class a-la-carte for $.99. This model is similar to "apps".
• The second prong of the marketplace is for user generated content. This is 5E adventures, classes, spells, etc. that can all be uploaded by users and downloaded by D&D players and DMs who can rate it, comment on it, etc. just like NWN modules or iTunes apps. A simple Google +1 or Facebook like system would be great.
• The user generated content can have standard pricing or be free entirely. The specifics can be worked out. Whatever. WotC gets a share of each transaction (for server and E-commerce costs), but publishers of the content get to publish their stuff and possibly make money off of it. If it becomes popular, WotC can even do a full redux with art and layout or something. I don't know. But, the goal is to do a 3.x style OGL market for 5E D&D content. WotC can have pages for highlighting popular and "new" content. Think of it like Xbox Live Arcade indie games.
• Create an easy to use tool for submitting custom content so that everything is ordered and formatted for easy import / export from the Character Builder. As I said earlier, the math isn't hard-coded, so no need for WotC coders to code every little spell or feat that comes out. No biggie. Frees up more time for the coders to refine the actual software.

Mostly, I want to create a community approach to design and homebrew stuff and allow that stuff to have a Hub or Nexus for it to be shared. DDI is a perfect opportunity for that.


DDI Light gets people on board. Why not use it? It's free? DDI Pro takes it up a notch and the Marketplace gets people interacting, creating content and whatnot.



Have a dungeon you want to share? Go for it. A character class? Upload it. A new collection of spells or magic items? Go for it.

 

[seregil]

I like a lot of the suggestions above but I would like to add a very important condition on any software for character/monster generation: the ability to choose the sourcebooks it pulls from.

My major gripe at the moment with the character generator is that I have to dig through all the feats and powers that I do not use in my campaign. Let me choose which books you use. Heck, let me add my own content, if I feel like it.

 

[BobTheNob]

Relate to something [MENTION=83768]P1NBACK[/MENTION] said...make the core rules (light) free? Its radical, but very interesting.

If you look at what Neverwinter (the MMO in development) is doing they are going for a free to download free to play approach (1st western MMO to kick off with this model) and are going to make their money selling cosmetic goods. The idea is offer the product free, so you the the critical density customer base. Once you have that, start selling digital goods to them.

Its an interesting way to think about D&D. Put out the "Core" rules for free and internet services for free. Just minimal. Get your customer base 1st, THEN start selling porducts to them. People are free to buy modules, splatbooks, whatever AFTER that.

This could then have an interesting tie-in to the digital offering in that when you buy material, the associated digital material is also made accessible. For instance, you buy a module. For having done so (and assuming a minimum digital offering available)...

• You get the PDF
• All monsters are now available in the monster editor
• All monsters are now available in your map/combat tracker
• All maps from module are now available
• All information from module is merged into your compendium

So basically, give the community the rules and tools they need to run the game for free, ensuring you have your target market, then start selling to it. The content on your digital offering is then "Filled up" by buying the books.

 

[Tortoise]

First, get rid of the Character Builder as it is. The hard-coded approach to everything, while great for doing the math, is horrible for custom content. And, D&D is all about custom content

Then, here's what I want to see:

• A DDI "Light" version for free. This is a sort of SRD-style DDI with all the core rules, monsters, etc. available for use with campaign management tools, character builder, rules database, etc. Work on getting the light version up and running first. This should be like Xbox Live Silver, where you have access to friends and the community (including the marketplace mentioned below).
• DDI "Pro" can be a subscription based model that adds in more robust features, non-SRD content and all the other stuff that comes out, like magazines and whatnot. Pro also includes access to the virtual tabletop, refined and available for use. Again, like Xbox Live Gold for multiplayer access.
• Refine the character builder (as mentioned above) to be less hard-coded, and friendlier to custom content and changes. I'd rather have a robust, "fillable" sheet that can be tailored to our campaign, while still being able to import stuff from the SRD / Pro versions of the rules and... custom content.
• Then, add in a marketplace. The marketplace is two-pronged. The first prong is for WotC published materials. You can buy PDFs of the books wholesale (cheaper than hardcovers as mentioned earlier, with print-on-demand possibly), adventures and all the typical crap that comes with DDI. However, you can also buy stuff piecemeal. For example, interested a new class from the Heroes of the Feywild, but don't need the whole book. Just buy that Forester class a-la-carte for $.99. This model is similar to "apps".
• The second prong of the marketplace is for user generated content. This is 5E adventures, classes, spells, etc. that can all be uploaded by users and downloaded by D&D players and DMs who can rate it, comment on it, etc. just like NWN modules or iTunes apps. A simple Google +1 or Facebook like system would be great.
• The user generated content can have standard pricing or be free entirely. The specifics can be worked out. Whatever. WotC gets a share of each transaction (for server and E-commerce costs), but publishers of the content get to publish their stuff and possibly make money off of it. If it becomes popular, WotC can even do a full redux with art and layout or something. I don't know. But, the goal is to do a 3.x style OGL market for 5E D&D content. WotC can have pages for highlighting popular and "new" content. Think of it like Xbox Live Arcade indie games.
• Create an easy to use tool for submitting custom content so that everything is ordered and formatted for easy import / export from the Character Builder. As I said earlier, the math isn't hard-coded, so no need for WotC coders to code every little spell or feat that comes out. No biggie. Frees up more time for the coders to refine the actual software.

Mostly, I want to create a community approach to design and homebrew stuff and allow that stuff to have a Hub or Nexus for it to be shared. DDI is a perfect opportunity for that.


DDI Light gets people on board. Why not use it? It's free? DDI Pro takes it up a notch and the Marketplace gets people interacting, creating content and whatnot.



Have a dungeon you want to share? Go for it. A character class? Upload it. A new collection of spells or magic items? Go for it.

Great list. I would love to see WotC follow up on this and make it a reality.