D&D General Is D&D Beyond Exclusivity Bad for D&D?

[Lanefan]

This is the same thing, if a buyer is not aware of the terms used by the game.

You are not wrong IF you assume everyone who purchases this book is a current player of the game, but what about those purchasing as a gift. They know to buy the new D&D and ask for it and get this book. The store does not tell them they need a set of 3 other books to play. Target employees have to much other mess to deal with than keep up with every niche hobby, and Amazon suggests you buy 7 different books, 2 for other games, and a dishwasher; while you try to buy this new book.

The dishwasher is obviously for you to put the books in so you'll have to buy them all again.

 

[SothFan]

The dishwasher is obviously for you to put the books in so you'll have to buy them all again.

Considering one of the books had spoiled beefcake on it, you may be right.

 

[LordEntrails]

Yes, it's a bad thing for D&D long term. Or at least has the potential to become so if it grows to become significant.

Why? Because competition is good, and exclusivity stifles competition. In this case with other digital (VTT) formats/platforms. WotC has a poor reputation for digital, they need competition in the digital space or their track record shows it will be bad for the community.

Finally, I wish folks would get away from thinking PDF is the only, or the undeniable best, digital format. Even an ePub or mobi format would be better than PDFs. And their are better formats than that.

 

[Remathilis]

WOTC had been pretty clear for years that their intention was that all you needed were the three core books and whatever other book you added. No book required another book outside of the three core books. That's changed since the release of D&D 2024 in some subtle and now not so subtle ways.

WotC has waffled hard on what was required. 3e began with the same "only need the PHB" ethos and quickly grew to cross referencing other books. (PHB 2 for example, had several items that were for classes in the Complete line of books). 5e started with the "Only need the Basic Rulebook" which was a free PDF, for their first two APs. Remember These? That quickly fell away as the game expanded and it was clear they needed the full Trinity minimum. And that has kept creeping up. Ravnica referenced all the subclasses in Xanathar's for guild placement. Eberron referenced every cleric domain in print for the deity section. This is just first time that a subclass has been added to the artificer without the class being reprinted soup to nuts (when the artificer moved from Rising to Tasha's, they added the fourth armorer subclass).

Now would I like the artificer in the SRD? Yes. But I don't think it's going to happen. The 5.2 Basic Rules don't even contain everything that the 5.1 did (like the noble and folk hero/farmer background). Hell, it doesn't have the aasimar and they were in the 3e SRD since 2000! And since the artificer is the main draw to Forge of the Artificer (a book I feel they made intentionally at the lowest price point they could) I don't expect they will give it away for free. In fact, I'm pretty sure they are giving it to D&D Beyond users because of the character generator and not wanting to fend off complaints that people paid for seven subclasses but only got six. It's not exactly fair, but its kinda the limitation of paper media.

(It's also worth noting the class will be somewhat incomplete, as it won't have access to the infusion-made-magic items or the create hommoculi spell without FTA. And the only sub it will have is reanimator.)

 

[AlViking]

WotC has waffled hard on what was required. 3e began with the same "only need the PHB" ethos and quickly grew to cross referencing other books. (PHB 2 for example, had several items that were for classes in the Complete line of books). 5e started with the "Only need the Basic Rulebook" which was a free PDF, for their first two APs. Remember These? That quickly fell away as the game expanded and it was clear they needed the full Trinity minimum. And that has kept creeping up. Ravnica referenced all the subclasses in Xanathar's for guild placement. Eberron referenced every cleric domain in print for the deity section. This is just first time that a subclass has been added to the artificer without the class being reprinted soup to nuts (when the artificer moved from Rising to Tasha's, they added the fourth armorer subclass).

Now would I like the artificer in the SRD? Yes. But I don't think it's going to happen. The 5.2 Basic Rules don't even contain everything that the 5.1 did (like the noble and folk hero/farmer background). Hell, it doesn't have the aasimar and they were in the 3e SRD since 2000! And since the artificer is the main draw to Forge of the Artificer (a book I feel they made intentionally at the lowest price point they could) I don't expect they will give it away for free. In fact, I'm pretty sure they are giving it to D&D Beyond users because of the character generator and not wanting to fend off complaints that people paid for seven subclasses but only got six. It's not exactly fair, but its kinda the limitation of paper media.

(It's also worth noting the class will be somewhat incomplete, as it won't have access to the infusion-made-magic items or the create hommoculi spell without FTA. And the only sub it will have is reanimator.)

But again - would there have been any issue if they had not included this particular subclass? It would be more "fair" I suppose because then no one could play it. What is the harm caused by including it? It's not like the subclass is the only thing in the book or that the couple hundred pages that don't require an artificer are somehow null and void.

 

[SothFan]

But again - would there have been any issue if they had not included this particular subclass? It would be more "fair" I suppose because then no one could play it. What is the harm caused by including it? It's not like the subclass is the only thing in the book or that the couple hundred pages that don't require an artificer are somehow null and void.

I would say, yes. The "harm" is this current discussion and the one that will begin for the retail version when the book releases and the only(?) way to get the class now is buying the other book online?

I do not think it is a situation of "the subclass is the only thing in the book", but more of, let me think.

Volkswagen (I think, or BMW) did a thing recently. You bought a car, but had to subsctibe to some monthly service to use the seat warmers. You own the car. You own the seat warmer mechanism built into the car, but you can not turn them on unless you pay the monthly fee.
This is the closest I can come to what this subclass situation is. You own the subclass, but can not turn it on without a DNDBeyond subscription.

 

[AlViking]

I would say, yes. The "harm" is this current discussion and the one that will begin for the retail version when the book releases and the only(?) way to get the class now is buying the other book online?

I do not think it is s situation of "the subclass is the only thing in the book", but more of, let me think.

Volkswagen (I think, or BMW) did a thing recently. You bought a car, but had to subsctibe to some monthly service to use the seat warmers. You own the car. You own the seat warmer mechanism built into the car, but you can not turn them on unless you pay the monthly fee.
This is the closest I can come to what this subclass situation is. You own the subclass, but can not turn it on without a DNDBeyond subscription.

So the harm is that you don't have a class in a Ravenloft book because it's in another book. The alternative is to never have this subclass because it doesn't fit Eberron.

This is nothing like car companies charging money for seat warmers (which BMW no longer does). It's more like them adding a trailer hitch. If you need to tow something it's handy but if you don't it's just a feature you don't use.

As always, you don't need a subscription to access FotA. You can buy the physical or digital book, no subscription required.

 

[Older Beholder]

As someone that doesn't use DDB, and will only ever buy physical books, I have no issue with the site having exclusive content. It makes no difference to me.

 

[Lanefan]

Finally, I wish folks would get away from thinking PDF is the only, or the undeniable best, digital format. Even an ePub or mobi format would be better than PDFs. And their are better formats than that.

PDF may or may not be the best format but it's by far the most accessible/familiar to the average Jane or Joe.

 

[mamba]

That quickly fell away as the game expanded and it was clear they needed the full Trinity minimum. And that has kept creeping up. Ravnica referenced all the subclasses in Xanathar's for guild placement. Eberron referenced every cleric domain in print for the deity section.

the latter are cases for ‘if you have them, this is how you integrate them into this setting’, not a requirement to own them to make use of it.