Maps Feature on D&D Beyond Becomes Free to Use

Wizards of the Coast is making its popular 2D VTT service Maps free-to-use over on D&D Beyond. Announced today over on their website (and likely coinciding with a press event over on Gen Con), D&D Head of Franchise Dan Ayoub announced that its Maps VTT service will be free to anyone with a D&D Beyond account starting on September 16th. Anyone with an account will be able to host a game over on Maps, a privilege that was previously reserved for Master-tier subscribers.

Maps became the default VTT service for Wizards of the Coast after it started to wind down the expensive 3D Sigil service just a few days after launch. The service allows players to use official D&D maps pulled from most adventures as well as 2D tokens. Starting with Dragon Delves, the service also includes pre-made maps using encounters from adventures.

 

[abazaba]

Well, you can run the adventure off line if you own it on DNDbeyond. And that's way cheaper than print.

Ah. Yes, the DM referencing the DNDbeyond version of the adventure instead of a physical book, while playing in real life instead of on a VTT. I hadn't even thought of that.

You can run it on another VTT.

So you can buy an adventure on DNDbeyond, and then use that on a competitors product like Roll20 ? I didn't know that.

I'm not sure what your question is?

I'm not sure anymore either. The questions are a consequence of the fact that I never used digital products for playing D&D, so I have no real frame of reference here.

Thanks for responding.

 

[AlViking]

You see no reason to believe what they've explicitly stated? (emphasis added)

I didn't notice that but I suspect that's just poor wording on their part. If you can't upload a map to the free version there's no reason to have a free version since you couldn't have any maps. Time will tell.

 

[Nikosandros]

I didn't notice that but I suspect that's just poor wording on their part. If you can't upload a map to the free version there's no reason to have a free version since you couldn't have any maps. Time will tell.

You will have the maps of products that you have bought. Purchases and subscriptions area different things in DDB.

 

[abazaba]

If you can't upload a map to the free version there's no reason to have a free version since you couldn't have any maps. Time will tell.

Well, that sort of was my point in an earlier post :

The way I read it (but perhaps I'm just being too cynical here) is that you still need to buy stuff (like a map, module, or adventure) on D&D Beyond, before you can actually use the map part of the 2D VTT for free ? So it's not like they give the maps away for free, but if you bought one then (and only then) can you use it in combination with the maps part of D&D Beyond ?

 

[AlViking]

You will have the maps of products that you have bought. Purchases and subscriptions area different things in DDB.

I know that. I'm saying that if you don't purchase anything on DDB, Maps being free would be pointless for many people. Which may be what their intent, it just doesn't make any sense to me.

 

[Theory of Games]

So. Lemme get this right:

D&D was "undermonetized" --- so they trashed their VTT masterpiece (Sigil) and now they're giving stuff away for FREE?!?

Maybe it's just me, but I'd bet money Hasbro's CEO couldn't run a shift at the local Waffle House. Just one bad idea after another after another. D&D's just flipping around like a fish out of water. Plus the game's design is antiquated, to the point that D&D isn't falling behind the curve - it's getting lapped by more engaging systems (Shadowdark, Daggerheart, Level Up).

 

[Clint_L]

I know that. I'm saying that if you don't purchase anything on DDB, Maps being free would be pointless for many people. Which may be what their intent, it just doesn't make any sense to me.

Well, no, you could still use it with the free content on DDB.

Maps is really good; much easier to use than Roll20. With a master tier subscription , which I considered an incredible bargain before maps ever existed, it’s amazing.

 

[Zaukrie]

Ah. Yes, the DM referencing the DNDbeyond version of the adventure instead of a physical book, while playing in real life instead of on a VTT. I hadn't even thought of that.


So you can buy an adventure on DNDbeyond, and then use that on a competitors product like Roll20 ? I didn't know that.


I'm not sure anymore either. The questions are a consequence of the fact that I never used digital products for playing D&D, so I have no real frame of reference here.

Thanks for responding.

well, there are ways to import things from dndbeyond into foundry....but you could also just reference it like in in person play (plus you get the maps, which, frankly, you can almost always find better fan made versions of).

 

[AlViking]

Well, no, you could still use it with the free content on DDB.

There are free maps on DDB? Seems like it would be pretty limited if they did. I don't play remote any more so I haven't looked. When I did play with it when it was first introduced and it was still free I could upload maps if I wanted.

Maps is really good; much easier to use than Roll20. With a master tier subscription , which I considered an incredible bargain before maps ever existed, it’s amazing.

This I agree with. I know people complain about it being a "money grab" but even if you don't share the cost of a subscription is cheap compared to other forms of entertainment. Even back when I was just playing around with Maps, I was impressed and I know they've added a lot to it since.

I could do some cool stuff in Roll20 and with Beyond20 we could integrate with DDB but it was a lot of work.

 

[Staffan]

So. Lemme get this right:

D&D was "undermonetized" --- so they trashed their VTT masterpiece (Sigil) and now they're giving stuff away for FREE?!?

The talk about D&D being undermonetized is a few years old, and I think Sigil was a reaction to it – "Hey, let's make a really shiny VTT that looks like a AAA computer game and where we can sell virtual minis and terrain and make AAAAALL the money." Turns out that doing that costs a lot of money and also requires the users to have high-end computers to run the stuff, so it wouldn't have been the money-making machine they were hoping for, and as such they scrapped it and focused on the simpler 2D model instead.