D&D 5E Pre-Order DLC comes to D&D with D&D Beyond and Xanathar's Guide to Everything pre-order

[UngeheuerLich]

Probably they'll just rule it non-AL and be done with it.

Which was already done... first asterisk

 

[CM]

I demand Curse withdraw this offer of free content immediately!

 

[cmad1977]

Meh. This ranks up there with ‘feats break the game’ in my list of issues.


Which means it isn’t one.


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[Enevhar Aldarion]

I just read through a bunch of pages of posts here and do not remember who said what, so I am not quoting anyone. You people better not get all sensitive on me now.

I only really worry about "official" if there is an Organized Play that goes with the system, like Pathfinder Society or Adventurer's League. And then it is those groups who say what is official or not. This also, obviously, applies mainly to rules mechanics.

As for the whole "is this good or bad" argument, I would be interested to know the breakdown of those for or against and where they live. Are most of those for it in the US and used to capitalist things like this? Are most of those against it in Europe and more used the the socialist system where this might be more frowned upon or even illegal?

Now, what is homebrew and what is not? Technically, anything outside the core books for any game system is just glorified homebrew. People willing to pay money for it gives it a perceived value versus something that is free.

Sure, these 16 feats are just homebrew from the folks at DDB and they specifically call it out to use in your home games or as something to inspire your own homebrew rules. And as someone else has pointed out, is says on the info page on their website that these feats are not AL official, just like any other homebrew.

And on the topic of homebrew and other published non-WotC 5E material, it is legal to enter any of those books yourself into the DDB homebrew section, so long as you keep it set to private and never share it with anyone else. You share, you break the law. Many weeks ago, I ask on their forums if we would see any support for other 5E OGL books, like Adventures in Middle-Earth, and this was what I was basically told.

 

[Mistwell]

I don't know much of anything about roll20, I've only ever played with pencils and paper. I don't judge those who use apps and programs to play, but it's not my thing. But, if roll20 makes you purchase game content you already own then yes, they should be giving discounts to people who already own the books.

Roll20 does not make you purchase that content to use their system. All they charge you for is them typing in the rules for you. If you want to enter the rules yourself, you can do that using their system for free. However, if you want to save time by paying them for them having already entered all those rules in for you to use, then you can. Also, if you want to upload maps from adventures you own you can do that for free, but if you want to use their uploads of those maps pre-formatted for the game, you have to pay them for that service. That's how that works. So nobody is charging you for the content a second time, just for their time to enter it in for you instead of you entering it in on your own.

 

[Mistwell]

This is confusing me, so are these new mechanics and expanded material official or not?

They are not

This is what turns me off to 5e. The material is SCARCE from WotC. 3rd Party there's a ton, sure, but I'm not looking for 3PP. I am strictly official material and miss the days of new material every month.

This stuff is not from WOTC. It's 3rd party.

This is why I enjoy Pathfinder more. Lots of options.

Lots of 3d party producers for Pathfinder too.

Maybe, since WotC ISN'T a video game maker, they should use more seductive means like offering a bag of special dice you can't get anywhere else. But, of course, that's not as cheap as paper, so good luck ever seeing anything like that. WotC wants MONEY, not happy customers. 4th ed. proved that. lol

Again, this is not from WOTC. Pretty sure WOTC makes no extra money from you buying the pre-order and getting these third party feats. But hey, thanks for tossing in a completely inappropriate edition war comment which isn't based on an accurate statement to begin with (given this is not from WOTC).

The only place where this would really be an issue is in AL, where people can choose which book is their second resource. The simple solution is for AL to say all pre-order feats are non-official material and cannot be used in their campaigns.

No really truly and sincerely with deep earnestness, this is not from WOTC, is not official, and was never advertised as being official. It's just some stuff from a third party.

 

[dropbear8mybaby]

16 new racial feats huh? Within a day of the book coming out it's going to be plastered all over the internet for free. There are plenty of AD&D 5 character sheet makers out there, so no big loss, and the D&D Beyond doesn't do much for the older gamers who know everything that's come out. I was given the Basic and Expert set by Gygax himself and I've been through every iteration since.

Maybe, since WotC ISN'T a video game maker, they should use more seductive means like offering a bag of special dice you can't get anywhere else. But, of course, that's not as cheap as paper, so good luck ever seeing anything like that. WotC wants MONEY, not happy customers. 4th ed. proved that. lol

I swear there are a lot of new accounts popping up that specifically criticise DDB and nothing else, not only here, but on DDB's forums as well. They all seem to use the exact same logic and phrasing.

I wonder if they all have Russian IP's?

 

[dropbear8mybaby]

I hope they make the feats available to all for free or a fee... If it is free, then there may be a delay in it being available. Or, possibly at a cost, but available on release day of the Guide?

They're essentially testing the homebrew feats system and this is an early access to that system through the custom feats. Adam's response on the forum, as well as a moderator's, is to say that they are public homebrew feats. In other words, when the homebrew feats system goes live to all accounts, sometime after it's been tested and Xanathar's has been released, they'll be made available to everyone through the public homebrew system.

Much like getting access to the app by pre-ordering, this is an early access benefit and little more. Everyone crowing about how there are things that only pre-order people will get is just nonsense from people who haven't done even the most basic of investigation into the issue and just assumed everything and gone off on a rant about it because it's weirdly popular to hate DDB (and confuse them as being WotC).

 

[Barantor]

Then you are very close to 5e, seeing how this is the first and only instance of "stuff like this", yes?

Sent from my C6603 using EN World mobile app

This is another instance of D&D monetizing things through a third party rather than doing what most other companies do and offering their products as digital from the beginning.

I wouldn't have a problem with it if they offered just digital books, but they don't and if you want them legally you have to start buying in to these third party companies.

Just because it's the biggest fish in a small pond doesn't mean it gets a pass from me on this. They are affecting the whole of the hobby when they do these things. I don't like it, but if you like it then by all means buy "stuff like this".

 

[fantasmamore]

As for the whole "is this good or bad" argument, I would be interested to know the breakdown of those for or against and where they live. Are most of those for it in the US and used to capitalist things like this? Are most of those against it in Europe and more used the the socialist system where this might be more frowned upon or even illegal?

Politics based on assumptions based on stereotypes about where one lives? In an article about feats for a game? And Europeans are more used to the socialist system? The socialist system that then has something to do with a buyer getting free content if he/she preorders a product?