Tomb of Annihilation Is Here - What Do You Think?

Today's the day - WotC's latest Dungeons & Dragons adventure, Tomb of Annihilation, is out! Head on down to your friendly (or unfriendly) local (or not so local) gaming (or comic) store and pick up your copy. Alternatively, if you use a virtual table top, it's available for Fantasy Grounds and Roll20.

 

[HonorBoundSamurai632]

I'm cool with that! WotC outsourced some of the risk in 3e by giving RL to Arthaus and DL to Wiess's publishing company. GG could easily do GH. Or Kenzer (are they still around?) or Kobold Press, Sasquatch, Necromancer, Green Ronin, etc. The question is there enough will and finance to get those projects going?

I do have one more thing to say (LOL)!

I own 1E's Waterdeep and the North, 2E's Free City of Greyhawk and City of Splendors box sets, and 3E's Waterdeep: City of Splendors book ..... and Green Ronin's Freeport book smokes them all in my opinion. Would love to see Green Ronin do a Free City of Greyhawk book!! It would be godly!

It's funny that you mentioned the 3.0 Ravenloft books and the 3.5 Dragonlance books. I have tons of those RL books and almost all of the DL 3.5 books. That is why I'd love to see WoTC outsource again, because in my opinion .... that outsourced material for 3.0/3.5 is golden!

At least we agree on the outsourcing.

 

[dropbear8mybaby]

Do you like the D&D Beyond version? Im interested in it. I mean how it is presented.

There are positives and negatives about it. I went all in with a Legendary bundle* and Master Tier subscription so I have access to everything. That skews things a little in favour of DDB when considering the value of ToA on it, because I'm not locked out of any content and can use it as a total resource rather than a limited resource. However, every monster from Volo's that is used in ToA, is included as part of the purchase of ToA, so that's somewhat mitigated.

There are some issues with it. Some teething problems with links but they're being fixed up. My main gripe with the DDB format is how the menus work. There is an index page where you can go to individual chapters. On each of the chapter pages, however, the only way to access that index page in order to access other chapters, is to go back to it. That requires having it open as it's own tab at all times which is interminably frustrating in terms of navigating the document. Having said that, it's also available in the search bar so if you know what you're looking for, it's only a search away.

Otherwise, I find it fantastic. The maps alone are almost worth as much as the price of the book, with player and DM versions for almost every one of them. Plus artwork and individual monster entries. It's an entire book replacement for use at the table. As a DM's resource, I find it amazing and something I've been wanting for over 20 years.



*I did this because whatever issues I feel DDB currently has, I'm confident that the team will fix them and that they'll consistently and constantly work to make DDB better.

 

[vpuigdoller]

There are positives and negatives about it. I went all in with a Legendary bundle* and Master Tier subscription so I have access to everything. That skews things a little in favour of DDB when considering the value of ToA on it, because I'm not locked out of any content and can use it as a total resource rather than a limited resource. However, every monster from Volo's that is used in ToA, is included as part of the purchase of ToA, so that's somewhat mitigated.

There are some issues with it. Some teething problems with links but they're being fixed up. My main gripe with the DDB format is how the menus work. There is an index page where you can go to individual chapters. On each of the chapter pages, however, the only way to access that index page in order to access other chapters, is to go back to it. That requires having it open as it's own tab at all times which is interminably frustrating in terms of navigating the document. Having said that, it's also available in the search bar so if you know what you're looking for, it's only a search away.

Otherwise, I find it fantastic. The maps alone are almost worth as much as the price of the book, with player and DM versions for almost every one of them. Plus artwork and individual monster entries. It's an entire book replacement for use at the table. As a DM's resource, I find it amazing and something I've been wanting for over 20 years.



*I did this because whatever issues I feel DDB currently has, I'm confident that the team will fix them and that they'll consistently and constantly work to make DDB better.

Thank you this very helpful!

 

[LordEntrails]

If you want to know what I think of the Fantasy Grounds conversion/version of ToA, read the review, ToA on Fantasy Grounds.

 

[mach1.9pants]

Thank you this very helpful!

I agree with the Dangerous Koala, DDB is not perfect but it is the best book replacement for gaming I have seen.

 

[Galendril]

Having just purchased it on D&D Beyond, and had a quick glance so far. It it looks interesting and am keen to incorporate it into my campaign asap. Plenty of stuff to mine for ideas in this one even if you don't run the whole thing.

Dwellers of the Forbidden City was my first, and still my favourite, module so will look at incorporating the original version into it and like the fact it is playing homage to the original.

My main beefs? As with most of the new adventures (they are too big to call modules) is the introduction of new races for the sake it of. Grungs? They'll be replaced with the original Bullywugs in my game, I like the flavour of the Batari but will instead use the original Tasloi instead... and swap Chult for the Amedio Jungle region in Greyhawk.

Stormdale

Actually, grung were originally a Greyhawk monster. They first appeared in Greyhawk Adventures.

 

[Galendril]

There are positives and negatives about it. I went all in with a Legendary bundle* and Master Tier subscription so I have access to everything. That skews things a little in favour of DDB when considering the value of ToA on it, because I'm not locked out of any content and can use it as a total resource rather than a limited resource. However, every monster from Volo's that is used in ToA, is included as part of the purchase of ToA, so that's somewhat mitigated.

There are some issues with it. Some teething problems with links but they're being fixed up. My main gripe with the DDB format is how the menus work. There is an index page where you can go to individual chapters. On each of the chapter pages, however, the only way to access that index page in order to access other chapters, is to go back to it. That requires having it open as it's own tab at all times which is interminably frustrating in terms of navigating the document. Having said that, it's also available in the search bar so if you know what you're looking for, it's only a search away.

Otherwise, I find it fantastic. The maps alone are almost worth as much as the price of the book, with player and DM versions for almost every one of them. Plus artwork and individual monster entries. It's an entire book replacement for use at the table. As a DM's resource, I find it amazing and something I've been wanting for over 20 years.



*I did this because whatever issues I feel DDB currently has, I'm confident that the team will fix them and that they'll consistently and constantly work to make DDB better.

When I view on DDB on my iPad, if I turn it into landscape 'mode', the index stays on the left.

 

[dropbear8mybaby]

When I view on DDB on my iPad, if I turn it into landscape 'mode', the index stays on the left.

For the entire book, or just for the chapter you're currently in?

 

[mserabian]

For the entire book, or just for the chapter you're currently in?

Just the chapter you're in... at least on my ipad!

mal

 

[Galendril]

Just the chapter you're in... at least on my ipad!

mal

That's true, but there's an option to go 'Back to Top' and from there can click one other link to take you back to the Table of Contents. It's two clicks, but still not bad IMO.