D&D (2024) What happens if One DnD fails?

[Haplo781]

so like 4e then

 

[Haplo781]

Nothing we've seen so far in the playtest indicates that the core mechanics of the game are changing much.

True, but if you compare the Next playtest from early 2013 to the final 5e rules ...

 

[Steel_Wind]

Yeah, this is more or less what I was expecting. I don't know if DDB can "break" #2 on their end, but in any case, if you have to purchase the content on DDB, Wizards is probably just fine with that. It seems to be their objective, in fact. Maybe they start charging extra for data exporting functions. For #3, it seems likely that Wizards would take more aggressive action against the data pirates. In any case, this is already illegal, so it doesn't seem likely to be driving any license or game design changes.

Which seems to leave #1, and again, the current design approach seems well suited to make this as big a PITA as possible. If there are a gazillion little changes to species, backgrounds, classes, subclasses, feats, spells, and monsters...that sounds like a lot of data entry work.

WotC is fine with it now, but not when the point of DDB is no longer to sell PDFs (without selling PDFs) but is instead to sell monthly online VTT subscriptions to DMs and players both. Then they won't want you using Foundry, they'll want you using their own VTT. WotC does not want "leaks" in that planned VTT in terms of allowing sub money to leak out by allowing gamers to acces a decent competing alternative that does not earn WotC subscription revenue.

So when that VTT is ready - by that point (if not before) DDB will send out Cease and Desists and start to take active steps to break the code. And if that's a game that WotC wants to play? That's a game they will win. People love DDB and Foundry working together because it really works seamlessly and well. But when it doesn't? They'll love it a whole lot less.

My guess is at that point (if not before) those Foundry DMs will go to another 5e clone (Project Black Flag or something else) with the rest going to PF2. And those companies publish under an OGL (or ORC) which will allow Foundry to support it directly (as PF2 does now).

 

[Xyxox]

WotC is fine with it now, but not when the point of DDB is no longer to sell PDFs (without selling PDFs) but is instead to sell monthly online VTT subscriptions to DMs and players both. Then they won't want you using Foundry, they'll want you using their own VTT. WotC does not want "leaks" in that planned VTT in terms of allowing sub money to leak out by allowing gamers to acces a decent competing alternative that does not earn WotC subscription revenue.

So when that VTT is ready - by that point (if not before) DDB will sent out Cease and Desists and start to take active steps to break the code. And if that's a game that WotC wants to play? That's a game they will win. People love DDB and Foundry working together because it really works seamlessly and well. But when it doesn't? They'll love it a whole lot less.

My guess is at that point (if not before) those Foundry DMs will go to another 5e clone (Project Black Flag or something else) with the rest going to PF2. And those companies publish under an OGL (or ORC) which will allow Foundry to support it directly (as PF2 does now).

I have found World anvil is a superior campaign manager to DDB with the benefit of it not claiming ownership of everything you place there and it works with Foundry, so at least already have an alternative.

 

[Zaukrie]

I agree this is all about the VTT, video games, and movies/tv shows. The bikes make them a ton, but that's the gravy on top of what they want the main course to be, the VTT. Predictable, consistent cash flow is the best cash flow.

 

[Steel_Wind]

I have found World anvil is a superior campaign manager to DDB with the benefit of it not claiming ownership of everything you place there and it works with Foundry, so at least already have an alternative.

World Anvil is not providing PCs, NPCs, classes, races, monsters, spells, items is it? It's more case of being able to access a map(s) and some notes made there as journal entries. Am I wrong?

 

[Xyxox]

World Anvil is not providing PCs, NPCs, classes, races, monsters, spells, items is it? It's more case of being able to access a map(s) and some notes made there as journal entries. Am I wrong?

There is no character generator, but there is a logical storage location in the campaign tree, I just copy and paste the characters in as an article in the Players portion of the campaign tree.

 

[Greg Benage]

So when that VTT is ready - by that point (if not before) DDB will send out Cease and Desists and start to take active steps to break the code. And if that's a game that WotC wants to play? That's a game they will win. People love DDB and Foundry working together because it really works seamlessly and well. But when it doesn't? They'll love it a whole lot less.

My guess is at that point (if not before) those Foundry DMs will go to another 5e clone (Project Black Flag or something else) with the rest going to PF2. And those companies publish under an OGL (or ORC) which will allow Foundry to support it directly (as PF2 does now).

This all sounds rather plausible. The only piece I was contesting was the idea that some kind of more radical design incompatibility was required to wall out other VTTs.

 

[Stefano Rinaldelli]

3) Steal the data Mr. Primate's DDB Importer gets by obtaining it from DDB - and then installing it without the user needing to access DDB directly with a paid account to get it. The so called "plutonium" add-on for Foundry does this.

FALSE

Plutonium is difficult to install and it breaks constantly,

FALSE

largely because Foundry goes out of its way to break it so that they can appear to be "good guys" and not "bad guys" to WotC and stream people towards Mr. Primate's DDB Importer and buying things off of DDB. Is Foundry as motivated to keep up with regularly breaking Plutonium in view of recent developments? You tell me. In fairness, Plutonium was initially popular in 2020, but its use since that time has dwindled to the point of rarity. It was also distributed on The Trove, and as that got (mostly) shut down in terms of uploading to it, it's somewhat harder to find and WAY harder to update.

FALSE

Plutoniom is alive and kicking, no breaks and very easy to install. Obviously I will not tell here how to, since it is illegal.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

FALSE

FALSE

FALSE

Mod Note:

Its a lot more helpful- and less disruptive- if you support your claim that something isn’t true with more than an all-caps shout of “FALSE”.

Do better going forward, please.