But we can't easily input the data like Curse does, so this isn't a fair comparison.
Definitely not a complaint because I love this stuff, but I have personally spent hours and hours inputting the official content, and I'm only one person that's doing it.
We receive all the content in a format that is intended for printing - not an app or the web. Although we have some incredibly talented developers that can do some amazing things, the format of the source data prevents a great deal of automation.
I have, in fact, spent the entire day getting the classic Tomb of Horrors adventure from Tales From the Yawning Portal ready for the compendium page for just the text and tooltipping/ cross-linking. This does not include the interior art placement, parsing the different new monsters out for the listings, or several other tasks that we'll need to do to complete it to be ready for the public. And TFtYP is actually pretty simplistic compared to the other 12 official sources we are working with.
This also does not include any actual development time that's been spent to create a framework that I can even work with to enter this content, or to build the listings that will house the elements, or the character management tools that will use it. It takes that much of an effort to simple convert the original source content to content for use in DDB.
In short, I wish it was a little easier...I wouldn't have to stay up so late so many of these nights.
But we can't easily input the data like Curse does, so this isn't a fair comparison.
Definitely not a complaint because I love this stuff, but I have personally spent hours and hours inputting the official content, and I'm only one person that's doing it.
We receive all the content in a format that is intended for printing - not an app or the web. Although we have some incredibly talented developers that can do some amazing things, the format of the source data prevents a great deal of automation.
I have, in fact, spent the entire day getting the classic Tomb of Horrors adventure from Tales From the Yawning Portal ready for the compendium page for just the text and tooltipping/ cross-linking. This does not include the interior art placement, parsing the different new monsters out for the listings, or several other tasks that we'll need to do to complete it to be ready for the public. And TFtYP is actually pretty simplistic compared to the other 12 official sources we are working with.
This also does not include any actual development time that's been spent to create a framework that I can even work with to enter this content, or to build the listings that will house the elements, or the character management tools that will use it. It takes that much of an effort to simple convert the original source content to content for use in DDB.
In short, I wish it was a little easier...I wouldn't have to stay up so late so many of these nights.
/exhausted
Thanks!
Thank you for A) doing all that work, and B) explaining just how much work it is. Taking raw text and turning it into data is a massive, time consuming undertaking. For example, I have had to explain to some disappointed HR staff that they can’t just upload (or even scan!!) a hundred resumes (formatted every which way) and have something automatically just parse all of that information into a database that will instantly output who has the qualifications they are looking for. Ug, the joys of code development.
First, please give thanks to the entire team for all the work done to this point that is available to us for free. Just wanted to share that I feel good about the pricing. I already have all the hardcover books, but I feel it's a fair price for the time I don't have to spend doing something similar myself. Being that my job requires me to be away from home for long stretches of time, it is great that I can play over the internet still, and not have to lug around a ton of books. I've had a great experience with DDB so far. Being able to share the content I unlock on here with my group will also be wonderful. I would like to see more previews of what the books will look like on here, like you did with that bit of Curse of Strahd. Specifically the maps and handouts. And if we'll be able to share just a map or handout from the book with the players in a campaign that would be great.
I hope that neither confirming nor denying the question of receiving a discount after purchasing parts of a book then buying the book means that it is being discussed. I think that would go a long way in making it feel a bit more "fair" for some people, and might encourage people to just buy the book if they already spent half the cost of it on just a few options.
I got a question! What about Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide? What I get if buy it? Just a book with subclasses/races/etc. or ermmm... maybe it would looks like some kinf of wiki? For example, what if i want information about Mirabar? I should search it like i did with hardcover? Can i get opportunities to add smth on Mirabar's page?
I got a question! What about Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide? What I get if buy it? Just a book with subclasses/races/etc. or ermmm... maybe it would looks like some kinf of wiki? For example, what if i want information about Mirabar? I should search it like i did with hardcover? Can i get opportunities to add smth on Mirabar's page?
p.s. sorry english is not my native language)
If you buy the book, you will get everything. Locations, subclasses, backgrounds... You can use the search function to find everything you desire from that book.
I got a question! What about Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide? What I get if buy it? Just a book with subclasses/races/etc. or ermmm... maybe it would looks like some kinf of wiki? For example, what if i want information about Mirabar? I should search it like i did with hardcover? Can i get opportunities to add smth on Mirabar's page?
p.s. sorry english is not my native language)
Books like SCAG (and also PHB, etc.) will get their own page like the Compendium - you'll be able to jump to particular sections like you can with the Basic Rules/SRD currently.
All of the data like backgrounds, sub classes, spells, and everything else will also be viewable from this page AND the other sections. For example the Green-Flame blade spell will be in the spells listing like all the other spells, and can also be added to characters.
I'm not 100% sure on being able to add notes/post-its to this sort of data - I'm leaning towards no, however will ask staff the next time the mods catch up with them (Unless of course Badeye chimes in here first).
It honestly seems like everyone is upset for the simple fact they perceive it as repurchasing the same product they already have. That's not what this is though, yes you receive a digital copy of a book at the end of the day but what you are actually paying for is a service.
Curse combed through each book, annotating, tagging, and the cataloging the information into a really well done database that has been made so easy to use that the game is really no longer a frightening undertaking for a new player. You are paying for the time it took them to do all that work, as someone who does that work as part of his job, it's not easy and honestly pretty tedious. It's hours of intently reading pages over and over again to make sure everything is properly referenced and accurately portrayed. I applaud them for what they have done here. Not to mention after all of that they are giving you the digital copies they helped produce as part of this process, since we all know WotC probably didn't do a lot with that. Now is that a lot of money for some of us that barely make a livable wage? Hell yes, but they also gave us an out for that as well and they offer that for free.
Curse opened up 80% of the content for free, they did a lot of work just to get that up and aren't charging us a damn thing for it. That 80% is more than enough to start off any campaign and keep it alive for quite awhile. Not to mention for those who still need info from those books, they gave us the ability to add it ourselves for our personal use without the need to even join in on a subscription.
So for those crying foul, you are not paying for a book, you are paying for a upgraded access to an open database that we have seen has tremendous potential.
I'm extremely disappointed with everything I've read here, though I can hardly say I'm surprised. This is just too expensive to be of any significant value to myself or any of my tables. These nickle-and-dime book repurchases and bundles as described verge on insulting and the selective mechanism for purchases that leaves individual players with differing amounts of rules information and/or access to character options seems to me like a recipe for confusion and potential conflict. This shouldn't be a piecemeal collection of nonsense. It should be what D&D Insider was -- a simple subscription that gives access to everything, the whole kit and kaboodle. That would be valuable and welcome; your interface is nice, accessible, and I had a lot of hope for this platform. At the moment, that hope feels dashed. Though I'll continue to follow the details as they unfold, I can say definitively that I do not intend of purchasing anything Beyond at this time.
I'm extremely disappointed with everything I've read here, though I can hardly say I'm surprised. This is just too expensive to be of any significant value to myself or any of my tables. These nickle-and-dime book repurchases and bundles as described verge on insulting and the selective mechanism for purchases that leaves individual players with differing amounts of rules information and/or access to character options seems to me like a recipe for confusion and potential conflict. This shouldn't be a piecemeal collection of nonsense. It should be what D&D Insider was -- a simple subscription that gives access to everything, the whole kit and kaboodle. That would be valuable and welcome; your interface is nice, accessible, and I had a lot of hope for this platform. At the moment, that hope feels dashed. Though I'll continue to follow the details as they unfold, I can say definitively that I do not intend of purchasing anything Beyond at this time.
The subscription that is a one price for everything model is what I want too, and I would be willing to pay $15-$20 a month for it. I've realised my mistake, buying digital content tied to a specific platform in Fantasy Grounds, and I don't intend to make the mistake of buying content I won't be able to use elsewhere again.
There are going to be people who don't have a problem with this, and kudos to them, but I get into enough trouble from my partner with the amount of cash I spend on gaming stuff...
PS I reserve the right to be a hypocrite and buy it all anyway, but I will hate Curse (and myself) for it.
I'm extremely disappointed with everything I've read here, though I can hardly say I'm surprised. This is just too expensive to be of any significant value to myself or any of my tables. These nickle-and-dime book repurchases and bundles as described verge on insulting and the selective mechanism for purchases that leaves individual players with differing amounts of rules information and/or access to character options seems to me like a recipe for confusion and potential conflict. This shouldn't be a piecemeal collection of nonsense. It should be what D&D Insider was -- a simple subscription that gives access to everything, the whole kit and kaboodle. That would be valuable and welcome; your interface is nice, accessible, and I had a lot of hope for this platform. At the moment, that hope feels dashed. Though I'll continue to follow the details as they unfold, I can say definitively that I do not intend of purchasing anything Beyond at this time.
The subscription that is a one price for everything model is what I want too, and I would be willing to pay $15-$20 a month for it. I've realised my mistake, buying digital content tied to a specific platform in Fantasy Grounds, and I don't intend to make the mistake of buying content I won't be able to use elsewhere again.
There are going to be people who don't have a problem with this, and kudos to them, but I get into enough trouble from my partner with the amount of cash I spend on gaming stuff...
PS I reserve the right to be a hypocrite and buy it all anyway, but I will hate Curse (and myself) for it.
For my part, it isn't that I don't have a problem with it. I'm not thrilled about the prospect of needing to pay for all the titles that aren't adventures (I might buy Out of the Abyss at some point, but idk about the rest - depends on my group's interest and the time we have to develop our own setting).
What I envision, though, is that we've got about five more years (I really hope I'm lowballing...) of 5E being supported, as long as Hasbro's ROI from Wizards/DnD remains high enough that Hasbro doesn't pull the plug. Wizards seems to have pushed a lot of chips onto the table with Beyond (they've given it the name D&D, which is more than they've invested in any other digital system for 5E so far). That makes me think that they *want* this platform to be the one that lasts for the rest of 5E's life cycle.
I think they'll get their way on that. So I see myself spending about $10/month (Master Tier + a crunch book + the occasional adventure) until the next edition is released. I see my initial investment as just that: an *investment*. They've created an excellent system and been very responsive to user feedback -- two hallmarks of what makes 5E such an stellar game -- and they need investment from the fans in order to move forward.
If you've already invested in Roll20 or FG, I appreciate your situation and I would think twice about buying into Beyond too.
If you are just getting by from paycheck to paycheck, I appreciate your situation even more -- I've been homeless before. It sucks. Don't waste your money on a digital portal to D&D when you don't know if you're gonna make rent.
It is my hope, though, that there are enough folks with disposable income that will invest in DDB and help Curse make it into the premier spot on the internet for 5E. Thanks for reading my random offering here.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid,Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions! I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
I've been playing since the mid-80's. I've never seen D&D more popular. It sounds like WotC is going to support 5E for awhile. I'm excited for this product.
I think I sold this to my group. I really only have one question. Will either printable player characters or offline support be available in the near future? That's really are only hang-up. Can we use it at the table without everyone having a laptop?
I'm extremely disappointed with everything I've read here, though I can hardly say I'm surprised. This is just too expensive to be of any significant value to myself or any of my tables. These nickle-and-dime book repurchases and bundles as described verge on insulting and the selective mechanism for purchases that leaves individual players with differing amounts of rules information and/or access to character options seems to me like a recipe for confusion and potential conflict. This shouldn't be a piecemeal collection of nonsense. It should be what D&D Insider was -- a simple subscription that gives access to everything, the whole kit and kaboodle. That would be valuable and welcome; your interface is nice, accessible, and I had a lot of hope for this platform. At the moment, that hope feels dashed. Though I'll continue to follow the details as they unfold, I can say definitively that I do not intend of purchasing anything Beyond at this time.
The subscription that is a one price for everything model is what I want too, and I would be willing to pay $15-$20 a month for it. I've realised my mistake, buying digital content tied to a specific platform in Fantasy Grounds, and I don't intend to make the mistake of buying content I won't be able to use elsewhere again.
There are going to be people who don't have a problem with this, and kudos to them, but I get into enough trouble from my partner with the amount of cash I spend on gaming stuff...
PS I reserve the right to be a hypocrite and buy it all anyway, but I will hate Curse (and myself) for it.
+1 For the tiny disclaimer
$20 a month would be outrageously expensive. If you bought all the books, except for the Tiamat books (I don't know what those are going to cost), you would pay $250. A year's subscription would cost $240. I think their pricing structure makes perfect sense.
That being said, has there been any discussion about some sort of "ultimate" package at launch. All available in print/digital releases for a discounted price. Obviously buying the 3 core books for $60 is mandatory, but since I am the DM, I would rather just shell out the cost up front, and work with my groups to have people pitch in what they want since I will be holding the master tier.
Also, any word on annual subscriptions?
I'd also like to add my support to this idea. It'd be awesome to be able to purchase all available content as a bundle for a discount.
Hey All:
So now we have two on the forum interested in some sort of Launch Day Ultimate Package, one more and that's a trend!. If anyone else would be interested in this, please respond to this so we can show interest to the developers. Be honest with yourself though though, this will be a $250+ package, so if you would not be willing to slap down the cash for that, don't sign up. I think if enough (using that term gently because this is of course just the forum) people show interest, they might pitch it to their sales team.
That being said, has there been any discussion about some sort of "ultimate" package at launch. All available in print/digital releases for a discounted price. Obviously buying the 3 core books for $60 is mandatory, but since I am the DM, I would rather just shell out the cost up front, and work with my groups to have people pitch in what they want since I will be holding the master tier.
Also, any word on annual subscriptions?
I'd also like to add my support to this idea. It'd be awesome to be able to purchase all available content as a bundle for a discount.
Hey All:
So now we have two on the forum interested in some sort of Launch Day Ultimate Package, one more and that's a trend!. If anyone else would be interested in this, please respond to this so we can show interest to the developers. Be honest with yourself though though, this will be a $250+ package, so if you would not be willing to slap down the cash for that, don't sign up. I think if enough (using that term gently because this is of course just the forum) people show interest, they might pitch it to their sales team.
@BadEye: What do you think?
Defintely interested in this.
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But we can't easily input the data like Curse does, so this isn't a fair comparison.
I stand corrected - army of monkeys it is!
Also, we're only so passionate because we care.
First, please give thanks to the entire team for all the work done to this point that is available to us for free. Just wanted to share that I feel good about the pricing. I already have all the hardcover books, but I feel it's a fair price for the time I don't have to spend doing something similar myself. Being that my job requires me to be away from home for long stretches of time, it is great that I can play over the internet still, and not have to lug around a ton of books. I've had a great experience with DDB so far. Being able to share the content I unlock on here with my group will also be wonderful. I would like to see more previews of what the books will look like on here, like you did with that bit of Curse of Strahd. Specifically the maps and handouts. And if we'll be able to share just a map or handout from the book with the players in a campaign that would be great.
I hope that neither confirming nor denying the question of receiving a discount after purchasing parts of a book then buying the book means that it is being discussed. I think that would go a long way in making it feel a bit more "fair" for some people, and might encourage people to just buy the book if they already spent half the cost of it on just a few options.
I got a question! What about Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide? What I get if buy it? Just a book with subclasses/races/etc. or ermmm... maybe it would looks like some kinf of wiki? For example, what if i want information about Mirabar? I should search it like i did with hardcover? Can i get opportunities to add smth on Mirabar's page?
p.s. sorry english is not my native language)
I'm intreested in format. Will it have book structure or maybe it would be split on some kind of wiki-articles?
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I'm extremely disappointed with everything I've read here, though I can hardly say I'm surprised. This is just too expensive to be of any significant value to myself or any of my tables. These nickle-and-dime book repurchases and bundles as described verge on insulting and the selective mechanism for purchases that leaves individual players with differing amounts of rules information and/or access to character options seems to me like a recipe for confusion and potential conflict. This shouldn't be a piecemeal collection of nonsense. It should be what D&D Insider was -- a simple subscription that gives access to everything, the whole kit and kaboodle. That would be valuable and welcome; your interface is nice, accessible, and I had a lot of hope for this platform. At the moment, that hope feels dashed. Though I'll continue to follow the details as they unfold, I can say definitively that I do not intend of purchasing anything Beyond at this time.
For my part, it isn't that I don't have a problem with it. I'm not thrilled about the prospect of needing to pay for all the titles that aren't adventures (I might buy Out of the Abyss at some point, but idk about the rest - depends on my group's interest and the time we have to develop our own setting).
What I envision, though, is that we've got about five more years (I really hope I'm lowballing...) of 5E being supported, as long as Hasbro's ROI from Wizards/DnD remains high enough that Hasbro doesn't pull the plug. Wizards seems to have pushed a lot of chips onto the table with Beyond (they've given it the name D&D, which is more than they've invested in any other digital system for 5E so far). That makes me think that they *want* this platform to be the one that lasts for the rest of 5E's life cycle.
I think they'll get their way on that. So I see myself spending about $10/month (Master Tier + a crunch book + the occasional adventure) until the next edition is released. I see my initial investment as just that: an *investment*. They've created an excellent system and been very responsive to user feedback -- two hallmarks of what makes 5E such an stellar game -- and they need investment from the fans in order to move forward.
It is my hope, though, that there are enough folks with disposable income that will invest in DDB and help Curse make it into the premier spot on the internet for 5E. Thanks for reading my random offering here.
Eshuvenniel Kazander Ravid, Valor Bard and Acolyte of the Goddess of Luck
Caradoc Langham, Halfling Rogue - Lost Magics - Epic of Pre-made Proportions!
I'm not looking for heaven or hell... just someone to listen to stories I tell...
I've been playing since the mid-80's. I've never seen D&D more popular. It sounds like WotC is going to support 5E for awhile. I'm excited for this product.
I think I sold this to my group. I really only have one question. Will either printable player characters or offline support be available in the near future? That's really are only hang-up. Can we use it at the table without everyone having a laptop?