These announcements had more pizazz under Adam's leadership. Spice it up a bit. Do a dance or something. Hang some ribbons. I am unexcited by this announcement.

Wouldn't really call this a major update and so probably doesn't need much pizazz tbh.

Cool. How about a light theme so I can actually use the app without a literal headache and hurting eyes?

Starting to look for alternative digital toolsets for DMs out there as dndbeyond has become "Player Obsessed" with more than 1 in 10 updates being player tool enhancements. Don't get me wrong, love dndbeyond but not feeling that love returned as a top tier paying DM who is willing to pay more for an even higher tier (unlimited shared campaigns?), as yet not available. This platform has gone a long way to realizing my dreams from over 20 years ago but still falls short in many DMing areas. Players have more than they need (I'm a player too and there are more than enough tools available to keep me satisfied - you will never cover all bases, especially with respect to the continuous rule-changing releases from WoTC, infinite customization and homebrew content). Somehow I feel that this has already been discussed behind dndbeyond closed doors and has resulted in some significant decisions being made and changes in the business model. This ship appears to be rocking. Reassure your core, long-term customers instead of chasing non-paying or short-term paying shadows.

Quote from 2ndEditionDM >>

Starting to look for alternative digital toolsets for DMs out there as dndbeyond has become "Player Obsessed" with more than 1 in 10 updates being player tool enhancements. Don't get me wrong, love dndbeyond but not feeling that love returned as a top tier paying DM who is willing to pay more for an even higher tier (unlimited shared campaigns?), as yet not available. This platform has gone a long way to realizing my dreams from over 20 years ago but still falls short in many DMing areas. Players have more than they need (I'm a player too and there are more than enough tools available to keep me satisfied - you will never cover all bases, especially with respect to the continuous rule-changing releases from WoTC, infinite customization and homebrew content). Somehow I feel that this has already been discussed behind dndbeyond closed doors and has resulted in some significant decisions being made and changes in the business model. This ship appears to be rocking. Reassure your core, long-term customers instead of chasing non-paying or short-term paying shadows.

 To be honest, DnD Beyond was always Player First; with DM support mostly going as far as it also benefits the players (content sharing for campaigns). Their initial goals were to help players and not to become a VTT, which is where most of the DM helping functionality would lead to. So not entirely sure what you mean by "decided behind closed doors".

I agree it is primarily a Player App but as it progressed early in its evolution, DDB quickly added DM resources such as DM Sourcebooks (DMG, campaigns etc.), Adventures, Homebrew options (yes, these are for players too but a more important tool for DMs IMO), Encounter Builder, Combat Tracker, and Campaign management. These DM focused tools excited me as a DM (I'm a player too) and DDB announcements as they were introduced implied that they would be improved (or in one or two cases, completed) and DMs could look forward to more DM campaign management tools. Then... dice rolling (nice!), colored dice rolling (OK), mobile app improvements for character sheets (hmm), mobile app dice rolling (...), more mobile app improvements (?), more colored dice (!), Tasha's sourcebook (chaos and panic at DDB), Game Log (yes, at last a DM tool, incomplete but useful in these online times), and to come? Equipment overhaul to nest items (the player in me? OK, not essential but nice to have. DM... grrrr!).

"Behind closed doors" - no tier paying surveys? Forum discussions? Customer (fee paying) focused feedback? After-sales follow-ups? Comprehensive research as opposed to guesswork around a table in an office with the doors closed.

I'm not snobbing over who has higher tiers of DDB than others. It is probably obvious that DMs do so they can accommodate their campaigns (and share sources). There are many more players than DMs (I am one of them) but a player only has to manage their own character, ask any DM how much there is to manage in a game (including helping players understand the rules of their own characters quite often) and you might realize how useful DDB "could" be.

I'm not complaining. I LOVE DDB. More than 20 years ago I had a dream of such technological assistance for the game I love but I know there is more to offer DMs. DMs can always find players but as a player I know how difficult it is to find adequate DMs.

After writing all this I hope it is noticed by someone at DDB who has the same passion as Adam had for this toolset.

Sorry to butt into your conversation but as a forever DM who is a player so little I get scared before every game as one, I have a few points to make.

• Firstly, a bunch of the progress updates you mentioned were about the one singular app. Now I totally understand if you want to be mad about it taking so long, but I don't understand why you would be mad that they are trying to finish something they started? 
• Second, DMs can like dice. I know DMs who don't like dice as well as DMs who do like die, just like I know players who like dice and players who don't like dice.
• Third, DDB and WotC are not the same company they just have a contract with each other, that contract stipulates that DDB must have all the books on the website and that all the rules link onto the characters and whatever. So not their fault there was chaos and panic when Tasha's came out, I would imagine there in chaos and panic any time a new source book is announced, probably a little panic for every adventure book as well.
• Fourth, I have had players on multiple occasions enable share content for me, so I can tell you for a fact that DMs are not the only ones with a master tier subscription. 

Now I agree with you that a majority of the updates have been player centric, but honestly the only things I can think of that would help me as a DM is a place for me to roll some dice, and possible adventures having an auto-run encounter button (however some encounters are dynamic with other creatures maybe entering so might be easier to just add everything in myself as needed anyways [ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ]). Besides that everything else I can think of is already here. 

Do you have any suggestions of things they could add that would make your DMing easier? I'm sure they are willing to hear from some feedback. 
(https://dndbeyond.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/community/topics/115000209847-Feature-Requests       plus there is a whole forum thread they look at). It's possible that all the improvements they can think of are player centric. Just remember that the idea is you use DDB while you are all sitting around a table anyways so no VTT stuff.

No apology necessary. I openly accept any and all feedback.

Your first bullet point - I'm not mad at DDB, a little disappointed maybe, but mad? no. As previously mentioned I love DDB. I'm only asking them to reconsider their priorities.

Second - This is not a DM vs. Player thing (and should never be, in or out of the game). I am both. Dice are great! Maybe they sell well too?

Third - DDB & WoTC not the same? I know. They have a B2B contract with many stipulations I'm sure but contracts are renegotiable if this is the sticking point with campaign sharing limitations. Money talks in these situations and perhaps there are customers willing to pay for this upgrade. A survey could discover this. Tasha's? Again contract detail - DDB could have it written into contract that they are made aware of the material before publication. I'm not really here to discuss contract law and I;m sure DDB has considered all these options.

Fourth - I don't think I stated that only DMs are top tier (and if I did it was a terrible generalization, apologies) and I don't have access to any such information. Without quoting any personally known (and therefore very limited) statistics it just seems that there are more resources (including tiers) on DDB which are aimed at DMs (of course, nothing stops players from purchasing Adventures, but not sure they do as much as DMs and before anyone jumps on me - "I could well be wrong").

Place to roll some dice? I love it.

Auto-run (or Quick-run) Encounter button? I love it.

Everything else already here? For you maybe but for other DMs and players out there...?

My suggestions - already sent to Feature Requests a long time ago and still submitting (like Advantage/Disadvantage/Critical Hits on the dice roller? Many DMs and players alike submitted this one when the dice roller was initially introduced. Like the Game Log? ditto. And the list goes on). I'm not sure where the VTT idea came from, not me (there are other VTT options that exist already) but why shouldn't DDB consider it? Online D&D isn't going away any time soon and the current world situation has encouraged many to play online. In the earlier days of DDB it appeared that feature requests were being implemented as a priority but lately? Either the requests have changed (and this is certainly possible, if only we had a way of knowing) or the decision-making process has changed at DDB?

To summarize - I'm not complaining. I'm not putting down DDB, I love their platform. I'm only reminding them that DMs need their love too and are, perhaps, feeling a little sidelined. DDB, take a scan through your Features and Requests, filter for DM/Dungeon Master/DM Tools - I'm sure you will find some gems there along with the occasional Mimic ;-) As a player I have enough tools (for now) to keep me satisfied through a multitude of class, race, background, feat, etc. options and I'm gonna get Equipment nesting? Awesome! And (forgive the grammar) possible equipment transfer across campaigns? DM and player in me jump with glee.

Onwards and upwards DDB !!!

In reflection of the replies to my initial comment after reading this latest update I have had a change of heart. Perhaps I have been hoping for something which DDB is not designed for and never will be - an all round tool for Players and Dungeon Masters alike. It is primarily a character sheet database. I have experienced that it is an amazing tool as a player but less than amazing tool as a Dungeon Master - in fact mostly as a reference database of the game rules and adventures. This gives me peace.

Now... off I go into cyberspace in search of a DM toolset which, alongside DDB, can organize the information of: characters, campaign notes, adversaries (planned & random), treasure (planned & random), sidekicks (planned & random), chat (maybe video too), maps (and maybe VTT), digital dice rolling, time/date/lunar/solar management, encounters (planned & random), and combat tracking. All usable for both online and f2f gameplay. Wish me luck.

PS - Adam, how's your demi plane coming along?

For organizing information, I've seen ads for world anvil, and I use obsidian portal. Maybe take a look at those? They don't have dice rolling but what are you going to do. For time/date/lunar/solar management I use https://fantasy-calendar.com/ you can try that out. For combat tracking there is always good old pencil and paper, or your VTT of choice probably has something. (if you have the Master Tier Sub for DBB there is always the combat tracker here). 

Quote from 2ndEditionDM >>

Now... off I go into cyberspace in search of a DM toolset which, alongside DDB, can organize the information of: characters, campaign notes, adversaries (planned & random), treasure (planned & random), sidekicks (planned & random), chat (maybe video too), maps (and maybe VTT), digital dice rolling, time/date/lunar/solar management, encounters (planned & random), and combat tracking. All usable for both online and f2f gameplay. Wish me luck.

 

 If you’re really alright with VTT, then I suggest Roll20. If not then, pair ddb’s very own Avrae with discord and you get most of that thing. All you really need is to hunt down the aliases you need, and I’m more than willing to help. For maps, I recommend inkarnate. Other than that, I don’t use much else. Was mostly an in person DM before the quarantine anywho. DeadSoul13#9797 on discord.

I'm having a HORRIBLE time trying to update my character's max HP and XP. Everytime i input the new max hp (for instance, leveling up) after i apply everything looks good in the edit page. Go to character sheet, and it's back at the old hp. It sometimes take a couple hours of fiddling with it before something FINALLY clicks with the programming and it saves the data.

Quote from KageBane >>

I'm having a HORRIBLE time trying to update my character's max HP and XP. Everytime i input the new max hp (for instance, leveling up) after i apply everything looks good in the edit page. Go to character sheet, and it's back at the old hp. It sometimes take a couple hours of fiddling with it before something FINALLY clicks with the programming and it saves the data.

 There's a simple trick: instead of going back to the sheet directly, first navigate to the next or previous page in the editor. (Unfocusing from the hp input should suffice, but this is a bit easier.) That should definitely save the changes.

And for the xp, use the xp adjustment option in the sheet, not the editor.

A buddy of mine had this happen to them before. I think the issue is the update your computer is sending either gets lost or delayed. Then when you request the information the (the character sheet) the update gets overridden(?). Like Edem suggested, just switch between pages and give it a bit before requesting the character sheet. Maybe even try sending the HP update request 2 or 3 times so one will make it for sure?

Quote from 2ndEditionDM >>

Starting to look for alternative digital toolsets for DMs out there as dndbeyond has become "Player Obsessed" with more than 1 in 10 updates being player tool enhancements. Don't get me wrong, love dndbeyond but not feeling that love returned as a top tier paying DM who is willing to pay more for an even higher tier (unlimited shared campaigns?), as yet not available. This platform has gone a long way to realizing my dreams from over 20 years ago but still falls short in many DMing areas. Players have more than they need (I'm a player too and there are more than enough tools available to keep me satisfied - you will never cover all bases, especially with respect to the continuous rule-changing releases from WoTC, infinite customization and homebrew content). Somehow I feel that this has already been discussed behind dndbeyond closed doors and has resulted in some significant decisions being made and changes in the business model. This ship appears to be rocking. Reassure your core, long-term customers instead of chasing non-paying or short-term paying shadows.

 I actually agree with you.  DnD Beyond has been slow to roll out developments while other, smaller companies seem like they are able to get complete projects much faster.  Look at the progress Foundry VTT has made this past year.  Secondly, DnD Beyond is far more than a player-centric website.  As a DM, the ability to bring all of my books and quickly access the compendium for both preparing and running my campaigns is such a huge benefit.  The fact the combat tracker is still unable to pull in hit points from my characters is a head-scratcher.  Additionally, the ability to purchase adventures with fully integrated text is a DM's dream!  The integration is the true beauty of this website and yet these adventures don't already come with prebuilt encounters?  What an amazing feature to have your player's character sheets, encounters, and adventure module all working together!  I know several of the VTT's offer this, but DnD Beyond does a FAR better job integrating resources.  I can look up a spell, find a magic item, and pull up a monster sheet just by hovering my pointer...and yet I have to build all the encounters from scratch and when I run them, I have to manually enter my player's hp?  Lastly, a simple update like having folders to organize your campaign and encounters, and a better journal than a text box, especially one that you can easily build a homebrew campaign or take notes, dragging and dropping monsters and items for quick reference.  So yes, there are others out there that can offer these things....but DnD Beyond COULD do it better if they put a little development toward some of these simple things.  Add folders, player stats in encounters, and pre-packaged encounters and this product went from wow...to HOLY CRAP, THIS IS AWESOME!!!!

As a DM I am not entirely sure why I would need to see my players HP in the combat tracker. Like maybe I am doing it wrong but I usually have my players track their own stuff. Like if there was a situation where I wanted to make sure a player survived an attack I could just open up their character sheet to check how much HP they got left, but besides that, I don't know how else it could be useful. I mean their AC changes very little yet I still ask for every attack if it hits or not (partially cause I want them to feel involved and partially so that is one less thing I have to remember or keep track of), so telling them how much damage they take seems to be pretty much the same thing to me. 

Now I'm not saying your wrong for wanting it, I am just confused.

The iOS app update today released support for the life cleric that supposedly came AFTER spell management for iOS. Someone is being dishonest about blaming the apple approval process.. I guess this is what we’re to expect going forward with the new direction of fandom.  

I can certainly see relying on your players to track their own HP/AC.  As a DM, I just like to know, secondly, I also DM for a lot of kids where I do need to track things more closely.  In Foundry VTT, I can see their HP and AC (or whichever attribute I want to track) and I find it really helpful.  As far as tracking AC, I personally don't like to ask if it hits but roll and narrate what happens.  Also, with so many games and players, it is hard for me to track, and is nice to have it there just for quick reference.  Anyhow, thanks for your feedback.

Ah, that makes sense. 

The problem I can see with auto-populating the info into the combat tracker is the combat track and their character sheet would need to like auto-refresh every time interval in order to keep both instances up to date. Monster stats are basically just pictures that don't change, but the character sheet, whether it has their full sheet or just HP, changes a lot in a battle. Which itself seem like could cause all sorts of problems, I'm not a programmer but it doesn't sound easy to me. Additionally if both the DM and the player tried to send an edit request at near the same time I am unsure how the serves would handle that. VTTs try to handle it by keeping the everything group together (and in my experience even that has problems when people try to do things at the same time), where as far as I know DnDbeyond is not set up that way and reformatting the entire site from the ground up seems a bit on the difficult side?

I know nothing so I am probably wrong about everything I just typed.

I can not subscribe pls help