When this system exits beta will we have to pay for an app or have an ongoing subscription service, if we have all of the guides could we have access to the info contained in the books without having to pay again somehow? I'm just worried that I might not be able to afford this great source of information.
The way it stands, paying a subscription is optional. You get bonuses for paying a subscription like unlimited character slots, downloading other people's homebrew, and sharing all unlocked books with your group.
As for unlocking content, there will be bundles and books, and single class purchases (you choose how you wanna unlock it). Once you unlock it you get that content on your account whether you're paying a subscription or not. And you'll be able to access it on your offline app.
See the developer quotes below in my signature for more things that the staff has revealed!
if we have all of the guides could we have access to the info contained in the books without having to pay again somehow?
To answer this directly - no. There is no current verification method to establish ownership of any titles. Further, WOTC is not developing D&D Beyond, so the site staff here would need their own revenue to fund these efforts. I know this may be a touch of unfortunate news, but equate such to viewing a movie in theater, then having to buy the VHS, Bluray, etc. as well; various forms of media will come at a cost from different retailers.
if we have all of the guides could we have access to the info contained in the books without having to pay again somehow?
To answer this directly - no. There is no current verification method to establish ownership of any titles. Further, WOTC is not developing D&D Beyond, so the site staff here would need their own revenue to fund these efforts. I know this may be a touch of unfortunate news, but equate such to viewing a movie in theater, then having to buy the VHS, Bluray, etc. as well; various forms of media will come at a cost from different retailers.
Thank you for the feedback!
I understand from a business stand point this decision, however as you said it is unfortunate news and frustrating. Full price DND books are around $50 for one book. Many of us have spent hundreds of dollars on these books. For those that may use Roll20 or Fantasy grounds they then have to spend sometimes the same full price to get the digital access to the book they just purchased. Finally if they want to gain access to that same information on DNDBeyond they have to pay it again. So theoretically a player could have spent $200 just to use one book on the various formats. To use your analogy just because you view a movie in the theater you still have to buy the VHS, Blu-Ray, Etc... at a cost from different retailers. However now the vast majority of the time once we buy the media to own (instead of just renting the experience of the theater) you can buy a version that has DVD, Blu-Ray, Digital and perhaps even 4K format for just a small increase in price instead of paying full price for each different format.
I completely realize the DNDBeyond is beholden to what WOTC says they can do or charge. But it is frustrating when many other successful RPG systems will provide Digital Downloads of PDFs of their books (for maybe even $5/10 more), and WOTC won't even let an individual buy a PDF in all it's full-color glory and instead decide to create a service (most likely monthly) that a user has to pay to get access. The biggest hurdle will be the cost. If a user buys a $50 book but decides they want a PDF so they don't need to break their back (that isn't an option) so they turn to DNDBeyond (which don't get me wrong looks really promising) but if that cost is another $50 to use the material in that book a user might easily say it's not worth it whereas something that is priced as more of an addon $5-10 ish they might be more likely to pay the extra.
I am not trying to devalue the work that DNDBeyond is doing because it is obviously a lot and they should be compensated for such. I am just worried that WOTC has a tendency to want players to rent rather then own which is why services like DNDBeyond exist but PDFs don't. And eventually once they don't think it's worth supporting (like 4E) the character builders/compendiums will be shut down and despite putting in money for perhaps years we will no longer have access to the data.
Good for the shareholders, bad for the dicerollers.
They have explicitly stated multiple times that books and content will be a one-time purchase, not a subscription. The monthly subscription will be for using the services, but the actual rules you buy will be yours.
They have explicitly stated multiple times that books and content will be a one-time purchase, not a subscription. The monthly subscription will be for using the services, but the actual rules you buy will be yours.
TLDR: Good Point, Thanks for the info I will make sure to read the forum more.
Thanks, I apologize I hadn't read all of the forum. However (and again I apologize if this has been already stated) the books and content being a one-time purchase is great, but if the subscription is for using the service what happens when your subscription stops, or the service itself stops? While I wish DNDBeyond the best of luck and a long life we have seen DND Digital Tools repeatedly shut down and then made unavailable to users. When (or if) that occurs again will we have access to the content we purchased, or a way to use it or are we once again just renting the use of it?
I like DND 5E, but I also liked DND 4E, DND 3E and I probably will like DND 6E. But one of the most unfortunate things is tools get made and when the new hotness comes along the old stuff gets taken away and then not supported. The offline character builder for DND 4E was great but because of concerns of piracy it was shut down. WOTC did everything they could to prevent people from letting other users even find a way to install the offline copy later. So they made their new DND 4E online-only service which was met with mixed reviews (for me it wasn't great. It was better than nothing but it lacked a lot of features). But when DND 5E came out they stopped letting their DND 4E online services be available. This hurts people who liked 4E, I mean I like 5E too but I wish DND would embrace all editions. Because DND more than anything else could easily have a person play 5E with one group, 4E with another, 3E with another and so on. 3E lasted 3 years, 3.5E lasted 5 years, 4E lasted 6 years. 5E is already 3 years old and judging by the previous editions could be close to halfway through it's life cycle. So in another 3 to 4 years are we going to lose access to DNDBeyond or the ability to access what we purchased?
Realistically it is a worry with all digital media. Take e-books or comics for example. Most of them require a reader and some are proprietary. Now some have also allowed for PDFs or format agnostic versions to be downloaded and backed up for a user, but some companies have not made that available and so the user are at the whim of the company and hope that the items will always be available and if the service shuts down they won't be without the items they have purchased.
Ideally (for me) I could purchase a one-time app (or perhaps the starter is free) for Computer, iOS and Android (and whatever else) that would give me a character builder, access to a compendium and some DM Tools. I could then purchase (although as mentioned it's frustrating to have to buy the books again even more so if it is the same cost of the book I already one) additional books and also have the ability to make my own homebrew. This could be used offline (data stored locally) and would not require constant server authentication in case the company decides to no longer support the device and it is now unavailable. I would like to be able to backup all my data and if I get a new computer/device later (maybe even after the service is shut down) I could install the app and upload the items I purchased that I backed up. I realize my wishes may not be feasible and piracy has always been a concern of WOTC (whether it is a legit fear or creates unnecessary hurdles to inconvenience users resulting in less sales or increase in piracy in order to use documents how they wish to be used).
I am sure this has all been stated before and I am not trying to be rude or start re-hashing things that have been stated again and again. It was just some concerns I had but I will read over the forum more thoroughly to make sure I am better informed.
Companies starting on a promising new product that meets a current market demand don't typically do so with the intention to fail. It will be up to WotC to decide what to do if D&D Beyond no longer exists. Perhaps they will give e-reader versions to everyone that purchased a book on DDB or maybe they'll even distribute the content in pdf. No one can tell you what the future holds for the product, so speculating on its failure is counter-productive to the intention of this Beta. Lets focus on making this something that DMs and PCs can use and enjoy for the life of 5th edition.
Companies starting on a promising new product that meets a current market demand don't typically do so with the intention to fail. It will be up to WotC to decide what to do if D&D Beyond no longer exists. Perhaps they will give e-reader versions to everyone that purchased a book on DDB or maybe they'll even distribute the content in pdf. No one can tell you what the future holds for the product, so speculating on its failure is counter-productive to the intention of this Beta. Lets focus on making this something that DMs and PCs can use and enjoy for the life of 5th edition.
My apologies, I realized that my post may come across as doom and gloom and having read many of of those types of posts on the old DND Forums negativity is the last thing I want to spread more of. I am excited for DND Beyond and I wish for it and DND's continued success. I know we as end-users and probably even the developers have many things they wish could happen but because of corporate decisions they may not happen. It is what it is, but thanks for checking the forums and letting us know we aren't just talking into a void.
***aaaaannnd I just noticed the mega thread dealing with Users and subscription formats....so I am going to sheepishly look there and sorry for commenting about things that have been most likely said a thousand times before.......
When this system exits beta will we have to pay for an app or have an ongoing subscription service, if we have all of the guides could we have access to the info contained in the books without having to pay again somehow? I'm just worried that I might not be able to afford this great source of information.
Hey Litch_Maker,
The way it stands, paying a subscription is optional. You get bonuses for paying a subscription like unlimited character slots, downloading other people's homebrew, and sharing all unlocked books with your group.
As for unlocking content, there will be bundles and books, and single class purchases (you choose how you wanna unlock it). Once you unlock it you get that content on your account whether you're paying a subscription or not. And you'll be able to access it on your offline app.
See the developer quotes below in my signature for more things that the staff has revealed!
Site Rules & Guidelines --- Focused Feedback Mega Threads --- Staff Quotes --- Homebrew Tutorial --- Pricing FAQ
Please feel free to message either Sorce or another moderator if you have any concerns.
They have explicitly stated multiple times that books and content will be a one-time purchase, not a subscription. The monthly subscription will be for using the services, but the actual rules you buy will be yours.
Companies starting on a promising new product that meets a current market demand don't typically do so with the intention to fail. It will be up to WotC to decide what to do if D&D Beyond no longer exists. Perhaps they will give e-reader versions to everyone that purchased a book on DDB or maybe they'll even distribute the content in pdf. No one can tell you what the future holds for the product, so speculating on its failure is counter-productive to the intention of this Beta. Lets focus on making this something that DMs and PCs can use and enjoy for the life of 5th edition.
Site Rules & Guidelines --- Focused Feedback Mega Threads --- Staff Quotes --- Homebrew Tutorial --- Pricing FAQ
Please feel free to message either Sorce or another moderator if you have any concerns.