If I own a tabletop board board game do I expect the digital version to be provided for free? If I own a book do I expect the kindle version for free? If I own a DVD do I expect netflix to stream it for free? ...
What I can get is this... If WotC had embraced the digital age there wouldn't be a need for DnD Beyond... but they don't and so DnD Beyond will grow to fill the gap and provide digital tools without breaching copyright law.
I suspect this WotC did this because they can charge a licensing fee and make a safe profit without risking the overheads of creating another failed digital product.
FYI I own both the books, and the Compendiums and it's clear to me that they're different products to be used in different ways
Considering malls are failing, books stores are dying and the entire concept of in person shopping is going the way of 4e- not to mention that "one retailer" is the biggest online retailer, fast approaching the benchmark of just being the biggest retailer globally at all- to be so dismissive of my point is silly. The vast majority of people looking to get into D&D will do a simple Google search of what they need before they leave the house and immediately see the $30 listing because Amazon pays good money to make sure of that. Then, if they are anything like me they will rush to the local book store excited to get their hands on it without waiting on the mail, only to find it costs $50 not $30. At that point I promise every single person, including yourself dear reader, would immediately take out their fancy pocket computer and order it with free shipping and a wait time, because at best maybe 1 out of 100 of us actually care so much about the future profits of Barnes and Noble as to pay the store upcharge. Once again, I completely agree that the people on the Beyond team are putting a ton of effort into making this an expansion on the book not just transcribing the content. Even still, it is not unreasonable to point out that there is a huge ($20) disparity between the much argued over MSRP, and what people in the community are actually paying.
I do highly doubt this would go anywhere, but one thing that would be fantastic would be to add a unique barcode on each book that you could scan using the app. It would add the book to the collection online, because it really is ridiculous that you would have to pay for the same book twice.
I do highly doubt this would go anywhere, but one thing that would be fantastic would be to add a unique barcode on each book that you could scan using the app. It would add the book to the collection online, because it really is ridiculous that you would have to pay for the same book twice.
That's been discussed ad nauseam. It would mean having to seal the books in the stores so nobody can just walk in open the book and scan the code and leave. It would add to the costs of the book - both for providing the physical and digital versions - and also for the extra packaging.
In the end you'd likely be spending the same amount of money if you're the kind of person who buys both.
I appreciate the service you and your team have developed but as a completely new player it would be very nice if you made it 100% clear that CERTAIN purchases of physical content won't be redeemable on the site. Unlike what other people are saying here, there are certain pieces of physical content that can be redeemed on the site. I'm brand new to this, like just started 2 weeks ago. I bought the Essentials Kit and found out that I could redeem it on the site and gain access to all the resources within. When I wanted to make an Undying Warlock on the site and found out I needed a new book (Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide) I figured I would buy a hard copy then redeem it on the site like my Essentials Kit. Well I was unpleasantly surprised that I could not do that AFTER I got my hard copy.
As a complete newbie, I need something like your character creator to guide me through the creation process, and now I have to go rebuy the rules on the site so I can use it. To say that you operate entirely separately from the physical content is a lie, and when the first and only piece of D&D content you buy is redeemable, why would you not assume it all works that way? I come from 40k, when I see the Games Workshop logo on any site I now it's legit. With D&D stuff you guys seem to want to make it as hard as possible for new players. In the damn logo for D&D Beyond you guys use the dragon ampersand. It all looks official, and when my Essentials Kit, produced by Wizards of the Coast, the official team, interfaces with your site, you make it seem like you guys are a fully integrated part of their team. Your site looks good, it looks official, and that's an issue when it's not and when it tricks new players into thinking it is. No where on your homepage does it say "We are not associated with Wizards of the Coast" or anything similar.
You guys deserve to be paid for the services you provide, no problems there. But please make the separation between you and the official team more clear for new players, and make it damn clear that while some hard copies can be redeemed on the site, not all of them can, and clearly list which ones can.
I do not think this needs to be any more clear than it already is. If a product does not say it includes both the physical and digital product, then it does not. There is never a reason to assume just because some products are bundled this way that all products will be bundled this way. And this does not apply to just buying products. This applies to all other areas of life. I do not think it is right to blame others for not taking the time to read carefully, and ignorance does not absolve a person of responsibility.
If anything, the common understanding is that physical and digital products are never bundled together unless explicitly says so, and bundled products are due to special reasons or circumstances, and it is not a common practice for all products being sold.
If a person buy a movie bundle with both Blue-Ray, DVD, and a digital code for redemption on Google Play, the average consumer out there is not going to assume every physical movie they buy is going to come with all three formats.
Let me explain to you why you're wrong. It does not say anywhere in the marketing material for the Essentials Kit on Amazon or on the box that it is paired with DnD Beyond. Only when you open the box do you find the leaflet. So the lack of this on other products doesn't allude to it not being included. Unless you are truly familiar with DnD Beyond, if you are a new player, you would just assume that this is an official site. This is the issue.
On Amazon's Essential Kit page, it literally says so that it comes with a code for D&D Beyond. "• Continue your Dungeons & Dragons journey with codes to unlock content on D&D Beyond, the official digital toolset for D&D."
And if you read the back of the box, it even says so in plain English: "Unique product key to unlock a digital version of the Dragon of Icespire Peak adventure"
Companies should be as transparent as possible, but that does not mean they have to spell out everything on their products' packaging. Consumers have the responsibility to do research for themselves before making a purchase.
It doesn't mention that their is a code in the Essentials Kit, and it does not mention that their isn't a code with any other book. So it IS their fault for not making it clear that that was a special thing with that particular set. If you got in a car and it didn't have brakes and crashed, you would blame them for not telling you it didn't have brakes when every other car that you had ever been in had breaks, even if no one told you explicitly that those other cars had brakes. If the Essentials Kit said "Special offer, buy this and redeem the included code online" somewhere on it, then sure, it would be my fault for not reading it, but I can't carefully read non-existent words.
I'm sure that people who have been buying physical releases for years may think this is a no-brainer, but for a person new to the space it is very misleading.
As mentioned above, the physical box does say that it comes with a code. Additionally, it is reasonable for one to assume that any car they buy will come with breaks and generally be safe to drive when purchased from a reputable business. However, it is not reasonable to assume that products come bundled together, and it is not unreasonable to expect consumers to be able to do basic research before making a purchase.
I am also relatively new to D&D as I have only gotten into the hobby one and a half years ago. Being new to D&D does not eliminate my responsibility to do research before I purchase any product. I have never assumed that any physical product I buy come bundled with any other products, whether it is D&D books, Taylor Swift albums, Harry Potter books, Citrus manga, or Pokémon games that I buy. I do not blame others for my own ignorance as the internet is just a tip of the finger away to answer almost any question.
I appreciate the service you and your team have developed but as a completely new player it would be very nice if you made it 100% clear that CERTAIN purchases of physical content won't be redeemable on the site. Unlike what other people are saying here, there are certain pieces of physical content that can be redeemed on the site. I'm brand new to this, like just started 2 weeks ago. I bought the Essentials Kit and found out that I could redeem it on the site and gain access to all the resources within. When I wanted to make an Undying Warlock on the site and found out I needed a new book (Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide) I figured I would buy a hard copy then redeem it on the site like my Essentials Kit. Well I was unpleasantly surprised that I could not do that AFTER I got my hard copy.
As a complete newbie, I need something like your character creator to guide me through the creation process, and now I have to go rebuy the rules on the site so I can use it. To say that you operate entirely separately from the physical content is a lie, and when the first and only piece of D&D content you buy is redeemable, why would you not assume it all works that way? I come from 40k, when I see the Games Workshop logo on any site I now it's legit. With D&D stuff you guys seem to want to make it as hard as possible for new players. In the damn logo for D&D Beyond you guys use the dragon ampersand. It all looks official, and when my Essentials Kit, produced by Wizards of the Coast, the official team, interfaces with your site, you make it seem like you guys are a fully integrated part of their team. Your site looks good, it looks official, and that's an issue when it's not and when it tricks new players into thinking it is. No where on your homepage does it say "We are not associated with Wizards of the Coast" or anything similar.
You guys deserve to be paid for the services you provide, no problems there. But please make the separation between you and the official team more clear for new players, and make it damn clear that while some hard copies can be redeemed on the site, not all of them can, and clearly list which ones can.
D&D Beyond doesn't have any control or input on what is displayed on physical products. D&D Beyond is a separate, independent company from Wizards of the Coast who make D&D. Additionally, while the fifth edition of D&D is a bit over 5 years in, D&D Beyond is only 3 and a bit years old (maybe closer to 6 and 4 years respectively, I'd have to check). As such, there are products out there on shelves that were printed before D&D Beyond even existed.
It is not a lie to say that D&D Beyond operates separately from the physical products; D&D Beyond licenses the content published by Wizards of the Coast (rules, lore, art etc), but does not interact with the physical content published, printed and distributed by Wizards of the Coast in the form of physical books. With the exception of promotional tie ins such as the Essentials Kit and the Theros pre-order code, the digital content offered by D&D Beyond is an independent product and service to the physical books.
While D&D Beyond does have a license to use some branding associated with Dungeons and Dragons, including but not limited to the ampersand logo, it does state at the bottom of each page the following:
There is no attempt at deception or subterfuge on the part of D&D Beyond, it is simply that this site offers exclusively tools and compendium content for the fifth edition of D&D and thus has an agreement with Wizards of the Coast to use branding relevant to that.
To OP: Yeah, sorry. That can't really be done. There are ways to manage this (like using homebrew tools, buying just he stuff you need, or campaign content sharing from someone who has it), but straight up adding books isn't a thing.
To the arguing hordes: Yeah, sorry. No point arguing about it. It's been done over and over and over. The discussion at this point is mute. Arguing from any side will change nothing to the current business. Thinking it will have a butterfly effect on future products is wishful at best.
Lastly, just a single personal musing. Why do people expect this sort of thing? No one ever expects to be given a physical copy of the PHB for buying it on DNDBeyond, so why the opposite would make sense? I guess it's because the books aren't cheap, and DNDB service is desireable, so maybe people wish they could get both the awesomeness of the physical and the digital for the price of one. But then... I can't put my physical Magic cards into MTG Arena (or vice versa), I can't get Audible's audiobooks from physical copies, or get a movie ticket by flashing a DVD at the box office.
I'll answer that question, because when I buy a D&D book specifically, its to play D&D, which is normally around a table with friends. I have already bought it, why would i go to another store to buy it again if I still have them? This website advertises as D&D, however does not allow the prior purchased items of D&D to be used. I would never buy something and expect a free duplicate from a different store, but when I buy something on my Xbox, and the newer Xbox comes out, I can still use my old Xbox games on the new Xbox. I bought D&D books prior to this website existing, and had no idea it would become a thing. So when I already own D&D books, and they advertise as D&D I would want to carry over what I already have? Why should I have to pay twice with my money going to two middlemen? I would never ask Best Buy to give me a TV because I bought it at Walmart; but I would ask D&D to give me the books I already paid for on the platform they are promoting :/ The money is still going to WoTC, and I'm not paying them twice
It's important to remember that D&D Beyond isn't 'D&D'; it's a site owned and run by a different company (Fandom) to the one that makes D&D (Wizards of the Coast). D&D Beyond is on the same level as your local gaming store, amazon, roll20 or fantasy grounds; they are a merchant selling one form of access to the D&D rules as licensed from WotC. So D&D Beyond is more like this:
I have already bought it, why would i go to another store to buy it again if I still have them?
As D&D Beyond is indeed another 'store' compared to the one where you bought your book, and less like:
buy something on my Xbox, and the newer Xbox comes out, I can still use my old Xbox games on the new Xbox
To follow this line of analogy, D&D is a game published by Bethesda, your physical book the Playstation copy, D&D Beyond is the Xbox copy, and there are also Switch, Stadia and PC copies. You can't convert your purchases just like you can't convert your books.
There are many reasons which have been discussed exhaustively at length in other threads, but a quick summary is:
Would result in increased price of books which would put off people who have no interest in using D&D Beyond which would actually harm the hobby
WotC has other digital partners, so can't really show favouritism to one, so it's either none or all
Putting codes in books requires sealing books which deters sales as people like to look through books in stores (less of a thing now, but is still a consideration)
Not sealing books means people can just snapshot the codes and redeem without purchase (this is a problem that plagued Nintendo Club back in the Gamecube and Wii era; people would just write down the codes in the game cases and redeem them)
Printing codes in books increases printing costs (you need a two stage system)
Point of Sale code verification systems have an overhead that smaller gaming stores can't afford
Point of Sale coupons are insecure and can be trivially stolen (interesting factlet; this is why Subway moved over to an app, their stamps were being stolen by the fist full and costing the company hundreds of thousands of dollars)
Doesn't help people who have purchased books prior to D&D Beyond existing
Basically there is no way that doesn't cause one or more groups (other than people who want two books for the price of one) to be much worse off
Also... can't you already add extra stuff for free from the physical copies as homebrew content?
Yep, you just can't publish it. And there are a few things, like Invocations, Meta Magic options, etc. that can't be homebrewed. But races, subclasses, spells, magic items and monsters can all be homebrewed.
I came here looking for answer directly after buying the physical (and italian version) player handbook, since there are physical edition that include redeems to dndbeyond (the essentials kit) this is a thing that can be done, but I understand that needs license agreements between wotc and dndbeyond.
still I hope an agreement like this could be done (paying for the service, not for the content is probably still expected)
btw looking at the marketplace what is the difference between the compendium(the italian translation of the PHB here is only available as that) and the full set?
It sounds to me that this is more of a perception vs. reality problem. Perception is this is all WoTC work and as far as game rules and story lines, true. As for the DND Beyond team, they did an amazing job of creating a web site and service that, to me, is positively seamless. I didn’t even realize it was a different company! That is what they worked on creating the web (hyperlinks and all) version of this. Web sites cost money to make and are difficult to get right.
This is where the “problem” arises. I too wondered why I could scan/ type a code to add my hard copies to my DnD Beyond account. Low and behold, I was a bit tiffed at first because I had already spent a chunk of money on my physical books. Also, I misunderstood the connection between DND Beyond and WoTC. My confusion came from the coupon code itself in the Essential Pack. Being the impatient gamer I am I just ASSUMED they were all one company with WoTC driving business to their web division. Not so.
I think a bit of clarification on the marketing end would have made this a much more resolvable thought process. Sadly, we live in a world where feelings matter more than reality. You may feel ripped off, but your not.
The service provided here is fantastic to say the least. in our free market society, it doesn’t matter if you created it but if you tweaked it enough and have permission to use it from the originator.
I say well done DnD Beyond and you have parted me from my hard earned money but created a different problem... which to move forward with?
Good luck to all and remember DnD’s main purpose is to have fun.
I don't personally understand why people make the mistake of thinking this website is owned by WotC.
The site actually has a different style, different URL, and literally says who owns it (Curse, later Fandom) on every single page.
Maybe I'm a bit harsh but it isn't D&D Beyond's fault if you don't read the page properly. Even then, even if you do miss that text, you still shouldn't be making the assumption. It's not a failure of perception or marketing - it's purely the user making an unfounded assumption instead of checking and not paying attention to what is directly in front of them.
So it's not an acceptable excuse as far as I'm concerned.
I hadn't given this a lot of thought until today lol -- Amazon is running a LOT of their 5e books on a 3 for 2 sale. Had to do some serious number crunching this morning:
Saltmarsh, Acquisitions Inc, and Eberron on DnD Beyond -- $90
Same on Amazon -- NORMALLY $94.58. Today? $72.22
Leaves me plenty of my DnD budget left over to buy the character classes, races, whatever I need from DnDB when I run those campaigns (or even enough to grab another book that I want). It's not optimal - in a perfect world, WotC would work with DnDB and make it so that you could unlock digital content (they could even make the codes platform agnostic, so that you could use the code wherever you want). It isn't a perfect world though, so we have to do what we have to do.
I would have more sympathy with the D&DBeyond position if they allowed you to buy physical copies of the books with an electronic copy as well (I would even pay more for this). Or if they charged a reasonable price (eg. £5-10) for a book. It may be different in the UK, but I pay a similar price for my physical book (£33) as I would for a D&Dbeyond electronic copy [REDACTED]. I’m with all the others who say D&DBeyond are rinsing fans on the basis of having 1 character creator
I would have more sympathy with the D&DBeyond position if they allowed you to buy physical copies of the books with an electronic copy as well (I would even pay more for this). Or if they charged a reasonable price (eg. £5-10) for a book. It may be different in the UK, but I pay a similar price for my physical book (£33) as I would for a D&Dbeyond electronic copy [REDACTED]. I’m with all the others who say D&DBeyond are rinsing fans on the basis of having 1 character creator
Have the Physical Books? Confused as to why you're not allowed to redeem them for free on D&D Beyond? Questions answered here at the Hardcover Books, D&D Beyond and You FAQ
Looking to add mouse-over triggered tooltips to such things like magic items, monsters or combat actions? Then dash over to the How to Add Tooltips thread.
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If I own a tabletop board board game do I expect the digital version to be provided for free?
If I own a book do I expect the kindle version for free?
If I own a DVD do I expect netflix to stream it for free?
...
What I can get is this... If WotC had embraced the digital age there wouldn't be a need for DnD Beyond... but they don't and so DnD Beyond will grow to fill the gap and provide digital tools without breaching copyright law.
I suspect this WotC did this because they can charge a licensing fee and make a safe profit without risking the overheads of creating another failed digital product.
FYI I own both the books, and the Compendiums and it's clear to me that they're different products to be used in different ways
Considering malls are failing, books stores are dying and the entire concept of in person shopping is going the way of 4e- not to mention that "one retailer" is the biggest online retailer, fast approaching the benchmark of just being the biggest retailer globally at all- to be so dismissive of my point is silly. The vast majority of people looking to get into D&D will do a simple Google search of what they need before they leave the house and immediately see the $30 listing because Amazon pays good money to make sure of that. Then, if they are anything like me they will rush to the local book store excited to get their hands on it without waiting on the mail, only to find it costs $50 not $30. At that point I promise every single person, including yourself dear reader, would immediately take out their fancy pocket computer and order it with free shipping and a wait time, because at best maybe 1 out of 100 of us actually care so much about the future profits of Barnes and Noble as to pay the store upcharge. Once again, I completely agree that the people on the Beyond team are putting a ton of effort into making this an expansion on the book not just transcribing the content. Even still, it is not unreasonable to point out that there is a huge ($20) disparity between the much argued over MSRP, and what people in the community are actually paying.
I do highly doubt this would go anywhere, but one thing that would be fantastic would be to add a unique barcode on each book that you could scan using the app. It would add the book to the collection online, because it really is ridiculous that you would have to pay for the same book twice.
That's been discussed ad nauseam. It would mean having to seal the books in the stores so nobody can just walk in open the book and scan the code and leave. It would add to the costs of the book - both for providing the physical and digital versions - and also for the extra packaging.
In the end you'd likely be spending the same amount of money if you're the kind of person who buys both.
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I do not think this needs to be any more clear than it already is. If a product does not say it includes both the physical and digital product, then it does not. There is never a reason to assume just because some products are bundled this way that all products will be bundled this way. And this does not apply to just buying products. This applies to all other areas of life. I do not think it is right to blame others for not taking the time to read carefully, and ignorance does not absolve a person of responsibility.
If anything, the common understanding is that physical and digital products are never bundled together unless explicitly says so, and bundled products are due to special reasons or circumstances, and it is not a common practice for all products being sold.
If a person buy a movie bundle with both Blue-Ray, DVD, and a digital code for redemption on Google Play, the average consumer out there is not going to assume every physical movie they buy is going to come with all three formats.
Check Licenses and Resync Entitlements: < https://www.dndbeyond.com/account/marketplace >
Running the Game by Matt Colville; Introduction: < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-YZvLUXcR8 >
D&D with High School Students by Bill Allen; Season 1 Episode 1: < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52NJTUDokyk&t >
On Amazon's Essential Kit page, it literally says so that it comes with a code for D&D Beyond.
"• Continue your Dungeons & Dragons journey with codes to unlock content on D&D Beyond, the official digital toolset for D&D."
And if you read the back of the box, it even says so in plain English:
"Unique product key to unlock a digital version of the Dragon of Icespire Peak adventure"
A lot of Blu Rays comes with codes, but a ton more also come without codes, and ones without codes are also generally cheaper.
If you paid attention and read the whole thing at the bottom of the site, it reads:
©2021 D&D Beyond | All Rights Reserved | Powered by Fandom Games
Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, their respective logos, and all Wizards titles and characters are property of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the U.S.A. and other countries. ©2021 Wizards.
Not only that, a simple Google search will tell you that Beyond and Wizards are not related.
Companies should be as transparent as possible, but that does not mean they have to spell out everything on their products' packaging. Consumers have the responsibility to do research for themselves before making a purchase.
As mentioned above, the physical box does say that it comes with a code. Additionally, it is reasonable for one to assume that any car they buy will come with breaks and generally be safe to drive when purchased from a reputable business. However, it is not reasonable to assume that products come bundled together, and it is not unreasonable to expect consumers to be able to do basic research before making a purchase.
I am also relatively new to D&D as I have only gotten into the hobby one and a half years ago. Being new to D&D does not eliminate my responsibility to do research before I purchase any product. I have never assumed that any physical product I buy come bundled with any other products, whether it is D&D books, Taylor Swift albums, Harry Potter books, Citrus manga, or Pokémon games that I buy. I do not blame others for my own ignorance as the internet is just a tip of the finger away to answer almost any question.
Check Licenses and Resync Entitlements: < https://www.dndbeyond.com/account/marketplace >
Running the Game by Matt Colville; Introduction: < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-YZvLUXcR8 >
D&D with High School Students by Bill Allen; Season 1 Episode 1: < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52NJTUDokyk&t >
D&D Beyond doesn't have any control or input on what is displayed on physical products. D&D Beyond is a separate, independent company from Wizards of the Coast who make D&D. Additionally, while the fifth edition of D&D is a bit over 5 years in, D&D Beyond is only 3 and a bit years old (maybe closer to 6 and 4 years respectively, I'd have to check). As such, there are products out there on shelves that were printed before D&D Beyond even existed.
It is not a lie to say that D&D Beyond operates separately from the physical products; D&D Beyond licenses the content published by Wizards of the Coast (rules, lore, art etc), but does not interact with the physical content published, printed and distributed by Wizards of the Coast in the form of physical books. With the exception of promotional tie ins such as the Essentials Kit and the Theros pre-order code, the digital content offered by D&D Beyond is an independent product and service to the physical books.
While D&D Beyond does have a license to use some branding associated with Dungeons and Dragons, including but not limited to the ampersand logo, it does state at the bottom of each page the following:
There is no attempt at deception or subterfuge on the part of D&D Beyond, it is simply that this site offers exclusively tools and compendium content for the fifth edition of D&D and thus has an agreement with Wizards of the Coast to use branding relevant to that.
D&D Beyond moderator across forums, Discord, Twitch and YouTube. Always happy to help and willing to answer questions (or at least try). (he/him/his)
How I'm posting based on text formatting: Mod Hat On - Mod Hat Off
Site Rules & Guidelines - Homebrew Rules - Looking for Players and Groups Rules
To OP: Yeah, sorry. That can't really be done. There are ways to manage this (like using homebrew tools, buying just he stuff you need, or campaign content sharing from someone who has it), but straight up adding books isn't a thing.
To the arguing hordes:
Yeah, sorry. No point arguing about it. It's been done over and over and over. The discussion at this point is mute. Arguing from any side will change nothing to the current business. Thinking it will have a butterfly effect on future products is wishful at best.
Lastly, just a single personal musing. Why do people expect this sort of thing? No one ever expects to be given a physical copy of the PHB for buying it on DNDBeyond, so why the opposite would make sense? I guess it's because the books aren't cheap, and DNDB service is desireable, so maybe people wish they could get both the awesomeness of the physical and the digital for the price of one. But then... I can't put my physical Magic cards into MTG Arena (or vice versa), I can't get Audible's audiobooks from physical copies, or get a movie ticket by flashing a DVD at the box office.
I'll answer that question, because when I buy a D&D book specifically, its to play D&D, which is normally around a table with friends. I have already bought it, why would i go to another store to buy it again if I still have them? This website advertises as D&D, however does not allow the prior purchased items of D&D to be used. I would never buy something and expect a free duplicate from a different store, but when I buy something on my Xbox, and the newer Xbox comes out, I can still use my old Xbox games on the new Xbox. I bought D&D books prior to this website existing, and had no idea it would become a thing. So when I already own D&D books, and they advertise as D&D I would want to carry over what I already have? Why should I have to pay twice with my money going to two middlemen? I would never ask Best Buy to give me a TV because I bought it at Walmart; but I would ask D&D to give me the books I already paid for on the platform they are promoting :/ The money is still going to WoTC, and I'm not paying them twice
It's important to remember that D&D Beyond isn't 'D&D'; it's a site owned and run by a different company (Fandom) to the one that makes D&D (Wizards of the Coast). D&D Beyond is on the same level as your local gaming store, amazon, roll20 or fantasy grounds; they are a merchant selling one form of access to the D&D rules as licensed from WotC. So D&D Beyond is more like this:
As D&D Beyond is indeed another 'store' compared to the one where you bought your book, and less like:
To follow this line of analogy, D&D is a game published by Bethesda, your physical book the Playstation copy, D&D Beyond is the Xbox copy, and there are also Switch, Stadia and PC copies. You can't convert your purchases just like you can't convert your books.
There are many reasons which have been discussed exhaustively at length in other threads, but a quick summary is:
Basically there is no way that doesn't cause one or more groups (other than people who want two books for the price of one) to be much worse off
D&D Beyond moderator across forums, Discord, Twitch and YouTube. Always happy to help and willing to answer questions (or at least try). (he/him/his)
How I'm posting based on text formatting: Mod Hat On - Mod Hat Off
Site Rules & Guidelines - Homebrew Rules - Looking for Players and Groups Rules
Also... can't you already add extra stuff for free from the physical copies as homebrew content?
Yep, you just can't publish it. And there are a few things, like Invocations, Meta Magic options, etc. that can't be homebrewed. But races, subclasses, spells, magic items and monsters can all be homebrewed.
Trying to Decide if DDB is for you? A few helpful threads: A Buyer's Guide to DDB; What I/We Bought and Why; How some DMs use DDB; A Newer Thread on Using DDB to Play
Helpful threads on other topics: Homebrew FAQ by IamSposta; Accessing Content by ConalTheGreat;
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Fortunately, Invocations are basically feats, and if you squint just a bit Metamagic can be covered by feats too.
I came here looking for answer directly after buying the physical (and italian version) player handbook,
since there are physical edition that include redeems to dndbeyond (the essentials kit) this is a thing that can be done, but I understand that needs license agreements between wotc and dndbeyond.
still I hope an agreement like this could be done (paying for the service, not for the content is probably still expected)
btw looking at the marketplace what is the difference between the compendium(the italian translation of the PHB here is only available as that) and the full set?
The “Compendium Only” is just the book to read, the “Full Version” includes all of the bells and whistles for the character builder as well.
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Epic Boons on DDB
It sounds to me that this is more of a perception vs. reality problem. Perception is this is all WoTC work and as far as game rules and story lines, true. As for the DND Beyond team, they did an amazing job of creating a web site and service that, to me, is positively seamless. I didn’t even realize it was a different company! That is what they worked on creating the web (hyperlinks and all) version of this. Web sites cost money to make and are difficult to get right.
This is where the “problem” arises. I too wondered why I could scan/ type a code to add my hard copies to my DnD Beyond account. Low and behold, I was a bit tiffed at first because I had already spent a chunk of money on my physical books. Also, I misunderstood the connection between DND Beyond and WoTC. My confusion came from the coupon code itself in the Essential Pack. Being the impatient gamer I am I just ASSUMED they were all one company with WoTC driving business to their web division. Not so.
I think a bit of clarification on the marketing end would have made this a much more resolvable thought process. Sadly, we live in a world where feelings matter more than reality. You may feel ripped off, but your not.
The service provided here is fantastic to say the least. in our free market society, it doesn’t matter if you created it but if you tweaked it enough and have permission to use it from the originator.
I say well done DnD Beyond and you have parted me from my hard earned money but created a different problem... which to move forward with?
Good luck to all and remember DnD’s main purpose is to have fun.
I don't personally understand why people make the mistake of thinking this website is owned by WotC.
The site actually has a different style, different URL, and literally says who owns it (Curse, later Fandom) on every single page.
Maybe I'm a bit harsh but it isn't D&D Beyond's fault if you don't read the page properly. Even then, even if you do miss that text, you still shouldn't be making the assumption. It's not a failure of perception or marketing - it's purely the user making an unfounded assumption instead of checking and not paying attention to what is directly in front of them.
So it's not an acceptable excuse as far as I'm concerned.
My Homebrew: Races | Subclasses | Backgrounds | Spells | Magic Items | Feats
Need help with Homebrew? Check out this FAQ/Guide thread by IamSposta
See My Youtube Videos for Tips & Tricks using D&D Beyond
I hadn't given this a lot of thought until today lol -- Amazon is running a LOT of their 5e books on a 3 for 2 sale. Had to do some serious number crunching this morning:
Saltmarsh, Acquisitions Inc, and Eberron on DnD Beyond -- $90
Same on Amazon -- NORMALLY $94.58. Today? $72.22
Leaves me plenty of my DnD budget left over to buy the character classes, races, whatever I need from DnDB when I run those campaigns (or even enough to grab another book that I want). It's not optimal - in a perfect world, WotC would work with DnDB and make it so that you could unlock digital content (they could even make the codes platform agnostic, so that you could use the code wherever you want). It isn't a perfect world though, so we have to do what we have to do.
I would have more sympathy with the D&DBeyond position if they allowed you to buy physical copies of the books with an electronic copy as well (I would even pay more for this). Or if they charged a reasonable price (eg. £5-10) for a book. It may be different in the UK, but I pay a similar price for my physical book (£33) as I would for a D&Dbeyond electronic copy [REDACTED]. I’m with all the others who say D&DBeyond are rinsing fans on the basis of having 1 character creator
For your convenience :)
#Open D&D
Have the Physical Books? Confused as to why you're not allowed to redeem them for free on D&D Beyond? Questions answered here at the Hardcover Books, D&D Beyond and You FAQ
Looking to add mouse-over triggered tooltips to such things like magic items, monsters or combat actions? Then dash over to the How to Add Tooltips thread.