So now that DDB is officially becoming part of WoTC... Any chance you will honor future hardcopy purchases on DDB or provide a rebate code? Say 50%? - it shouldn't be hard... Put a stamp or sticker on the product insert page with the ISBN code and ask folks to cut it out and mail it in. Really this is a no-brainer.
All you need to do, is to put a sticker (with a 1 time hash code) on the inside cover page (with the ISBN code on the other side), and ask that for new purchases folks cut out that corner of the inside cover and mail-it in.
I doubt scammers would find the time to print fake ones on the same 2-sided glossy paper, and the hash would make sure the code authenticates against the ISBN which identifies the correct book e.g. Xanathar's.
The issue I see with any type of codes in books is not all stores have the books sealed. Places like Target, Walmart , and small store useally have them where people can look through them so you run the risk of someone either using their phone to take a picture of it , hop on the site and enter it, or just tear it out of the book
I have purchased the Legendary Bundle on dndbeyond and have added to it with purchases of every release since then. Should WotC offer me a coupon I can use at any game store or book seller for a discount on the physical copy? I don't want to have to pay for something I've already paid for, but I understand it costs money to print books. Perhaps the dndbeyond price, or at the very least the different compendium's prices should be sent to me as a universal coupon that should be honored by any online or brick and motar store for me to get all of the books I've already spent money on.
When Wizard of the Coast does this, I'll consider all of this a valid argument. Until then, stop complaining you're not being given free stuff.
So now that DDB is officially becoming part of WoTC... Any chance you will honor future hardcopy purchases on DDB or provide a rebate code? Say 50%? - it shouldn't be hard... Put a stamp or sticker on the product insert page with the ISBN code and ask folks to cut it out and mail it in. Really this is a no-brainer.
All you need to do, is to put a sticker (with a 1 time hash code) on the inside cover page (with the ISBN code on the other side), and ask that for new purchases folks cut out that corner of the inside cover and mail-it in.
I doubt scammers would find the time to print fake ones on the same 2-sided glossy paper, and the hash would make sure the code authenticates against the ISBN which identifies the correct book e.g. Xanathar's.
Implementing infrastructure to support this costs a lot of money, both to initially build it and to further maintain it. It simply is not worth it for a lot of businesses.
Customers are not entitled to any discount, and businesses are not obligated to save customers money. If Wizards is not making more money by bundling their products, then they have no reason to do so.
Customers are not entitled to any discount, and businesses are not obligated to save customers money. If Wizards is not making more money by bundling their products, then they have no reason to do so.
The key reason for WotC to bundle codes is to get people onto DDB, which WotC will now also make money from; the better they make DDB the more likely users will then be to subscribe, and maybe even buy more content than they would have done physically, not to mention digital extras like the dice.
I can only speak from my own experience, but I only own six physical books, and I probably wouldn't have bought even that many if my groups had been playing online from the start; but I own three of those plus a dozen other books (plus bits and pieces of various others) in digital only form.
If we assume it's easier to buy and use digital for most people, since physical books require suitable retailers and physical space, then it would follow that enticing people onto the digital platform is a net benefit to begin with. Plus if DDB does eventually realise the apparent aim to become a full virtual tabletop then subscriptions will become more valuable to players and WotC.
The subscriptions are a big reason why WotC would want to get people online though, as the more people are subscribed, the more regular income they get that isn't tied to new releases.
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
All you need to do, is to put a sticker (with a 1 time hash code) on the inside cover page (with the ISBN code on the other side), and ask that for new purchases folks cut out that corner of the inside cover and mail-it in.
I can see the people browsing in the bookstore: "Who cut the corners off theses pages?"
I'm sure processing tens of thousands of these mail-in requests would be fast and wouldn't require hiring people. Plus no need to hire a complaints department to handle all the calls from people who bought the books, but the corner was already missing. Or people who "bought the book", but claim the corner is already missing. Or it got lost in the mail.
Easiest way to bundle it without sealing the books is to add a two-part sticker to the inside cover; the top part peels away to reveal the code, and the bottom part will damage the book if removed too quickly (the aim isn't to damage the book, but to make it prohibitively slow to remove them in store).
If a code was exposed then the customer can report it as stolen if it doesn't work, in which case whoever redeemed it can have the digital content revoked and their account investigated (as some people may have bought the codes in good faith, not realising they were stolen). To report as stolen would require a dated proof of purchase (receipt or invoice) to show you haven't just bought the book second hand.
The other system is that you just provide the unlock codes alongside the books (not within them) and require retailers to bundle them either at the checkout or when packaging an order. The drawback of this method is the extra effort for retail staff, and it still requires some kind of system for checking codes weren't used (in case staff hand out the wrong code for a book and the customer wants to swap it for the correct one, you'd need to check that the wrong code is reinstated so it can be handed out with the correct book in future).
As with most such systems the goal is to prevent widespread abuse, as there's a balancing act between what you spend to prevent abuse, and what the abuse actually costs you.
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
Customers are not entitled to any discount, and businesses are not obligated to save customers money. If Wizards is not making more money by bundling their products, then they have no reason to do so.
The key reason for WotC to bundle codes is to get people onto DDB, which WotC will now also make money from; the better they make DDB the more likely users will then be to subscribe, and maybe even buy more content than they would have done physically, not to mention digital extras like the dice.
I can only speak from my own experience, but I only own six physical books, and I probably wouldn't have bought even that many if my groups had been playing online from the start; but I own three of those plus a dozen other books (plus bits and pieces of various others) in digital only form.
If we assume it's easier to buy and use digital for most people, since physical books require suitable retailers and physical space, then it would follow that enticing people onto the digital platform is a net benefit to begin with. Plus if DDB does eventually realise the apparent aim to become a full virtual tabletop then subscriptions will become more valuable to players and WotC.
The subscriptions are a big reason why WotC would want to get people online though, as the more people are subscribed, the more regular income they get that isn't tied to new releases.
Bundling does not always drive enough sales to offset the cost of bundling. If every industry and store can operate like Costco and sell products in bulk and bundles to earn more profit, they would do so. Most businesses cannot, especially when the customer base is not large and/or profitable enough.
Wizards would have done more to bundle their products if it actually increases sales enough. The fact that they still have not means it simply is not worth it.
Wizards would have done more to bundle their products if it actually increases sales enough. The fact that they still have not means it simply is not worth it.
Until yesterday they were two separate companies.
To implement something like this previously would have required complex negotiations between D&D Beyond and Wizards of the Coast to work out who would pay for implementing unlock codes at either end (printing and online) and how D&D Beyond would be reimbursed for the discounts they'd be expected to provide. As two separate companies it's very likely they never found a way to agree on that, because DDB will have tried to argue each discount as money "lost" and Wizards of the Coast wouldn't have wanted to negotiate away their cut of sales in exchange.
Now that it's one company things are less complicated; all they need to do is look at physical and digital sales, estimate the amount of crossover (how many people actually repurchase an entire book) and compare it against expected revenue from increasing digital customers. The simple fact that D&D Beyond is now an official provider (rather than just officially licensed) means the potential market is increased, and it's in Wizards of the Coast's best interests to grow it as much as possible, especially if that now means more potential revenue from subscribers (I'm unclear how much, if anything, went from subscriptions to WotC previously, they probably took some cut but mostly subscriptions are functional extras rather than licensed content).
There is absolutely a business case to be made for it, and the hurdles for actually doing it are now gone. Besides which, the best way to find out whether it would be worth it is for Wizards of the Coast to actually do it, as anything else is guesswork; they can initially call it a promotion, and if it's not making them more money then they can simply stop printing new codes.
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
Wizards would have done more to bundle their products if it actually increases sales enough. The fact that they still have not means it simply is not worth it.
Until yesterday they were two separate companies.
In my opinion, this is the hurdle of least concern. If something is profitable enough, companies will work something out. Despite the spat between Disney and Sony, because of how profitable the MCU is, they ultimately kept Spider-Man in the MCU because they realize they would still make more money working together.
There is absolutely a business case to be made for it, and the hurdles for actually doing it are now gone. Besides which, the best way to find out whether it would be worth it is for Wizards of the Coast to actually do it, as anything else is guesswork; they can initially call it a promotion, and if it's not making them more money then they can simply stop printing new codes.
The main hurdle is still there: cost. You cannot just pour a ton of money into establishing a new supply chain infrastructure and then just stop using it. That is a huge waste of money that could have went to something else.
Nintendo has a market cap of $60 billion USD, managing $19 billion ($1.6 trillion JPY) in total assets, generating $3.7 billion in net income ($471 billion JPY), the company is basically devoted entirely to videogames, they have numerous heavy weight competitors, the market is massive, and they still do not offer physical and digital bundles despite having access economy of scale and are under competitive pressure.
Hasbro has a market cap of $11 billion USD, managing $10 billion in total assets, generating $428 billion in net income, TTRPGs are not even the company's main focus, their closest TTRPG competitor is in distant second at best if not almost irrelevant at worst, the market is tiny, and I do not see them offering physical and digital bundles with much less resources, lack of competition, and a consumer base that is tiny and probably no more profitable than the average videogamer.
If we all accept the assumption that publicly traded corporations are generally profit driven (i.e.: greedy), it follows that they would strive to maximize net income by any means necessary, and if they are not doing "something" to maximize profit, that means that "something" probably is not worth doing since it is not going to maximize profit. I just do not see a change of ownership changing the calculus of bundling that much.
Easiest way to bundle it without sealing the books is to add a two-part sticker to the inside cover; the top part peels away to reveal the code, and the bottom part will damage the book if removed too quickly (the aim isn't to damage the book, but to make it prohibitively slow to remove them in store).
So thieves won't steal the code because they don't want to damage the book?
They're already breaking the law. Why would they care if the book gets damaged?
These complicated schemes just keep getting more complicated. Who's going to pay for it? Hint: consumers.
Easiest way to bundle it without sealing the books is to add a two-part sticker to the inside cover; the top part peels away to reveal the code, and the bottom part will damage the book if removed too quickly (the aim isn't to damage the book, but to make it prohibitively slow to remove them in store).
So thieves won't steal the code because they don't want to damage the book?
They're already breaking the law. Why would they care if the book gets damaged?
These complicated schemes just keep getting more complicated. Who's going to pay for it? Hint: consumers.
Indeed. And, of course, the thieves don’t even need to damage the book beyond removing the first sticker, because they can just take a picture of the code and use it.
So thieves won't steal the code because they don't want to damage the book?
No, because they don't want to be caught defacing a book; this is more of a deterrent than palming off a loose slip of paper inside it.
These complicated schemes just keep getting more complicated. Who's going to pay for it? Hint: consumers.
Erm… obviously? They're consumers; paying for things is what they do. And it's a discount/unlock code so they're actually making a saving if they use it, I'm not sure how you imagine the customer is being inconvenienced by getting to save money when currently they don't?
Indeed. And, of course, the thieves don’t even need to damage the book beyond removing the first sticker, because they can just take a picture of the code and use it.
The point is that the sticker being removed is obvious, i.e- on the layer underneath it will say "if this code was revealed when you purchased this book, then it may have been tampered with", or something to that effect. You can then either try the code to see if it works, or return it to the store so that they can report it instead (and probably just get a new sticker sent out).
These are schemes that have been used for discount codes before, they're nothing new, except to Wizards of the Coast books (that I know of anyway).
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
These are schemes that have been used for discount codes before, they're nothing new, except to Wizards of the Coast books (that I know of anyway).
I've never seen these schemes used before. Could you give us some concrete examples?
The only time I can think of seeing codes besides in a sealed product was for things like coupons and maybe toy brand game websites (for kids).
One time use codes that redeemed for digital product that otherwise costs money have always been sealed in my experience.
Except for like gift cards and vouchers, but those have always had an exceptionally high rate of theft, and the codes are not activated until purchased. WotC could do the same thing, but would require each book to have a unique sku and set up new digital infrastructure (servers) to manage that.
I could see them maybe including a redeemable code for sealed preorders, but that’s likely it.
Yeah, or special promotions that already incur an extra cost. Like boxed sets, or collectors editions. I dont know of any method that will be implemented that will require a POS change for brick and mortar stores. Much easier will be that online digital sales will include promotions or discounts for physical copies, usually purchased direct from WoTC or from a short list of approved online vendors.
I could see them maybe including a redeemable code for sealed preorders, but that’s likely it.
Yeah, or special promotions that already incur an extra cost. Like boxed sets, or collectors editions. I dont know of any method that will be implemented that will require a POS change for brick and mortar stores. Much easier will be that online digital sales will include promotions or discounts for physical copies, usually purchased direct from WoTC or from a short list of approved online vendors.
Having the codes in sealed collector editions would be a great way to promote the more expensive version.
I could see them maybe including a redeemable code for sealed preorders, but that’s likely it.
Yeah, or special promotions that already incur an extra cost. Like boxed sets, or collectors editions. I dont know of any method that will be implemented that will require a POS change for brick and mortar stores. Much easier will be that online digital sales will include promotions or discounts for physical copies, usually purchased direct from WoTC or from a short list of approved online vendors.
Having the codes in sealed collector editions would be a great way to promote the more expensive version.
I see this as the most plausible way this is going to happen. Special editions, premium bundles, etc.
So now that DDB is officially becoming part of WoTC... Any chance you will honor future hardcopy purchases on DDB or provide a rebate code? Say 50%?
- it shouldn't be hard... Put a stamp or sticker on the product insert page with the ISBN code and ask folks to cut it out and mail it in. Really this is a no-brainer.
All you need to do, is to put a sticker (with a 1 time hash code) on the inside cover page (with the ISBN code on the other side), and ask that for new purchases folks cut out that corner of the inside cover and mail-it in.
I doubt scammers would find the time to print fake ones on the same 2-sided glossy paper, and the hash would make sure the code authenticates against the ISBN which identifies the correct book e.g. Xanathar's.
It is a bit early to know for sure. In order to prevent theft of these codes, it will have to be a sealed product (which books aren't ATM).
The issue I see with any type of codes in books is not all stores have the books sealed. Places like Target, Walmart , and small store useally have them where people can look through them so you run the risk of someone either using their phone to take a picture of it , hop on the site and enter it, or just tear it out of the book
I have purchased the Legendary Bundle on dndbeyond and have added to it with purchases of every release since then. Should WotC offer me a coupon I can use at any game store or book seller for a discount on the physical copy? I don't want to have to pay for something I've already paid for, but I understand it costs money to print books. Perhaps the dndbeyond price, or at the very least the different compendium's prices should be sent to me as a universal coupon that should be honored by any online or brick and motar store for me to get all of the books I've already spent money on.
When Wizard of the Coast does this, I'll consider all of this a valid argument. Until then, stop complaining you're not being given free stuff.
How to: Replace DEX in AC | Jump & Suffocation stats | Spell & class effect buff system | Wild Shape effect system | Tool Proficiencies as Custom Skills | Spells at higher levels explained | Superior Fighting/Martial Adept Fix | Snippet Codes Explored - Subclasses | Snippet Math Theory | Homebrew Weapons Explained
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Implementing infrastructure to support this costs a lot of money, both to initially build it and to further maintain it. It simply is not worth it for a lot of businesses.
Customers are not entitled to any discount, and businesses are not obligated to save customers money. If Wizards is not making more money by bundling their products, then they have no reason to do so.
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The key reason for WotC to bundle codes is to get people onto DDB, which WotC will now also make money from; the better they make DDB the more likely users will then be to subscribe, and maybe even buy more content than they would have done physically, not to mention digital extras like the dice.
I can only speak from my own experience, but I only own six physical books, and I probably wouldn't have bought even that many if my groups had been playing online from the start; but I own three of those plus a dozen other books (plus bits and pieces of various others) in digital only form.
If we assume it's easier to buy and use digital for most people, since physical books require suitable retailers and physical space, then it would follow that enticing people onto the digital platform is a net benefit to begin with. Plus if DDB does eventually realise the apparent aim to become a full virtual tabletop then subscriptions will become more valuable to players and WotC.
The subscriptions are a big reason why WotC would want to get people online though, as the more people are subscribed, the more regular income they get that isn't tied to new releases.
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
I can see the people browsing in the bookstore: "Who cut the corners off theses pages?"
I'm sure processing tens of thousands of these mail-in requests would be fast and wouldn't require hiring people. Plus no need to hire a complaints department to handle all the calls from people who bought the books, but the corner was already missing. Or people who "bought the book", but claim the corner is already missing. Or it got lost in the mail.
Foolproof.
Easiest way to bundle it without sealing the books is to add a two-part sticker to the inside cover; the top part peels away to reveal the code, and the bottom part will damage the book if removed too quickly (the aim isn't to damage the book, but to make it prohibitively slow to remove them in store).
If a code was exposed then the customer can report it as stolen if it doesn't work, in which case whoever redeemed it can have the digital content revoked and their account investigated (as some people may have bought the codes in good faith, not realising they were stolen). To report as stolen would require a dated proof of purchase (receipt or invoice) to show you haven't just bought the book second hand.
The other system is that you just provide the unlock codes alongside the books (not within them) and require retailers to bundle them either at the checkout or when packaging an order. The drawback of this method is the extra effort for retail staff, and it still requires some kind of system for checking codes weren't used (in case staff hand out the wrong code for a book and the customer wants to swap it for the correct one, you'd need to check that the wrong code is reinstated so it can be handed out with the correct book in future).
As with most such systems the goal is to prevent widespread abuse, as there's a balancing act between what you spend to prevent abuse, and what the abuse actually costs you.
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
Bundling does not always drive enough sales to offset the cost of bundling. If every industry and store can operate like Costco and sell products in bulk and bundles to earn more profit, they would do so. Most businesses cannot, especially when the customer base is not large and/or profitable enough.
Wizards would have done more to bundle their products if it actually increases sales enough. The fact that they still have not means it simply is not worth it.
Check Licenses and Resync Entitlements: < https://www.dndbeyond.com/account/licenses >
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 >
Until yesterday they were two separate companies.
To implement something like this previously would have required complex negotiations between D&D Beyond and Wizards of the Coast to work out who would pay for implementing unlock codes at either end (printing and online) and how D&D Beyond would be reimbursed for the discounts they'd be expected to provide. As two separate companies it's very likely they never found a way to agree on that, because DDB will have tried to argue each discount as money "lost" and Wizards of the Coast wouldn't have wanted to negotiate away their cut of sales in exchange.
Now that it's one company things are less complicated; all they need to do is look at physical and digital sales, estimate the amount of crossover (how many people actually repurchase an entire book) and compare it against expected revenue from increasing digital customers. The simple fact that D&D Beyond is now an official provider (rather than just officially licensed) means the potential market is increased, and it's in Wizards of the Coast's best interests to grow it as much as possible, especially if that now means more potential revenue from subscribers (I'm unclear how much, if anything, went from subscriptions to WotC previously, they probably took some cut but mostly subscriptions are functional extras rather than licensed content).
There is absolutely a business case to be made for it, and the hurdles for actually doing it are now gone. Besides which, the best way to find out whether it would be worth it is for Wizards of the Coast to actually do it, as anything else is guesswork; they can initially call it a promotion, and if it's not making them more money then they can simply stop printing new codes.
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
In my opinion, this is the hurdle of least concern. If something is profitable enough, companies will work something out. Despite the spat between Disney and Sony, because of how profitable the MCU is, they ultimately kept Spider-Man in the MCU because they realize they would still make more money working together.
The main hurdle is still there: cost. You cannot just pour a ton of money into establishing a new supply chain infrastructure and then just stop using it. That is a huge waste of money that could have went to something else.
Nintendo has a market cap of $60 billion USD, managing $19 billion ($1.6 trillion JPY) in total assets, generating $3.7 billion in net income ($471 billion JPY), the company is basically devoted entirely to videogames, they have numerous heavy weight competitors, the market is massive, and they still do not offer physical and digital bundles despite having access economy of scale and are under competitive pressure.
Hasbro has a market cap of $11 billion USD, managing $10 billion in total assets, generating $428 billion in net income, TTRPGs are not even the company's main focus, their closest TTRPG competitor is in distant second at best if not almost irrelevant at worst, the market is tiny, and I do not see them offering physical and digital bundles with much less resources, lack of competition, and a consumer base that is tiny and probably no more profitable than the average videogamer.
If we all accept the assumption that publicly traded corporations are generally profit driven (i.e.: greedy), it follows that they would strive to maximize net income by any means necessary, and if they are not doing "something" to maximize profit, that means that "something" probably is not worth doing since it is not going to maximize profit. I just do not see a change of ownership changing the calculus of bundling that much.
Check Licenses and Resync Entitlements: < https://www.dndbeyond.com/account/licenses >
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 >
So thieves won't steal the code because they don't want to damage the book?
They're already breaking the law. Why would they care if the book gets damaged?
These complicated schemes just keep getting more complicated. Who's going to pay for it? Hint: consumers.
Indeed. And, of course, the thieves don’t even need to damage the book beyond removing the first sticker, because they can just take a picture of the code and use it.
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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No, because they don't want to be caught defacing a book; this is more of a deterrent than palming off a loose slip of paper inside it.
Erm… obviously? They're consumers; paying for things is what they do. And it's a discount/unlock code so they're actually making a saving if they use it, I'm not sure how you imagine the customer is being inconvenienced by getting to save money when currently they don't?
The point is that the sticker being removed is obvious, i.e- on the layer underneath it will say "if this code was revealed when you purchased this book, then it may have been tampered with", or something to that effect. You can then either try the code to see if it works, or return it to the store so that they can report it instead (and probably just get a new sticker sent out).
These are schemes that have been used for discount codes before, they're nothing new, except to Wizards of the Coast books (that I know of anyway).
Former D&D Beyond Customer of six years: With the axing of piecemeal purchasing, lack of meaningful development, and toxic moderation the site isn't worth paying for anymore. I remain a free user only until my groups are done migrating from DDB, and if necessary D&D, after which I'm done. There are better systems owned by better companies out there.
I have unsubscribed from all topics and will not reply to messages. My homebrew is now 100% unsupported.
I've never seen these schemes used before. Could you give us some concrete examples?
The only time I can think of seeing codes besides in a sealed product was for things like coupons and maybe toy brand game websites (for kids).
One time use codes that redeemed for digital product that otherwise costs money have always been sealed in my experience.
Except for like gift cards and vouchers, but those have always had an exceptionally high rate of theft, and the codes are not activated until purchased. WotC could do the same thing, but would require each book to have a unique sku and set up new digital infrastructure (servers) to manage that.
I could see them maybe including a redeemable code for sealed preorders, but that’s likely it.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Yeah, or special promotions that already incur an extra cost. Like boxed sets, or collectors editions. I dont know of any method that will be implemented that will require a POS change for brick and mortar stores. Much easier will be that online digital sales will include promotions or discounts for physical copies, usually purchased direct from WoTC or from a short list of approved online vendors.
Having the codes in sealed collector editions would be a great way to promote the more expensive version.
I see this as the most plausible way this is going to happen. Special editions, premium bundles, etc.
How to: Replace DEX in AC | Jump & Suffocation stats | Spell & class effect buff system | Wild Shape effect system | Tool Proficiencies as Custom Skills | Spells at higher levels explained | Superior Fighting/Martial Adept Fix | Snippet Codes Explored - Subclasses | Snippet Math Theory | Homebrew Weapons Explained
My: FEATS | MAGIC ITEMS | MONSTERS | SUBCLASSES Artificer Specialist: Weaveblade
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