Unfortunately I don't know if there will ever be a solution. For me, I use my books, but I unlock the content so I can create my characters and then share with my campaign mates. Just in case it was taken as such, I just wanted to go on record here and state that I wasn't trying to create a way that this site wouldn't make money, but I just thought about trying to pose an idea that would make people want to use the site more. I really am enjoying using this site, and would like to help it succeed if possible in anyway. I am excited to see where the app goes and will continue to use it in the future.
Even if they did offer a way to unlock a D&D Beyond copy from a physical code, they would probably just raise the price of the physical copies to compensate for the loss of license revenue. You'll end up paying for it one way or another.
I love the old-school version of "What's on page X, paragraph Y, line Z, word IRANOUTTALETTERS". It's very TSR - reminds me of the old DOS games.
But another alternative for the modern era: Since this is a mobile-friendly platform, use a mobile device and point the camera at the back of the book.
Books purchased from Amazon could easily be "bundled" with a steeply discounted code for DnDBeyond. Products from disparate companies are often bundled in like fashion. It would only take Curse being willing to sell access through retailers, instead of directly through the website and app.
For books already purchased on Amazon, a unique order number can be provided. It doesn't help the local game store, but it's something that I've seen in the past to gain access to bonus content when a book is purchased.
I already own several of the books, but, alas, I can't afford to double-purchase content. I will continue buying the books (artwork!). If ever I purchase through D&DByond, though, I won't be buying the content. I already own that. I would be buying another way of viewing that same content. I might say that I would be buying convenience, but I'm not wholly convinced that D&DBeyond is more convenient.
(Watching Critical Role players and DMs struggle to do things like take down damage is not very convincing. And when a question comes up while the camera is running, they all reach for their Player's Handbooks.)
Right now, that "convenience" is not worth $30 per book, for someone who already owns the content. Maybe $5.
My curiosity is piqued, though, and I will continue to monitor this service.
This discussion has been merged into the main Pricing & Purchase discussion thread, as it is covering topics that are already discussed at length within this thread.
I love the old-school version of "What's on page X, paragraph Y, line Z, word IRANOUTTALETTERS". It's very TSR - reminds me of the old DOS games.
But another alternative for the modern era: Since this is a mobile-friendly platform, use a mobile device and point the camera at the back of the book.
Except there is no unique identifier on the books; so anyone could snap a photo of a book in a store and put it back on the shelf. Or a dozen friends could snap photos of one book. Etc.
Books purchased from Amazon could easily be "bundled" with a steeply discounted code for DnDBeyond. Products from disparate companies are often bundled in like fashion. It would only take Curse being willing to sell access through retailers, instead of directly through the website and app.
For books already purchased on Amazon, a unique order number can be provided. It doesn't help the local game store, but it's something that I've seen in the past to gain access to bonus content when a book is purchased.
Ultimately the issue is that WOTC is not willing to permit this. It's their IP and they get to specify licensing terms.
I already own several of the books, but, alas, I can't afford to double-purchase content. I will continue buying the books (artwork!). If ever I purchase through D&DByond, though, I won't be buying the content. I already own that. I would be buying another way of viewing that same content. I might say that I would be buying convenience, but I'm not wholly convinced that D&DBeyond is more convenient.
(Watching Critical Role players and DMs struggle to do things like take down damage is not very convincing. And when a question comes up while the camera is running, they all reach for their Player's Handbooks.)
Right now, that "convenience" is not worth $30 per book, for someone who already owns the content. Maybe $5.
My curiosity is piqued, though, and I will continue to monitor this service.
Only you can decide if the benefits of DDB are worth the cost to you. In my case, it has definitely been worth it to have some content on DDB. A few of the reasons why:
-I can filter for beasts of a certain CR level when playing a druid, and keep the list up on a tab in my browser
-I can see spell effects instantly
-I can prep for my weekly game even when I'm not at home where the books are
-I can quickly search for monsters that are appropriate to the terrain and my party's level
-I can make notes with hyperlinks for various encounters/etc, and go straight to those stats
-I can quickly make and store pre-generated characters for my weekly drop-in game
-I can have the stats for NPCs, monsters, etc. at my fingertips
-When I'm in an active play by post game, I can access my character, spells, etc. anywhere I have internet access.
-I can access the PHB from my tablet, and let my players use my physical copy at the same time
I do agree that the Critical Role folks have struggled with DDB. I think Curse staff should have spent some time helping them learn how to navigate their character sheets, and how to have stuff up in tabs to consult. I'm hoping that when the new character sheet is deployed, they will have an easier time with it. (And maybe Curse will train them on the new sheet when it comes out, although I think it will be more self explanatory than the current layout.)
D&D Beyond is owned by Curse, which is owned by Twitch, which is owned by Amazon.
D&D Beyond (aka Curse/Twitch/Amazon) did not sell you the physical books - Wizards of the Coast did.
D&D Beyond (aka Curse/Twitch/Amazon) has to pay a licencing fee to WotC for the rights to resell their content in a new format (this web site), just like all the other legitimate web sites like Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds.
For these reasons, you cannot get a free/discounted copy of the book here, because what you paid for was a physical book from WotC, not a digital format from D&D Beyond, just like when you buy the physical copy of a novel you don't get the digital/audio version for free/discounted.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
You don't OWN your books on DDB: WotC can change them any time. What do you think will happen when OneD&D comes out?
There's a reason why one of the big items on my wishlist right now is DDB physical gift cards. I think that it's not feasible to bundle already purchased books with DDB content, but I think that moving forward, retailers would have an opportunity to experiment with sales by doing things like "Buy the physical book, get 50% off the DDB gift card version". As long as you're buying the gift card at the same time as the physical book, there's no numbering or shrinkwrap nonsense to deal with, and it'll enable you to support your FLGS while still getting Beyond content.
There's a reason why one of the big items on my wishlist right now is DDB physical gift cards. I think that it's not feasible to bundle already purchased books with DDB content, but I think that moving forward, retailers would have an opportunity to experiment with sales by doing things like "Buy the physical book, get 50% off the DDB gift card version". As long as you're buying the gift card at the same time as the physical book, there's no numbering or shrinkwrap nonsense to deal with, and it'll enable you to support your FLGS while still getting Beyond content.
Since brick & mortar stores buy the books from WotC, and DDB is NOT owned by WotC, this is unlikely to happen because DDB would have to offer the giftcards, not WotC, and DDB would take the hit.
As I mentioned in my post above yours, DDB is NOT owned by WotC. They pay a licencing fee to WotC to "reprint" the content in a new format.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
You don't OWN your books on DDB: WotC can change them any time. What do you think will happen when OneD&D comes out?
There's a reason why one of the big items on my wishlist right now is DDB physical gift cards. I think that it's not feasible to bundle already purchased books with DDB content, but I think that moving forward, retailers would have an opportunity to experiment with sales by doing things like "Buy the physical book, get 50% off the DDB gift card version". As long as you're buying the gift card at the same time as the physical book, there's no numbering or shrinkwrap nonsense to deal with, and it'll enable you to support your FLGS while still getting Beyond content.
Since brick & mortar stores buy the books from WotC, and DDB is NOT owned by WotC, this is unlikely to happen because DDB would have to offer the giftcards, not WotC, and DDB would take the hit.
As I mentioned in my post above yours, DDB is NOT owned by WotC. They pay a licencing fee to WotC to "reprint" the content in a new format.
I for one, and not speaking of others, do not want a DISCOUNT card, but a GIFT card. One that can be purchased say in the amount of $30 and would allow to be given to someone that can then use it to purchase a book (at full DDB price) or on a subscription.
I for one, and not speaking of others, do not want a DISCOUNT card, but a GIFT card. One that can be purchased say in the amount of $30 and would allow to be given to someone that can then use it to purchase a book (at full DDB price) or on a subscription.
They could be sold online or even in a FLGS.
It would be cool, but is not necessary. Using the mobile app, books can be purchased using Google Play or iTunes credit, so a gift card for Google Play / iTunes would accomplish the same thing.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I use summon instrument to summon my kettle drum, hold it overhead like Donkey Kong, and chuck it at the nearest kobold.
I have moved your post to this thread, as they are the same conversation.
Please take a look at the first page of this thread, which will hopefully answer any questions you have. If you do have any other questions, please ask here.
I have most of the 5e books. im starting a new campaign with new players and want to use the website for easy character creation for them.
How do i unlock the books on dnd beyond, i have the receipt. do i really have to pay full price again to unlock here?
I hope you do take Stormknight's advice and read the first page or so of this thread. I do want to point out a few things:
-the "books" here are, technically speaking, not full price: The full price for each of the core books is $50. Prices at places like Amazon are another matter, but those prices are not full price either.
-You don't necessarily need to purchase the whole book. You can purchase just the player options you (or your players) need; If you or your players have the time, you can also homebrew some elements (like backgrounds)
-If you want to share character creation resources with your players, you will need a Master Tier subscription too. If, however, your players already know what they want to play, they could just buy the elements they need for the character (in which case you wouldn't need a Master Tier subscription).
It would really be cool if we could input our barcode number on our already purchased rule books. This way we could get behind this paywall. I think it's fair if you already have the books to allow us to unlock it's character information. Not even sure if anyone will read this, but here's to hoping I roll a 20 on my persuasion check.
David Tlaiye
Public Mod Note
(Stormknight):
Post moved from it's own thread over to this thread where the discussion was already taking place
I have most of the 5e books. im starting a new campaign with new players and want to use the website for easy character creation for them.
How do i unlock the books on dnd beyond, i have the receipt. do i really have to pay full price again to unlock here?
I hope you do take Stormknight's advice and read the first page or so of this thread. I do want to point out a few things:
-the "books" here are, technically speaking, not full price: The full price for each of the core books is $50. Prices at places like Amazon are another matter, but those prices are not full price either.
-You don't necessarily need to purchase the whole book. You can purchase just the player options you (or your players) need; If you or your players have the time, you can also homebrew some elements (like backgrounds)
-If you want to share character creation resources with your players, you will need a Master Tier subscription too. If, however, your players already know what they want to play, they could just buy the elements they need for the character (in which case you wouldn't need a Master Tier subscription).
so in other words yes you have to buy things again ok ty ill use another service.
I for one, and not speaking of others, do not want a DISCOUNT card, but a GIFT card. One that can be purchased say in the amount of $30 and would allow to be given to someone that can then use it to purchase a book (at full DDB price) or on a subscription.
They could be sold online or even in a FLGS.
It would be cool, but is not necessary. Using the mobile app, books can be purchased using Google Play or iTunes credit, so a gift card for Google Play / iTunes would accomplish the same thing.
Are you sure i can use an itunes/googleplay gift card to buy books on dndbeyond? if so that would be a round about way to do it. otherwise, if they don't use the app, it won't work for them.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I just want to tell everyone "happy gaming" and actually mean it. Whatever your game is, just have fun with it, it is after all, just a game.
I have most of the 5e books. im starting a new campaign with new players and want to use the website for easy character creation for them.
How do i unlock the books on dnd beyond, i have the receipt. do i really have to pay full price again to unlock here?
I hope you do take Stormknight's advice and read the first page or so of this thread. I do want to point out a few things:
-the "books" here are, technically speaking, not full price: The full price for each of the core books is $50. Prices at places like Amazon are another matter, but those prices are not full price either.
-You don't necessarily need to purchase the whole book. You can purchase just the player options you (or your players) need; If you or your players have the time, you can also homebrew some elements (like backgrounds)
-If you want to share character creation resources with your players, you will need a Master Tier subscription too. If, however, your players already know what they want to play, they could just buy the elements they need for the character (in which case you wouldn't need a Master Tier subscription).
so in other words yes you have to buy things again ok ty ill use another service.
SneakZ, I'm curious which other service you plan to use? Any web site that has legitimate, legal copies of the books in digital format will charge you for them. The only way to get that content without paying is to pirate it, which is not cool.
For the record...
D&D Beyond is not owned by Wizards of the Coast.
D&D Beyond is owned by Curse, which is owned by Twitch, which is owned by Amazon.
D&D Beyond (aka Curse/Twitch/Amazon) did not sell you the physical books - Wizards of the Coast did.
D&D Beyond (aka Curse/Twitch/Amazon) has to pay a licencing fee to WotC for the rights to resell their content in a new format (this web site), just like all the other legitimate web sites like Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds.
For these reasons, you cannot get a free/discounted copy of the book here, because what you paid for was a physical book from WotC, not a digital format from D&D Beyond, just like when you buy the physical copy of a novel you don't get the digital/audio version for free/discounted.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
You don't OWN your books on DDB: WotC can change them any time. What do you think will happen when OneD&D comes out?
It would really be cool if we could input our barcode number on our already purchased rule books. This way we could get behind this paywall. I think it's fair if you already have the books to allow us to unlock it's character information. Not even sure if anyone will read this, but here's to hoping I roll a 20 on my persuasion check.
David Tlaiye
Hi, David, please note the following:
D&D Beyond is not owned by Wizards of the Coast.
D&D Beyond is owned by Curse, which is owned by Twitch, which is owned by Amazon.
D&D Beyond (aka Curse/Twitch/Amazon) did not sell you the physical books - Wizards of the Coast did.
D&D Beyond (aka Curse/Twitch/Amazon) has to pay a licencing fee to WotC for the rights to resell their content in a new format (this web site), just like all the other legitimate web sites like Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds.
For these reasons, you cannot get a free/discounted copy of the book here, because what you paid for was a physical book from WotC, not a digital format from D&D Beyond, just like when you buy the physical copy of a novel you don't get the digital/audio version for free/discounted.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
You don't OWN your books on DDB: WotC can change them any time. What do you think will happen when OneD&D comes out?
I have most of the 5e books. im starting a new campaign with new players and want to use the website for easy character creation for them.
How do i unlock the books on dnd beyond, i have the receipt. do i really have to pay full price again to unlock here?
I hope you do take Stormknight's advice and read the first page or so of this thread. I do want to point out a few things:
-the "books" here are, technically speaking, not full price: The full price for each of the core books is $50. Prices at places like Amazon are another matter, but those prices are not full price either.
-You don't necessarily need to purchase the whole book. You can purchase just the player options you (or your players) need; If you or your players have the time, you can also homebrew some elements (like backgrounds)
-If you want to share character creation resources with your players, you will need a Master Tier subscription too. If, however, your players already know what they want to play, they could just buy the elements they need for the character (in which case you wouldn't need a Master Tier subscription).
so in other words yes you have to buy things again ok ty ill use another service.
SneakZ, I'm curious which other service you plan to use? Any web site that has legitimate, legal copies of the books in digital format will charge you for them. The only way to get that content without paying is to pirate it, which is not cool.
For the record...
D&D Beyond is not owned by Wizards of the Coast.
D&D Beyond is owned by Curse, which is owned by Twitch, which is owned by Amazon.
D&D Beyond (aka Curse/Twitch/Amazon) did not sell you the physical books - Wizards of the Coast did.
D&D Beyond (aka Curse/Twitch/Amazon) has to pay a licencing fee to WotC for the rights to resell their content in a new format (this web site), just like all the other legitimate web sites like Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds.
For these reasons, you cannot get a free/discounted copy of the book here, because what you paid for was a physical book from WotC, not a digital format from D&D Beyond, just like when you buy the physical copy of a novel you don't get the digital/audio version for free/discounted.
1-2. So what? They are contracted by WotC to provide a service. I'm assuming that negotiations took place for that contract. Those negotiations could have included reduced licensing fees if Curse/WotC really wanted.
3. Well, I bought my PHB on Amazon so actually they did sell me my book.
4. Again, see 1-2.
For the vast majority of players, they are only interested in having an easy to use character generator that takes the information from the books they bought and puts it into a character sheet conveniently. Now, you can make the argument that that isn't what DNDB is. But it is what a lot of players seem to want. So from that perspective, the idea of paying an extra 50% on top of the physical book price for the ability to have a conveniently filled out character sheet seems a lot.
Add to that that MPMB was considered perfectly legal, existing on DMsGuild right up until XGTE was about the drop, and people are double pissed.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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Unfortunately I don't know if there will ever be a solution. For me, I use my books, but I unlock the content so I can create my characters and then share with my campaign mates. Just in case it was taken as such, I just wanted to go on record here and state that I wasn't trying to create a way that this site wouldn't make money, but I just thought about trying to pose an idea that would make people want to use the site more. I really am enjoying using this site, and would like to help it succeed if possible in anyway. I am excited to see where the app goes and will continue to use it in the future.
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ModeratorEven if they did offer a way to unlock a D&D Beyond copy from a physical code, they would probably just raise the price of the physical copies to compensate for the loss of license revenue. You'll end up paying for it one way or another.
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I love the old-school version of "What's on page X, paragraph Y, line Z, word IRANOUTTALETTERS". It's very TSR - reminds me of the old DOS games.
But another alternative for the modern era: Since this is a mobile-friendly platform, use a mobile device and point the camera at the back of the book.
Books purchased from Amazon could easily be "bundled" with a steeply discounted code for DnDBeyond. Products from disparate companies are often bundled in like fashion. It would only take Curse being willing to sell access through retailers, instead of directly through the website and app.
For books already purchased on Amazon, a unique order number can be provided. It doesn't help the local game store, but it's something that I've seen in the past to gain access to bonus content when a book is purchased.
I already own several of the books, but, alas, I can't afford to double-purchase content. I will continue buying the books (artwork!). If ever I purchase through D&DByond, though, I won't be buying the content. I already own that. I would be buying another way of viewing that same content. I might say that I would be buying convenience, but I'm not wholly convinced that D&DBeyond is more convenient.
(Watching Critical Role players and DMs struggle to do things like take down damage is not very convincing. And when a question comes up while the camera is running, they all reach for their Player's Handbooks.)
Right now, that "convenience" is not worth $30 per book, for someone who already owns the content. Maybe $5.
My curiosity is piqued, though, and I will continue to monitor this service.
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D&D Beyond FoundersThis discussion has been merged into the main Pricing & Purchase discussion thread, as it is covering topics that are already discussed at length within this thread.
Pun-loving nerd | She/Her/Hers | Profile art by Becca Golins
If you need help with homebrew, please post on the homebrew forums, where multiple staff and moderators can read your post and help you!
"We got this, no problem! I'll take the twenty on the left - you guys handle the one on the right!"🔊
Only you can decide if the benefits of DDB are worth the cost to you. In my case, it has definitely been worth it to have some content on DDB. A few of the reasons why:
-I can filter for beasts of a certain CR level when playing a druid, and keep the list up on a tab in my browser
-I can see spell effects instantly
-I can prep for my weekly game even when I'm not at home where the books are
-I can quickly search for monsters that are appropriate to the terrain and my party's level
-I can make notes with hyperlinks for various encounters/etc, and go straight to those stats
-I can quickly make and store pre-generated characters for my weekly drop-in game
-I can have the stats for NPCs, monsters, etc. at my fingertips
-When I'm in an active play by post game, I can access my character, spells, etc. anywhere I have internet access.
-I can access the PHB from my tablet, and let my players use my physical copy at the same time
I do agree that the Critical Role folks have struggled with DDB. I think Curse staff should have spent some time helping them learn how to navigate their character sheets, and how to have stuff up in tabs to consult. I'm hoping that when the new character sheet is deployed, they will have an easier time with it. (And maybe Curse will train them on the new sheet when it comes out, although I think it will be more self explanatory than the current layout.)
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;
Check your entitlements here. | Support Ticket LInk
Hi, UglyIvanHoe
For these reasons, you cannot get a free/discounted copy of the book here, because what you paid for was a physical book from WotC, not a digital format from D&D Beyond, just like when you buy the physical copy of a novel you don't get the digital/audio version for free/discounted.
You don't OWN your books on DDB: WotC can change them any time. What do you think will happen when OneD&D comes out?
There's a reason why one of the big items on my wishlist right now is DDB physical gift cards. I think that it's not feasible to bundle already purchased books with DDB content, but I think that moving forward, retailers would have an opportunity to experiment with sales by doing things like "Buy the physical book, get 50% off the DDB gift card version". As long as you're buying the gift card at the same time as the physical book, there's no numbering or shrinkwrap nonsense to deal with, and it'll enable you to support your FLGS while still getting Beyond content.
You don't OWN your books on DDB: WotC can change them any time. What do you think will happen when OneD&D comes out?
I just want to tell everyone "happy gaming" and actually mean it. Whatever your game is, just have fun with it, it is after all, just a game.
I use summon instrument to summon my kettle drum, hold it overhead like Donkey Kong, and chuck it at the nearest kobold.
I have most of the 5e books. im starting a new campaign with new players and want to use the website for easy character creation for them.
How do i unlock the books on dnd beyond, i have the receipt. do i really have to pay full price again to unlock here?
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D&D Beyond FoundersHi SneakZ and welcome to D&D Beyond,
I have moved your post to this thread, as they are the same conversation.
Please take a look at the first page of this thread, which will hopefully answer any questions you have. If you do have any other questions, please ask here.
Pun-loving nerd | She/Her/Hers | Profile art by Becca Golins
If you need help with homebrew, please post on the homebrew forums, where multiple staff and moderators can read your post and help you!
"We got this, no problem! I'll take the twenty on the left - you guys handle the one on the right!"🔊
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;
Check your entitlements here. | Support Ticket LInk
It would really be cool if we could input our barcode number on our already purchased rule books. This way we could get behind this paywall. I think it's fair if you already have the books to allow us to unlock it's character information. Not even sure if anyone will read this, but here's to hoping I roll a 20 on my persuasion check.
David Tlaiye
I just want to tell everyone "happy gaming" and actually mean it. Whatever your game is, just have fun with it, it is after all, just a game.
For these reasons, you cannot get a free/discounted copy of the book here, because what you paid for was a physical book from WotC, not a digital format from D&D Beyond, just like when you buy the physical copy of a novel you don't get the digital/audio version for free/discounted.
You don't OWN your books on DDB: WotC can change them any time. What do you think will happen when OneD&D comes out?
For these reasons, you cannot get a free/discounted copy of the book here, because what you paid for was a physical book from WotC, not a digital format from D&D Beyond, just like when you buy the physical copy of a novel you don't get the digital/audio version for free/discounted.
You don't OWN your books on DDB: WotC can change them any time. What do you think will happen when OneD&D comes out?