We know that Wizards would not give you a free version of a D&D book digitally, just because you bought a physical book.
But what about discounts?
Lots of companies give discounts, and it seems more reasonable for someone to get a discount if they already have another version of the thing.
Say, if you buy a book's physical copy, you get 25% off the digital version. It would not lose Wizards much money right? It could even make them more since more people would be less hesitant to buy a digital copy of something they already have the physical version of if they get a discount on it?
This would help a lot of people who need both versions, or got physical first and now need the digital version as well
I'm 99% that this is wishful thinking, but at least a small discount seems reasonable right?
I have no opinion on this topic, but I do wonder if you know that 90% of the DDB community becomes "NOOO YOU CAN'T ASK FOR DDB DISCOUNTS FOR PHYSICAL BOOKS" *insert angry wojak meme* whenever this comes up
It's not because people ask (well, not the first time). It's because people have already asked & been answered numerous times in multiple easy-to-find places, and/or they don't ask for a discount, they demand one (often 100%). And the answer isn't new to DDB, or gaming. Us old fogies have been re-buying music & movies for decades because at the least, your "no longer available for a reasonable price" laserdisk / VCR / 8-track / cassette player will eventually break. At some point, DVD players will join that club as well. And being able to trade in or get credit for buying a license to a item in one form toward the purchase of that item in a different form has very, very, very rarely been a thing for any business to do in the history of ever.
Because trust me, if I could have traded in my laserdisk of Star Wars for a VHS cassette, then a DVD, then a Blu-Ray, then a digital license, I'd have done so.
Don’t you people realize that the digital edition of any 5e book on DDB is already discounted 40% off of MSRP whether you bought the physical book or not?!? Again I ask: How much more of a discount do you need?!?
Well, it would be nice if we could actually buy the digital editions of the books instead of just buying access on a website to the digital versions of the books. So that we could therefore download said digital editions onto our home electronic devices.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Well, it would be nice if we could actually buy the digital editions of the books instead of just buying access on a website to the digital versions of the books. So that we could therefore download said digital editions onto our home electronic devices.
You can. There are PDFs floating around the internet, and a DDB App. It even works without a internet connection (after you've downloaded what you want).
The app is glitchy and doesn't work on nearly as many devices that a PDF would. And I try to avoid PDFs that were made by someone sticking a PHB on their home scanner.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
The app is glitchy and doesn't work on nearly as many devices that a PDF would. And I try to avoid PDFs that were made by someone sticking a PHB on their home scanner.
That, and the reason why I'm even considering paying the rather...substantial prices which WotC charge* is rather indicative that I'm principled enough to not want to pirate or otherwise break the law.
* No, the price they set is not a benchmark for what it's worth, and the fact that companies sell books for substantially less suggest that WoTC significantly over values their worth. A standard hardback price is less than.what DDB charges. While not apples-to-apples, it is worth considering when estimating the value.
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If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
It’s funny that when you buy a Blu-Ray…getting a digital code is sort of expected.
not sure it’s not the case with the books here…
It is not expected. There are Blu-Rays with codes and Blu-Rays without codes. Generally speaking, those with codes are more expensive. If you pick up some Blu-Rays in the Walmart bargin bins, I am pretty sure those do not come with any codes.
It’s funny that when you buy a Blu-Ray…getting a digital code is sort of expected.
not sure it’s not the case with the books here…
It is not expected. There are Blu-Rays with codes and Blu-Rays without codes. Generally speaking, those with codes are more expensive. If you pick up some Blu-Rays in the Walmart bargin bins, I am pretty sure those do not come with any codes.
Depends on how you look at it. The ones with codes are generally the premium films that would be selling for more anyway. Bargain bin ones are cheap ones that were never meant to be an investment per se, but a buy, watch once and forget kind of deal. The codes were a relatively cheap way of making the customer feel like they were getting something worth their £15. Kind of like getting big portions of chips/fries with your meal - it's generally more profitable to increase those portions to compete with the other restaurants than it is to lower prices. Hence the large portions.
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
Is it reasonable to expect a discount on a game for playstation, because you already own the game on xbox?
Is it reasonable to expect a discount on buying a book in the hardcover because you already own the paperback?
Is it reasonable to expect a discount on Minecraft because you own a book about it?
dndbeyond has al lthe rules in the book, plus oodles of coding to make it accessible in this way. You're paying for the accessibility, more than the rules themselves. If you want what you already own, then it might be reasonable to ask for a PDF version of the rulebook in addition to the physical one, but the features of dndbeyond are what require you to pay for it again.
dndbeyond has al lthe rules in the book, plus oodles of coding to make it accessible in this way. You're paying for the accessibility, more than the rules themselves. If you want what you already own, then it might be reasonable to ask for a PDF version of the rulebook in addition to the physical one, but the features of dndbeyond are what require you to pay for it again.
I'd agree with that. Knowing that WotC are unlikely to give PDFs and thinking of it from a business sense, my proposal is something I think is best for all parties:
Free DDB compendium content.
You still get digital content, and you get everything that you paid for - no less. However, everytime you come here, you see that really easy to use character creator that can make your character in a fraction of the time...no more maths everytime you level up...you can easily share your sheets with the DM and party...and only for an extra $X?
I bet there is money to be made, and in a market that is currently mostly untappable at the moment.
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
dndbeyond has al lthe rules in the book, plus oodles of coding to make it accessible in this way. You're paying for the accessibility, more than the rules themselves. If you want what you already own, then it might be reasonable to ask for a PDF version of the rulebook in addition to the physical one, but the features of dndbeyond are what require you to pay for it again.
I'd agree with that. Knowing that WotC are unlikely to give PDFs and thinking of it from a business sense, my proposal is something I think is best for all parties:
Free DDB compendium content.
You still get digital content, and you get everything that you paid for - no less. However, everytime you come here, you see that really easy to use character creator that can make your character in a fraction of the time...no more maths everytime you level up...you can easily share your sheets with the DM and party...and only for an extra $X?
I bet there is money to be made, and in a market that is currently mostly untappable at the moment.
There is no way to prove you own the content without a code. The code would have to be unique. Things like UPC and ISBN are not unique.
Expecting you will ever receive a digital copy or discount for your existing physical purchases is futile.
The only way I could see it happening easily is if dndbeyond starts selling physical books, and emailing out a discount code from the order.
if you already own the book, then it won't happen. They could roll out an initiative to let people buy both the physical and digital books at once - but not as a default for any book from any bookstore or website.
Honestly, if they can work out a profit margin from it they'd corner the market - a lot of people would buy the physical book from them if they got a discount for the online one as well.
They could roll out an initiative to let people buy both the physical and digital books at once - but not as a default for any book from any bookstore or website.
This seems the most likely solution to me. For example, here at DDB you could get the digital content for 29.99 or digital content and they'll mail you a book for 34.99 or whatever. A bundle type thing. That seems easier than putting codes in books and whatnot.
The game has definitely changed now that WotC owns DDB. I do think they'll do something to address this, but it might take time.
I'm not super concerned about getting the fully readable version of the pdfs for my physical copy purchases, but I would like to be able to use the content creation features and toolbox stuff (character creation, monster stats, etc.) based on books I've bought previously. And even if it isn't historic (sad, but fine if its not something WotC could manage), at this point why can't a license code (single use) like on older computer games be included in physical books so that going forward we could get access to the new races in D&DBeyond after buying Multiverse of Madness, for example? Even if there is a ~$5 upcharge on the book to get all of the digital toolbox content, those of us that prefer physical books would still probably buy it (<10% increase), and it would likely incentivize us to joining the D&DBeyond community if we haven't done so already (basically a discount on the purchase packs).
When using Vudu's Disc to Digital program for a nominal fee, you use your mobile phone to take a picture of the UPC code on the DVD/BR case. To verify ownership of the physical media, the Vudu app uses GPS to ensure that you're located at your billing address during the transaction. Maybe the DDB app could employ a similar strategy. That being said, I don't think that physical book to digital should be free, but I'd be willing to pay $10 per conversion.
When using Vudu's Disc to Digital program for a nominal fee, you use your mobile phone to take a picture of the UPC code on the DVD/BR case. To verify ownership of the physical media, the Vudu app uses GPS to ensure that you're located at your billing address during the transaction. Maybe DDB could employ a similar strategy. That being said, I don't think that physical book to digital should be free, but I'd be willing to pay $10 per conversion.
Looks like Vudu charges $20 to buy a digital HD movie, and $5 to convert from DVD to digital HD (or $2 from Blu-ray). Convert that to $2 for a format conversion of equal quality (Compendium on DDB) or $5 for all the bells & whistles that DDB has to offer. But books don't cost $20, so then increase the DDB price by the % increase of the book, and add on some because DDB can't match Vudu's efficiencies of scale (as one reference point, the Vudu app on Google has 10+ mil downloads, to DDB's 1+ mil).
Would you pay $15 for the full DDB version of a $40 MSRP book that you already bought, or as part of a package deal? $20 extra for a $50 or $55 physical book?
It's not because people ask (well, not the first time). It's because people have already asked & been answered numerous times in multiple easy-to-find places, and/or they don't ask for a discount, they demand one (often 100%). And the answer isn't new to DDB, or gaming. Us old fogies have been re-buying music & movies for decades because at the least, your "no longer available for a reasonable price" laserdisk / VCR / 8-track / cassette player will eventually break. At some point, DVD players will join that club as well. And being able to trade in or get credit for buying a license to a item in one form toward the purchase of that item in a different form has very, very, very rarely been a thing for any business to do in the history of ever.
Because trust me, if I could have traded in my laserdisk of Star Wars for a VHS cassette, then a DVD, then a Blu-Ray, then a digital license, I'd have done so.
Don’t you people realize that the digital edition of any 5e book on DDB is already discounted 40% off of MSRP whether you bought the physical book or not?!? Again I ask: How much more of a discount do you need?!?
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Well, it would be nice if we could actually buy the digital editions of the books instead of just buying access on a website to the digital versions of the books. So that we could therefore download said digital editions onto our home electronic devices.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
You can. There are PDFs floating around the internet, and a DDB App. It even works without a internet connection (after you've downloaded what you want).
The app is glitchy and doesn't work on nearly as many devices that a PDF would. And I try to avoid PDFs that were made by someone sticking a PHB on their home scanner.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
It’s funny that when you buy a Blu-Ray…getting a digital code is sort of expected.
not sure why it’s not the case with the books here…
WotC is seriously Luddite about making their books digital, despite it having been something that most other companies were doing by the lat 00s.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
They have a longstanding fear of piracy (being concerned about piracy is legitimate. Thinking not selling PDFs will stop them is... quaint).
That, and the reason why I'm even considering paying the rather...substantial prices which WotC charge* is rather indicative that I'm principled enough to not want to pirate or otherwise break the law.
* No, the price they set is not a benchmark for what it's worth, and the fact that companies sell books for substantially less suggest that WoTC significantly over values their worth. A standard hardback price is less than.what DDB charges. While not apples-to-apples, it is worth considering when estimating the value.
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
It is not expected. There are Blu-Rays with codes and Blu-Rays without codes. Generally speaking, those with codes are more expensive. If you pick up some Blu-Rays in the Walmart bargin bins, I am pretty sure those do not come with any codes.
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 >
Depends on how you look at it. The ones with codes are generally the premium films that would be selling for more anyway. Bargain bin ones are cheap ones that were never meant to be an investment per se, but a buy, watch once and forget kind of deal. The codes were a relatively cheap way of making the customer feel like they were getting something worth their £15. Kind of like getting big portions of chips/fries with your meal - it's generally more profitable to increase those portions to compete with the other restaurants than it is to lower prices. Hence the large portions.
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
Is it reasonable to expect a discount on a game for playstation, because you already own the game on xbox?
Is it reasonable to expect a discount on buying a book in the hardcover because you already own the paperback?
Is it reasonable to expect a discount on Minecraft because you own a book about it?
dndbeyond has al lthe rules in the book, plus oodles of coding to make it accessible in this way. You're paying for the accessibility, more than the rules themselves. If you want what you already own, then it might be reasonable to ask for a PDF version of the rulebook in addition to the physical one, but the features of dndbeyond are what require you to pay for it again.
Make your Artificer work with any other class with 174 Multiclassing Feats for your Artificer Multiclass Character!
DM's Guild Releases on This Thread Or check them all out on DMs Guild!
DrivethruRPG Releases on This Thread - latest release: My Character is a Werewolf: balanced rules for Lycanthropy!
I have started discussing/reviewing 3rd party D&D content on Substack - stay tuned for semi-regular posts!
I'd agree with that. Knowing that WotC are unlikely to give PDFs and thinking of it from a business sense, my proposal is something I think is best for all parties:
Free DDB compendium content.
You still get digital content, and you get everything that you paid for - no less. However, everytime you come here, you see that really easy to use character creator that can make your character in a fraction of the time...no more maths everytime you level up...you can easily share your sheets with the DM and party...and only for an extra $X?
I bet there is money to be made, and in a market that is currently mostly untappable at the moment.
If you're not willing or able to to discuss in good faith, then don't be surprised if I don't respond, there are better things in life for me to do than humour you. This signature is that response.
There is no way to prove you own the content without a code. The code would have to be unique. Things like UPC and ISBN are not unique.
Expecting you will ever receive a digital copy or discount for your existing physical purchases is futile.
The only way I could see it happening easily is if dndbeyond starts selling physical books, and emailing out a discount code from the order.
if you already own the book, then it won't happen. They could roll out an initiative to let people buy both the physical and digital books at once - but not as a default for any book from any bookstore or website.
Honestly, if they can work out a profit margin from it they'd corner the market - a lot of people would buy the physical book from them if they got a discount for the online one as well.
Make your Artificer work with any other class with 174 Multiclassing Feats for your Artificer Multiclass Character!
DM's Guild Releases on This Thread Or check them all out on DMs Guild!
DrivethruRPG Releases on This Thread - latest release: My Character is a Werewolf: balanced rules for Lycanthropy!
I have started discussing/reviewing 3rd party D&D content on Substack - stay tuned for semi-regular posts!
This seems the most likely solution to me. For example, here at DDB you could get the digital content for 29.99 or digital content and they'll mail you a book for 34.99 or whatever. A bundle type thing. That seems easier than putting codes in books and whatnot.
The game has definitely changed now that WotC owns DDB. I do think they'll do something to address this, but it might take time.
My homebrew subclasses (full list here)
(Artificer) Swordmage | Glasswright | (Barbarian) Path of the Savage Embrace
(Bard) College of Dance | (Fighter) Warlord | Cannoneer
(Monk) Way of the Elements | (Ranger) Blade Dancer
(Rogue) DaggerMaster | Inquisitor | (Sorcerer) Riftwalker | Spellfist
(Warlock) The Swarm
I'm not super concerned about getting the fully readable version of the pdfs for my physical copy purchases, but I would like to be able to use the content creation features and toolbox stuff (character creation, monster stats, etc.) based on books I've bought previously. And even if it isn't historic (sad, but fine if its not something WotC could manage), at this point why can't a license code (single use) like on older computer games be included in physical books so that going forward we could get access to the new races in D&DBeyond after buying Multiverse of Madness, for example? Even if there is a ~$5 upcharge on the book to get all of the digital toolbox content, those of us that prefer physical books would still probably buy it (<10% increase), and it would likely incentivize us to joining the D&DBeyond community if we haven't done so already (basically a discount on the purchase packs).
When using Vudu's Disc to Digital program for a nominal fee, you use your mobile phone to take a picture of the UPC code on the DVD/BR case. To verify ownership of the physical media, the Vudu app uses GPS to ensure that you're located at your billing address during the transaction. Maybe the DDB app could employ a similar strategy. That being said, I don't think that physical book to digital should be free, but I'd be willing to pay $10 per conversion.
Looks like Vudu charges $20 to buy a digital HD movie, and $5 to convert from DVD to digital HD (or $2 from Blu-ray). Convert that to $2 for a format conversion of equal quality (Compendium on DDB) or $5 for all the bells & whistles that DDB has to offer. But books don't cost $20, so then increase the DDB price by the % increase of the book, and add on some because DDB can't match Vudu's efficiencies of scale (as one reference point, the Vudu app on Google has 10+ mil downloads, to DDB's 1+ mil).
Would you pay $15 for the full DDB version of a $40 MSRP book that you already bought, or as part of a package deal? $20 extra for a $50 or $55 physical book?
sorry posted on accident, can't find a way to delete the post