I am a new subscriber to DnD Beyond and so far I am less than impressed. I bought the Legendary Package and a DM subscription . My primary use of the app is with an iPad and the Apple Keyboard
i tried using the Compendium this weekend for a new campaign Curse of Strahd. I found it hard to use the app during game play because I was constantly flipping back and forth between maps, descriptions, monster stats, etc. Perhaps, it is just my unfamiliarity with the app and I have some learning ahead of me.
1) Is there a User Manual anywhere for this app?
2) Is there a table of contents for the compendium books? I was trying to run The Death House and every time I open Curse of Strahd it defaults to The Death House page. If I want to go to another chapter I have to flick through a ton of pages and hunt around. I would prefer to be taken to a table of contents page when I first open the compendium book. I can use the Bookmarks feature to quickly go to The Death House section.
This might be an artifact of me being more used to using a physical book with a table of contents and index. Yes, I was using the search bar, but I found it clunky to use.
3) is there a way to open multiple tabs in the compendium? This sure would help when flipping between the maps, monster stats and the area descriptions when running an encounter. There has to be a better way to run an encounter within the D&D Beyond app.
4) I read through the forums and agree with many other posts (some of them many months old) that the Character Build upgrade is a critical item that needs to be released ASAP.
5) I read through the forums and agree with many other posts that the Campaign Management system is actually not a management system as far as I could tell. All I can find are a couple boxes to write notes. Is there more?
i sincerely hope these points are constructive . I am giving my opinions as a new subscriber in the hopes of this product improving. The game is moving digital - so get a move on digital.
I'm sorry you aren't finding DDB to be what you hoped for. I've found it to be immensely helpful to me, but I also don't have near the financial investment in it you do.
I don't use the app (my mobile devices are either too old or don't have sufficient storage space, so I can't respond to those questions. (I am also fortunate to have wifi where I play, so I access DDB via a browser on my iPad)
4) I'm eager for the new character sheet, too, although I can navigate the current one fine. Each month's developers update has shown progress, which I find encouraging. I don't, however, want them to release it until it is ready.
5) The devs have been clear from the beginning that the current campaign management features are a place holder. The main purpose at the moment is to allow for content sharing for campaigns. There are plans to significantly expand campaign management in the future. Badeye (project lead) has said they hope to begin working on it this year, but there are no guarantees. There are nearly as many definitions of "campaign management" and needed tools as there are DMs, so a big part of the initial process will be deciding what elements will be part of what they provide, and what they work on first.
I am hoping that a user manual will help me "fix" some of my issues.
Thanks for the updates on the info, these forums have a ton of info in a lot of different places.
I am an optimist and assume D&D Beyond will improve and get better. Lots of other apps and developers have products that do a lot more for a lot less money. It surprises me they are so far behind in developing these tools when you have Wizards of the Coast backing this product.
while some of your issues are understandable, understand that the mobile app (the only app for officially licensed D&D products) is still in a beta phase of development. Updates will not be as fast as we would like because the team is working on multiple goals, but they will continuously come.
..... the mobile app (the only app for officially licensed D&D products) is still in a beta phase of development.
This is the big surprise - still in beta development. The iPhone is weeks away from being 10 years old and Fifth Edition D&D was launched in 2014. As a friend of mine is fond of saying "Let's get this dog hunting!" :)
Keep in mind, too, that Curse is NOT Wizards of the Coast. To say that WOTC is "backing" them is a bit of a stretch. Curse had the idea to create these tools and pitched the idea to WOTC; WOTC agreed to a licensing deal. The only cheaper apps and sites that I know of either limit themselves to SRD content or are breaking copyright law.
While 5e has been out since 2014, DDB has been out less than a year, and the DDB app considerably less time than that.
I ran the last half of LMoP using the app and an encounter tracking app in split screen view (10.5" iPad pro). It worked well. I agree the app alone isn't that good for running adventures, YET. But it can work with the right setup.
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I am a new subscriber to DnD Beyond and so far I am less than impressed. I bought the Legendary Package and a DM subscription . My primary use of the app is with an iPad and the Apple Keyboard
i tried using the Compendium this weekend for a new campaign Curse of Strahd. I found it hard to use the app during game play because I was constantly flipping back and forth between maps, descriptions, monster stats, etc. Perhaps, it is just my unfamiliarity with the app and I have some learning ahead of me.
1) Is there a User Manual anywhere for this app?
2) Is there a table of contents for the compendium books? I was trying to run The Death House and every time I open Curse of Strahd it defaults to The Death House page. If I want to go to another chapter I have to flick through a ton of pages and hunt around. I would prefer to be taken to a table of contents page when I first open the compendium book. I can use the Bookmarks feature to quickly go to The Death House section.
This might be an artifact of me being more used to using a physical book with a table of contents and index. Yes, I was using the search bar, but I found it clunky to use.
3) is there a way to open multiple tabs in the compendium? This sure would help when flipping between the maps, monster stats and the area descriptions when running an encounter. There has to be a better way to run an encounter within the D&D Beyond app.
4) I read through the forums and agree with many other posts (some of them many months old) that the Character Build upgrade is a critical item that needs to be released ASAP.
5) I read through the forums and agree with many other posts that the Campaign Management system is actually not a management system as far as I could tell. All I can find are a couple boxes to write notes. Is there more?
i sincerely hope these points are constructive . I am giving my opinions as a new subscriber in the hopes of this product improving. The game is moving digital - so get a move on digital.
Peace
I'm sorry you aren't finding DDB to be what you hoped for. I've found it to be immensely helpful to me, but I also don't have near the financial investment in it you do.
I don't use the app (my mobile devices are either too old or don't have sufficient storage space, so I can't respond to those questions. (I am also fortunate to have wifi where I play, so I access DDB via a browser on my iPad)
4) I'm eager for the new character sheet, too, although I can navigate the current one fine. Each month's developers update has shown progress, which I find encouraging. I don't, however, want them to release it until it is ready.
5) The devs have been clear from the beginning that the current campaign management features are a place holder. The main purpose at the moment is to allow for content sharing for campaigns. There are plans to significantly expand campaign management in the future. Badeye (project lead) has said they hope to begin working on it this year, but there are no guarantees. There are nearly as many definitions of "campaign management" and needed tools as there are DMs, so a big part of the initial process will be deciding what elements will be part of what they provide, and what they work on first.
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
Thanks for the thoughtful reply ArwensDaughter,
I am hoping that a user manual will help me "fix" some of my issues.
Thanks for the updates on the info, these forums have a ton of info in a lot of different places.
I am an optimist and assume D&D Beyond will improve and get better. Lots of other apps and developers have products that do a lot more for a lot less money. It surprises me they are so far behind in developing these tools when you have Wizards of the Coast backing this product.
Peace
Hi CanuckThunder,
while some of your issues are understandable, understand that the mobile app (the only app for officially licensed D&D products) is still in a beta phase of development. Updates will not be as fast as we would like because the team is working on multiple goals, but they will continuously come.
Keep in mind, too, that Curse is NOT Wizards of the Coast. To say that WOTC is "backing" them is a bit of a stretch. Curse had the idea to create these tools and pitched the idea to WOTC; WOTC agreed to a licensing deal. The only cheaper apps and sites that I know of either limit themselves to SRD content or are breaking copyright law.
While 5e has been out since 2014, DDB has been out less than a year, and the DDB app considerably less time than that.
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
I ran the last half of LMoP using the app and an encounter tracking app in split screen view (10.5" iPad pro). It worked well. I agree the app alone isn't that good for running adventures, YET. But it can work with the right setup.