The Sigil project is basically dead. They fired most of the staff, the system requirements to run it are way to high (which prices out most of their potential user base), and it is the most complicated to use of all the VTTs i've looked at.
What started as a great idea, an in-house VTT to leverage WoTC & DnD Beyonds existing resources suffered from mission creep and ... well... they bit off way more than they could chew.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Playing D&D since 1982
Have played every version of the game since Basic (Red Box Set), except that abomination sometimes called 4e.
I didn't think constructing the maps was that hard to be honest, if you were just going with basic stuff. Not like you had to make a work of art with a 2D map-making tool either; I didn't find it that much more time-consuming to just lay down floors and walls to construct a basic 'dungeon'. You could put in as much detail afterwards as you wanted.
My biggest issue was that they didn't really know what they wanted Sigil to actually be. Its like they started off as a map tool and someone higher up pushed them to make it work like a 'video game' and it ended up being neither!
That is, the players had to import their characters into Sigil and use everything in there, where you ended up with some horrendous interface where you couldn't even see what features or inventory your character had (everything was tidy identical icons). And when they attacked or whatever, Sigil tried to do everything for you like a video game. Which just...didn't work. Because it's supposed to be a map tool that enhances the basic playing of a table-top RPG. There was no way for me - the DM - to decide the outcome of a dice roll or adjust for cover etc etc. At one point, while we were beta testing, a player tried to use a cone spell (Burning Hands I think) and we just couldn't get it to damage a monster in range due to a slope! And I had no was to simply apply the damage myself.
It was basically unusable for what it was supposed to be.
Unfortunately, Hasbro chose to invest more in hiring people to make a whole new program from scratch instead of partner with somebody who already had a VTT up and running Instead Of hiring creatives to create new ideas for campaign settings and subclasses. Not to mention the leadership was at odds with itself about it despite investing years and millions of dollars.
Unfortunately, Hasbro chose to invest more in hiring people to make a whole new program from scratch instead of partner with somebody who already had a VTT up and running and hiring creatives to create new ideas for campaign settings and subclasses. Not to mention the leadership was at odds with itself about it despite invest years and millions of dollars.
Well, that's the irony. Larian helps WotC makes millions of dollars, but now Larian doesn't want to work with WotC anymore b/c WotC fired a huge number of the WotC staff that worked so well with Larian to make BG3 happen. And just before Christmas, to boot! Short-sighted profit gains at the cost of long-term damage to both profits and reputation. "Now let's take a moment to pray to our shareholders."
I just looked into Sigil. Downloaded it. Opened it. Saw one demo “map” aka a tavern… and that was it.
I’m running Strahd. Can you imagine making just one of those maps in this thing. It would take weeks. Making ravenloft would be months.
Maybe someday when the maps for the modules you own are in there I’ll consider it but this is a very hard pass. Deleted it.
The Sigil project is basically dead. They fired most of the staff, the system requirements to run it are way to high (which prices out most of their potential user base), and it is the most complicated to use of all the VTTs i've looked at.
What started as a great idea, an in-house VTT to leverage WoTC & DnD Beyonds existing resources suffered from mission creep and ... well... they bit off way more than they could chew.
Playing D&D since 1982
Have played every version of the game since Basic (Red Box Set), except that abomination sometimes called 4e.
I didn't think constructing the maps was that hard to be honest, if you were just going with basic stuff. Not like you had to make a work of art with a 2D map-making tool either; I didn't find it that much more time-consuming to just lay down floors and walls to construct a basic 'dungeon'. You could put in as much detail afterwards as you wanted.
My biggest issue was that they didn't really know what they wanted Sigil to actually be. Its like they started off as a map tool and someone higher up pushed them to make it work like a 'video game' and it ended up being neither!
That is, the players had to import their characters into Sigil and use everything in there, where you ended up with some horrendous interface where you couldn't even see what features or inventory your character had (everything was tidy identical icons). And when they attacked or whatever, Sigil tried to do everything for you like a video game. Which just...didn't work. Because it's supposed to be a map tool that enhances the basic playing of a table-top RPG. There was no way for me - the DM - to decide the outcome of a dice roll or adjust for cover etc etc. At one point, while we were beta testing, a player tried to use a cone spell (Burning Hands I think) and we just couldn't get it to damage a monster in range due to a slope! And I had no was to simply apply the damage myself.
It was basically unusable for what it was supposed to be.
Sigil is effectively a dead platform, like it or love it. They are just beating a dead horse at this point.
Unfortunately, Hasbro chose to invest more in hiring people to make a whole new program from scratch instead of partner with somebody who already had a VTT up and running Instead Of hiring creatives to create new ideas for campaign settings and subclasses. Not to mention the leadership was at odds with itself about it despite investing years and millions of dollars.
Well, at least they still have Baldur's Gate 3.
https://www.ign.com/articles/larian-studios-wont-make-baldurs-gate-3-dlc-expansions-or-baldurs-gate-4
Well, that's the irony. Larian helps WotC makes millions of dollars, but now Larian doesn't want to work with WotC anymore b/c WotC fired a huge number of the WotC staff that worked so well with Larian to make BG3 happen. And just before Christmas, to boot! Short-sighted profit gains at the cost of long-term damage to both profits and reputation. "Now let's take a moment to pray to our shareholders."