Yeah, I get it and honestly, the goal is to have zero people dissatisfied.
The Curse team are working hard to make D&D Beyond better and I am really excited about some of the features they're planning to implement.
If you feel it's not worth you spending money on currently, then I urge you to check back in a few months and see the progress and additional tools! :)
Doubt that will happen. I'm off work today and kinda bored with it being cold and rainy out. I'll probably have a few Crown and Cokes and buy a bunch of crap on here anyway lol
Curse you curse!
Any hints on what they are planning? Off the record of course, nobody reads these anyway.
I have a handy spreadsheet of everything that badeye has confirmed (along with post links) as planned or in progress. It's dated back to December, but it's still pretty current.
Here's the categories I have:
Character Creation Revamp Character Sheet Revamp Magic Item Revamp Mobile App Mobile App - Android Mobile App - iOS Monster Stat Revamp - Background off Spell Revamp Accessibility Options Campaign Management - Assigning Characters Campaign Management - Campaign Player Page Campaign Management - Changing DMs/Multiple DMs Campaign Management - Character Change Log Campaign Management - 'DM Screen' Campaign Management - Dungeon Creator (DMG Tables) Campaign Management - Initiative/Combat Tracker Campaign Management - Joining Options Campaign Management - Monster Builder Campaign Management - Party Inventory Campaign Management - Source Restrictions Changelog Page Link Character Creation - Add Feats/Boons/Etc Character Creation - AL Validation Character Creation - Character Copying Character Creation - Filter Sources Character Creation - Level Planning Character Creation - Milestones (Save Points) Character Creation - Quick Build Revamp Character Creation - Source Integration Character Listing Revamp Character Sheet - Assigning to other PCs Character Sheet - Class Specialized Attacks Character Sheet - Class Specific Abilities (Shapechange, Metamagic, Ki, etc) Character Sheet - Custom Entries (Languages, Feats, Skills) Character Sheet - Dice Integration Character Sheet - Equipment Management (Containers) Character Sheet - Export Options (Addiitonal Sheet Designs) Character Sheet - Export Options (Short Descriptions) Character Sheet - Familiars/Minions/Pets/Mounts Integration Character Sheet - Item Spell Restrictions Character Sheet - Level Up Revamp Character Sheet - Read Only Versions Character Sheet - Spell Impact on Characters Character Sheet - Tooltip Integration Compendium - Full Images Compendium - Navigation Revamp Equipment Listing Revamp Homebrew - Races Homebrew - Sub-Classes Homebrew - Sub-Races Monster 'Grouping' Monster Listing - Source Links Monster Listing - Tags (Mount/Familiar/Companions) Search Revamp Stream Integration Tooltip Syndication Unearthed Arcana Integration
Ya think there is any way they can put together a "bundle" that would have everything you need as a player? Something that will have all the races, classes, subclasses, items, spells, and feats?
Except other than the PHB and DM guide, it’s not discounted at all...
That's not how prices work. Other discount prices existing does not make the prices here no longer discount prices.
If it were, this thread wouldn’t exist and be growing daily.
That's an unreasonable statement, as it presumes that only correct ideas can be had and/or spread.
40% less means 40% less, same means same. Saying you get the books 40% cheaper when they are the same price or more on Amazon is not factual. 40% under retail is what I think you were trying to convey. There is no correct or incorrect idea or point of view. This thread is here to show why they are charging and we are discussing the cost. If there wasn't a cost associated, there would be no discussion. Between free and the current pricing there are levels at which people will find value and purchase. Some are saying the current structure is fine, others are not, it's just opinion.
I can't quite articulate why, but it seems silly to be comparing prices of the physical copy and the DDB copy after all the discussion about not paying for their content twice.
IMO: $50 for the PHB is way overpriced comparing the amount of production vs. AAA video games costing $60. People justify paying that to "support their local", but you might as well just buy from amazon, deal with a 2 day wait time, and walk over to your FLGS and hand them a $20 because I really doubt they get that much off their $50 sale.
40% less means 40% less, same means same. Saying you get the books 40% cheaper when they are the same price or more on Amazon is not factual.
40% off means 40% off MSRP (or other normal pricing), not "40% off whatever the other discounted price I can find happens to be." This is a fact which is backed up by Amazon even listing their price of the Player's Handbook as "$39.96 $49.95" instead of just "$39.96".
I didn't say the books are 40% cheaper than Amazon - I said the prices here include a (roughly) 40% discount. That is absolutely a fact, even though the thing you decided to believe I was saying even though I clearly wasn't isn't.
IMO: $50 for the PHB is way overpriced comparing the amount of production vs. AAA video games costing $60.
That's not even close to a fair comparison. Books have, unlike video games, kept their prices increasing over time due to inflation and other factors that can influence price. Video games have been locked at the $60 price point for quite some time now, and even just comparing $60 in 2008 to the worth of a dollar now, the prices should be more like $70 to match inflation.
What would be a fair comparison is to compare the production quality of D&D books (which is actually very high, despite the glue failure issues with early printings of 5th edition) to other game books - and the WotC $49.95 for full color and ~320 page is pretty fair against prices like $59.99 for full color and ~300 pages print on demand Onyx Path prices.
IMO: $50 for the PHB is way overpriced comparing the amount of production vs. AAA video games costing $60.
That's not even close to a fair comparison. Books have, unlike video games, kept their prices increasing over time due to inflation and other factors that can influence price. Video games have been locked at the $60 price point for quite some time now, and even just comparing $60 in 2008 to the worth of a dollar now, the prices should be more like $70 to match inflation.
What would be a fair comparison is to compare the production quality of D&D books (which is actually very high, despite the glue failure issues with early printings of 5th edition) to other game books - and the WotC $49.95 for full color and ~320 page is pretty fair against prices like $59.99 for full color and ~300 pages print on demand Onyx Path prices.
Again, focusing on the distribution only, not the full production. What really determines value is the price people are willing to pay for it, not content & distribution costs. PHB's MSRP is $50 because people are willing to pay that much for it. The only thing cost of content & distribution determines is profit margins. I'd bet PHB sold at MSRP have huge profit margins as opposed to AAA video games sold at $60 because of the difference in content & distribution costs. Total profits though include volume sold which I'm guessing is much higher for AAA video games. Again, niche market strategy.
Anyway I think it is a very much worthwhile comparison because the target demographic is very similar and has a lot of overlap, meaning D&D has the opportunity to compete for AAA gamers' use of time & money. You're right that it's not as apples to apples in distribution as your example, but I think it's a more meaningful comparison anyway.
Again, focusing on the distribution only, not the full production.
No, I'm not. Video game prices are nothing like book prices - and that's mostly because video games have a long history of having really nonsensical pricing that makes the yearly-released barely-changed over each iteration sports games the same price as the massive endeavors that involved far more man-hours of work (and are usually the ones that push on the boundaries of what games can even do).
What really determines value is the price people are willing to pay for it, not content & distribution costs.
And that is a problem - people, generally speaking, have a terribly inaccurate sense of what price is actually fair, and are extremely resistant to attempts to educate them on the topic. Resulting in people thinking things like that the price of a D&D book or a AAA video game title is "Too high" when the reality, in both cases, is that the current asking price is actually less of an expense than it was "back in the day".
For a specific example, picking up a brand new NES cartridge back in 1990 would cost about $50 - the equivalent expense of about $92 in modern money. But PS4 games are only $60, even though that's the equivalent of them being $32 in 1990 money. And that is why trying to compare book prices, which follow a logical path of price changes, to video games isn't just not comparing apples to apples, or even apples to oranges; it's comparing apples to hand grenades.
What really determines value is the price people are willing to pay for it, not content & distribution costs.
For a specific example, picking up a brand new NES cartridge back in 1990 would cost about $50 - the equivalent expense of about $92 in modern money. But PS4 games are only $60, even though that's the equivalent of them being $32 in 1990 money. And that is why trying to compare book prices, which follow a logical path of price changes, to video games isn't just not comparing apples to apples, or even apples to oranges; it's comparing apples to hand grenades.
What the argument here is that there is a physical book that needs to be made, has content that was thought up by the company, revised, re-revised, tested, produced, stocked, and shipped. This is a site that is based on information that is already there with nothing to physically stock. Pricing should not be similar in any way. I'm not saying that Beyond is a bad product, its helping us play 5e more easily which we all love. Just saying it should be less expensive.
Again, focusing on the distribution only, not the full production.
No, I'm not. Video game prices are nothing like book prices - and that's mostly because video games have a long history of having really nonsensical pricing that makes the yearly-released barely-changed over each iteration sports games the same price as the massive endeavors that involved far more man-hours of work (and are usually the ones that push on the boundaries of what games can even do).
What really determines value is the price people are willing to pay for it, not content & distribution costs.
And that is a problem - people, generally speaking, have a terribly inaccurate sense of what price is actually fair, and are extremely resistant to attempts to educate them on the topic. Resulting in people thinking things like that the price of a D&D book or a AAA video game title is "Too high" when the reality, in both cases, is that the current asking price is actually less of an expense than it was "back in the day".
For a specific example, picking up a brand new NES cartridge back in 1990 would cost about $50 - the equivalent expense of about $92 in modern money. But PS4 games are only $60, even though that's the equivalent of them being $32 in 1990 money. And that is why trying to compare book prices, which follow a logical path of price changes, to video games isn't just not comparing apples to apples, or even apples to oranges; it's comparing apples to hand grenades.
Again though, value is determined by the consumer not the production. You can try to educate the consumer and convince them the value is higher (sales), but a history lesson really isn't going to matter. Apples to grenades won't matter either if they're competing for the same consumer's time & money then they are both apples because the consumer is just comparing fun per dollar.
This is also why piracy is such a huge factor because from the consumer's perspective (the one that determines the value) it's no longer a decision of "Can I have this content or not" it's a matter of "Is it worth the convenience & risk removal?". The ability to pirate greatly reduces the value of the product because then you're just paying for convenience which is a luxury. (and paying for a small amount of safety) We didn't delve much into this issue when talking about my proposed non-repurchase content model, but it could make a big difference on the fight against piracy.
Again though, value is determined by the consumer not the production.
Again though, that's how quality of products slips and businesses fail - because too many consumers would rather get something for the arbitrarily low price they've decided something is worth to them than let prices be based on anything not arbitrary.
Apples to grenades won't matter either if they're competing for the same consumer's time & money then they are both apples because the consumer is just comparing fun per dollar.
Fun per dollar will pretty much always show either A) the RPG book as being a better value, or B) the person doesn't find RPG books to be fun.
Even a stellar video game is only so many hours of fun, while a run of the mill RPG book can keep the fun going for years and years. Even when I go back to my favorite video games from years past, I get maybe 60 hours out of it and I'm not doing anything I haven't already done the same way - but I can spin a whole new campaign out of my favorite gaming books from years past when I go back to them, do something new or in a new way, and blow past that 60 hour mark before the campaign is even a third of the way done.
So yeah, it matters that the comparisons are too different, even though they do have some few similarities like competing for a person's free time.
What the argument here is that there is a physical book that needs to be made, has content that was thought up by the company, revised, re-revised, tested, produced, stocked, and shipped. This is a site that is based on information that is already there with nothing to physically stock. Pricing should not be similar in any way. I'm not saying that Beyond is a bad product, its helping us play 5e more easily which we all love. Just saying it should be less expensive.
At the same time, there are costs here that aren't a part of the physical books: design of the software, data entry, server costs, maintenance of the servers and the database, bug fixing, etc: most of those include costs for salaries, hardware, office space, etc.. Then there are the licensing fees. I don't know what all that adds up to. I doubt anyone does outside of Curse. So I don't know how they compare to WOTC's costs for creating the physical books., which is also an unknown.
What the argument here is that there is a physical book that needs to be made, has content that was thought up by the company, revised, re-revised, tested, produced, stocked, and shipped. This is a site that is based on information that is already there with nothing to physically stock. Pricing should not be similar in any way. I'm not saying that Beyond is a bad product, its helping us play 5e more easily which we all love. Just saying it should be less expensive.
Incorrect. This is not a site that is based on information. This is actually licensed information from the copyright holder. For all intents and legal purposes, the physical book yields the same properties as the digital content here, as regarded to with full copyrights and trademarks.
This is not a fan site, not a fair use site, nor a consolidation of Wizards of the Coast intellectual Property. This is fully licensed product, as the books are. The only claim you could make, is that without publishing/shipping costs, digital should be much cheaper. Considering the Players Handbook is MSRP $49.95 - it is. D&D Beyond cannot control the price discounts other retails give the physical copies. We are not charging full price here in accordance with what you're suggesting.
What the argument here is that there is a physical book that needs to be made, has content that was thought up by the company, revised, re-revised, tested, produced, stocked, and shipped. This is a site that is based on information that is already there with nothing to physically stock. Pricing should not be similar in any way. I'm not saying that Beyond is a bad product, its helping us play 5e more easily which we all love. Just saying it should be less expensive.
Incorrect. This is not a side that is based on information. This is actually licensed information from the copyright holder. For all intents and legal purposes, the physical book yields the same properties as the digital content here, as regarded to with full copyrights and trademarks.
This is not a fan site, not a fair use site, nor a consolidation of Wizards of the Coast intellectual Property. This is fully licensed product, as the books are. The only claim you could make, is that without publishing/shipping costs, digital should be much cheaper. Considering the Players Handbook is MSRP $49.95 - it is. D&D Beyond cannot control the price discounts other retails give the physical copies. We are not charging full price here in accordance with what you're suggesting.
Not suggesting that you are charging full retail cost, just that you can buy the physical books for less than retail as well. You are correct in that I am thinking that the digital content should cost less based on those parameters. Is there a clause with the licensing prohibiting selling the content for less than a certain percentage of retail? That would definitely shed some light on pricing.
Not suggesting that you are charging full retail cost, just that you can buy the physical books for less than retail as well. You are correct in that I am thinking that the digital content should cost less based on those parameters. Is there a clause with the licensing prohibiting selling the content for less than a certain percentage of retail? That would definitely shed some light on pricing.
I don't know any specifics about the clause, but I do know 1) prior to DDB, both Roll 20 and Fantasy Grounds charged $50 (MSRP) per core rules book. 2) Badeye has said they had to negotiate with Wizards to get the pricing structure they did, with the clear implication that they wanted to offer prices that were friendlier to the consumer. 2) After DDBs launch, prices on Fantasy Grounds dropped, but not on Roll 20. The speculation here was that Fantasy Grounds was able to renegotiate.
I note you didn't respond to my point about there being addition costs for this format that aren't there for print. How do those costs figure into you assessment that digital should be cheaper?
What the argument here is that there is a physical book that needs to be made, has content that was thought up by the company, revised, re-revised, tested, produced, stocked, and shipped. This is a site that is based on information that is already there with nothing to physically stock. Pricing should not be similar in any way. I'm not saying that Beyond is a bad product, its helping us play 5e more easily which we all love. Just saying it should be less expensive.
At the same time, there are costs here that aren't a part of the physical books: design of the software, data entry, server costs, maintenance of the servers and the database, bug fixing, etc: most of those include costs for salaries, hardware, office space, etc.. Then there are the licensing fees. I don't know what all that adds up to. I doubt anyone does outside of Curse. So I don't know how they compare to WOTC's costs for creating the physical books., which is also an unknown.
Sorry, didn’t mean to ignore that part. There is a lot more cost associated with WOTC than Curse on this. WOTC also has servers, databases, salaries, hardware, office space, basically everything Curse has but add on the game design, years of play testing before anything is even sold, a physical inventory, liability for that physical product (I had one of the PHBs that needed replaced), and on and on. What WOTC does not have is a licensing fee and/or an agreement for pricing. Those 2 are the only things I can imagine that would drive pricing as high as Amazon.
Not that it matters now anyway, I drank that devil whiskey and bought up some shit yesterday anyway haha
I hate to break it to you guys, but every business overcharges to some extent or another. Value is a perceived notion. It's the nature of business to charge the maximum amount possible that still maintains a steady and growing customer base. If DDB was failing, you would see a price drop in one area or another until it was considered a total loss and discontinued altogether. The fact that we're seeing no change on that end shows that the model is viable. And just because a business meets their cost doesn't lower the perceived value of the product. That's true in any business. Nobody NEEDS to do this, but it's kind of dumb not to. Even Amazon does this. They've been selling the PHB for as low as $23 in some instances. Right now, it's $39. Because they have done the math and figured out that $39 is a reasonable amount to charge that people will still pay.
Also, just because a digital file can be copied doesn't mean it's cost ends there. DDB is an online database, meaning there are constant costs being accumulated through server maintenance.
"But I don't want an online digital database."
And that's fine and a perfectly reasonable position to take. I don't want every D&D product that comes out. But that's what this product is.
Public Mod Note
(Stormknight):
post moved from purchase FAQ thread
I think it's not a fair assumption to say that WotC, a physical game company, has the same kind of technological infrastructure as Curse, a technology company. I'm sure they do have some degree of IT, but doubtful it's at the same level.
The problem with the notion that a digital copy should be considerably less than a physical copy due to the physical costs of reproduction is that it doesn't change what is actually happening with the content. WotC has valued their content at a certain level. Even digitally, sold through licensed retailers, it is still their content. If the digital version is remarkably less than the physical (right now it's about about half), then it devalues the physical, as people who only want the content and don't care about having something tangible will always opt for what is cheapest. So to maintain the value of the physical product, they can't lower the digital costs too much. I mean, they could, but it would be a foolish business move for them do to so needlessly.
Certain smaller or indie developers might be more willing to allow a wider margin between physical and digital because they are in a position where they need to experiment with different business ideas to help them stand out from their corporate-backed competition, but at present, it you want to play the biggest game in the world, you kinda have to play by their rules. As has been stated before, if you don't like this, you are free to vote with your dollars and try to shake up that power structure.
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I have a handy spreadsheet of everything that badeye has confirmed (along with post links) as planned or in progress. It's dated back to December, but it's still pretty current.
Here's the categories I have:
Character Creation Revamp
Character Sheet Revamp
Magic Item Revamp
Mobile App
Mobile App - Android
Mobile App - iOS
Monster Stat Revamp - Background off
Spell Revamp
Accessibility Options
Campaign Management - Assigning Characters
Campaign Management - Campaign Player Page
Campaign Management - Changing DMs/Multiple DMs
Campaign Management - Character Change Log
Campaign Management - 'DM Screen'
Campaign Management - Dungeon Creator (DMG Tables)
Campaign Management - Initiative/Combat Tracker
Campaign Management - Joining Options
Campaign Management - Monster Builder
Campaign Management - Party Inventory
Campaign Management - Source Restrictions
Changelog Page Link
Character Creation - Add Feats/Boons/Etc
Character Creation - AL Validation
Character Creation - Character Copying
Character Creation - Filter Sources
Character Creation - Level Planning
Character Creation - Milestones (Save Points)
Character Creation - Quick Build Revamp
Character Creation - Source Integration
Character Listing Revamp
Character Sheet - Assigning to other PCs
Character Sheet - Class Specialized Attacks
Character Sheet - Class Specific Abilities (Shapechange, Metamagic, Ki, etc)
Character Sheet - Custom Entries (Languages, Feats, Skills)
Character Sheet - Dice Integration
Character Sheet - Equipment Management (Containers)
Character Sheet - Export Options (Addiitonal Sheet Designs)
Character Sheet - Export Options (Short Descriptions)
Character Sheet - Familiars/Minions/Pets/Mounts Integration
Character Sheet - Item Spell Restrictions
Character Sheet - Level Up Revamp
Character Sheet - Read Only Versions
Character Sheet - Spell Impact on Characters
Character Sheet - Tooltip Integration
Compendium - Full Images
Compendium - Navigation Revamp
Equipment Listing Revamp
Homebrew - Races
Homebrew - Sub-Classes
Homebrew - Sub-Races
Monster 'Grouping'
Monster Listing - Source Links
Monster Listing - Tags (Mount/Familiar/Companions)
Search Revamp
Stream Integration
Tooltip Syndication
Unearthed Arcana Integration
Site Rules & Guidelines --- Focused Feedback Mega Threads --- Staff Quotes --- Homebrew Tutorial --- Pricing FAQ
Please feel free to message either Sorce or another moderator if you have any concerns.
Wow! That's a lot!
Ya think there is any way they can put together a "bundle" that would have everything you need as a player? Something that will have all the races, classes, subclasses, items, spells, and feats?
That's not how prices work. Other discount prices existing does not make the prices here no longer discount prices.
That's an unreasonable statement, as it presumes that only correct ideas can be had and/or spread.I can't quite articulate why, but it seems silly to be comparing prices of the physical copy and the DDB copy after all the discussion about not paying for their content twice.
IMO: $50 for the PHB is way overpriced comparing the amount of production vs. AAA video games costing $60. People justify paying that to "support their local", but you might as well just buy from amazon, deal with a 2 day wait time, and walk over to your FLGS and hand them a $20 because I really doubt they get that much off their $50 sale.
40% off means 40% off MSRP (or other normal pricing), not "40% off whatever the other discounted price I can find happens to be." This is a fact which is backed up by Amazon even listing their price of the Player's Handbook as "$39.96
$49.95" instead of just "$39.96".I didn't say the books are 40% cheaper than Amazon - I said the prices here include a (roughly) 40% discount. That is absolutely a fact, even though the thing you decided to believe I was saying even though I clearly wasn't isn't.
That's not even close to a fair comparison. Books have, unlike video games, kept their prices increasing over time due to inflation and other factors that can influence price. Video games have been locked at the $60 price point for quite some time now, and even just comparing $60 in 2008 to the worth of a dollar now, the prices should be more like $70 to match inflation.
What would be a fair comparison is to compare the production quality of D&D books (which is actually very high, despite the glue failure issues with early printings of 5th edition) to other game books - and the WotC $49.95 for full color and ~320 page is pretty fair against prices like $59.99 for full color and ~300 pages print on demand Onyx Path prices.
No, I'm not. Video game prices are nothing like book prices - and that's mostly because video games have a long history of having really nonsensical pricing that makes the yearly-released barely-changed over each iteration sports games the same price as the massive endeavors that involved far more man-hours of work (and are usually the ones that push on the boundaries of what games can even do).
And that is a problem - people, generally speaking, have a terribly inaccurate sense of what price is actually fair, and are extremely resistant to attempts to educate them on the topic. Resulting in people thinking things like that the price of a D&D book or a AAA video game title is "Too high" when the reality, in both cases, is that the current asking price is actually less of an expense than it was "back in the day".For a specific example, picking up a brand new NES cartridge back in 1990 would cost about $50 - the equivalent expense of about $92 in modern money. But PS4 games are only $60, even though that's the equivalent of them being $32 in 1990 money. And that is why trying to compare book prices, which follow a logical path of price changes, to video games isn't just not comparing apples to apples, or even apples to oranges; it's comparing apples to hand grenades.
Again though, that's how quality of products slips and businesses fail - because too many consumers would rather get something for the arbitrarily low price they've decided something is worth to them than let prices be based on anything not arbitrary.
Fun per dollar will pretty much always show either A) the RPG book as being a better value, or B) the person doesn't find RPG books to be fun.Even a stellar video game is only so many hours of fun, while a run of the mill RPG book can keep the fun going for years and years. Even when I go back to my favorite video games from years past, I get maybe 60 hours out of it and I'm not doing anything I haven't already done the same way - but I can spin a whole new campaign out of my favorite gaming books from years past when I go back to them, do something new or in a new way, and blow past that 60 hour mark before the campaign is even a third of the way done.
So yeah, it matters that the comparisons are too different, even though they do have some few similarities like competing for a person's free time.
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
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 hate to break it to you guys, but every business overcharges to some extent or another. Value is a perceived notion. It's the nature of business to charge the maximum amount possible that still maintains a steady and growing customer base. If DDB was failing, you would see a price drop in one area or another until it was considered a total loss and discontinued altogether. The fact that we're seeing no change on that end shows that the model is viable. And just because a business meets their cost doesn't lower the perceived value of the product. That's true in any business. Nobody NEEDS to do this, but it's kind of dumb not to. Even Amazon does this. They've been selling the PHB for as low as $23 in some instances. Right now, it's $39. Because they have done the math and figured out that $39 is a reasonable amount to charge that people will still pay.
Also, just because a digital file can be copied doesn't mean it's cost ends there. DDB is an online database, meaning there are constant costs being accumulated through server maintenance.
"But I don't want an online digital database."
And that's fine and a perfectly reasonable position to take. I don't want every D&D product that comes out. But that's what this product is.
I think it's not a fair assumption to say that WotC, a physical game company, has the same kind of technological infrastructure as Curse, a technology company. I'm sure they do have some degree of IT, but doubtful it's at the same level.
The problem with the notion that a digital copy should be considerably less than a physical copy due to the physical costs of reproduction is that it doesn't change what is actually happening with the content. WotC has valued their content at a certain level. Even digitally, sold through licensed retailers, it is still their content. If the digital version is remarkably less than the physical (right now it's about about half), then it devalues the physical, as people who only want the content and don't care about having something tangible will always opt for what is cheapest. So to maintain the value of the physical product, they can't lower the digital costs too much. I mean, they could, but it would be a foolish business move for them do to so needlessly.
Certain smaller or indie developers might be more willing to allow a wider margin between physical and digital because they are in a position where they need to experiment with different business ideas to help them stand out from their corporate-backed competition, but at present, it you want to play the biggest game in the world, you kinda have to play by their rules. As has been stated before, if you don't like this, you are free to vote with your dollars and try to shake up that power structure.