A slight correction - D&D Beyond is created and owned by Curse, who are a global company in their own right.
Curse was purchased by Twitch last year, which brings with it many advantages, one of which is establishing a single-sign-on across all Twitch & Curse websites. Twitch in turn was bought by Amazon several years previously (2014 I believe).
Curse is, as mentioned above, licensing the D&D product for use here, on the D&D Beyond website.
The team at Curse responsible for the D&D Beyond site have forged some great relationships with Wizards of the Coast, working with them on a number of topics, which help both companies and the community.
Ya I understand the curse->twitch->amazon thing. What I'm not sure of is the monetisation of the platform. D&D beyond is NOT the equivelent of Roll20 or other 3rd party content providers though. It's advertised from D&D website as an official product of D&D which obviously means there is a closer relationship than lets say Roll20. I also read that Curse has rights to the D&D beyond platform for a 1 year optional renewal period. Does this mean that at the end of one year if they so choose to, WoTC could uproot the D&D Beyond platform and put it somewhere else, or does Curse just no longer have rights to give access to the WoTC content through D&D Beyond but they remain owners of D&D Beyond (if WoTC decided to end their partnership). I bring this up, just because ownership was brought up in regards to book sales.
Maybe this is hijacking the thread a little, I was just curious how the relationship worked.
Quote from beginning of march speaks of partnership, not outright ownership
"We are excited to announce development of D&D Beyond, an official digital toolset for use with the Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition rules. We have partnered with Curse to take D&D players beyond pen and paper, providing a rules compendium, character builder, digital character sheets, and more—all populated with official D&D content. D&D Beyond aims to make game management easier for both players and Dungeon Masters by providing high-quality tools available on any device, empowering beginners and veterans alike!"
Also to note, I'm not questioning or disputing anyone's post. I legitimately am curious, and would like links to official statements or releases regarding the relationship. Sure on the forums there is all kinds of things being said, but without actual links or a moderator saying it, it's not worth very much.
I agree. There is a difference in that WotC is working closely with Curse to make something that has the feel of being more "official" bt at the same time WotC isn't going to do anything to undercut Roll20 or Fantasy Grounds. If OrcPub had been able to get a license, he'd have been fine, but the cost would have been much higher for users, closer to what DDB, Roll20 or FG charge, making the point moot.
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?
The problem isn't about buying, it's that there isn't anything clear on why or where to buy. They should have bought the rights to OrcPub2 and made that the new character creator for a fee. I want to be an eldritch knight but there's no clear direction or link as to where that is exactly. I have the PHB, DM guide, and Monster Manual.
Why not have each book number correspond with content on here. If someone were to sell the book and transfer it, the previous owner no longer has online access as soon as the new owner register's the book. A new owner could pay a $5-$10 fee when they register a previously owned book. This would then not only encourage people to buy the books but then go online as well. Unlike now where most people don't want to pay the steep online fees after we already spent $100-$150 on the 3 standard books, and possibly $20 on the starter set.
Public Mod Note
(Stormknight):
Post moved to this thread as it was off-topic in the thread where it was posted.
I actually really like Orc Pub and in fact started a Change.org petition for them today. The creator is a good guy, he's removed all non SRD content, and has been trying to legally license content from Wizards repeatedly but keeps getting rejected. The Orc Pub character creator is so intuitive, full featured and better than what is here on D&D Beyond. I think competition is important and I think letting Orc Pub thrive and grow can only make other sites (such as this one) even better.
And I would definitely like D&D Beyond to get better as well since there is room for everyone, and all of it is goodness for everyone that plays or wants to start playing Dungeons & Dragons.
So if you feel like signing the petition, please do... if not, then that's fine too.
Notes: Link removed as it is against the site rules (see "Referral links for contests, promotions, or anything else").
You CANNOT automate the creation of a character without a license from WoTC. Having only SRD content fixes only one aspect of the issue. That's part of why dicecloud.com works like it does - it automates nothing to stay within the bounds of the licensing terms.
Nope, had an account, and I like DDB, and I like Orc Pub. But, Orc Pub has a better character creator. I tried to export my character from DDB yesterday. No place to put faction, can't add faction image, my avatar image didn't show up, the character creation process is just much smoother and more well done in Orc Pub in my opinion that's all. I'll still use both.
You're bordering on being offensive at this point.
That was intended to be a very small joke; if you're paranoid enough, you're pretty likely to spend most of the night jumping at shadows instead of sleeping.
I actually really like Orc Pub and in fact started a Change.org petition for them today. The creator is a good guy, he's removed all non SRD content, and has been trying to legally license content from Wizards repeatedly but keeps getting rejected. The Orc Pub character creator is so intuitive, full featured and better than what is here on D&D Beyond. I think competition is important and I think letting Orc Pub thrive and grow can only make other sites (such as this one) even better.
And I would definitely like D&D Beyond to get better as well since there is room for everyone, and all of it is goodness for everyone that plays or wants to start playing Dungeons & Dragons.
So if you feel like signing the petition, please do... if not, then that's fine too.
*link removed because it's probably against the rules anyways*
Wizards isn't obligated to license their product information to OrcPub. The fact he keeps getting rejected makes me think it's crazy that people think they can use some internet petition to bully them into licensing with this guy. Also, i don't think everyone in support quite realize that even IF they licensed the content to him, he would likely have to charge the same $30 per book they would have to to buy the content on DDB, Roll20, and Fantasy Grounds.
Nope, had an account, and I like DDB, and I like Orc Pub. But, Orc Pub has a better character creator. I tried to export my character from DDB yesterday. No place to put faction, can't add faction image, my avatar image didn't show up, the character creation process is just much smoother and more well done in Orc Pub in my opinion that's all. I'll still use both.
Really? Cause you realize we can all see the join day, right?
I actually really like Orc Pub and in fact started a Change.org petition for them today. The creator is a good guy, he's removed all non SRD content, and has been trying to legally license content from Wizards repeatedly but keeps getting rejected. The Orc Pub character creator is so intuitive, full featured and better than what is here on D&D Beyond. I think competition is important and I think letting Orc Pub thrive and grow can only make other sites (such as this one) even better.
And I would definitely like D&D Beyond to get better as well since there is room for everyone, and all of it is goodness for everyone that plays or wants to start playing Dungeons & Dragons.
So if you feel like signing the petition, please do... if not, then that's fine too.
*link removed because it's probably against the rules anyways*
Wizards isn't obligated to license their product information to OrcPub. The fact he keeps getting rejected makes me think it's crazy that people think they can use some internet petition to bully them into licensing with this guy. Also, i don't think everyone in support quite realize that even IF they licensed the content to him, he would likely have to charge the same $30 per book they would have to to buy the content on DDB, Roll20, and Fantasy Grounds.
Nope, had an account, and I like DDB, and I like Orc Pub. But, Orc Pub has a better character creator. I tried to export my character from DDB yesterday. No place to put faction, can't add faction image, my avatar image didn't show up, the character creation process is just much smoother and more well done in Orc Pub in my opinion that's all. I'll still use both.
Really? Cause you realize we can all see the join day, right?
Hi Erylia,
I created an account the day before my post. Why is the date yesterday, I couldn't tell you (you can think I'm a liar and I wouldn't blame you, so I'll just have to live with that). But I did have an account and I used it to create a character which is what I used to compare with Orc Pub/Roll20/Mobile apps. The character generator isn't horrible by any means, it's quite good, but to me (as I stated), just not as good as Orc Pub's.
And secondly, this isn't an attempt to bully Wizards. They can obviously do whatever they want to do. They have done nothing wrong, and are not being called out for doing anything wrong. They have every right to license their content to whomever they feel like. This petition is to just indicate to them that there are a lot of people who would be interested in having Orc Pub licensed with them, and that's all.
And again, this isn't an us vs them against D&D Beyond, I enjoy using this site, it's a great site. I enjoy using Orc Pub. I enjoy using Roll20. The fact that I support this petition doesn't mean I don't also enjoy all these other sources of D&D goodness. I'm just saying that there is room for everyone, and we that signed the petition are only showing to Wizards that there is a large interest.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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A slight correction - D&D Beyond is created and owned by Curse, who are a global company in their own right.
Curse was purchased by Twitch last year, which brings with it many advantages, one of which is establishing a single-sign-on across all Twitch & Curse websites. Twitch in turn was bought by Amazon several years previously (2014 I believe).
Curse is, as mentioned above, licensing the D&D product for use here, on the D&D Beyond website.
The team at Curse responsible for the D&D Beyond site have forged some great relationships with Wizards of the Coast, working with them on a number of topics, which help both companies and the community.
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Ya I understand the curse->twitch->amazon thing. What I'm not sure of is the monetisation of the platform. D&D beyond is NOT the equivelent of Roll20 or other 3rd party content providers though. It's advertised from D&D website as an official product of D&D which obviously means there is a closer relationship than lets say Roll20. I also read that Curse has rights to the D&D beyond platform for a 1 year optional renewal period. Does this mean that at the end of one year if they so choose to, WoTC could uproot the D&D Beyond platform and put it somewhere else, or does Curse just no longer have rights to give access to the WoTC content through D&D Beyond but they remain owners of D&D Beyond (if WoTC decided to end their partnership). I bring this up, just because ownership was brought up in regards to book sales.
Maybe this is hijacking the thread a little, I was just curious how the relationship worked.
Quote from beginning of march speaks of partnership, not outright ownership
"We are excited to announce development of D&D Beyond, an official digital toolset for use with the Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition rules. We have partnered with Curse to take D&D players beyond pen and paper, providing a rules compendium, character builder, digital character sheets, and more—all populated with official D&D content. D&D Beyond aims to make game management easier for both players and Dungeon Masters by providing high-quality tools available on any device, empowering beginners and veterans alike!"
Also to note, I'm not questioning or disputing anyone's post. I legitimately am curious, and would like links to official statements or releases regarding the relationship. Sure on the forums there is all kinds of things being said, but without actual links or a moderator saying it, it's not worth very much.
Stormknight is a moderator.
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?
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?
Thanks Mjsoctober!
I still maintain that the relationship is closer than with lets say roll20, since as per WoTC D&D Beyond is an official digital app of D&D
I agree. There is a difference in that WotC is working closely with Curse to make something that has the feel of being more "official" bt at the same time WotC isn't going to do anything to undercut Roll20 or Fantasy Grounds. If OrcPub had been able to get a license, he'd have been fine, but the cost would have been much higher for users, closer to what DDB, Roll20 or FG charge, making the point moot.
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?
Agreed, my whole line of question was more or less off topic from the OP about OrcPub.
The problem isn't about buying, it's that there isn't anything clear on why or where to buy. They should have bought the rights to OrcPub2 and made that the new character creator for a fee. I want to be an eldritch knight but there's no clear direction or link as to where that is exactly. I have the PHB, DM guide, and Monster Manual.
Why not have each book number correspond with content on here. If someone were to sell the book and transfer it, the previous owner no longer has online access as soon as the new owner register's the book. A new owner could pay a $5-$10 fee when they register a previously owned book. This would then not only encourage people to buy the books but then go online as well. Unlike now where most people don't want to pay the steep online fees after we already spent $100-$150 on the 3 standard books, and possibly $20 on the starter set.
I actually really like Orc Pub and in fact started a Change.org petition for them today. The creator is a good guy, he's removed all non SRD content, and has been trying to legally license content from Wizards repeatedly but keeps getting rejected. The Orc Pub character creator is so intuitive, full featured and better than what is here on D&D Beyond. I think competition is important and I think letting Orc Pub thrive and grow can only make other sites (such as this one) even better.
And I would definitely like D&D Beyond to get better as well since there is room for everyone, and all of it is goodness for everyone that plays or wants to start playing Dungeons & Dragons.
So if you feel like signing the petition, please do... if not, then that's fine too.
Oh look, yet another new account created to complain about DDB and promote OrcPub. How many accounts does that make it that you've created so far?
You CANNOT automate the creation of a character without a license from WoTC. Having only SRD content fixes only one aspect of the issue. That's part of why dicecloud.com works like it does - it automates nothing to stay within the bounds of the licensing terms.
It's really that simple.
And then guess what? That's not free.
Nope, had an account, and I like DDB, and I like Orc Pub. But, Orc Pub has a better character creator. I tried to export my character from DDB yesterday. No place to put faction, can't add faction image, my avatar image didn't show up, the character creation process is just much smoother and more well done in Orc Pub in my opinion that's all. I'll still use both.
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"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
Tooltips (Help/aid)
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
Tooltips (Help/aid)
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