I appreciate the clarification. I'd forgotten that D&D Beyond isn't owned by Wizards of the Coast. Think I read somewhere that the Essentials Kit came with one because of the (for lack of a better term) Partnership Event between the two entities. I gathered as much, anyway. And from what I was able to glean from similar threads, WotC doesn't include digital codes for D&D Beyond or other partnerships because the physical books often don't come wrapped or in packaging and people could just open the book and use the code without actually purchasing.
I have no inside information or anything, but I imagine:
1.) WotC wants to sell as many physical copies as possible, so is holding off on preorder allowance until later to encourage more physical presales. This is likely for the benefit of Brick and Mortars, which are struggling, as well as for WotC itself.
2.) D&D Beyond found the variant class article a huge challenge. I imagine that there is some benefit to giving them more time to implement the changes they'll need to make before they start collecting money for the new book in the unlikely event that they realize that part of the book's content will need to have a delayed release due to challenges in incorporating it.
3.) In the end, 99% of our spending decisions will not be changed by this delay - we'll just be paying a bit later than normal.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
D&D since 79. New to the Carolinas and looking for Gamers.
For me, player options (xanathars, or tashas) I want the actual book available to be able to share with people in person. But adventures I just assume have only the digital one. Especially since they decided to start cheaping out with the maps.
My purchasing has definitely shifted though, before the hardcovers were must have and digital "nice to have" now its opposite. I preoder almost everything digital, and only pick up some of the hard covers.
I have no inside information or anything, but I imagine:
1.) WotC wants to sell as many physical copies as possible, so is holding off on preorder allowance until later to encourage more physical presales. This is likely for the benefit of Brick and Mortars, which are struggling, as well as for WotC itself.
2.) D&D Beyond found the variant class article a huge challenge. I imagine that there is some benefit to giving them more time to implement the changes they'll need to make before they start collecting money for the new book in the unlikely event that they realize that part of the book's content will need to have a delayed release due to challenges in incorporating it.
3.) In the end, 99% of our spending decisions will not be changed by this delay - we'll just be paying a bit later than normal.
I mean from a sales standpoint, it makes sense. If they send people to a brick and mortar game store, those stores also have other WIzards products. They’ve honestly said that digital pre-orders will be available but I don’t believe that to be true, of if they do become available it will be the week prior. All of this has been talked to death on these forums though.
Half-way through OCT and still nothing. I'm quite patient, but if launch is on NOV, not getting any news about dndbeyond preorder details is making me itchy.
For what it's worth, WotC's DnD site has recently (past few days) moved Tasha's to its main/featured item (it had been Rime of the Frost Maiden in that space since that book was announced). All their other book splash pages have links to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, a local store database, and then DDB, Roll20 and sometimes Fantasy Grounds. Tasha's page only has the print outlets available. So again, evidence makes it clear this is a WotC decision toward digital editions in general on this one.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
Yes, those little things are what I think help you to breathe individuality into each character... especially if you already created 50 of them.
I have over 150 characters and wouldn’t use any of that blinky, flashy crap if I was paid to. 🤷♂️ Different strokes I guess.
Apparently my opinion was out of line. My apologies. What I should have said was:
”I find that opinion quite remarkable. The first time I looked at one of my players’ character sheets and they had some fancy flashing portrait border I thought I was about to have a seizure. I am personally astounded that anyone actually likes those things. 🤷♂️ I guess someone must like them since they keep making them, and I guess you’re one of those someones. I feel like I just met a unicorn.”
Yes, those little things are what I think help you to breathe individuality into each character... especially if you already created 50 of them.
I have over 150 characters and wouldn’t use any of that blinky, flashy crap if I was paid to. 🤷♂️ Different strokes I guess.
I should just ignore this and move on, but was this really necessary? They bring up they, like plenty of others, like some of the pre-order bonuses and you felt you needed to chime in to call it flashy crap just to crap on their statement?
To pivot off IamSposta, while I'm not a huge fan of the frames myself, I can see how maybe other players may really like those accents. I don't use them a lot, but I do play a little bit with my color themes to the borders (and actually, I'm seeing a value in it where I now have two campaigns who are playing the same game and for my amusement I'm letting the two campaigns be parallel universes of each others. Some players know, and there are in jokes. I've gone full into the rabbit hole and not getting out even setting up some one shots set years prior to current events where one shot or recurring side campaign characters encounter or actually are younger versions of significant NPCs in the "main campaign." So there are a lot of PC and NPC doppelgängers and iterations. Those color borders might help me code enounter builds or just make sure I bring up the right sheet.
That, and I like the digital dice that go with the pre-orders. I'm never going to buy the dice, so it's the only way I'll get variety in my rolling.
Obviously, I can't speak to D&D Beyond, but if for whatever reason they aren't allowed to sell Tasha's for pre-order, I'm sure there will have some sort of 'bonus" for the first month of sales or whatever, they know those incentives work.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
The people say that other people who are interested in the release date, should just shut up and wait, no, there are valid reasons to want information. And that is the problem here, is the void of information about Tasha's coming from DnDB.
It is now 3 weeks out from release, any company that is planning a major release like this would 100pc know whether they have the technical capability to release on the date if they are this close. I absolutely believe that the DnDB guys are working feverishly to get this done and i thank them for it, i thank them for it with words, and also put my money where my mouth is with my monthly sub and (when it becomes available) money for the digital version of Tasha's.
If it is WotC implementing a no (or very short) digital pre-order offer, then why not communicate that. Also, people who are saying that WotC want to make more off bricks and mortar sales, i doubt that would be the case, in fact i would be very surprised if WotC make more money from hard copied than what they do from digital licensees. The bricks and mortar companies have much higher overheads than online sites, meaning that the profit margin that they charge has to be more to have the same net profit, plus there is the transport and printing costs associated with something like this, not to mention that a printing run is for thousands of books, money that companies have to pay up front, with no guarantee that all those books are going to be sold to book stores straight away, eroding your cash flow, the idea that WotC would be locked into a printing contract doesn't sound right to me, in this increasingly digital world, i would think that printing companies would have been bending over backwards for years to get business, so unless WotC (a company that is VERY well versed in printing contracts) signed a very shitty contract 20 years ago, i doubt that would be the case. Digital has none of these issues, the digital publisher would prob pay an upfront licencing fee then a small percentage of each sale at the time of the end user purchase (or maybe rolled up into weekly buckets).
That's not to say that WotC isn't dictating the no digital pre-order, but i doubt it's for more money for hard copy versions.
My main gripe is that there's no info about DnDB's handling of Tasha's at all. If they have to delay for what ever reason, that fine, tell us that reason, give us a date that you think you can hit, and we'll go about our business, DnDB is (imo) the best digital dnd site, i def wont abandon my sub and 30 odd characters because an (admittedly awesome) sourcebook is taking an extra month or so to iron out, and i doubt other people would either. If it's WotC dictating a no pre-order, say so, tell us "no-preorder on this one guys", yeah it's shit, but hey so is life. Just give us SOME info about what's going on with Tasha's please, me and a lot of other people on here are hanging out for info.
I’m not sure why you think DDB hasn’t said anything about preorders: OboeLauren has said somewhere in the forums in response to this question that they’ll let everyone know when preorders are available. Adam has fielded this question in every Dev Update since Tasha’s was announced, and every time he has said that as soon as Wizards of the Coast releases Tasha’s for digital pre-orders, they will make it available. (Note that Roll-20 and Fantasy grounds aren’t offering it for pre-order either; the restriction is not limited to DDB). Those explanations by Adam have been mentioned in this thread repeatedly by some of us who are regular watchers of the Dev Updates. It’s not their decision; it’s up to WTOC, and it’s not appropriate for them to speculate on why this is the policy.
1) WOTC needs physical sales to fill a minimum order with their printer, so they aren't allowing digital pre-orders in order to encourage physical sales. This seems like a bad strategy, unless they are going to continue the ban past the release date. And that will annoy a lot of people who prefer digital only. Or people who buy both, but are playing online and need that digital access.
2) DDB has told WOTC they aren't sure if they can implement everything on release. WOTC decided to hold all digital preorders, including other vendors, in order to ensure that DDB has everything ready. WOTC clearly favors DDB over Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds. And why wouldn't they? DDB does tons of marketing for WOTC in ways those other platforms don't. DDB is basically all benefit to WOTC with little risk. So it's not inconceivable that they would hold digital pre-orders at the request of DDB. If DDB isn't able to implement everything on release, that would be a huge blow to people's confidence in the site. So keeping that news under wraps in the hopes that they pull it off seems like a smart move. This obviously contradicts some public statements by Adam, but that doesn't mean anything. It's not like he's going to get on his stream and say 'We're not going to have that new book for you because our coders can't figure it out! Sorry!'
There really aren't other explanations. Both explanations are bad. The second is worse, unless the first leads to WOTC delaying digital release past Nov 17th in a hope to sell more physical books, then it is just as bad as the second. In either case, people are right to be worried.
1) WOTC needs physical sales to fill a minimum order with their printer, so they aren't allowing digital pre-orders in order to encourage physical sales. This seems like a bad strategy, unless they are going to continue the ban past the release date. And that will annoy a lot of people who prefer digital only. Or people who buy both, but are playing online and need that digital access.
2) DDB has told WOTC they aren't sure if they can implement everything on release. WOTC decided to hold all digital preorders, including other vendors, in order to ensure that DDB has everything ready. WOTC clearly favors DDB over Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds. And why wouldn't they? DDB does tons of marketing for WOTC in ways those other platforms don't. DDB is basically all benefit to WOTC with little risk. So it's not inconceivable that they would hold digital pre-orders at the request of DDB. If DDB isn't able to implement everything on release, that would be a huge blow to people's confidence in the site. So keeping that news under wraps in the hopes that they pull it off seems like a smart move. This obviously contradicts some public statements by Adam, but that doesn't mean anything. It's not like he's going to get on his stream and say 'We're not going to have that new book for you because our coders can't figure it out! Sorry!'
There really aren't other explanations. Both explanations are bad. The second is worse, unless the first leads to WOTC delaying digital release past Nov 17th in a hope to sell more physical books, then it is just as bad as the second. In either case, people are right to be worried.
1) That could have something to do with it.
2) I really cannot see DDB telling WotC they are not ready so don't allow3 pre-orders yet, WotC would say no to that as Roll20 would like to deo pre-orders and in all honesty I myself have faith in DDB to have those features ready or really close to ready at release. The new Stat mods of putting them where you want them is just easy when your making a character. I made a Mountain Dwarf Wizard and just put a -2 mod on STR to offset the Racial bonus and granted INT a +2 bonus.
Check out my Disabled & Dragons Youtube Channel for 5e Monster and Player Tactics. Helping the Disabled Community and Players and DM’s (both new and experienced) get into D&D. Plus there is a talking Dragon named Quill.
I appreciate the clarification. I'd forgotten that D&D Beyond isn't owned by Wizards of the Coast. Think I read somewhere that the Essentials Kit came with one because of the (for lack of a better term) Partnership Event between the two entities. I gathered as much, anyway. And from what I was able to glean from similar threads, WotC doesn't include digital codes for D&D Beyond or other partnerships because the physical books often don't come wrapped or in packaging and people could just open the book and use the code without actually purchasing.
Anyhow, thanks everyone!
I have no inside information or anything, but I imagine:
1.) WotC wants to sell as many physical copies as possible, so is holding off on preorder allowance until later to encourage more physical presales. This is likely for the benefit of Brick and Mortars, which are struggling, as well as for WotC itself.
2.) D&D Beyond found the variant class article a huge challenge. I imagine that there is some benefit to giving them more time to implement the changes they'll need to make before they start collecting money for the new book in the unlikely event that they realize that part of the book's content will need to have a delayed release due to challenges in incorporating it.
3.) In the end, 99% of our spending decisions will not be changed by this delay - we'll just be paying a bit later than normal.
D&D since 79. New to the Carolinas and looking for Gamers.
For me, player options (xanathars, or tashas) I want the actual book available to be able to share with people in person. But adventures I just assume have only the digital one. Especially since they decided to start cheaping out with the maps.
My purchasing has definitely shifted though, before the hardcovers were must have and digital "nice to have" now its opposite. I preoder almost everything digital, and only pick up some of the hard covers.
I mean from a sales standpoint, it makes sense. If they send people to a brick and mortar game store, those stores also have other WIzards products. They’ve honestly said that digital pre-orders will be available but I don’t believe that to be true, of if they do become available it will be the week prior. All of this has been talked to death on these forums though.
Half-way through OCT and still nothing. I'm quite patient, but if launch is on NOV, not getting any news about dndbeyond preorder details is making me itchy.
For what it's worth, WotC's DnD site has recently (past few days) moved Tasha's to its main/featured item (it had been Rime of the Frost Maiden in that space since that book was announced). All their other book splash pages have links to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, a local store database, and then DDB, Roll20 and sometimes Fantasy Grounds. Tasha's page only has the print outlets available. So again, evidence makes it clear this is a WotC decision toward digital editions in general on this one.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
Yes, those little things are what I think help you to breathe individuality into each character... especially if you already created 50 of them.
I have over 150 characters and wouldn’t use any of that blinky, flashy crap if I was paid to. 🤷♂️ Different strokes I guess.Apparently my opinion was out of line. My apologies. What I should have said was:
”I find that opinion quite remarkable. The first time I looked at one of my players’ character sheets and they had some fancy flashing portrait border I thought I was about to have a seizure. I am personally astounded that anyone actually likes those things. 🤷♂️ I guess someone must like them since they keep making them, and I guess you’re one of those someones. I feel like I just met a unicorn.”
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
I should just ignore this and move on, but was this really necessary? They bring up they, like plenty of others, like some of the pre-order bonuses and you felt you needed to chime in to call it flashy crap just to crap on their statement?
Was this really, really necessary?
My apologies for having a different opinion. I amended my statement.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
To pivot off IamSposta, while I'm not a huge fan of the frames myself, I can see how maybe other players may really like those accents. I don't use them a lot, but I do play a little bit with my color themes to the borders (and actually, I'm seeing a value in it where I now have two campaigns who are playing the same game and for my amusement I'm letting the two campaigns be parallel universes of each others. Some players know, and there are in jokes. I've gone full into the rabbit hole and not getting out even setting up some one shots set years prior to current events where one shot or recurring side campaign characters encounter or actually are younger versions of significant NPCs in the "main campaign." So there are a lot of PC and NPC doppelgängers and iterations. Those color borders might help me code enounter builds or just make sure I bring up the right sheet.
That, and I like the digital dice that go with the pre-orders. I'm never going to buy the dice, so it's the only way I'll get variety in my rolling.
Obviously, I can't speak to D&D Beyond, but if for whatever reason they aren't allowed to sell Tasha's for pre-order, I'm sure there will have some sort of 'bonus" for the first month of sales or whatever, they know those incentives work.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
Interesting read this thread.
The people say that other people who are interested in the release date, should just shut up and wait, no, there are valid reasons to want information. And that is the problem here, is the void of information about Tasha's coming from DnDB.
It is now 3 weeks out from release, any company that is planning a major release like this would 100pc know whether they have the technical capability to release on the date if they are this close. I absolutely believe that the DnDB guys are working feverishly to get this done and i thank them for it, i thank them for it with words, and also put my money where my mouth is with my monthly sub and (when it becomes available) money for the digital version of Tasha's.
If it is WotC implementing a no (or very short) digital pre-order offer, then why not communicate that. Also, people who are saying that WotC want to make more off bricks and mortar sales, i doubt that would be the case, in fact i would be very surprised if WotC make more money from hard copied than what they do from digital licensees. The bricks and mortar companies have much higher overheads than online sites, meaning that the profit margin that they charge has to be more to have the same net profit, plus there is the transport and printing costs associated with something like this, not to mention that a printing run is for thousands of books, money that companies have to pay up front, with no guarantee that all those books are going to be sold to book stores straight away, eroding your cash flow, the idea that WotC would be locked into a printing contract doesn't sound right to me, in this increasingly digital world, i would think that printing companies would have been bending over backwards for years to get business, so unless WotC (a company that is VERY well versed in printing contracts) signed a very shitty contract 20 years ago, i doubt that would be the case. Digital has none of these issues, the digital publisher would prob pay an upfront licencing fee then a small percentage of each sale at the time of the end user purchase (or maybe rolled up into weekly buckets).
That's not to say that WotC isn't dictating the no digital pre-order, but i doubt it's for more money for hard copy versions.
My main gripe is that there's no info about DnDB's handling of Tasha's at all. If they have to delay for what ever reason, that fine, tell us that reason, give us a date that you think you can hit, and we'll go about our business, DnDB is (imo) the best digital dnd site, i def wont abandon my sub and 30 odd characters because an (admittedly awesome) sourcebook is taking an extra month or so to iron out, and i doubt other people would either. If it's WotC dictating a no pre-order, say so, tell us "no-preorder on this one guys", yeah it's shit, but hey so is life. Just give us SOME info about what's going on with Tasha's please, me and a lot of other people on here are hanging out for info.
I’m not sure why you think DDB hasn’t said anything about preorders: OboeLauren has said somewhere in the forums in response to this question that they’ll let everyone know when preorders are available. Adam has fielded this question in every Dev Update since Tasha’s was announced, and every time he has said that as soon as Wizards of the Coast releases Tasha’s for digital pre-orders, they will make it available. (Note that Roll-20 and Fantasy grounds aren’t offering it for pre-order either; the restriction is not limited to DDB). Those explanations by Adam have been mentioned in this thread repeatedly by some of us who are regular watchers of the Dev Updates. It’s not their decision; it’s up to WTOC, and it’s not appropriate for them to speculate on why this is the policy.
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;
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There are only 2 explanations at this point:
1) WOTC needs physical sales to fill a minimum order with their printer, so they aren't allowing digital pre-orders in order to encourage physical sales. This seems like a bad strategy, unless they are going to continue the ban past the release date. And that will annoy a lot of people who prefer digital only. Or people who buy both, but are playing online and need that digital access.
2) DDB has told WOTC they aren't sure if they can implement everything on release. WOTC decided to hold all digital preorders, including other vendors, in order to ensure that DDB has everything ready. WOTC clearly favors DDB over Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds. And why wouldn't they? DDB does tons of marketing for WOTC in ways those other platforms don't. DDB is basically all benefit to WOTC with little risk. So it's not inconceivable that they would hold digital pre-orders at the request of DDB. If DDB isn't able to implement everything on release, that would be a huge blow to people's confidence in the site. So keeping that news under wraps in the hopes that they pull it off seems like a smart move. This obviously contradicts some public statements by Adam, but that doesn't mean anything. It's not like he's going to get on his stream and say 'We're not going to have that new book for you because our coders can't figure it out! Sorry!'
There really aren't other explanations. Both explanations are bad. The second is worse, unless the first leads to WOTC delaying digital release past Nov 17th in a hope to sell more physical books, then it is just as bad as the second. In either case, people are right to be worried.
1) That could have something to do with it.
2) I really cannot see DDB telling WotC they are not ready so don't allow3 pre-orders yet, WotC would say no to that as Roll20 would like to deo pre-orders and in all honesty I myself have faith in DDB to have those features ready or really close to ready at release. The new Stat mods of putting them where you want them is just easy when your making a character. I made a Mountain Dwarf Wizard and just put a -2 mod on STR to offset the Racial bonus and granted INT a +2 bonus.
Hi everyone! Thanks for your patience, Tasha's Cauldron of Everything is now available for Pre-Order! https://www.dndbeyond.com/marketplace/sourcebooks/tashas-cauldron-of-everything
Find me on Twitter: @OboeLauren
Thanks for the update Lauren. Appreciate it.
Check out my Disabled & Dragons Youtube Channel for 5e Monster and Player Tactics. Helping the Disabled Community and Players and DM’s (both new and experienced) get into D&D. Plus there is a talking Dragon named Quill.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPmyTI0tZ6nM-bzY0IG3ww
That link isn't working, I'm getting the internal server error page.
Delete the from the end. It's html for the space character.
Mega Yahtzee Thread:
Highest 41: brocker2001 (#11,285).
Yahtzee of 2's: Emmber (#36,161).
Lowest 9: JoeltheWalrus (#312), Emmber (#12,505) and Dertinus (#20,953).
Darn rogue space! Fixed, sorry about that!
Find me on Twitter: @OboeLauren