Depending on how everything is integrated together, I think DDB will be more than worth me buying the content again, as long as there are not too many restrictions on using that content in an attempt to try and force uses into a subscription (I do not think this will be the case). I plan to mostly use DDB as an easy way to access information and for character management. As far as campaign management it would depend on how well it works. If I buy Storm King's Thunder though DDB will it be any easier to run the adventure through their system vs just using the physical book. What will I be able to do with their version that I can't do with the physical version, and are those features ****** if I am not a subscriber? That is something I look forward to finding out. I think there is a lot of potential for this to evolve into something amazing.
As far as a combat tracker it would need to be free. There are too many free/cheap ones available.
This thing is definitely shaping up to be a likely purchase/subscription/TBD.
Last game, I tried an experiment. I set my rules books on a different table, under my computer bag. Behind my screen, I kept on the CoS book, some dice, and my Surface. In 3.5 hours, I referenced several rules on DDB, including monster stats, but never had to reach for my books. Assuming the cost is appropriate (which is an assumption I'm willing to make, right now), I could easily see me switching entirely to DDB, at the table. I really hope that it launches with adventures (specifically, CoS), so that I can leave all my books on my shelf. I suspect I'll always want some of the quick reference tables on an actual DM screen, but who knows? With no actual books open, I may be able to just hide my die rolls behind my computer. I'm definitely not willing to switch to digital dice as a standard, though the idea of being fully equipped to run a game with only my phone is somewhat appealing.
Regarding the combat tracker, I'm pretty happy with what I have. I do consider it value-added, however, to have a unified tool set where I can pull in my players' characters directly, etc. See also my comment about being able to just pull out my phone and be ready to go. Note: I don't think it'd be optimal, but I've had a few times where "the gang" has been together and interested in gaming, but no one had their stuff; in some editions, you could do a fighter on an index card, but casters generally require at least a list of spells.
This thing is definitely shaping up to be a likely purchase/subscription/TBD.
Last game, I tried an experiment. I set my rules books on a different table, under my computer bag. Behind my screen, I kept on the CoS book, some dice, and my Surface. In 3.5 hours, I referenced several rules on DDB, including monster stats, but never had to reach for my books. Assuming the cost is appropriate (which is an assumption I'm willing to make, right now), I could easily see me switching entirely to DDB, at the table. I really hope that it launches with adventures (specifically, CoS), so that I can leave all my books on my shelf. I suspect I'll always want some of the quick reference tables on an actual DM screen, but who knows? With no actual books open, I may be able to just hide my die rolls behind my computer. I'm definitely not willing to switch to digital dice as a standard, though the idea of being fully equipped to run a game with only my phone is somewhat appealing.
Regarding the combat tracker, I'm pretty happy with what I have. I do consider it value-added, however, to have a unified tool set where I can pull in my players' characters directly, etc. See also my comment about being able to just pull out my phone and be ready to go. Note: I don't think it'd be optimal, but I've had a few times where "the gang" has been together and interested in gaming, but no one had their stuff; in some editions, you could do a fighter on an index card, but casters generally require at least a list of spells.
I definitely think that just the ability to run the game entirely through one service on our phones will make it worth it to use this instead of any init tracker apps or whatever we already have.
It's important to remember to view this as a suite of features and tools, not as individual features and tools. A given feature may not be worth paying for, on it's own, but that's irrelevant. What matters is what the whole thing does/offers.
This thing is definitely shaping up to be a likely purchase/subscription/TBD.
Last game, I tried an experiment. I set my rules books on a different table, under my computer bag. Behind my screen, I kept on the CoS book, some dice, and my Surface. In 3.5 hours, I referenced several rules on DDB, including monster stats, but never had to reach for my books. Assuming the cost is appropriate (which is an assumption I'm willing to make, right now), I could easily see me switching entirely to DDB, at the table. I really hope that it launches with adventures (specifically, CoS), so that I can leave all my books on my shelf. I suspect I'll always want some of the quick reference tables on an actual DM screen, but who knows? With no actual books open, I may be able to just hide my die rolls behind my computer. I'm definitely not willing to switch to digital dice as a standard, though the idea of being fully equipped to run a game with only my phone is somewhat appealing.
Regarding the combat tracker, I'm pretty happy with what I have. I do consider it value-added, however, to have a unified tool set where I can pull in my players' characters directly, etc. See also my comment about being able to just pull out my phone and be ready to go. Note: I don't think it'd be optimal, but I've had a few times where "the gang" has been together and interested in gaming, but no one had their stuff; in some editions, you could do a fighter on an index card, but casters generally require at least a list of spells.
I definitely think that just the ability to run the game entirely through one service on our phones will make it worth it to use this instead of any init tracker apps or whatever we already have.
It's important to remember to view this as a suite of features and tools, not as individual features and tools. A given feature may not be worth paying for, on it's own, but that's irrelevant. What matters is what the whole thing does/offers.
I agree that the whole may be greater that the sum of its parts. A lot will depend on all the currently unknown variables.
If the DM sub only gets you the "privilege" to share stuff you need to rebuy seems a little worthless. Either I get an added benefit ( at the very least discounts on buying those books) or it seems like this would be inferior to pretty much all the other systems out there. Why WotC won't just sell PDFs is still beyond me. It is not stopping people from pirating the game.
I agree. To me it make more sense to charge the players to share from a DM rather than the DM to share with players. This current model is like me paying Home Depot a monthly fee to let my neighbors borrow the lawnmower I bought. The people who have not bought the content should be paying.
I believe it's a little closer to me talking to my friends about how we all need a good lawnmower to use, letting everyone contribute some amount of money that gets pooled together, then going to Home Depot to buy a lawnmower we can all use.
It's fairly simple to share money among friends with the options available today - this is the use case we're addressing.
We could just say "make all your players purchase his or her own copy of this material, forget about sharing," but we are intentionally deciding to avoid that kind of "cash grab" to use a term that's popped up several times in this thread.
I really, actually, truly encourage everyone to wait just a little while longer to hear the actual pricing details before making too many judgements.
Thanks!
I don't say I don't want to pay, but if the only thing the DM level sub adds or gives is the ability to share it really isn't worth it. Again we don't know full details, but the heavy focus on that aspect being the great/greatest point about the DM level sub makes me a little wary that something else might have been forgotten.
Most of the time, after character creation, my players won't need the books. Maybe for spells, but that is every 3-4 sessions at most. In most other cases it is either things I rule as a DM or tell them verbally, even now at the table. It is just easier to tell them "X does that, but let me check to be sure" look it up and move on.
Pricing and the actual service are obviously the thing we really need to know to truly judge it, but having no infos aside from the "ability to share" . A topic that could be handled in 1-2 sentences as a topic along side another feature, makes me and seemingly many other wary. Why is that such a highlight feature and the first to be reveled about the DM sub level? Will it provide the same as the pro account? As that is what it'll be competing with. It is just a very very odd PR wise to push the info out like this at this pace.
If the DM sub only gets you the "privilege" to share stuff you need to rebuy seems a little worthless. Either I get an added benefit ( at the very least discounts on buying those books) or it seems like this would be inferior to pretty much all the other systems out there. Why WotC won't just sell PDFs is still beyond me. It is not stopping people from pirating the game.
I agree. To me it make more sense to charge the players to share from a DM rather than the DM to share with players. This current model is like me paying Home Depot a monthly fee to let my neighbors borrow the lawnmower I bought. The people who have not bought the content should be paying.
I believe it's a little closer to me talking to my friends about how we all need a good lawnmower to use, letting everyone contribute some amount of money that gets pooled together, then going to Home Depot to buy a lawnmower we can all use.
It's fairly simple to share money among friends with the options available today - this is the use case we're addressing.
We could just say "make all your players purchase his or her own copy of this material, forget about sharing," but we are intentionally deciding to avoid that kind of "cash grab" to use a term that's popped up several times in this thread.
I really, actually, truly encourage everyone to wait just a little while longer to hear the actual pricing details before making too many judgements.
Thanks!
I don't say I don't want to pay, but if the only thing the DM level sub adds or gives is the ability to share it really isn't worth it. Again we don't know full details, but the heavy focus on that aspect being the great/greatest point about the DM level sub makes me a little wary that something else might have been forgotten.
Most of the time, after character creation, my players won't need the books. Maybe for spells, but that is every 3-4 sessions at most. In most other cases it is either things I rule as a DM or tell them verbally, even now at the table. It is just easier to tell them "X does that, but let me check to be sure" look it up and move on.
Pricing and the actual service are obviously the thing we really need to know to truly judge it, but having no infos aside from the "ability to share" . A topic that could be handled in 1-2 sentences as a topic along side another feature, makes me and seemingly many other wary. Why is that such a highlight feature and the first to be reveled about the DM sub level? Will it provide the same as the pro account? As that is what it'll be competing with. It is just a very very odd PR wise to push the info out like this at this pace.
Using terms like "many others" in these kinds of discussions is not easy to quantify. I could reasonably say that "many others" are excited about the sharing benefit because we have received that feedback frequently since those details were released.
With Master tier, you will receive all the benefits of the Hero tier (unlimited characters, public homebrew access, etc.). The sharing aspect is in fact a major selling point of the Master tier subscription. The alternative is for players in your campaign to pay for the content individually to create, edit, and use the digital sheet - and all future features in the toolset - with anything outside the Basic Rules or SRD. If a player wants to play a Battlemaster Fighter, for instance, she will need to either purchase the PHB fighter class bundle or the PHB in its entirety.
Without using specific pricing, here is the scenario:
Master Tier subscription cost = $X/month
Player's Handbook content = $Y
In a campaign with five players who want to use content outside what is freely available, and no Master subscription with sharing, you could expect:
$Y+ $Y + $Y + $Y + $Y + $Y
With a Master tier sub, the same group (with the same needs) would purchase:
$X/month + $Y
If your group would rather have every player purchase the PHB content individually and not have a recurring subscription, we are completely fine with that approach.
You will have the flexibility to unlock the content in the way that works for you and your group, which is the way we want the model to work.
If the DM sub only gets you the "privilege" to share stuff you need to rebuy seems a little worthless. Either I get an added benefit ( at the very least discounts on buying those books) or it seems like this would be inferior to pretty much all the other systems out there. Why WotC won't just sell PDFs is still beyond me. It is not stopping people from pirating the game.
I agree. To me it make more sense to charge the players to share from a DM rather than the DM to share with players. This current model is like me paying Home Depot a monthly fee to let my neighbors borrow the lawnmower I bought. The people who have not bought the content should be paying.
I believe it's a little closer to me talking to my friends about how we all need a good lawnmower to use, letting everyone contribute some amount of money that gets pooled together, then going to Home Depot to buy a lawnmower we can all use.
It's fairly simple to share money among friends with the options available today - this is the use case we're addressing.
We could just say "make all your players purchase his or her own copy of this material, forget about sharing," but we are intentionally deciding to avoid that kind of "cash grab" to use a term that's popped up several times in this thread.
I really, actually, truly encourage everyone to wait just a little while longer to hear the actual pricing details before making too many judgements.Thanks!
Let's use the analogy of co-buying a lawnmower. Could you imagine the pain that could be. Who owns the lawnmower? Who gets to use it when? We all bought it so why is it always at Bob's house? At some point you realized you would have been better off if everyone just bought their own lawnmower and that is with no monthly fee to share the lawnmower.
If everyon chips in to buy the books for one person what do you do if someone else wants to DM? What do you do if one of the players didn't pony up their $2.50 this month? What if one of the players can't play for a month or two? It will mostly fall back on the DM to pay. It is also sorta like renting a house with your friends. It starts off great and by the end everyone wants to kill each other and their power gets shut off because Bob forgot to pay the bill. In my experience (maybe I'm alone) this kind of sharing rarely works out. This works best for the guy who wants to play so bad that he foots the bill for everything for everyone, or maybe for a family who play together.
I undersand that there may be more to the Master tier, some other killar feature, but sharing is not it. At least not for me. Sorry, I don't mean to keep harping on this issue. I just want to get my view across because I am sure I am not alone.
I do think the Player Tier being able to share with a DM might work. Let players pay $3 a month to have unlimited characters and the ability to join a DM's campaign and share that DMs materials. You could even have it be a $1 a month more for each additional DM they want to join after the first. That puts the onus on the players as they are the ones reaping the benefits.
DMs already have enough on our plate without having to pay for everyone or having to try and make sure everyone is paying their share.
Done. I am dropping it. Good luck and I think you are off to a good start.
There is a reason I am on here so much and it is because I think DDB has a ton of potential, and I love the passion I am hearing from the developers. I am definitely willing to pay my share one way or another. Maybe do a Pro level subscription tier that includes all content and has all the features of the Master tier.
If the DM sub only gets you the "privilege" to share stuff you need to rebuy seems a little worthless. Either I get an added benefit ( at the very least discounts on buying those books) or it seems like this would be inferior to pretty much all the other systems out there. Why WotC won't just sell PDFs is still beyond me. It is not stopping people from pirating the game.
I agree. To me it make more sense to charge the players to share from a DM rather than the DM to share with players. This current model is like me paying Home Depot a monthly fee to let my neighbors borrow the lawnmower I bought. The people who have not bought the content should be paying.
I believe it's a little closer to me talking to my friends about how we all need a good lawnmower to use, letting everyone contribute some amount of money that gets pooled together, then going to Home Depot to buy a lawnmower we can all use.
It's fairly simple to share money among friends with the options available today - this is the use case we're addressing.
We could just say "make all your players purchase his or her own copy of this material, forget about sharing," but we are intentionally deciding to avoid that kind of "cash grab" to use a term that's popped up several times in this thread.
I really, actually, truly encourage everyone to wait just a little while longer to hear the actual pricing details before making too many judgements.
Thanks!
I don't say I don't want to pay, but if the only thing the DM level sub adds or gives is the ability to share it really isn't worth it. Again we don't know full details, but the heavy focus on that aspect being the great/greatest point about the DM level sub makes me a little wary that something else might have been forgotten.
Most of the time, after character creation, my players won't need the books. Maybe for spells, but that is every 3-4 sessions at most. In most other cases it is either things I rule as a DM or tell them verbally, even now at the table. It is just easier to tell them "X does that, but let me check to be sure" look it up and move on.
Pricing and the actual service are obviously the thing we really need to know to truly judge it, but having no infos aside from the "ability to share" . A topic that could be handled in 1-2 sentences as a topic along side another feature, makes me and seemingly many other wary. Why is that such a highlight feature and the first to be reveled about the DM sub level? Will it provide the same as the pro account? As that is what it'll be competing with. It is just a very very odd PR wise to push the info out like this at this pace.
Using terms like "many others" in these kinds of discussions is not easy to quantify. I could reasonably say that "many others" are excited about the sharing benefit because we have received that feedback frequently since those details were released.
With Master tier, you will receive all the benefits of the Hero tier (unlimited characters, public homebrew access, etc.). The sharing aspect is in fact a major selling point of the Master tier subscription. The alternative is for players in your campaign to pay for the content individually to create, edit, and use the digital sheet - and all future features in the toolset - with anything outside the Basic Rules or SRD. If a player wants to play a Battlemaster Fighter, for instance, she will need to either purchase the PHB fighter class bundle or the PHB in its entirety.
Without using specific pricing, here is the scenario:
Master Tier subscription cost = $X/month
Player's Handbook content = $Y
In a campaign with five players who want to use content outside what is freely available, and no Master subscription with sharing, you could expect:
$Y+ $Y + $Y + $Y + $Y + $Y
With a Master tier sub, the same group (with the same needs) would purchase:
$X/month + $Y
If your group would rather have every player purchase the PHB content individually and not have a recurring subscription, we are completely fine with that approach.
You will have the flexibility to unlock the content in the way that works for you and your group, which is the way we want the model to work.
Sorry one last comment. But in two years or less, most likely (without knowing the specifics) $Yx6 will likely be less than $X/month+$Y and everyone owns Y for themselves and never has to pay again. Oh, and the players who each bought $Y get 6 character slots where $X/month+$Y players each get two (I guess they would 8 but only 2 would have access to anything other than the SRD). Done 😊
I think the difficulty is trying to appease everyone.
The sharing works for me, I dm mainly for casual gamers and kids, so to have them be able to latch onto my subscription is ok.
I bring the content, they bring the 🍻
I could see that as being a use case. Although for kids the SRD content is probably more than enough content. If I was DMing for kids I would have them use the free content as it gives them more than enough options, but I get why that might work for you.
With Master tier, you will receive all the benefits of the Hero tier (unlimited characters, public homebrew access, etc.). The sharing aspect is in fact a major selling point of the Master tier subscription. The alternative is for players in your campaign to pay for the content individually to create, edit, and use the digital sheet - and all future features in the toolset - with anything outside the Basic Rules or SRD. If a player wants to play a Battlemaster Fighter, for instance, she will need to either purchase the PHB fighter class bundle or the PHB in its entirety.
Without using specific pricing, here is the scenario:
Master Tier subscription cost = $X/month
Player's Handbook content = $Y
In a campaign with five players who want to use content outside what is freely available, and no Master subscription with sharing, you could expect:
$Y+ $Y + $Y + $Y + $Y + $Y
With a Master tier sub, the same group (with the same needs) would purchase:
$X/month + $Y
If your group would rather have every player purchase the PHB content individually and not have a recurring subscription, we are completely fine with that approach.
You will have the flexibility to unlock the content in the way that works for you and your group, which is the way we want the model to work.
I could see my group going for the Master tier model. It works in our favour, since we have a few irregular players who would likely not buy the whole content for themselves.
But I have two questions, that need a positive answer before I am sold on a subscription (for the right price of course):
Will the characters with the unlocked content belong to the group and will we be able to hand them to different players? This would be necessary for our group, since the irregular players share characters (we hand the sheets to whoever is available that week).
Will the DM position be independent from the subscription? Because I will be the one paying the subscription and buying most of the content, but I am not the DM in the group right now. We change seats every now and then and I would hate having to switch subscriptions or buying the exact same content multiple times for the same group.
I've also played a campaign where there were a mix - 3 players with their own characters and a couple of characters that were shared between about 4 players, who couldn't attend regularly, so dropped in and out. They're all friends, so it was a mechanic to be able to include them when they were able to play.
There's a serious pain point for everyone who is already purchasing content digitally and physically.
For example if you purchase Tales of the Yawning Portal in Roll20, that's $49.95. Now you buy a physical copy, that's $49.95. Now if you want a web version through D&DB, that's probably going to be $49.95. Here's the thing though, if you look at it from D&DB's perspective, you could argue that purchasing only their version is sufficient without the other two, since it contains all of the content in the physical book plus their services. So it's weird to not be paying full price for the content, but painful if you're already paying for it within other services, who also integrate the same content.
My *hope* is that D&DB's team will recognize this, and reward us DMs who'd like to keep up a master subscription. For a higher subscription point, it would be nice to have access to all the content. Alternatively, it would be cool to be able to purchase reduced price bundles or get a discount if you get a subscription. Also, paying for a years subscription in advance will hopefully come with a discount.
I'm both excited and nervous for the pricing announcement. I'm all for digital content and tools, but I'm really hoping D&DB will value customer loyalty.
With Master tier, you will receive all the benefits of the Hero tier (unlimited characters, public homebrew access, etc.). The sharing aspect is in fact a major selling point of the Master tier subscription. The alternative is for players in your campaign to pay for the content individually to create, edit, and use the digital sheet - and all future features in the toolset - with anything outside the Basic Rules or SRD. If a player wants to play a Battlemaster Fighter, for instance, she will need to either purchase the PHB fighter class bundle or the PHB in its entirety.
Without using specific pricing, here is the scenario:
Master Tier subscription cost = $X/month
Player's Handbook content = $Y
In a campaign with five players who want to use content outside what is freely available, and no Master subscription with sharing, you could expect:
$Y+ $Y + $Y + $Y + $Y + $Y
With a Master tier sub, the same group (with the same needs) would purchase:
$X/month + $Y
If your group would rather have every player purchase the PHB content individually and not have a recurring subscription, we are completely fine with that approach.
You will have the flexibility to unlock the content in the way that works for you and your group, which is the way we want the model to work.
I could see my group going for the Master tier model. It works in our favour, since we have a few irregular players who would likely not buy the whole content for themselves.
But I have two questions, that need a positive answer before I am sold on a subscription (for the right price of course):
Will the characters with the unlocked content belong to the group and will we be able to hand them to different players? This would be necessary for our group, since the irregular players share characters (we hand the sheets to whoever is available that week).
Will the DM position be independent from the subscription? Because I will be the one paying the subscription and buying most of the content, but I am not the DM in the group right now. We change seats every now and then and I would hate having to switch subscriptions or buying the exact same content multiple times for the same group.
Those are fantastic questions.
Other questions:
1. If the person with the Master tier lets someone on a free tier use one of the 12 available character slots can the person with the Master tier take that slot back (I guess delete that character)? For example, the person you gave a character slot to quits and you want someone else to take their place.
2. Do the accounts that use 1 of the 12 character slots have access to all the book content the Master tier owns (adventures, DM guide, player's handbook, monster manual etc) or only what pertains to making that one character? For example, if I am using one of the 12 character slots can I do and see everything the Master tier person can (outside of giving out character slots)?
3. Can the DM restrict access to certain content like the adventures? To keep players from reading the details of the adventures.
1. If the person with the Master tier lets someone on a free tier use one of the 12 available character slots can the person with the Master tier take that slot back (I guess delete that character)? For example, the person you gave a character slot to quits and you want someone else to take their place.
2. Do the accounts that use 1 of the 12 character slots have access to all the book content the Master tier owns (adventures, DM guide, player's handbook, monster manual etc) or only what pertains to making that one character? For example, if I am using one of the 12 character slots can I do and see everything the Master tier person can (outside of giving out character slots)?
3. Can the DM restrict access to certain content like the adventures? To keep players from reading the details of the adventures.
Those are interesting questions as well.
I think it would make the most sense to have the character sheets belong to the group (and the group belonging to the one with the master tier subscription) and being able to change the players of those characters and also delete characters, that are no longer needed to free up one of the 12 unlocked content slots. There will have to be some compromises though, because we have already heard that hero tier players do not consume a content slot, so there has to be a certain strictness to the connection between players and characters for that.
Your second question ties in with a hope I have (which I already expressed here in this very thread): All players should be able to see and inspect all rules/spells/monsters/items. They do not all have to be listed and searchable (I would exclude monsters and items from the adventures for example), but you should be able to visit a direct link to the monster or item. This would also make cross-referencing from other sites much easier, since you don't have to expect an error like "You do not have permission to view this content" if you are not logged in or have not bought the content. It would also make it possible, that players could read all the info and think about what they want to be able to use so they can then specifically buy that thing. If you buy content, you are then able to use this content for your characters. You would have to buy the fighter package for example to actually create a battle master fighter, because only the champion archetype is free to use. The master tier characters will then be able to use all content the subscriber or the player bought, free characters can only use content the player bought.
Visible content will certainly exclude all adventure stuff and fluff.
With Master tier, you will receive all the benefits of the Hero tier (unlimited characters, public homebrew access, etc.). The sharing aspect is in fact a major selling point of the Master tier subscription. The alternative is for players in your campaign to pay for the content individually to create, edit, and use the digital sheet - and all future features in the toolset - with anything outside the Basic Rules or SRD. If a player wants to play a Battlemaster Fighter, for instance, she will need to either purchase the PHB fighter class bundle or the PHB in its entirety.
Without using specific pricing, here is the scenario:
Master Tier subscription cost = $X/month
Player's Handbook content = $Y
In a campaign with five players who want to use content outside what is freely available, and no Master subscription with sharing, you could expect:
$Y+ $Y + $Y + $Y + $Y + $Y
With a Master tier sub, the same group (with the same needs) would purchase:
$X/month + $Y
If your group would rather have every player purchase the PHB content individually and not have a recurring subscription, we are completely fine with that approach.
You will have the flexibility to unlock the content in the way that works for you and your group, which is the way we want the model to work.
I could see my group going for the Master tier model. It works in our favour, since we have a few irregular players who would likely not buy the whole content for themselves.
But I have two questions, that need a positive answer before I am sold on a subscription (for the right price of course):
Will the characters with the unlocked content belong to the group and will we be able to hand them to different players? This would be necessary for our group, since the irregular players share characters (we hand the sheets to whoever is available that week).
Will the DM position be independent from the subscription? Because I will be the one paying the subscription and buying most of the content, but I am not the DM in the group right now. We change seats every now and then and I would hate having to switch subscriptions or buying the exact same content multiple times for the same group.
Those are fantastic questions.
Other questions:
1. If the person with the Master tier lets someone on a free tier use one of the 12 available character slots can the person with the Master tier take that slot back (I guess delete that character)? For example, the person you gave a character slot to quits and you want someone else to take their place.
2. Do the accounts that use 1 of the 12 character slots have access to all the book content the Master tier owns (adventures, DM guide, player's handbook, monster manual etc) or only what pertains to making that one character? For example, if I am using one of the 12 character slots can I do and see everything the Master tier person can (outside of giving out character slots)?
3. Can the DM restrict access to certain content like the adventures? To keep players from reading the details of the adventures.
1. ) - Yes. You can deactivate a character (keeping them associated to the campaign and making it easier to bring them back when them come back from a hiatus, while freeing up a slot), or delete them from the campaign all together.
I really like the way DDB is shaping up and would be quite willing to pay a reasonable subscription price. The only problem is I already own all the core books in print format and just before DDB became available had just purchased digital copies of all the core books and a few of the adventures for Fantasy Grounds. If I had known this was going to be available I could have saved myself a small fortune. It would be good if there was some sort of discount for people who already owned the content in various other formats.
I really like the way DDB is shaping up and would be quite willing to pay a reasonable subscription price. The only problem is I already own all the core books in print format and just before DDB became available had just purchased digital copies of all the core books and a few of the adventures for Fantasy Grounds. If I had known this was going to be available I could have saved myself a small fortune. It would be good if there was some sort of discount for people who already owned the content in various other formats.
As much as it sucks, I'm going to guess there will be no such discounts. Curse is a separate licensee and there just isn't much they can do. Note that I have no inside knowledge; this is just my best logic.
Now, what I could see happening is a discounted price for "early adopters" that would let folks (maybe just beta members, depending on the way Twitch accounts are tied to DDB) buy content for less than the "standard" price for the first day, week, fortnight, etc. To do this, either Curse would have to have WotC agree to suck up some of the licensing fees or Curse would have to take it as a loss leader in the hopes that one or two users in a group would get others interested.
I wouldn't hold my breath on that, though. There's some math that would have to happen around expected adoption curve, etc. It also wouldn't be just for FG content owners. I've never understood why, but some folks get upset when others get the same discount they get.
I really like the way DDB is shaping up and would be quite willing to pay a reasonable subscription price. The only problem is I already own all the core books in print format and just before DDB became available had just purchased digital copies of all the core books and a few of the adventures for Fantasy Grounds. If I had known this was going to be available I could have saved myself a small fortune. It would be good if there was some sort of discount for people who already owned the content in various other formats.
I would also suspect that you might be able to just buy the rules sections of the adventures (new classes/monsters/spells) instead of having to re-buy the whole adventure again.
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Depending on how everything is integrated together, I think DDB will be more than worth me buying the content again, as long as there are not too many restrictions on using that content in an attempt to try and force uses into a subscription (I do not think this will be the case). I plan to mostly use DDB as an easy way to access information and for character management. As far as campaign management it would depend on how well it works. If I buy Storm King's Thunder though DDB will it be any easier to run the adventure through their system vs just using the physical book. What will I be able to do with their version that I can't do with the physical version, and are those features ****** if I am not a subscriber? That is something I look forward to finding out. I think there is a lot of potential for this to evolve into something amazing.
As far as a combat tracker it would need to be free. There are too many free/cheap ones available.
This thing is definitely shaping up to be a likely purchase/subscription/TBD.
Last game, I tried an experiment. I set my rules books on a different table, under my computer bag. Behind my screen, I kept on the CoS book, some dice, and my Surface. In 3.5 hours, I referenced several rules on DDB, including monster stats, but never had to reach for my books. Assuming the cost is appropriate (which is an assumption I'm willing to make, right now), I could easily see me switching entirely to DDB, at the table. I really hope that it launches with adventures (specifically, CoS), so that I can leave all my books on my shelf. I suspect I'll always want some of the quick reference tables on an actual DM screen, but who knows? With no actual books open, I may be able to just hide my die rolls behind my computer. I'm definitely not willing to switch to digital dice as a standard, though the idea of being fully equipped to run a game with only my phone is somewhat appealing.
Regarding the combat tracker, I'm pretty happy with what I have. I do consider it value-added, however, to have a unified tool set where I can pull in my players' characters directly, etc. See also my comment about being able to just pull out my phone and be ready to go. Note: I don't think it'd be optimal, but I've had a few times where "the gang" has been together and interested in gaming, but no one had their stuff; in some editions, you could do a fighter on an index card, but casters generally require at least a list of spells.
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I don't say I don't want to pay, but if the only thing the DM level sub adds or gives is the ability to share it really isn't worth it. Again we don't know full details, but the heavy focus on that aspect being the great/greatest point about the DM level sub makes me a little wary that something else might have been forgotten.
Most of the time, after character creation, my players won't need the books. Maybe for spells, but that is every 3-4 sessions at most. In most other cases it is either things I rule as a DM or tell them verbally, even now at the table. It is just easier to tell them "X does that, but let me check to be sure" look it up and move on.
Pricing and the actual service are obviously the thing we really need to know to truly judge it, but having no infos aside from the "ability to share" . A topic that could be handled in 1-2 sentences as a topic along side another feature, makes me and seemingly many other wary. Why is that such a highlight feature and the first to be reveled about the DM sub level? Will it provide the same as the pro account? As that is what it'll be competing with. It is just a very very odd PR wise to push the info out like this at this pace.
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D&D Beyond FoundersThere is a reason I am on here so much and it is because I think DDB has a ton of potential, and I love the passion I am hearing from the developers. I am definitely willing to pay my share one way or another. Maybe do a Pro level subscription tier that includes all content and has all the features of the Master tier.
I think the difficulty is trying to appease everyone.
The sharing works for me, I dm mainly for casual gamers and kids, so to have them be able to latch onto my subscription is ok.
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D&D Beyond FoundersTransferring characters is an excellent question.
I've also played a campaign where there were a mix - 3 players with their own characters and a couple of characters that were shared between about 4 players, who couldn't attend regularly, so dropped in and out. They're all friends, so it was a mechanic to be able to include them when they were able to play.
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There's a serious pain point for everyone who is already purchasing content digitally and physically.
For example if you purchase Tales of the Yawning Portal in Roll20, that's $49.95. Now you buy a physical copy, that's $49.95. Now if you want a web version through D&DB, that's probably going to be $49.95. Here's the thing though, if you look at it from D&DB's perspective, you could argue that purchasing only their version is sufficient without the other two, since it contains all of the content in the physical book plus their services. So it's weird to not be paying full price for the content, but painful if you're already paying for it within other services, who also integrate the same content.
My *hope* is that D&DB's team will recognize this, and reward us DMs who'd like to keep up a master subscription. For a higher subscription point, it would be nice to have access to all the content. Alternatively, it would be cool to be able to purchase reduced price bundles or get a discount if you get a subscription. Also, paying for a years subscription in advance will hopefully come with a discount.
I'm both excited and nervous for the pricing announcement. I'm all for digital content and tools, but I'm really hoping D&DB will value customer loyalty.
If you buy content, you are then able to use this content for your characters. You would have to buy the fighter package for example to actually create a battle master fighter, because only the champion archetype is free to use. The master tier characters will then be able to use all content the subscriber or the player bought, free characters can only use content the player bought.
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I really like the way DDB is shaping up and would be quite willing to pay a reasonable subscription price. The only problem is I already own all the core books in print format and just before DDB became available had just purchased digital copies of all the core books and a few of the adventures for Fantasy Grounds. If I had known this was going to be available I could have saved myself a small fortune. It would be good if there was some sort of discount for people who already owned the content in various other formats.