Has anybody bought a physical book and had it come with a key for a digital copy? I like having the physical books but I need to be able to unlock content here on the website.
In short, I'm trying to find out if physical books come with an activation key for the website.
The long and short of it is that D&D Beyond (DDB) is owned by Fandom, which is an entirely separate company from Wizards of the Coast (who make D&D), which is owned by Hasbro.
The Essentials Kit contains the physical adventure book, rulebook (with character creation rules that include just a few races/classes), handouts (e.g. cards for quests and conditions, etc.), and a simple DM screen - but it also contains a code that unlocks the Essentials Kit Bundle on D&D Beyond, which includes the Dragon of Icespire Peak adventure as well as 3 digital-exclusive supplementary adventures. It also contains a 50% off discount code for the PHB on D&D Beyond.
That was apparently a one-time deal between WotC and D&D Beyond, for whatever reason. Presumably they didn't see enough increased profits on both sides to continue the deal. In addition, that sort of thing is only possible with boxed sets, which can be shrink-wrapped - D&D Beyond co-founder Adam Bradford has mentioned in the past that it's not really feasible for physical books, because bookstores prefer not to shrinkwrap books so people can flip through those books before buying, which helps increase sales.
The only exception sort of is the Essentials kit which has a code for 50% off the digital version of the Players Handbook here on this site.
Simple answer why? This site is a sole entity. A completely separate company from Wizards of the Coast. DnD beyond is partnered with Wotc, but again they are not the same company.
Has anybody bought a physical book and had it come with a key for a digital copy? I like having the physical books but I need to be able to unlock content here on the website.
In short, I'm trying to find out if physical books come with an activation key for the website.
-
View User Profile
-
View Posts
-
Send Message
ModeratorNo, they don't. There's a long post explaining the issues involved here: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/general-discussion/6230-d-d-beyond-vs-physical-books-an-explanation
The long and short of it is that D&D Beyond (DDB) is owned by Fandom, which is an entirely separate company from Wizards of the Coast (who make D&D), which is owned by Hasbro.
The only official physical product from WotC that includes a D&D Beyond key is the D&D Essentials Kit: https://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/essentials-kit
The Essentials Kit contains the physical adventure book, rulebook (with character creation rules that include just a few races/classes), handouts (e.g. cards for quests and conditions, etc.), and a simple DM screen - but it also contains a code that unlocks the Essentials Kit Bundle on D&D Beyond, which includes the Dragon of Icespire Peak adventure as well as 3 digital-exclusive supplementary adventures. It also contains a 50% off discount code for the PHB on D&D Beyond.
That was apparently a one-time deal between WotC and D&D Beyond, for whatever reason. Presumably they didn't see enough increased profits on both sides to continue the deal. In addition, that sort of thing is only possible with boxed sets, which can be shrink-wrapped - D&D Beyond co-founder Adam Bradford has mentioned in the past that it's not really feasible for physical books, because bookstores prefer not to shrinkwrap books so people can flip through those books before buying, which helps increase sales.
Nope.
The only exception sort of is the Essentials kit which has a code for 50% off the digital version of the Players Handbook here on this site.
Simple answer why? This site is a sole entity. A completely separate company from Wizards of the Coast. DnD beyond is partnered with Wotc, but again they are not the same company.