Virtual Tabletop/ Gameboard
Planned
Since it was mentioned that integrated streaming was a possibility, I feel the need to ask if there are plans to make a built-in gameboard at any point, similar to something like Roll20 has, or are the plans for D&D Beyond to mostly be a resource?
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I would switch from Roll20 to a DDB VTT in an instant. DDB's tools are well designed and user friendly -- I have no doubt they could pull off a VTT elegantly. And think of the source book sales it could drive if fully integrated with the rest of the site! Please please please prioritize this -- even if it means hiring more developers.
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I will add here. I'm moving my campaign to virtual and R20 is a pain. There is no way I'm going to rebuy the content that i already have in book and on DDB. I will however, buy modules and other stuff on DDB and focus my spending here if we can get a VTT. as for how you do it...I would only make some humble suggestions. 1) start simple with a VTT that I can import my art into or community art. 2) make the interface components that you add work very well before growing. 3) Make it usable for a physical game with table top TV or all virtual. 4) i wouldn't concentrate on shared audio or video since most ppl will use discord or zoom or something like that. As you build out your API, you could also maybe partner with another company to help you develop that part of the interface then merge it. Lastly, just a thanks. You did a great job so far on you releases and the quality of the content.
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Here are a few features I hope the VTT will have:
- 3D - Handling encounters with varying elevations is challenging on a 2D-only tabletop. It would be awesome if support were included for a 3D interface where the DM and players can control their own camera's view. Maybe even an option to constrain a player's view to what their character could see from their current position, as if looking through their character's eyes. It would make encounters that include cliffs, boulders, mountainsides, buildings, trees, flying creatures, etc. much easier to handle and a lot more fun, imho. Support 3D measurements (e.g. how far away is that flying wyvern?)
- Measurement - Make it as integrated an easy as possible to measure a character's movement distance, distance to a target, weapon ranges, spell ranges, etc.
- Area of Effect measurement - Make it easy for spellcasters and others to see where the boundaries of area effects will be before they cast a spell, etc. Support for all the shapes (e.g. Cone, Cube, Cylinder, etc.).
- Integration with the Combat Tracker. For example, if a monster on the VTT takes damage, update its hit points in the Combat Tracker automatically, etc.
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Jacob Bell: Wizards of the Coast is owned by an entirely separate company from D&D Beyond. (DDB is owned by Fandom; WotC is owned by Hasbro.) D&D Beyond is just an officially licensed partner of WotC.
Though I agree that DDB would definitely benefit a lot from making a VTT, there's a lot of work that goes into it.
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I feel like this is the only thing that DnDB is sorely missing. Everything else is great IMO. Sure double buying content can be a drag, but i get it.
Having this as a one-stop-shop for running an online campaign during this pandy would be so good. (minus discord for comms, but no need to reinvent that wheel)
A dungeon map with char integration is dreamy.
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This looks pretty promising, it's also posted in the forums but thought some cross-posting would be good. I used the chrome plugin the author also has on a game this weekend and it worked really well. ( I'm not the author )
She/He has added maps and other stuff, it'll be interesting to see where this goes.
This is the chrome plugin, you can see it just pulls in the general info like the tampermonkey ( could be the same author /shrug ) add-on. My only issue is with the AC, you can see some of the AC is really wrong.
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D&D Beyond already has a lot of the mechanics needed for this to work, it would surely lower the bar for many potential buyers to know that they could use all their bought books here on a map. Maybe getting a deal with a company such as foundry VTT could be an option if developing the tool in-house would be too hard?
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I would love to see either this, or an API the VTTs can use to bring over content purchased on D&D Beyond, as well as PC data! The VTTs character-management interfaces are awful. But even more importantly, I think we're all getting re-purchase fatigue. Why should I have to buy the same book three times (once in print, once in D&D Beyond, once in Roll20)? Sure this is awfully convenient for the various companies but it really sucks for the customer.
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Seriously how hasn't WOTC done this first before roll 20 was a thing. You guys should really go speak with Bouncyrock Entertainment on this they are developing a VTT called Tale Spire. This is what most of us want in a Virtual Table Top experience especially when Covid-19 has prevented most of us from sharing a table at someones house. Don't reinvent the wheel here offer up to some type of collaboration with a company such as this. Here is the link: https://talespire.com/
Get the best platform available and make it happen D&D is the leader in RPG games out there act like you are the top and get things to make us DM's lives better with a system that works. We have had much more success getting online games happening versus our 1 day a month at a physical house to play in person.
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Hey all, a couple of my players pointed me to this nifty Chrome plugin. You can use it for click-to-roll features from D&D Beyond into Roll20, VTT, and others. We will now use Roll20 for battle maps/tokens, but do all character management here on D&D Beyond. The plugin also supports clicking to put item/spell/etc. descriptions into the Roll20 chat too. It basically makes Roll20's character sheets unnecessary.
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So I have gone on a little adventure on dnd beyond forums today, I am very new to dnd and the hassle of having to have 3 different things, dnd beyond (because I was first directed here), then roll 20 for a vtt because covid (yay) and then having roll 20 to link them, just makes it very off putting to try and start playing dnd online, however with covid and just modern society people having friends all over the world it seems weird that they haven't pushed a vtt as a priority. Do we have any updates on vtt?
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Didn't D&D Insider have a virtual table top like... 15 years ago? It was in beta, then they cancelled it? I don't remember if it was insider or not, but I remember it was affiliated with WotC. It was the only VTT I ever really liked. It had a very basic tile set that you could use to build dungeons and out door areas, it connected directly to the monster manual, building an encounter was as simple as adding things. It was ridiculously easy to use. A little too on the basic side, but with everything learned from other VTTs and with all the tools they have, building a vastly superior VTT would just be a matter of integrating everything DnDBeyond already has. Purchases unlock more things for your VTT (Mtof adding more foes, things like that). Start the VTT with a handful of basic tile sets, add more tile sets to the store. We're GONNA buy them, as long as it doesn't go in a dickish direction. Make the handful of basic tile sets actually good. That'll make everyone more willing to purchase other tile sets. Add "Minis" tokens for everything. Heck, I'd guess half the artwork is already there. This isn't something that won't make money, there's cash sitting on the table. The ability to go into my character sheet, build my character, add him to a campaign, play the campaign here, and not have to mess around with ANYTHING other than dndbeyond.... or maybe dndbeyond and discord for voice (I recommend staying away from voice unless you're going to do it right, do it poorly, and you've wasted time and money). People want to pay for that. Subscription numbers will go up, people playing campaigns on here that want to be able to customize their characters with ALL the options will buy more books, people will buy tile sets. *shrug* It seems worth while.
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