Dungeons and Dragons Goes Digital (theregister.co.uk)

An anonymous reader writes: Seems like a new digital Dungeons and Dragons will soon be offered. It's not a game in the Baldur's Gate style but rather seems to be about using apps to complement the experience. I wonder if it includes some kind of VOIP facility so the D&D session can be established without everyone being in the same room. From The Register: "The game's publisher, Wizards of the Coast, calls its new effort 'D&D Beyond,' describes it as 'a digital toolset for use with the Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition rules' and has given the service the tagline 'Play with advantage.' Wizards' canned statement says the service will '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.' We're also told the service 'aims to make game management easier for both players and Dungeon Masters by providing high-quality tools available on any device.' That repetition of the 'any device' point point suggests this will be a web-based effort, rather than an app. The service will debut in 'summer,' presumably northern hemisphere summer so that folks who play D&D will spend up big on their breaks from school or university." You can watch the promo video here.

Comments

some kind of VOIP facility

[Stomper_Stoddard]

"I wonder if it includes some kind of VOIP facility so the D&D session can be established without everyone being in the same room."

This has been possible for almost 2 decades, there are several programs and websites dedicated to running games over the internet. Wizards of the Coast already directly support Fantasy Grounds and Roll20.

Just Use HeroLab

[bigdady92]

Worth every damn penny I paid for that product plus add-ons. It's by FAR the best character builder and resource tool that one can use. Their iPad app makes using those characters and playing them a breeze. It's stupidly simple, and it's a single price that gives you everything you need. If you can afford an IOS device you can afford the pittance that is HeroLab to 100% manage your character creation. I haven't used the rest of the tools that HeroLab offers so I can't speak to them.

WOTC's approach is going to trickle out after a year, no updates, and then vanish into the mists of time. Can you even imagine having WOTC keep a company around long enough with the upgrade cycles of Android and IOS? Never happen. Capcom has a better track record at updates than WOTC.