Digital Tools Support

Post/Author/DateTimePost
#1

Scruffy68

Jun 23, 2015 7:45:24

Does anyone know if WoTC has plans to work with or allow other digital tools providers to incorporate 5e into their tools? 

 

Specifically, I would love to see 5e support in Realm Works.  I have purchased Fantasy Grounds and the PHB, MM and LMoP and have been using that to help run our in person sessions.  Fantasy Grounds is an ok tool for that... but not great.  I can elaborate on the problems I have encountered with FG, but that is not the purpose of this.

 

Realm Works is a much better tool for just organizing content and navigating through it during sessions.  It is also much better when entering your own content and modifying existing content.

 

I did start entering LMoP into Realm Works.  The auto content linking is very nice and helpful.  But, this brings me to my other questions.  Will WoTC release content in PDF format?  Entering LMoP into Realm Works would be much smoother if there were a PDF available.

 

When physical and PDF content is available, I usually buy both.  I prefer physical books when reading and preparing, but prefer electronic versions when gaming.

#2

Tempest_Stormwind

Jun 23, 2015 8:12:14

No, at least not officially. Note that we haven't seen a proper license yet, although they have given away free Basic Rules; it's reasonable to assume that people can implement the basic rules but not use other WotC assets (like artwork or monsters from the Monster Manual - or their adventure paths).

 

However, personal use is a different beast, and if you're writing up realmworks information for these, then it should be fine as long as they aren't distributed.

 

As for PDFs, nothing yet.

#3

Xorial

Jun 24, 2015 20:19:43

I would love to see Hero Lab support for 5e.

(Reply to #3)

dafrca

Xorial wrote:
(Reply to #4)

AaronOfBarbaria

dafrca wrote:
(Reply to #4)

Scruffy68

dafrca wrote:
#7

OoftaMeg

Jun 27, 2015 17:18:55 		I'm in the same boat . Rather than hack things together myself, an online tool would be nice and something I'd pay for.
I just don't want to pay for all the extra stuff that fantasy grounds has.
#8

Core-Earth-Stormer

Jun 28, 2015 9:17:19

To each their own if you feel you need an elctronic tool  that's fine  if you don't that's fine too  every dungeon masters  needs are different.  

(Reply to #8)

Scruffy68

Core-Earth-Stormer wrote:
#10

MNBlockHead

Jul 02, 2015 1:16:37

While it would be a nice gesuture if there were a discount for those who bought the books, I would happily pay again for the content to be in RealmWorks and Herolab. 

 

It seems that it would be a good business decision by WoTC to support multiple, popular tools, with developers willing and able to implement mechanism to protect WoTC's intellectual property. The fact that they did it with Fantasy Grounds shows that it can been done.

 

I think Lone Wolf Development's products RealmWorks and Hero Labs are good examples of products that WoTC should license its content to. Hero Labs has a large user base and a long history of working with content creators. As for RealmWorks, once its Content Market is released, it will provide a way to sell content with strong mechanisms to protect the content seller's IP. 

 

I play at table only and am not interested in remote games and VTT. But at the same time, I have little patience in this day and age in flipping through pages and slowing down play. 

 

I love the core rule books. They are high quality and good for pre-game prep. I can get inspiration and ideas by browsing and re-reading the books. But I try to avoid having to use them during the game as it is an annoying interruption. I spend a lot of time preparing aids to avoid this: spell cards, DM screens, and entering common tables and rules into RealmWorks so that they can be hyperlinked to encounters and scenes. 

 

When I decided to start playing DnD again, a friend who had remained a heavy gamer over the years highly recommended that I consider Pathfinder. But DnD 5th ed. was about to come out so I waited to see what it was like and loved what I saw when it was released. But I am envious of Patherfinder players who have so many more tools available to to them. It seems strange that the oldest and most popular roleplaying game has such a barren ecosystem of supporting products. It has got to be costing them potential business. 

 

I really can't fathom why they wouldn't license their content to Lone Wolf Development for use in Hero Labs and RealmWorks and other companies with large user bases and long histories who have shown their ability to provide quality products and to protect content creator's IP. 

 

It is frusterating to see WoTC doing so many things right, but just moving so slowing on the electronic game aid front. 

#11

Shasarak

Jul 02, 2015 4:14:37

MNBlockHead wrote:
(Reply to #10)

Satyrn

Or maybe WotC's just waiting for this:

 

MNBlockHead wrote: