Wizards of the coast Content questions

For those that have purchased any of the WotC stuff, are they worth it, if you already have the hard copy? Take sunless citadel for example.  I already have the hard copy and copy things over digitally probably wont be that hard.  What does buying it in the market place give you?  Better maps?  Tokens? Likewise, if you by monster manual or xanathars guide is it just the rules or do monster tokens etc come with it?

If you buy a module, you get the full content of the print copy, highly cross indexed, all maps from the print product, all set up with tokens in place. If you have access to Dynamic Lighting, the maps are also set up for that. You get all creatures and NPCs from the module. In a small number of cases, where WotC did not provide any licensed artwork, the tokens are coded with initials. This is a limitation of the licensing deal. In the case of the Monster Manual, special tokens were commissioned to fill in the few gaps. In the Monster Manual, you get all creatures, completely set up and ready to go, complete with tokens. From the Marketplace page , all monsters include: Circular tokens , featuring original artwork from Wizards of the Coast Monster descriptions and lore, as well as additional Wizards of the Coast artwork, viewable in the Bio & Info tab. Clickable actions, viewable in the Character Sheet tab (using Roll20's 5th Edition OGL character sheet) Completely filled out stats, viewable in the Abilities & Attributes tab Designed for use with the Roll20 Official 5E OGL Character Sheet Xanathar's guide is not yet available. Some sourcebooks have yet to be converted while the underlying functionality that will make them more useful is under development.

Awesome, thanks for the information.  This was hugely helpful and puts this on a must buy for me.  WotC should put you in charge of their marketing cuz the product details are very scarce and don't mention any of the details you provided.  Thanks again!

If you want some consumer feedback, the modules are 150% worth the buy. The big thing Keith didn't highlight as well as he could have is the sheer amount of prep that is done for you and the time it saves. Without the modules you'd have to do all the maps, NPCs, and handouts by hand entry. Most modules are literally "plug and play." Some require minimal prep. Many even come with bonus maps not found in the printed product that are great for random encounters.

Great!  Good to know DGG!  Appreciate the post!  I will def. be picking up a module or 2.

Nat. If you have a specific module in mind, drop me a pm and let's talk.

Just a heads up, they for some reason do not include spells. If you have a spell casting NPC, once it's added to your game, you will need to add the spells to the NPC from the Compendium.

Spell bloat in character sheets is thought to be the leading cause of lag in a game. Likely due to the number of attributes each spell entry requires multiplied by the number of spells, further inflated by the number of casters :/ While it is unfortunate there is method to the madness, the entries do however contain the list of spells commonly used by a NPC/monster for ease of populating the sheet or calling directly from the compendium in game. But I agree with Jeremy, this is worth noting before you decide whether or not to purchase content :) Jeremy said: Just a heads up, they for some reason do not include spells. If you have a spell casting NPC, once it's added to your game, you will need to add the spells to the NPC from the Compendium.

Thanks everyone for the posts/replies--this is really helpful...based on all the new information I think im back off of a must buy and back to 'on the fence' :) Thanks again!

Sorta related question... if I purchase the Player's Handbook for the game I am DMing, is it also available in the games where I am a player?

When purchased the players handbook part of the compendium unlocks and depending on your account subscription level you can share it with multiple players. I'm not at my computer so I can't really look it all up right now. One caveat, I think you have to be the game's creator also. Someone more knowledgeable will post soon.

When you buy the PHB, you always have it available in any game that you are in. If you create a game, you can share it with the players who are in your game, up to a certain number of players and games (based on subscription level). It will unlock for them inside the game. The caveats are: you can't pick and choose which compendium expansions unlock (so, for example, if you have the MM and PHB, you can't limit your players to viewing the PHB only). And you can't share with more players than your limit even if the players own the PHB. So, if you have, say 7 players in your game, 3 of them own the PHB, but you are limited to 5 because you have a free account, all 7 "count" towards the number of players, and your compendium won't be unlocked.

Nat J. said: Thanks everyone for the posts/replies--this is really helpful...based on all the new information I think im back off of a must buy and back to 'on the fence' :) Thanks again! One huge advantage I've found with the Roll20 WOTC modules over the print version (and yes, I own the print copy as well) is that I can seamlessly interweave my changes into the module. If I want to add more creatures I can not only put them down on the map, but also edit the GM notes on the room to reflect my changes. 

Thanks Stephanie and Pat!  Looks like I'll be purchasing the PHB!!