Roll20 uses cookies to improve your experience on our site. Cookies enable you to enjoy certain features, social sharing functionality, and tailor message and display ads to your interests on our site and others. They also help us understand how our site is being used. By continuing to use our site, you consent to our use of cookies. Update your cookie preferences .
×
Create a free account
This post has been closed. You can still view previous posts, but you can't post any new replies.

I already own the book ...

So I am interested in running my own game on here. Or playing a game for that matter and am just learning the different functions of this site including the Compendium. Here is my understanding and issue (Please correct me if I am wrong). If I already own the physical copy of PHB, DMG, and MM for 5e, I need to pay the full price to be able to use it on this site as well? There are not the means to use the resources you have and, even paying a smaller fee, to have access to the compendium for the website? I have serious issues with this. I have no problem giving an appropriate amount of money to Roll20 for the convenience of accessing the information in my books through the website. I have an issue with outright buying another book on here that I can only access through this site. If I have missed something, please let me know. If there is another thread that addresses this, please link it. I do appreciate informative responses. Thank you for your time.
1549571342
keithcurtis
Forum Champion
Marketplace Creator
API Scripter
This is a request that has been brought up many times, on this and other websites that sell electronic versions of the core books produced by WotC. The reason for the pricing is primarily twofold: 1) Licensing issues. WotC is the copyright holder of the material and can dictate what prices are charged for its intellectual property. People outside this agreement are not privy to the details of licensing contracts, but certainly, WotC does not wish to lose money to content it could otherwise sell. 2) Conversion time. It takes a significant amount of time, effort and expertise to convert a book into a form which can be used by any given proprietary system. Part of what you are paying is licensing fees, part is for that time and expertise, and part is doubtless due to whatever agreement was reached in point 1 above. Finally, there is no coordination between WotC or any of its license holders as to who has purchased which version of which book or ruleset, therefore, there is no "couponing" system in place to discount subsequent purchases in which medium. They are fundamentally different products. If I own a copy of the video of "All Quiet on the Western Front", this does not give me any discount towards purchasing a book, or buying tickets for a play version. Such things do exist in limited fashion for things such as DVDs which include a free electronic version of the same movie, but this is part and parcel of the original purchase and controlled by a single distributer/rights holder. 
1549571713

Edited 1549571721
keithcurtis
Forum Champion
Marketplace Creator
API Scripter
Oops, I forgot your other question. Here are a few links to threads which have discussed this in the past: <a href="https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/4871199/discount-for-already-having-the-physical-copy" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/4871199/discount-for-already-having-the-physical-copy</a> <a href="https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/5092833/physical-books-equals-digital-content" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/5092833/physical-books-equals-digital-content</a> <a href="https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/6530396/5e-player-handbook-compendium-sharing" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/6530396/5e-player-handbook-compendium-sharing</a> &nbsp;(discussed later in thread)
While I do appreciate the time you have taken here, and understand and appreciate the points you have made, I find it very disappointing. I have never thought that the time for conversation or the fact that it is another medium to access the information through should be free. I find that it is inconsiderate to consumers who use this as their primary outlet for entertainment. Many people do not have the money to spend on 2 copies of a book. I certainly don't at this time. And what if I, as a newcomer to Roll20, had already purchased the book a second time to be used on D&amp;D Beyond? I would have to, then, purchase it a 3rd time for here. In my eyes, this is a money grab and, frankly, makes me not even interested in pursuing this hobby online. Again, I understand that the appropriate people need to, and should be, paid for their work. My issue lies primarily on WotC's end, frankly, for not having an appropriate digital content setup to be used by 3rd parties. At any rate, again, thank you for your time.
As someone who bought the three core books and then recently bought the compendiums here are my thoughts: There are two fewer books I lug to my friend's house. I just refer to Roll20's version of the compendium instead of carrying books All the MM statblocks are in the game with tokens, not just the SRD versions with find your own tokens. Drag and drop character creation and additional art assets At first I balked at the price but when you consider how long it would take to make individual handouts of everything in the phb, with the function of dropping compendium stuff into a character sheet to automatically add it to a character, you realize that there's a lot of work that has been done. If it was just a pdf or even just a web version of the compendium I would hope that it would be cheaper. The only thing that is missing is the DMG with rollable table versions of all the tables in the DMG. :P
Thank you. Those are good points. I suppose I am as much upset by the pricing as I am unable to afford them at this time. Which means that I really cannot run the game that I would like to for quite a while. I will keep that in mind though. Again, thank you. Tyler Provick said: As someone who bought the three core books and then recently bought the compendiums here are my thoughts: There are two fewer books I lug to my friend's house. I just refer to Roll20's version of the compendium instead of carrying books All the MM statblocks are in the game with tokens, not just the SRD versions with find your own tokens. Drag and drop character creation and additional art assets At first I balked at the price but when you consider how long it would take to make individual handouts of everything in the phb, with the function of dropping compendium stuff into a character sheet to automatically add it to a character, you realize that there's a lot of work that has been done. If it was just a pdf or even just a web version of the compendium I would hope that it would be cheaper. The only thing that is missing is the DMG with rollable table versions of all the tables in the DMG. :P
1549573285
Finderski
Pro
Sheet Author
Compendium Curator
I apologize if this is an inappropriate link, but I think it really helps answer why Roll20 charges the full price: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu9ZIFjJIX4" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu9ZIFjJIX4</a> It's a Taking20 video that outlines distribution channels and the such. &nbsp;While, as a consumer, I agree...it stinks to purchase a book, then pay full price for the digital copy, there are very valid reason (some of which keithcurtis outlined already).
It's a somewhat trite analogy, but if you walk into [INSERT BRICK AND MORTAR BOOKSTORE] and buy the latest New York Times bestseller (something to do with teenage vampires and bondage probably) you do not &nbsp;automatically receive a code for a free Kindle or Audible or ePUB or PDF version. I imagine there's a possible future where physical WotC products include a code (eg. a discount), but I would suspect it will go to D&amp;D Beyond and not Roll20. As others have said, the convenience of having everything integrated into the Roll20 VTT is often worth the price. With that said, personally I have started using D&amp;D Beyond for my core book needs and just use Roll20 for the modules. If money is a blocker, then your best bet is to transpose the pieces you need in manually.
There are other more full-featured VTT's out there that have greatly enhanced automation and are a lot cheaper... Not the best solution, but...
1549575555
Dean
Roll20 Team
Everyone's covered the realities of the situations very well. Thanks for that! Evan said: I would suspect it will go to D&amp;D Beyond and not Roll20 Just want to clarify that I believe this to be an inaccurate assumption. We're an official licensee of WotC content, and we do a lot of business with and for them. We don't brand ourselves for D&amp;D specifically, as system agnosticism is extremely important to us, but we are officially licensed exactly the same regardless :)
1549575910
keithcurtis
Forum Champion
Marketplace Creator
API Scripter
Great video. Excellent explanation.
Teak's comment is just not accurate. There is no better (or cheaper) place to play RPGs online. I have a lot of D&amp;D experience and I thank my lucky stars every day that I found Roll20. And I purchased the core books here, too ... they save hours of prep time and easily pay for themselves (if you take the cost of the GM's time into account). I love Roll20! Three cheers for Roll20 ... hip hip hooray!
Cutter, For a basic introduction to VTTs, Roll20 is a breeze to get into...Easy for players, DM's, etc.&nbsp; But, that's about it.&nbsp; I was a Pro Subscriber because I needed scripts to do basic automation. FG, well... it's all there.&nbsp; Player wants to attack an Orc, drop the dice onto the Orc, everything is figured out.&nbsp; Want to award EXP to the group, done...drop the quest onto Party sheet and click a button.&nbsp; Want to award items, no problem... drop a parcel onto the party sheet.&nbsp; It will auto split up gold...Cast a spell that has a lingering effect on an NPC, no problem... all figured out for you. Additionally, its VERY easy to check to see if I am accurate in terms of pricing.&nbsp; Monster Manual: 25 bucks FG, 50 Bucks Roll20.&nbsp; Storm Kings Thunder: 25 bucks FG, 50 bucks Roll20.&nbsp; Volos: 30 Bucks FG, 50 Bucks Roll20.&nbsp; DMG: 30 bucks FG, not available.&nbsp; Plus the FG version has TONS of tables to generate all sorts of cool things.&nbsp; The adventures are so nicely made in that there is a story button that the DM can simply follow with easy to use handouts.&nbsp; There is no comparison between the two in conversions... Roll20 is quite basic. Finally, to get any decent automation you need to be a Pro subscriber at 99 bucks a year... I paid 150 total and that's forever... no yearly fees. I'm glad you are happy with Roll20 but I'm glad my Pro subscription expired, I think today... I come here now and then to copy and paste some DM stuff I created... and to see what's going on in terms of Roll20 improvements. I do like that its web-based and if they increase the feature set, I might be back, I've already spent tons of cash on full priced books.
You could absolutely scan all of the pages of your books, upload the images and add them to handouts, manually type everything in if you want typed text. You get to a certain point where you realize the value of a 3rd party publisher, which is a business generates its revenue. If that's not of value to you, you're not required to purchase any of these supplements to enjoy the game or Roll20 or any other VTT.
Teak: Let's agree to disagree. Good luck and happy gaming wherever that happens.
Cutter, you said my statements were not accurate... I have factually shown that they were.&nbsp; We can agree to disagree all we want on opinion, but not on facts like pricing. Cya!
Hi, We're going to go ahead and close this thread. Thanks for your time everyone!&nbsp;