Looks like they've basically caught up to baseline Owlbear Rodeo. You're trading token attachment for monster statblocks but still, fairly close at this point. Now, Owlbear still has it beat by a mile by having all their super useful extentions(including monster statblocks for example) but it's nice seeing there be some more competition in this space.
I love the update. In addition to what you said, I would really like the ability to place DM-only notes on the map, in particular so I can number rooms to match my notes.
14:45 - I'm actually very glad you don't see the animated dice. If there was a way to turn that off I would. Every time your roll dice you have to watch the dice roll across the screen. On occasion they get stuck. On a 20 they play music. Every time. Even at disadvantage. It is cute the first few times but becomes tiresome very quickly. This is just IHMO. I do love my Themerbchaud dice.
I'm pretty sure the music is toggeable, because I've seen a sound toggle in the dice menu, which I have disabled, and I have never heard any music when rollin a crit.
Maps looks to be really growing into something neat. I like how it's not as complicated as things like Roll20 (making an adventure from scratch on there was a bit of a nightmare), though I definitely see the appeal of on-screen rolling and some of the other 'next steps' that you and some folks here in the comments have been suggested.
not sure if I missed it but you can also click on the box in the top right corner of the monster stat block and it will open another tab to the traditional monster stat block on D&D beyond. I used the new features in my game Tue and as a DM this made managing the fight so much better than the encounter builder. I was able to add monsters to the fight as they moved around the dungeon, roll from the banner on the left etc. I am loving all the latest improvements and can't wait to see what they add next.
I will be testing this out in a couple weeks. I like how you can alter the stats and things for monsters because I tend to tweak some of the monsters from time to time.
Does anyone know what happened to the swapping sides feature? A while back they showed off how you could take a token and change it to multiple different sides of the encounter but as of yet I’ve been unable to find that feature.
That option only shows up before you click “Start Combat” when initiative is calculated you can see it when clicking on a monster. It’s only really relevant during combat difficulty calculation so once combat is “started” there’s nothing that shows which “side” a creature is on.
I only have a few select monster tokens? I have multiple books. But they done show my monsters available. They all say “monster tokens is not in dm content library. “ How do I fix this?
I'm pretty happy with Maps. Two more features I'd like to see: 1) Be able to copy and paste tokens between maps 2) Since I keep NPCs in separate campaigns, I'd like to add them to maps along with the main campaign group
One of the biggest problems with VTTs (in my experience) is that they have too big of a learning curve for many players. It's the most cluttered HUD in all of gaming.
It's definitely an improvement, and a few things are better than Owlbear, but Owlbear still has better features overall. When Beyond catches up with them, I'll prob switch.
I think, two updates prior? Maps was useful for my players that were using phones/tablets. We played just prior to this update and they were unable to run Maps anymore on their phone/tablet. Has that been fixed in this update yet?
11:10 So true. Explain to me how two players, miles away from each other, were able to draw a penises, one on top the other, within the Fog of War. They could not even see what they were doing let alone what the other player was doing and yet they draw the same thing😂
One thing I hope get's added, at least to the Encounter Creator, is the ability to alter the Actions some monsters can take. Like giving a Hobgoblin a Polearm instead of sword and shield for example. Mostly small things that make sense for that specific Creature.
You can currently do that, but you'd have to create a homebrew version of the hobgoblin using said weapon. Granted, it isn't that cumbersome, considering you can create a homebrew using the starting hobgoblin template to begin with
@@maxi1ification Very true. I just meant do that within the Encounter Creator itself instead of making homebrew version. Basically just something easy that won't be saved so you're not flooding your homebrew stuff with small edits
As always, excellent content, sir! While I agree with all the small things you brought up and some of the comments section as well, I think the thing that could truly elevate Maps beyond its competitors is a 3rd party Marketplace. If I had the ability to browse through maps from a bunch of different artists, I would lose my freaking mind. That's what I'm hoping for personally...
Characters with pets need to be able to roll for their pets as well. There is no built in customization for my Lion Skeleton to add my Necromancer's PB to its attacks nor the special ability of my staff that made it have optional flaming claws. Making anything customized is an exercise in tedium. So used to FGU or FVTT where it is really simple to just add what I want. DDB is needlessly complex and a chore to deal with.
DDB is way easier to use. Just create custom weapons or monsters that do what you want the use the Homebrew version on Maps. Those other VTT have cool features not on maps but the learning curve is massive by comparison.
@pheralanpathfinder4897 wholeheartedly disagree. I don't have to create a whole new monster when things change. I can edit an existing instance on the fly. Can't do that I. Ddb.
@slagmoth I do that almost every week on DDB. It's a different process but overall way easier to learn than other VTT. Although I haven't used Owlbear which is also supposed to be easy to learn
@@pheralanpathfinder4897 I will grant that FGU was a bit hard to pick up a ways back, it is easier now since the migration to Unity. We just changed to Foundry last year and I was literally up and running (if you don't use mods) in like an hour and picked up more and more stuff as we go. Has a ton more features too, looks better and the UX is far and away easier to use. Again if you don't bog yourself down with mods... I absolutely HATE the UX to create characters and monsters it is NEEDLESSLY complex and tedious. Took us over an hour to find a hidden menu to get a monster to do what we wanted it to do. In Foundry I literally open the sheet for the monster and edit the text, done and done. With v4.x you can have multiple modes for the same attack and it is even easier to set up. But it is an 80/20 thing, 80% of the features I don't really use but the 20% I do use is very easy to pick up. DDB might eventually get there but there are so many easier and more robust tools out there. But to each their own.
What do other VTTs have? - Not being owned by Hasbro, the digital product killer (all character creators before 5e, Duels of the Planeswalkers, Magic Frontiers...) Simply put, there is a risk you put your time and money (on DDB content, not a factor if you are getting it anyway) just to have the product killed when WotC is done playing with it, so you have to invest time and money into something else. In other words, it is an expense. Meanwhile, something like Foundry VTT is closer to an investment, since you download your stuff (aka actually own it) and you can run a private server. Not perfect, not friendly, certainly not ideal, but at least you own the things. And this isn't "I hate Hasbro they are killing DnD vote with your wallets" because I know enough marketing to know that it doesn't matter at the scale they operate. It's their business model, focused on revisions and "rebuying"/GaaS. You can't compare that with Foundry - buy stuff, own stuff, download stuff. Reusing your other VTT stuff ends up being cheaper than paying Hasbro a monthly fee indefinitely. For non-content creators that are on board with that, well, let's hope project sigil doesn't kill it for you with expensive MTX because, in that business model, if you are satisfied something is wrong. Removing early friction and upfront costs might end up costing a ton in future.
Foundry also has a subscription. But they are less likely to delete the prior edition if they avoid bankruptcy. Sigil and maps are supposed to exist at the same time. I'm not sure what pricing model is planned for Sigil but it will probably be higher than maps which might become free after it's out of beta
What I can say - Roll20 and their 2024 Character Sheet and integration with the 2024 Player's Handbook is NOT ready for prime time. Spent a lot of money and now I am looking at Maps... Very upset.
Having left Roll20 two years ago and been using Foundry VTT ever since this is truly sad seeing just the bare minimum get released for D&D beyond. I mean you can't even target players or monsters before rolling, no custom art, animations, effects and their is no sign of dynamic lightning or anything like that.
Actually, you can create custom tokens with custom art however you want. And player character tokens use which art is used in their character sheet. And the maps themselves can be uploaded from any image you have stored on your pc, so they do have custom art available. The other points are true though. I'd say the biggest point going for maps is still its simplicity of use and its seamless integration with the rest of Beyond. If you are looking for more than that, then yeah, you are better served elsewhere
@@maxi1ification I never said no custom art, I said no custom animations or effects, watch a video on Foundry VTT for examples. The default fireball animation, with automated saving throws and damage dice rolled is amazing. Plus the ability to customize and change these effects at will
That's pretty much their intent. DnD Maps is supposed to be a barebones-ish system that makes it quick and simple and requires virtually no time investment to learn. I'll be surprised if they ever go beyond the core essentials for running a game. For instance, I doubt that animations, effects, and dynamic lighting will occur, since that is outside of their scope, unless they are far in the future and Maps proves successful enough to warrant adding features beyond core functions. Targeting and custom art I could see them doing in the near future, though. The 3d VTT is where DnD is putting their more advanced map ideas into. I use Foundry VTT as well (b/c I don't like subscriptions), so I know the pain of trying to figure out how to use various systems with little-to-no documentation or instructions for how to do it. DnD Maps is made for people who are unwilling or don't have the spare time to invest in figuring it out on their own. There are some basic functions that I've yet to figure out (such as targeting for auto-damage/heal rolling; I just add or reduce the HP directly to get around it since the players roll physical dice and my monsters deal average damage because I run a 6-player group), even after running a Foundry VTT campaign for nearly three years. Then, even after you've learned it, some things, such as setting up complex wall scenarios or making effects driven or multi-layer maps, still take a lot of time investment. After having made quite a few of those, I'm considering scaling back the "extras" that I do that eat up time and energy as well as being data heavy, leading to maps failing to load for the player screen, changes not populating on the player screen, etc.
The simplicity of Maps vs. the time to create effects, walls, mods, etc, is a plus factor for me. The two dms I play with have moved to maps after being heavy users of Foundry. Foundry is very cool, but the overhead is not worth it for is, and there is a feeling when using maps like being around a table rolling dice that i don't get as much playing on Foundry.
@@quillogist2875 same here. Did the same things after years of foundry. It's an amazing tool, but toooooo much work. Now I spend more time preping other things that I think are more important for the game than programing a VTT map.
I am disappointed that Fantasy Grounds Unity continues to be ignored by this channel, especially when you say, “Honestly, I don’t really see what you are getting out of lesser tier tabletops that D&D Beyond doesn’t allow you to completely replace.” I encourage you to do more research on what FGU offers.
@ Yes, a learning curve exists but is not insurmountable. My current game involves three players new to D&D and RPGs and they’ve had no issues using it. At the risk of being a broken record, so many “wish list” comments-Heck, so much of what you yourself say you wish for-are standard features in FGU. Sound integration? Check. Ability to push images to party? Check. Stat blocks on NPCs, items, traps? Check. Custom dice by damage type and animated dice? Yep. Easy automation of combat with unique token display options and initiative tracking? I could go on.
@@trexdrew I don't doubt that stuff takes time, I am just saying they shouldn't have launched the service in any form until basics like this were implemented
Looks like they've basically caught up to baseline Owlbear Rodeo. You're trading token attachment for monster statblocks but still, fairly close at this point. Now, Owlbear still has it beat by a mile by having all their super useful extentions(including monster statblocks for example) but it's nice seeing there be some more competition in this space.
@LordZeebee and now there are statblocks lol, ask and you shall receive!
I love the update. In addition to what you said, I would really like the ability to place DM-only notes on the map, in particular so I can number rooms to match my notes.
It needs three more things:
Ability to display pictures (custom art)
Ability clear the roll log
In game text chat
14:45 - I'm actually very glad you don't see the animated dice. If there was a way to turn that off I would. Every time your roll dice you have to watch the dice roll across the screen. On occasion they get stuck. On a 20 they play music. Every time. Even at disadvantage. It is cute the first few times but becomes tiresome very quickly. This is just IHMO. I do love my Themerbchaud dice.
I'm pretty sure the music is toggeable, because I've seen a sound toggle in the dice menu, which I have disabled, and I have never heard any music when rollin a crit.
Shared dice rolling with 3d dice on screen is a must !!!
Maps looks to be really growing into something neat. I like how it's not as complicated as things like Roll20 (making an adventure from scratch on there was a bit of a nightmare), though I definitely see the appeal of on-screen rolling and some of the other 'next steps' that you and some folks here in the comments have been suggested.
not sure if I missed it but you can also click on the box in the top right corner of the monster stat block and it will open another tab to the traditional monster stat block on D&D beyond. I used the new features in my game Tue and as a DM this made managing the fight so much better than the encounter builder. I was able to add monsters to the fight as they moved around the dungeon, roll from the banner on the left etc. I am loving all the latest improvements and can't wait to see what they add next.
I will be testing this out in a couple weeks. I like how you can alter the stats and things for monsters because I tend to tweak some of the monsters from time to time.
I really like these updates. I'll be using them for my Friday game.
11:09 my favorite part lol
thanks for keeping us up to date Ted. I agree with everything you said. They just need to add a few more little things to make Maps much more usable
In regards to Roll20, I would agree with you insomuch as it pertains to D&D.
Does anyone know what happened to the swapping sides feature? A while back they showed off how you could take a token and change it to multiple different sides of the encounter but as of yet I’ve been unable to find that feature.
That option only shows up before you click “Start Combat” when initiative is calculated you can see it when clicking on a monster. It’s only really relevant during combat difficulty calculation so once combat is “started” there’s nothing that shows which “side” a creature is on.
@ seems really unhelpful if something is going to randomly show up. I guess you’d just have to keep it hidden until you’re ready
I’m excited about the Maps update. The biggest problem is that some monsters don’t have tokens so they can’t be added to the map
I only have a few select monster tokens? I have multiple books. But they done show my monsters available. They all say “monster tokens is not in dm content library. “
How do I fix this?
Great video again!! I think Maps is close to becoming my go to VTT!!
YES! Need a Pax rundown
I'm pretty happy with Maps. Two more features I'd like to see:
1) Be able to copy and paste tokens between maps
2) Since I keep NPCs in separate campaigns, I'd like to add them to maps along with the main campaign group
Now I just want a blank token feature, so I can add random non-player or monster stuff to the map
I might be done with owlbear rodeo with this update; although owlbear does have emanation effects that can be tag/locked onto players/creatures.
I really want tagging of a overlay to a player. It will be a HUGE quality of life improvement.
Pax info would be fun!
One of the biggest problems with VTTs (in my experience) is that they have too big of a learning curve for many players. It's the most cluttered HUD in all of gaming.
It's definitely an improvement, and a few things are better than Owlbear, but Owlbear still has better features overall. When Beyond catches up with them, I'll prob switch.
I think, two updates prior? Maps was useful for my players that were using phones/tablets. We played just prior to this update and they were unable to run Maps anymore on their phone/tablet. Has that been fixed in this update yet?
11:10 So true. Explain to me how two players, miles away from each other, were able to draw a penises, one on top the other, within the Fog of War. They could not even see what they were doing let alone what the other player was doing and yet they draw the same thing😂
One thing I hope get's added, at least to the Encounter Creator, is the ability to alter the Actions some monsters can take. Like giving a Hobgoblin a Polearm instead of sword and shield for example. Mostly small things that make sense for that specific Creature.
You can currently do that, but you'd have to create a homebrew version of the hobgoblin using said weapon.
Granted, it isn't that cumbersome, considering you can create a homebrew using the starting hobgoblin template to begin with
@@maxi1ification Very true. I just meant do that within the Encounter Creator itself instead of making homebrew version. Basically just something easy that won't be saved so you're not flooding your homebrew stuff with small edits
No twitch link in the description? Crazy lol
The Initiative Score is on page 369 of the 2024 PHB.
As always, excellent content, sir!
While I agree with all the small things you brought up and some of the comments section as well, I think the thing that could truly elevate Maps beyond its competitors is a 3rd party Marketplace.
If I had the ability to browse through maps from a bunch of different artists, I would lose my freaking mind. That's what I'm hoping for personally...
Should have said "Emanation, in 3rd edition terms". Bugged me that JC thought he invented something.
It's weird to me that WOTC seem to be heading towards a digital future, but have so few staff working at D&D Beyond now
Characters with pets need to be able to roll for their pets as well. There is no built in customization for my Lion Skeleton to add my Necromancer's PB to its attacks nor the special ability of my staff that made it have optional flaming claws. Making anything customized is an exercise in tedium. So used to FGU or FVTT where it is really simple to just add what I want. DDB is needlessly complex and a chore to deal with.
DDB is way easier to use. Just create custom weapons or monsters that do what you want the use the Homebrew version on Maps.
Those other VTT have cool features not on maps but the learning curve is massive by comparison.
@pheralanpathfinder4897 wholeheartedly disagree. I don't have to create a whole new monster when things change. I can edit an existing instance on the fly. Can't do that I. Ddb.
@slagmoth I do that almost every week on DDB. It's a different process but overall way easier to learn than other VTT. Although I haven't used Owlbear which is also supposed to be easy to learn
@@pheralanpathfinder4897 I will grant that FGU was a bit hard to pick up a ways back, it is easier now since the migration to Unity.
We just changed to Foundry last year and I was literally up and running (if you don't use mods) in like an hour and picked up more and more stuff as we go. Has a ton more features too, looks better and the UX is far and away easier to use. Again if you don't bog yourself down with mods...
I absolutely HATE the UX to create characters and monsters it is NEEDLESSLY complex and tedious. Took us over an hour to find a hidden menu to get a monster to do what we wanted it to do. In Foundry I literally open the sheet for the monster and edit the text, done and done.
With v4.x you can have multiple modes for the same attack and it is even easier to set up. But it is an 80/20 thing, 80% of the features I don't really use but the 20% I do use is very easy to pick up.
DDB might eventually get there but there are so many easier and more robust tools out there.
But to each their own.
This is a pretty compelling VTT. 🤔
When will they release an API?
First comment for the win!!!
For real though, love your work man, keep it up
I just need them to ad Monster Manual Expanded series to the store, then i'm all done with FG.
What do other VTTs have?
- Not being owned by Hasbro, the digital product killer (all character creators before 5e, Duels of the Planeswalkers, Magic Frontiers...)
Simply put, there is a risk you put your time and money (on DDB content, not a factor if you are getting it anyway) just to have the product killed when WotC is done playing with it, so you have to invest time and money into something else. In other words, it is an expense.
Meanwhile, something like Foundry VTT is closer to an investment, since you download your stuff (aka actually own it) and you can run a private server. Not perfect, not friendly, certainly not ideal, but at least you own the things.
And this isn't "I hate Hasbro they are killing DnD vote with your wallets" because I know enough marketing to know that it doesn't matter at the scale they operate. It's their business model, focused on revisions and "rebuying"/GaaS. You can't compare that with Foundry - buy stuff, own stuff, download stuff.
Reusing your other VTT stuff ends up being cheaper than paying Hasbro a monthly fee indefinitely. For non-content creators that are on board with that, well, let's hope project sigil doesn't kill it for you with expensive MTX because, in that business model, if you are satisfied something is wrong. Removing early friction and upfront costs might end up costing a ton in future.
Foundry also has a subscription. But they are less likely to delete the prior edition if they avoid bankruptcy.
Sigil and maps are supposed to exist at the same time. I'm not sure what pricing model is planned for Sigil but it will probably be higher than maps which might become free after it's out of beta
Why is DnDBeyond/WOTC just copying AboveVTT several years late?
What I can say - Roll20 and their 2024 Character Sheet and integration with the 2024 Player's Handbook is NOT ready for prime time. Spent a lot of money and now I am looking at Maps... Very upset.
Having left Roll20 two years ago and been using Foundry VTT ever since this is truly sad seeing just the bare minimum get released for D&D beyond. I mean you can't even target players or monsters before rolling, no custom art, animations, effects and their is no sign of dynamic lightning or anything like that.
Actually, you can create custom tokens with custom art however you want. And player character tokens use which art is used in their character sheet. And the maps themselves can be uploaded from any image you have stored on your pc, so they do have custom art available. The other points are true though. I'd say the biggest point going for maps is still its simplicity of use and its seamless integration with the rest of Beyond. If you are looking for more than that, then yeah, you are better served elsewhere
@@maxi1ification I never said no custom art, I said no custom animations or effects, watch a video on Foundry VTT for examples. The default fireball animation, with automated saving throws and damage dice rolled is amazing. Plus the ability to customize and change these effects at will
That's pretty much their intent. DnD Maps is supposed to be a barebones-ish system that makes it quick and simple and requires virtually no time investment to learn. I'll be surprised if they ever go beyond the core essentials for running a game. For instance, I doubt that animations, effects, and dynamic lighting will occur, since that is outside of their scope, unless they are far in the future and Maps proves successful enough to warrant adding features beyond core functions. Targeting and custom art I could see them doing in the near future, though. The 3d VTT is where DnD is putting their more advanced map ideas into.
I use Foundry VTT as well (b/c I don't like subscriptions), so I know the pain of trying to figure out how to use various systems with little-to-no documentation or instructions for how to do it. DnD Maps is made for people who are unwilling or don't have the spare time to invest in figuring it out on their own. There are some basic functions that I've yet to figure out (such as targeting for auto-damage/heal rolling; I just add or reduce the HP directly to get around it since the players roll physical dice and my monsters deal average damage because I run a 6-player group), even after running a Foundry VTT campaign for nearly three years. Then, even after you've learned it, some things, such as setting up complex wall scenarios or making effects driven or multi-layer maps, still take a lot of time investment. After having made quite a few of those, I'm considering scaling back the "extras" that I do that eat up time and energy as well as being data heavy, leading to maps failing to load for the player screen, changes not populating on the player screen, etc.
The simplicity of Maps vs. the time to create effects, walls, mods, etc, is a plus factor for me. The two dms I play with have moved to maps after being heavy users of Foundry. Foundry is very cool, but the overhead is not worth it for is, and there is a feeling when using maps like being around a table rolling dice that i don't get as much playing on Foundry.
@@quillogist2875 same here. Did the same things after years of foundry. It's an amazing tool, but toooooo much work. Now I spend more time preping other things that I think are more important for the game than programing a VTT map.
No free option without subscription?
unfortunatly not - its a shame really.
If that fixed 90 percent of the problems you had with MAPS then you need to raise your standards. Sorry
I am disappointed that Fantasy Grounds Unity continues to be ignored by this channel, especially when you say, “Honestly, I don’t really see what you are getting out of lesser tier tabletops that D&D Beyond doesn’t allow you to completely replace.” I encourage you to do more research on what FGU offers.
@@sobrien112 i had used Fantasy Grounds exclusively like 10 years ago, and it wasn't for me. Maybe it's worth checking out again
@ Yes, a learning curve exists but is not insurmountable. My current game involves three players new to D&D and RPGs and they’ve had no issues using it. At the risk of being a broken record, so many “wish list” comments-Heck, so much of what you yourself say you wish for-are standard features in FGU. Sound integration? Check. Ability to push images to party? Check. Stat blocks on NPCs, items, traps? Check. Custom dice by damage type and animated dice? Yep. Easy automation of combat with unique token display options and initiative tracking? I could go on.
Oh, and the whisper function is so much fun for a DM.
Player chat in different languages that’s only understandable if you know that language? ✅
Too complicated I use OBR because others are too complex. This is a nice route imo
I heard about this and I had to wonder how this feature wasn't a requirement for launch
I mean, it is still in Beta. So it seems like it is going to be there for the official launch. It's just still in development.
It’s crazy how when you’re building something from scratch it takes a while to get the things others that have existed for a while already have
Great news, when it does launch, it will be a feature!
@@trexdrew I don't doubt that stuff takes time, I am just saying they shouldn't have launched the service in any form until basics like this were implemented
@@TheAnonymousLemur agreed!
baffled to see people still use dnd beyond
Ease of use and brand recognition.