Dungeons and Dragonsonly continues to become more and more popular. The tabletop game’s fifth edition has seen record sales, helped along by shows likeStranger ThingsandCritical Role. The game certainly has some flaws but its open source nature has helped to make it many players first foray into the tabletop RPG genre. As more and more players continue to move their campaigns into the digital space, the lack of an official virtual tabletop becomes more and more noticeable.Dungeons and Dragonsdeserves its own, official, dedicated virtual tabletop.
There are already a few options for players who want to keep their campaigns running in a post-Covid world, andvirtual tabletops had a big year last yearas a result. Many players find the virtual space a more manageable way to playDnDand it allows for players across the world to join in adventures together in ways that were unprecedented in the genre. Because of this, the trend is likely to continue into the future and it seems more and more strange that Wizards of the Coast has yet to announce plans for an officialDnDvirtual tabletop.
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Reasons for an Official Dungeons and Dragons VTT
For most of the history of virtual tabletops, or VTTs, players and DMs have been restricted to a few options. The biggest names in the space as it relates toDnDspecifically areRoll20andFantasy Grounds. More options have cropped up in recent years likeFoundryandTabletop Simulatorhave given players some new choices for which VTT to choose. Unfortunately for the latter two, official endorsement byDnDcan hamstring those platforms in regards to playingDnD. This is not to say that all of these platforms don’t have merits. The wide berth of RPG games and systems available across these VTTs is staggering and truly a testament to the dedication of their developers. But with its nearly uncontested place at the top of the TTRPG genre,DnDneeds to create its own dedicated virtual space.
Wizards of the Coast has already gone a long way to supporting their players and DMs who choose to use VTTs. They have partnered withRoll20andFantasy Groundsto bring their official content to the platforms, and have done so with more and more immediacy. The newly announcedCandlekeep Mysteriesis an anthologyof short adventures aimed at new DMs and players and will release day and date forRoll20and their official online toolsetDnD Beyond. This is good news for players who have already invested their money intoRoll20as their go-to platform for playing and creating their campaigns.DnDBeyondis in itself, however, a very useful tool.
DnD Beyondhas been out since 2017 and has become one of the most useful tools forDnDplayers both in person and online. It is an official compendium of rulesets, sourcebooks, adventures, and other content that also boasts a robust system for DMs to create their own unique content. It can be very useful for players embarking ontheir firstDnDcampaignas well, as it is a succinct way to organize what would otherwise be pages full of information.DnD Beyondcould serve as a good framework for creating the officialDnDVTT.
One part of why its hard for players to decide whether to useRoll20,Fantasy Grounds,DnD Beyond, or some combination of them is simple, money. Investing into online resources can quickly become expensive and players who prefer physical copies of sourcebooks are still required to purchase the same content twice if they wish to use it online, even on the officialDnDBeyond. As arguably the most popular TTRPG, an official VTT built off of the framework ofDnDBeyondcould help solidify players' expenditures and allow for one platform to meet all of their needs. After all, purchasing every sourcebook required to have access toall of the subclasses availableto players can easily cost up to $150 or more. Doubling down on their successes with an officialDnDvirtual tabletop could go along way to helping the franchise capitalize on the future.
Candlekeep Mysteriesreleases Jun 02, 2025 in both physical and digital formats.
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