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FAQ About The Next Step
🕑 Added 2024-10-18 14:30:57 +0000 UTCI would like to thank everyone who has voted in the poll already and everyone who commented. I see a lot of comments with similar questions, so instead of addressing them all separately, I'm writing this FAQ post. Hopefully, this will give you a better idea what to vote for.
If you haven’t done so already, please vote in the poll How MPMB should be updated to 5e 2024.
This poll is only for active members and will be open until Monday October 28. I will post the results publicly after that time.
What is the idea behind creating a web-app?
The basic idea is to bring the MPMB’s Character Record Sheets to a format that is not reliant on Adobe Acrobat and thus making it:
Accessible on more platforms (e.g. mobile).
Able to use modern technology and thus easier to maintain (AcroJS hasn’t been updated for over 10 years and Adobe hasn’t addressed feature requests since).
Easier to expand upon (the current form is reaching the limit of AcroForm fields it can support without crashing Adobe Acrobat).
The philosophy behind the sheets won’t change. It will still be a (mostly) WYSIWYG form to build a D&D character. It will also still primarily be intended to be used printed out (see “Printed Character Sheet” below). A web-app should also allow for a much better user experience for those who only want to use the character sheet digitally.
Why spent all this energy just to recreate something?
That is a fair question and why I’ve been holding off on this for so long. A lot of time and effort has gone into the current sheet and starting anew from scratch will be equally challenging. I believe that the PDF has reached a point where it needs significant rewrites of the code to not become too bloated to provide a good user experience, especially if I want to add new features and it still be able to run on less powerful hardware. Instead of rewriting in AcroJS, I would rather invest that time in creating something that is more future-proof and more accessible.
Will the web-app result in a printed character sheet or do I need to keep it open like D&D Beyond?
The web-app will have printability as its highest purpose. Just like the PDFs now, my main goal for creating a digital character sheet is to print it out for use at the table. I understand people wanting to use it purely in a digital format, but that has never been the design philosophy behind MPMB’s character sheets. A web-app will allow for a much better user experience for those who only want to use the character sheet digitally.
I play D&D both online (with FoundryVTT) and offline. When I play offline, the only person allowed any digital device is the DM. Having a printed character sheet with pencil and eraser is essential for me personally, and I find it’s often necessary for the engagement of my players as well.
I play D&D with pen and paper, why would I want a web-app?
Please see the answer above for “Will the web-app result in a printed character sheet or do I need to keep it open like D&D Beyond?”.
Unrelated, but why do people call it “pen and paper”? I certainly hope most people are not writing stuff down on their paper character sheet with non-erasable ink. I guess it sounds better than “pencil and eraser”?
Will the web-app still produce a PDF character sheet?
This is related to the answer above for “Will the web-app result in a printed character sheet or do I need to keep it open like D&D Beyond?”.
If you can print it, you can print it to PDF. As having a printed character sheet is the main purpose of the web-app, you can rest assured that you can make a PDF character sheet with it. The resulting PDF will be like printing the current sheet to PDF.
Downloading the character from the web-app as a form-fillable PDF is technically feasible but isn’t on the initial feature list. It could be something to add in the future, if many people are interested.
Will the web-app require a constant internet connection?
No. Modern web-apps can be made in such a way that you “install” them once and then can access them even without an active internet connection. How this “install” will work in practice is still something to be seen, as there are several possible avenues of making that work.
For example, a progressive web application would ask you to allow it to be accessible offline. Then with a single click on “OK” you’d have offline access to it from that moment on.
Having the option to use the character sheets offline is a high priority for the web-app.
If option 4 wins, will there be no PDF with the 2024 rules?
I promise to supply a workable PDF with the 2024 rules, next to one with the 2014 rules, regardless off how the poll turns out.
If option 4 is chosen, this will just be one without altering the current built-in code or design. An add-on script can still get most of the rules added correctly.
Comments
MorePurpleMoreBetter
You are pretty much describing the road that is being taken for the web-app, it being fully client-side. Although it probably won't be a singular static html file, because that won't allow for stuff like using local storage to save your characters to and I doubt you want to re-create your character from scratch every time you open the webpage ;) Please rest assured that these concerns are being addressed. How exactly I can't answer right now, because the different avenues are still being explored and tested.
Adrian Rossouw
I would implore you, that if you were to build this as an app that you keep it as static html (with fully client-side JS) that doesn't have any kind of backend server required, so it can be copied indefinitely and you won't need to host it. You're more likely to become a target of copyright enforcement if you are installing the files onto a server you own somewhere. Basically closer to the 5etools model.
MorePurpleMoreBetter
Thank you for offering to help! The web-app is not at a stage that many hands would make the work easier, probably more the opposite. However, that point will definitely come in the (hopefully near) future and then I'll put out a call for people who are interested in helping. I'll put you on the shortlist.
MoldyHacker
I'm sorry I am late to the party. I don't check patreon very often. I am a software developer experienced with web design and web apps. I would love to help out on this project. Feel free to reach out. linktr.ee/MoldyHacker
Richard Rogers
I'm here as a new patron because of the mess DnDBeyond has made for my players. Their 2014 character sheets are a mess with missing spells, confusing configuration to use the 2014 content and links that automatically go to 2024 content, causing confusion and forcing us all to double check everything. One accidentally purchased 2024 content when trying to purchase 2014 content and cannot get her money back. And a lot of GMs don't want to move to 2024 and have to rebalance everything and/or wait for the monsters to be scaled up to match the character power boosts. There are A LOT of dissatisfied clients of DnDBeyond. Just check out the forums there.
MorePurpleMoreBetter
I answered this in the latest post, but in case you missed it: you are getting exactly what you want. I'll make the 2024 version as quickly as possible. Because no flashy stuff will be added, I can cut down on time required to get it available for you.
MorePurpleMoreBetter
Docker is one way to go. There are a multitude of ways to make it both portable and offline available. For now the "how" is not important, just that both portability and offline availability are on the wishlist for the web-app.
John Oakley
Thank you. I saw the post and understand the amount of changes for 2024. If there’s something I can do to help, please let me know.
MorePurpleMoreBetter
I answered this in the latest post, but in case you missed it: I'll certainly try to make it available by that time, but no promises ;)
MorePurpleMoreBetter
No idea, the app is not yet at that stage of implementation.
Mark St. Thomas
Will the web app notify us of updates? Will we need to upload the whole app again when a new update is available?
Merlossom
A web app is such a great idea, especially if it means no longer being chained to Adobe Acrobat!
John Oakley
Hey. There’s a 60 day grace period for Adventures League play which ends mid November. Will the “quick” 2024 PDF be available by then? I have used MPMB for all of my characters and need to start updating them for weekly AL usage.
nitrojane
Excited to see what you come up with, thank you for putting in the herculean effort that you do!
Neth
I'm switching to '24 edition so I would love to get a workable sheet just to do that asap. After that I'm fine with waiting for the webapp. I usually share the PDFs with my players, and we transfer them back and forth, so as long as the webapp can be collabed on that should be great.
MorePurpleMoreBetter
My intention with the web-app is the same as with the PDF, to make it easier to do the administrative parts of character creation and upkeep. I'm not trying to move the character sheet into a digital space during gameplay (hence why I ban digital character sheets at my table as you can read above). The foremost goal of this web-app will be to produce a printable character sheet, just as the PDFs do now. Going the route of a web-app instead of the PDF is more of a logistical choice, the PDF ecosystem is simply not built for what I want out of a character builder. Expanding upon the current way of doing things will just make it excruciatingly slow to use on most machines. I like to think that going for printable character sheets is a different use-case than D&D Beyond, but you are probably right that it'll be a step closer to how that platform functions. Being direct competition would be great, I can only dream of having that many people using my work. In reality I doubt most people will be interested in (or even look further into) non-WotC stuff.
Stu Killian
Maybe I am over simplifying this, but don't you think you're shooting yourself in the foot with making an app? You'll be directly competing with DnD Beyond. People who are used to DnD Beyond probably won't switch over, and pencil and paper players will not want to mess around with yet another app. I personally don't go to games just to see everyone at the table with their nose shoved into their tablets. I'm kind of disappointed with the results of the poll. The spirit of the game is dying.
Javier Molina
Oh! My bad!
1e-cleric-steve
My comment was directed at MPMB creator. Sorry abotu that. Docker has a desktop version. I run it on my laptop to play around with AI LLMs with web front-ends.
Javier Molina
I know about docker for NAS (haven’t used one though) don’t know anything about it for regular laptops.
1e-cleric-steve
You may already know this. There are many ways to make a web application portable for offline use. An example that is popular is Docker. Since I started using your sheets for my home games, I worried about its reliance on Adobe Acrobat. It's great that it has worked so long, but 10 years without an update to its JS engine is not a good sign.
MorePurpleMoreBetter
I'll keep this in mind during development. I'm happy to see if I can make it work in such a way that sharing it offline and using it without any true installation is possible (i.e. a portable app).
MorePurpleMoreBetter
> My understanding is that a web app will have very similar functionality to a PDF sheet but will be faster & run natively in something like Chrome, as opposed to Adobe Reader? That is the gist of it, yea.
Ben Smith
My understanding is that a web app will have very similar functionality to a PDF sheet but will be faster & run natively in something like Chrome, as opposed to Adobe Reader? Then I'm all for it. I've tried D&D beyond several times and have always found their approach to automation to be extremely clunky and inflexible compared to the MPMB way. In particular, I like that when you select a class it just appends the features into text fields, instead of making them some kind of immutable entry (and that it wont override said text fields when you hit level up...) Being able to run it smoothly, natively, and without the formatting quirks of "read-mode" adobe will be a huge for me. It's an excellent idea, and I really hope it's a popular enough one for it to be made.
Sander Mintjes
Dutch would be my go-to as well. I think a google translate feature could do a lot of heavy lifting. I do have a translated char sheet if you want.
MorePurpleMoreBetter
Localisation is on the wishlist, but not one of the primary targets. Even if possible, it will be a lot of work to implement each language for all classes, races, feats, items, etc. etc. If this is going to be tackled some time in the future, Dutch is probably the first language (as it is my native language and I'd love to make D&D more accessible for my daughter). Just too bad that D&D doesn't have an official Dutch translation.
MorePurpleMoreBetter
Which rules edition will be used for the web-app is addressed in the post with the poll, but I'll copy that part here: > Whether this web-app will be for both the 2014 and 2024 versions of the rules, or just 2024, is fuel for a future poll. The games I’m playing in are still using the 2014 rules, but they might switch once all three core rulebooks are out.
MorePurpleMoreBetter
It being a web-app doesn't mean that text fields will no longer be editable by you. It is just a different format. The idea behind the sheet, like being able to change any of the auto-filled values, won't change.
MorePurpleMoreBetter
I find that is an essential feature. Having a way of adding your homebrew content is something the web-app should support for it to be a good MPMB sheet.
MorePurpleMoreBetter
I don't really now how many people actually use them, but they are overdue for an update with 5e content now that WotC is no longer producing 5e content. If I'll make a 2024 version of them might me something I'll aks in a future poll.
MorePurpleMoreBetter
This is addressed in the post with the poll, but I'll copy that part here: > Whether this web-app will be for both the 2014 and 2024 versions of the rules, or just 2024, is fuel for a future poll. The games I’m playing in are still using the 2014 rules, but they might switch once all three core rulebooks are out.
Javier Molina
I admit I am probably a very niche use case but I would really appreciate the "install" to be sharable offline. As in when I have no internet connection (read deployed) and someone decides they want to play, I can then copy over the required files to their computer and they can use it. This is what made MPMB so powerful for me. Someone that didn't plan at all to play D&D could join in with me simply giving them a copy of your free PDF and they were up and running! Also the fact that it didn't require any true installation of a program meant it was also usable on work computers for those that didn't bring a laptop with them as we can't install programs on those. Everyone that saw your PDF always fell in love with them. Again I understand I am a unique situation so not a priority of your development. Thanks!
Sander Mintjes
Will there be an option to change the language? I want to use it for the nieces and nephews, but they aren’t ready for all that English yet.
Shannon Standaloft
First time hearing about the web app idea and WHAT A RELIEF!!!! I was just starting to give up on the current character sheet because Adobe Acrobat has become so rubbish, between my players not being able to install it on their older devices, the constant badgering from Adobe to pay for premium or try their new AI features and the never ending crashes I was about to start looking for something else. So so happy this is happening and if your previous work is anything to go by it'll absolutely slap. Can't wait until it's live!!
David M. Tate
I would love to see the web app (if chosen) be able to toggle between the 2014 and 2024 rules. I do understand this is extra work and am acknowledging that we would have to wait longer. If the app is chosen I would hope that the functionality is at the same level as the PDF.
Darrell Malone
Seconded. Great idea to make the jump with the new edition. I'm also open to providing some coding support fwiw.
Derrick Boswell
Not going to lie, I have a newfound respect for you with your opinion on pencil and eraser character sheets. I've used your sheets for a few years now. I greatly look forward to what you have coming.
Mitchell Swan
I really hope that an editable PDF is the result. I routinely tweak the notes in the attack section of my characters to add info I find necessary. For example, my Cleric's mace attack, in the notes, says, "Sap: On hit creature has disadv until end nxt turn." A quick and easy reminder of the Weapon Mastery info. But far more informative than DnDB's, "Simple, Sap." Yes, eventually, we'll all have the Mastery properties memorized, but the concept holds. Especially with homebrewed magic weapons where the properties may be leagues away from what the rules might have. Basically, however much I love the layout, tweaks here and there are very important to me.
John Koukoutsas
Fantastic. I've always been impressed by your work, and more importantly your way of doing business with the community. Great work
Dana Folsom
will be still be able to add custom classes, races, etc?
MorePurpleMoreBetter
That is not the intention. It would be pretty bad if you'd lose your characters if you are no longer a patron. How Patreon-support figures into the web-app is still something to explore. Nothing is set in stone on that for now.
Jason Conners
Not sure if its been answered, but my main question is about your amazing class specific spell sheets. Are these getting updated in whatever way wins voting, or are those a seperatr beast
Kai
I'm not sure if you answered this somewhere else or if I just missed it in the announcement, but will the 2014 rules be available on the web app? My table won't be moving to the new rules, but I would love the functionality of the web app
Carlos Elliott
That answered all my questions. Especially the PDF paragraph at the end. The webapp might also mean that updates are easier to rollout over new download links and character sheet imports.
Heiko
thx for clarification, changed my vote to option 4 (slowest)
Dex's Lab
Yay no more Adobe regular typescript/javascript ftw i would definitely be willing to help code
Anniek.
We have very clear priorities 🤣
Jeremy Blackburn
Moving away from Adobe seems like a great idea moving forward. It's worked well up to now, but that's no reason to hold on to it in the future.
Charles L Allen
Thank you for the response
John Koukoutsas
Please have a think about how a web app would work with your tiers.. I wouldn't want to loose access to my historical (legacy) characters, if I drop my subscription?
Casper Span
Well that answered all questions I had. Keep up the good work!
John Koukoutsas
I definitely use Frixion pens.. erasable ink for the win.. ;)
MorePurpleMoreBetter
Great that this is the first response 😄
Anniek.
"Unrelated, but why do people call it “pen and paper”? I certainly hope most people are not writing stuff down on their paper character sheet with non-erasable ink. " fun fact, I use pens with erasable ink 😋
zeel
Sounds great!
