As the old adage goes at gaming tables the world over, you should never split the party. We’ve taken that wisdom a step further and decided to make our party quite a bit bigger: Roll20 and OneBookShelf (DriveThruRPG / DMsGuild) are joining forces.
Read our official announcement here.
Let’s talk about what this change means to our teams and also what it means to users on both platforms.
First, this is an integration inspired by passion for tabletop gaming between two successful companies with a shared vision for the future. Roll20 and OneBookShelf both see critical competencies in one another that we know will lead to even greater success. Roll20’s roadmap has included expanding and improving their Marketplace, and OneBookShelf’s goal has long been to expand into the virtual tabletop (VTT) space. Together, we are the best way to buy, organize, and play tabletop RPGs online.
In the coming weeks, we will add PDF support to Roll20’s VTT, giving GMs and players the ability to upload, read, share, and immediately play using any PDF in the VTT. No need to link anywhere else for your players!!
See a preview below of the PDF on VTT experience we will soon be rolling out in beta.
Leveling Up Your Experience
Access content anywhere. Millions of users maintain significant libraries of content they’ve purchased on OneBookShelf sites from over 20,000 publishers and 9,000 community creators. Older editions of beloved games, delightful indie projects, and some of your favorite crowdfunded titles — as we combine roadmaps, we are committed to linking to your libraries directly on Roll20. You’ll pull up PDFs of your favorite games you bought on DriveThruRPG and access them directly inside of your Roll20 game.
Save storage. PDFs hosted in your DriveThruRPG library will be accessible on Roll20 without affecting your storage limits. This functionality will take development time to implement, but it is a high priority on our shared roadmap.
Forging the Future
Best-in-class marketplace. Combining Roll20 with DriveThruRPG’s new marketplace will offer users a high-quality experience while perusing a massive catalog of hundreds of thousands of TTRPG titles, more than 20 times the current number of offerings on the Roll20 Marketplace. Users on Roll20 can now look forward to new game content discovery connected seamlessly to the virtual tabletop.
Seamless adventuring experience. OneBookShelf and Roll20 want to provide innovative digital tools for every GM and player. As the newly designed DriveThruRPG marketplace (preview here) and the Roll20 platform become more closely integrated, we will be able to offer users all of the advantages of the biggest and most accessible virtual tabletop platform, plus the quality-of-life benefits that a new store design, industry-veteran staff, and our huge catalog of content can provide.
Improved store functionality embedded seamlessly into the Roll20 VTT means publishers and content creators will gain access to a wider audience of GMs and players, right in the game space where they play those games.
Empowering Content Creator Wizardry
Maximizing reach. Whether you are a large publisher or an indie innovator, we want to amplify your audience with a best-in-class platform and access to over 10 million users who play TTRPGs. Improved OneBookShelf store functionality embedded into Roll20 means your content will gain greater exposure to a wider audience.
Hybrid PDF conversion. With PDF libraries coming to the VTT, creators will drastically reduce the friction of bringing their content to life in the virtual gaming space. Adding direct PDF access means that publishers can shave hundreds of hours from their conversion process, bringing their content to market in a fraction of the time previously required. Supplement those PDF offerings with map packs, character art, and other enhancements to the VTT for hybrid bundles for users.
The Greatest Force for Gaming
The industry-leading marketplace with eleven distinct storefronts joining the world’s foremost VTT is just the beginning. Having a combined team now 80 strong, including roughly 50 developers, designers, content experts, and product managers, we are poised to create a host of improvements and new tools. We aim to be the best place to find, buy, create, sell, collect, organize, and play your tabletop roleplaying games, whether virtual or in-person.
We’ve only begun to imagine what we can do together.
See a full list of Frequently Asked Questions for publishers and creators.
If you are a OneBookShelf (DriveThruRPG, Dungeon Masters Guild, etc.) creator or publisher with more questions, please contact marketing@onebookshelf.com.
If you are a Roll20 creator or publisher with more questions, please contact marketplace@roll20.net.
If you are a publication with media inquiries, please contact roll20@triplepointpr.com.