D&D's upcoming VTT, codenamed Project Sigil, will come with Baldur's Gate 3 minis—further cementing WoTC's plans to franchise the heck out of it

D&D's got a lot going on this year—a 50th anniversary, new revised rulebooks, and a virtual tabletop to boot. Said virtual tabletop (VTT) was showcased heavily at Gen Con 2024, where several head honchos from Wizards of the Coast took to the stage, including VP of franchise and product Jess Lanzillo, seasoned designer Christopher Perkins, and lead rules designer Jeremy Crawford.

The team went over some of their intentions for the new rulebooks—as well its upcoming VTT, now given the codename Project Sigil. The app, as reported by journalist and attendee Christian Hoffer on Twitter, will «have constraints on it» for free users, adding: «D&D Beyond subscribers have more access. They want to use the beta to figure out what's most valuable to players.»

As part of the bells and whistles attached to Project Sigil, the cast of Baldur's Gate 3—who belong to Wizards of the Coast, now—will be available as digital minis. Further details, as shared by our friends over at GamesRadar, note that these minis will come with multiple poses but be otherwise unanimated.

Some of these tools do look pretty interesting. A screenshot (thanks, GamesRadar) showcases a powerful-looking editor that'll let you cobble together battlemaps in the same way you'd flesh out a custom map in a videogame.

The VTT's head of project, Chris Cao, boasts that the app is «a 3D sandbox that brings your favourite franchises to life in a fast, fun, and immersive way.» Which, alas, gets my hackles up.

My inner old fogey just can't help but get an uneasy gut feeling when the words 'franchises to life' get bandied about in a hobby I started on cheap craft paper using coins for minis. I'm aware I'm being cynical here, but I don't really play TTRPGs to explore my favourite franchises, I play them to tell new stories with my mates.

On the other hand, it would be a right laugh to do a one-shot or short campaign following Karlach's adventures after the end of Baldur's Gate 3—she practically pitches us on one during the