Holy cow! Awesome news on the Compendium today. With monsters/Dragon/Dungeon added in to the searchable DB, this tool keeps getting better and better!
What do you think?
Holy cow! Awesome news on the Compendium today. With monsters/Dragon/Dungeon added in to the searchable DB, this tool keeps getting better and better!
What do you think?
The Tool is already incredibly useful because it contains the rules with Errata included. I pity the person who has to type everything in though.
The Tool is already incredibly useful because it contains the rules with Errata included. I pity the person who has to type everything in though.
Aye, in many ways Data Entry is even worse than working a fast food job (IMO!)
Pay usually isn't one of them of course, but still ...
The Tool is already incredibly useful because it contains the rules with Errata included. I pity the person who has to type everything in though.
Aye, in many ways Data Entry is even worse than working a fast food job (IMO!)
Pay usually isn't one of them of course, but still ...
There is a lot of good information on this post. Number 1 is that Bonus tools will get two more programs as well. This makes the Web content package even better.
They are also looking to the fan based community about how to make The compendium even better. I like that.
There is still some terrible news though... They are still going to be overcharging for the Full DDI...I am sorry it is not worth 10-15 a month...
They need to get the idea out of their head it is worth as much as a MMO..
Really? A searchable db of all classes/powers/items/feats/races/monsters from every book published AND Dragon AND Dungeon (including named NPCs from modules even!) is an awesome tool! On top of an actul sub to Dragon and Dungeon, plus the Bonus Tools, a Character Gen, a Character Visualizer, and a VTT?
I guess everyone has a different price point, but I expect at least half, if not more, of my weekly group will sign up. That sounds like a killer value!
Cheers! :)
Edit: And the db includes all eratta! Wowza!
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There is still some terrible news though... They are still going to be overcharging for the Full DDI...I am sorry it is not worth 10-15 a month...
They need to get the idea out of their head it is worth as much as a MMO..
Really? A searchable db of all classes/powers/items/feats/races/monsters from every book published AND Dragon AND Dungeon (including named NPCs from modules even!) is an awesome tool! On top of an actul sub to Dragon and Dungeon, plus the Bonus Tools, a Character Gen, a Character Visualizer, and a VTT?
I guess everyone has a different price point, but I expect at least half, if not more, of my weekly group will sign up. That sounds like a killer value!
Cheers! :)
Edit: And the db includes all eratta! Wowza!
Yes they are overcharging... I doubt the production cost or overhead is even close to the millions of dollars it takes to make a MMO.
I can't in good conscience pay the amount they are charging.. they are cheating us.
Which is sad because I really want it.
Yes they are overcharging... I doubt the production cost or overhead is even close to the millions of dollars it takes to make a MMO.
I can't in good conscience pay the amount they are charging.. they are cheating us.
Which is sad because I really want it.
An item's value is only so much as the market is willing to pay. How much went into producing said item is totally irrelevant, outside of shoddy work producing shoddy items that no one wants to pay for.
I look at it less as "wow, I'm providing WotC with too much profit at this price point" and more as "wow, I'm getting more satisfaction and enjoyment from WotC than from SOE at this price point" (I always played EQ, not WoW ... insert your own MMORPG developer there)
Cheers! :)
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Yes they are overcharging... I doubt the production cost or overhead is even close to the millions of dollars it takes to make a MMO.
I can't in good conscience pay the amount they are charging.. they are cheating us.
Which is sad because I really want it.
An item's value is only so much as the market is willing to pay. How much went into producing said item is totally irrelevant, outside of shoddy work producing shoddy items that no one wants to pay for.
I look at it less as "wow, I'm providing WotC with too much profit at this price point" and more as "wow, I'm getting more satisfaction and enjoyment from WotC than from SOE at this price point" (I always played EQ, not WoW ... insert your own MMORPG developer there)
Cheers! :)
that is the thing... the product is not worth that much...
It is worth what they are going to be charging next month $4.95...
I am sorry David if I sound rude... just what they are charging is seriously pissing me off... Steam comes out of my ears when i think about it...
My head wants to explode...
and the more people willing to pay that outrageous price the less chance they will reduce it to what it is actually worth..So i get a bit rude when i talk about it..so i am sorry.
Edit: And I am hoping people will realize that it is not worth paying that much. I am still flabbergasted that WotC thinks it is.
Lol, no it's alright (although you may want to remove your hat ... steam does terrible things to fine clothing)
$5 a month is pretty steep for just the Visualizer/Genner/VTT and unless the visualizer/genner really wow me, I may only upgrade if my friends go through with their current plans to start up another weekly game night over the VTT.
If not, I may be happy staying at the $5 price point, since most of what I want from DDI is stored there. That said, I do consider that section worth $10 a month anyway, so either way I feel I'm getting a good deal.
I understand that bothers you though, so I'll refrain from sounding so excited.
Cheers! :)
Holy cow! Awesome news on the Compendium today. With monsters/Dragon/Dungeon added in to the searchable DB, this tool keeps getting better and better!
What do you think?
The fact that they've added Monsters makes this tool infinitely better. If they can keep this thing up to date, I am sold.
Very good news for someone who thought the D&D Compendium was a bit lackluster at first.
Thanks!
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Lol, no it's alright (although you may want to remove your hat ... steam does terrible things to fine clothing)
$5 a month is pretty steep for just the Visualizer/Genner/VTT and unless the visualizer/genner really wow me, I may only upgrade if my friends go through with their current plans to start up another weekly game night over the VTT.
If not, I may be happy staying at the $5 price point, since most of what I want from DDI is stored there. That said, I do consider that section worth $10 a month anyway, so either way I feel I'm getting a good deal.
I understand that bothers you though, so I'll refrain from sounding so excited.
Cheers! :)
don't forget to pay 10 a month.. you need to pay $120 upfront... Otherwise it is $15 a month..
I better pricing scheme and closer to what I believe it is worth and that would get a maximum amount of users therefore i believe more profits would be
$60 up front (Or $5 a month)
or $8 per month
Yes, yearly is the way to go. Even with all of the really cool features they're adding currently, $15 a month is a pretty high price point for me to swallow.
Of course, I always paid that amount for MMORPGs, but the natures of the two products makes me much happier signing up for a year of DDI vs signing up for a year of a MMORPG.
Don't get me wrong Dragonmoon, if they want to charge me less, I'll happily pay as little as they want! :P
The fact that they've added Monsters makes this tool infinitely better. If they can keep this thing up to date, I am sold.
Very good news for someone who thought the D&D Compendium was a bit lackluster at first.
Thanks!
Glad you're enjoying. Note that the monsters introduced in H1 are added into the Compendium even now, and that the search interface seems to have been redesigned for the better. Irontooth, for example, can be searched for if you desire.
Cheers! :)
don't forget to pay 10 a month.. you need to pay $120 upfront... Otherwise it is $15 a month..
I better pricing scheme and closer to what I believe it is worth and that would get a maximum amount of users therefore i believe more profits would be
$60 up front (Or $5 a month)
or $8 per month
Here is my plan:
Sign up for the $5 a month D&D Insider with just the magazines, compendium, and "bonus" tools. Despite my opinion that $5 is too much for this content, I want to put some money in the hands of WotC's online initiative so that one day I may see the other online apps.
Now, once those apps are released, if they are priced similar to what was originally announced ($10 a month), I will continue to subscribe. If not, I will cancel my subscription gladly and subscribe to a 3rd party source of D&D adventures and articles.
It's a bit of an investment, and hope for stuff to come, but I'm willing to invest in it to see what WotC has to offer.
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Holy cow! Awesome news on the Compendium today. With monsters/Dragon/Dungeon added in to the searchable DB, this tool keeps getting better and better!
What do you think?
The fact that they've added Monsters makes this tool infinitely better. If they can keep this thing up to date, I am sold.
Very good news for someone who thought the D&D Compendium was a bit lackluster at first.
Thanks!
Things is.. to me.. they should not charge anything for the compendium.. It has been free for the last 8 years..
Edit: though adding things other then what used to be SRD material raises the price a little above free ;-)
There is still some terrible news though... They are still going to be overcharging for the Full DDI...I am sorry it is not worth 10-15 a month...
They need to get the idea out of their head it is worth as much as a MMO..
Really? A searchable db of all classes/powers/items/feats/races/monsters from every book published AND Dragon AND Dungeon (including named NPCs from modules even!) is an awesome tool! On top of an actul sub to Dragon and Dungeon, plus the Bonus Tools, a Character Gen, a Character Visualizer, and a VTT?
I guess everyone has a different price point, but I expect at least half, if not more, of my weekly group will sign up. That sounds like a killer value!
Cheers! :)
Edit: And the db includes all eratta! Wowza!
Yes they are overcharging... I doubt the production cost or overhead is even close to the millions of dollars it takes to make a MMO.
I can't in good conscience pay the amount they are charging.. they are cheating us.
Which is sad because I really want it.
Neither is their number of subscribers going to be anywhere near what most MMOs get, which means that they need to have a cost that allows them to cover the expenses of creating and maintaining these tools.
I'd gladly pay $10/month to be able to play D&D whenever I want with friends in other states on a virtual tabletop that is easily used and fully supported by Wizards. The other stuff is just a huge heaping helping of gravy.
Holy cow! Awesome news on the Compendium today. With monsters/Dragon/Dungeon added in to the searchable DB, this tool keeps getting better and better!
What do you think?
The fact that they've added Monsters makes this tool infinitely better. If they can keep this thing up to date, I am sold.
Very good news for someone who thought the D&D Compendium was a bit lackluster at first.
Thanks!
Things is.. to me.. they should not charge anything for the compendium.. It has been free for the last 8 years..
Edit: though adding things other then what used to be SRD material raises the price a little above free ;-)
No it hasn't. The errata has been free, but a searchable database of feats, skills, monsters, powers, classes, races, etc with rules text was not offered before. And the updates to the books will still be free.
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don't forget to pay 10 a month.. you need to pay $120 upfront... Otherwise it is $15 a month..
I better pricing scheme and closer to what I believe it is worth and that would get a maximum amount of users therefore i believe more profits would be
$60 up front (Or $5 a month)
or $8 per month
I hate to say it, but I'm with you on this one. I just don't get it. Maybe I'm too old.
All I really am looking for is Dungeon and Dragon "magazines" (and how they can call them "magazines" I'll never know). And even then, I'm paying for something that I truly can never call "mine". I want to hold the magazine. I want to be able to touch and feel what it is I am paying for. These "magazines" have absolutely no resale value. (And the quality has gone way downhill since Dragon #359 and Dungeon #150.)
Even when comparing it to an MMO. At least with that, I understand that they (WoW or whoever) are providing a service. And people who use that "service" usually get their money out of it. I don't know what the cost of it is right now, but most people I know spend at least 30 hours a month playing the game. If the cost is $30 a month, $1 an hour isn't that bad for entertainment. I'm not sure what the "entertainment" value of WotC's "service" is. I don't see myself sifting through their monster database for 30 hours a month. Nor do I see that as entertainment. If anything, I feel that should be an added "service" for the cost of the book(s) in the first place.
So for $120 I'm not getting anything solid (ie -- with resale value), the value of the "entertainment" is questionable and the amount of "service" is dubious.
I'm still not sure what I'm going to do as I still like to be informed as to what is happening, but if that truly is the cost of it, I'm going to wait quite a while until I'm sure that my money will be money well spent. And having a searchable monster database (like the free one on dmtools) is not my idea of $120 of well spent money.
EDIT: When I said "I hate to say it" I didn't mean to say that about Dragnmoon. I just truly hate taking a side on this. I just have not seen anything yet that will "wow" me out of $120 and I was really hoping that they would either have $120 worth of "product" or something far less expensive for what they do have. (It's just after rereading my post, it felt like I was saying that I don't like agreeing with Dragnmoon -- which isn't the case.)
I hate to say it, but I'm with you on this one. I just don't get it. Maybe I'm too old.
I'm with you.
Actually, I love (most of) the Dragon/Dungeon content since they went 4e. I'd be happy to pay for that, but I used to get 12 magazine issues for the discounted annual subscription price -- maybe $6/month? Now I'd get issues for $15/month that will cost even more to print out (which most people will have to do to use material during play).
But they're not entirely thick. They're changing the GSL when they (finally) recognized their error, and I suspect the current pricing scheme will not sit well with most fans.
Time will tell :/
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The Tool is already incredibly useful because it contains the rules with Errata included. I pity the person who has to type everything in though.Holy cow! Awesome news on the Compendium today. With monsters/Dragon/Dungeon added in to the searchable DB, this tool keeps getting better and better!
What do you think?
The books are printed from OCR source files so it's mostly copy and paste. Fortmating, though, yeah, that will be a major pain.
Even when comparing it to an MMO. At least with that, I understand that they (WoW or whoever) are providing a service. And people who use that "service" usually get their money out of it. I don't know what the cost of it is right now, but most people I know spend at least 30 hours a month playing the game. If the cost is $30 a month, $1 an hour isn't that bad for entertainment. I'm not sure what the "entertainment" value of WotC's "service" is. I don't see myself sifting through their monster database for 30 hours a month. Nor do I see that as entertainment. If anything, I feel that should be an added "service" for the cost of the book(s) in the first place.
I'm going to focus on this.
Our hypothetical DM pays $5 per month for Dungeon and Dragon magazines, online. He runs the adventure path offered in Dungeon for his gaming group. They meet each week for four hours, totaling 16 hours over the course of the month. His hobby has no other real upkeep, save buying pizza at game. $5 per month gets him the material to enjoy 16 hours of gaming with his friends. Without that material he would be forced to come up with his own adventure, requiring multiple hours of his time each week. Assuming our hypothetical DM works for a living, he could instead be using those hours to make far more money from his job than he ends up spending on the magazines each month. This is an incredible bargain for our hypothetical DM. About $0.31 per hour of entertainment, plus the added benefit of not having to spend time creating the adventure himself ahead of time.
If that same DM wanted to play online with his friends in another state, he could pay an additional $5 per month for the full subscription. Assuming they play the same amount each week, that's still only $0.62 per hour of playtime. Still an incredible bargain. And this isn't even counting the bonus tools, character visualizer, etc.
I do not see it as such a bad price. the 4.99 a month or 60 dollars is more versatile than the cost of a Dungeon and Dragon Magazine subscription. I think that and having all the errata included in it is worth it for me.
I am just checking against other popular magazines and they are about 10-20 dollars a year. So is it worth 60 a year? Maybe not, but it is a decent price (Say 15 dollars for each magazines) that is about 30 dollars. The amount is about twice as much as a regular magazine. Considering there is no advertising in the magazines they have to make a profit somewhere else?
Would I rather pay 30 or 40 dollars? Yes. I would. Can I accept 60 dollars for it yes. They are adding 2 more tools in.
I am just checking against other popular magazines and they are about 10-20 dollars a year. So is it worth 60 a year? Maybe not, but it is a decent price (Say 15 dollars for each magazines) that is about 30 dollars. The amount is about twice as much as a regular magazine. Considering there is no advertising in the magazines they have to make a profit somewhere else?
An important element to keep in mind when making such a comparison is that "other popular magazines" are heavily ad-supported. The added value (NPI) of no third-party advertisements is, of course, subjective.
I am just checking against other popular magazines and they are about 10-20 dollars a year. So is it worth 60 a year? Maybe not, but it is a decent price (Say 15 dollars for each magazines) that is about 30 dollars. The amount is about twice as much as a regular magazine. Considering there is no advertising in the magazines they have to make a profit somewhere else?An important element to keep in mind when making such a comparison is that "other popular magazines" are heavily ad-supported. The added value (NPI) of no third-party advertisements is, of course, subjective.
Very true. But ads are a part of profit for magazine (even websites). I do not know ratio of how much it contributes to the average magazine but it is believable enough to say that it certainly helps the bottom line.
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Ok, I'm a little biased, since I work in a bookstore, but I just HATE paying for PDF or digital "magazines". There is something both functional and magical about having a physical book or magazine in your hands that a flickering screen just can't match. Part of my disdain for paying for PDFs and digital content is that I know that another company that actually prints their product has done over twice the work than the PDF releaser. I would never pay five bucks a month for a digital "publication", especially when I got this "publication" for free before. And anyone who says that I didn't get this for free before has never looked at WotC's D&D archives. In fact, I think they actually released more when their stuff was free. Now it's just newfangled Character-building stuff and MMO-mimicking junk. The imagination is so much more powerful than any digital render, no matter how cool.
The magic of books is in more than just the content. Books have a smell, a feel, a tangible, wondrous quality that no PDF has ever enjoyed until printed out on good-old-fashioned paper. In my opinion, turning D&D into a digital game has taken the magic out of it, and magic is the whole reason why I play.
I apologize if I sound vitriolic or mean, and I don't mean to hurt any feelings. I just feel very strongly that Wizards has made a very poor move in the direction of their game.
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I'm going to focus on this...
Yes and no. I really don't feel like the two are comparable. Maybe I'm alone in this, but I don't get the magazines just to run the adventures. I did get far more out of them than just that. AND I had physical magazines that have value. I can go on eBay (if I chose) and can sell my collection -- possibly for close to what I paid for them with the subscription rates. I still use ideas from the old 2nd edition stuff. The Paizo era of the magazines was even better. But that's really beside the point. It's just that it is hard to put a "time" benefit to the magazines when they are beneficial because I enjoy them even when I'm not DMing or playing.
I'm kind of interested in their new adventure path, but I really haven't seen much else that I felt was a good adventure (except for the Eberron adventure for 3.5 that finished out a series shortly after WotC took the magazines back). I think that there have been two articles in the "Dragon magazine" that I was mildly interested in. However, I haven't felt that they were worth it to print them out and (at least for me) the computer is not the ideal way to read a four page article.
And, ok -- if the magazines only are $5 a month, I may look into at least that. But I'm NOT buying entertainment time with their "publications". And as far as the DDI is concerned, I'm the one that needs to prepare, I'm the one that needs to organize all the people to get together at the same time, I'm the one that seems to be doing a lot of the work and paying for all that work on top of it all. So in order for me to justify paying money to work, it needs to be the absolute most "bomb-diggity" bit of software on the planet and not just an instant messenger with pretty pictures. And given their track record the past year, forgive me if I say "I'll believe it when I see it."
Ok, I'm a little biased, since I work in a bookstore, but I just HATE paying for PDF or digital "magazines". There is something both functional and magical about having a physical book or magazine in your hands that a flickering screen just can't match. Part of my disdain for paying for PDFs and digital content is that I know that another company that actually prints their product has done over twice the work than the PDF releaser. I would never pay five bucks a month for a digital "publication", especially when I got this "publication" for free before. And anyone who says that I didn't get this for free before has never looked at WotC's D&D archives. In fact, I think they actually released more when their stuff was free. Now it's just newfangled Character-building stuff and MMO-mimicking junk. The imagination is so much more powerful than any digital render, no matter how cool.
As much as you might be incensed to say what you have, you're wrong. People have actually gone through the archives and compared. Not only are more articles released more frequently now, but the page count is also much greater.
So no, you didn't get this publication for free before. Stop acting like you're entitled to something that you aren't. These people work to create a product.
I apologize if I sound vitriolic or mean, and I don't mean to hurt any feelings. I just feel very strongly that Wizards has made a very poor move in the direction of their game.
Your strong feelings are causing you to make fallacious arguments, and that's never a good thing. Please try to tone it back.
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As much as you might be incensed to say what you have, you're wrong. People have actually gone through the archives and compared. Not only are more articles released more frequently now, but the page count is also much greater.
I'm not sure if I agree with "more frequently"...
But can you really say that you are getting $5 a month more material when what we were getting before was free? Maybe so, but it just doesn't feel like it to me.
As much as you might be incensed to say what you have, you're wrong. People have actually gone through the archives and compared. Not only are more articles released more frequently now, but the page count is also much greater.I'm not sure if I agree with "more frequently"...
It really doesn't matter if you agree or not, quite frankly. The articles and their release dates speak for themselves. This isn't a matter of opinion.
But can you really say that you are getting $5 a month more material when what we were getting before was free?
Yes. And not that it matters, but you're still getting it free right now.
Maybe so, but it just doesn't feel like it to me.
I prefer to allow logic to override what something may "feel like" when it comes to what I spend my money on.
They are adding 2 more tools in.??
What two more tools are included with JUST the magazine price? Just curious mostly.
Both the ability generator (handy, but nothing extraordinary) and encounter generator (AWESOME) are included with the $5 deal.
Both the ability generator (handy, but nothing extraordinary) and encounter generator (AWESOME) are included with the $5 deal.They are adding 2 more tools in.??
What two more tools are included with JUST the magazine price? Just curious mostly.
I hope they modify the generator to either include stats or at least pg numbers/book info and a working print option.
Both the ability generator (handy, but nothing extraordinary) and encounter generator (AWESOME) are included with the $5 deal.They are adding 2 more tools in.??
What two more tools are included with JUST the magazine price? Just curious mostly.
The news article says that the Total number of Bonus tools available with the $5 price is expected to be 4. The Ability and Encounter generators have been released. 2 more on are the way.
We cleaned up some aspects of our D&D Insider webpage last week and pushed live the first two Bonus Tools. They are Flash applications, which means they should work whether you’re on a Mac or a PC, but you will need to have Adobe Flash Player installed. We’ve got a third Bonus Tool halfway built right now and have also decided what the fourth one will be. Look for more information as those projects as they near completion.
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I prefer to allow logic to override what something may "feel like" when it comes to what I spend my money on.
Your strong feelings are causing you to make fallacious arguments, and that's never a good thing. Please try to tone it back.
It's nice to see that at least you can "tone it back" a bit.
Ok, so I compared December of '06 with June of '08. 44 articles compared to 66 articles. Nearly 1/3 of those articles (in both cases) were previews or press releases/news articles. So you are correct There have been more articles recently than in the past.
I also realize that the quality of the articles is a matter of opinion. But "more" does not always equate to "better".
To give you a little more idea of where I am coming from -- I had created a monster database/encounter generator of nearly every 3.5 monster known from official sources. I created a very workable and easy to use character sheet/character creator. I created very good scroll generators, magic item generators, and art/gemstone generators. These include pretty much every Eberron book, Forgotten Realms book, and every "splat" book I could get my hands on.
So, when things are mentioned like "it now comes with an encounter generator", I think to myself "so?". I was doing this myself years ago. I don't really need to pay someone else to do what I can do myself. (And I'm really not that much of a programmer.)
Maybe if they included a pair of Ginsu Knives (TM) I might be convinced that it's a good deal.
I don't doubt that people should be paid for their work. And with a 75% increase to the cost of the core rulebooks, somebody's getting paid (I would hope).
Believe it or not, I am truly looking for a reason to "get on board" with WotC and the DDI -- but nothing that I have seen has impressed me enough to sign on for a long term commitment. Apparently "logic" tells you that it is in your best interest to pay others to do what you can easily do yourself. "Logic" also seems to tell you that a 50% increase in online material is worth $60 a year. (Mathematically speaking that equates to 2 = $0, 3 = $60. For what it's worth.) It must "logically" be worth that to quite a number of people or else they would probably be doing things differently. Apparently "logic" is not one of my strong suits.
Moff said some stuff
First off, thank you for your contributions to this discussion. It is always nice to have people from many different perspectives and opinions around.
Second, lets change directions for a second. I will admit that this is underhanded, but is 60 dollars for digital content to much for an entire group?
Since DDI is web based you can have multiple logins at multiple locations. That the whole point of internet based web delivery.
So if you have the suggested party of 5 players and 1 DM for a total of 6 people they can all contribute 10 dollars(less than a subscription to playboy[Yes I know that a large part of the population would take the later) a year to get the content. Your FLGS could even set up a computer to go to DDI as a sort of "Try and Use DDI here" gimmick.
Does that idea seem more appealing to you?
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Second, lets change perspective for a second. I will admit that this is underhanded, but is 60 dollars for digital content to much for an entire group?
(Maybe you and I can share.) ;-)
I understand what you are saying. I'm not sure that even this is really valid either.
I've seen other people post a similar concept, so I'm not alone in this idea -- but I'm really the only one in our group to make any real kind of financial commitment to the game. With my current group, there are four of us that are married couples and two others. There are three PHBs to go around, one DMG (mine), One monster manual (mine) and I'm the only one to invest in any other books. There are two Eberron Campaign settings. So I'm not sure why I should expect the others in the group to fork over money for things that would essentially be setting a new trend for them and for something that they really wouldn't use anyway.
So the answer to your question is probably no (again depending on the quality of the content), but in this case is kind of irrelevant to me since I can't really expect them to assist me in something that I know they won't use.
I'm also not saying that the content isn't truly worth $60.
Here's another comparison -- the Dungeon and Dragon magazine subscriptions through Paizo ended up being somewhere around $80 a year. I might even be willing to pay $100 a year for the same content that I was getting a couple of years ago if it came in a printed magazine format. Instead I'm "saving" $20 a year for a product that I can never truly call mine since I can't really sell it again. (And I feel like I'm spending that $20 on paper and toner because I hate reading things online.)
(And I really hate the delve format.)
And kind of out of curiosity, what has been your favorite Dungeon adventure since WotC took the magazines back? I'm willing to look at it again and try to see if it compares to "Into the Wormcrawl Fissure".
Second, lets change perspective for a second. I will admit that this is underhanded, but is 60 dollars for digital content to much for an entire group?(Maybe you and I can share.) ;-)
I understand what you are saying. I'm not sure that even this is really valid either.
I've seen other people post a similar concept, so I'm not alone in this idea -- but I'm really the only one in our group to make any real kind of financial commitment to the game. With my current group, there are four of us that are married couples and two others. There are three PHBs to go around, one DMG (mine), One monster manual (mine) and I'm the only one to invest in any other books. There are two Eberron Campaign settings. So I'm not sure why I should expect the others in the group to fork over money for things that would essentially be setting a new trend for them and for something that they really wouldn't use anyway.
So the answer to your question is probably no (again depending on the quality of the content), but in this case is kind of irrelevant to me since I can't really expect them to assist me in something that I know they won't use.
I'm also not saying that the content isn't truly worth $60.
Here's another comparison -- the Dungeon and Dragon magazine subscriptions through Paizo ended up being somewhere around $80 a year. I might even be willing to pay $100 a year for the same content that I was getting a couple of years ago if it came in a printed magazine format. Instead I'm "saving" $20 a year for a product that I can never truly call mine since I can't really sell it again. (And I feel like I'm spending that $20 on paper and toner because I hate reading things online.)
(And I really hate the delve format.)
And kind of out of curiosity, what has been your favorite Dungeon adventure since WotC took the magazines back? I'm willing to look at it again and try to see if it compares to "Into the Wormcrawl Fissure".
We take up collections for most things. Its not always and equal thing but everyone chips in. Im a married DINK... so we tend to have the money lying around for stuff we want. In fact we budgeted 50 a month for D&D. I know this more than most people, so losing 5 a month doesnt hurt me.
Actually, I mostly have Dragons. But of the new current content... I like the Siege of Bodrin's Watch. The Cave Troll is a monster I like, and will probably feature in my own game.
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Actually, I mostly have Dragons. But of the new current content... I like the Siege of Bodrin's Watch. The Cave Troll is a monster I like, and will probably feature in my own game.
Ah, to be a DINK again...
And of course you pick the one that just came out that I hadn't had a chance to look through yet. I'll try and take a look at it tonight.
Actually, I mostly have Dragons. But of the new current content... I like the Siege of Bodrin's Watch. The Cave Troll is a monster I like, and will probably feature in my own game.Ah, to be a DINK again...
And of course you pick the one that just came out that I hadn't had a chance to look through yet. I'll try and take a look at it tonight.
To be honest Moff, I think the new Dungeon is improving with each issue. 4E is still so new, I don't think many writers are yet sure how to best utilize the new mechanics in the crafting of a module, and many are still trying to fit a 3E adventure setup into a 4E format.
As they get better though, I expect the adventure quality to really start picking up! (The newest one IS made of awesome, and the Cave Troll is too great for words)
Cheers! :)
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To be honest Moff, I think the new Dungeon is improving with each issue.
Very possibly. I still don't like the delve format, but I'm willing to work with it. Another thing that I would like to see are more pictures. That adventure is a 55 page adventure and there are a total of 8 pictures. Maybe it's silly, but I like pictures. And one picture every seven pages feels a bit thin to me. (And I know that is a really minor argument -- No, really -- I buy it for the articles...)
To be honest Moff, I think the new Dungeon is improving with each issue.Very possibly. I still don't like the delve format, but I'm willing to work with it. Another thing that I would like to see are more pictures. That adventure is a 55 page adventure and there are a total of 8 pictures. Maybe it's silly, but I like pictures. And one picture every seven pages feels a bit thin to me. (And I know that is a really minor argument -- No, really -- I buy it for the articles...)
The art is a little thin. However you normally get 1 fantastic piece of awe-inspired goodness. The Elf at the opening of the adventure is such a piece to me.
Very possibly. I still don't like the delve format, but I'm willing to work with it. Another thing that I would like to see are more pictures. That adventure is a 55 page adventure and there are a total of 8 pictures. Maybe it's silly, but I like pictures. And one picture every seven pages feels a bit thin to me. (And I know that is a really minor argument -- No, really -- I buy it for the articles...)
What I really wish they'd do was realize the full extent of what a pdf could let them do. Full page, hi-res maps, both a labeled and an unlabeled version, frex. That'd be awesome! Handouts a plenty! Cool stuff like that ... it's a digital medium, so screw the page count, right?
Make the maps huge, and easy to read ... I don't mind if they take up a whole page, honest! :)
PS: But yeah, the art is a tad light. Maybe once they get some revenue coming in they'll be willing to devote a bit more to an art budget. I agree with Az that the covers have been quite stunning up to now, and what art there is has been very well done.
Cheers! :)
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No it hasn't. The errata has been free, but a searchable database of feats, skills, monsters, powers, classes, races, etc with rules text was not offered before. And the updates to the books will still be free.
Yes I did get it free..
It was called the SRD...
What WotC offers though is adding stuff that is Not in the SRD *Which is useless in 4e anyway*
That is why I said now it is worth a little more then free. ;-)
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I will concede this...
My biggest reservation in paying 10-15 a month is my lack in faith of WotC in keeping their tools updated with there current products.
My biggest interest lie in the Compendium, Dungeon & Dragon Magazines, Character Builder and Dungeon Builder, and D&D Gaming table *Only if it allows me to use it solo, in other words replace my gaming map with a screen at my table.
I don't like the fact that I have to buy electronic Minis.. depending at the price... if we are talking pennies, then that I can deal with.. but if we are talking dollars then it became useless to me.
So If they show they can keep their tools updated at a decent pace and not take months to do so, and keep the electronic minis very cheap.. then I may be more willing to pay the $120.
Very possibly. I still don't like the delve format, but I'm willing to work with it. Another thing that I would like to see are more pictures. That adventure is a 55 page adventure and there are a total of 8 pictures. Maybe it's silly, but I like pictures. And one picture every seven pages feels a bit thin to me. (And I know that is a really minor argument -- No, really -- I buy it for the articles...)
What I really wish they'd do was realize the full extent of what a pdf could let them do. Full page, hi-res maps, both a labeled and an unlabeled version, frex. That'd be awesome! Handouts a plenty! Cool stuff like that ... it's a digital medium, so screw the page count, right?
Make the maps huge, and easy to read ... I don't mind if they take up a whole page, honest! :)
PS: But yeah, the art is a tad light. Maybe once they get some revenue coming in they'll be willing to devote a bit more to an art budget. I agree with Az that the covers have been quite stunning up to now, and what art there is has been very well done.
Cheers! :)
Wish it were that easy.
From WOTC
Payments for Dungeons and Dragon magazines
Once we have received your signed contract and invoice, you should see a check within 45 days or so. We pay on receipt of an invoice, not on publication, but there’s still a certain amount of delay between us receiving your contract and invoice and you receiving your check. We just ask that you remain patient. Our starting rate for articles and adventures is $.06 per word.
