advice to anyone still wondering if they should purchase a DDI subscription today

[evilbob]

Get only one month. Or better yet: wait until the end of March.

What you shouldn't do is buy a year's subscription today (the end of January). What they are currently offering is really not much, and not really worth $5/month. So, buy one month for $8, skip next month, and then come back at the end of March and see where they're at: you'll save $3. Or, if you can stand to wait, hold off until the end of March when the PHB2 is out and that information is loaded into their online systems: you'll save $10.

Access even for a short while is not bad: you can download the magazines, look at all the bonus stuff, use the moderately useful (but ultimately not too helpful) encounter builder (the other "bonus" features - aka simple flash tools that are only good because of the database they are linked to - are fairly useless), and update the new character builder. However, the character builder in particular is misleading: like so many PC games these days, they have released the beta. I, for one, do not believe we should have to pay to beta test a product, and have been very disappointed in what they've given us so far (yet remain hopeful).

Other people on the board will certainly be able to give you more positive feedback on various different parts of DDI that they have found useful, and certainly all this information comes with a grain of salt: your mileage will most certainly vary. But if you're still on the fence and haven't seen anything to push you over yet and you're wondering if the character builder is that thing: it isn't. Wait until they've released the actual product before giving them money for it.

 

[La Bete]

Yeah, but no, but no.

(1) Wait until X. Sure this means you'll get better value for money. But what if you want the stuff now? New shiny and all that.

(2) The Character Builder and Compendium aren't worth $5 a month? What? What?

I would probably pay double that, and still be happy. For the price of 2 pints a moht, I get all the books in a usable format for creating characters or adventure, all integrated in once place. No more "so which issue of dragon is that feat I'm after in". And certainly it's got bugs, but I've been able to use it sucessfully in 3 campaigns (1 as GM for all my players).

Your milage obviously varies, but from where I'm sitting, I'm thinking "what is life like in evilbob land?"

 

[darjr]

DDI is absolutely worth it. For the reason stated above, access to the data.

The encounter builder is great, in part because of that access, and actually useful to boot. The character builder, ditto.

The killer app for DDI is access to the data, in a form that is much more flexible and useful than if the books were just in PDF format. The articles and adventures and play test material are bonuses.

 

[Nightchilde-2]

Get only one month. Or better yet: wait until the end of March.

What you shouldn't do is buy a year's subscription today (the end of January). What they are currently offering is really not much, and not really worth $5/month.

Of course, you are entitled to your opinion but I strongly disagree. Even before the Character Builder was completed, I would strongly diagree.

Dragon has been VERY cool IMO, and (to throw some facts in along with the opinions) I have used the Compendium literally *every* *single* *session* since June as well as for prep between sessions.

 

[kenmarable]

Also, I could be wrong since I'm going from memory - but aren't the current prices "introductory" prices until more features are available? So waiting for later might not save a thing if they raise the price as more features are released. But that's just speculation.

Personally, I doubt a 1 month to try it out, and I'm convinced to buy a full year now, both to save money over the long run, and my budget it generally happier with "pay a bit more now and not have to pay anything for a long time".

But I think it's perfectly valid to jump in and out of DDI (as long as WotC agrees and leaves back issues open), but I would find that too much effort for the money saved (even if the unsubscribe process was simple), and between using the compendium on a regular basis and eagerly looking forward to the previews, I'd rather not have lapses in my subscription.

Now if only they fixed the problem with needing to get a password reset randomly, I'd by very happy.

 

[Phaezen]

DDI Subscription is well worth the admission.

Also to keep in mind before delaying is that now that the Chargen is live there is the possibility a price increase on the horizon...

So far I have used more from the Dungeon and Dragon magazines then I did in my previous 20+ years of gaming.

As an example I am running ashort campaign linking:

Last Breaths of Ashenport (Dungeon 155)
Sleeper in the Tomb of Dreams (Dungeon 156)
Touch of Madness (Dungeon 161)
Depths of Madness (Dungeon 162)
??? of Madness (Dungeon 163)

My players are using a spread of feats, powers and items from the Dragon Magazine.

Phaezen

 

[Phaezen]

even if the unsubscribe process was simple

It is simple, they have changed it.

Log in, click on my account, sign in to your gleemax account, click on manage DDI Auto renew, click on disable auto renew, click on submit request, click on conirm and wait for the two emails .

Ok. It is simpler then it was.

Phaezen

 

[Holy Smokes]

If your interest in DDI is primarily in the online data, as opposed to the CB or the downloadable content (Dragon, Dungeon, etc.), AND you're price sensitive at even the 5 or 6 dollars a month range, THEN yeah, a long term sub may be a borderline proposition. That's a pretty narrow slice if you ask me. Many coupon clipping ENW readers may find the magazine downloads alone worth a yearly sub; plus there's all the new love for the CB.

It would have never even occurred to me that I needed to play the monthly access shuffle around the PHB2 release to save three bucks, since I'm mainly a magazine subcriber...

 

[crash_beedo]

DDI for a DM is so good... almost a no-brainer. Articles, adventures, and the compendium. Cut and paste access to every monster printed (LFR, Dungeon, every book, etc) has been huge.

For the players... not so sure. One of my guys signed up to DDI, he wanted the Char Builder and wants to DM for his kiddos. A couple more have been on the fence, we'll see if Char Builder pushes them over the edge. The only thing, it may cannibalize sales slightly (ie, they may not buy as many player's books if they have compendium). We'll see.

 

[kenmarable]

Oh, but it is good advice if you are on the fence to just get one month and check it out first. Like me, you might end up paying a few dollars more than if you just got the year long from the start, but it you decide it's not worth it, you wind up saving quite a bit.