Web Enhancements

Crothian · Oct 4, 2002

What are people's opinions of these? Are there some that are very good and others that are bland? Do they get used in your game? Do you buy products knowing that they are likely to have web enhancements or does that not even enter into it? Do you perfer the free ones or the ones that a password is needed from the product? Do you like to hear about what is in them? Should they be mentioned as part of reviews?

While many of these questions make it sound like I'm in publishing, I'm not. I was just going through all the web enhancements I have and realizing I never use them. So, I'm curious if others do, and what you thoughts are on them.

jaults · Oct 5, 2002

Crothian said:
I was just going through all the web enhancements I have and realizing I never use them.

Counting the various files on my computer, I have 47 entitled "Web Enhancement - *", where * is the name of some product. And counting the ones I have used something from, it looks like... 7. They are:

Arcana Societies of Magic
Backdrops - The Baths
Forgotten Realms Deities
Manual of the Planes - World Serpent Inn
New Psionic Powers (I'm not sure where this actually came from, but it has Bruce Cordell's name on it)
Silver Marches
Tome & Blood

A few I have not used yet, but probably will are:

Faiths and Pantheons - Leaves of Learning
City of the Spider Queen
The Banewarrens
Denizens of Darkness
MM II - Half Golems (Cause who, as a DM, doesn't want a Half-Dragon Golem? I mean, c'mon!)

I don't know that I buy products with Web Enhancements in mind, but I feel that I get a lot of use out of them...

Jason

Olive · Oct 5, 2002

the Tome and Blood one is essential, and most of the other WotC ones are very good. SOme are good even without the book! (ie the Faiths and Pantheons one)

Dagger75 · Oct 5, 2002

I used the Web Enhancement for the Rtttoee as a stand alone aventure. It was kind of neat. I also used the Tome and Blood and thats about it. I keep downloading and they keep taking up space on my computer.

Danzilla · Oct 5, 2002

What’s really annoying is the Web enhancement that's not a downloadable PDF...

Sure I could copy the text and pictures, but it kinda defeats the purpose of a nice shiny enhancement...

Buttercup · Oct 5, 2002

Necromancer Games usually has good web enhancements, such as player versions of the maps in their modules.

I download every web enhancement I come across, and when I get a full CD's worth, I burn them onto one. I figure, even if I don't have a use for them right this minute, I might in the future.

jaults · Oct 5, 2002

Danzilla said:
What’s really annoying is the Web enhancement that's not a downloadable PDF...

Sure I could copy the text and pictures, but it kinda defeats the purpose of a nice shiny enhancement...

    If you are using IE 5.5 or 6 (I think Outlook Express has to be installed, as well), you can download the "Web page as Web Enhancements" pretty well. In IE, choose File, Save As. Select "Web Archive, single file (*.mht)" from the "Save as type" list. IE will then download the web page and images, and save them into a single MHT file. Double-click the MHT file to open in IE.
    I have quite a few Web Enhancements saved that way. Admittedly, these are not as nice as PDFs, but they are certainly better than nothing... It is also great to save the articles that WotC posts to their site. I usually use the "Print Friendly" view to do so... Hope this helps.

    Jason

Psion · Oct 5, 2002

Generally speaking, I like web enhancements that is "stuff we can't fit" rather than "a few extra tidbits."

I find the Psionics Handbook web enhancement -- with gem dragons and thri kreen -- a very good one. The modron web enhancement for MotP is also very useful if you ever intend to use modrons.

If you Run Rappan Athuk 1&2, you MUST get the revised maps -- they are much nicer. The outdoors web enhancements/quests for Demons & Devils adds a lot of meat to the modules as well.

Other web enhancements on my drive I find useful:

The high-level prestige classes by Andy Collins (he REALLY needs to get back to the splatbooks with these, though.)

The focus on freeport with the Hell in Freeport classes. Pretty cool!

Mahasarpa (for OA) - Great setting, use it as the basis for my fantasy India

Bluffside maps - but they need to get the city maps that they were alluding to.

Quest for Amelia - A nice follow-on adventure for "NeMoren's Vault".

OTOH, I generally think that the "splatbook" web enhancements add little of value.

Other than those specifically targeted at specific products, I've taken a shine to WotC's "Minds Eye" (though I haven't used any of it yet), "Monster Mayhem" (esp. template versions of driders, skeletons, and zombies), and some of "Fight Club" (i.e., not the really wierd template mish-mash ones, but I rather like things like the tiefling shadowdancer.)