Satyrn
First Post
Now that's a good analogy.
D&D 5E Are You Planning on Subscribing to D&D Beyond
Or to go to a different theatre, even of the same company, hell even if it was the same theatre, and see the same film again simply because you've paid to see it before. That this is even a topic of debate where a significant amount of people are arguing for free content is just mind-boggling to me. The amount of sheer expectation and entitlement involved in even asking for it staggers me.
Obryn
Hero
So... Am I missing something here? I didn't look into this until today - so check me where I'm getting caught up.
* There's a one-time startup fee, which looks to be minimally $60. You need this in order to do anything above the Basic Set, because otherwise you can't access the content from the core books.
* Each additional sourcebook is $30, so that's +$30 for SCAG and presumably +$30 for the forthcoming Xanathar's. So a $90 (soon $120) startup cost if you want the main content. Adding adventures (which may not have enough content to justify it) gets even crazier.
* If you want to use any new books here, and also have a physical copy, you're paying for the book twice. Forever. Your content will never grow without paying more into it.
* If you want to read 'your' books without ads, that's +$3 or +$6/month, and you're evidently confined to the app. There seems to be no option for downloading a local copy via PDF or something.
And in the end you have ... a character builder, book-reader, and a glorified SRD?
* There's a one-time startup fee, which looks to be minimally $60. You need this in order to do anything above the Basic Set, because otherwise you can't access the content from the core books.
* Each additional sourcebook is $30, so that's +$30 for SCAG and presumably +$30 for the forthcoming Xanathar's. So a $90 (soon $120) startup cost if you want the main content. Adding adventures (which may not have enough content to justify it) gets even crazier.
* If you want to use any new books here, and also have a physical copy, you're paying for the book twice. Forever. Your content will never grow without paying more into it.
* If you want to read 'your' books without ads, that's +$3 or +$6/month, and you're evidently confined to the app. There seems to be no option for downloading a local copy via PDF or something.
And in the end you have ... a character builder, book-reader, and a glorified SRD?
MonsterEnvy
Legend
No there is no start up fee. You get all of the OGL content for free it looks like. You can pay to get entire books.
Each extra Sourcebook is 25 to 30.
We don't know if you can get a PDF or such. There is also a campaign builder.
CapnZapp
Legend
Quite a lot, actually.
For absolutely no cost to you whatsoever, you can use their website that they paid for and worked hard on to set up and pay for the servers to serve you, to create up to six characters using material from the SRD, Basic Rules, Elemental Evil Player's Guide and your own homebrew which will eventually allow for races, class and feat creation, and you can also have people join a campaign and run it using those resources with the campaign tools which will be expanded upon by launch and after launch, and as an easy to use, searchable reference with hover-over access to the SRD, Basic Rules and EEPG spells, monsters, conditions, etc.
All. For. Free.
Not only that, but if someone DM's a game and has a Master Tier subscription, if you join their campaign with a character then for that character you have access to all their purchased content. For free.
Now, if you want more than that then yeah, you have to pay to access the content just like you would have to pay to access the content of any other medium, including purchasing another physical PHB. On the plus side, though, they're giving you a good discount at $30 for a core rules book and only $25 for adventures. I know, I know, it's not a Star Trek utopia yet where everything is free, but until the Vulcans land, we've just gotta deal with capitalism. What are you gonna do? People make stuff, you gotta pay to use it.
Obryn
Hero
That is not as generous as you seem to believe, considering all the other free tools which do the same or more?
And especially when compared to other systems.
"Oh look at all the low value free stuff" is fine and good, but it's hardly worth a round of applause
Hey, I have no beef with paid models. I'm saying the price point for what you get is laughable.
Call it a "discount" all you like; I'll call it an added fee on top of the physical books.
You're buying a $60 (or really $120) character builder and SRD. That you need to pay for monthly, to read without ads. That you need to pay extra for, every single new book. It's a crappy deal, and I'm kind of stunned people are lined up for it.
Yeah, I'm not missing anything, looks like.
Obryn
Hero
"I need to pay $60 to use the core stuff and more to use anything else in any tools" is a start-up fee.
Charles Rampant
Explorer
On the other hand, we have an edition of D&D that by all indications will last for a good few years more (certainly, there's no signs that they intend to re-do it any time soon). For $60 in the first week, you can get permanent access to an electronic version of all the core material for D&D, including a whole bevy of tools: character builder, iOS & Android apps, searchable databases, and (in the future) combat and campaign management options. If you're a player, you only really need $40, for the PHB and DMG (magic items). If you have a regular group, then it's pretty likely that you can use your DM's version of the tools, and buy him/her lots of snacks as is the time-honoured tradition.
I'm surprised that people are so enraged by the concept that electronic tools would cost money. I mean, obviously there are cheap (and quasi-illegal) tools available on app stores; but that's a bit like observing that you can buy cheaper off-brand printer ink. If you don't want all the features available here, and just want PDFs, then it seems rather odd to come to this non-PDF product and complain that it costs too much for a PDF. If you don't want electronic aids for your table, then it also seems odd to exclaim in lofty tones that you're not going to buy any; I don't go around crowing about the fact that I don't use a projector at my table.
For those of us (there are dozens! dozens!) that actually wanted high quality, interactive, well designed, supported, and official tools to help run games quicker and smoother, then this product seems like a great package and at a reasonable price.
I'm surprised that people are so enraged by the concept that electronic tools would cost money. I mean, obviously there are cheap (and quasi-illegal) tools available on app stores; but that's a bit like observing that you can buy cheaper off-brand printer ink. If you don't want all the features available here, and just want PDFs, then it seems rather odd to come to this non-PDF product and complain that it costs too much for a PDF. If you don't want electronic aids for your table, then it also seems odd to exclaim in lofty tones that you're not going to buy any; I don't go around crowing about the fact that I don't use a projector at my table.
For those of us (there are dozens! dozens!) that actually wanted high quality, interactive, well designed, supported, and official tools to help run games quicker and smoother, then this product seems like a great package and at a reasonable price.
Demetrios1453
Hero
You're pretty much right up until the last sentence. For me, with the $6 tier, I'm gifting and allowing access to my players who otherwise cannot afford the books on their own, like my player who is on disability and raising his 12 year old sister on his own.
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