Reading through various threads about DDI for 4e, value seems to be the major issue. I can't help but think of all the features that are offered by other places and things I might pay a subscription for online and compare. It's foolish for them to think that because it's something different than other things online (that they're aware of and acknowledging, because there are free virtual RPG tables) that any comparison is unfair - I and many of their potential customers will be making a choice for which things I want to pay a monthly fee. So what can they do?
Well, if they are determined to keep the pricing scheme the same, this thing has got to have features in spades, something worth the ongoing price of admission. One thing I was thinking about was something that Everquest 2 offers - guild and player pages on the web.
Wouldn't it be nice if your subscription came with a small spot on the Internet where you could share your character or share your world with your fellow gamers?
A DM is likely to have a lot of things they're going to want to share with their players. Maps of the setting, background information, perhaps a recap of what went on in previous sessions for absent players and people that want to follow the campaign, and (for some most importantly) house rules.
If one of your players is thinking about taking a feat when they level up, they can look on your campaign page and see whether it's allowed. They don't have to wait for the next session to see if they will run into a snag with their plans. If someone missed a game session, they can go and see a DM-generated synopsis of what happened or perhaps you could even log a certain amount of sessions directly to the page. Announcements when a game needs to be rescheduled, etc. All very useful as a support feature to the main "product."
Granted, I'm not sure that even that would cover the subscription for me, as there are plenty of free web hosting schemes out there (like Blogger), but as a feature, it certainly wouldn't hurt. If the storage space to create your page was decent enough, it might make up for the subscription fee somewhat.
Whether they realize it or not, they are in direct competition with a variety of online services - not just MMOs - for entering into the online gaming subscription business. Heck, they're in direct competition with one of their own product licenses in the form of NWN and NWN2 in terms of playing D&D online and being able to create your own adventures and worlds to play in.
They need to start thinking about things that give DDI more of an edge. Player pages and campaign pages might help.
Well, if they are determined to keep the pricing scheme the same, this thing has got to have features in spades, something worth the ongoing price of admission. One thing I was thinking about was something that Everquest 2 offers - guild and player pages on the web.
Wouldn't it be nice if your subscription came with a small spot on the Internet where you could share your character or share your world with your fellow gamers?
A DM is likely to have a lot of things they're going to want to share with their players. Maps of the setting, background information, perhaps a recap of what went on in previous sessions for absent players and people that want to follow the campaign, and (for some most importantly) house rules.
If one of your players is thinking about taking a feat when they level up, they can look on your campaign page and see whether it's allowed. They don't have to wait for the next session to see if they will run into a snag with their plans. If someone missed a game session, they can go and see a DM-generated synopsis of what happened or perhaps you could even log a certain amount of sessions directly to the page. Announcements when a game needs to be rescheduled, etc. All very useful as a support feature to the main "product."
Granted, I'm not sure that even that would cover the subscription for me, as there are plenty of free web hosting schemes out there (like Blogger), but as a feature, it certainly wouldn't hurt. If the storage space to create your page was decent enough, it might make up for the subscription fee somewhat.
Whether they realize it or not, they are in direct competition with a variety of online services - not just MMOs - for entering into the online gaming subscription business. Heck, they're in direct competition with one of their own product licenses in the form of NWN and NWN2 in terms of playing D&D online and being able to create your own adventures and worlds to play in.
They need to start thinking about things that give DDI more of an edge. Player pages and campaign pages might help.
