Forgive me if this has been asked before, but is D&D Insider worth the purchase? I used to subscribe to Dragon and Dungeon Magazines, but that was back when they were in print. I have a hard time not having a printed copy in my hand. I don't make my own adventures usually, so not having Dungeon is disappointing for me. However, I couldn't justify printing out the adventures either. So the amount of prep time for running a PDF adventure would still be high. Is the character generator worth it? Lately, I have been DMing at least 1 session a week, sometimes two. Will D&D Insider make my life easier, or should I just save the $6 for a pack of High Life when I game?
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Is D&D Insider worth it?
- Thread starter SoulsFury
- Start date
twilsemail
First Post
Let me preface my answer with this: I've been a DDI member since it was possible to be a DDI member. I am not renewing my subscription the next time it comes up unless things improve.
Buying one month of DDI for all of the goodies you get with that month is certainly a worthwhile investment. I no longer believe that subscribing is worthwhile. When content increases and Tools updates start happening on a more regular basis, then it would certainly be worth considering.
With one month of DDI you get the following:
-Every issue of Dragon and Dungeon printed for 4e as a PDF
-The character builder with all 4E options excluding Essentials and Dark Sun.
-The Monster Builder (excluding Dark Sun)
I think that's worth the price of a month, really.
Buying one month of DDI for all of the goodies you get with that month is certainly a worthwhile investment. I no longer believe that subscribing is worthwhile. When content increases and Tools updates start happening on a more regular basis, then it would certainly be worth considering.
With one month of DDI you get the following:
-Every issue of Dragon and Dungeon printed for 4e as a PDF
-The character builder with all 4E options excluding Essentials and Dark Sun.
-The Monster Builder (excluding Dark Sun)
I think that's worth the price of a month, really.
S
Sunseeker
Guest
Though I miss the lovely artwork that comes with buying hardbacks, even if the tools aren't perfect, they're still several hundred times cheaper.
If you're on a budget, do it. They're great resources.
If you're on a budget, do it. They're great resources.
webrunner
First Post
I find it generally worth it, although the last few months have been a bit sparse, even with char builder updates.
Character builder though, is so worth it.. you can build a character in like, five minutes, with all sorts of new content and stuff. The monster builder is also really useful, even if it's kinda slow.
As for printing, if you can't get ahold of a cheap b&w laser printer, find out the prices of local printers and whehter they print legally purchased PDfs (some places just say.. no that's copyrighted go away). A 10-20 page printout in black and white on regular paper will probably not be too expensive, like ten-twenty cents a page.
One thing you can do is try a month, get the builder updated etc, download all the PDfs you need, and then resub in a few months to get updates.
That said, there's rumblings of some DDI changes (like a switch to web-based tools) that nobody really knows the truth about, so it may be worth waiting for that to clear up.
Okay, so I can basically subscribe for one month, download the character generator, download all the pdfs, and still keep both without having to subscribe for another month?
If that is the case, I might give it a try this month.
Also is there a mapping program with it? I used to have CC2, but my co-DM/player lost my copy...
If that is the case, I might give it a try this month.
Also is there a mapping program with it? I used to have CC2, but my co-DM/player lost my copy...
Personally, I have been very satisfied with my subscription. I love both the Monster Builder and the Character Builder. For the CB, not only does it make creating a character a breeze (in fact, I would hate to make one without it now), it also gives you a character sheet complete with power cards that do the math (for the most part) for you.
The monster builder is great too even if you are using published monsters. You can print out their entries and thus not have to flip through several books during the session.
That being said, content has been a bit thin lately with the buildup to essentials. Its true that you essentially get all of the crunch through the Monster and Character Builders (just not the fluff) that is contained in the articles and books, thus potentially saving you money. All in all though, I might recommend getting the trial version of the CB to see if you like it (it goes up to level 3 I believe and probably does not have all the updates). I don't know if the Monster Builder has a trial version or not. Personally, the monster builder and character builders alone are worth the price, the Dragon/Dungeon articles are just icing on the cake.
The monster builder is great too even if you are using published monsters. You can print out their entries and thus not have to flip through several books during the session.
That being said, content has been a bit thin lately with the buildup to essentials. Its true that you essentially get all of the crunch through the Monster and Character Builders (just not the fluff) that is contained in the articles and books, thus potentially saving you money. All in all though, I might recommend getting the trial version of the CB to see if you like it (it goes up to level 3 I believe and probably does not have all the updates). I don't know if the Monster Builder has a trial version or not. Personally, the monster builder and character builders alone are worth the price, the Dragon/Dungeon articles are just icing on the cake.
malraux
First Post
Yes, that's correct.
Not as of yet. There might be one in the works, but WotC isn't talking about what new tools they are currently working on.
Piratecat
Sesquipedalian
I find it worth it. I now buy almost no hardcover books. I miss them a little, but having all that glorious information in one database saves me a ton of time. Monsters and magic items are checked in a flash, and the monster builder and character builder are fun and convenient.
captainspud
First Post
I've been a subscriber for about 15 months. I was completely thrilled with the content output when I first subscribed-- it had usable player crunch three to four days a week. These days, it's gone way downhill. We're lucky to get one decent player article a week.
That said, I continue to subscribe, because Character Builder is THAT good. Yes, they've been slacking on updates... but I don't care. I'll happily keep playing with what's in there until they catch up.
I have huge beefs with where DDI's gone in my year-and-a-bit of subscription, but it's still a long way from not being worth the money. I'm simply resigned to being a disgruntled customer-- but a customer nonetheless.
That said, I continue to subscribe, because Character Builder is THAT good. Yes, they've been slacking on updates... but I don't care. I'll happily keep playing with what's in there until they catch up.
I have huge beefs with where DDI's gone in my year-and-a-bit of subscription, but it's still a long way from not being worth the money. I'm simply resigned to being a disgruntled customer-- but a customer nonetheless.
