D&D 5E Are You Planning on Subscribing to D&D Beyond

[DEFCON 1]

The blocker for me right now is needing to buy material I already own in both hardback book form and as digital content on Fantasy Grounds. I don't bear any umbrage against WotC about that. I just don't think I can bring myself to pay to sustain a third format.

Which is completely fine. There is a much greater difference of attitude between "I don't wish to spend the money" versus "I shouldn't have to spend the money." WotC and Curse accept the former with a nod as that's a personal choice, and will look askance at the latter as "Uh, what world are you living in, kid?"

 

[LordEntrails]

The blocker for me right now is needing to buy material I already own in both hardback book form and as digital content on Fantasy Grounds. I don't bear any umbrage against WotC about that. I just don't think I can bring myself to pay to sustain a third format.

As I've said elsewhere, I've never bought the printed books.

I think many people feel it is a requirement to buy the books, then look at the digital products as optional or secondary. I suggest people new to the game stop and think it through before they start buying the print versions. Why do you even need the printed book? You don't. Now if it is your preferred format and you want to buy it, great, do it. But if you can get what you need and more capabilities besides from a digital format, just buy a digital format.

For me, FG is primary, it's the only place I purchase the materials and it means I don't have the printed books. It also means I only pay once for the content.

 

[CapnZapp]

I find this latest issue very strange. Of course things won't be free.

Much more relevant is the issue where some people somehow defend closed, locked or online content.

The reasons people prefer PDFs aren't difficult to understand.

Sent from my C6603 using EN World mobile app

 

[BookBarbarian]

Success is not defined by how much money you make but what the customer feels they have gotten out of it.

How would one use customer feelings to buy food, diapers, and pay rent? Because those are the reasons I go to my job, and if the company I work for wasn't making money, they certainly couldn't afford to pay me.

 

[Mercule]

Much more relevant is the issue where some people somehow defend closed, locked or online content.

The reasons people prefer PDFs aren't difficult to understand.

This is definitely a concern of mine. WotC doesn't exactly have an awesome track record for digital tools. I much prefer the wiki/compendium format over PDF, but it's inherently going to be out of my control. I'll never pay the same amount for a compendium because it's not durable.

That doesn't mean I won't pay for it. It just means the medium is a factor. Which should be a "duh".

 

[lkj]

I see that picking equipment and spells is still just as clunky as before. And they still have a bazillion cards on a character sheet, with no way to switch between them except swipe-swipe-swipe in search of what you want. And it's two weeks to official launch. If they've fixed these things, they ought to be testing the fixes in beta by now.

Sorry. Your app is more cumbersome than my books, a pencil, and a piece of note paper. That's the absolute minimum standard for me. I'll keep checking back every so often to see if things have improved, but so far I am not on board.

They just updated the equipment and spells interface in the builder and are seeking feedback. Definitely an improvement (haven't tested mobile yet). But of course YMMV

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[Dausuul]

They just updated the equipment and spells interface in the builder and are seeking feedback. Definitely an improvement (haven't tested mobile yet). But of course YMMV

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Whoa, yeah. That is much better, even on mobile. (Handy tip: For quick mobile testing, just hit the three little dots in the top right of your Chrome window, select "More Tools --> Developer Tools," and hit the little phone-and-tablet icon on the left. It's not as good as testing on an actual mobile device, but it's a quick way to see what something will look like on a phone.)

I am duly impressed. The swipe-swipe-swipe issue remains, but fixing the equipment and spell pickers is a big step toward usability. Will submit feedback.

 

[Salamandyr]

The biggest problem with digital tools is it encourages "by the book" gameplaying.

Assuming the system was really house rule friendly, I could definitely see it. But since I like to hack and kit-bash, I doubt the on-line tools are for me.

 

[seebs]

1. You do not have to pay a subscription at all. You're able to use any content you purchase without one. This has been mentioned many times.
2. I understand the concerns about the risk of losing access to a tool you've paid money for. I really do. However, this doesn't seem likely in at least the near and medium term. Curse, by all indications, is doing this the right way. They're working very hard to provide a tool that is useful and will be around for the considerable future.
3. DDI still works for people who've maintained their subscriptions.
4. I find it somewhat illogical that you're willing to pay for a PDF, but not willing to pay for a vastly superior product for fear that it might be shut down some day. DDB is so much more useful than a PDF that the value I'd get out of it for, say, three years, is orders of magnitude greater than I would get out of having a PDF for eternity.

I don't have high confidence in the future availability of subscription-based services.

Consider, if you will: I look things up in my 1st Edition and BECMI books sometimes. I have D&D books I've owned for >25 years. I am pretty sure that, if I'm still alive in 25 years, I'll have a way to read PDFs. I am not sure at all that DDI or Beyond will be online and functional.

Note also: I sometimes go places with friends. Places that don't always have Internet, even. I can use a PDF anywhere I have power, and for a fair while without if I brought a charger. I can't use an online service that way.

A book I own is more useful to me than a tool I don't.

 

[lkj]

I don't have high confidence in the future availability of subscription-based services.

Consider, if you will: I look things up in my 1st Edition and BECMI books sometimes. I have D&D books I've owned for >25 years. I am pretty sure that, if I'm still alive in 25 years, I'll have a way to read PDFs. I am not sure at all that DDI or Beyond will be online and functional.

Note also: I sometimes go places with friends. Places that don't always have Internet, even. I can use a PDF anywhere I have power, and for a fair while without if I brought a charger. I can't use an online service that way.

A book I own is more useful to me than a tool I don't.

This of course doesn't address your first point. But if they deliver the offline functionality they are planning, that would address your 'Note'. (albeit only on devices that can run an app, not on an e-reader)

For the first point, I'd say that's a fair concern. It's just in my case that the added functionality outweighs the fact that I probably won't have 'forever' access. I suppose that's why I also buy the print books.

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