DnD Game Table- Why doesn't WotC get it?

[broghammerj]

If you check out todays news article there are some interesting tidbits on the virtual game table. I have sensationalized my title a bit but there are a few things caught me a completely off guard.

1. First, is this a marketable product or a service? To me it clearly seems to be a product. There are plans to market future miniatures for a cost, you can't print out tiles to make battlemats since they compete with Dungeon Tiles, no outside WotC people can modify the 3D assests, etc. This is a pretty poor way to go. As it stands now, it is a product I don't want.

2. Did they not learn anything from NWN? A simple computer game had a huge fan following with tons of customized adventures, characters, etc all done by the fans. Yet they decide not to allow this same customization which made the game a success?

3. Dungeon Tiles are a product I will never buy. I actually thought they were marketed for the minis game (maybe they are and I don't know it). It strikes me as odd that they can't hire an artist to make supersweet looking tiles that would totally blow away any crappy printed computer tiles. Hence take away the competition factor. BTW nothing competes with my battlemat and some overhead markers......but that is beside the point.

4. Charge me more money for future 3d models. Come on. Talk about supporting your product. Do you think people are going to cont to use the virtual table by MM IV when you haven't kept up with the 3d modeling? It's not that terribly expensive if I and others like me are paying $10 a month. Yes I know that I can always use counters but that is not why I am using it.

The way the virtual table should be handled is as a service. For $10 a month we can reunite you with your DND friends across the country. With that service you get updated monster counters, tiles you can print out with your game (markets to people not playing online), and the amazing wonders of nerds everywhere making hundreds of cool looking custom designs.....for that you could sign me up.

 

[Scribble]

Dungeon Tiles are a product I will never buy. I actually thought they were marketed for the minis game (maybe they are and I don't know it). It strikes me as odd that they can't hire an artist to make supersweet looking tiles that would totally blow away any crappy printed computer tiles. Hence take away the competition factor. BTW nothing competes with my battlemat and some overhead markers......but that is beside the point.

I think Dungeon Tiles are pretty cool. Battle Maps eat a ton of room on the game table. Dungeon Tiles work well. They are quick toss down maps that don't take up any more room then you need.

Charge me more money for future 3d models. Come on. Talk about supporting your product. Do you think people are going to cont to use the virtual table by MM IV when you haven't kept up with the 3d modeling? It's not that terribly expensive if I and others like me are paying $10 a month. Yes I know that I can always use counters but that is not why I am using it.

We have no idea what the "price point" they will eventually set is... Mayb it will be 0? In anycase, I don't think I'd mind spending maybe a few dollars for a LARGE collection of additional minis. Like spend 5 bux and get every mini in the new series. Something liek that. People buy upgrades and bonus maps for games why not bonus minis?

The way the virtual table should be handled is as a service. For $10 a month we can reunite you with your DND friends across the country. With that service you get updated monster counters, tiles you can print out with your game (markets to people not playing online), and the amazing wonders of nerds everywhere making hundreds of cool looking custom designs.....for that you could sign me up.

I think it aims to be more then simply a "reunite with friends" product. I can see it as more of a... bored at work? Slacking off for a bit? Just don't have any friends clsoe... Hop onto the game table... There's ALWAYS a game happening...

But I do agree, I think there should be more customization allowed... Thats why things like Second Life are so popular... Entirely (almost anyway) user created.

 

[heirodule]

Yeah, I was suprised/disappointed that you don't get "infinite" tiles in a computer environment.

You shouldn't really NEED, say 5 10x30 corridor tiles. You should need ONE 5'x5' square for most things and PAINT areas with those tiles.

We'll see if they fix the glaring marketing-related stupidities by the time this goes live.

Its like coin-op videogame manufacturers seeing the growth of consoles and saying "OK, we'll let you play our coin-op games in your house. But you have to pay $0.01 every game." Since the consoles are one-time costs, forget it.

 

[Scribble]

Yeah, I was suprised/disappointed that you don't get "infinite" tiles in a computer environment.

You shouldn't really NEED, say 5 10x30 corridor tiles. You should need ONE 5'x5' square for most things and PAINT areas with those tiles.

We'll see if they fix the glaring marketing-related stupidities by the time this goes live.

Its like coin-op videogame manufacturers seeing the growth of consoles and saying "OK, we'll let you play our coin-op games in your house. But you have to pay $0.01 every game." Since the consoles are one-time costs, forget it.

Well I'm guessing the reason they do that is so you can easily port the map you made online to your RL setting using the dungeon tiles...

It makes no sense to have infinite corridor tiles if you don't physically have them.

If you have 5 packs of dungeon tiles you set it to 5 packs. Then whatever you design can be re-created on your table.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

It's vendor lock-in with a continuous revenue stream. All the cool kids are doing it these days. Since I doubt you'll ever see support for non WotC products, it's largely a non-starter for me. I may join in periodically if someone I know is running a game, but I suspect I'll be a pay for a month and then leave for six kinda customer.

 

[wingsandsword]

I've already been turned off of 4e, but this is another thing on the "why I'm not converting" list.

Specifically I'm speaking of the crippling of the map functions. If you're paying for the service WotC is already getting money from you, so crippling what you're already paying for to encourage you to buy yet more products seems really low to me. Then again, they are admittedly crippling the initial core release so they can release things in the PHB II and MM II, so this idea of spreading out what you need over as many products as possible to increase the cost appears to be a key part of WotC's new business model.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

One thing to keep in mind is that for your $10-$15 per month you are not paying just for the game table function (or if you are a Mac user like myself, not paying for that function at all). You are also paying for the Dragon and Dungeon content, and the Rules Database assuming it is all continually updated and therefore has continued increasing value.

Not being able to print digital maps as a battlemat makes sense to me if they want to keep selling Dungeon Tiles. Its a good rule of business not to cannibalize your own products if you can avoid it.

 

[broghammerj]

Not being able to print digital maps as a battlemat makes sense to me if they want to keep selling Dungeon Tiles. Its a good rule of business not to cannibalize your own products if you can avoid it.

Well, since I can guarentee that I nor anyone in my group would ever buy Dungeon Tiles. Too specific of a product and not very adaptable. For example, what if a room is too small, too large, etc. You won't be cannibalizing me or my friends.....which is lost business.

I would envision making the virtual tabletop so friggin awesome and adaptable it would make Dungeon Tiles obsolete. I have no idea what the sale numbers for Dungeon Tiles are but I could imagine they're ok. It seems to be a very niche product. Perhaps it's more popular in the minis game which my friends and I ignore. Mind you it cost $10 with some obvious money needed for printing the product. Virtual tabletop costs are likely lower. If you subscribe for 6 months you have already bought the equivalent of the current 6 Dungeon Tiles product. Seems like a no brainer to me.

 

[broghammerj]

Specifically I'm speaking of the crippling of the map functions. If you're paying for the service WotC is already getting money from you, so crippling what you're already paying for to encourage you to buy yet more products seems really low to me.

I don't know why I thought of this analogy, but it reminds me of recruiting Pele to your soccer team and then breaking both of his ankles ala the movie "Misery".

 

[kigmatzomat]

Basically, WotC thinks you don't get it. They also hope that you are in the minority. Those folks aren't stupid so this is a difference of opinion that only a product on the market can prove or disprove.