Help! Should I go paper or digital at this point?

[caudor]

With the recent news (book cancellations) it appears WotC is shifting more toward digital products.

But right now, D&D seems to be split right down the middle. If I want to buy Essentials or other sourcebooks, I must buy the paper. There is no digital version.

If I want to read Dungeon, Dragon, and online resources, I need at least a computer. Printing all the stuff is very costly, so I have to rule that out.

So for the time being, I must buy paper AND own a computer to get it all.

I want to bet on the right horse before investing more money. Should I avoid e-devices right now? I know little about them.

In short, should I be sticking with paper, or going digital??

Thanks in advance for your advice

 

[shadzar]

For D&D, for the next few years you will likely need both.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

If you do not have a computer then I would stick with paper and keep and eye on hte ipad/tablet/slate market and if something comes along that graba attention and is cheap then you could invest in the digital world then with that tech.

 

[nedjer]

As it happens you've hit me on a ninja IT night - just set up a wireless network no hitches

Loads of good tablets, which support browsers for direct access to WoTC DDI, much cheaper but not for another 6 months. Android Honeycomb next October-January is likely cash/ performance sweet spot. Rubbish for content creation, great for content viewing.

Netbooks - bit of browsing, bit of word processing - handy but just not quite cool enough.

Lightweight Laptops like Asus 1215 or Neo (or i3 with integrated graphics) means paying a premium for limited performance. Six months or so and they'll be worth picking up (except for the bogus integrated graphics).

Full laptop/ in-house laptop good to go, but extra for graphics worth a damn.

Optimum: buy a desktop - need to know around max to spend as they're specs aren't so clearly set out as more portable kit.

HTH

 

[OnlineDM]

I like 4e and I'm lucky enough to be able to do both paper and digital, but if I had to pick one I would go digital. The Essentials stuff IS in the Character Builder and the Compendium, and will presumably be in the online Monster Builder whenever that comes along. I like the books that I have, but I must admit that I use the digital tools on my laptop far, far more.

 

[Umbran]

In short, should I be sticking with paper, or going digital??

You should wait to make a decision until you *need* to make a decision. There is no acute crisis for you at this moment. This is a thing that develops over months, not days. You have time.

 

[kitsune9]

If you're able to run your games without the need of being digital, then sticking with the format of staying paper is fine.

I went digital almost two years ago. I only buy paper products as a nice filler for the bookshelf, but I use and read my digital content. It has greatly improved my efficiency in running the game, because there is no more missing pages from a module I wrote, no more missing handouts, no characters that needed a brand new sheet because of all the pencil erasing and so on. Also, the clutter at the game table of a bajillion books is gone since I only need to take dice, minis, and laptop. However, this worked for m, so ymmv.

Happy gaming!