I seem to be missing the point on the online CB

[Sunseeker]

Am I missing something?!? Is it really that expensive? I got my DDI for 6.95 and my books cost less than $10-15 each. I dont consider this expensive at all. Even my mini's (which i bought bulk on Troll & Toad) cost me less than .50 cents to a dollar each!

Being poor is expensive. I'm not, but it's a useful phrase in this regard.

DDI is 6.95 if you sign up for a whole year. that's $70 in an annual dump.

Books are 10-15 on ebay, in poor condition, or in bulk. Once again, bulk deals are cheap per item, but like an annual DDI sub, expensive in one drop.

Bulk minis are always resold, or pre-opened by the seller, the expensive ones sold for high prices, and the cheap ones sold in lots like you found. Once again, cheap per mini, but a good drop for the whole lot. 100 50c-$1 minis is about $75.


My point in the rest of that post was that DDI is incredibly cheap, even with an annual sub, compared to the cost of even two MSRP-cost books. My point was also that people seemed to be acting like WotC did not have a right to sell their product, and that everything they do should be for the greater "fun" of the gaming community.

I wanted to remind them that WotC is first and foremost, a for-profit company, and nothing they do is done without profit being the primary motive.

But yes, there are plenty of ways to get around the rather high MSRP cost on WotC products.

 

[badmojojojo]

Being poor is expensive. I'm not, but it's a useful phrase in this regard.

DDI is 6.95 if you sign up for a whole year. that's $70 in an annual dump.

Books are 10-15 on ebay, in poor condition, or in bulk. Once again, bulk deals are cheap per item, but like an annual DDI sub, expensive in one drop.

Bulk minis are always resold, or pre-opened by the seller, the expensive ones sold for high prices, and the cheap ones sold in lots like you found. Once again, cheap per mini, but a good drop for the whole lot. 100 50c-$1 minis is about $75.


My point in the rest of that post was that DDI is incredibly cheap, even with an annual sub, compared to the cost of even two MSRP-cost books. My point was also that people seemed to be acting like WotC did not have a right to sell their product, and that everything they do should be for the greater "fun" of the gaming community.

I wanted to remind them that WotC is first and foremost, a for-profit company, and nothing they do is done without profit being the primary motive.

But yes, there are plenty of ways to get around the rather high MSRP cost on WotC products.

I dont argue that it can be expensive relatively, just how I've chosen to buy into 4e. Also, keeping in mind that Essentials has tokens you dont need mini's. I think for me the most expensive thing to buy was the DDI annual membership, but then again, (speaking for myself and my own budget) 70 is exactly what I pay *monthly* for my smartphone bill.

Yes, I did blow $100 for 100 mini's (more than I'll probably use in one game session) and that $70 is alot initially, but for me those were the 2 most expensive things to buy into. My books I share or buy on amazon/ebay.Thank again, a group could buy one set of books (PHB/DMG/MM's) and share. Also, with CB you essentially get all the PHB's power cards and CS (not to mention it adds/calculates everything for you).

 

[Sunseeker]

I dont argue that it can be expensive relatively, just how I've chosen to buy into 4e. Also, keeping in mind that Essentials has tokens you dont need mini's. I think for me the most expensive thing to buy was the DDI annual membership, but then again, (speaking for myself and my own budget) 70 is exactly what I pay *monthly* for my smartphone bill.

I can't stand tokens, when looking at a flat map, flat circles simply don't stand out to me. One of my DMs showed me how to make little triangle people out of paper, so I do that. If the player has a character image, I make it with that image on it.

Yes, I did blow $100 for 100 mini's (more than I'll probably use in one game session) and that $70 is alot initially, but for me those were the 2 most expensive things to buy into. My books I share or buy on amazon/ebay.Thank again, a group could buy one set of books (PHB/DMG/MM's) and share. Also, with CB you essentially get all the PHB's power cards and CS (not to mention it adds/calculates everything for you).

True, which is why I subscribed to DDI before buying any books or accessories. It was comparitivly cheap and gave me 90% of everything I needed for running and playing games. I do pick up books when they're going for good deals on ebay though.

Still haven't found a lot of minis I like.

 

[evilref]

With $30k+ of RPG purchases over the years, $70 a year for DDI seems extremely good for what I get out of it. For 4E my biggest purchase has been a large (400+) amount of D&D miniatures, though I drew the line at a colossal red given the prices they're going for. Even without the $10 dip and cancel I still think the offer is great for the money but certainly that's influenced by what I feel it's worth to me. Perception of worth and value for money is a very personal and circumstance-driven decision.

 

[Dice4Hire]

DDI is still the same it has always been. A decision to spend money for convenience and/or content or not. The new DDI (especially the CB) makes it a different equation with different variables, but it is still the same basic decision.

Yes, simplistic, but over-complication does little good but drive up post count.

 

[Ryujin]

Am I missing something?!? Is it really that expensive? I got my DDI for 6.95 and my books cost less than $10-15 each. I dont consider this expensive at all. Even my mini's (which i bought bulk on Troll & Toad) cost me less than .50 cents to a dollar each!

Got your books used, did you? Up here they tend to be in the CAN$40.00 to CAN$45.00 range. Not many of them to the pound.

 

[Imaro]

DDI is still the same it has always been. A decision to spend money for convenience and/or content or not. The new DDI (especially the CB) makes it a different equation with different variables, but it is still the same basic decision.

Yes, simplistic, but over-complication does little good but drive up post count.

And sometimes over-simplification does little good but to dismiss the important distinctions in a decision.

A marathon and a sprint have the same goal...get to the end of the race, but they are trained for, approached and completed in totally different manners because of all those different variables and the fact that they are different equations.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

For the record, do you share your account with any of your players?

Nope.

 

[renau1g]

Got your books used, did you? Up here they tend to be in the CAN$40.00 to CAN$45.00 range. Not many of them to the pound.

Shop from Amazon.ca or even Chapters online. You'll save 30-33% and get free shipping. Still way more than $10-15 but a bit better.

Example:
PHB3 (sticker price - $40 - Amazon price is $25, or $26 @ Chatpers)

[ame=http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/078695390X/ref=s9_bbs_gw_d2_ir01?pf_rd_m=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=06P3C9EV41D3PSMARWR8&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=463383511&pf_rd_i=915398]Player's Handbook 3: A 4th Edition D&D Core Rulebook: Amazon.ca: Mike Mearls, Rob Heinsoo, Robert J. Schwalb: Books[/ame]

chapters.indigo.ca: Player's Handbook 3: A 4th Edition D&d Core Rulebook: Mike Mearls, Rob Heinsoo, Robert J. Schwalb: Books