D&D 4E I'm Not Sure I Can Afford 4e

[pawsplay]

I think you're missing his point, which is that 3 books can provide near-infinite hours of entertainment, as opposed to most other forms of entertainment which provide far less man-hours of fun for an equivalent price.

I didn't really miss the point as fail to understand that was a point, if indeed it was. I think just about everyone on these boards realizes RPGs are a good fun/cost ratio. I have no idea what your point is.

 

[Ian Demagi]

Point 3

"Originally Posted by Turanil
3) (I believe the main factor) The huge and sore economical recession that is coming will eventually kill WotC.


"As long as WotC remains under the tight grip of Hasbro, I don't see this happening."


I totally agree. Hasbro is a major corporation and a quick look at Yahoo Finance shows its out look is pretty bright. IMHO, Hasbro's "Great Pooh Bahs" have never really understood D & D. Its just another line that they hope makes money and I seriously doubt the WotC is considered a major part of their core business. Look at the messages, the launch of 4E is barely investor news.

I think the DDI initiative is an attempt to penetrate the EQ-WoW market segment by using the "D & D brand." I am not convinced that this is going to work, and the economy is certainly not going to help. The best thing that the gaming community can do as far as getting a decently priced DDI is let it sit for a few months-especially if it is 15 bucks per month.

I have an idea that we let one guy in our group buy DDI and then we all kick in-since we kick in a dollar per week for mini's and such anyway. This is something that WotC can't solve, and a danger of pricing themselves out of the market. Instead of having 6 people paying 7 bucks a week, you have one person paying 15 per week-thats pretty grim math!

D & D is a cooperative game while EQ & WoW are done mostly in the privacy of your own home, and everyone must have a link to play. Not so with DDI-one lap top and 6 people are good to go-Ian.

 

[Wolfspider]

Go make more money. Seriously.

You know, this is a really insulting thing to say. Seriously.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

You know, this is a really insulting thing to say. Seriously.

Agreed. I'm only allowed to make so much money. If I go over I risk losing my health insurance benefit from SSD.

 

[pawsplay]

Plus, the possibility occured to me that the RPG market might include a few students. Just a hunch I have.

 

[The Ubbergeek]

In life, you have to make hard choices. Select priorities.

You don't have to buy those books.

 

[Scholar & Brutalman]

So I've done a lot of thinking, and I've decided that while 4e might not be what I, personally, look for in a game called D&D, it looks like it could be a good game in its own right. Certainly, I want to be familiar with it and enjoy the craft that went into it.

I just don't know if I want to get in.

Then don't! Unless you have a professional need to be familiar with 4e, you have the option of waiting for a year or three and seeing what happens with splatbooks and the DDI. There's no need to be an early adopter of a game for which you have little enthusiasm, just cause it has "D&D" on the spine.

 

[jdrakeh]

I am a shop-a-holic and, normally, I disagree with every single thing that you post. Every. Single. Thing. So mark today down on your calendar, because today is the day I break with that tradition by saying that I share a lot of the same doubts as you.

I own a lot of D&D and d20 3x material that works in ways that I like. I also own several other systems that I like and that are specifically suited for Fantasy modes and genres not covered well by D&D (e.g., HarnMaster, The Shadow of Yesterday, etc). I further have a wealth of generic systems (e.g., The Window, Risus, TWERPS) that potentially cover any genre and setting that I apply them to.

I'm not really sure that I need D&D 4e. Monetarily, it isn't looking like a good investment for me right now, if only because it doesn't seem to do anything that other systems on my shelf either can't do with ease or don't do by default. Right now, I really like how D&D 4e seems to be shaping up -- but do I need it? I don't think so. I'm not sure I even want it, really.

 

[drothgery]

Plus, the possibility occured to me that the RPG market might include a few students. Just a hunch I have.

In my experience -- which may or may not be typical -- while full-time college students are often gamers, they aren't heavy consumers of supplements because they lack money and don't have easy access to anyone they can convince to buy stuff for them. Certainly I buy far more gaming material now than I did when I was in school.

 

[fnwc]

Look at the messages, the launch of 4E is barely investor news.

I must have missed the launch date somehow...

I think the DDI initiative is an attempt to penetrate the EQ-WoW market segment by using the "D & D brand." I am not convinced that this is going to work, and the economy is certainly not going to help.

WotC as a business, definitely wants to attract newer players. The world-is-a-changin': people are increasingly getting used to the digital world. The success of digital D&D tools such as Fantasy Grounds and eTools shows that there is a market for this. I agree, though the impending recession will have an effect, but it's just as likely to have an effect on WotC as any other business (e.g., Starbucks $1 coffee).

Instead of having 6 people paying 7 bucks a week, you have one person paying 15 per week-thats pretty grim math!

D&D in general is a pretty cheap hobby. For the price that I pay for my monthly internet service alone, I could buy two hardcover books.