Interview with Scott Rouse, Chris Perkins & Bill Slavicsek

[FreeXenon]

I, as others have done, would like to thank Morrus and Scott, Bill, and Chris for taking time to attempt to appease us.

DRM beyond watermarking would irritate me as well. High quality content is a must to make it all worth paying for, and please do not stop the free content especially the previews which have been instrumental to me deciding to purchase quite a few products.

High Quality E-Tools: I have not used many electronic products, but the ones that I have have not been correct in their calculations or flexible enough.

Having the ability to set what a character sheet looks like to us individually; to drag an drop portions of a character sheet organized the way that we prefer and have that as the default for all full character sheets viewed, as each person has their own preference established from years of gaming. Do something similar for magic items, monsters and pretty much everything else.

Having the ability to add custom types for damage, magic and so and set its rules for stacking: like a new bonus called: Uber that stacks with everything except for competence bonuses.

Campaign profiles: being able to set up campaign profiles and associate specific players with it. To set campaign rules as well as character generation and have that set for all people generating characters for your campaign.

Being able to set what books are acceptable sources and possible include all of the feats and magic items and so on from it.

Having the ability to generate and print out to scale tactical encounter maps would rock as well as having encounters available for monsters and N/PC's.

Linking the crap out of everything link in the Hypertext SRD as well as having an extensive and flexible search. Types, Bonuses, monsters and so on.

Being able to create monsters using the correct rules, as well as being able to add HD and have things auto calculated correctly and add class levels with ease.

Being able to have a searchable database of NPC's available to use as well as encounters using material available from all products.

TAG things so that it will be easier to find. If I want to do research on dwarves I would like to be able to click on Dwarves and see everything available on them. The ability to set up TAGS of our own like GMail does would rock and make it flexible as well.

When we pull up the rules on Grappling I would like to see the (errated) core rules for grappling (as well as alternate rules like UA) and then all links to online and offline articles about grappling from the edition that I am playing (possibly 3.0) and then possibly a section of links that list materials from older or newer editions that may be of interest. I may be researching some house rules and want to see some new ideas on this topic.

Downloadable and printable content as everywhere I play I do not have a computer ready. Having the easy ability to order source books and magazines directly, or even better order a customized compilation in print or even in a PDF format (complete with reference links) that we can download and print out.

Access to other D20 WotC products as well, Star Wars, D20 modern.

This is a good start for now. Hopefully I am not alone.

 

[PoeticJustice]

Pricing

I have serious issues with their ambiguity regarding pricing.

More than 5 years ago WotC shut down their Magic magazine, the Duelist, and promptly revamped their website so that it puts out 2 or 3 professional quality articles every day. Knowing this, I was overjoyed to hear that Dragon content would enjoy a similar renaissance. Then I read this interview and they said DI might come with a price tag.

In order for me and my university expense account to continue buying Dungeons and Dragons material, the website must be kept 100% free of charge. No subscriptions. No premium content. Free material on the web or I walk.

 

[TheYeti1775]

I waited a few hours before I responded, as when I first read the interview I found it wanting.

But first thank you, for the attempt at appeasing your 'rabid' fans. Big Kudos there.

While some questions were answered, the harder ones were not.

So here's what I got from it and my suggestions.

1. Ability for 'Subscriber' to access anywhere with connection.

2. DRM if more than Watermarking, it would be bad. You have to take into account persons like me who have multiple portable drives. I have 4 computers in my house, 3 are mine the fourth is my wife's.

3. Content must be downloadable in some form, if not it is useless for me unless I'm online during a game.

4. Piecemail subscriptions = Bad Idea, I can see the Platinum / Gold / Silver split as a possiblity though.
Platinum - Full access everything WOTC & willing 3rd Party Material
Gold - Full access everything WOTC
Silver - This can be your trial access, no downloads and any tools are OGL/SRD only.
That I can see working as Silver would be for those wanting to test drive it or just want to keep up with stuff. Your Gold offers the download capabilities and all. Any tools would have all WOTC products as an option within them. Your checklist of what you want to use can be saved as a alias profile within your account. Think like what Dice.com uses for your job agents. You can save several different ones under your account and choose which one to run at the time.
The Platinum level will allow 3rd party developers (Paizo/Green Ronin/Mongoose/Etc) to still provide some content. As it is something your lawyers would have to do, most likely as a fee for 'yeah publish this for us'. Much like OGL revolutionized the industry this could also help in 'bridging' the rift that losing those magazines has caused. I'm sure some money would change hands between companies on that, so it is just a 'Hey did anyone think of this as a source of revenue that wouldn't squeeze our customer base, but might actually expand it.' Cause really on EnWorld how many Core only games are being played? Now compare that to how many of us use WOTC only, now compare to how many use 3rd Party.
All your Online Tools could take into account this as well. Perhaps the Platinum version allows their download to offline tools. In the offline version have it so only mechanics are in the data (i.e. 3rd level caster of magic missile is 2 1d4+1 missiles), if they want more there is a Book & Page reference to look it up. Allow that tool to import 3rd party data, and I bet you have a lot going for it.

5. Pricing - If you use the tiered pricing for something like I mentioned in #4 (Platinum/Gold/Silver), something like $3 / $5 / $10 per month would work easily. The Platinum jump is based on the 3rd party contributions at that level (i.e. less work on WOTC) and the fact downloadable tools will be a huge selling point. (Just make sure patches are readily available as errata is made.) Another thing I would say is allow only Silver to be a 'month to month' one. Gold available on 3/6/9/12 month basis, with Platinum only being available on a Yearly subscription rate.

6. If you do Compendiums, like you say are in the works for them, I would say twice a year would be best. Any more than that, and would have to ask 'So why did you get rid of them. Now on the twice a year thing, make one a 'Dragon'-like content and the other a 'Dungeon'-like content. Do not have Adventure Paths in those, sell adventure path Hardcovers of the popular ones.

7. Access after subscription. Kind of touchy there. I bought it it's mine. If you use the model in #4, Silver you can't do it. Gold and Platinum allowed you to download any article already, and Platinum allowed the download of tools. So if you kept that model and made sure people knew it, then this should be a non-issue then.
But the big thing is what about Archive access you ask. Well reward longer term subscribers, i.e. you have been subscribing for 2 months now, so you have access to the last 4 months archives. Wow you have stayed with us the year, have access to the last 2yrs archives. Each month allows another month deeper into archives. If you lapse say subscribe 2 months quit for 6 then subscribe again you start that over.

8. Content, I want all of Dragon/Dungeon and more. Embrace those that left when 3E came out, those that were 'abandon' by their Setting being discontinued.
As part of Platinum Subscriptions, allow the publications of the Defuncts (OD&D / 1E / 2E / Planescape / Spelljammer / etc...) articles. Embrace the past as well as the future, and I bet you might snag a few 'old-timers' into subscribing just for an article or two of cost each month.

Well if you got this far, thanks. Below is just rants about it, figure you would prefer the suggestions first.
The interview sounded like corpspeech filtered by someone. Sorry but it did.
The can't tell you the content, but what would you like to see reminded me of dealing with a used car dealer. Feeling me out for what are you willing to pay, not the how much it is. But I give ya a pass there, as you did ask. I think it was just worded wrong. (Least I hope you meant something like, we are keeping several lines of articles, but not all are finalized yet, from Dragon/Dungeon. But we want your suggestions on other content we can provide other content that you want as well.)
The knowing about this a year in advance does make it seem like somewhere a ball was dropped on Public Relations part.

But let me say again, Scott Rouse; Bill Slavicsek; & Chris Perkins, thank you for taking time to answer those questions as best you could.
Morrus, thank you again for putting it all together.

Sincerly
Yeti

 

[TheYeti1775]

One question that popped into my head that I hadn't seen was the following.

-Given that DI will be implemented with the 3.5 rule set,
-and given that within the next couple of years we are likely to see 4E ...

can you give us any assurances that 3.5 DI content will be maintained and that there will be a separate 4E DI?

Good one, forgot to ask that as well.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

Hmmm. I'm not actually finding the interview to be very revealing... At least none of the answers I really was interested in were answered directly.

Two points of interest:
(1) The DRAGON and DUNGEON names will probably be used in the Digital Initiative somehow.
(2) This quote.

This is a very telling quote. It means that there *is* DRM in use for certain (if there weren't DRM, the solution would be pretty obvious. Keep the PDF). How draconian (hmmm...) a DRM system is still up for grabs at least.

What really confuses me though... It sounds like I REQUIRE a subscription to access the content? It really isn't going to be ala carte then? I wonder if we're just going to be getting a bunch of webpages (not even PDFs) with a subscription model like TimesSelect

This in and of itself would cause me to never subscribe. I OWN my books and magazines. No one comes and deletes them if I dont pay my monthly fee.
Watermarks, sure. Limited timeframe licensing? No.

Make the product relatively inexpensive, and more people will choose to get it legit rather than illegally download it anyways.

 

[TheYeti1775]

Here's what I want from the Digital Initiative.

I want all my print D&D books to come with a unique serial number. If I'm a member of the DI, I should be able to go online, type in the serial number of my freshly purchased book and download a watermarked pdf version of the book (bookmarked and searchable). The serial number works for only the first account it's entered for, so there'll be no swapping of serial numbers.

I love my books. (FWIW, I own all non-setting specific 3.5e books) I love the tactile aspect. I stare at a computer screen 10 hours a day, and like to get away from time to time.

I also love pdfs. I love being able to search for key words and I love being able to copy/paste parts of the text or art for player hand-outs. I want these features w/o short-changing WotC (i.e. downloading them illegally). I want these features w/o having to pay for the same book twice.

Seems easy to implement and a no-brainer to me.

The serial number is a great idea except for one fact. Do you recall how many shoplifted the Thief's Handbook. It was almost a badge of honor for some. It would be to easy for another to browse the book and write the serial number down. Also that serial numbering each book would drive the cost up of the already expensive books.

 

[SavageRobby]

meh...lotsa corporate speak. i.e. little content, lots of words.

Yeah. One would hope their new online content has more meat than the interview.

 

[Joël of the FoS]

Now, Scott, while I appreciate immensely that you registered here and ask for our input - which is very cool, it would be much better if you actually answered a few of the concerns or ideas put here (instead of laconic one liners ). I do not say this to be nasty, mind you, I really wish an on going discussion with WotC on the subject.

If you can't say what DI will be, at least tell us what it won't be when you see fans suggesting directions you'll surely won't follow.

---

Considering the bad press and fan reaction, the best way to launch it IMHO would be a free period to hook people, i.e. to get people to see what it will be and decide if it's worth the ?$ you'll ask for it.

As for the price, indeed make it as low as possible, since we won't have anything in hand: you can't charge nowhere near as Dragon did since you do not have all the charges for printing / distribution. Also, as one poster said, cheap is the best way to make content piracy irrelevant or not worth it.

Joël

 

[JVisgaitis]

That is what I am worried about.

When 3e came out the same thing happened to Dragon and Dungeon as far as 2e content. I'd expect it to be the same with the Digital Initiative.

 

[sjmiller]

I want to answer this question - the challenge for me in using Dragon's content is portability. I can't bring 100 back-issues to my game. It would be a huge hassle, and copying/scanning/re-typing it is a lot of time and effort.

I would like to answer this as well. I find the internet content to be particularly challanging to use because of its lack of portability. I can read a magazine at my leisure, anywhere I want, including outside. I cannot do that with internet content as I can't take my desktop with me everywhere. When I want to use something from a magazine I either bring the magazine with me or I make a copy. If I want a friend to read it I can lend them my magazine. If I want to read it while in the bathroom, I can easily take my magazine with me.

As for what content have I used, well, I've used a lot of Dragon content. Material presented about new weapons and armor and assorted other equipment in issues since 3.0 came out have been used. I cannot tell you the amount of material used from my collection of old Dragon magazines. Let's just say I have copied a number of pages over the years to make a folder of "house extras". The only online content I have used is errata and materials which I can print out.

Hard copy is your friend, or at least it is my friend. Except for the postings I do while I am at work, I spend very little free time in front of a computer. I do it for a living 8 hours a day, why add more?