New CB and security

[Dire Bare]

In other changes, Wizards finally updated whatever tracks links between unpaid accounts and full access to the compendium and CB. The true freeloaders have been stopped.

Nope. I'm not actively playing 4E right now, so I let my subscription lapse. But I can still access the magazine content, the compendium, and the new online builder . . . and I had no problems updating the old offline builder before it was taken down this week.

So, I guess I'm freeloading when I curiously check out the latest DDI developments, but once I start playing again I'll renew my subscription and pay up.

 

[BobTheNob]

ToS issues aside, your concern seems awfully adversarial. Do you have that little trust in your players that you need a master copy?

Its not a mistrust issue. Our group is on the shy side of turning 40 (we have been playing this a LONG time....) and we are well beyond petty interactions such as this.

There are a number of things with 4e I have issue with and have either denied or house-ruled (though luckily errata has reduced this considerably). Its almost impossible to keep up with the constant influx of new material and I want to allow greater options to my players, but I also want to keep power creep, ill-thought out synergies and campaign inappropriate material from spoiling the experience for everyone.

So players do there own characters, but I as DM hold the master copy, which gives me a chance to ensure that there is nothing that is going to create issues, and more importantly, not during game time. I have so far had bugger all incidents where I have had to go back to a player after leveling to discuss the changes. Im very open to most things but as DM I do reserve the rights of review and Veto.

 

[BobTheNob]

If the concern is not allowing certain feats or items, then why not say so up front and trust your players not to take then rather on insisting on keeping a master copy to make sure the players don't take them? Seems that if you canlt get people to follow the house rules without policing them there are bigger issues beyond character builder functionality.

It seems like you have an impression as to the nature of the social dynamics of our group. Again, sorry, I have given an ill-impression of the nature of my motives or how our group is progressing.

The fact that we have been playing for nearly 20+ years and I have been DMing 90% of that should speak to the success of our group as a whole. We have 7 members and the game has never been stronger. Social dynamics is a massive part of that, and we wouldnt be here if we had an atmosphere of distrust as you are suggesting. A slightly rough thing to say there , and given the effort I go to to ensure the play experience it does upset me that someone has made this implication.

I will point out a situation where I needed the control. One player had a cleric. He took a feat which gave a to-hit bonus to turn undead from some dragon magazine. While reviewing character sheets I saw it, and realized it was effected by house rule which stipulated that "everyone gets a free tiering bonus to hit which supersedes all other feats which may give a tiering bonus to hit" which included things like expertise and this feat. Under this house rules, all such feats give a flat +1.

By having these things in place I had the opportunity to spot that the player had taken a feat that fell under this ruling, and approached him to make clear before play begun (i.e. so his expectation matched what would happen during play time). Didnt change anything, he still ended up taking the feat, but it gave me as DM a chance to ensure that the player understood the impact of the house rule on his choice.

I didnt crack down, I didnt mistrust. If anything, centralizing characters sheets aided the transparency issue.

 

[Katana_Geldar]

Centralising also means you can take a better look at party composition, very important when you get into higher levels.

 

[Azlith]

Does anyone have a link for the user agreement. I cant find it.

Just FYI, from the ServiceAgreement.rtf in the program folder which was probably displayed when you installed the program...

2. Grant of License; Intellectual Property Rights. Subject to your compliance with this License, during the license term Wizards grants you a non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-assignable limited license to personally use the Software on one (1) computer which you own or is under your personal control.