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Message: <blockquote data-quote="buddhafrog" data-source="post: 5368236" data-attributes="member: 86605">After a 25 year absence from rpg's, I started playing again last Christmas.  I chose D&D 4e for various reasons, but I live overseas and getting my hands on books is much more expensive.  I ended up downloading a pirated CB (didn't understand at the time that I could just buy a one-month subscription).  It was great.  I was hooked into D&D.  And during this past year, I've spent many hundreds of $$$ on WotC products b/c I really love playing this game - as do my kids and students that I play with.  I would be a happy regular subscriber to DDI, but with the change, I'm uncertain.  While I'll likely continue, I am also pondering making a jump to another system.  I DM around 30 kids, and they will not be able to buy monthly subscriptions.  Technically they don't "need" the CB, but in reality, they do - otherwise, it is just too confusing for them.  I'm not completely comfortable choosing a rpg game for these students that require your monthly fee to access your character.  And while WotC says they are working on letting you extract your character, the fact that this wasn't one of the primary early goals strikes me as odd - and a little troubling.  They will completely control access to my characters, and I'm uneasy with this idea.  Very.If I didn't start playing rpg's last Christmas but instead started this year, I wouldn't be choosing D&D b/c of the monthly costs involved.  I would have chosen one of the many other options (likely a AD&D modern version).I understand the reasons WotC is doing this and I think this does provide some opportunities for them to produce a better product (more control, regular updates, better mobile options, interesting sharing of info, more tools).  But I do sense that this will begin an ever-increasing need for the web-based tools.  This increasing necessity to use DDI and the monthly costs involved (or you lose everything) has me worried that it will make entry harder - that is not a good thing for rpg's which tend to be hard to enter to start with.I do think two things might happen: 1) a playing group will share one account, or 2) players might only sign up for when they need to level-up.  While the first would be against the ToC and, I see this as minor and a way to make it easier (yes cheaper) to play for those that otherwise wouldn't subscribe at all.  I don't think it would drain a lot of income from WotC - actually, I would hope that it draws in the players and provides greater longterm income.  If I subscribe to the new DDI, I will certainly do this.  I will have my account, and my 20-30 students will make their characters on my account to play in my game.  WotC will not be loosing any money b/c either way these kids won't be sending money to WotC.  But hopefully, it will eventually bring income to WotC b/c I'll be buying more of their products as we play, and the kids will grow up and start their own games, etc. etc.  Many of these kids have told me that D&D is their favorite game ever.  I hope these kids stay in the hobby and eventually make their wives angry at how much they are giving to WotC.</blockquote>

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