Which payment model would you like for DnDInsider expanded content for hardcopy books

[Asmor]

The people who are voting option 1, don't you ever share books in your gaming group?

Yes, yes I do. However, I also don't care whether they have access to D&D Insider content for the book.

One thing people seem to be forgetting is that D&D Insider isn't the only place you can make characters... 4th Edition Pencils still write on 4th Edition Paper just fine.

Honestly, I expect to use the virtual table for playing with different people I meet online, not my IRL friends. In such a case, it's impossible to share anyways.

Hell, even if you do use it with your friends IRL, you still don't need to give everyone access to all the content on Insider as long as you trust them (and if you don't trust them, why are they your friends?). Just have them draw up a plain old paper character sheet and keep it in front of their keyboard. The virtual table probably will have tight rules integration, but it sounds like it's completely optional. At its most basic, a DM can just move minis around and get rid of them when they die. You don't need to click a button to roll some dice, you can enter the dice rolls manually or even roll them yourself with your real dice.

So I'd prefer for a unique code in each book which unlocks the content for "free."

 

[Bagpuss]

I like the quotes on "free" because basically you mean included in the cost of the book.

That model however doesn't really encourage folks to sign up for DnDInsider. Which I would have thought WotC would want, a) because of the steady revenue stream, and b) because more people on DnDInsider means more feedback, easier to find virtual groups, etc. etc.

Also if you aren't using DnDInsider, why shift to 4E, it appears to be it's major selling point?

I do see your point however, pen and paper work fine.

 

[Evilusion]

I personally chose the first option. That is of course if I switch to 4e and find what they have online to be worth the monthly fee.

Evilusion

 

[James Heard]

I think it's all a big mistake that's going to either come back and bite WOTC on the ass or else prompt WOTC to travel the "Sue everyone in sight" path.

I want their digital stuff to be free, and if they want to sell me content then I want them to cut down a tree and scribble on it.

Everything I've heard about the DI so far makes me think that they're essentially setting themselves up to be in direct competition with places like ENWorld, with the promise of shiny baubles to fascinate the kids when they first visit but doomed to be a soulless, undersupported money drain on them and their customers. They couldn't even launch an announcement properly, and the Wizard's site that once was free and not-particularly-friendly just seems like it will become costly and not-even-pretending-to-be-friendly. I agree with the need for 4e, but the whole DI makes me scratch my head and go "how is this supposed to be good for the hobby?"

 

[Asmor]

I like the quotes on "free" because basically you mean included in the cost of the book.

That is what I was trying to imply, but I think some clarification may be necessary.

I don't think that the books are going to be more expensive if you don't need to pay to activate the online content; put another way, I don't think the books are going to be cheaper if you do have to pay.

The poll seems to rely on the assumption that either you're paying X+Y dollars for the book and "free" online content, or you're paying X dollars for the book and Y dollars for the online content.

I think you're going to pay X+Y dollars for the book regardless, and if they charge for the online stuff, then you've got to pay Z dollars to boot.

 

[Bagpuss]

I think they are likely to charge for activating additional online content, as it's the only way to gauge how interested people really are in it. If you make it free everyone will activate it, if you charge a nominal fee, then only people interested in it will pay.

How else do place a value on the work the people making the digital content are doing, and thus gauge if your new business model is working or not?

 

[Asmor]

The more I think about it, the more I'm certain they won't charge extra for it.

They said it in that video; the D&D Insider is one of the 4 core components of 4th edition. The whole idea is that you use D&D Insider to keep track of and make your characters, and so they want as many people as possible using it, and those people are going to want to use the shiny new books they bought. Charging for it is only going to drive them away and undermine the entire D&D Insider thing.

Besides, that's what the subscriptions are for.

 

[Bagpuss]

Well there is talk of it, hence my initial post.

http://www.icv2.com/articles/home/11123.html

What the company does describe as revolutionary is the method of product delivery, which will incorporate online play for the first time. WotC is incorporating online components into the game through a new Website, DnDInsider.com. Each paper product will include codes to unlock digital versions on the site for a "nominal" activation fee. Players will also be able to use DnDInsider tools and access regular new content similar to the material that was previously released in Dragon and Dungeon magazines (see "Interview with Liz Schuh") for a monthly fee (as yet undetermined) greater than the old subscription price, but less than a MMORPG subscription. Magazine-style content will be added to the site three times a week and compiled into digital "issues" monthly.

Interesting in the Inquest article you have this quote.

According to Slavicsek, all of this will be free to D&D Insider subscribers, but also available to nonsubscribers for a nominal fee.

It's not a 100% clear what he's talking about here. Perhaps if you subscribe to DnDInsider then you enter the code and get the additional data in the character builder for free. If you aren't subscribed you can still use the character builder, but just restricted to the PHB, but if you pay a one off fee per code you enter you can add books to your character builder.

That would be yet another possible DnDInsider model, where you can use most stuff for free but on a limited way, subscribe you get Dungeon & Dragon content plus everything else (assuming you have the codes), or you can not subscribe and pay for each digital content expansion seperately (again needing the code).

 

[Tiberius]

I'm not sure that a unique code for each book would work, unless Wizards shipped them shrink-wrapped. What would be to stop someone from going to the store, writing down the unique code, and plugging it in to dndinsider without buying the book in the first place? It seems to me that having a generic code would be better; you still have the "copy down the number" issue, but the eventual purchaser of the copied-from book doesn't suffer the hassle of "Your book code is already in use" messages when trying to use the online content.

So, while option 1 would be ideal, I voted for option 3; it is the only way for it to make sense, to me.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

What I would accept:

Free registration at the Website with some basic content (basically the stuff you get for free right now)

When you buy a book, you pay a one-time fee equal to a pittance and get the extra stuff (meaning web enhancement) for your free account. That fee should be in relation to the book cost: If the book has 200 pages and costs 20 dollars, 10 pages worth of extra content should be cost one dollar - at most!

You can subscribe to "Online Dragon" and "Online Dungeon" for extra articles and content. That's a monthly fee. Once you stop paying, you don't get anything new, but you do get to keep using the stuff you alrready payed for.

The use of the Virtual Gametable is something else, with another monthly fee not related to Online Dungeon and Online Dragon. That way, if you don't care about the online gaming part, you don't have to pay for it if you want the articles.

Another extra part is - let's call them "Gamer Tools". They're consolidated lists of feats, spells, etc. But not like the ones you get right now (Just page number and source and short description) and which you will still get for free in the new Site (though those will only show those sources you've unlocked via those digital codes from the books). The gamer tools will have full-text lists you can export to PDF, sort and filter them however you like.

If you want all the stuff, you can get a package deal at a discount (Dragon, Dungeon, Gametable, Tools).



I won't get the virtual tabletop, and probably pass on the mags, but I'd be prepared to pay for useful tools and lists that make use of the medium and of the fact that the whole thing is run by Wizards themselves!