WOTC doing away with free online content?
- Thread starter FnordBear
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mhacdebhandia
Explorer
If people are concerned about this sort of thing meaning an end to free content, then the best thing I can suggest is to do what I did:
If you get a chance to complete the survey, there's a section where they ask you what you least like about the proposed program. Use that opportunity to state that you don't want the D&D Insider program to mean the end of free content on the website, especially features that are currently offered for free, or for content to take too long in moving from "D&D Insider" to "free for all comers" status.
I figure a month, maybe two, is the longest that I would be happy seeing Wizards of the Coast keep this sort of content exclusive to the D&D Insider program. After that length of time, it should be accessible to anyone. It's enough of a wait to make those who can afford to pay for it willing to do so, but not too long that the less-wealthy feel like they're missing out forever.
I say this as someone who's quite willing to join the D&D Insider program if it gets off the ground. Several Wizards of the Coast staffers have commented in the past on the fact that their current web content is limited because it's expensive for them to do; if this proposed program could subsidise an increase in the quality and quantity of the content offered on the website, I'd be delighted.
That goes double if it means, for instance, that Keith Baker can be hired to do more Eberron web-articles on small topics that won't warrant their own sourcebooks for a long time, if ever. For instance, Planes of Eberron may or may not sell (they haven't done a Planes of Faerun, for instance), but wouldn't a series of Dragonshards covering each plane in turn be pretty popular in this program?
If you get a chance to complete the survey, there's a section where they ask you what you least like about the proposed program. Use that opportunity to state that you don't want the D&D Insider program to mean the end of free content on the website, especially features that are currently offered for free, or for content to take too long in moving from "D&D Insider" to "free for all comers" status.
I figure a month, maybe two, is the longest that I would be happy seeing Wizards of the Coast keep this sort of content exclusive to the D&D Insider program. After that length of time, it should be accessible to anyone. It's enough of a wait to make those who can afford to pay for it willing to do so, but not too long that the less-wealthy feel like they're missing out forever.
I say this as someone who's quite willing to join the D&D Insider program if it gets off the ground. Several Wizards of the Coast staffers have commented in the past on the fact that their current web content is limited because it's expensive for them to do; if this proposed program could subsidise an increase in the quality and quantity of the content offered on the website, I'd be delighted.
That goes double if it means, for instance, that Keith Baker can be hired to do more Eberron web-articles on small topics that won't warrant their own sourcebooks for a long time, if ever. For instance, Planes of Eberron may or may not sell (they haven't done a Planes of Faerun, for instance), but wouldn't a series of Dragonshards covering each plane in turn be pretty popular in this program?
ZSutherland
First Post
Absolutely true. I didn't respond to it because I concede the point. Pay content may, and by all rights should, be better than the free content we receive now. Some of the proposed content already seems like it would fit the bill, namely the stuff that we don't get now that sounds darned useful. That doesn't, however, minimize or negate my main point that people subscribing to the service will be less likely, as a matter of budgetary constraint, to continue hard-cover and mini purchase behaviour similar to the behavior they display today. That's less in-store sales which eventually translates to less in-store shelf space. The exact level of this effect will depend highly on how much the service costs. If it's relatively cheap, say similar to a subscription to Dungeon, I imagine the effect will be very minimal. Most players will only slightly alter their puchase plans to account for the expense, and a very few of us will begin to look for 3rd party publishers who do provide us the sort of content we want or lower priced products. If it's ~$10USD/month, I would expect the in-store purchasing change to be more readily apparent and translate into much reduced offerings at mainstream vendors (and eventually hobby-vendors and FLGSs as well) within 6 months to a year. If it's much more than that, I doubt there will be much of a change because so few people will pay for the service at all (at least as it's currently envisioned by the OP's cut/paste).Eric Anondson said:
Rodrigo Istalindir
Explorer
There's likely little downside for Wizards in the short term. Those who are going to subscribe will likely do so and still not curtail their spending on WotC print releases.
With the marginal consumer, the one for whom it becomes an either/or, its still potential $$$ for WotC that they wouldn't have had otherwise. It's highly probably that the marginal consumer who opts for the WotC material will do so not at the expense of additional Wizards print products, but at the expense of a Dragon subscription, or PDFs, or the odd third-party print product.
If they're smart, they'll price it at an extremely aggressive per month price (say, $2) to reduce the number of marginal customers for whom it's an issue. For consumers who opt for a monthly automatic credit card charge, the perceived cost would be essentially 0.
The cost to Wizards is pretty much the same for 1 customer or 1,000,000, so it's to their advantage to do whatever they can to maximize the number of subscribers.
It's going to be one more thing we have to be careful about posting around here, though.
With the marginal consumer, the one for whom it becomes an either/or, its still potential $$$ for WotC that they wouldn't have had otherwise. It's highly probably that the marginal consumer who opts for the WotC material will do so not at the expense of additional Wizards print products, but at the expense of a Dragon subscription, or PDFs, or the odd third-party print product.
If they're smart, they'll price it at an extremely aggressive per month price (say, $2) to reduce the number of marginal customers for whom it's an issue. For consumers who opt for a monthly automatic credit card charge, the perceived cost would be essentially 0.
The cost to Wizards is pretty much the same for 1 customer or 1,000,000, so it's to their advantage to do whatever they can to maximize the number of subscribers.
It's going to be one more thing we have to be careful about posting around here, though.
Rodrigo Istalindir
Explorer
DaveMage said:
Just that for the most part we take care around here not to post large chunks of books verbatim -- basically taking care to not to abuse 'fair use'. When you have to type stuff in from a book, it's no big deal. When you can just cut and paste from one browser window, though, it's a lot easier to 'contaminate' ENWorld with WotC IP. A feat here and there from a book is no big deal, or cut and pastes of free content, but an entire article from their new subscription content might irk them off a little more.
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