Would you pay for so-called Online "Dungeon/Dragon" content from WotC?

[lamproswc]

I don't pay for online only content. I sometimes make exceptions for adult content or books only available on PDF (old Planescape, for example), but Wizards D&D stuff? Nah.

 

[Thurbane]

"Look! Malibu Stacey has a new hat!"

ROFL - that's great!

 

[Firedancer]

On a different side; I live in the UK, in my city there is no shop that has either magazine on the shelf (and I prefer to browse before I buy) although I can subscribe.

So, I won't miss either mag.

Having an ezine supporting official material means I will have more options for the diversity my group employs. Players in similar situations to me may have the same potential benefit. However, I'm unlikely to subscribe and if i can't browse what will grab my interest?

The advantage of .pdf for me means if i want back issue I can get the material straightaway, but seeing this content first is of huge importance to me!

So, I will give this a chance if I can buy single issues that I've ascertained are of interest to me first. I do prefer print when I'm gaming, I prefer print to flick through of an evening. I like a pdf copy so I have access to it any given time (memory stick) without needing a massive case for the books and mags, but this is a frequent way I read (and I work on PC's ).

However, I do think its terrible of WotC to pull 2 successful mags that have a strong and loyal following to do this. Its rude and insulting to the readers and the writers.

It makes no business sense to have their replacement/alternative unavailable when this is announced.

And I'm not confident the ezine model will provide me with what I want, nor that WotC will produce quality content at the low price and ezine should be.

 

[Jer]

isn't the internet the best place to get FREE information?

Heh. My thought when I read the announcement was "huh - pay for electrons. Meh. I don't think so".

I know the young-uns don't mind paying for electrons, but it chaps my hide to pay for access to a website. I can (finally) choke back my dislike for paying for electrons to buy a PDF, but that's a PDF - it sits on a CD on my shelf, or gets printed and bound at Kinko's, and my access to my shelf never expires.

I'm sure that Wizard's web site will be wildly successful and make them money hand over fist - whatever. I'm also sure that I get my on-line fix for RPG stuff elsewhere for free, even if its not "official".

 

[S'mon]

I just did *exactly* the same thing. Which ones did you get? I got Badabaskor (I have the Goodman version and wanted to compare), Island Book 1, and Book of Treasure Maps 1.

Tegel Manor and Glory Hole dwarven mine - $3 each I think, both great value mega-adventures ideal for C&C.

Pirates of Hagrost, Mines of Custalcon, Shield Maidens of Sea Rune - $2 each, not so great - 22 pages (about half) of each is taken up with hand-drawn expanded-hex maps that look crude by modern standards, and are of limited utility. At ca £1 of my good English money they didn't exactly break the bank, though.

I'd say, definitely get Glory Hole (despite the obscene name) for a mid-level, old-school dungeon that looks like great fun. It's not just a site, there's tons of competing factions & power groups in a very dynamic setting, with a real nasty BBEG at the bottom.

Tegel looks great too, but you might want to wait for the re-release print version if you run 3e.

 

[Nightfall]

So, he's like Lina Warner in CBS's The Class.

No wonder I'm more attracted to her pessimistic fraternal twin sister.

Erhm something like that. But I can see why you feel that way too. I feel that way about Merric.

 

[Maggan]

Here's the official poll to go with this glorious announcement: Would you pay for so-called Online "Dungeon/Dragon" content from WotC?

jh

Why is it "so-called online"? Isn't it supposed to be online?

/M

 

[Nightfall]

Maggan,

Em is being sarcastic, especially since the fact that, historically, WotC's website works about as much as Windows 98. And just about as effectively too.

 

[tek2way]

I voted No. There is NO substitute for having the magazine in front of me. Even if I didn't mind printing things out on the order of whole adventures, a magazine provides me a pretty package, complete with good looking pictures (which my printer cannot handle). In addition, having the content in magazine form gives me more opportunities to peruse that information, since I'm not a fan of doing any long-term reading at my computer.

Similar content released through Wizards' website -- whether it's pay or not -- would not be utilized NEARLY as much as Dragon/Dungeon is now.

I gotta ask, WTH are they thinking?

 

[Nightfall]

Tek,

They were thinking "We need more money!" Probably because (like many of suspect), the adventures aren't selling that well, and probably because they (WotC) want to try to market to the MMORPG crowd so they can get that market too via an online subscription to ALL things D&D related.