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prchamb wrote:

“Today the internet is where people go to get this kind of information,” said Scott Rouse

It's a great quote. If I had gone to XP this year I would have asked Scott why he believes this. I can see an argument for Dragon magazine, but enough 3rd party publishers make money selling adventures that it's hard to see how this can be applied to Dungeon magazine.

I don't see how it applies ot either, since, last I had heard, Paizo was making decent money off them both.

prchamb wrote:

“Today the internet is where people go to get this kind of information,” said Scott Rouse

hrm looks like i got the quote wrong, i've been paraphrasing it for so long that i must not have been able to remember it in its entirety. still, it is my favorite quote.

WolfStar76 wrote:

THIS is the best "framing" of the cost argument I've seen yet.
While I don't think a monthly cost of $9.99 (on annual subscription) is too much to pay, I DO like how you've captured what's being offered.

Thanks, WolfStar.

While I consider the $120 a year more reasonable than $15 a month, it is still high, and I think the "offer" says a lot about the higher price point. Wizards can clearly afford to "give DDI away" for 33% less a month. That is a HUGE discount, unmatched in any other sector of the industry.

Dampiel wrote:

Ummmmm... the difference here is that all you need do is buy a $30 book and you can play D&D with people all over the world all you want....
to use Box live, you have to buy a $300 console....and pay 60$ a game.
One $30 book.....$300 console and each $60 game you want to play...
I don't see it lol...

The cost outside of the online system is irrelevant. I could make an argument that the costs of playing new games using either the XBox 360 or D&D are both theoretically infinite -- there is always new game software for the XBox and there are always more sourcebooks for D&D -- but it is immaterial.

XBox Live's price is not low because Microsoft is making its profit on the XBox itself. Microsoft loses $126 -- more than 33% of the MSRP -- on every XBox 360 it sells. This is not the case with Wizards and the D&D4 Players' Handbook.

See it now, "lol"?

I think $15 a month is not a lot for this service....its .50 cents a day about.....I mean....50 cents......When I cant afford that much I will have to take a serious look at my life because I am doing something wrong...

Yeah, and it is $180 a year. I already spend $96 a year on XBox Live and $156 a year on World of Warcraft -- two services that I feel are worth their monthly charges (and both of which I feel have more to offer than DDI, despite being cheaper). Adding DDI to the total would bring my yearly costs for entertainment maintenance to $332. It's not a question of being able to afford it. It's a question of getting value for my dollar when I could spend it elsewhere.

(For the record, I know that there is apparently a planned $10 a month option for DDI if you pay for a year at a time. While I consider this more reasonable than $15, it is still high, and I think the "offer" says a lot about the higher price point. Wizards can clearly afford to "give DDI away" for 33% less a month. That is a HUGE discount, unmatched in any other sector of the industry.)

Besides you get more than just the ability to play D&D with anyone anywhere. You get a character creator, a dungeon maker, two magazines, and I am sure more that I do not even know about...
I mean really....whats the big deal?

The big deal is that we are going to be overcharged for a service that does not deliver. The online play component and the character and dungeon creators are not content. They are tools, and for that matter they are tools you can get cheaper elsewhere on the Internet, minus the D&D brand. They will not even be populated with options unless you purchase those options separately (I acknowledge that this is up for debate, but I personally take Wizards' silence on the topic of virtual miniature booster packs to be a clear mea culpa). By all appearances, the two magazines are going to be inconsistent and badly written. Furthermore, I have no faith that there will be "more that you do not even know about," at least not without an additional charge. If you are willing to pay $15 for DDI, then more power to you. A fool and his money are soon parted.

And you don't even need it to enjoy the game, and people keep saying that is not the point, but it is...its optional, how can people complain about something so much that is optional?

Well, some of us would like to use DDI, but aren't willing to be ripped off. There are viewpoints in this argument other than "anti-DDI" and "pro-DDI," and if you can't understand that, participation is going to be very frustrating for you.

Why do people think Wizards owe them something, that they should get all this free stuff...
*Shrugs*

Who said anything about "free?" If you're going to put words in people's mouths, at least have the common indecency to be sneaky about it.

Ill pay for it and be fine with it, and in the end, you will too if you want to use what they offer, complaining here wont get you anything.

And attitudes like yours are exactly why criticism isn't going to do us any good.

Please read the manifesto in my sig before you reply again. It will save us both a lot of irritation.

Also, it's dhampir.