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Seems like a lot of people are unhappy with DDI. I never even bothered to look at it once I saw the fee. Is it really that bad? I mean, I'd not pay for it even if it wasn't but still.

Oct 11, 2012 -- 1:07PM, kadim wrote:

Seems like a lot of people are unhappy with DDI. I never even bothered to look at it once I saw the fee. Is it really that bad? I mean, I'd not pay for it even if it wasn't but still.

It was awesome when you could buy a month, download it and then cancel your subscription. Totally worth the 12$ or whatever it was. 

Once it became online only, the value dropped immensly. 

I found the rules almost impossible to play without the builder, so I stopped. My players hated making characters for 4e by hand, and loved it for 3.X and 2nd ed. They said the builder made it reasonable and worth doing. Without it, they boycotted playing 4e games. With it, they didn't care either way. (I prefered 3.X, but was still giving 4e a try, hoping it would pan out)

Edit * Also it was advertised as costing about the price of a cup of coffee a month. Real price was not that. 

Oct 11, 2012 -- 5:28AM, Kalex_the_Omen wrote:

Oct 10, 2012 -- 10:50PM, Phoenix182 wrote:

For the most part I couldn't care less. As long as they're not morally bankrupt (enslaving workers, heavy pollution, etc), reasonably priced, and turn out a quality product that I want to play I'm sold. To mimic what Saelorn said, it has to be in the books, especially the core books, and not online. There is no digital at our tables.

My reponse is the exact opposite of this.  I feel that WotC has been agonizingly slow to embrace the digital age.  My group was using computers in table top D&D since the AD&D 1e Dungeon Master Tools came out in the 80's.  We heavily used the AD&D 2e Core Rules product and eTools was just one of many computer tools we used (along with the addition of a DM laptop starting with 3e.  Paizo has already proven that people want digital publication of products, and has even innovated further by providing interactive digital PDF maps with their Adventure Path products and by allowing downloads of updated PDFs when the books are revised.  This is the best of all solutions because it means they don't have to reiterate updated rules in new products that will annoy most digitally aware gamers, and gamers don't have to constantly repurchase reprints of core rule books (unless they want to...and you and Saelorn might fall into this category).  Online and digital is the future of this game, not to mention the hobby.  Maybe they haven't found the right presentation yet to make it less a distraction for you, but if they go all in that presentation is likely to come much more quickly than if they take your suggestion.

I should have said 'not just online' in my post. I have no issue with them providing digital for those that want it, but it's not (and likely never will be) allowed at my tables. There are things we all do together with digital media...P&P rpgs aren't among them. However, I want the edition to be as successful as possible, and that means robust digital options.

I just don't want them so focused on it that the physical products suffer because of it. The game MUST be utterly and totally complete in physical books. What they do with digital after that is just icing (to me) for those that want it.

Most of the "alienation" for me came in the beginning.  Quite a bit of it was fixed though.

Cost was a biggie!  For the low book quality I was purchasing, the cost seemed absurd.  Plus, PDFs (before they were taken down) were horribly overpriced.

The draconian measures of the GSL (even updated, it's not that great) was another thing that alienated me from the game.  Now, I more often than not used my own creative concepts, but let's say someone (like that guy who made 3rd party Gamma World stuff) wants to make D&D fan products.  They probably got the short end of the stick.

While I've loved the mechanics from the beginning, their approach to so-called core and fluff was what kept me away from 4th edition till my friends convinced me to give Essentials a try.  (Now, before you accuse me of anything, I'm an active player in 4th, even DM'd 2 seasons at Encounters!)  I won't deny, I loathe the approaches they took with the player races and especially hate how they handled campaign settings.  The Forgotten Realms is a real big one there.  But, to keep the bottle flames of hate from burning the thread, I'll leave it there.  To be fair, I haven't picked up a current campaign book outside of crunch (I only got Neverwinter for monster stuff, themes, Bladesinger class, and cleric domains)

But, I digress.  This is all my personal opinion (just popping that disclaimer there) and those are the reasons why I felt alienated for a couple years.  Anyway, Wizards needs to analyze not just me, but others who have felt alienated and contemplate, "why?"  If they can crack the code and provide for all, then 5E will surely be a success!