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"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
Tooltips (Help/aid)
Sorry if this has been asked but if the players don't want/need unlimited character slots can they just make a free account or do they have to pay the 3/month.
What I'm saying is.... If curse closes shop. Are those books mine in PDF form or some other type of useable platform. Or do they all disappear and I lose everything I purchased. Because if that's the case, no one owns j@ck any way, so why pay an upfront fee and a subscription fee? I mean... Why is this hard for some people to understand?
Ah forget it lol, I'm already tired and have lost interest.
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both" -- allegedly Benjamin Franklin
Tooltips (Help/aid)
Just a general note on the risk of DDB closing up and us losing all of our content. DDI which was seen as a dismal failure by some (not me I loved it when I used it) is still up and running for 8 years. Also 5e seems to really be going strong. The risk seems pretty low to me in the near and medium term.
Now, if there was a PC/Mac app that you could just copy to every new computer along with the DB it uses, that'd be different.
"Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation."
― Oscar Wilde.
No,
The physical books are bought from Wizards of the Coast. D&D Beyond is owned by Curse. Curse has to pay WOTC for the rights to distribute the content in digital form. It also cost Curse money to program the material so that all the rules update and are integrated properly, not to mention server fees and other costs. The average D&D group has a DM & four to five players. If the party goes in together on the master plan you are looking at a $20 - $30 initial investment per gaming group member. That should have your group set up with most of the 5e material to date. Each party member will pay about $1 a month in subscription fees. D&D drops about four total books a year theses days.At $25 - $30 a book, that is about another $20 a year per group member. That is super duper affordable. That is not even taking into account all the free home brew material that the group will have access to.
Always remember and never forget. No matter where you go, there you are. - Buckaroo Banzai
Here's the thing: Anyone who invests in D&D Beyond early is an early adopter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_adopter), and automatically assumes the risk of a company going under. That's a risk that you take as an early adopter. Think about all the people who invested in HD-DVD (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_DVD) or Betamax (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betamax). They wasted their investment. It's all a part of the risk, but there are an equal number of opportunities for those who choose to take those risks. The trick is learning (through experience) what has a the best chances of success. As a frequent early adopter, I have faith in D&D Beyond.
If you're concerned about whether Curse is going to be around for long enough to be worthwhile, save your money and wait. I'm not saying this with any kind of dismissiveness. I'm being earnest. If you're risk aversive, then I would honestly suggest waiting a little while, because investing in Curse is very risky right now. As much as believe in them, they're a huge risk right now. As I mentioned in a previous post, their parent company is Twitch, and if Curse provides revenue for Twitch through the service, then they'll likely provide continued to support for Curse as it becomes self-reliant, assuming that it's not going to be able to be right out of the gate, but if Curse ends up sinking, and it's not generating enough subscription revenue for Twitch, then they'll let D&D Beyond die. It's as simple as that. However, the best way to mitigate that risk is to take a chance and invest in D&D Beyond. The more people who make that investment, the more likely it is that it'll succeed. So, it's us right here, currently active on the forums, who are most likely going to be the ones who are going to determine the success or failure of D&D Beyond.
Speaking for myself I am old time gamer returning to the fold from years away from the hobby, on disability with time on my hands and not a lot of money to spend. For me the subscription service is affordable for the benefits that I feel I will gain namely to help connect me with other gamers and games,etc. I have a the physical books but given my eyesight the idea of also owning digital copies where I can manipulate text size, etc is a big deal to me and worth the investment. The convenience of being able to access the site and information on a number of different devices is also a boon. Trust me one day you will get old and understand what I mean :) so keep in mind some of the benefits of how they are doing things and what they are offering may not be fully appreciated by everyone equally. In addition some of us gamers may spend just a few hours a week involved in one aspect of this hobby while others may spend hours upon hours at it tinkering with character or campaign ideas, etc., playing and what not. So whats spending $3 to $6 a month on a subscription and books that provides that amount of diversion and enjoyment to paying $15 to see one (two) hour movie or even just a single meal out over the same period. If you don't think digital books are worth it then don't buy them but don't begrudge those of us who feel they are worth the price to make up for a disability or impairment feel as if its a waste of money without really examining all sides. From a younger perspective I do see the points being made and understand where a lot of people complaining about the costs and potential pitfalls and risks are coming from but there is more to it than some realize.
"Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation."
― Oscar Wilde.