This is more a message to the DnD beyond creators rather than a true discussion.
I've been playing DnD since 2009 with 4e. (I know a lot don't like that edition but none of my friends played 3.5) I always had trouble visualizing my characters looking through the text books that we call manuals/guides in DnD. I was never satisfied with my characters when I went to the table because one of the people I played with always knew a better way to optimize my character to do the RP content I wanted to do. Usually this was because they invested the time (and money) into combing through the books to find every available feat and class feature. It always lead me to feel unsatisfied.
Then Wizards of the Coast came out with the 4e digital tools. It let me look through all of the feats, class features and spells in an organized manner. Suddenly I made a character that was completely unique and fit my style of RP. It allowed me to browse all of the feats, classes and races in an organized manner that I could reference at a moment if I forgot. Within a year I had paid double what I paid in the previous 4 years of playing DnD but it was worth every penny. This was the service I wanted. I made a battlemind/warden controller striker that everyone though would be worthless. The stats didn't line up. They were both defenders with no synergy. Long story short, I became so powerful it broke the campaign... which prompted us to switch to 5e.
I expected my digital tool's subscription to port over to 5e. Why not, I was paying ~$12 per month. That's about what I payed to play WoW. In a year I would have paid enough for two books. DnD is not a short game and that is a reasonable time to play. It made so much financial seance to me. But it didn't come. I hate books so I played off of friends books making copies of characters I could find online. I had no reason to pay for the content.
Then DnD Beyond came out. It has almost everything I wanted. It is searchable. It's organized. It allows me to figure out the rules and spells I want to use with a single click. It even adds things I didn't think I needed (like campaign homebrew gear). Even better, I could ease myself into the system with discounts based on how much I spend. This is exactly how I want a company to run. Give me the product with a fair deal. I know it cost money to develop all of the rules, systems and stories. In order to pay for it I need it presented in the way I want and not feel like I'm being fleeced. That's why I spend +$450 on the legendary bundle and a years subscription. This is the way companies should operate and I tell all of my friends the same thing. I encourage them to buy the subscription and I'll continue to buy the new content as long as things continue as is.
If 5.5 comes out in a few months and all of my purchases become null. I will change my opinion. I can always go back to not paying if it is easier. I am the consumer and I will pay for good content. I won't pay for scams.
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This is more a message to the DnD beyond creators rather than a true discussion.
I've been playing DnD since 2009 with 4e. (I know a lot don't like that edition but none of my friends played 3.5) I always had trouble visualizing my characters looking through the text books that we call manuals/guides in DnD. I was never satisfied with my characters when I went to the table because one of the people I played with always knew a better way to optimize my character to do the RP content I wanted to do. Usually this was because they invested the time (and money) into combing through the books to find every available feat and class feature. It always lead me to feel unsatisfied.
Then Wizards of the Coast came out with the 4e digital tools. It let me look through all of the feats, class features and spells in an organized manner. Suddenly I made a character that was completely unique and fit my style of RP. It allowed me to browse all of the feats, classes and races in an organized manner that I could reference at a moment if I forgot. Within a year I had paid double what I paid in the previous 4 years of playing DnD but it was worth every penny. This was the service I wanted. I made a battlemind/warden controller striker that everyone though would be worthless. The stats didn't line up. They were both defenders with no synergy. Long story short, I became so powerful it broke the campaign... which prompted us to switch to 5e.
I expected my digital tool's subscription to port over to 5e. Why not, I was paying ~$12 per month. That's about what I payed to play WoW. In a year I would have paid enough for two books. DnD is not a short game and that is a reasonable time to play. It made so much financial seance to me. But it didn't come. I hate books so I played off of friends books making copies of characters I could find online. I had no reason to pay for the content.
Then DnD Beyond came out. It has almost everything I wanted. It is searchable. It's organized. It allows me to figure out the rules and spells I want to use with a single click. It even adds things I didn't think I needed (like campaign homebrew gear). Even better, I could ease myself into the system with discounts based on how much I spend. This is exactly how I want a company to run. Give me the product with a fair deal. I know it cost money to develop all of the rules, systems and stories. In order to pay for it I need it presented in the way I want and not feel like I'm being fleeced. That's why I spend +$450 on the legendary bundle and a years subscription. This is the way companies should operate and I tell all of my friends the same thing. I encourage them to buy the subscription and I'll continue to buy the new content as long as things continue as is.
If 5.5 comes out in a few months and all of my purchases become null. I will change my opinion. I can always go back to not paying if it is easier. I am the consumer and I will pay for good content. I won't pay for scams.