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View Full Version : Is a DDI subscription worth it?



Gamerlord
2009-11-19, 07:03 PM
I was half-considering a subscription to DDI, I figure I'll just print out the magazines, and the neat toys it comes with sound useful.

So, should I get it?

Aron Times
2009-11-19, 07:49 PM
It's a lot cheaper than buying books, and you get to keep the content you already have if you stop subscribing.

It's worth it.

Vortling
2009-11-19, 07:51 PM
If 4e is your primary system, it's worth it.

Gamerlord
2009-11-19, 07:53 PM
It's my semi-primary system, I play it often, but I play 3.5 just a bit more often.

In fact, I have been getting ready to start up a 4e campaign that should have its first session in a few days.

dragoonsgone
2009-11-19, 07:57 PM
Honestly, try it for a month and see if you like it. Its 10 bucks. I loved it when I was playing a RL game, but I didn't renew my subscription since I am only playing 1 PbP game. I still have character builder that I use for the PbP.

I will subscribe again when I play more.

Asbestos
2009-11-19, 08:07 PM
Honestly, try it for a month and see if you like it. Its 10 bucks. I loved it when I was playing a RL game, but I didn't renew my subscription since I am only playing 1 PbP game. I still have character builder that I use for the PbP.

I will subscribe again when I play more.

Yeah, I let my subscription drop after I moved away from the 4e game I was in, which was just after Divine Power released. Then, nothing really came out for 4e for a few months... but, with the Assassin class, the Character Builder updates (Primal Power!), and some tasty bits from Dragon out (Seeker Preview!) I think I'll grab a month just to update/download stuff.

Gamerlord
2009-11-19, 08:23 PM
Exactly how much of this stuff comes from books? Could I find anything found in a book with the magazines or is some stuff book only?

Foryn Gilnith
2009-11-19, 08:25 PM
I'm not completely sure what you're asking, so I'm going to post a link to the Dragon Annual and hope I'm not spamming.
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/242070000

Gamerlord
2009-11-19, 08:27 PM
I mean should I subscribe to Dungeons and Dragons Insider.

Foryn Gilnith
2009-11-19, 08:36 PM
Doesn't DDI contain Dragon, which has a lot of new content? I don't play 4e so much, only read some character building threads for it on these forums; I'm not an expert.

Gamerlord
2009-11-19, 08:39 PM
Yes, as well as dungeon, a DM only magazine. And some neat tools from what I hear.

Asbestos
2009-11-19, 08:41 PM
Yeah, I guess you could get the Dragon Annual but some things (like the Assassin class and various previews) are DDI only.


I'm not sure what you mean by 'book only', the books aren't online, but all the feats/classes/powers/whatever from the books is in the Character Builder.

Gamerlord
2009-11-19, 08:44 PM
I mean, would dungeon, for example, have say, monsters from the MM2? Would dragon have a article that gives you say, powers and builds that are in a book like <insert power source> power?

HMS Invincible
2009-11-19, 08:45 PM
Split the cost with your group of 5 people. You get 5 downloads per update.

Inyssius Tor
2009-11-19, 09:12 PM
I mean, would dungeon, for example, have say, monsters from the MM2? Would dragon have a article that gives you say, powers and builds that are in a book like <insert power source> power?

There are five main things you get from DDI.

One: the Compendium. It looks like this (http://www.wizards.com/global/images/dnd_4new_tool_compendium_pic3_en.jpg), and is a web-based service. It contains every class, race, feat, paragon path, epic destiny, power, feat, item, ritual, trap, and creature statblock ever published by Wizards for 4e, online or not. That includes every piece of mechanical information in the Player's Handbook 2 and Power books.

Two: the Character Builder (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Tool.aspx?x=dnd/4new/tool/characterbuilder). It contains everything in the Compendium except for the traps, creatures, and glossary info. It's a pretty slick piece of software, updated monthly, and if you unsubscribe you can keep it indefinitely--it just won't get any more updates. Plus, while subscribed you can download the program (or update it) five times a month. So, um, if you've got more than one computer... in your group... you could theoretically download it to all of them. Warning: if you use a Mac, you'll need a free emulator of some sort to make it work.

Three: the Monster Builder. It looks like this (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Tool.aspx?x=dnd/4new/tool/adventuretools). It's also pretty slick. Contains every monster. Updated monthly, and you can keep it if you unsubscribe--just like the Character Builder. It's in beta, but eventually it'll have templates and probably traps in addition to the stuff it has now (every monster statblock, in editable and exportable form).

Four: Dungeon Magazine. I don't read it, but will in the future--they're exporting some of the DM-focused articles over there from Dragon. You can download the PDFs and keep them forever if you want.

Five: Dragon Magazine. It's pretty frikkin' rad, let me tell you. Just take a look at this update calendar (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Calendar.aspx). On Monday we got an entire new build for the Artificer, Arcane Power-style, two or three powers for every slot and all. A month or two back we got an entire frikkin' class, the Assassin, a thoroughly supernatural rogue-type who draws power from the Shadowfell (and as such can do things like step between your shadow and an ally's, or strangle you with your own shadow, or hide in your shadow and stab you to death), with four powers for every slot, and paragon paths, and everything. We get chunks of the PHB3 as preview material--the Monk class, the Psion class, two or three races now. We get new races, new subraces, ongoing support for old races and classes--we just got a dozen racial feats for tieflings, and a great article for rogues that lets them work as duelists and swashbucklers. And so on.

So... yeah. If you play 4e a lot, I'd say it's worth it.

Asbestos
2009-11-19, 09:17 PM
I mean, would dungeon, for example, have say, monsters from the MM2? Would dragon have a article that gives you say, powers and builds that are in a book like <insert power source> power?

Oh no, its original material. Some of the past material ended up showing up in books (Warforged in Eberron Player's Guide, many of the Illusion powers for Wizards in Arcane Power) or will (Minotaurs and Githzerai in PHB3), but for the most part if its in Dungeon or Dragon, you will only find it in Dungeon or Dragon.

Inyssius Tor
2009-11-19, 09:20 PM
Exactly how much of this stuff comes from books? Could I find anything found in a book with the magazines or is some stuff book only?

Everything mechanical in the books, save templates (for the moment) and artifacts (the Compendium lists them but doesn't display them properly)--that all turns up in the Compendium and the Builder programs (with a several-week delay between the book release and the DDI update, mind you).

Backgrounds, and flavor text that's inside class writeups (and paragon paths, and epic destinies) or racial writeups, ditto.

The art turns up in DDI as soon as the book is released, ever since those bloody idiots pulled the once-free art and map galleries behind the pay-wall.



Everything else in the books is not in DDI. Sidebars, not in. Monster lore entries, usually not in. Those great chunks of fluff text in Primal Power, not in. The dragon lair mini-adventures in Draconomicon 1 and 2, not in. And so forth.

Gamerlord
2009-11-19, 09:26 PM
Well, it sounds like something I could use to great effect, seeing as I am going to start a 4e campaign soon!

dragoonsgone
2009-11-19, 10:00 PM
Oh yea, if your DMing then you'll love it. Its nice as a player, but a godsend as a DM with the monster builder and compendium and even character builder, (copy of the players characters on your computer).

TheEmerged
2009-11-19, 11:20 PM
I'm sortof middling on it right now myself. If I would have realized that the filter at work refused to allow me to log onto DDI (most importantly, the compendium) and known that the power cards from the character builder do not reflect most feats, I don't think I would have paid the annual for it (I'd have done what others suggest, and pay $10 every few months).

tbarrie
2009-11-19, 11:36 PM
Everything mechanical in the books, save templates (for the moment) and artifacts (the Compendium lists them but doesn't display them properly)--that all turns up in the Compendium and the Builder programs (with a several-week delay between the book release and the DDI update, mind you).


I was about to point out traps as an exception, but I double-checked and it seems they're in the Compendium now. Good show, WotC. Anybody know when that happened?

I believe skill challenges still aren't in either.

Tyndmyr
2009-11-19, 11:40 PM
Honestly, try it for a month and see if you like it. Its 10 bucks. I loved it when I was playing a RL game, but I didn't renew my subscription since I am only playing 1 PbP game. I still have character builder that I use for the PbP.

I will subscribe again when I play more.

Does it offer much to those who purely play 3.5?

Thajocoth
2009-11-19, 11:43 PM
It's definitely worth it. You get all content (up to a month later than the book comes out, usually 2 weeks later, but you get it all), as well as all the dragon mag & dungeon mag content (which effectively doubles your content, and that's if you DON'T use the pre-made adventures in Dungeon, just taking monsters & traps from it like I do.)

You get the compendium, which is an amazing searchable tool. You get the character builder... Try the demo. Just load up the char builder demo and look at all the content for up to 3rd level. You should be able to tell from that just how awesome it is. And the Monster Builder... With most of the monsters from all the books and mags in a fairly easy to search list, with customization options... Some monsters are missing (like Tiamat), you can't search by shape (humanoid, beast, ect...), no template support and after a few hours it crashes, but it's otherwise really good. A must-have for a DM, since all the monsters are in 1 easy-to-search place, so you don't have to peruse every book and mag article to find all the appropriate monsters.

Some people think "Hey, I can probably just torrent all this, right?" Wrong. And not just because it's illegal... Dragon mag, maybe... Char builder, maybe a copy from a few months back missing lots of content... But there's no other way to get the compendium and I'm pretty sure no other way to get the monster builder. That and all you'll have access to is stuff that's a few months old and older. Nothing new. It's a much longer wait. I mention this because I know someone who used to pirate these things a while a back, and after using the stuff on my computer and seeing how much better it was with far less work, they decided it was worth it to get the legal annual subscription.


I was about to point out traps as an exception, but I double-checked and it seems they're in the Compendium now. Good show, WotC. Anybody know when that happened?

I believe skill challenges still aren't in either.

Traps have been there for at least half a year. I can't remember NOT seeing them there...

How could skill challenges be put in the compendium? It's just a set of rules, not a specific thing with stats.

tbarrie
2009-11-19, 11:59 PM
Traps have been there for at least half a year. I can't remember NOT seeing them there...

They're definitely a late arrival; if you don't trust my memory, just notice how the picture of the Compendium screen at http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Tool.aspx?x=dnd/4new/tool/compendium omits traps. I tried searching for "traps" in the Compendium forum, but the most recent post I found was a WotC employee back in December saying they did plan to include traps (and skill challenges) but didn't have an ETA yet.



How could skill challenges be put in the compendium? It's just a set of rules, not a specific thing with stats.

I'm talking about actual skill challenges, not the rules for creating them (just as the compendium has monsters, but not the monster creation guidelines). There's no reason we couldn't have a list of all the specific skill challenges they've published in adventures or other books.

Thajocoth
2009-11-20, 02:43 AM
They're definitely a late arrival; if you don't trust my memory, just notice how the picture of the Compendium screen at http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Tool.aspx?x=dnd/4new/tool/compendium omits traps. I tried searching for "traps" in the Compendium forum, but the most recent post I found was a WotC employee back in December saying they did plan to include traps (and skill challenges) but didn't have an ETA yet.



I'm talking about actual skill challenges, not the rules for creating them (just as the compendium has monsters, but not the monster creation guidelines). There's no reason we couldn't have a list of all the specific skill challenges they've published in adventures or other books.

Regarding traps - I've had DDI for about half a year, so sometime between last December and then.

Regarding skill challenges - I think there's a reason specific challenges never show up in the books or dragon. They're fairly dependent on the plot. You can always toss a trap or monster somewhere, but a skill challenge needs to make sense for the campaign. There are some ideas for types of skill challenges in some of the books, but nothing that specific. I doubt they will ever add these to the compendium.

DMfromTheAbyss
2009-11-20, 06:18 AM
I've got a subscription and must say I've been a bit underwealmed. Alot of the stuff is glitchy, the articles have a pretty high variable on useful stuff and at least me and one other DM have had problems with it.

If your going to spend the money, just be forewarned that it's not all flowers and sunlight.

Though it's stuff is useful enough that I'd still recommend it if your running or new to playing.

Kurald Galain
2009-11-20, 06:50 AM
Does it offer much to those who purely play 3.5?

No, it offers nothing to those. WOTC doesn't support earlier versions if they can help it.

Overall, I think DDI is "nice but not necessary". Certainly I wouldn't say that every player in a 6-man group would need a full subscription. It depends highly on whether you prefer searching for feats on a computer, or paging through a physical rulebook.

Note also that for players who care about exact rules minutiae, that the character builder not infrequently gets those wrong.

Thajocoth
2009-11-20, 01:28 PM
I've got a subscription and must say I've been a bit underwealmed. Alot of the stuff is glitchy, the articles have a pretty high variable on useful stuff and at least me and one other DM have had problems with it.

If your going to spend the money, just be forewarned that it's not all flowers and sunlight.

Though it's stuff is useful enough that I'd still recommend it if your running or new to playing.

Yes, there are definitely bugs and gaps. Lots of them. Personally, I find that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks... But it's far from perfect.

Gamerlord
2009-11-20, 02:14 PM
Well I am pretty certain I'm getting it now, sounds like a great tool!

And I have tried the character builder demo, it is beautiful.