Things have changed slightly in the last few days, however. Now if you want to build and maintain a D&D character you will be required to subscribe to the online D&D website. It appears that the dictator has now started charging taxes! The 4e tax!
Accordingly, cries of anguish have been erupting from the blogs and forums in response to Hasbro / WotC's announcement that they will no longer be supporting their downloadable stand-alone character building software. If you want to build an official D&D 4e character you now have to use Hasbro's online D&D Insider subscription service. Greg at Weirdlands of Xhuul has posted more details and advanced screen shots here.
For those of us who like more traditional pencil-and-paper RPGs the obvious response is "So what? Can't you still use your old books, roll up your own characters, and just play?" Apparently things aren't that simple... When I posed the question to WickedMurph of the Over the Misty Mountain blog he said:
Well, the problem here is that you really kinda DO need the online tool. They have released so much errata and shit that the Character Builder is pretty much the only way to keep it all straight.I don't really play 4e so none of this directly affects me, but I think it's very interesting to watch "D&D" evolving under Hasbro. It's fascinating how what was once a simple pencil-n-paper roleplaying game is now evolving into a totally novel sort of online fee-based gaming service. Between maintaining compatibility with formal Encounter "league play", dealing with complex rulesets, and keeping up with errata and rule updates players are pretty much forced to buy into the online subscription service.
What's more annoying is that Character Builder is still a good way to release rules. All the things I said about it before are still true - it's a cheap, effective and unprecedented way to publish a game.
Yep, I'm guessing that WotC sees themselves going out of actual print publishing in 5-10 years. Maybe that's too drastic, but if everyone's got ereaders and ipads by then, why would they need to print a book when they can make you sign up for a subscription?
ReplyDeleteHah! And here I just went and wrote on someone else's blog that table games like D&D weren't in danger of going the same digital route that music, movies and books are going.
ReplyDeleteThat'll show me.
Although the market for board games - and here I include boxed-set RPGs - is freaking huge right now, so analog table-top meatspace ain't dead yet, so maybe 4E will be the exception that proves a rule.
In a related note, isn't what Hasbro doing right now pretty much the logical extension of the "everybody plays by the same rules" philosophy that Gygax wanted when it came to AD&D 1E? I think it is.
"Well, the problem here is that you really kinda DO need the online tool. They have released so much errata and shit that the Character Builder is pretty much the only way to keep it all straight."
ReplyDeleteThis is simply not true. My group plays with a mix of the Essentials books and well as the core and everything is just fine. No one has a DDI subscription and we are perfectly happy. I can't imagine we are the only group who rolls along without digital support.
As for 4e's business model, what's wrong with having to pay to participate in an organized league of sorts? Magic players are used to upgrading their decks every so often and Warhammer players also rebuild armies every few years. It's okay to have a subscription service for the internet, cable TV, magazines and NetFlix, but WotC can't offer such a thing?
Like Bigby mentioned, how is this any different from Gary Gygax frequently referring to "Official Advanced Dungeons and Dragons" products and railing against the hacks that beguiled consumers with their unofficial products?
I have been DDi free now for a few months and I have been rolling up Essentials characters for my blog just fine.
ReplyDeleteSure the Character Builder is very nice, it makes creating a character a breeze. But how is that any different than what they are doing now? Or using Hero Lab for Pathfinder?
I can still download the errata in the form of PDFs or do what I did back when I was playing AD&D1, when I found an error, I house ruled it myself.
isn't what Hasbro doing right now pretty much the logical extension of the "everybody plays by the same rules" philosophy that Gygax wanted when it came to AD&D 1E? I think it is.
ReplyDeleteA very insightful comment. Gygax originally envisioned AD&D (1e) specifically as a standardized set of official rules to facilitate tournament play. 4e seems to have achieved this much better than any other edition of D&D.
As for 4e's business model, what's wrong with having to pay to participate in an organized league of sorts?
ReplyDeleteI personally don't see anything wrong with this. I actually think it's kind of innovative and interesting. As long as people like yourself can keep on gaming apart from the "official" online network I think it's kind of an intriguing approach to building a roleplaying community.
The folks that are complaining seem to be doing so primarily because they've put a lot of energy into "the league" thus far without having to pay, but now if they want to stay in they have to cough up a monthly fee. I can understand their irritation...
Sure the Character Builder is very nice, it makes creating a character a breeze. But how is that any different than what they are doing now?
ReplyDeleteThe changeover hasn't happened yet. The official website says:
"On November 16, Wizards of the Coast will launch a brand new web-based version of the D&D Insider Character Builder. The current downloadable version will remain functional, but will no longer be available for download or updated with content after the new version goes live."
So I guess this means that if you want a legal character you will either have to pay to use their website, or, as you said, keep downloading and learning the newest errata PDFs. I think if you walk into an Encounter at your FLGS with a houseruled character, you run the risk of the DM being unsympathetic.
I was reading the D&D Forums last night. One thing customers are angry about is that the Character Builder hasn't been updated in several months. as part of the subscription service, the Character Builder and Monster Builder tools are supposed to be updated with the most recent rules released on the books. The delay has angered customers because they are not getting what they are paying for. The delay was seen by some as a possible new tool (based on posts from WoTC staff), but what they are now getting is a revamped tool they already have that has less features than the old tool and that they will now have to pay monthly for in order to use as opposed to a downloadable one they can use anytime offline.
ReplyDeleteFrom reading the forum threads, a lot of people are upset because their local gaming store doesn't have wi-fi. So, no access to the CB during the game. It also looks like the days of everyone building their character using the DM's subscription may be over. I'm not clear on that, though.
ReplyDeleteIn a related note, isn't what Hasbro doing right now pretty much the logical extension of the "everybody plays by the same rules" philosophy that Gygax wanted when it came to AD&D 1E? I think it is.
Fortunately, I never had to care about what limitations Gary wanted me to put on my imagination. I've also read that WotC's current model is making it very tough on 3rd party 4e publishers.
It's okay to have a subscription service for the internet, cable TV, magazines and NetFlix, but WotC can't offer such a thing?
Of course they can. Not something that I would subscribe to, but I'm sure a lot of people are o.k. with it. Some aren't o.k. with having to keep their subscription current, as opposed to subscribing three or four times a year to get what they need. I don't blame them. Times are tough and I'd hate for my gaming to be tied to a company which is working so assiduously to squeeze every dime it can out of its customer base. And in such a way as to piss off about half of them every time they introduce their latest innovation.
Christian, I don't play Essentials. And I'm the only one in my group that bought the 4e books. Frankly, Character Builder was the only thing that made the game viable.
ReplyDeleteYou may not need it, seeing as you're playing 4.5, but I did, and the costs and difficulties just aren't balancing out for me anymore.
I'm also cool with them charging for organized play... but this change is making it harder for people to access organized play.
If they are going to treat the game like software, they need to distribute it like software. And the benefits of cloud-based software haven't been proven, to my mind.
I'm a bit bummed about the changes to the Character Builder because I really like the program and the online version is slightly worse for me (since I won't be able to use it on an airplane or whenever I'm away from an internet connection).
ReplyDeleteThat said, I disagree with those who say you can't play D&D 4e without the Character Builder. I much PREFER playing with the Builder, but I have rolled up a character without it (since Essentials came out). It's more of a pain, to be sure, but it can be done.
The Character Builder is a major convenience, but not a necessity.
Damn! I'm glad I dont play 4e. I'm also glad my sub ran out, as I hadn't logged into the Wizard's site in over 6 months.
ReplyDeleteIt is very disappointing. I like being able to make characters on the go, like when I am traveling. I still will, I just won't be using any of the new materials - unless I am using them directly from a source book.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of a Tom Petty song . . .
ReplyDelete"And there goes your freedom of choice
There goes the last human voice
There goes the last DJ
Well some folks say they're gonna hang him so high
Because you just can't do what he did
There's some things you just can't put in the minds of those kids
As we celebrate mediocrity all the boys upstairs want to see
How much you'll pay for what you used to get for free
And there goes the last DJ
Who plays what he wants to play
And says what he wants to say
Hey, hey hey . . . "
Well there's a least a chance that the new software won't be a terrible as the internet buzz going down. I could see that the silverlight approach might work (as long as they have a relable internet connection and print feature). However, they have taken the one piece of software that WoTC produced that works halfway decent and thrown it to the winds for some wild programmers pipe dream. Many of my players are converting to pencil and paper already. I prefered them to use the old program because it does a better job of rule checking (something quite useful for a game as complex as 4e). Once again WoTC is proving mostly clueless on customer relations.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Maybe now I can talk them back into the roll-your-own 1e again.
It's okay to have a subscription service for the internet, cable TV, magazines and NetFlix, but WotC can't offer such a thing?
ReplyDeleteI think the problem here is that the Character Builder was originally a downloadable program. You could subscribe to DDI and get the updates. If you cancelled your subscription, you could still use the program, just with no further updates. NOW, Wizards is changing it to a online-only service that essentially means unless you subscribe to DDI and keep it going, you won't be able to use the Character Builder at all. This looks like a Bait and Switch. Of course WoTC is entitled to do as they wish with their game, but many, including myself don't have to follow along. The CB is a convenient application, but I think at some point, does a game have to be so complex in creating a character that you need a piece of software to fill out a character sheet? It shouldn't.
Another thing: All your characters reside in WoTC's database. As has been pointed out by posters on the forums, Wizards doesn't have a good track record with software. A case in point was the screw up of their RPGA database for character tracking. It got messed up so bade that it was unfixable and they decided to do away with that aspect of game reporting. I'll keep my characters on MY hard-drive, thank you.
ReplyDeleteI've thought more about my position on this, and decided that it's a little incoherent. I noted that "you kinda do need the (Character Builder)". That's not quite true.
ReplyDeleteI needed the character builder. You can play 4e without it, but it doesn't seem like the game is really designed to do that - Essentials may well be different, though.
I am sure that we will see more taxing when all of the DDI products are up and running. I love the way the generator works and I do have a current DDI account. But I do hate the new "need" for a current DDI account.
ReplyDeleteThis just warms the cockles of my 4e schadenfreud heart.
ReplyDeleteBut seriously my impression is you can play just fine with just the "essentials" books. In my 4e period we did not worry much about revisions/"errata" but it was nice to be able to use the program.
I don't have any interest in 4e anymore anyway, but this definitely closes the door for me. I wondered if I'd be tempted by "Essentials" but I understand it will be under constant online online revision too. I guess the books are just to get you hooked. :)
I don't play 4e and have no direct investment in this, but I do have a question: will the DDI subscription give the 4e player everything s/he needs to play D&D IV? I.e., does it more or less REPLACE the need for (expensive) print books? If so, it may be that it is simply the wave of the future, and could be really cool once the kinks are knocked out of it. But it sounds a little like you NEED to buy the hardcover core books AND be a subscriber to keep up with the errata. Is this so? How quickly do those core rulebooks become obsolete / inaccurate?
ReplyDelete