Comments on: Why Wizards Missed The Boat With The Insider

By: Wimwick

Wimwick — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:15:27 +0000

@ Richard
Welcome to Dungeon’s Master. To answer your question, yes my opinion has changed. While I feel that WotC was late with their DDI offerings and still hasn’t delivered the initial promises (due to community feedback and requests for other tools) I am very pleased with what is available. I’m not currently my groups DM so I haven’t looked into the Monster Builder in great detail, but I am looking forward to the future updates of the Adventure Tools. Character Builder is great for gathering all the feats, powers, weapons etc together into one location. It save a great amout of time from flipping through books or missing out because you don’t own a particular supplement.

By: Richard

Richard — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:41:26 +0000

I know this post is a bit old, but now that they have released the Adventure Tools (monster builder, so far), has your opinion changed? I personally love the Adventure Tools so far, and from what I hear, they are gonna add a dungeon map builder as well, where you can create maps with the tiles you own and more. I am looking forward to this feature myself.

As for the role-playing aspect of 4th edition, as a DM, I feel I have been able to add more role-playing aspects to my campaign in 4th edition as opposed to 3.5 mainly due to the fact that it’s been easier for me to create encounters with the monster builder tool, as well as find items and treasure to distribute as well in CB. Once I have the map generator tool, that will be even less time sorting through my tiles or drawing maps by hand all the time. With less time being attributed to this, I have been able to add a lot more story, NPC interaction, plot development, and detail to my encounters and campaign. In 3.5, the tools weren’t widely available, I had to sort through books of creatures to find ones I wanted to use, and then raise and lower HD/levels in order to make them how I wanted (which then included sometimes adding feats, higher stat points, larger sizes), which took a lot more time. I personally love what Wizards has done with 4th edition and the resources they’ve been generating so far, and I hope to see them come out with more.

By: Change Is Coming To The DDI — Dungeon's Master

Change Is Coming To The DDI — Dungeon's Master — Wed, 20 May 2009 12:07:40 +0000

[...] will have come close to achieving the goals I slammed them for not providing when I suggested that Wizards missed the boat with the DDI. For now I’m content to wait and see what Bill Slavicsek’s Ampersand column has to say [...]

By: Dungeon

Dungeon — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:03:43 +0000

Well Wimwick, this website is awesome! thanks for making it. you and Ameron have the right idea with this blog site. Gygax would be proud.

By: Wimwick

Wimwick — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 22:24:53 +0000

@ Dungeon
No offense taken. That’s the joy of this blog it’s a forum for Ameron and myself to express our views and thoughts on the game and we open that dialogue up to you as a reader to share your viewpoints.

By: Dungeon

Dungeon — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 15:19:55 +0000

Thanks for the response wimwick,AtmaDev. I appreciate your words. perhaps i am wrong, thank you for the counciling. i will see if it’s my group. I meant no offense to any of you. thanks again.

By: Wimwick

Wimwick — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 02:46:22 +0000

@ Dungeon
Thanks for stopping by.
I would have to agree with AtmaDev, role playing is up to the group and the DM in particular. I’ve found that 4e opens up a great deal of role playing opportunities. Social Skill Challenges are just one example, but all the opportunities that existed in previous editions are still there.

@ AtmaDev
So Ameron made it out to the game day afterall, glad that you stopped by.
I think the method of distribution will vary, I could see Insiders getting a discount on pdf versions of books. I agree with you in that following the iTunes example is the way to go.

By: AtmaDev

AtmaDev — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 00:38:54 +0000

Dungeon, if you feel like D&D needs to inject the role play into your sessions then I don’t think it’s an issue with the game. My playgroup role plays far more under 4th Ed than in 3.5, so I think that definitely speaks in favour of the “It’s not the game its your players” argument I often hear.

On the main topic, I’d have to agree to a certain extent about the D&D Insider, although I don’t think digital distribution should be wrapped up in the subscription model per se. They should definitely be separate, so that non-Insiders feel like it a digital copy is worth it to them (not that they have to sign up, pay a monthly fee for the privilege of paying for something they could easily pirate in the first place). My issue is that the argument for wanting to reduce piracy doesn’t make sense to me. The pirated copies are out there, and they will continue to be out there. Placing rule books in the same system that they hold the magazines in (and you know they have server infrastructure to support this) and selling PDFs doesn’t increase the number of pirates. All you need is one file, and it’s already there (the scanned book). It doesn’t matter if another one is gone. But what it does do is open up the market to a new and broader audience, since I know there are guys who won’t buy a book for 40 dollars but might buy a digital one for 20-25 bucks. They just have to follow the iTunes model; make it easy and cheap to do the right thing.

Gotta thank Derek from Toronto’s 401 Games Worldwide D&D Game Day for handing out those cards. This is a fine sight.
~
The ~~Female~~ Male Gnome Bard

By: Dungeon

Dungeon — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:05:22 +0000

I feel that wizards really dropped the ball on 4th edition. there isn’t as much room to role-play. It has become a “World Of Warcraft on paper.” although, i like some of the things they did with the new edition. I made my own version of D&D called “advanced dungeons and dragons 3rd edition” because Wizards never actually made an ADVANCED version of 3.0.
I use the skills system simplified, and i made my own character sheets using stuff from version 3.5 and 4.0. I might post it some time. It may have the words ADVANCED in the front, but it is a simplier game than 3rd edition. my players really like it.

By: Wimwick

Wimwick — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:27:32 +0000

@ Scott
I suppose I should clarify. It’s not so much that we have new classes as to the timing of that. I would like to see Wizards fulfill some of the original promises of 4e and that is the DDI. I also feel there is great room for expansion and improvement in that area. I would rather have seen this over the release of the PHB2.

Of course you’re correct I don’t have to play with the races or classes in the PHB2, but after reading the Diva, the Avenger and the Sorceror I can’t wait for the opportuiny to try them out. I just don’t know when that will happen.