dndnsider.com

loydb · Post by **loydb** » Sun Aug 31, 2008 5:56 pm

http://www.dndnsider.com

UntoldGlory · Post by **UntoldGlory** » Sun Aug 31, 2008 6:18 pm

lol, took me a minute to notice the lack of "i". That's funny.

Amaril · Post by **Amaril** » Sun Aug 31, 2008 10:01 pm

Seriously?

AidyBaby · Post by **AidyBaby** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 3:48 am

Class. The 'real Game Table'.

loydb · Post by **loydb** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 9:41 am

If the admins want to make a page along the lines of "why free rptools are better than vaporware at $15/month", I can move the redirect to it

Amaril · Post by **Amaril** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 10:37 am

I don't understand the sense of competition between RPTools and WotC's D&DI tools. RPTools is a free product and faces no real threat from D&DI, nor does it gain any benefit if D&DI fails. Why do people feel the need to promote RPTools as "better" than D&DI? It's not like trevor, jay, and the others make any profit from it at the end of the year.

Full Bleed · Post by **Full Bleed** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 11:52 am

Amaril wrote:I don't understand the sense of competition between RPTools and WotC's D&DI tools. RPTools is a free product and faces no real threat from D&DI, nor does it gain any benefit if D&DI fails. Why do people feel the need to promote RPTools as "better" than D&DI? It's not like trevor, jay, and the others make any profit from it at the end of the year.

I can think of several reasons.

First and foremost, it's consumers looking out for consumers.

DDI has been selling its VTT like it's the invention of the wheel. Many people that will be forking out monthly fees are just not aware of a free-alternative.

Another good reason is that markets respond to consumer pressure. It's fairly obvious that WotC intends to nickle and dime its consumers with digital minis, a small feature set, and costly recurring fees. A group of 6 players who buy into the DDI formula, principally to use for its game table, will be collectively paying over $1000 a year in monthly fees... not to mention all of the proposed fees to get full functionality... and the fact that DDI isn't delivering what it originaly said it would (and won't for who knows how long.)

Yes, gamers get more than the gametable for that cost, but most of the things they are getting are things many players would never have been paying for before. For example, I know that in my gaming group, most of my players have never bought a dragon or dungeon magazine, let alone purchased a yearly subscription. So, if we wanted to play over the internet, they would rely heavily on my suggestion for them to fork up a monthly fee to continue gaming.

Competition is good. Well informed competition is even better.

Full Bleed · Post by **Full Bleed** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 11:55 am

Amaril wrote:It's not like trevor, jay, and the others make any profit from it at the end of the year.

Forgot to respond to this directly... I think that if a group of people were ready to spend $1000 on DDI, they may be willing to throw $20 to RPTOOLS in a year. And though a small amount of money, it would go towards helping to sustain a community supported project like MT.

But, again, knowing that MT is a least a viable (if not superior) alternative is paramount.

jfrazierjr · Post by **jfrazierjr** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 12:38 pm

What Full Bleed said.

While I am not a WotC basher like many are, they totally hosed this project because they are trying to do something which they have no prior knowledge of and likely will fail as badly as they did with the 3.x attempt. I will be getting a subscription, I will play with their gametable when (if actually) it comes out, but I plan to spend my time with Maptool because a) it has more releases in a month than I expect the D&D Gametable will have in a year, b) its community driven, so anyone with some java knowledge can jump in and help improve and even those that can't code can do docs and such, c) it can be used to play pretty much any game, d) it's still free, e) it actually exists in a usable form TODAY!

My main motivation for subscribing is to get access to the mags. I think the content there is actually fairly good and worth the price. Now, if their digital minis were in a system agnostic format AND were part of the subscription, then I would take great advantage of that feature, but I highly doubt that either of those are the case.

Amaril · Post by **Amaril** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 1:04 pm

Full Bleed wrote:
Amaril wrote:It's not like trevor, jay, and the others make any profit from it at the end of the year.
Forgot to respond to this directly... I think that is a group of people were ready to spend $1000 on DDI, they may be willing to throw $20 to RPTOOLS in a year. And thought a small amount of money, it would go towards helping to sustain a community supported project like MT.

That's funny. When I suggested an optional donation subscription as a more affordable contrast to D&DI's subscription cost, the majority of respondents on these forums thought it was a bad idea and that the money wouldn't benefit the projects any.

Full Bleed · Post by **Full Bleed** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 1:10 pm

Amaril wrote:That's funny. When I suggested an optional donation subscription as a more affordable contrast to D&DI's subscription cost, the majority of respondents on these forums thought it was a bad idea and that the money wouldn't benefit the projects any.

I was one of the people that opposed that.

It's apples and oranges and I gave my reasons for it in that thread (so no reason to rehash them.) In a nut shell, if I'm against the subscription model for WotC, I wouldn't be very consistent if I was for it here.

But that doesn't mean that 6 people prepared to pay WotC $1000 a year might not be willing to, collectively and voluntarily give MT a single $20 donation over the same time-frame. But they do have to know MT actually exists and is a viable alternative for that to even be a possibility.

Amaril · Post by **Amaril** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 1:16 pm

Full Bleed wrote:It's apples and oranges and I gave my reasons for it in that thread (so no reason to rehash them.) In a nut shell, if I'm against the subscription model for WotC, I wouldn't be very consistent if I was for it here.

It's an optional donation. You don't need to subscribe to use RPTools, and it's not mutually exclusive to one time $20 donations.

If someone wanted to ensure a monthly donation knowing full well that it does not entitle them to anything, why prevent it?

Anyway, bottom line is that I don't agree with the sentiments here and it's just a matter of different opinions.

PS - dndnsider.com is borderline cybersquatting.

loydb · Post by **loydb** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 1:46 pm

Amaril wrote: PS - dndnsider.com is borderline cybersquatting.

Technically, it's typo-squatting.

Amaril · Post by **Amaril** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 2:16 pm

loydb wrote:
Amaril wrote: PS - dndnsider.com is borderline cybersquatting.
Technically, it's typo-squatting.

Which is a form of cybersquatting. That's like arguing car vs. Honda Accord.

Full Bleed · Post by **Full Bleed** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 6:38 pm

loydb wrote:If the admins want to make a page along the lines of "why free rptools are better than vaporware at $15/month", I can move the redirect to it

Personally, I'd prefer to see something like that. Or even a page that links to a growing list of MT reviews.

I will admit that there is always something a little tacky associated with typos sending me to sites that I was not intending to go. My assumption when that happens is that the site is potentially dangerous.

I know in this case it's a harmless guerrilla tactic, but it could be a little less jarring.

A header note that acknowledged the typo may even go a long way. Perhaps something like this:

"Hi! It looks like you've typed the name of the website you were looking for incorrectly. And though it's obvious that you were trying to find dndinsider, we think you may find that the FREE alternatives available on the net will not only suit your needs, but exceed the offerings of many comparable pay services.

But don't take our word for it. Below is a list of independent reviews from users all around the net.

We provide this list in the hope that you will take this opportunity to make an informed choice. We believe it will be a decision you will not regret.

Good gaming!"