Just now I was able to make it through The Game’s amazingly thorough play-by-play account of the 4E seminar at DDXP.
I was skimming along, trying to get the bird’s eye view, when something caught my eye.
I did a spit take.
Then, I did a double take.
After cleaning off my laptop, I read it again:
“Rules Database. Searchable online content database with realtime information- includes new books, Dragon/Dungeon content. Access all content without having all books there. D&D Insider subscription gives access to all books, not just the ones you’ve bought. ”
That can’t be right.
All of the rules from all of the books in one spot?!?
You mean I don’t need to bring every supplement with every feat on my character sheet?
I don’t have to go to Barnes & Noble and copy down monster data on the one good monster from MM IV?
Holy crap.
This is huge, folks. This will completely change the way that this game is played, and in a good way. How? Let me give you an example. The following is a conversation I had with one of my players (we will call him “Teddy” – but that’s not his name) several months back:
Teddy: Hey! I was thinking. Do you care if I take Vow of Poverty for my monk?
Me: (Not yet having Exalted Deeds) I dunno. What’s it do?
Teddy: Oh, you give up all your worldly posessions and get a couple of feats in return.
Me: Hmm. Can you read the description to me? I’d like to see it, I think.
Teddy: Sorry, I’m in the car right now. I can scan the pages in and email them to you later, if you want.
Me: Nah, that’s a lot of trouble. Don’t worry about it. Besides, this let’s me screw you on magic items, so I’m all good.
Teddy: Ha ha. (to himself, “sucker.”)
So, here’s how that conversation will go after DnD Insider:
Teddy: Hey! I was thinking. Do you care if I take Vow of Poverty for my monk?
Me: I dunno. Hang on, let me check the specs.
-waiting-
Me: Crap. My Wi-Fi’s down. What’s Vow of Poverty do?
OK, so maybe it won’t be all that. But still, it is a definite selling point for me.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Not just that, but if you are using the Character Sheet program that I believe they said will come with paid D&D Insider, your abilities on your Char. Sheet will have hover / drop downs that show the full rules for that specific action.
Do you feel the same way about D&DI now that they have released the compendium?
They gimped it from the start. Not enough tools yet to make it worthwhile. The compendium is worthless, I can find rules faster flipping through the book myself. And they’ve been anything BUT forthcoming with when they expect to launch any of the additional tools, like the Character Generator, that were supposed to be ready when the new rules set released months ago. Wizards dropped the ball on this in the worst possible way.
I agree with Yarbo. I’d feel jipped by buying the crap they have on their now. They should lower the price until the whole thing works.
I suscribed to D&D Insider myself and went “WTF?” when I failed to see the so-announced dungeon-making program.
However, I don’t regret it too much since I fell in love with Dungeon and Dragon magazines. The Compendium is like a big reference book without any rules explanation or context. You want a monsters stats, you get it. However, you’ll have to buy the book to know what the heck it’s supposed to be.
Sucks, but it’s fair given the wicked amount of results you get by searching their database. (It’s pretty useful if you want to discretely check up something while at work or at school while thinking about game prep.)