Hey guys,

I am trying to save some money where I can, and one of the things that is costing me some money and barely getting used is my DDI subscription.

It only ever gets used for this game, and given my posting frequency, it just doesn't seem worth it to keep it going for $10 a month and only using it 5 or 6 times per month.

So, if we're going to keep this game going, we're going to have to move it over to another system, or someone else has to take over as DM, and I will probably drop out of it. If we move it over to another system, I prefer pathfinder with 3.5e content allowed as well, though I'm open to other ideas.

It's a bit of a shame, because this is one of, if not the longest running game, between pbpmap.com and pbphud.com. I just can't justify paying $10 for something I barely ever use right now, nor in the forseeable future.

Would be interested in hearing what people's thoughts are about keeping the game going, and what solutions they have in mind. I'd prefer not to piggyback someone else's subscription if that's crossed anyone's mind.

Cheers,

Gicker

Hm... I understand what you are saying, and why, and I understand why you need to make such a decision. However, I'll be honest and frank and say that if we change systems, I will have to leave the game, at the very least temporarily. That is absolutely nothing personal, and if it comes to that, I wish that the game continues to strive. The matter is just that I cannot comfortably learn a new system right now and therefore cannot dedicate myself to a game in a new system the way I should be able to.

If it was another player without DDI, I would have said you could easily cope without it, asking other players on the rules and news at time, and relying on their help for leveling up. But that's not the case, so I can only figure it must be quite different for a DM. I think there are plenty eager PF players, so I'm sure the game will continue as great as it is, but without me, sorry.

Don't let that really influence your decision, though, please. There is no reason for you to do something you are not happy with only for my pleasure, especially since there seem to be other good options.

Thanks Gnu. I have a feeling that most people feel the same, but I want to at least give people the option.

A conundrum indeed. I don't know much about Pathfinder, though I know they have an SRD so we wouldn't necessarily need to buy the books. But 4e was a large part of what drew me to this game, so I'm not sure I'd be as into it with a different system.

I am curious what the others think.


Powers &8^]

It's actually less work for me to do a 4e campaign, but I have probably a half dozen or more things I am paying out to every month. Between MMOs, the server costs, DDI, stuff like sugarsync, it all adds up. I am downgrading the server and ditching DDI for now, and sugarsync is probably getting the boot now too. That will save me $25 a month right there, plus if I narrow down my MMOs to just 1 paid MMO that boosts it up to $40, which is almost $500 a year. Basically we are saving up to go the the world cup in 2014 in Brasil, so whatever extra money I can save will go a long way. $500 extra will be a big help.

So yeah, 4e just isn't going to work anymore, but I do want to keep the game going if possible. So really, that only seems to work if someone else takes on the DM role, or if we can keep enough people on that are willing to do Pathfinder/D&D 3.5e, or another fantasy based system. Pathfinder seems the best option, because, as Powers said, it has a free online rulebook (SRD) so no one needs to buy the books.

It seems a bit of a stretch, as Gnu is gone for sure, Mav I doubt has the time to learn a new system, my brother, squatch may or may not go for it, I'm guessing not, so that really just leaves powers and parody. We'd have to do some recruiting if that were the case, which is fine by me.

I will say that Pathfinder is a very good system, and Powers, I think you would enjoy it a lot as well. I think all of you would, and the learning curve is not all that steep if you know 4e.

The main obstacle to overcome would be the lack of a character builder program, aside from Hero Lab, which, from their business model, is far too much money imo to pay, since you have to buy every book separately to get all the content for the program. You pay $30 up front and then probably another $40 or $50 to get all the pathfinder content beyond the core rule book. That's a big reason why I stopped using it, that and their bbcode export is rather incomplete.

Anyways I'm beginning to ramble. Should my wife or I get a raise, I would be ok with going with DDI again, but right now, we have a trip to save up for, and debt to pay off, and it's just another expense that doesn't get used enough to be justified anymore.

Thanks guys,

Gicks

Parody had a decent idea. To run the campaign using LFR modules, which have stat blocks in them already. We may be able to keep this going without DDI after all. Let's just keep playing for now, and if I find it too hard to run with the modules, we can revisit the topic then.

Or you could keep your ddi subscription and stop playing those time-wasting mmorpg games, and start another 4e PbP to maximize your investment^^

I could do that, but I won't

Besides the only two MMOs I'm playing these days are Lord of the Rings Online and Star Trek Online, both of which are free to play. I'm cancelling Star Wars the Old Republic and Final Fantasy XIV to save some money as well.

I have too many varied interests to do any more PbPs, I barely have time for the ones I'm running now.