Ampersand - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Ampersand

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
ranger76
Jun 01, 2009 8:18:06 Ok, it may be just me but I have a concern. The Ampersand articles seem to be and always have been the place where major announcements are posted. Now you have to be an insider to view it? Ampersand was the only place in the weeks leading up to 4th Ed. where it was announced that DDi would not be live at the release of 4th Ed. Even when Dragon magazine was in physical print the Ampersand article would be posted online.

Back in 3rd Ed we used to see monthly free web content, web enhancements, sample chapters, etc... Now its all limited to DDi subscribers. A lot of that free content made me want to use the ideas in my game which would mean I'd be going to buy the book.

I'd like to see some web content that I can use to enhance my game for those of us that would rather use our money to buy the physical books rather then subscribe to a web service that I won't use at my game table anyway.
#2
Dane_McArdy
Jun 01, 2009 8:41:45 Nobody buys the cow when the milks free.
#3
VerysArkon
Jun 01, 2009 8:49:03 Common, drink the kool-aid. It's yummy.

What's the point of being an Insider, and paying for the privilege, if the juicy bits are free?
#4
whitebaron
Jun 01, 2009 8:50:04
Nobody buys the cow when the milks free.

you'd be surprised to see how wrong this statement is.
i also agree with the OP, that wotc has to give something to their non-subscribers apart from previews and table scraps (read: columns i would not even read if i subbed) from DDI.

how about one item from dragon for free per month, as a preview and free trial content?
#5
ranger76
Jun 01, 2009 8:58:32
Nobody buys the cow when the milks free.

That's not a fair analogy. Wizards has already said it over and over, you're not paying for that stuff, you're paying for the CB, Compendium and the e-zines.
#6
Dane_McArdy
Jun 01, 2009 9:05:36
That's not a fair analogy. Wizards has already said it over and over, you're not paying for that stuff, you're paying for the CB, Compendium and the e-zines.

Ampersand is part of the magazines. It's a column for Dragon Magazine.
#7
ranger76
Jun 01, 2009 9:13:42
Ampersand is part of the magazines. It's a column for Dragon Magazine.

Wow... you just don't get it do you? Ampersand always has been the go to place for major announcements. When you had to go out and buy the print magazine they still posted the Ampersand article online. Buy making that only available to subscribers, its like saying the rest of us don't need to know whats happening in the DnD world. As I said important announcements like the DDi failure to launch was only in that article. I remember when I bought the 4th ed books coming online to look for the DDi tools and nothing... However a bunch of people starting telling me that it was posted weeks in advance in Ampersand and I was some kind of "noob" for not immediately going there. So, tell me. Where do find official announcements from the Wizards Staff of whats happening with Dungeons and Dragons?

Most major print magazines also post sample articles from their print copy on the website. Wizards is the only company I know of, that took all of their free content and bundled it in a once price subscription. I don't think its too much to ask that at the very least the Ampersand article be posted.
#8
ranadiel
Jun 01, 2009 9:25:02
Wow... you just don't get it do you? Ampersand always has been the go to place for major announcements. When you had to go out and buy the print magazine they still posted the Ampersand article online. Buy making that only available to subscribers, its like saying the rest of us don't need to know whats happening in the DnD world. As I said important announcements like the DDi failure to launch was only in that article. I remember when I bought the 4th ed books coming online to look for the DDi tools and nothing... However a bunch of people starting telling me that it was posted weeks in advance in Ampersand and I was some kind of "noob" for not immediately going there. So, tell me. Where do find official announcements from the Wizards Staff of whats happening with Dungeons and Dragons?

Ampersand hasn't always been the place to go for major announcements. The column isn't even 2 years old yet(first column was in August 07). Incidently that was also the first month that Dragon was online(issue #360), so no they never had it coming out at the same time as the print magazines. It has only been part of the digital Dragon.

And depending on what kind of news you want to watch for you should either watch the D&D homepage(for stuff related to the brand and events) or check the Future Releases forum(for info regarding upcoming releases).
#9
ranger76
Jun 01, 2009 9:32:00 I thought Ampersand was around longer then that as a official post here on the forums before gleemax took it over?
#10
ranadiel
Jun 01, 2009 9:41:50
I thought Ampersand was around longer then that as a official post here on the forums before gleemax took it over?

I never heard of that and the first paragraph from the first installment certainly sounds like it is something completely new.

I always thought we should have a magazine called “&”. After all, it worked so well for Dungeon and Dragon that it just seemed to me that we were losing an opportunity to make use of the bit that brings it all together. So, until we figure out what to actually do with that recognizable little ampersand, I’m going to use it as the identifier for my regular feature here at D&D Insider.

#11
Dane_McArdy
Jun 01, 2009 9:52:09
I thought Ampersand was around longer then that as a official post here on the forums before gleemax took it over?

So maybe I do get it? And there's no need to rant off like you did?
#12
ranger76
Jun 01, 2009 9:55:04 I guess I was wrong. My apologies. This however is the article I was referring to:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dramp/20080507a

This was the only place that it was announced that DDi would not be live with the launch of the books. You'd think something like that would be linked on the Wizards homepage but it wasn't.

In any case, my final point, and I'll leave it here, not all web content needs to be DDi subscriber only.
#13
Dane_McArdy
Jun 01, 2009 9:58:12
I guess I was wrong. My apologies. This however is the article I was referring to:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dramp/20080507a

This was the only place that it was announced that DDi would not be live with the launch of the books. You'd think something like that would be linked on the Wizards homepage but it wasn't.

In any case, my final point, and I'll leave it here, not all web content needs to be DDi subscriber only.

Because back when that came out, Apmersand was free to anyone, and you didn't need a DDI account to see it.

When Dragon and Dungeon went digital, they were free online. Until DDI was live and you had to pay for it. Once that happened, they were no longer free.

And no not all webcontent is paid for. All the art and maps and features about books tend to be free. Generally, Ampersand deals with DDi and online content such as Dragon and Dungeons.

If there is news in Apmersand that doesn't deal with these issues, it's often repeated elsewhere for those that don't have a DDi.
#14
mrmyth
Jun 01, 2009 10:02:54 I think it would be worthwhile for WotC to make absolutely sure that any important announcements made in Ampersand are also freely announced elsewhere on the site.

I think that requests for them to make Dragon content free or give out previews of it or just have more web content available for everyone... well, somewhat unreasonable. Or rather, I think it is entirely to ask for it - it would certainly be a nice perk! - but entirely unreasonable to expect it. WotC is by no mean's required to simply hand out content for free, and expecting otherwise - or getting upset when they won't do so - is a bit much.
#15
seTiny
Jun 01, 2009 10:09:26
You'd think something like that would be linked on the Wizards homepage but it wasn't..

Yes it was: D&D News

Granted it does point to the Ampersand Article, but the meat of the announcement is still there and was freely available.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 ranger76 Jun 01, 2009 8:18:06	Ok, it may be just me but I have a concern. The Ampersand articles seem to be and always have been the place where major announcements are posted. Now you have to be an insider to view it? Ampersand was the only place in the weeks leading up to 4th Ed. where it was announced that DDi would not be live at the release of 4th Ed. Even when Dragon magazine was in physical print the Ampersand article would be posted online. Back in 3rd Ed we used to see monthly free web content, web enhancements, sample chapters, etc... Now its all limited to DDi subscribers. A lot of that free content made me want to use the ideas in my game which would mean I'd be going to buy the book. I'd like to see some web content that I can use to enhance my game for those of us that would rather use our money to buy the physical books rather then subscribe to a web service that I won't use at my game table anyway.
#2 Dane_McArdy Jun 01, 2009 8:41:45	Nobody buys the cow when the milks free.
#3 VerysArkon Jun 01, 2009 8:49:03	Common, drink the kool-aid. It's yummy. What's the point of being an Insider, and paying for the privilege, if the juicy bits are free?
#4 whitebaron Jun 01, 2009 8:50:04	Nobody buys the cow when the milks free. you'd be surprised to see how wrong this statement is. i also agree with the OP, that wotc has to give something to their non-subscribers apart from previews and table scraps (read: columns i would not even read if i subbed) from DDI. how about one item from dragon for free per month, as a preview and free trial content?
#5 ranger76 Jun 01, 2009 8:58:32	Nobody buys the cow when the milks free. That's not a fair analogy. Wizards has already said it over and over, you're not paying for that stuff, you're paying for the CB, Compendium and the e-zines.
#6 Dane_McArdy Jun 01, 2009 9:05:36	That's not a fair analogy. Wizards has already said it over and over, you're not paying for that stuff, you're paying for the CB, Compendium and the e-zines. Ampersand is part of the magazines. It's a column for Dragon Magazine.
#7 ranger76 Jun 01, 2009 9:13:42	Ampersand is part of the magazines. It's a column for Dragon Magazine. Wow... you just don't get it do you? Ampersand always has been the go to place for major announcements. When you had to go out and buy the print magazine they still posted the Ampersand article online. Buy making that only available to subscribers, its like saying the rest of us don't need to know whats happening in the DnD world. As I said important announcements like the DDi failure to launch was only in that article. I remember when I bought the 4th ed books coming online to look for the DDi tools and nothing... However a bunch of people starting telling me that it was posted weeks in advance in Ampersand and I was some kind of "noob" for not immediately going there. So, tell me. Where do find official announcements from the Wizards Staff of whats happening with Dungeons and Dragons? Most major print magazines also post sample articles from their print copy on the website. Wizards is the only company I know of, that took all of their free content and bundled it in a once price subscription. I don't think its too much to ask that at the very least the Ampersand article be posted.
#8 ranadiel Jun 01, 2009 9:25:02	Wow... you just don't get it do you? Ampersand always has been the go to place for major announcements. When you had to go out and buy the print magazine they still posted the Ampersand article online. Buy making that only available to subscribers, its like saying the rest of us don't need to know whats happening in the DnD world. As I said important announcements like the DDi failure to launch was only in that article. I remember when I bought the 4th ed books coming online to look for the DDi tools and nothing... However a bunch of people starting telling me that it was posted weeks in advance in Ampersand and I was some kind of "noob" for not immediately going there. So, tell me. Where do find official announcements from the Wizards Staff of whats happening with Dungeons and Dragons? Ampersand hasn't always been the place to go for major announcements. The column isn't even 2 years old yet(first column was in August 07). Incidently that was also the first month that Dragon was online(issue #360), so no they never had it coming out at the same time as the print magazines. It has only been part of the digital Dragon. And depending on what kind of news you want to watch for you should either watch the D&D homepage(for stuff related to the brand and events) or check the Future Releases forum(for info regarding upcoming releases).
#9 ranger76 Jun 01, 2009 9:32:00	I thought Ampersand was around longer then that as a official post here on the forums before gleemax took it over?
#10 ranadiel Jun 01, 2009 9:41:50	I thought Ampersand was around longer then that as a official post here on the forums before gleemax took it over? I never heard of that and the first paragraph from the first installment certainly sounds like it is something completely new. I always thought we should have a magazine called “&”. After all, it worked so well for Dungeon and Dragon that it just seemed to me that we were losing an opportunity to make use of the bit that brings it all together. So, until we figure out what to actually do with that recognizable little ampersand, I’m going to use it as the identifier for my regular feature here at D&D Insider.
#11 Dane_McArdy Jun 01, 2009 9:52:09	I thought Ampersand was around longer then that as a official post here on the forums before gleemax took it over? So maybe I do get it? And there's no need to rant off like you did?
#12 ranger76 Jun 01, 2009 9:55:04	I guess I was wrong. My apologies. This however is the article I was referring to: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dramp/20080507a This was the only place that it was announced that DDi would not be live with the launch of the books. You'd think something like that would be linked on the Wizards homepage but it wasn't. In any case, my final point, and I'll leave it here, not all web content needs to be DDi subscriber only.
#13 Dane_McArdy Jun 01, 2009 9:58:12	I guess I was wrong. My apologies. This however is the article I was referring to: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dramp/20080507a This was the only place that it was announced that DDi would not be live with the launch of the books. You'd think something like that would be linked on the Wizards homepage but it wasn't. In any case, my final point, and I'll leave it here, not all web content needs to be DDi subscriber only. Because back when that came out, Apmersand was free to anyone, and you didn't need a DDI account to see it. When Dragon and Dungeon went digital, they were free online. Until DDI was live and you had to pay for it. Once that happened, they were no longer free. And no not all webcontent is paid for. All the art and maps and features about books tend to be free. Generally, Ampersand deals with DDi and online content such as Dragon and Dungeons. If there is news in Apmersand that doesn't deal with these issues, it's often repeated elsewhere for those that don't have a DDi.
#14 mrmyth Jun 01, 2009 10:02:54	I think it would be worthwhile for WotC to make absolutely sure that any important announcements made in Ampersand are also freely announced elsewhere on the site. I think that requests for them to make Dragon content free or give out previews of it or just have more web content available for everyone... well, somewhat unreasonable. Or rather, I think it is entirely to ask for it - it would certainly be a nice perk! - but entirely unreasonable to expect it. WotC is by no mean's required to simply hand out content for free, and expecting otherwise - or getting upset when they won't do so - is a bit much.
#15 seTiny Jun 01, 2009 10:09:26	You'd think something like that would be linked on the Wizards homepage but it wasn't.. Yes it was: D&D News Granted it does point to the Ampersand Article, but the meat of the announcement is still there and was freely available.