Hero Lab Online

[Toblakai]

I'm perfectly fine with online only, as long as they still make the standalone hero lab. But to be perfectly honest, I don't think I have gamed anywhere in the last decade that I haven't had internet available.

[MNBlockHead]

I'm hoping for both. DnD Beyond will offer a Web view and an app for iOS and Android. The app will support offline access to your content. There are, however, no plans for Windows program at this time.

Hero Lab would actually have an edge if they have an on-line version that syncs with data uses with their iOS and Windows apps.

[UttiniDaKilrJawa]

Hmm, Hero Lab Online.

I must admit the prospect sounds interesting and a tad off putting at the same time.

I like the thought of being able to use this one program across multiple OS's.

Yet, I wonder what happens if my Internet connection goes down during a game session where I am using Hero Lab.

Also, the whole Online portion makes me wonder if some sort of subscription model is coming down the pipe. Which could possibly make this program more expensive to run in the future for myself.

Regardless, it will be interesting to see what happens.

[Toblakai]

The one thing a subscription service could do though is lower the barrier of entry for new users. For a new user to get all of Pathfinder is a lot of money, but for say $10/month they could have access to all the data.

[charlieluce]

On the other hand, I've had Hero Lab for around ten years; I've spent around $300 on it in that time. That's a good deal less than $10 a month.

[Toblakai]

Originally Posted by charlieluce

On the other hand, I've had Hero Lab for around ten years; I've spent around $300 on it in that time. That's a good deal less than $10 a month.

I have spent well over that in 3 years, but I GM a lot of games, and my players have a lot of the splat books. I use the tactical console and import all of their characters, so I end up buying more books. At this point I would not do the $10/month. But if I just started using hero lab tomorrow, it would be tempting.

[Paragon]

I'll also point out this calculation is considerably different if you use the game for Savage Worlds or M&M.

[Toblakai]

Originally Posted by Paragon

I'll also point out this calculation is considerably different if you use the game for Savage Worlds or M&M.

I imagine the subscription model would really only work well for Pathfinder, or if you use multiple systems.

Right now the barrier for entry into Pathfinder is very large, especially for a GM using the tactical console. I see posts on reddit all the time about how expensive it is.

[daplunk]

I wonder if it is a sub if the sub will even be for content. There's so much work involved in creating content that I suspect they will still want to charge a one off fee for it. Some of the packages take weeks to months to enter.

Just like dnd beyond I would suspect there will be a subscription to cover the ongoing cost of the service instead. To cover things like bandwidth, electricity, storage. These are all things LWD will be billed for monthly by the data centre.

[Steel_Wind]

Looks like things are happening. Announcement at Gencon.

http://www.wolflair.com/gencon/