DDI Compendium vs PDFs

[Scribe Ineti]

OK, first, here's how I roll with regards to 4e purchases.

I buy print copies of the books I'm interested in. PHB, MM, DMG, Adventurer's Vault, etc.

I've discovered that it's very handy to have the PDF of the MM, since I can screencap the stat blocks and plug the resultant JPEG into a word document for ease of creating scenarios for my game. Using the PDF of the PHB and AV, I can also screencap stat blocks for magic items and whatever else and plug those into a word doc to print and hand out.

This is great.

However, it dawned on me today that the DDI Compendium contains all that information.

So, if I'm buying the print copies of the books I'm interested in, why would I bother buying the PDF as well to use for screencapping when I can pay for a subscription to DDI (less expensive than buying several PDFs) and get all that content in the Compendium?

What am I missing? What does the Compendium not offer that the PDF books do offer, keeping in mind that I'll already have a print copy of the book.

 

[Zaukrie]

Art, rules that aren't powers/feats...about how to play the game, encounters, traps (I don't remember seeing traps). But, all those are in the books. I think the only real miss from a screen capture would be any art you use as player aids.

But, that is how I use the compendium. I copy the monster blocks or powers into word, do a little highlighting and print.

Last nite I searched for psychic, found a bunch of powers that did psychic damage and created a controller that had a far realmsy feel by just changing a few words and descriptions. Also super easy to make minions or lower level versions of a monster by changing AC, to hit, and hps and damage.

Greatest. Invention. Ever. (ok, that's an exaggeration)

 

[PeelSeel2]

Beyond the core books, I see no reason to buy anything but a subscription to DDI.

 

[justanobody]

PDF include but DDI compendium does not:

*non-element rules
*artwork
**maps
*transportability
*offline use

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

DDI compendium includes, but PDF does not:
* errata
* stealth errata
* new rules/critters

Of course, you won't neccessarily know these changes are in the DDI unless you happen to stumble on it or see a thread here about the change....

 

[Dire Bare]

What am I missing? What does the Compendium not offer that the PDF books do offer, keeping in mind that I'll already have a print copy of the book.

WotC really doesn't expect you to purchase the print book, the PDF, and a subscription to D&DI. Primarily, they want you to purchase the print books and D&DI. The PDFs are a secondary concern, and are available simply because some gamers prefer PDFs and some gamers can't get the print books and the PDFs are their only option.

Having both the print and PDF is somewhat redundant, but some like to have both so they can comfortably page through their physical copy and take all their PDFs to the gametable on their laptop.

If you only subscribe to D&DI, you only get the crunchy bits from the various D&D books published.

 

[Agamon]

If you only subscribe to D&DI, you only get the crunchy bits from the various D&D books published.

That said, it's nice having some extra crunch when designing encounters. Yeah, I've bought every 4e adventure so far, but I'm not going to scour them for stuff for my own adventures (other than maps, of course). But there is already such a variety of monsters, including already re-leveled version of MM foes, it's really a great resource.

Designing and personalizing monsters in 4e is easy and even fun, but it's nice to have some work done for you, too.