Gimme A Crack At D&D Online!

I have just read an announcement that Dungeons & Dragons Online has become free to play. I know, I’m quite late, but as they say, “Better late than never.” And I never pass up a good opportunity to play an online game, especially one that has roots in tabletop, pen-and-paper role-playing games.

So why the sudden change of heart, switching from the subscription business model to free-to-play? Nothing official has come out of Turbine Inc. about the decision, except for a short quote from the company’s director of communications, Adam Mersky, in an interview with Gamasutra.

“Unless you’re a college student with a lot of free time, you simply don’t have 30 hours a week to devote to an MMO … The free-to-play model allows developers to build in different ways for players to consume the content the way they want to consume it and spend money the way they want to spend it,” Mersky said.

I beg to differ! I’m not a college student, but I do get to spend around 30 hours a week to play MMOs. Kidding aside, I think Turbine’s move was a bit drastic. I shouldn’t complain, however, since I now have an opportunity to play Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited.

As a member of the generation that lived and breathed role-playing games, from tabletop, graphing paper dungeon crawls to two-dimensional video game adaptations of popular Advanced Dungeons & Dragons novels, I relish the thought of being able to create and play a character in a game that carries the Dungeons & Dragons mark.

Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited motivational poster

For those who, like me, haven’t heard about the opening of the free-to-play floodgates to Dungeons & Dragons Online, here’s an excerpt from the Turbine announcement story:

Turbine Launches Free-To-Play Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited

Turbine Inc. has announced the launch of Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited, a free-to-play massively multiplayer online role-playing game which delivers heart-pounding gameplay featuring the industry’s best combat system, a massive world with state-of-the-art graphics and gameplay, and a rich set of features that until now could only be found in premium subscription-based MMOs.

DDO Unlimited introduces an innovative new pricing model that allows players to download and play for free, purchasing adventure packs, items, and account services a la carte from the new DDO Store, or to subscribe to get unlimited access to all of the game’s content. Players can download and play the game for free by visiting the DDO Unlimited website.

“Turbine changes the way gamers experience their online entertainment by providing them with a choice in how they pay and play for a premium MMO,” said Jim Crowley, chief executive officer of Turbine Inc. “The DDO Unlimited beta program has been a huge success and the initial response to the game from both press and players has been nothing short of phenomenal. In response, we have already more than doubled our capacity to handle the increased demand.”

“DDO Unlimited is the most innovative, exciting and feature-rich MMO to ever hit the free-to-play market,” said Fernando Paiz, executive producer of DDO Unlimited. “We’ve come a long way since our launch and it has been very rewarding to see the positive response to the game from players and reporters alike. DDO Unlimited’s future is very bright and we’re already getting more adventures ready to introduce to the game later in the year.”

Well, that’s it for now. I’m downloading the game even as I type this. I’ll post something about my adventures in Eberron as soon as I settle down to dungeon crawling.