D&D Insider
Encyclopedia
Dungeons & Dragons Insider (DDI) is Wizards of the Coast
's method of digitally delivering periodic content and information about Dungeons & Dragons
to the game's players.
DDI was announced at the 2007 Gen Con
as a subscription-based electronic supplement to Dungeons & Dragons. The demo included a short video of a virtual "dungeon" (called the Game Table) in which some D&D adventures take place, containing virtual miniatures based on your character as created in the Character Visualizer (a 3D full-body portrait program).
Currently DDI subscription includes an online character builder (requires Microsoft Silverlight
), Dragon and Dungeon web content, and a compendium of rules elements. Additionally, a beta version of a monster builder (as part of the Adventure Tools suite) and the Virtual Table have been released.
Presently, it is unclear if the Character Visualizer is still slated for completion as originally advertised. This has caused some degree of backlash within the customer base, as this tool (and the currently-in-beta Virtual Table) were scheduled to launch when the 4th edition core books were released mid-2008; an additional source of anger is the litigious approach of Wizards of the Coast towards third-party developers who create tools to fill the gaps left by these unreleased tools.
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
's method of digitally delivering periodic content and information about Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
to the game's players.
DDI was announced at the 2007 Gen Con
Gen Con
Gen Con is one of the largest and most prominent annual gaming conventions in North America. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card-style games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, board games, live action role-playing games, collectible card games, non-collectible...
as a subscription-based electronic supplement to Dungeons & Dragons. The demo included a short video of a virtual "dungeon" (called the Game Table) in which some D&D adventures take place, containing virtual miniatures based on your character as created in the Character Visualizer (a 3D full-body portrait program).
Currently DDI subscription includes an online character builder (requires Microsoft Silverlight
Microsoft Silverlight
Microsoft Silverlight is an application framework for writing and running rich Internet applications, with features and purposes similar to those of Adobe Flash. The run-time environment for Silverlight is available as a plug-in for web browsers running under Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X...
), Dragon and Dungeon web content, and a compendium of rules elements. Additionally, a beta version of a monster builder (as part of the Adventure Tools suite) and the Virtual Table have been released.
Presently, it is unclear if the Character Visualizer is still slated for completion as originally advertised. This has caused some degree of backlash within the customer base, as this tool (and the currently-in-beta Virtual Table) were scheduled to launch when the 4th edition core books were released mid-2008; an additional source of anger is the litigious approach of Wizards of the Coast towards third-party developers who create tools to fill the gaps left by these unreleased tools.