What if it cost $15 a month to play D&D? The latest game rules could be read only electronically while logged into the D&D website. Would you pay to play the latest version? Or would you stay with 5e (or some other previous version) forever?

Depends.

What is this 15$ a month getting me?

Ha ha no.

No.

(Not even a 'ha-ha' to go with it. Just, 'no'.)

Since I am running a 5E continental sandbox for over a year now, I'd say probably yes.

Quote from: Shawn Driscoll;893276What if it cost $15 a month to play D&D? The latest game rules could be read only electronically while logged into the D&D website. Would you pay to play the latest version? Or would you stay with 5e (or some other previous version) forever?

Absolutely not. I have enough monthly bills, don't need an extra 15 for D&D. I don't go for subscriptions services or subscription book releases when it comes to RPGs, I want every dollar I spend to be on something I specifically want.

One reason I enjoy roleplaying games is because there is no further required outlay after you get the rules and dice. Sure, you can purchase splats and supplements and advanced rules and whatever. But you don't have ta. It's why I've steered clear of CCGs and MMOs with ongoing fees and whatever.

So, "no".

Quote from: Shawn Driscoll;893276What if it cost $15 a month to play D&D? The latest game rules could be read only electronically while logged into the D&D website. Would you pay to play the latest version? Or would you stay with 5e (or some other previous version) forever?

Details, mon. I'm gonna need some details on that...

I still have my DDI subscription for our 4e games, so probably?

Quote from: Shawn Driscoll;893276What if it cost $15 a month to play D&D? The latest game rules could be read only electronically while logged into the D&D website. Would you pay to play the latest version? Or would you stay with 5e (or some other previous version) forever?

First off $15/month for a electronic version of the rules that you could only read on-line isn't going to fly. If you think that viable, then you need to be more informed about the history of RPGs, the internet, and digital distribution. In 2003 that may have been an unknown but it is 2016 we have had a lot of people try a lot of different things and we have developed an idea of what will work and what will not.

Now is a subscription service possible for an RPG? Absolutely yes, Fantasy Grounds and to lesser extent Roll20 have proven that. Patreon has also been made to work as a form of subscription service. Lootcrate is a subscription service that mails out physical stuff every month. Mythoard is the RPG version of that.

But the catch is that the subscription service has to provide value over and above just mere access to the rules. And nobody would in their right mind use it as their sole means of distribution. The closest would be certain Patreon users but even there they try to use other channels of distributions like RPGNow for a compilation of last year's releases.

Quote from: Shawn Driscoll;893276What if it cost $15 a month to play D&D? The latest game rules could be read only electronically while logged into the D&D website. Would you pay to play the latest version? Or would you stay with 5e (or some other previous version) forever?

I opened the thread with the expectation that someone is offering $15 to the players. FWIW, I was planning to post that I might or might not be tempted away from my current games, and suggest raising the sum:p!
Also, $15 per month should get me at least the equivalent of a corebook's worth of materials, per month, or there's no deal;).

Paying a subscription for access to game rules, is obscene. "Intellectual property rights" are so disgusting. Subscriptions to use data are even more ridiculous than trying to control what data people copy from computer to computer.

Quote from: Shawn Driscoll;893276What if it cost $15 a month to play D&D? The latest game rules could be read only electronically while logged into the D&D website. Would you pay to play the latest version? Or would you stay with 5e (or some other previous version) forever?

I would ask why I'm paying. Considering I'm mostly 2nd ed now, I can't see why I would want to.

I happily play Original D&D from 1974.  So, take an educated guess.

I subscribe to Roll20 for $5 a month.  That's about all I'm willing to do.