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What Makes Gaming Books as PDFs Desirable?
- Thread starter Mark CMG
- Start date
Doug McCrae
Legend
They take up less space, they're more portable and you can search them.
Downsides are text on a screen is harder to read and they don't have that 'new book' smell.
Downsides are text on a screen is harder to read and they don't have that 'new book' smell.
Storminator
First Post
Easy storage.
The ability to make a PC or an adventure on my computer and have all the reference material immediately available.
The ability to share relevant pages with my game group.
PS
The ability to make a PC or an adventure on my computer and have all the reference material immediately available.
The ability to share relevant pages with my game group.
PS
I am curious as well.
The space issue I get, yet I am the kind of person who likes to get stuff with my money. You know, materialistic
Personally I dislike reading off of a screen. To me PDFs are only preferable to reading straight from a web browser.
Any time I have purchased a PDF rather than a print version, cost was the deciding factor and I typically regret it.
The space issue I get, yet I am the kind of person who likes to get stuff with my money. You know, materialistic
Personally I dislike reading off of a screen. To me PDFs are only preferable to reading straight from a web browser.
Any time I have purchased a PDF rather than a print version, cost was the deciding factor and I typically regret it.
billd91
Not your screen monkey (he/him) 🇺🇦🇵🇸🏳️⚧️
For older editions, they make it possible for people to get older products that they couldn't afford as kids but can now as an employed adult - without requring a new and probably too expensive print run for the publisher.
Cut and paste. I can crib out the stats for a creature in the Pathfinder Bestiary and modify it for my game. Most of the stat block work is done.
Putting the PDFs on the iPad makes it a lot easier to tote plenty of sources around without breaking a back lugging the milk crate full of heavy paper.
A well-done PDF, like the Pathfinder Core book, has links so when an spell-like ability is referenced, I can use the link to go right to the spell description. It rocks.
With a PDF adventures, I can run adventures off a screen without breaking the binding of my print editions if the adventure takes a fairly long time to complete.
EDIT: Though, really, aside from the copy and pasting, it's the introduction of the iPad that is finally making most of these really attractive to me. I'm not fond of reading off a computer (plus, I like the portability of the books). The iPad really does make this a whole lot better - and I've only been consulting a friend's iPad. I don't have my own yet (though that's only a matter of time).
Cut and paste. I can crib out the stats for a creature in the Pathfinder Bestiary and modify it for my game. Most of the stat block work is done.
Putting the PDFs on the iPad makes it a lot easier to tote plenty of sources around without breaking a back lugging the milk crate full of heavy paper.
A well-done PDF, like the Pathfinder Core book, has links so when an spell-like ability is referenced, I can use the link to go right to the spell description. It rocks.
With a PDF adventures, I can run adventures off a screen without breaking the binding of my print editions if the adventure takes a fairly long time to complete.
EDIT: Though, really, aside from the copy and pasting, it's the introduction of the iPad that is finally making most of these really attractive to me. I'm not fond of reading off a computer (plus, I like the portability of the books). The iPad really does make this a whole lot better - and I've only been consulting a friend's iPad. I don't have my own yet (though that's only a matter of time).
Aus_Snow
First Post
Fancy the price tag on OD&D (in hard copy) ? Well, lots of people wouldn't, anyway. Just one example that springs to mind.
Sometimes, they're quite convenient, even when finding and/or affording "the real thing" isn't an issue.
Some of this could work well for WotC, as well as for many gamers. What are people who are interested in playing OD&D, but who can't or won't afford to pick up a copy, going to do at the moment? Ah yes - quite possibly, anyhow - buy Swords & Wizardry (or another close-ish alternative) instead. Money that could've gone to WotC, but instead goes to whoever happens to be selling the "retro-clone" in question.
And if you look around, you'll see that *almost every single other* RPG company on the freaking planet does sell PDFs. Oh yeah, and WotC used to have all those D&D PDFs up for sale too. . . totally doable, just not, y'know, being done.
That aside, in general, what with the proliferation of iPads and the like, PDFs are only becoming more and more serious contenders for gamers' backpacks, and er, "shelves". IMO, anyway.
Sometimes, they're quite convenient, even when finding and/or affording "the real thing" isn't an issue.
Some of this could work well for WotC, as well as for many gamers. What are people who are interested in playing OD&D, but who can't or won't afford to pick up a copy, going to do at the moment? Ah yes - quite possibly, anyhow - buy Swords & Wizardry (or another close-ish alternative) instead. Money that could've gone to WotC, but instead goes to whoever happens to be selling the "retro-clone" in question.
And if you look around, you'll see that *almost every single other* RPG company on the freaking planet does sell PDFs. Oh yeah, and WotC used to have all those D&D PDFs up for sale too. . . totally doable, just not, y'know, being done.
That aside, in general, what with the proliferation of iPads and the like, PDFs are only becoming more and more serious contenders for gamers' backpacks, and er, "shelves". IMO, anyway.
El Mahdi
Muad'Dib of the Anauroch
And I'd add that as long as you back them up properly, they'll last forever (no wear and tear, no spilled soda stains and dorrito's fingerprints,...).
Psychotic Jim
First Post
Biggest thing for me is the search function, and bookmark tabs. Heavens, too many game books don't have an index, so these sorts of tools really help you find your way around without too much book flipping through them. Also, being able to have more than one window open at once! And cutting and pasting into other files!
El Mahdi
Muad'Dib of the Anauroch
Oh, I forgot to add:
Many of the old titles that people want are either no longer available (not everyone has played since the release of OD&D, and even fewer have been able to successfully keep all of their books that long), if available not always in very good shape, or prohibitively expensive.
For many titles, an electronic format is the only way one will ever get a copy of them.
Many of the old titles that people want are either no longer available (not everyone has played since the release of OD&D, and even fewer have been able to successfully keep all of their books that long), if available not always in very good shape, or prohibitively expensive.
For many titles, an electronic format is the only way one will ever get a copy of them.
