A Technical Look at D&D Insider Applications

[Nifft]

The only thing this will do is prevent legitimate customers from using content the way they want. I predict that this is solely designed to prevent the DM from giving copies of books to his players as pdfs.

You mention watermarking and DRM, but this objection only applies to DRM.

How would a watermarked PDF limit your ability to share with your group?

Cheers, -- N

PS: I too hate DRM, but watermarking isn't bad at all. At least, I can't think of anything it prevents me from doing.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

Ok - I'm getting into this thread very late (due to being without internet access for the past week).

I don't buy the "...nominal fee... to cover their overhead" argument.

What about the "nominal fee to ensure security by forcing the identification of the registrant" argument?

 

[WhatGravitas]

I agree the code is there to 'coinfirm' that you indeed have the hardcover book....but I'd rather the nomial fee be built back into either the subscription and/or the book price....It just has a nickle and dime feel.

Which I strongly oppose (the book price thing), because then you'll buy something, you don't want to get. I don't know, whether to use VTT or not. But if I pay for VTT, without even using it, just because I got the book, then I'm unhappy. Or, to be polite, extremely displeased.

Cheers, LT.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

Which I strongly oppose (the book price thing), because then you'll buy something, you don't want to get. I don't know, whether to use VTT or not. But if I pay for VTT, without even using it, just because I got the book, then I'm unhappy. Or, to be polite, extremely displeased.

Cheers, LT.

The fee to unlock the electronic edition of the book has nothing to do with the fee for accessing the VTT. You don't gain access to the VTT by paying the "nominal fee". Rather, you pay for a DDI subscription to get the VTT.

 

[Deverash]

The fee to unlock the electronic edition of the book has nothing to do with the fee for accessing the VTT. You don't gain access to the VTT by paying the "nominal fee". Rather, you pay for a DDI subscription to get the VTT.

His point, though, remains. If he's not going to be using the electronic version, then if it's included in the cover price, then he's paying for something he'll never use and doesn't want but doesn't have any choice about.

 

[Maggan]

even though WOTC doesn't offer Ebooks for 3.5, suddenly start using BitTorrent once WOTC does decide to offer Ebooks?

WotC are offering pdf versions of some (well, 56 to be exact) of their D&D 3.5 books on http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/index.php?cPath=160.

At those prices, I say "no". I buy the hardbacks already, but I don't want to shell out 30 bucks again for the pdf version.

For a dollar or two? I'll buy the pdf version.

/M

 

[Intrope]

WotC are offering pdf versions of some (well, 56 to be exact) of their D&D 3.5 books on http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/index.php?cPath=160.

At those prices, I say "no". I buy the hardbacks already, but I don't want to shell out 30 bucks again for the pdf version.

For a dollar or two? I'll buy the pdf version.

/M

Amen: at $1-2 dollars, I'll unlock every tome I buy[1]! (well, OK: I won't unlock the two Preview books

It seems well worth it to me: a pdf version, with errata interpolated, and full ability interpolation in the character gen for ~$1.50?

[1] Which is likely to be most of them...

 

[3catcircus]

You mention watermarking and DRM, but this objection only applies to DRM.

How would a watermarked PDF limit your ability to share with your group?

Cheers, -- N

PS: I too hate DRM, but watermarking isn't bad at all. At least, I can't think of anything it prevents me from doing.

True - watermarking generally won't prevent you from sharing with your group, but most of the other types of security will. And - nothing prevents them from watermarking *and* adding DRM features.

 

[3catcircus]

What about the "nominal fee to ensure security by forcing the identification of the registrant" argument?

Security can *always* be broken. Better to just offer choices: the basic book, the "deluxe" book with a pdf on CD included for a few more dollars, and just a pdf for an even cheaper price.

Something along the lines of: $29.99 (or whatever their price point is) for the basic book, add on another $5 for the deluxe book, and charge $3.99 for just a pdf.

I just have a hard spot with the idea that they are currently charging almost book price for their pdfs when it costs them less than a nickel to make a pdf. Sure - they have to spend time and effort laying out the text and graphics, but once the pre-flight stuff is completed, clicking the little Adobe button to distill everything into a pdf is a few minutes of time and a few electrons worth of energy - and they generally have to distill the thing *anyway* in order to prepare things for the printers.

Bottom-line - pdf's are something that they have to do *anyway*, so it isn't like someone is sitting down at a computer and clicking "print to pdf" everytime someone orders a pdf online.

Stick it on a server, charge a few bucks, and sell a bunch of them.

No DRM, no watermarking, no nearly-book price for a pdf.

 

[ThirdWizard]

Something along the lines of: $29.99 (or whatever their price point is) for the basic book, add on another $5 for the deluxe book, and charge $3.99 for just a pdf.

By "deluxe" do you mean with a downloadable pdf? You are aware that the e-book will be about $2, right?

Bottom-line - pdf's are something that they have to do *anyway*, so it isn't like someone is sitting down at a computer and clicking "print to pdf" everytime someone orders a pdf online.

Remember, it also unlocks access to the database on the VTT, which is something that must be maintained with each book release.