Extra Life Is Not Over - More Previews Still Coming If Thresholds Met

Although the 48-hour D&D game is over, Extra Life still continues -- and people can still pledge. WotC's Greg Bilsland dropped me a quick note to say "For folks wondering about the remaining Extra Life previews [of Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide] — we will still release them if we get to our thresholds. Extra Life is through end of the year, so the map may still be released digitally if we get to $100k.... We may still have a few other smaller events before end of year." The remaining items on the list included the Duergar race entry, including subrace traits, and a full, updated, high res, labeled map of the northwest portion of Faerün, from Amn to Icewind Dale, and the Moonshae Isles to the Dalelands.

Here's where you can make your donation! Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide hits store shelves on November 3rd.

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[ad_hoc]

On that note they are up to $87,000.

Go team!

http://www.extra-life.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.team&teamID=21011

 

[timbannock]

Do you think a charity event for sick kids is the appropriate time to be making that argument, even if your argument has merit? You see no issue with making this the focus of your commentary concerning this charity event during the event?

For me, I think any of this should have perhaps best been left to after the charity event has run its course, and any monies that could have been generated for sick kids with this map as incentive had been gathered, prior to arguing why it should instead be given for free to those who buy the books. But that's me.

I chose to speak up because it was pertinent to the issue being discussed by multiple people. If some find it disagreeable or untimely, that is certainly their prerogative, and in point of fact, if someone has a logical counterargument (which some have indeed voiced), I'm open to changing my mind about this subject.

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

No it's not.

The person making the burger and the person handing it to me are, theoretically, being paid enough money such that if I ask them to give me a cup for water, I'm not charged extra for the cup (or the water).

You are equating what I, both as an artist myself and as a gamer that might like to use a map, see as the burger which you have no issue paying the asked price for with the cup of water that, by the way, isn't actually free - the company providing you the cup has simply decided to eat the cost of the cup, and the slight raise in the water bill, or the loss of the soda a shockingly large percentage of the people that ask for a water cup go ahead and get themselves because it's self serve and generally no one bothers to stop them.

That isn't a fair analog, and it is actually a rather insulting one when you get right down to the nitty-gritty of how you are insisting the item is so needed that you don't want to do without it, but you still don't think it is worth you paying for it.

I'm not asking for freely available maps in all cases. I'm asking for freely available maps ONCE I buy the product.

If you buy a book the map in question is in, you have only bought that, and are not in any way entitled to also get other versions that you might find more useful without actually paying for them too.

But really, that just comes down to what you bought being freely available to you just as you expect, but what you want not actually being what you bought.

 

[graves3141]

I think people in general just need to chill out a bit and not make such a big deal out of everything. The FR map mentioned in this thread was going to be free anyway once a certain amount of money had been raised and had the charity event continued on course for just another day or two, we would all have the map on our computers already. So, why not just make it free anyway?

If this opinion offends you to the point where you feel it's necessary to stop what you're doing and dedicate entire posts to why you think this makes me an entitled person, please feel free to do so. I'm good with it.

 

[Uchawi]

If they meet the goal, then everyone lucks out, otherwise if I need a more detailed map then I would be willing to purchase it via hardcopy or digital at a nominal price. At whatever the RPG market views as fair value for similar supplements.

But I have no need for FR maps with what is already available for free digitally. I have a box full of old FR maps, water deep, etc. and I never used them. A map of the continent with major cities and countries is sufficient.

 

[Mistwell]

...had the charity event continued on course for just another day or two...

Psst. The charity is ongoing. For the entire month. So good news, YOU can still contribute to it!

 

[timbannock]

If you buy a book the map in question is in, you have only bought that, and are not in any way entitled to also get other versions that you might find more useful without actually paying for them too.

But really, that just comes down to what you bought being freely available to you just as you expect, but what you want not actually being what you bought.

Which is why I started my argument with the note that a precedent had been set by WOTC to provide maps previously, in many (if not all) cases. For years.

I'll add to that: they also provided art galleries for each of their product releases for two editions, which occurred over many years. More than just maps, there.

And stop making the artists out to be poor sods that I'm trampling on. My argument is predicated on the idea that the artist is compensated properly for their work.

 

[discosoc]

I'm with [MENTION=54629]pukunui[/MENTION] on this: you want the fruit of many hours of an artist's labor, you pay for it.

These maps aren't just sketches the artist whipped out in one afternoon, and it is ridiculous to treat them as such by demanding them given to you free.

Generally, the artist has already been paid commission. It's not like we're asking for fluff pictures or anything. An actual map is kind of an important thing to have access to for a setting, especially when there's so much confusion about the state of the world anyway (spell plague).

Should the artist be paid? Absolutely. By Wizards of the Coast.

 

[discosoc]

If the map is included in the book, you aren't paying "extra" for it, and you can go ahead and show it to your players or even make a copy just like you do for character sheets (even if express permission isn't given, you are likely not going to be chased down by WotC or the artist for showing a copy around your table).

The high res, independent digital map file is an entirely different thing, and that you may have been given such a thing for free in the past is entirely irrelevant to whether it is still a thing within the bounds of what WotC can do.

Demanding free independent maps in high resolution digital format, instead of being willing to give the artist a few dollars for one, is like insisting that McDonald's not be able to put a price higher than $0.50 on a cheeseburger because that is what the price used to be, even though it doesn't at all match to the current power of the dollar.

Hi resolution is needed because that's what devices support. Releasing a 800x600 map that will look blurry as crap on an ipad or similar device is basically pointless. This idea that we're asking for a premium product for free or something skirts the fact that it's not "premium" at all; we just want something that's useful. Or they could start printing the poster size folded maps like they used to, although it's kind of archaic in this day and age.

 

[pukunui]

Which is why I started my argument with the note that a precedent had been set by WOTC to provide maps previously, in many (if not all) cases. For years.

I'll add to that: they also provided art galleries for each of their product releases for two editions, which occurred over many years. More than just maps, there.

Yes, and the art and maps WotC used to provide for free were mostly tiny, low-res images that weren't much use to anybody.