So about those "electronic" titles we were promised.

[Jester David]

Despite the vast, vast majority of gamers not attending conventions, WotC still likes to leave their big announcements for Con season and during panels. It made sense in a pre-Internet era when that was the best way to address a wide audience all at once but seems silly now. Especially as their new product announcements keep being spoiled by Amazon, often months prior (see the aforementioned Lords of Waterdeep expansion).

With no DDXP this year, all eyes turn to Winter Fantasy 2013 (January 24-27, 2013 in Fort Wayne, IN). I imagine we'll hear all about their 2013 releases then. And that'll likely be where they announce news on digital books, if any.

 

[Therise]

I've been waiting for news of PDFs also. I purchased quite a lot of PDFs - not just D&D, but all sorts of things - from Paizo and RPGNow. I still use the ones I've bought, makes things easy for gaming and I don't have to drag heavy real-book libraries around.

I don't mind "watermarks" or top/bottom account name-labeling, but any copy-protection beyond that which requires me to jump extra hoops (like a captcha or something) would put me off buying. It's a game, after all, not military secrets. Plus, from what I understand, any newly invented copy protection gets broken within days. Pirates will always find some crazy new way to break things open, since they like the challenge probably even more than they want the "stuff" they're pirating.

Personally, I think people define something as "piracy" way too quickly these days. Back in the day, I'd photocopy blank character sheets and other stuff from AD&D manuals, or paste different maps together, all sorts of things. Many were intended to be used this way, as part of gaming. I'd also borrow a book or magazine to preview it before buying - sometimes from a friend, sometimes just looking something over in a store.

Back in the day, I'd also make mix-tapes from songs recorded off the radio, and I'd often VCR some of my favorite weekly shows. But cassettes and VCR tapes are now in the dinosaur graveyard... and along with them, my ability to sample things went with it. So I rarely end up buying DVDs or Blu-Rays of TV shows. No real way to share things, either, if you have a DVR, unless you've got some fancy tech and skills.

How many people who share things are actually "pirating" or stealing? Very few, I'd imagine. People always want to peruse things before they buy. And if they don't buy, you'd never have made money from them anyway. These days, if I can't sample something first, by borrowing it from a friend or at least flipping through it in a gaming store or library, I probably won't even see it. Honestly, I wonder when corporations will start going after city libraries, they seem so paranoid about squeezing every penny they can out of people. I think they're shooting themselves in the feet, really, because research shows that sharing often dramatically increases a fanbase and increases purchases.

 

[DEFCON 1]

If the re-release of the previous editions in hardcover and now the upcoming A series of modules (with the Giants series apparently further behind)... it seems to me that they're going more in the printed route for old product at this point in time than the PDF route.

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

(snip) Personally, I think people define something as "piracy" way too quickly these days. Back in the day, I'd photocopy blank character sheets and other stuff from AD&D manuals, or paste different maps together, all sorts of things. Many were intended to be used this way, as part of gaming. I'd also borrow a book or magazine to preview it before buying - sometimes from a friend, sometimes just looking something over in a store. (snip)

I started AD&D with photocopies of the books. That's all I could afford for a time in my early teends but then I bought everything in sight once I had an income. Yes, it was piracy but I've been a customer for 30+ years so it's worked out OK for TSR/WotC.

I do think, however, that the current WotC approach is completely and utterly mindless. Now, that's a fairly strong expression so before the mods slap me for it just let me explain.

Let's compare and contrast WotC with Paizo.

WotC doesn't sell PDFs anymore because the lawyers, presumably, won the internal argument that selling PDFs encourages piracy. The net effect: PDFs are not available for legitimate sale but practically the full library of every edition is available for free and easy download on the 'net.

Paizo, by contrast, sells PDFs. They also have sensible pricing on some of their PDFs. Are they pirated? Yes, but to a much lesser extent. And why is that? Because they not only build some really clever security features into their PDFs but they scour the internet on a daily basis to make sure that pirated copies are taken down ASAP.

WotC has simply not followed through and I am grateful for that because I can get PDF copies of the books I have bought - yes, I buy the books - without having to waste my valuable time scanning them. Thanks, WotC! You've saved me money because before I bought the PDF also.

 

[Sonny]

Well, I hope they start giving information on their electronic media plans soon. I don't buy many physical products for rpgs anymore. Buying PDF's and reading them/using them on my tablets is just too convenient. Paizo has definitely done right by it's customers with their system.

In fact, most rpg companies have done a great job with electronic distribution. It's time for WoTC to step up. Here's hoping their offerings later this year will be up to snuff.

 

[Therise]

I started AD&D with photocopies of the books. That's all I could afford for a time in my early teends but then I bought everything in sight once I had an income. Yes, it was piracy but I've been a customer for 30+ years so it's worked out OK for TSR/WotC.

Honestly, what you just described, I don't consider that piracy. First, you copied it... it's not like you actually stole the books off a shelf. Second, you didn't sell your copies, so it was for your personal use in gaming. Third, the borrowing/copying you did then led to decades of actual purchases. I don't see a single thing wrong there. Remember also, when the AD&D books first came out, they didn't expect every single player to buy/invest into a complete set of books, and many things were designed to be copied and shared.

In this new day and age, lawyers and corporations want us to believe that sharing = piracy, that sharing = stealing. But 95% of the time, it's not. It's just a case if personal use, in a game that is fostered by sharing and cooperative play. Imagine if we lost our public libraries, or were required to buy memberships to get through public library pay-walls for simple things like novels or journals.

I do think, however, that the current WotC approach is completely and utterly mindless. Now, that's a fairly strong expression so before the mods slap me for it just let me explain.

Let's compare and contrast WotC with Paizo.

WotC doesn't sell PDFs anymore because the lawyers, presumably, won the internal argument that selling PDFs encourages piracy. The net effect: PDFs are not available for legitimate sale but practically the full library of every edition is available for free and easy download on the 'net.

Paizo, by contrast, sells PDFs. They also have sensible pricing on some of their PDFs. Are they pirated? Yes, but to a much lesser extent. And why is that? Because they not only build some really clever security features into their PDFs but they scour the internet on a daily basis to make sure that pirated copies are taken down ASAP.

WotC has simply not followed through and I am grateful for that because I can get PDF copies of the books I have bought - yes, I buy the books - without having to waste my valuable time scanning them. Thanks, WotC! You've saved me money because before I bought the PDF also.

I do like the Paizo approach as well. I like having my books at home, for times when I want to sit and read something physical. But when I'm actually gaming with others, I much prefer having PDFs or other types of electronic versions on my iPad or laptop. I can quickly search things, don't have to fumble with 4-12 books and possibly spill things all over them, and best of all I can travel light to the DM's house.

Back in the days of AD&D, especially when I was DMing, I had to carry a ton of books around for reference and player use. PDFs are something the electronic age did correctly. Even for work, I love getting electronic journals and books online. I can take a break at a coffee shop and read my science journals... I can take a library of things with me to a conference, all on a tiny iPad or even my phone. Best of all, if I need to send something to a colleague for collaboration, editing, or content review, it's far better sending a PDF or doc than going through the hassle of photocopying something and shipping it via regular mail, or hoofing it.

 

[El Mahdi]

deleted

 

[Alzrius]

Until recently, I didn't have the shelf-space available for more print products (yay for eight beautiful new bookshelves!), so I relied heavily on PDFs; hence, WotC's pulling their back-catalogue of PDF products (crappy scans though they were) was, to me, a major catastrophe.

What's been odd to me since then isn't so much WotC's reason for doing so (the "piracy" excuse is so insane that I can't help but feel that it's disingenuous), but rather their complete lack of any desire to get back into digital publishing. It's like everyone who works there, or at least makes decisions on that level, is simply convinced that digital publishing is either a fad, or bad news, and that the best course of action is to ignore it.

What are they thinking???

 

[The Little Raven]

WotC doesn't sell PDFs anymore because the lawyers, presumably, won the internal argument that selling PDFs encourages piracy. The net effect: PDFs are not available for legitimate sale but practically the full library of every edition is available for free and easy download on the 'net.

The incident that made WotC stop selling PDFs was a case of crappy pirates being crappy at piracy. The day PHB2 was released, copies of it appeared on torrents... complete with all of the watermarks and security information showing that it came from DriveThruRPG and who the buyers (and original pirates) were.

Stupid people ruined it for us all.

 

[Blackbrrd]

I don't want PDF's.

PDF's are useful for printing, but lousy for reading on a smartphone, tablet and so on. Instead I want a digital format like epub where you are ment to change the font size yourself.

This is especially true for modules which would be so much easier to run if they were made in a better format than the age old "page" format. A format where you could flick through the mobs in the encounter and not have them bog down the encounter text with lots of stats.