WotC puts a stop to online sales of PDFs

[MerricB]

Interesting comments from Ryan Dancey:

See his later comment:

I think the root cause is the end of classic D&D style tabletop roleplaying as a viable business in its current format. There are two paths forward - abandon it and leave RPG play to the internet and non-commercial interests, or hybridize it and find a way to bring technology to the tabletop and make it new for the future. The longer WotC trys to stay with a dead format the more stress they will put the business through. I don't think 4E, per se, had any effect on this at all, positive or negative.

Obviously, this applies to the entire RPG industry whether you're White Wolf, Paizo or Mongoose: by Ryan's reading, it's a dead format unless you go to a computer-enabled model.

Cheers!

 

[xechnao]

I fully suspected watermarked PDFs weren't just visible ones but invisible ones as well.

Perhaps that's why Wizards might be pulling the PDFs. They probably know once this gets out a lot of pirates might be aware of the watermark and work on expunging it. So they might want to now move to a new system of protection.

Just a thought.

Well that would be rude to the rest of the industry. But I would find more probable they would be thinking on cutting on retailer costs or eliminating pdf distribution at this point for different reasons (mentioned earlier).

 

[xechnao]

See his later comment:



Obviously, this applies to the entire RPG industry whether you're White Wolf, Paizo or Mongoose: by Ryan's reading, it's a dead format unless you go to a computer-enabled model.

Cheers!

Nah, I would not take it this way. What he says it applies to the mediums or highs of D&D scale as we know from its history. Or anything Hasbro could be bothered with regarding also the value of the tabletop D&D brand name.

 

[Lanfranc]

Obviously, this applies to the entire RPG industry whether you're White Wolf, Paizo or Mongoose: by Ryan's reading, it's a dead format unless you go to a computer-enabled model.

I think he's right about that. When I look at the gaming table of one of my game group, we all use things like virtual tabletops, electronic character sheets, PDF files, and so on. As GM, all my notes and such are in Excel files and databases. Sometimes we play by VoIP if we can't meet up in RL. My other group is a bit more old-school, but moving in the same direction. I'm sure that RPGs will be increasingly computerized, and Wizard's move here is a step in the completely wrong direction - not least because it suggests that they might not be entirely in touch with what's happening out here in the gaming groups.

 

[Odhanan]

Obviously, this applies to the entire RPG industry whether you're White Wolf, Paizo or Mongoose: by Ryan's reading, it's a dead format unless you go to a computer-enabled model.

Cheers!

I see how you can get to that conclusion Merric.

I don't think it's the case, however.

 

[El Mahdi]

For those who don't believe people will follow through with the whole "Last Straw" thing ... even though there have been posts from a few others that have also said they cancelled their DDI accounts ... (I'm looking at you -O) ...



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Besides the cancellation of my DDI account, I will also no longer visit the WotC site, period. I will patiently await the day when the D&D brand no longer belongs to WotC, though I do realize it may never happen. But, until then, or possibly forever, I will continue to play and enjoy MY D&D.


OGL FOREVER!


signed, former WotC customer - Mark "El Mahdi" Armstrong




P.S.: I wonder if an OGL adaptation or version of 4E would be possible?

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Obviously, this applies to the entire RPG industry whether you're White Wolf, Paizo or Mongoose: by Ryan's reading, it's a dead format unless you go to a computer-enabled model.

"Dead format" doesn't necessarily mean the product. You can also change the format of your business model.

Monte Cook, for example, will be able to publish tabletop RPGs for as long as he wants, collaborating with like-minded creatives, and they'll all do just fine.

"Dead format" seems to assume that table-top RPGs are a failure unless you can justify forming a corporation, renting out offices, hiring administrators, staffing up a Human Resources department, etc.

I think the days of looking at table-top RPGs as a commodity as opposed to an art form are probably over, yes.

 

[Brown Jenkin]

Interesting comments from Ryan Dancey:



From RPGPundit's blog.

Well that certainly wasn't a reaction WotC probably thought was coming. That kind of analysys by someone as big name as Ryan Dancey can't be good PR.

 

[MerricB]

Well that certainly wasn't a reaction WotC probably thought was coming. That kind of analysys by someone as big name as Ryan Dancey can't be good PR.

Gary Gygax hated the OGL and didn't think much of 3e either. Didn't stop it being really successful.

Cheers!

 

[NMcCoy]

Perhaps that's why Wizards might be pulling the PDFs. They probably know once this gets out a lot of pirates might be aware of the watermark and work on expunging it.

Now that's the most logical interpretation of this I've seen yet. (Which is not to say it was a good move, but it's a clear potential motive.) This court case will potentially involve revealing details of the watermarking system, and thus quite possibly make them easier to circumvent. WotC hypothetically views this as "our PDFs will no longer be safe now that this case has been filed, so we shouldn't leave them out there". Definitely food for thought.