Holy sheepdip - wotc to republish old editions

[IronWolf]

Dragon and Dungeon are still pdfs you can download and keep, but I think that's all you will have from DDI now when your subscription is over.

I thought they stopped offering PDFS Of the mags as well and switched to an article release method of distribution?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

So your willingly putting yourself into a no compromise situation.
Personally if WotC were to do all this behind the DDI I would treat it much like I would my Costco/Sam's/BJ's membership. I pay an annual fee to have access to their store.

WotC's/Hasbro's major concern has to be their bottom line.

By throwing out there the option of their pushed revenue stream providing possibly more customers, we gain some leverage in the fact they might be willing to bend and bring back some of the older editions.

Both sides give some in this method.
But a steadfast refusal just lets them put you into the not going to be a customer file.

Whereas some compromise might convince them to meet us half-way.

Compromise doesn't mean capitulating to something you find unacceptable.

There is nothing wrong in refusing to support a certain format or business model.

I have a similar position to the one you cited: I have zero interest in DDI, in subscription models that leave me with no physical product, and so forth. And I have several reasons for it (that need not be gone into here).

Do I resent WotC for it? Not in the least. I think its probably good business. Hell, if I were doing a startup in the industry today, I'd try to emulate what they're doing to a certain extent.

Am I resigned to possibly being "not a customer" because I personally have no desire to use pdfs or online devices at my table? Yes.

I'm the same way about music purchases. I'm an Entertainment lawyer, and I have thousands and thousands of CDs, as well as releases in other formats. I own zero mp3s...and have no desire to purchase any. At some point, CD's will go the way of the LP* and most of music releases will be in mp3 (or similar) format only.

I routinely advise clients to maximize their use of electronic media formats.

And I won't be buying 'em...nor will I subscribe to XM or the like.










* which, BTW, was the biggest growth segment of the music industry in 2010, growing almost 40%...to comprise 1.5% of the total market.

 

[BriarMonkey]

Way back in the before times, I had picked up these neat book covers from Chaosium to go on my AD & D hardcovers. They were vinyl. They stuck - litterally - over the years and now I can't take them off without leaving a horrid sticky residue on the books... <sad face>

So, if WotC does physical reprints, or allows for PoD, then I would definitely pick up new copies of my books. However, if they instead "rent" access to the books via DDI, then count me out. I shouldn't have to be tethered to the interwebs to play my game.

 

[IronWolf]

Way back in the before times, I had picked up these neat book covers from Chaosium to go on my AD & D hardcovers. They were vinyl. They stuck - litterally - over the years and now I can't take them off without leaving a horrid sticky residue on the books... <sad face>

Were those the grey vinyl covers? I think I had some of those back in the day...

 

[JeffB]

S
Personally if WotC were to do all this behind the DDI I would treat it much like I would my Costco/Sam's/BJ's membership. I pay an annual fee to have access to their store..

But everything I buy at Costco I get to take home, use and keep, or throw away or whatever the heck I want to do with it.

If WOTC was to offer this- a "members fee" for 6 months, and I could download and KEEP everything after my subscription ran out (i.e. not rent, like current DDI) I'd be OK with that.

But I still want POD of some type- as long as I am wishing

 

[francisca]

No way in hell I'd pony up for DDI, even for access to old-school D&D stuff.

I've no need to compromise. I own several copies of the AD&D core books, and I've cut apart the MM and PHB, scanned them, and now have PDFs which print really well (no, you can't have a copy, don't ask, I didn't do this to share with random jokers on the net.) I'm working on the DMG now, and will move on to the FF, MMII, UA, and D&DG when I'm done.

And there is always OSRIC.

WotC lost me as a customer of their RPGs years ago, and no amount of nostalgia on the part of Mearls, nor putting the PDFs of old editions back online would get me back, let alone some rented copy of the old material on DDI.

Look, I understand how compelling the subscription-based business model is for WotC, and I'm not fundamentally opposed to the model, or the idea of "licensing" things or services on a pay-per-month or pay-per-access basis. But for this particular type of product (table-top RPGs), and my particular situation (shelves stocked full, and electronic copies of key components) it's a non-starter for me as a customer. This isn't limited to WotC/D&D, either. I wouldn't pony up for a month sub to play any TTRPG such as Pathfinder, or Classic Traveller, etc..

 

[BriarMonkey]

Were those the grey vinyl covers? I think I had some of those back in the day...

Black, with various artwork, in white, on the front (like the symbol of Chaos). They were really nice new, but they definitely did not hold up to the test of time...

 

[Voadam]

I thought they stopped offering PDFS Of the mags as well and switched to an article release method of distribution?

My understanding is that they still offer Dungeon and Dragon individual article pdfs. They are erratically putting out individual article pdfs and not compiled magazine pdfs the way they were before but since they are pdfs you download you still physically have the ones you downloaded if you end your subscription.

I ended my DDI subscription a while ago when it went from pay for updates to tools you own to pay to rent access. I haven't been really been back to the website since so I can't say for sure whether the current pdf articles are still classified as Dungeon and Dragon magazine stuff or whether they are now just articles.

 

[IronWolf]

My understanding is that they still offer Dungeon and Dragon individual article pdfs. They are erratically putting out individual article pdfs and not compiled magazine pdfs the way they were before but since they are pdfs you download you still physically have the ones you downloaded if you end your subscription.

Ah! Gotcha. While not my idea of a digital magazine it would provide a means for you to keep articles after your subscription was ended.

Thanks for the info!

 

[El Mahdi]

No way in hell I'd pony up for DDI, even for access to old-school D&D stuff...

...WotC lost me as a customer of their RPGs years ago, and no amount of nostalgia on the part of Mearls, nor putting the PDFs of old editions back online would get me back, let alone some rented copy of the old material on DDI.

Look, I understand how compelling the subscription-based business model is for WotC, and I'm not fundamentally opposed to the model, or the idea of "licensing" things or services on a pay-per-month or pay-per-access basis. But for this particular type of product (table-top RPGs), and my particular situation (shelves stocked full, and electronic copies of key components) it's a non-starter for me as a customer. This isn't limited to WotC/D&D, either. I wouldn't pony up for a month sub to play any TTRPG such as Pathfinder, or Classic Traveller, etc..

I understand how you feel, and if WotC does a "rent" model I'll be in the same position as you - done with WotC.

For me though, if WotC does this in a fair manner, they'll have me back. Even though I don't specificaly play 4E, I did buy the original 3-book set and a couple of the first adventures. And I would have continued to buy adventures, and I would have bought the Essentials stuff, if it hadn't have been for WotC's atrocious treatment of their customer base, culminating in the pdf fiasco.

But, I do understand the need and desire for a subscription system - it's a consistent and guaranteed revenue stream - but renting earlier edtition books while new edition stuff can be owned, that's just not fair. I would think it's just about guaranteed to fail as far as bringing back old customers.

Paying a subscription for an online compendium of older editions - Yes.
Paying a subscription for online tools for older editions - Yes.
Paying a subscription for an online magazine with (even occasional) older edition content - Yes.
Paying a subscription for access to an online store where I can buy pdf's - I don't like it, but I understand it, so Yes.
POD of older edition books - Yes.

Renting Books - Not a chance in Hell.