D&D 5E PDFs and Next

[Dark Mistress]

Personally, I don't care at all if a PDF is available. I strongly prefer real books, especially for gaming. None of the "advantages" are particularly compelling for me either. It seems to be a non-issue for most folks I know from places other than internet forums as well.

I do hope that all of you that like them get what you want, though.

I think piracy concerns are a very legitimate concern as well. I had an idea to combat them that I thought I'd run by the folks here both for usability by legitimate customers and for resistance to piracy. (I'm a professional techy but I know very little about current piracy methods and technologies)

So what about a standalone iPad app that works like current 4E online rules access? You can look up anything you want on it with either keyword search or tree format, but it shows at most sections of the book, not full chapters, to make copying the whole thing en masse slightly more difficult. It's formatted for viewing on the iPad, but doesn't allow capture or printing of content. There is additional dynamic content that can't be easily copied to a pdf like example videos, sound effects, random table result generators, and so on. The whole thing runs thin-client fashion from WOTC's servers, so you never have the whole book stored locally on you machine.

Couple of problems, for one it sounds like if it is ran client side from WotC that would mean you would need internet to access it. That would be a no go for me.

Secondly the bold part would also be a major issue for me and defeat part of the reason I want PDF's. A example I am running a PFRPG right now. I copied all the monster stat blocks from the adventure/Bestiary into a doc. Listed the encounter location and number in order with the full monster stat block listed. Then I print out said sheet and take it to the games. When the PC's fight the monsters I can just use a pencil to mark out the monsters HP and write the new number next to it. So it makes it a handy quick reference doc and scratch paper to keep track of the monster during the fight at the same time.

Any electronic product would need to allow me to do those two things or I wouldn't be interested personally.

 

[Steely_Dan]

PDFs are fine, i personally like hardcopy, so I can always print it out.

 

[Agamon]

The One Ring pdf has just been pulled from RPGNow, and apparently everywhere else. And Tolkien is spinning in the grave...

You really should have to pass the ignorant Luddite exam in order to pass the bar.

 

[Steely_Dan]

And Tolkien is spinning in the grave...

Even worse than that, Guillermo Del Toro is not (as we all knew from long ago) going to direct The Hobbit, and Jackson wants to make it a trilogy...oh, and Thorin has no beard...

 

[billd91]

The One Ring pdf has just been pulled from RPGNow, and apparently everywhere else. And Tolkien is spinning in the grave...

You really should have to pass the ignorant Luddite exam in order to pass the bar.

From the look of things I've read, this isn't so much about ignorance as it may be about licensing. Considering all of their other PDFs are still up, it's certainly not Cubicle 7 trying to stem the tide of piracy.

 

[Agamon]

From the look of things I've read, this isn't so much about ignorance as it may be about licensing. Considering all of their other PDFs are still up, it's certainly not Cubicle 7 trying to stem the tide of piracy.

Yeah, it's his estate, not C7, I should have pointed that out better.

 

[Agamon]

Even worse than that, Guillermo Del Toro is not (as we all knew from long ago) going to direct The Hobbit, and Jackson wants to make it a trilogy...oh, and Thorin has no beard...

Not to derail, but I don't have a problem with artistic licence.

 

[billd91]

Yeah, it's his estate, not C7, I should have pointed that out better.

And it's probably not even Tolkien's estate. If it's anything in the entertainment media, it's probably Saul Zaentz's Middle Earth Enterprises.

 

[Steely_Dan]

Yeah, it's his estate

Yes, that Sam Tolkien...

 

[Steely_Dan]

Not to derail, but I don't have a problem with artistic licence.

Yes, we can't have dwarves with beards, what will the 15-year old girl demographic do with that?!