D&D 5E Where are the PDFs?

[M.L. Martin]

I'm not surprised there wasn't a PDF release yesterday. I am surprised there hasn't been any news about PDFs, especially at GenCon.

Given WotC's strongly pro-FLGS policy, I would not be at all surprised to see them adopt a policy similar to that of Pelgrane Press, where the PDF release comes a month after the printed book so as to avoid cannibalizing print sales too heavily. But the lack of any news on the matter is disturbing.

Heck, the lack of any news about future plans out of GenCon is disturbing. Did they say anything about what's happening after Tyranny of Dragons?

 

[Bugleyman]

I have to say... the way you're expressing this comes across slightly hysterical. Sorry.

No apology necessary. Though I'm more exasperated and dumbfounded than I am hysterical. Did they learn nothing from 4E?

 

[Bugleyman]

I'm not surprised there wasn't a PDF release yesterday. I am surprised there hasn't been any news about PDFs, especially at GenCon.

Given WotC's strongly pro-FLGS policy, I would not be at all surprised to see them adopt a policy similar to that of Pelgrane Press, where the PDF release comes a month after the printed book so as to avoid cannibalizing print sales too heavily. But the lack of any news on the matter is disturbing.

Heck, the lack of any news about future plans out of GenCon is disturbing. Did they say anything about what's happening after Tyranny of Dragons?

Given that I buy both anyway, I'd have absolutely zero problem with that. But I agree...the silence does not bode well. Frankly, I think it's a pretty good sign that the (empty) suits are still ultimately in charge.

 

[Bugleyman]

Also, my Internet connection is super flaky, and I seem to have double-posted. Any way to get these threads merged?

 

[MerricB]

No apology necessary. Though I'm more exasperated and dumbfounded than I am hysterical. Did they learn nothing from 4E?

Oh, they certainly did: if they make the PDF available, people will put them up on file-sharing sites.

Because that's what happened with the 4E core rules pdfs. Wizards instituted several lawsuits about it. They then pulled *all* pdfs.

That we have pdfs at all these days required a lot of work within Wizards before the people who mattered there were convinced it would work.

 

[Bugleyman]

Oh, they certainly did: if they make the PDF available, people will put them up on file-sharing sites.

Because that's what happened with the 4E core rules pdfs. Wizards instituted several lawsuits about it. They then pulled *all* pdfs.

That we have pdfs at all these days required a lot of work within Wizards before the people who mattered there were convinced it would work.

Please. They're going to be on file-sharing sites anyway. All not selling them does is screw over people who won't pirate them.

If they haven't figured this out yet, the "people who matter" don't have a clue.

 

[fjw70]

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Please. They're going to be on file-sharing sites anyway. All not selling them does is screw over people who won't pirate them.

If they haven't figured this out yet, the "people who matter" don't have a clue.

They will have ebooks available through DungeonScape so PDFs are very unlikely.

 

[bogmad]

If they haven't figured this out yet, the "people who matter" don't have a clue.

Isn't this always the case though?

[I feel like my signature should have some Dead Kennedy's lyrics or something]

 

[pkt77242]

Please. They're going to be on file-sharing sites anyway. All not selling them does is screw over people who won't pirate them.

If they haven't figured this out yet, the "people who matter" don't have a clue.

I think it is rather funny that you don't think that they have a clue just because you want a PDF. There are many reason to not sell PDFs (maybe they didn't sell well in 4E and led to significant pirating, maybe the majority of would be PDF buyers buy physical books when there is no PDF, etc). Just because you want a PDF doesn't make it a good business decision for them.

 

[Bugleyman]

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They will have ebooks available through DungeonScape so PDFs are very unlikely.

Their books, their choice. That just means that D&D (again) becoming my system of choice is also very unlikely.