4ed PDFs - Are you still getting the books?

[Zulithe]

I did download them and read through a lot of the content. No matter how much people want to cry and moan about legalities, people download all sorts of things they shouldn't on the internet. It's very, very common. I don't feel bad about it, because I still support musicians, authors and other content providers about as often as I would without doing so. The difference being, the ability to preview content in this way helps influence what I decide is worth my money, and what isn't. And it allows me very easily sample new books, music, etc., that I may otherwise have never discovered, and so I can support those as well.

I pre-ordered my 4e gift set on amazon months ago and after viewing the PDFs I definitely won't be canceling. My biggest complaint, which is rather trivial in the greater scheme of things, is the reuse of art in the manuals. I was hoping for ALL-new art and instead it looks like we'll be getting mostly-new art instead. But I'll live. In fact, I'm just as excited (if not more so), to get them in my hands now than ever.

I can't tell you how eager I am to launch the D&DI apps and fiddle around with the tools and play 4e with people all around the world. Now I just hope those tools live up to my expectations, and we'll be good to go.

 

[am181d]

I don't want to dive into the whole illegal downloading debate, but I do want to say that I can't reasonably repeat what I did with 3e, which is to buy lots and lots of physical product. I have hundreds, probably thousands of dollars worth of 3e books that I don't expect I'll ever use again, and even when I was using them, it was a pain because of the sheer number of books I was working between.

On top of that, I game in two states these days, and I need my collection to be mobile. The DDI is part of the solution, but I would much prefer to have well-scanned PDFs (which I can use online or off-) -- generally in lieu of physical books, but certainly in addition. I'd be happy to pay WotC for these PDFs (probably up to 50% if I'm also getting the physicals, maybe up to full price if I'm only getting the PDF).

Honestly, I'd rather NOT have a physical copy of anything beyond the core books, so I can save space for minis, terrain, etc.

 

[Uruush]

I wasn't planning on picking up 4th Edition, at least not for another year or so, but having previewed the materials, I am sold and have put in my order to Amazon. I buy ten times the stuff I used to buy since bittorrent, and I suspect a lot of others are in the same boat. The designers of this edition deserve our support and then some. I'm going to be able to convert other fence-sitters and I'm sure they'll put down their money too.

 

[Kraydak]

Given my gaming group set-up (mass exodus scheduled for soon, apropos, anyone know what my odds of finding an english language gaming group in Stockholm would be?), the PDFs have pushed me to not buying the books immediately. Not because I now have the text, but rather because significant potential errata have already been raised AND I don't have a pressing need=I get to wait for a later printing that might fix some of the issues. And *WOW*, search functions ARE THE WIN. I never realized. If future releases don't come with PDF copies, I will pirate without shame.

*mutter* move the magic items to the DMG so you can fit more than 13 Wondrous Items (yes, I know that a lot of 3e wondrous items are in explicit arm/hand/head/waist sections, but still, NO epic tier Wondrous Items?!), and maybe use the space to add a few Epic Destinies and Rituals. There aren't nearly enough of either. I agree that in an ideal world the magic items would be in the PHB, but an ideal world doesn't have to sweat page-counts. *mutter*

 

[abeattie]

Until they make a computer that is comfortable to read on the toilet, I do not see this day happening.

Dude.. not to get into TMI, but Laptop + small table in bathroom == ?

 

[caudor]

PDF's are fine, but nothing beats a physical book for me. Also, there's no such thing as a "new PDF smell". I know I can't be the only one who enjoys the smell of new rulebooks.

And I thought I was the only one who smelled (and enjoyed) new books. There is something about that smell that is so nice...

 

[Family]

Yuo forgot to include a category for this guy:

 

[hong]

Dude.. not to get into TMI, but Laptop + small table in bathroom == ?

DO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH DRAGONBORN BREASTS?

 

[Venator]

Got the pdf. Will most absolutely positively get the books - and would have done so with or without pdfs.

yup.

 

[mjukglass]

Everybody I know of downloading the PDF already had the giftset or players preordered.