A question for PDF buyers.

[Griffonsec]

I'm not some publisher fishing for free market feedback or anything, just curious about something.

A lot of the discussion around book costs centers around production values. Hard cover, full color books sell better, so people make them, but they also tend to cost more, as they cost a bit more to produce.

My question, however, is how necesary are those production values in your eyes? Sure, for a nice print product you want it to be visually appealing, but would you buy a good book, for a bargain basement price, if it was a PDF only and included no substantial art?

To whit, given the choice between to PDFs with identical content, say 200 pages of good rules and/or setting material, would you be more likey to buy the one that cost $20 and featured decent, but not spectacular art, the one that cost $5 with no art at all, or one that cost $35 with art from industry leaders?

 

[tetsujin28]

I actually prefer PDFs to include a pretty version for viewing on-screen, and a printer-friendly, low-art version.

So put me squarely in the $5 camp. If I want pretty, I'll buy a hard copy.

The most important production value, IMHO, is editing. Editing, editing, editing.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

My question, however, is how necesary are those production values in your eyes? Sure, for a nice print product you want it to be visually appealing, but would you buy a good book, for a bargain basement price, if it was a PDF only and included no substantial art?

I sure would, and have.

To whit, given the choice between to PDFs with identical content, say 200 pages of good rules and/or setting material, would you be more likey to buy the one that cost $20 and featured decent, but not spectacular art, the one that cost $5 with no art at all, or one that cost $35 with art from industry leaders?

In order of preference: $5, $20, $35.

I would almost certainly not pay $35 for a pdf, unless there was something extraordinary about it - and it would take more than top-notch art and 200 pages for it to be extraordinary to me. $20 seems to be about my very top-end for a pdf; I don't think I've paid that much for one yet. $5? At that low a price, I've given many things a try I would never have bought otherwise.

Art is important, but it has much more importance to me in the context of an actual printed book.

 

[Kheti sa-Menik]

Art is for the rubes...you want art, go to a museum.
An RPG book, whether PDF or printed book form, needs content not pretty pictures.

 

[Kamard]

Art is for the rubes...you want art, go to a museum.
An RPG book, whether PDF or printed book form, needs content not pretty pictures.

Seconded.

 

[Roudi]

I buy what's useful to me. Art & presentation certainly helps, and I definitely appreciate it.

 

[tetsujin28]

I agree that art is an essential part of rpgs. However, it eats up printer ink.

 

[Wraith Form]

I actually prefer PDFs to include a pretty version for viewing on-screen, and a printer-friendly, low-art version.

So put me squarely in the $5 camp. If I want pretty, I'll buy a hard copy.

The most important production value, IMHO, is editing. Editing, editing, editing.

Exactly. I couldn't have said it better, so I didn't bother to. (LOL)

Oh, did he mention editing?

I will also say this: I would MUCH prefer dead tree format, as non-forward looking and Luddite-ish as that may seem (and believe me, I LOOOOOOOOVE computers & electronic documents). Something about the feel of the paper in my hands, and the ability to bring the book into bed without lugging along a laptop, is just better (IMO).

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

As Task Force games proved, all you need IN a rulebook is rules.

However, as the markets have proved, for something to sell, you need to get the consumer's attention. Good cover art is one way to do it.

Interior illustrations, while not neccessary, can definitely add value to the product. I know of at least 20 Paladins directly inspired from Pg23 of the 1st Edition AD&D PHB- Sunderland's "A Paladin in Hell" illustration.

 

[micromaximum]

I think artwork can add a lot of value to a product. However, nothing annoys me more than generic or poor quality artwork used to break-up the flow of text or to pad out the page count of a product. Good artwork inspires the imagination, but bad artwork is just an eyesore.

Cover artwork can be really important. There are a few products I might have considered buying if not for the initial impression I felt upon viewing the cheap cover artwork. I wouldn't ignore a product that received a lot of good reviews, but a lot of products aren't heavily reviewed these days.

Interior artwork is less important. If you have a small artwork budget then consider spending it all on a good peice for the cover and skip the interior artwork.