Ghostwind said:
I know George and in person he is a very polite and likeable fellow. However, like any person who runs a business, he will defend it against slams and attacks that are unwarranted. As a whole, RPGnet (and to some extent, EN World) posters feel that by posting boycott statements or negative comments they can drastically affect a company's sales. But to be honest, nothing is further from the truth. Every member of EN World and RPGNet combined could choose to boycott a publisher and it might make a minor dent in sales at the very most and that's it. Therefore, George (and other publishers) doesn't worry about offending someone on a bulletin board especially when they take an "attitude" with him or his company. George is blunt, calls it like he sees it and feels that his company doesn't "owe" gamers anything, especially something that, in his opinion, can be easily pirated (which he does feel is a problem for his company).
Another thing to remember about DRM and Drivethru along with the publishers using it. Their target audience is the person who cannot get a print copy easily because of location, availability and/or costs (such as being overseas or stuck 200 miles from a game store). They also aren't concerned about the gamer who wants to be able to rip it apart by copy/paste numerous times in a single day for whatever reason. They are looking at the casual gamer who just wants an electronic copy because he probably can't get a print one. So if you are of a mind that a pdf should be 50% or less than the cost of a print version, you aren't their target customer either. So I wouldn't get too upset over Eden (or any other publisher) and this decision to go with Drivethru, because it was made strictly in terms of a business decision that offers an alternative to customers who may not have had that option before. Nothing more and nothing less, in my opinon.
Just my .02 worth...
Normally, that's true, but you're forgetting about the nature of the product.
Most Print customers don't look for roleplaying game information online. They first find out about new product either when it appears on the shelves or when it appears in Game Trade Magazine.
With electronic customers, by definition, they have to be online. That makes them much more likely to be particpants in the gaming discussion boards - but even if they don't, it makes them likely to have the same sorts of opinions regarding DRM as people ON the message boards.
In short, the market for new electronic roleplaying game products are the people who HAVE bought electronic roleplaying game products, not a hypothetical overseas guy. Even the overseas guy has to weigh the costs of getting Vampire at an ungodly price that he can't do much with vs. getting HARP or Whispering Vault from RPGnow cheaper and easier.
Especially with competition from e23 coming up, so long as Steve Jackson doesn't go for DRM, Pyramid subscribers, on which SJG already has an inroad, are, by definition, willing to pay for electronic roleplaying game material.
To say that we don't have an impact on sales in
this issue is terribly shortsighted. I'm boycotting the print products, but that's not out of some grand scheme, but out of a personal ethical responsibility I feel I have. Boycotting the DTRPG site
is something negative internet word of mouth can really affect.
Personally, I think that DTRPG is trying to twisp-and-catsby away their customers.
"Don't like the DRM? Run Linux? Can't print it out? Can't access it on your computer? Can you get the print products cheaper?
Tough, it's not FOR you. We're after the customers who live more than 200 miles from a game store, don't run MacOS9, Windows 98FE or 95, or a Unix based system, have access to a lazer printer and paper, don't mind DRM, and don't mind paying full price for a e-book product. Both of them!"
