Exclusive interview WotC President Greg Leeds

[f33b]

You could also make an argument that the development time used to make the bookmarked PDF isn't worth the sales money coming in for it. Or, more extensively, that it is outweighed by the exposure to potential lost sales.

The cost of adding that functionality to a pdf pales in comparison to the cost of turning on your press, even if the press is in mainland China. Selling 10 9maybe 20 if your typesetters are based in California) pdfs would recoup that expense.

We're talking maybe three billable hours from a competent programmer. All you have to do is write a script to match words and case/styling. Heck, you can probably do the development once, and re-use it multiple times over the life of the typesetting system. Of course, adding bookmarks and an index to something that allows for full text searching is, well, kind of redundant.

 

[Dumnbunny]

This is exactly what I've been wondering. If not .pdf, then what?

That's an interesting question. While PDF is the undisputed champion, there are other formats such as Microsoft's XPS. In the ICv2 interview, Leeds spoke postively about WotC's experieces with the Kindle, but there's a script available which strips off the DRM. I suppose they could try creating their own solution, but I really hope that's not on the table.

The problem, of course, isn't just replacing PDF but replacing it with something that won't just be quickly cracked. Copy protection isn't a new problem; it's something that companies and organizations which dwarf WotC (and Hasbro, for that matter) in size, war-chest and tech savvy have been struggling with for the better part of three decades with results that could be charitably referred to as "mixed."

I suppose they could try some sort of on-line reader where you go to a website and read the book there. Of course this kills a large part of the usefullness of the electronic format. Also, it would be no great trick to dump the contents of whatever they feed you into a PDF and start sharing it.

 

[Derulbaskul]

Dear Greg,

I read your anti-interview and would like to throw a few questions in of my own for your consideration.

A BREAKDOWN IN LOGIC
1. Your anti-piracy methods have now been proven to be successful in identifying pirates. That would tend to support leaving the PDFs for sale rather than pulling them. Would you care to comment?

PROACTIVE LEADERSHIP
If I was your superior in Hasbro I would be asking at least these two questions:

2. "Why didn't you explain yourself to your customer base BEFORE it blew up rather than giving non-answers AFTER?" How would you respond to that?

3. Some of us rely on the utility offered by your PDF products so that we can get our "D&D fix", for lack of a better term. "Why didn't you have a replacement programme in place at the time you made this announcement?"

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I still say BS.

The only reason they had firm numbers of downloads with PHB2 was because some idiots uploaded it to Scribd, and Scribd provides information on numbers downloaded. Comparing those numbers to actual numbers of pdf's sold gives a ratio. If several thousand were downloaded from Scribd and several hundred sold, you get a ratio of 90%. However, I doubt you can track torrents, Limewire type services, and just plain old emailing or swapping on usb drives.

So you mean the ratio is even worse?

This is what they need to do.

• Reproduction and Redistribution Restrictions: This security system has been implemented through the use of a free Adobe Acrobat plug-in that "locks" the PDF file to the computer on which it was first opened. Once a PDF file has been locked to a computer, it can be opened only from that computer.
• Networking Restrictions: Secure PDF files cannot be used in a multi-user, network environment. If you are interested in purchasing standards for you internal corporate network, please contact your local IHS Office to obtain a network version of the document(s) and a network license.
• Viewing Restrictions: You will be required to download the free plug-in to view any secured PDF document. There is no limit to the number of times a document may be viewed on your computer.
• Printing Restrictions: The plug-in limits the number of times the document may be printed to one copy. Since printing a part of the document is interpreted by the software as the one allowable print attempt, we recommend you print the entire document.
• Copy & Paste Restrictions: The ability to copy and paste text from the PDF file has been disabled.

DRM that makes legal use of a PDF even more difficult than the illegal use is not the way to go.

But I am afraid it might go into a direction they indeed intend to go, except that it won't be a PDF format.
They might use the DDI, a different format, and maybe some online-communication aspect to it. Of course, that still reduces the usability.

I know that Microsofts XPS format (their equivalent to PDF) does also contain DRM functions, but I have no clue wether it has anything that PDF doesn't also have.

---

Edit:

I am not sure what's the point of asking for an interview and than taking the information they actually give and assume it's a lie? Why do you even ask if you don't believe any of what they say? How are you even able to talk meaningful about an interview if you assume it might all be lying and deception. In the end, you will just be reading in the interview what you already believed to know, regardless whether the content comfirms your belief or violates it.

 

[César Ayala]

I'm not a genius, but if the PDF is dead to WotC, what will happen with dragon and dungeon? Last time I checked em, they were PDF. And yes, they were all over the interweb in evul pirated pdfs.

 

[Umbran]

I am not sure what's the point of asking for an interview and than taking the information they actually give and assume it's a lie? Why do you even ask if you don't believe any of what they say? How are you even able to talk meaningful about an interview if you assume it might all be lying and deception. In the end, you will just be reading in the interview what you already believed to know, regardless whether the content comfirms your belief or violates it.

I find this to be an excellent point.

 

[Shadowsong666]

I find this to be an excellent point.

But taking everything for the truth just because someone said so isn't really the right way either. I think it strongly depends on personal experience and how well someone is able to deliver the information he tries to send out. A good portion of disbelieve is really a good thing imho.

You read stuff, think about it and have a opinion on things. Thats totally ok as long as you don't get to upset about the person who delivers it. I mean, honestly, the messenger isn't important but the message he delivers is. I didn't hear anything new and i really wasn't able to get anything out of the interview that i could use as a "ok, they've done, they have a good reason for doing it and they have a great plan in their hand how to handle things in the future" statement... its more a blah blah blah - many words - no substance.

The reason for an interview and blant information we got have nothing to do with each other in that case. The one thing is the desire for information and the other is the delivery of information. People do not critic that he did answer the questions but that he really did answer the questions poorly imho. Well, good wording and stuff but you didn't get anything out of it. It just doesn't cool me down but helps getting more angry as i don't see a plan behind all that. Stealthy corporate strategies don't impress me because they simply are a very poor way of doing customer service.

Enough said on that - i need a mead...

 

[Jasperak]

I am not sure what's the point of asking for an interview and than taking the information they actually give and assume it's a lie? Why do you even ask if you don't believe any of what they say? How are you even able to talk meaningful about an interview if you assume it might all be lying and deception. In the end, you will just be reading in the interview what you already believed to know, regardless whether the content comfirms your belief or violates it.

Um, should we bother having PR firms and White House press secretaries then? Or never question politicians again, please.

You parse through the lies and read between the lines, and hold their feet to the fire when they are finally caught.

I respect Mr. Leeds for addressing these issues with his responses to the two interviews, but that doesn't change that fact that he is the CEO and his primary duty is not to tell the truth, but to parse his language in a way that does not hurt the shareholders he works for or bring undue damage to the brand. His addressing this issue directly tells me that this is one of the most important issues that they face right now. In the best of worlds the head of WOTC has to be a CEO first and gamer second. Others like Paizo, Green Ronin, Necromancer Games, or Goodman Games may be gamers first, CEOs second, but you never see that from a Hasbro Subsidiary.

 

[Morrus]

I am not sure what's the point of asking for an interview and than taking the information they actually give and assume it's a lie? Why do you even ask if you don't believe any of what they say? How are you even able to talk meaningful about an interview if you assume it might all be lying and deception. In the end, you will just be reading in the interview what you already believed to know, regardless whether the content comfirms your belief or violates it.

I utterly agree. If you're not going to believe what someone says, then why ask them the question in the first place?

 

[3catcircus]

I think it would be rather great of them to include a code in the hardcover books, like to register them, and that code would also allow you access to a PDF file of the book you purchased. And that PDF would only work on the computer that it was downloaded too.

THis has to be a troll as that's almost exactly what was told to reader (not promised mind you, no hand on heart thing) but then that communication was blacked out and next think you know instead of a few dollars more on the DDI it was more expensive to buy the PDF than to buy from Amazon.com

Indeed - about a year ago when Rouse was on here touting 4e and the plans for how people could get pdf's, I called him out on it and basically told him he was a liar (the thread where he placed me on ignore). I'm not happy to say "I told you so" when it came to that prediction.

I have a feeling WoTC is doing what people keep telling them to do. "Adapt to new business models".

They are hoping to move to a DDI where the files are not saved but remain "in the cloud".

It doesn't matter - someone will (out of spite, desire to beat the technical challenge, whatever) figure out a way to download and save the files. Look at how quickly youtube grabbers morph when youtube changes their code to prevent downloading videos...

I'm willing to bet that that actual number of illegal downloads has stood for quite a while, and cessation of legal PDFs is not likely to change it - what it will change is the fact that people were getting it within hours as opposed to months. Common sense says, if it can be viewed or heard, it can be copied.

I'm just curious what kind of replacement is planned for PDF distribution for the older stuff, and if it will ever be implemented, because more likely it will be seen as too little gain for the expense of translating it to a DRM medium that is acceptable to buyers and WotC - heck, the project was pulled after JIm Butler was laid off years ago because it was too cost prohibitive back then to finish the catalog just for scanning to PDF.

The most amazing thing about their decision to yank pdfs is that is doesn't appear that they considered that the rate of piracy will start out very high at the beginning of a product's release and then taper off - just like the sales themselves do. The 10:1 ratio would drop off rather quickly. Of course, it doesn't help them that free trumps $20 any day.

As far as the older stuff (or even the newer stuff), I'd be willing to bet that the amount of available pirate copies will increase over the coming weeks.

Have a problem with PHB2 piracy? Fine - yank that title, but 10 sales/day out of your back catalog is better than no sales/day.

The cost of adding that functionality to a pdf pales in comparison to the cost of turning on your press, even if the press is in mainland China. Selling 10 9maybe 20 if your typesetters are based in California) pdfs would recoup that expense.

We're talking maybe three billable hours from a competent programmer. All you have to do is write a script to match words and case/styling. Heck, you can probably do the development once, and re-use it multiple times over the life of the typesetting system. Of course, adding bookmarks and an index to something that allows for full text searching is, well, kind of redundant.

Probably less time than that. I work with low-end publishing (MS Word -> PDF). It takes the clicking of a single button and waiting a few minutes to have a fully-indexed PDF. I imagine that higher-end publishing using industry-standard publishing software is not much more than that - especially since you can batch-file the distilling to do multiple books (i.e. - you can set the batch file up to do the entire 3.5 catalog and come back in a few hours and it'll be done). Bookmarks and and index *aren't* redundant because (especially with large pdfs), it is quicker to look in the TOC or index rather than do a search.

Of course, once the master PDF copy is made, other than individualizing each sale (with ye olde hidden micro-watermark) which takes less than a minute, there is no NRE cost involved - it is all profit.

IIRC, at the beginning, legal 3.x PDFs where inferior to pirated copies. I don't know if the same was true for 4e pdfs. That having been said - a poorly scanned pdf is preferable to no pdf, so I'm fairly confident that WotC's entire catalog will become more prevalent as pirated copies. Especially since now they know to also remove the micro-watermark in addition to the visible one.