Frostburn at DriveThruRPG

[Jupp]

DRM is Digital Rights Management. It is something like a secure lock for PDF files. You can read a DRM pdf only on the PC you have activated it on, not on another computer until you have it actived there again. AFAIK the # of activations is limited though. You can back them up on CD or an external harddisk but you cannot read it from there. If you loose your pdf you have to contact the place you did buy it from so they can send you a new pdf with a new activation. Well thats about it. There are some differences depending on who does the DRM but thats how it works on a lots of places.

It is nothing special IMO and I dont understand some of the fuss some people make about it but thats just my opinion

Anyway. I would have bought Frostburn if it would have cost between 18-20$. Just because its a pdf doesnt mean in any way that they should sell it for only 5$. The work to produce this book is almost the same minus the print review and the actual print job. Some people do not seem to see this.
My 2 cents

Edit:
@RangerWickett
AFAIK, u dont need to have access to the internet just for opening the file. You have to activate it once per computer and then thats it. I use Adobe DRM pdf files for work from time to time and I never had to be on the net just to open the file

 

[Felon]

Well, if it's a text PDF, and that adds a few neat capabilities. You can do stuff like use a Search function, and maybe copy-and-paste the text and/or images into other programs (although DRM may disable the latter). When I downloaded the Banewarrens from RPGNow a couple years back, these were both very useful features.

Still, charging the MSRP is a pretty damned questionable move. I suspect that they probably have to do that to avoid grief from retailers, who probably won't be all that quick to buy the "let's be competitive with Amazon" arguement. Always bear in mind that retailers are WotC's actual bread-and-butter, not you and I.

 

[Felon]

It is nothing special IMO and I dont understand some of the fuss some people make about it but thats just my opinion

Well, this is because this is the Internet and as we all know information on the net wants to roam free.

 

[Belen]

It's obvious that WOTC wants this to fail. I cannot believe they are so stupid that someone will pony up that kind of money for a useless PDF.

Sorry, Dire, but they are useless. It may not be such a hassle for techie to break the DRM, but it sucks for the honest people who want to open the file at home on a laptop with no net connection.

This is just another thing that pees me off with regards to WOTC. I recently cancelled all my pre-orderes with them as WOTC has decided to screw Amazon. Yes, they are releasing their orders to Amazon two weeks after the street date from now on.

 

[smetzger]

$34.95 is way too much. I am sure a few people will buy it, but it will not be a success at this price. It needs to be priced below $10 for it to be a success. For $34.95 you should get the hardcopy and the pdf.

And yes the DRM is a factor for me. I want to be able to use the pdf 10 yrs from now when DriveThru is out of business and I have gone through 5 computers.

 

[Li Shenron]

Just because its a pdf doesnt mean in any way that they should sell it for only 5$.

They can sell it for as much as they wish, I just mean to say that I won't BUY it for that price.

You know, a free market is made of two parts: the ones who sell and the ones who buy. Setting the market price is a complex decision that doesn't simply come out of production cost + wanted gain, and choosing to buy or not to buy shouldn't be a simple process either

 

[Henry]

Just to re-iterate and clear up one point, you do not have to have an active net connection each time you open a DRM-enabled PDF. However, it is true that it is not transferrable to another computer unless that computer has an internet connection for use at least once, and that there is a limited number of registrations.

It's an interesting experiment - it's also one, regardless of personal feelings for DRM technology, that I hope they continue, and I hope they don't choose Frostburn as a reliable gauge to judge future interest on. As Dire Bare said, this product is not for those who can get access to the print product - I strongly believe if this is for WotC to see if there is an untapped market segment out there who want their books, but have easier Internet than postal access.

 

[MerricB]

I support this move of Wizards. I think it's great - though not for me.

There are plenty of people whose access to print books isn't that good; there are also people who don't want to carry around 20 odd RPG books. This is great for those people.

Does this move take anything away from what we have at the moment? Not at all. It adds a new way of getting the latest D&D books. Fantastic!

Most of us are mired in the print market; this is something different, and should not be judged by the same standards.

Cheers!

 

[Mystery Man]

Stupid.

I can get the real deal from Amazon for around 24 dollars plus some change for shipping.

 

[Scribble]

You don't need a connection to the net everytime you want to open the file. You only have to register the computer once.

My other comment is, technically it's not Wizards selling the pdf at cover price.. I doubt Drive thru works for free you know. What's their say about the whole thing?