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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ramicus" data-source="post: 7984718" data-attributes="member: 6798940">There is a vast difference between having a PDF in hand and using a service like D&D Beyond or any VTT service that sells books (e.g. Fantasy Grounds or Roll20). While a PDF certainly has value, it is produced in a vastly different fashion than a service like D&D beyond or any VTT. Those businesses leveraging other's intellectual property in a new format that adds value deserve to be paid for that added value, as well as those who wrote the material in the first place. The information age relies on this style of innovation. Simply because you the consumer still have to read in every case does not mean you are not gaining added value in how, where and when you can access the material when it's not in a physical book. And these services do far more than just that - dice rollers, character generators, custom power databases, and more.So no - it's not paying for the material twice. It's paying for the services of people to provide the same material in additional formats, with added value and utility.As for smaller publishers offering PDFs for free, bravo to them. It's added value for a customer, creates loyalty and inspires them to buy direct. Those creative people deserve to get paid too. Sure it makes some added work, but when you're already laying out a physical book in a studio like InDesign, its only a relative "few more clicks" to make a PDF. If it weren't relatively low cost for them to do, these small companies wouldn't be offering free PDFs with physical product purchases. At any rate, they see it as investment in their customer base and a way for more people to get access to their games. WotC doesn't have to offer discounts (free or otherwise) for PDFs as they already dominate the market. It's a channel-based business decision, plain and simple.</blockquote>

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