Holy sheepdip - wotc to republish old editions

[Guest 85555]

It's also worth noting there is a big difference between rpgs and movies. Subscription service for dvds is a much more workable model imo. When netflicks came out, it made sense to me and filled a clear need. As someone who rented a lot of movies i liked the idea and signed up. But i have never felt any need for rpg subscription service. Dont like thd idea of a constantly updating database of material--- just too much influx for my taste. Do most of my gaming away from computers and tablets. And i really prefer to by the physical game book if its s game i have any plan to run regularly (i buy pdfs to check out a game).

That said i spend a lot of time online (both for my business and just personally--its how i get most of my news, etc). But gaming isnt something that requires tech. I use a word processor for some prep but actually find most tech to be less effective than a classic binder for prep and organization.

 

[Agamon]

To each their own, of course. I'm just happy that they're trying to find ways to get the material available again, in a way that their anti-piracy lawyers find acceptable.

I'd be just as happy with purchasable pdfs, but if they wanted to do that, they wouldn't have stopped doing it in the first place. But then, again, that's e-format, too. I just think that anyone thinking WotC is going to be re-releasing dead tree format of anything pre-4e is in for some disappointment.

 

[thedungeondelver]

When John Bonham passed away, ATLANTIC didn't discontinue all Led Zeppelin albums. When Robert Plant did solo work, they didn't. When Jimmy Page does solo work, they don't.

In fact, sales of one helps drive the other.

I hope WIZARDS OF THE COAST finally recognize this and are driving towards making actual print books for previous editions again, even if it's only "core" material. I realize if you were to count up one of every supplemental this or complete fighters the other you could fill up a warehouse just having one of each from 1974 to 2007, rather like you could have a whole lot of singles and so forth from a given band - but you keep the core stuff (albums) in print, it works that way.

 

[Orius]

I hope WIZARDS OF THE COAST finally recognize this and are driving towards making actual print books for previous editions again, even if it's only "core" material.

I don't know if they'll actually reprint the older material, electronic formats are probably more likely.

I would expect physical reprints to be one of two things: limited print runs of the older core books and selected products for which there is a lot of demand or print on demand for stuff from the classic library for collectors or enthusiasts.

 

[falcarrion]

I would perfer it in a pdf format. Then I could put it out on my cloud storage for easy excess. Ebook format thats ok but limited by the type of ebook format and type of electronic device I can use it on. such as no Sony ebook app for the ipad. If I use a friends laptop and he doesn't have the program I can't use it.
If they go the rent format. I will not go that route. If I buy game products I want to own it not rent it. Not everywhere I go has internet connection.
If I'm on a road trip and want to read a pdf on my ipad no problem. If it is rent through DDI then I can't.
As far as hard copies, I have 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, and some of 4th. There is nothing wrong with print form. but I want it in electronic version that I can read anywhere I want.

 

[ShinHakkaider]

I have a Netflix account.

There are good things about having a Netflix account with streaming video. I get to checkout movies and shows that I normally would not have put on my physical disc queue. For instance, yesterday I finally saw Takashi Miike's 13 ASSASSINS after missing it 3 times here in NYC theatrically. I enjoyed the hell out it (although now that I hear that there's a longer cut I'll have to hunt that down). I also, after multiple recommendations started watching episodes of PARTY DOWN which I'm also enjoying. I've also been enjoying FULL METAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD. As such I'll probably be buying copies of 13 ASSASSINS and FMA: BROTHERHOOD on DVD or BD in the near future.

There are also bad things about Netflix streaming. I wanted to re watch Sparticus about a month ago but Netflix only had half the episodes up. Before that they'd pulled the entire series and only had the prequel series up. I wanted to finish watching the first season of DEXTER but they'd pulled that. There was a day last week where Verizon (my DSL provider) was working in the neighborhood and my DSL connection was borked for about 2 hours so no Netflix access for me.

What I'm saying that the digital subscription thing has it's upsides and downsides, but in the end I like being able to access content when I WANT TO and not be at the whim of my broadband connection or some squabble between networks/studios and Netflix.

If I stop paying for a service, I stop receiving service. That makes sense. But if I pay for a physical or digital product that sits on my shelf or on my HD (backed up on several HD's. HD space IS cheaper than real space. At least here in NYC it is...) I can access it as much as I want simply by pulling it off my shelf or pulling it up on my MacBook Pro, MacPro or iPad.

For some things a digital service is alright. I would never do a digital subscription for music but for movies I obviously do. For access to books for my RPG's though? HELL NO. If I'm spending money for an RPG or RPG related material I WANT IT. If the subscription service allows you to download the material then that's different, but read only access is a deal breaker.

 

[ShinHakkaider]

I use a word processor for some prep but actually find most tech to be less effective than a classic binder for prep and organization.

See and I find just the opposite. With my iPad I'm not limited to prepping my game when I have my binder handy. I can prep my game on my lunch break or on my train ride home. Simply BECAUSE I have all my books handy and I can write notes or cut and paste statblocks and modify them in Pages. For the last few months I've been running my Pathfinder Game almost exclusively from my iPad. Even when I have an idea and I'm nowhere near my tablet or books I whip out my phone and record my idea and then send the recording to myself via email as a reminder.

Yes you dont need tech to run or prep for your games. But if you have it, it's HELLA handy.

 

[Guest 85555]

See and I find just the opposite. With my iPad I'm not limited to prepping my game when I have my binder handy. I can prep my game on my lunch break or on my train ride home. Simply BECAUSE I have all my books handy and I can write notes or cut and paste statblocks and modify them in Pages. For the last few months I've been running my Pathfinder Game almost exclusively from my iPad. Even when I have an idea and I'm nowhere near my tablet or books I whip out my phone and record my idea and then send the recording to myself via email as a reminder.

Yes you dont need tech to run or prep for your games. But if you have it, it's HELLA handy.

I dont disagree. I use my i phone and my laptop for prep all the time. Internets great for research. I am pretty far from being a technophobe. But at the end of the day i prefer not to use software to manage my prep (i use a word processor but i dont like character generators or gm software mostly because i find them all way too restrictive). When i am at the table i have my binder and i find tech distracting for all involved.

 

[Umbran]

Several of the above posts demonstrate (but don't "prove") something I suspect is true: with respect to formats, the market is nowhere near unified. To make everyone happy, they need to provide a whole stack of formats, and producing and maintaining such can be a hefty overhead for the business.

Thus, expect them to make a choice, and that a bunch of us will not be pleased with their choice.

 

[Guest 85555]

Several of the above posts demonstrate (but don't "prove") something I suspect is true: with respect to formats, the market is nowhere near unified. To make everyone happy, they need to provide a whole stack of formats, and producing and maintaining such can be a hefty overhead for the business.

Thus, expect them to make a choice, and that a bunch of us will not be pleased with their choice.

I think this is the golden answer. It is why dismissing online delivery is just as misguided as insisting it is the one true way. A company that can, should provide all delivery options its customers. Some will want hard books, some will want subscription services, some will want online subscription, etc.

You also make a good point about the overhead. This is a tiny industry. When the biggest player in the game (at least up till this point as I know we are debating who is top dog) took years to get real online tools and support, I think that is a good indication that its a tall order for many other companies.

For my own company I can say anything beyond PDF and print books (with the exception of things like kindle formatting) is beyond our means and will be beyond them for the near future. Hiring programmers is something we simply can't do. There are lots of things we would love to do, but we have to be realistic.